Chapter 51: After Tonight, There Will Be No More Zhao Family in Suzhou

 

On the banks of the Yangtze River in Suzhou.

 

Collapsed houses lined the shore, raging fires had climbed up the main fortress, banners toppled, corpses floated in the river. The once proud Three Rivers Fortress on the Yangtze’s bank had now become a living hell.

 

“Zing!”

 

At the dock already engulfed in flames, a clear ring sounded as half a blade spun and embedded itself into a wooden plank.

 

Kazama Taro stared blankly at the broken sword in his hand and smiled sadly, squeezing out the words: “I have lost!”

 

Wolf Head slashed open a wooden box beside him, using his sword tip to lift out a long steel blade and toss it in front of Kazama Taro.

 

“Continue.”

 

The air was dead silent for two seconds. Kazama Taro reached out and grasped the sword hilt, shouting in a venting voice: “Father! There are no cowards in the Kazama family!”

 

“My life! I never need those old fools to judge me!”

 

Wolf Head frowned. Without Snake as a translator, he couldn’t understand what the other was babbling about.

 

However, he could sense that Kazama Taro’s fighting spirit, which had just been depressed, had reignited, even more intensely than before.

 

“I… won’t beg you for mercy!” Kazama Taro said, taking his stance.

 

Hearing this, Wolf Head threw off his large black robe. Two streams of green light coiled around his double swords like playful dragons. He would respond with his full strength.

 

Kazama family saber technique ultimate secret – Heavenly Destruction God Dance!

 

Kazama Taro struck first, instantly appearing three steps in front of Wolf Head. He held the steel blade across his waist and gathered all his strength to draw out and slash.

 

Fast! Extremely fast!

 

The essence of this move was speed, surpassing one’s own limits, enduring the pain of bodily collapse to deliver a certain killing blow!

 

The steel blade slashed horizontally through Wolf Head’s body, a round purple blade aura transformed into rippling waves sweeping across the world.

 

The blade aura cut through the main fortress unstoppably, crashing into the cliff face in the distance.

 

“Boom!!!”

 

Dust spewed, pillars cracked, and the towering main fortress slowly tilted towards the river.

 

After a while, Kazama Taro remained frozen in his slashing posture, blood lines constantly seeping out all over his body like a hell demon. In his hand remained only the sword hilt, the blade long since shattered and scattered, unable to withstand that extreme force.

 

“An afterimage… I’ve lost again…”

 

“Is this… what death feels like?”

 

“The cherry blossoms of my homeland… are blooming…” Kazama Taro looked at the black long sword piercing his chest, closed his eyes, and passed away.

 

Thud!

 

Wolf Head landed behind Kazama Taro as light as a floating cloud, allowing the flowing blood to soak his hem.

 

“Old wolf, are you fucking tired of living?!” 

 

Ghost Face landed from mid-air and couldn’t help but curse.

 

A terrifying eye-catching wound slanted upwards across Wolf Head’s waist. As he turned, one could vaguely see his internal organs, making viewers shudder.

 

“I won.” Wolf Head slightly raised his head, a bit smugly.

 

Ghost Face was speechless. He couldn’t think of any words to scold this guy anymore.

 

Yes, yes, yes.

 

You won, you won!

 

You won but almost got split in half by your opponent, right?

 

This was the first time he had seen Wolf Head so seriously injured.

 

Also, did this guy truly not feel pain?!

 

Even now, he still wore that cold, expressionless face, his eyes revealing a kind of indifference to life.

 

Ghost Face didn’t want to waste more words. He drew a talisman in the air with one finger, and casually tore off the clothing around Wolf Head’s wound.

 

Ancient Evergreen Wood – Patch

 

The talisman pasted on Wolf Head’s wound erupted with astonishing life force. In just a moment, the horrible wound was covered by a layer of bark.

 

“My medical skills are far inferior to Bai Shi’s. I’ll use my qi to stabilize your injury first. Heal slowly, don’t use the Great Rejuvenation Pill, it’s quite expensive. You can’t use your sword for a while, so leave this to me,” Ghost Face sighed, speaking in a fatherly tone.

 

“Mm.” 

 

Wolf Head responded faintly, glancing with slight disdain at the tree bark pasted on his wound, then stepped forward to pull his sword from Kazama Taro’s chest.

 

“You were a good swordsman.”

 

Ghost Face turned his head at the sound. Having partnered with Wolf Head for so long, he knew that “good” was Wolf Head’s second-highest praise for others.

