48: Chapter 48 Instantly Kills Zhao San; None of Those Who Walk the Streets Value Loyalty
With a thud.
Zhao San instantly collapsed to the ground, his rounded eyes bloodshot and filled with shock.
He didn't seem to believe it; it seemed impossible for Chen Yichuan to deal such high damage.
Yet the truth was right before his eyes: a Martial Arts Stance, unleashed in a single sword strike.
Zhao San was dead!!
An instant kill in one strike.
It gave the other members of Black Tiger Hall no time to react at all.
Even Tian Yushan hadn't reacted in time; he had intended to fire a hidden arrow, but Chen Yichuan's instant kill of Zhao San rendered his plan useless.
At the same time.
After executing that strike, Chen Yichuan's body lost its support and he instantly fell to the ground.
Kicking up a cloud of dust.
However, despite this perfect opportunity to move in for the finishing blow, none of the Black Tiger Hall members moved.
Still in a state of shock and wariness, they didn't dare to step forward.
"Holy crap!"
"So this is a Martial Arts Stance—220 HP, a one-shot kill. Badass!!"
Chen Yichuan's heart was racing with overwhelming joy.
He knew Martial Arts Stances were powerful, but... he hadn't expected them to be this potent, dealing such massive damage.
Both were martial artists.
Zhao San was killed in a single strike, while Chen Yichuan only had a bit of dirt on his clothes; the gap between them was clear.
Whoosh.
Chen Yichuan quickly stood up and hurriedly leaped to the base of the wall.
However, this move ultimately proved unnecessary.
Zhao Er and the other martial artists still hadn't moved.
But they were fuming, staring at Chen Yichuan with bloodshot eyes.
"Third Brother!!"
"Second Brother, I'm going to avenge Third Brother, don't stop me!"
"Fourth Brother isn't stopping you, you go first! I'll cover you from behind."
"..."
The Black Tiger Hall martial artists roared in anger, but not one of them charged forward immediately; they were just shouting slogans.
As expected, there was no honor among these thugs.
In truth, they couldn't entirely be blamed.
Although everyone from Zhao Er to Zhao Qi shared the surname Zhao, they weren't blood relatives.
It was simply because the Black Tiger Hall Leader Zhao Shanhe shared the surname Zhao, so he gave them these names to make managing his martial artists easier.
Just as the Black Tiger Hall martial artists were roaring in anger.
Swish, swish, swish.
Three shots in quick succession.
Three armor-piercing arrows were fired from atop the wall, aimed straight at the Black Tiger Hall group.
Clang, clang~~
Zhao Er and Zhao Si were the first to react, swinging their weapons to deflect Tian Yushan's armor-piercing arrows.
"Ah!!"
Suddenly.
A scream rang out, and Zhao Er instantly turned his head: "Old Six, are you okay??"
Seeing Old Six fall from his horse, Zhao Er felt extremely frustrated.
"Cough, cough, Second Brother, everyone, I'm fine... I was just hit in the arm."
Zhao Liu coughed heavily as he climbed back onto his horse.
The others breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
The next second.
They all turned their heads in unison and began hurling insults at Tian Yushan atop the wall, their faces filled with resentment.
"Despicable coward!"
"Attacking with hidden arrows, what kind of hero are you?"
"If you have the guts, fight us one-on-one."
"..."
Hearing these shouts, Tian Yushan remained silent.
He shook his head, thinking it was a pity.
He had only wounded him, not killed him.
At the base of the wall.
A system notification rang in Chen Yichuan's ear.
'Ding'
"System Notification: Used Flowing Cloud Sword Technique to kill a martial artist, EXP +30"
30 EXP?
Chen Yichuan was instantly delighted; martial artists were indeed worth much more than beasts.
Looking at the several martial artists ahead, he couldn't help but feel a bit thirsty for more.
Suddenly.
Hearing the ridiculous claims from the Black Tiger Hall members, he couldn't help but chuckle. With a playful expression, he looked at them as if they were idiots:
"Despicable? Hidden arrows? Heroes?"
