Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 28: Chapter 27: Kill Me? Do You Have the Strength

Out of caution, the masked man shifted his footing. He decided against pressing the attack, instead kicking off the wall to circle behind Wan Ze. He then threw another punch, aiming straight for his spine.

With his Punching Power, a solid hit would undoubtedly be fatal for Wan Ze.

But Wan Ze’s Perception was incredibly keen. He was no longer as clumsy as before when faced with such subtle movements.

He suddenly sidestepped.

The masked man’s strike hit nothing but air.

At the same time, Wan Ze moved to his opponent’s flank. With a surge of vital energy, he instantly became incredibly imposing—fierce and domineering.

With a shake of his arms,

His arms descended in a pincer-like chop from both sides.

From top to bottom, he completely enveloped the masked man in the Momentum of his attack.

Guided by his Breathing Technique and coordinating every joint and muscle in his body, Wan Ze let out a tiger-like roar.

’Master one art, and you’ll understand a thousand!’

The thought flashed through Wan Ze’s mind, and his understanding of his own Martial Dao instantly leaped to a new level.

The masked man’s heart had already sunk when his punch missed. Then, a shadow fell over him, and a tiger’s roar echoed in his ears.

In that instant, the hair on his body stood on end. He almost believed a real tiger was before him.

He may have trained longer than Wan Ze, but his willpower was nowhere near as resolute.

Furthermore, he had underestimated Wan Ze’s abilities from the start.

Those two mistakes were enough to seal his fate.

Caught off guard, the masked man hastily raised his arms to block while scrambling to retreat.

But his momentary panic cost him his footing. Wan Ze seized the opportunity, his vital energy flaring once more as his arms came crashing down.

The masked man felt an excruciating pain in his shoulder, as if pierced by a thousand needles. The intense shock caused the pores all over his body to open, a sign that his concentration—the breath he was holding—had been broken.

Once that focus was broken, his Physical Strength would plummet.

The masked man understood this. He stared in horror, his eyes filled with venom. He couldn’t believe a task that should have been effortless had gone so horribly wrong.

Suddenly, there was a flash before his eyes.

BAM!

His wrist erupted in pain as a large hand seized it and twisted it outward.

The masked man’s eyes flew open...

’I thought I’d overestimated Wan Ze’s Power, but it turns out I still underestimated it.’

’Holy crap! This Power is insane!’

”Get off me!”

He roared, his eyes savage. At point-blank range, he drove his knee forward, trying to gut Wan Ze.

But he overestimated himself and, more importantly, underestimated Wan Ze’s resolve to kill him.

Wan Ze lifted his left leg, deflecting the man’s knee. His other hand shot down the centerline, and a punch powerful enough to burst a sandbag slammed viciously into his chest.

”Ugh!”

”CRACK! CRACK!”

A strange gurgle escaped the masked man’s throat. He stared with wide, incredulous eyes, his voice twisting into a mangled gasp. ”You... you...”

Wan Ze stood his ground.

He watched as the masked man swayed like a drunk, trying to raise his arms but completely lacking the Strength.

”I was the victim in the Black Mountain incident!”

”You people tried to kill me, so I had to fight back!”

”We could have all gone our separate ways, but you just had to try and kill me...”

”You were right...”

Wan Ze’s voice was low as he lowered his gaze. He reached out, spread his fingers, and placed his palm on the masked man’s face. He spoke, word by word, ”The weak are prey to the strong; survival of the fittest!”

SMASH!

He slammed the man’s head into the wall!

”No...”

The masked man’s eyes were wide. His will to live surged to its absolute peak, but it was too late. His fate had been sealed the moment he entered the alley.

With the sickening crack of a skull hitting the wall, the light faded from the masked man’s eyes.

He was dead.

Wan Ze stood in the alley, his chest heaving.

This was the second person he had killed. Compared to the panic of the first time, he was much calmer now.

After glancing around the alley to ensure no one had noticed, he bent down and retrieved a small communicator from the body. Then, he dialed Lei Ming’s number.

”Senior Brother, it’s me. The Secret Palace sent someone... I’m at...”