 

“Bang!”

 

Suddenly, two figures leapt out of the main fortress that had already crashed heavily into the river, entangling in combat mid-air.

 

The Blade Corpse roared as it swung its S-shaped blade, chopping at the constantly attacking iron fists.

 

Life Burning!

 

Blood streamed from Zhao Qi’s eyes as his fists moved faster and faster, furiously pummeling the Blade Corpse’s body like a raging storm.

 

Die!

 

He had to avenge his third brother!

 

He refused to believe he couldn’t beat this monster to death!

 

[Corpse Explosion!]

 

The Blade Corpse’s dried-up body, on the verge of collapse, instantly swelled up.

 

“Boom!!!”

 

A flash of white light, a thunderous explosion, and purple corpse poison mist completely enveloped Zhao Qi.

 

“Cough! Cough!”

 

Completely caught off guard, Zhao Qi inhaled a large mouthful of corpse poison while gasping for air.

 

In the moment of falling, Zhao Qi tried to calm his roiling blood and use his true qi to expel the corpse poison.

 

Strike while the iron is hot!

 

A bandaged hand precisely pierced Zhao Qi’s heart from behind, twisting forcefully.

 

Zhao Qi’s mouth gaped open, and he heard Ghost Face’s voice by his ear.

 

“This body-tempering kung fu is not bad.”

 

“Crack!”

 

Ghost Face pried open Zhao Qi’s mouth, forcing him to inhale all the dissipating corpse poison.

 

“We won! We won!”

 

In the fortress, after the last Japanese was shot dead by a hail of arrows, the surviving water bandits began to cheer.

 

Although those Japanese had caught them off guard, they were simply outnumbered!

 

Quickly forming battle formations as they usually trained, shield bearers in front and crossbowmen behind, they didn’t let the Japanese advance an inch despite all their shouting.

 

“Great Leader!”

 

“Great Leader! We’ve won!”

 

The water bandits cheered excitedly as Zhao Qi walked out of the sea of flames.

 

“Great Leader? What’s wrong with you?” one of the water bandits asked, noticing that their leader didn’t seem quite right.

 

Zhao Qi suddenly lifted his head, stretched out his large hand, and grabbed the water bandit’s head.

 

Right in front of the water bandits, he performed a brutal act, crushing the bandit’s skull like a watermelon.

 

“Gr…Great Leader?”

 

“ROAR!!!” Zhao Qi let out a loud roar, like a wolf entering a flock of sheep, and charged towards the water bandits.

 

In an instant, the cries of “Father!” and “Mother!” erupted again, and Zhao Qi went on a rampage, killing everyone in his path.

 

After tonight, the Three Rivers Fortress would no longer exist in Suzhou!

 

At the mountain cliff, Wolf Head, who was taking a break, opened his eyes to see Snake, dressed in red, walking towards him with Zhao’s head in hand.

 

“Sir Wolf Head are you injured?”

 

“This is a healing pill.”

 

Snake was startled and quickly threw away the head, pulling out a bottle of healing pills from her bosom.

 

“It’s just a small injury.”

 

Wolf Head didn’t bother to be polite, took the porcelain bottle, and hesitated for a moment.

 

The porcelain bottle still had a faint warmth and fragrance lingering on it.

 

“Thank you.” Wolf Head said, after taking the healing pill.

 

“You’re welcome, Sir Wolf Head.”

 

Snake’s face turned slightly red as Wolf Head gazed at her, and she took two steps forward to the edge of the cliff, looking down.

 

“It seems to be over down there.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Wolf Head’s gaze suddenly shifted, and he saw a white snake emerging from nowhere, coiling around Snake’s long leg and crawling up.

 

“Little White?”

 

Snake was surprised, as she had left Little White at the merchant guild, and wondered how it had ended up here.

 

Little White quickly climbed up Snake’s arm and stuck its small head onto Snake’s palm, opening its mouth to spit out a bamboo tube.

 

“Is that your pet?”

 

Wolf Head asked.

 

Snake nodded and replied, “Yes.”

 

“Hiss…hiss…”

 

Little White continued to spit out snake letters, as if telling a tale of grievances.

 

Snake stroked Little White’s snake head, comforting it, “Did Sister Rabbit send you here? You’ve worked hard, Little White.”

 

Snake opened the bamboo tube, pulled out the letter, and quickly read it, a hint of joy flashing in her eyes.

 

“Sir Wolf Head, the Zhao family’s ancestral home has been destroyed.”