Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 50: Chapter 48: Fierce Battle at Night, a Strange Transformation of the Tiger Talisman

”Ah Ze, be honest with me... Are you, like, a total badass in the martial world now?”

Under the cover of night, Zhou Xianchuan had made a special trip, asking breathlessly as he gasped for air.

Wan Ze was stunned just hearing it. ”Where’d you hear that nonsense?”

”Song Tianrui, that older guy who came over to say hi at the restaurant that day... I told you, his family has connections on both sides of the law... He specifically sought me out this evening to ask about you. I told him I didn’t know anything, but then I pried a little, and he told me you were having dinner with a big shot from the Police Headquarters! Holy shit! That’s the Police Headquarters! And a fucking big shot! Bro, I’m begging you, take your little brother out to see the world!”

Seeing Zhou Xianchuan starting to lose it gave Wan Ze a headache. ”Get lost. It’s not as complicated as you think. I became a Martial Artist and was formally initiated into Dragon Eagle. It was just a dinner with some fellow disciples. I wouldn’t have even known who they were if you hadn’t told me.”

Zhou Xianchuan was even more flabbergasted. ”You’re already a Martial Artist? The hell? So fast? Didn’t we start training at the martial arts hall at the same time? You’ve already completed your Blood Tempering?”

Wan Ze retorted irritably, ”I spend every day at the hall. What about you, big bro?”

Zhou Xianchuan’s face flushed at the remark, but his curiosity quickly took over. ”But Ah Ze, do you get to meet so many incredible people once you become an official Martial Artist?”

”More or less.”

”Then, Ah Ze, Ah Ze, after becoming an Official Disciple...”

Beneath the night sky, the two walked along the road toward the bus stop.

Suddenly, Wan Ze’s brow twitched.

Zhou Xianchuan was lost in thought, fantasizing about the future. ”Ah Ze, do you think I have a chance of becoming a Martial Artist, too?”

”You do.” Wan Ze suddenly yawned. ”Alright, hurry back home. It’s getting late.”

”It’s still early. You’re tired already? Damn, how long do you even train during the day...” Zhou Xianchuan misunderstood Wan Ze’s intention but took the hint. He waved his hand and boarded the nearest bus. ”I’m heading out, then.”

Wan Ze waved back. After the bus pulled away, he turned and walked toward the wooded path leading to his own neighborhood.

The moonlight was a faint white.

Shadows of the surrounding trees crisscrossed the ground. A cold wind swept through, causing them to rustle and sway like two rows of sword-wielding guards.

Wan Ze suddenly stopped.

From the woods on both sides, five figures mysteriously appeared, completely shrouded in shadow. Their faces were covered, and their gazes were sharp.

The figure standing at the rear toyed with a silver handgun, wearing the distinctive mask of the Secret Palace. His eyes were fixed quietly on the now-surrounded figure.

”Last time, you were the ones who captured me. This time, it’s my turn to capture you.”

Lie Hu’s voice was soft, yet it carried a hint of smugness, the delight of one about to seize the fruits of victory.

Wan Ze tilted his head slightly, and a series of cracks echoed from his bones. ”You must really hate me. You didn’t even leave after snatching the Tiger Talisman, just waited around to catch me?”

”If you have to blame someone, blame your bad luck,” Lie Hu said with a grin.

Wan Ze remained noncommittal. The next moment, his body seemed to inflate like a balloon. His original height of just over 1.7 meters quickly shot past 1.9 meters. His vitality surged, and a ferocious aura rapidly spread outward.

Almost instantly, the Secret Palace Assassins before him were stunned by this tyrannical aura, involuntarily taking a step back.

Lie Hu frowned slightly, feeling that something wasn’t quite right.

But before he could figure it out, Wan Ze stomped his foot. He crossed several meters in a single bound, his terrifying, vein-popped arm lashing out like a giant python toward the man in front of him, as if intending to utterly crush his head.

He had already cultivated the Mysterious Shadow Step, and now he had activated the Dragon Eagle Secret Martial Arts, achieving a perfect surprise attack.

The assassin in his path felt the air before him being crushed by a monumental force. His breath caught, and he instinctively raised his arms to block.

