Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 19: Chapter 18: Martial Artist’s First Kill

The gunshots behind them had grown less frequent. Wan Ze was worried about Lei Ming, but he knew that if he couldn’t get Professor Song and the others away safely, all of Lei Ming’s efforts would be for nothing.

”Take him out.”

He vaguely heard a woman’s voice, and then a blur appeared in his dim field of vision.

A sudden THUD shook the forest. A man with a crew cut, dressed all in black and wearing black gloves, appeared. He held a dagger and lunged silently for Wan Ze’s head.

Wan Ze’s heart leaped.

Instinct took over. He shot out a hand, grabbing the arm behind the dagger, while his left hand chopped sharply at the man’s chest.

A dull THUD echoed.

The man’s advance halted abruptly, as if his tendons had just snapped. His face contorted in agony, eyes bulging from their sockets. He had never imagined this kid’s Power would be so terrifying!

At that same moment.

Wan Ze rushed forward, his explosive Power carrying the man with him. He slammed him hard against a tree trunk two meters away, then drove his elbow into him three times in rapid succession.

The man’s face caved in, his features a mangled, bloody mess.

The wind suddenly fell still.

Wan Ze stood rooted to the spot, stunned.

’He... he had just killed a man.’

Behind him, Professor Song, who had raised his gun to aim at the assassin, was also stunned.

The man had been obliterated in an instant.

’So fast!’

The two young students beside Professor Song gulped nervously. Only now did they truly understand what Lei Ming had meant when he’d introduced Wan Ze earlier.

’Is he even fucking human!?’

Only the burly man, unfazed by the sight of death, popped the antidote from its vial into his mouth. Ignoring his injuries, he charged forward. ”Leave this woman to me!”

With the ferocity of a hungry tiger, he single-handedly parried the curved blade of the black-veiled woman who emerged from the woods, overwhelming her with raw, explosive force.

The black-veiled woman held her blade with one hand. As she retreated, her right hand snatched a silver pistol strapped to her calf and she raised it to fire.

But the burly man’s fingers lashed out, raking across the arm holding the pistol. Three bloody scratches appeared instantly. The woman cried out in pain, and her shot went wide.

The gunshot went off right next to the burly man’s ear, leaving it ringing sharply as if he’d gone deaf. Any normal person would have collapsed, clutching their head, but he ignored it completely. He locked his arms around the woman, leaped into the air, and slammed her against the cliff face to their left.

CRUNCH!

The sickening sound of shattering cartilage filled the air.

Blood splattered everywhere.

A moment later, the burly man shook his head and staggered up from the woman’s corpse, grimacing in pain. When he looked at Wan Ze, however, he forced a stiff, guileless smile.

Wan Ze paused. ”You’re healed?”

”Nope...” the burly man replied honestly.

Wan Ze was flabbergasted. ”You’re one tough bastard. Your arm’s broken, isn’t it?”

”Yup.” The burly man subconsciously moved to scratch his head, but the arm he raised was the broken one. He let out a yelp of pain.

Wan Ze rubbed his forehead. ”Can you still fight later on?”

”Maybe?” The burly man hesitated, looking at his right hand. It had a nasty gash, but at least it wasn’t broken.

Wan Ze: ”...”

’What a savage!’

’Even crazier than a madman!’

”Let’s go, the town is just ahead!” Wan Ze didn’t hesitate any longer. After looting the two bodies, he got up and led the way.

He didn’t notice, however, that the once-confident Professor Song was now staring at the gun in his hand, a complex mix of emotions on his face.

’Are guns useful?’

’Of course they are.’

’But he hadn’t even had a chance to fire a single shot, which made him feel somewhat out of place.’

...

The five of them finally reached the town without any more scares. The burly man, being an unregistered citizen, didn’t dare go to a hospital. He was also afraid that the Secret Palace would attack there and harm innocent people.

Fortunately, Professor Song immediately contacted a doctor friend of his.

Just as the burly man was receiving treatment, before Wan Ze could even call the police, Lei Ming showed up, looking tired and travel-worn.

Seeing Wan Ze staring blankly, Lei Ming smiled. ”Professor Song has my contact info. He messaged me just now, so I ditched those guys and rushed straight over.”

It dawned on Wan Ze. ”Brother Lei, are you okay?”

