Chapter 29: Fierce Battle

  From where I am to Yuzhou's Qiao County is only over 200 li in a straight line, but taking the official road and going around is over 300 li.

  It's not good to hurry on a night road. Unlike daytime, you can't run in a straight line like a zipper in the wilderness, but only follow the official road.

  Traveling eight hundred miles in a day is just a legend, except for express urgent news, along the way relying on relay stations to change horses without stopping, otherwise even the legendary sweat blood horse cannot run eight hundred miles in one day without resting.

  When the three of them arrived at Qiao County, it was already noon on the second day, and they were all exhausted.

  Three inferior horses foamed at the mouth and fell down as soon as they reached the end of the road, never to get up again.

  Chen Er Dan was originally no match for Zhou Jian and Dian Wei in terms of physical strength, and after running back and forth, he was both exhausted and hungry, and had long since lost his energy.

  Apart from the ten Hans brought away by Zhou Sheng, the remaining forty people all hid in the nearby mountains and forests.

  Zhou Jian had someone carry Chen Er's son away to rest and called over a man to ask, "Do you know the way to Xu Family Village?"

  The man replied: "I understand, sir."

  Zhou Jian nodded and said to Dian Wei: "Take a rest for a while, recover your strength and then go rescue people."

  Dian Wei grunted and immediately sat down on the ground, placing his two large iron halberds beside him, and began to chew on a large piece of meat handed over by the soldiers.

  Zhou Jian ate while asking a familiar soldier to inquire about the details, rested for a while, and when his physical strength had recovered, he immediately called a soldier to lead the way, carrying Tian Wei to rush to Xu's village.

  Qiao County is located on the western border of Pei State, adjacent to Liang State and Chen State. To the north, it passes through Liang State and enters the territory of Yanzhou, Chenliu, and Jiwu counties.

  Xu Family Village is located thirty miles northwest of Qiao County and covers an area of over five mu.

  A manor of such a grand scale, at first glance it's clear that the Xus are also a prominent and wealthy family in the area, not to be compared with ordinary people.

  Zhou Jian stepped forward and knocked on the tightly closed large wooden door. A thirty-year-old strong man poked his head out, his eyes were extremely sharp, and his face was unfriendly as he scanned the three of them with a rough voice, asking: "Who are you people, who are you looking for here?"

  Zhou Jian said: "I'm looking for Xu Chu, would you please let him know?"

  Zhuang Ding was taken aback and asked again, "What do you want from our Master Zhuang?"

  "Huh?"

  Dian Wei raised a pair of large iron halberds and crashed them together, the clear and loud sound of metal striking metal shook Zhuang Ding's ears, causing him to turn pale with fright.

  "You are so rude, go and inform your master, that's all you need to do, stop bothering me."

  Dian Wei let out a loud roar.

  Zhuang Ding was startled and glanced at Dian Wei, not daring to waste words, and hastily ran towards the Zhuangzi.

  Dian Wei asked: "Sir, why report it? Wouldn't it be more straightforward to just charge in and kill?"

  Zhou Jian waved his hand, "No hurry, courtesy before martial arts! If Xu Chu doesn't release the person, it's not too late to take action again."

  Dian Wei grunted and held the large iron halberd in his arms, no longer speaking.

  The soldier who followed was pale with fear, his eyes fixed on the inside of the villa with a thick sense of dread, as if there were tigers inside.

  Not good at martial arts, a heavy footsteps sounded, a burly man rushed out in big strides.

  Zhou Jian looked up and down, and saw that the man was in his early twenties, nine feet tall, with a waist circumference of ten zhang, a rough complexion, thick and sturdy arms like those of a tiger, running swiftly like a tank charging forward, majestic and domineering, comparable to Dian Wei.

  "Who are you people, and what brings you here?"

  A robust Han rushed forward, staring at the three of them with his eyes fixed on Dian Wei for the longest time.

  Zhou Jian thought to himself, "Such a person can be compared to Dian Wei, I'm afraid only the truly crippled Xu Chu can match him."

  "I am Zhou Jian, this is Dian Wei."

  Zhou Jian introduced himself and pointed at Dian Wei, asking: "Are you the master of this estate, Xu Chu?"

  "Is it you?" said Zhang Han, "What brings you here?"

  Zhou Jian bowed slightly and smiled: "There is a matter I'd like to discuss with you, why don't we go into the manor and talk in detail?"

  Xu Chu looked at Zhou Jian, then at Dian Wei. A warrior's intuition made him aware that neither of them was easy to mess with, especially the powerful and majestic Dian Wei, who seemed like a dormant tiger, ready to pounce and hurt people at any moment.

  As for the soldiers who came with him as guides, they were directly ignored by him.

  Xu Zhu was skilled and bold, so he wasn't afraid of the two men with flower spears. Moreover, these two men might not necessarily be enemies. He said: "Since you're looking for me, why don't you follow me into the village?"

  Zhou Jian responded with a "yes", bringing Tian Wei and his soldiers, following Xu Zhu into the manor.

  When you arrive at the hall, there will be servants presenting wine and water.

  Xu Zhu waited for everyone to sit down before speaking again and asking: "I don't know what business you have to discuss with me?"

  Zhou Jian asked: "I heard that a few days ago you captured several people who entered the village, I don't know where they are now?"

