Chapter 9: Zhou Tong: This Defies Logic!
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In Elder Zhiming’s dimly lit room, bathed in a chrysanthemum-yellow glow, Lu Junyi lay completely naked.
Having just regained consciousness, Elder Zhiming was carefully cleaning Lu Junyi’s wounds and reapplying medicine.
The elder’s remedy was far more effective than Cai Fu’s golden wound ointment, though the pain was undeniably intense.
Sweating profusely, Lu Junyi gritted his teeth tightly, occasionally emitting involuntary low groans.
“My dear nephew...”
After spitting blood twice and fainting twice, Elder Zhiming finally understood his limits.
Out of respect for his decades-long friendship with Zhou Tong, the elder could only subtly remind Lu Junyi:
“You and your sworn brother are bound like gold; you must stay loyal to him and never betray that trust!”
“Of course!”
Lu Junyi responded without hesitation:
“My life was saved by my sworn brother; how could I ever betray him?”
Elder Zhiming nodded with a smile: “That’s best.”
At that moment, the chrysanthemum-yellow light flickered violently.
Elder Zhiming’s ears twitched slightly:
“That’s... the cavalry passing by!”
Lu Junyi, lying on the straw mat, felt a faint tremor beneath the ground, admiringly said:
“Elder, your hearing is remarkable!”
Is it really my hearing that’s remarkable?
Elder Zhiming could only sigh:
No wonder this child looks so fierce! His head feels as if kicked by a donkey. If not for his sworn brother, he might not live past forty...
Elder Zhiming couldn’t help but ask him:
“My dear nephew, where do you think the cavalry is coming from? And where are they headed?”
Lu Junyi hesitated: “Uh...”
Just as he was trying to think, the door was knocked loudly, and Cai Fu’s voice came from outside:
“Elder, is my brother here?”
“I’m here, brother!”
Elder Zhiming had finished treating Lu Junyi’s wounds. Lu Junyi rolled over and lazily opened the door.
“Brother, it’s bad!”
Cai Fu, ignoring the gruesome scene, spoke anxiously:
“A cavalry unit just passed through the mountain path!”
“Is that the direction of Qilin Village?”
Seeing where Cai Fu pointed, Lu Junyi instinctively nodded:
“Yes... this is bad!”
Suddenly understanding, his face changed drastically:
“That cavalry must be the government troops. They’re here to capture me!
“If they can’t catch me, they might harm my master!”
“Let’s go!”
Without a word, Cai Fu grabbed his ghost-headed saber.
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Lu Junyi’s mind was in chaos. Without hesitation, he took the twelve-foot steel spear handed by Yan Qing.
Then, together with Cai Fu, Cai Qing, and Yan Qing, he hurried down the mountain towards Qilin Village.
Watching their figures disappear into the night, Elder Zhiming counted silently on his fingers…
“Snap! Snap! Snap!”
The old monk scolded his left hand with his right:
“I told you to count! I told you to count!”
...
Qilin Village.
“What crime has my disciple committed?”
A tall, white-bearded elder was surrounded by a pack of wolfish government soldiers.
The old man looked at the arrogant general with a mixture of shock and anger.
The general looked down at him from above:
“Your disciple, Lu Junyi, has colluded with the Liangshan rebels. You’d better tell us where he’s hiding!
“Otherwise, you’ll meet your end at the crossroads!”
The elder was none other than Zhou Tong, Lu Junyi’s master. In his youth, he was known in the martial world as the “Iron-Armed Hero of Shaanxi.”
But now, at seventy-five years old, the once unrivaled fighter was but a shadow of his former self.
“What?”
Zhou Tong was thunderstruck: “Rebellions... again?”
Ten years ago, his third disciple, Shi Wengong, had betrayed the sect, which had already wounded Zhou deeply.
Five years ago, his second disciple, Lin Chong, had turned rebel and joined Liangshan, causing Zhou even greater heartbreak.
Thankfully, his senior disciple, Lu Junyi, had been a respectable landowner in Daming Prefecture, requiring no worries.
His last disciple, Yue Fei, though young, was a prodigy destined for great honors.
He had pinned his hopes on these two to care for him in his old age.
Yet unexpectedly, the disciple he least worried about was now a rebel too!
It defied all logic!
Lu Junyi, a landowner who never ventured beyond his gates except to practice martial arts, with his broad eyebrows and resolute gaze—how could he rebel?
Seeing Zhou Tong dumbfounded and speechless, a soldier jabbed him sharply in the back with a spear:
“You old bastard!
“Commander Li is asking you—why don’t you answer?”
Though Zhou Tong’s martial skills were profound, he was caught off guard and gasped in pain.
“Thud!”
The old man collapsed, clutching his side, cold sweat breaking out.
“Swish—”
Two spears crossed, pinning his neck and pressing his white hair against the ground.
“Speak or not?”
A soldier crouched down, grabbing Zhou Tong’s hair fiercely:
“Speak, or you die!”
“Waa—waa—”
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At that moment, the distant cries of a baby, a woman’s screams for help, and a man’s desperate pleas echoed nearby.
Mounted on his horse, Li Cheng, the military commander of Daming Prefecture, watched clearly as his soldiers took the opportunity to loot.
Li Cheng paid no mind.
Marching out at midnight with these arrogant soldiers surely deserved a reward.
Otherwise, who would listen to him?
After all, he was here to capture rebels—if a few civilians died, so be it. Killing supposed rebel sympathizers still counted as military merit.
“Commander Li!”
Unexpectedly, Zhou Tong, pinned by two spears, suddenly lost his temper:
“Even if my disciple failed in teaching, why do you seize me alone and harm innocent villagers?”
“Enough nonsense!
“You are all rebel sympathizers!”
The soldier holding Zhou Tong’s hair glared fiercely:
“You can barely protect yourself, yet you care for others?”
Drawing his waist knife, he brandished it twice before Zhou Tong’s eyes:
“Speak or we gouge out your eyes!”
“No—please don’t take me—”
A young woman wailed loudly, then quickly pleaded:
“I’ll go with you, just don’t kill my husband—”
“Ah—”
A man’s agonized scream cut off her cries, replaced by uncontrollable sobbing.
“Beast!”
Zhou Tong’s eyes blazed with fury. Grabbing the spear tips with both hands, he roared:
“Hoo—”
With a sudden upward push and twist, the two soldiers were sent flying.
The soldier holding Zhou Tong’s hair changed expression and swung his knife at him.
Unexpectedly, Zhou twisted the spears, crossing them to clamp tightly around the soldier’s neck.
With a sharp twist of his hands, the soldier’s head snapped backward with a sickening crack.
“Gasp!”
Li Cheng stared in disbelief at the horrifying sight of the soldier’s head turned behind him, his face still looking toward Li Cheng.
This old man was terrifying beyond words!
“Swish—”
Blood dripped from Zhou Tong’s cut palms, but he pointed the spears at Li Cheng and shouted sharply:
“Everyone, stop!”
[Thanks to PhantomHeart (100) for the reward. This chapter was actually supposed to be released this morning, but I wasn’t satisfied and revised it several times. Before I knew it, it was already night... Please support with votes and recommendations.]