”BANG!”

”CRACK!”

Bones shattered.

The assassin didn’t even have time to scream before he was sent flying backward, crashing into two others who were rushing in from the side.

Wan Ze shifted sideways, swift as the wind and violent as thunder. He charged in front of the second man, abruptly twisted his waist, and did a half-spin, aligning his shoulder with the assassin’s centerline.

In an instant, his shoulder contracted, then drew a circle with a WHOOSH. His vitality soared, and with a shift of his feet, his arm became like a great, god-slaying spear. He clenched his five fingers into a fist and drove it directly into the man’s heart.

Like a peerless general breaking through enemy lines, single-handedly leaving nothing but wails of despair in his wake!

What magnificent valor!

In the blink of an eye, only Lie Hu was left standing there.

The lingering smugness on his face had frozen solid.

’How is this possible!’

’He’s too fast!’

’Way too fast!’

Wan Ze’s speed had surpassed his imagination.

’It seems... he’s even stronger than when we first met!’

’But the problem is!’

’How fucking long has it been?’

’For the sake of revenge, before leaving, he had specifically called for four of his elite subordinates... and this is the result?’

’For fuck’s sake!’

Without a second thought, Lie Hu raised his hand and fired.

”BANG!”

A sharp, tearing sound ripped through the wooded path under the night sky.

But Wan Ze was faster. He shifted his body sideways, dodging the bullet.

Lie Hu’s heart pounded in shock.

He retreated backward.

He quickly readjusted his aim and fired blindly.

”BANG!”

”BANG!”

”BANG!”

He fired several more shots in succession.

Not only did he fail to hit his target,

but it allowed Wan Ze to get even closer. Cursing them as a bunch of good-for-nothings, Lie Hu turned and ran.

But Wan Ze already had killing intent. He was no longer holding back.

A Splitting Fist, immense and heavy, carried the wind with it, and was even faintly accompanied by the muffled roar of a tiger!

With a WHOOSH, it slashed straight through the air!

Lie Hu was scared out of his wits!

”Brother, don’t! It’s all a misunderstanding—”

With a sharp twist of his feet, he threw himself to the ground, trying to dive into the bushes.

Right now, he just wanted to escape, as far away as possible!

But he never expected Wan Ze to be even faster. The fist chased him down, landing squarely on his shoulder.

”CRACK!”

The sound of breaking bone rang out.

Lie Hu screamed and was sent flying sideways, his body trembling as if the pain had pierced his very soul.

”Wait! Brother!”

”I can tell you about the Tiger Talisman—”

Lie Hu groaned, trying to beg for mercy.

But Wan Ze was already merciless. ”You want me dead?” he said coldly. ”But do you have what it takes?”

Lie Hu’s eyes widened. He had just started to get up when he was slammed into head-on. He felt as if the Five Viscera and Six Bowels on one side of his body had been displaced. A wave of excruciating pain washed over him, and then his body felt light. He lost consciousness before he even hit the ground.

Wan Ze didn’t linger. He turned and finished off the few men behind him, slaughtering them all.

「A moment later.」

He stood on the spot. As his vitality subsided, his body slowly returned to its original state.

He shook his arm, savoring the fight. ’If I were to run into that woman who snatched the Rain Bell again, I’m confident I could finish her in three seconds!’

He moved the five corpses into the woods. While searching the bodies, he pulled out his communicator. He was about to call Lei Ming, but he dialed Zhai Jia first.

”Brother Zhai, it’s me... Someone from the Secret Palace came to kill me... They used a gun, so the police will probably be here soon...”

Suddenly, his voice trailed off.

From inside Lie Hu’s clothes, he had found a wooden box. With a flick of his finger, he broke the lock. Inside lay two objects he was all too familiar with.

The Tiger Talisman!!!

Wan Ze couldn’t help but glance at Lie Hu.

’This idiot brought this thing with him to kill me? Was he that confident he’d get away unscathed?’

He combined the two halves of the Tiger Talisman and examined it with curiosity.

But he never expected what happened next—a miraculous scene began to unfold...

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