”Just a scratch. Get me some alcohol to disinfect it.” Lei Ming took off his blood-soaked shirt, revealing the scars beneath. Wan Ze’s pupils contracted at the sight.

The scars on Lei Ming’s body weren’t just from tonight. There were also quite a few old gunshot wounds. Lei Ming was clearly only a few years older than him, yet it felt as if they were from two completely different worlds.

”Are you alright?” Lei Ming asked, taking the alcohol and pouring it directly on his wounds. The flesh sizzled as if it were being torn open, but he merely let out a stifled grunt before looking up as if nothing had happened.

Wan Ze was genuinely impressed. He gave a wry smile. ”I’m fine. The only real master I ran into was taken care of by our friend in the other room.”

”Him?” Lei Ming snorted. ”I can’t tell if that guy is pretending to be an idiot or if he really is one. Anyway, forget him. I’ll take you back later... Damn it, I’ve had my car for less than a week.”

He was furious just thinking about it.

Wan Ze felt bad for him too.

Even a used one would cost over ten thousand. These days, an ordinary person’s monthly salary was only two or three hundred.

”Brother Lei, do you think the Secret Palace will come after us?” Wan Ze asked in a low voice.

Lei Ming took a deep breath and thought for a moment before shaking his head. ”Probably not for now. Their people were all pulling back as I was on my way here. But it doesn’t matter. Once we’re back in the Holy City, I’ll talk to Master. And I’ll take you to meet him.”

”The Head of the Hall?” Wan Ze’s heart skipped a beat.

He had only been in Cultivation at the Dragon Eagle Martial Arts Hall for less than two months, but the name of its head, Pei Wanshan, was legendary. The man was a First Generation Grandmaster!

And what was a Grandmaster? They were the pinnacle of the Body Refining Realm!

”That’s right.” Lei Ming chuckled, a strange smile playing on his lips. ”Once you’re in the Holy City, you’re on Dragon Eagle turf. Even the Secret Palace wouldn’t dare tread there lightly.”

Wan Ze was taken aback.

Lei Ming smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. ”You’ve undergone Qi Blood Transformation now. Once you meet the old Master, you’ll officially be one of us. The regular students at the Dragon Eagle Martial Arts Hall are nothing. What will truly put you above the rest is the title of his disciple... limited to the Holy City, of course.”

”So, is our Master some kind of underground ruler of the Holy City?” Wan Ze asked, taking the hint.

Lei Ming was amused but didn’t see anything wrong with the question. He grinned. ”On his own turf, everyone has to show our Master some respect. Know why?”

”Because of the Martial Dao?”

”Exactly. The pinnacle of Body Refining. You can count the number of people in that Realm in the entire Holy City on one hand. And Master is the youngest Grandmaster among them. Who would dare provoke him? Only someone with a death wish!”

Wan Ze couldn’t help but gasp at Lei Ming’s words.

Just over a month ago, he had been lost, with no direction in life. Now, someone was telling him that by becoming this man’s disciple, he could join the elite. How could he not be shaken to his core?

”Do all Official Disciples get to study under him?”

”Of course not,” Lei Ming explained. ”Official Disciples are usually taken on by one of the several senior masters at the Hall. But a genius like you, of course, will be taken under Master’s personal wing.”

Wan Ze nodded.

”Don’t be nervous. Master is usually very approachable,” Lei Ming added with a smile.

Just then, the door opened.

A doctor walked out, removing his mask. His eyes immediately scanned the room, finally landing on Professor Song, who was resting on the sofa with his eyes closed.

”Professor...” the two young students called out softly. After the harrowing night they’d had, they’d lost all their composure, and even their voices were much more cautious.

Professor Song snapped out of his daze and stood up. ”Dr. Fang, how is he?”

Dr. Fang hurried forward. ”I’ve removed both bullets from his body. He’s mostly out of danger. I just gave him anesthetic, so he’ll probably wake up tomorrow...”

He had barely finished speaking.

A loud THUD came from inside the room.

The two young students thought the assassins had followed them and jumped to their feet in fright. But it was just the burly man, swaying on his feet as if he were drunk. He slurred, ”Doc... doctor... I told... you I was... fine.”

CLATTER!

Dr. Fang’s jaw dropped, and his mask fell to the floor.

’Holy shit, that was general anesthesia! How are you awake already!?’