"Damn it, you bandits must have been kicked in the head by a donkey. You want a one-on-one duel?" At this point, Chen Yichuan smiled slightly:
"Oh~~ sorry, there actually was one who fought one-on-one, but he's lying on the ground right now."
Pointing to Zhao San's corpse, Chen Yichuan beckoned to them.
The provocation was absolute.
Before Zhao Er and the other martial artists could retort, swish, swish, swish.
Three shots in quick succession.
Another three armor-piercing arrows were fired from the wall.
Clang, clang, clang.
This time, their guard was up, and they deflected them quite easily.
However...
Long-range attacks from a high vantage point were always effective. Zhao Er knew that if they didn't counterattack, they would be in a very passive position.
Seeing Chen Yichuan reaching for the bow on his back, he didn't hesitate and roared:
"Old Six, Old Seven, Zuo Shan Diao—you three go deal with the archer on the wall."
"The rest of you, charge with me... Kill the kid under the wall first. No duels, just swarm him."
As soon as he finished speaking.
Zhao Er, mounted on his horse and weapon in hand, was the first to charge at Chen Yichuan.
The other martial artists also followed Zhao Er's lead and attacked.
Instantly.
The situation reversed.
Not only were the martial artists lunging at the two of them, but even the Quasi-Martial Artists who had been freed up joined in.
From behind.
A long saber lunged toward Chen Yichuan's back.
However.
Chen Yichuan reacted with lightning speed. He pushed off the ground with his feet, leaped lightly, and then swung his sword in mid-air!
Clang!
-200
The damage number floated above the head of the sneaking Quasi-Martial Artist—another one-shot kill.
10 EXP gained.
"Hmph, a mere Quasi-Martial Artist? Trying to sneak attack me? Pathetic," Chen Yichuan sneered.
Instantly.
The other Quasi-Martial Artists who were about to make a move immediately backed off.
The gap between a martial artist and a Quasi-Martial Artist was vast. Sneak attacks... as long as the martial artist was even slightly prepared, they wouldn't be very effective.
Of course.
That Quasi-Martial Artist's sneak attack did have some effect.
Swish, swish, swish.
In a matter of moments.
Four figures landed about ten feet away from Chen Yichuan, surrounding him from four directions.
They were the Black Tiger Hall martial artists led by Zhao Er.
Among them was a player.
[Li Qinghuan, Identity: Black Tiger Hall Consultant.]
Seeing this, Chen Yichuan frowned. "There's actually a player too. This is trouble."
Compared to the three bandit martial artists.
Chen Yichuan was more wary of player martial artists. A player who could reach the level of a martial artist in less than ten days definitely had great talent.
After the four martial artists surrounded Chen Yichuan, they didn't attack immediately, all watching him warily.
After all.
Chen Yichuan's earlier one-strike defeat of Zhao San had left them deeply shaken and cautious.
None of them wanted to be the first to charge and end up as fodder.
"Second Brother, you go first! I'll hold the line."
"Old Four, you do it."
"Li Qinghuan, aren't you fast? You charge first."
"..."
Listening to them pass the buck to one another, Chen Yichuan fell silent.
Were these the bandits he knew? Every single one of them was afraid of death and lacked any spine.
That was what he thought.
But Chen Yichuan's armored left hand was tightly gripping something—the poisonous powder Pharmacist Huang had prepared for him.
"I said, you guys, just charge already. What are you standing there for?"
After a minute of standoff, Chen Yichuan finally couldn't take it anymore.
"Kid, do you think you have a say here?"
"Shut up!"
Hearing Old Four and Old Five's words, Zhao Er glared at them: "Both of you, shut up!!"
"Stop arguing about who goes first. Let's go together—he might be able to kill one of us instantly, but there's no way he can kill all four."
As soon as he said this.
The four of them nodded.
In the next instant.
The four of them attacked in unison. Their weapons, infused with Astral Qi, generated a heat wave that instantly swept toward Chen Yichuan.
Boom.
"Clouds Rise, Sword Moves!!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Chen Yichuan immediately executed his Martial Arts Stance. The mist enveloping his body instantly sharpened his reflexes.
Clang, clang, clang.
He quickly parried with the qingshuang sword.
Suddenly.
Puchi, blood splattered.
-65