Wan Ze gave his location, then sat beside the corpse, lost in thought.

He wasn’t dwelling on the consequences of killing another Secret Palace Assassin. Instead, he was reviewing his performance in the fight.

His advantage was his ferocious fighting style, but he was definitely lacking in speed.

If his opponent hadn’t been so arrogant, hadn’t fallen for his clumsy act, he never would have been able to end the fight in just a few breaths, even with the terrain to his advantage.

’I need to do something about my Body Technique.’

BEEP BEEP.

The communicator vibrated.

Wan Ze looked at it.

He thought it was Lei Ming, but it wasn’t. The call was from a number codenamed ”Grizzly Bear.” He cautiously let it ring.

After two rings,

The caller sent a text: ”Grey Eagle, what the hell are you doing?! The team leader is on the way. If you want to get yourself killed, fine, but don’t drag me down with you! Get back to the team, now! If the target escapes, you’ll be the death of me!”

”Grey Eagle?”

He looked back at the corpse on the ground and ripped off the man’s mask, revealing the face of a young man in his early twenties.

He also had a wallet.

Inside was a wad of cash and a fake ID.

VROOM! VROOM!

The sound of an engine approached. Soon, Lei Ming parked his car outside the alley. He entered quietly but quickly. The moment he saw Wan Ze, a weight lifted from his chest, and he let out a breath of relief. His expression remained grim, however. ”Are you alright?”

”I’m fine. I was lucky to get out of it alive,” Wan Ze said, looking as though he’d just survived a harrowing battle.

Lei Ming pictured a desperate, life-or-death struggle. He could never have imagined that his seemingly harmless junior brother had killed a Secret Palace Assassin in a matter of seconds.

He hurried over to the corpse and began to examine it. ”You’re sure he’s from the Secret Palace?”

It wasn’t that he doubted him.

It was just that the whole thing felt surreal.

In all of the Holy City, who would dare to make an enemy of their Dragon Eagle Martial Arts Hall?

And yet, this masked man had.

’If it really is the Secret Palace...’ He didn’t dare let his thoughts go any further.

”His codename is Grey Eagle. Someone just sent him a message,” Wan Ze said, holding out the communicator. Strangely, however, the message had vanished.

He was stunned.

Seeing this, Lei Ming cut to the chase. ”Get in the car. I’ll take you home first. I’ll deal with the body. Wait for my call.”

”Senior Brother,” Wan Ze said suddenly, ”he looked up my family. He knows my address.”

Lei Ming instantly understood the implication. His face changed, and he glared down at the corpse. ”Damn it! They dare to think about wiping out a whole family in the Holy City? Okay, new plan. You’re coming back to the hall with me. We need to bring this to Master.”

”Okay.”

Wan Ze didn’t argue.

Lei Ming retrieved a large suitcase from his car and forced the body inside. After Wan Ze was in the car, he sprayed the area with air freshener. Only after confirming there were no traces left did he get in, and the two drove to the martial arts hall in silence.

Somber clouds obscured the bright moon as gusts of cold wind blew.

The wooden windows rattled in the wind.

The candlelight crackled and popped. After Wan Ze finished recounting the events, the Hall Master dialed a number right in front of him. ”Your youngest junior brother was ambushed by a Secret Palace Assassin tonight,” he said calmly. ”I warned them about this before. They’ve crossed a line. You arrange it. I want results.”

The call ended.

He looked at Wan Ze, his stern expression softening slightly. ”Do you regret walking this path?”

”I have no regrets, Master.” Wan Ze shook his head, his gaze steady. ”While I was fighting him today, I realized something. The truth doesn’t matter. Only strength does.”

”Well said. That man from the Secret Palace thought he was stronger than you. He believed he could kill you, walk away, and that we at the Dragon Eagle Martial Arts Hall would never figure it out. But he underestimated you, and he underestimated Dragon Eagle.” The Hall Master rose to his feet, and the candlelight behind him flared violently. ”The Martial Dao is the law of the jungle. No one cares about the truth. You were stronger, so you decided whether he lived or died. That is the Martial Dao!”

Wan Ze cupped his fist and said solemnly, ”This disciple will remember!”