  Xu Zhu said in a low voice, "A few thieves dared to enter my estate and steal. I killed a few of them, and the rest are locked up in the backyard. I was just about to hand them over to the authorities for punishment. You ask what these thieves were doing here, do you know this group of thieves?"

  By then, his face had already turned very unsightly.

  Zhou Jian nodded and said: "These few people are my younger brothers, I beg of you to forgive them and let my younger brothers go."

  "Ah, so these thieves are under your command."

  Xu Zhu was enraged and said: "Such banditry, you actually dare to come to my village again to take people, don't you think I have no one?"

  "Hmm!"

  Dian Wei snorted coldly and grasped the large iron halberd, about to stand up.

  Zhou Jian waved his hand to stop Tian Wei and said, "If I had no sincerity, it would be easier to sneak into the manor at midnight to rescue people. Why would I come to pay respects? As long as you spare my brother's life, I will definitely repay you in the future."

  Xu Chu suddenly stood up and said loudly: "Don't waste words, how could I join forces with a rebel like you?"

  Zhou Jian slowly stood up, his face sank, and he said coldly: "So, you're saying that you won't let him go?"

  "Let him go?" Xu Chu shouted in a stern voice: "You treacherous villain, since you've come today, don't think about leaving!"

  Dian Wei's face turned red with rage, and he took a step forward, swinging his massive iron halberd. The two halberds clashed violently as he shouted: "You dare to be so arrogant! I'll see what skills you have that make you think you can take on the two of us!"

  "Huh?"

  Xu Chu's eyes narrowed, his expression turned icy, and he casually picked up the nine-ear eight-ring elephant nose knife by his side.

  Zhou Jian's eyes gleamed with a fierce light, and he said sternly: "Even if you are braver than ordinary people, and there are over a hundred soldiers in the village, as long as Dian Wei can hold you back alone, I am still confident that I can kill all of you. Do you really want to die together like fish in a net?"

  Xu Chu's heart was icy, these two men gave him an extremely dangerous feeling, he knew that Zhou Jian's words were not false, but he was not a man who feared trouble, and loudly shouted: "A big bold bandit, come over on horseback."

  Having said that, he shouted loudly towards the outside of the hall, "Quickly gather the brave and loyal warriors, follow me to kill the enemy."

  Dian Wei could no longer hold back his rage and swung his massive iron halberd with all his might, ready to strike down the men before him.

  Zhou Jian's mind was racing, and suddenly he grabbed Tian Wei's sleeve, saying in a low voice: "How about this? I'll compete with you in martial arts to determine the outcome. If I lose, I'll let you deal with me as you see fit, without any regrets. But if you lose, you must agree to one condition of mine, what do you say?"

  Xu Chu said loudly: "Good, what do you want me to agree to?"

  Zhou Jian said: "This matter is simple, as long as you take a step forward for me, it will be done."

  Xu Zhu's face turned iron-green, his originally dark complexion turning even darker, the veins on his arms bulging with rage, his eyes blazing with fury as he slashed down with his sword: "You dare to deceive me so brazenly? Look at my blade!"

  "I'm coming."

  Zhou Jian pulled away Dian Wei who was about to take action and drew his sword to meet him.

  Right!

  The clear and melodious sound of metal clashing echoed through the air as both individuals simultaneously sprang back, their faces stern and solemn.

  Xu Chu let out a loud shout, "Go to the courtyard and kill that scoundrel!" Having said this, he brandished his large sword and rushed outside.

  Zhou Jian and Dian Wei also strode out of the hall and came to a stop in the courtyard under the skylight.

  At this time, dozens of righteous and brave men from the village also rushed over, shouting and opening their scabbards, wanting to go forward and fight.

  Xu Zhu drank and retreated, his bravery unmatched. With a single swing of his great sword, he charged forward again, beheading the enemy with a swift strike, like a fierce tiger bursting out of its cage, his momentum sending shockwaves through the air.

  Zhou Jianbao brandished his sword and charged forward, using his sword to deflect Xu Zhu's nine-ring elephant nose knife. With a swift swing of his sword, he struck Xu Zhu's calf and neck.

  "Good."

  Xu Chu let out a loud roar and before he could withdraw his blade, he quickly lowered both elbows to use the hilt of his sword to deflect the treasured sword. He then flew up with one foot and kicked towards Zhou Jian.

  Zhou Jian dodged sideways and the treasured sword chopped down with the momentum.

  Xu Chu swung his sword back and forth, exchanging blows with his opponent, and in no time they had clashed fifty times.

  Dian Wei held a pair of large iron halberds, standing at the gate of the courtyard, his copper bell-sized cow eyes shining with sharp light.

  After two hundred rounds of fighting, the two men's battle became increasingly brutal, and still no winner was decided.

  Xu Chu was like Dian Wei, both having loud voices, their shouts were like thunder, and could be heard from a mile away.

  The brave men in the village had all surrounded them, some squeezing at the door, others climbing on the walls and rooftops, staring blankly at the two people fighting together, their faces full of disbelief.

  In the eyes of these brave warriors, Xu Chu was a fearless and formidable tiger, who would never back down. It was unthinkable that someone could actually fight him to a draw.

  Zhou Jian had a general understanding of Xu Zhu's martial arts, his strength was slightly inferior to Dian Wei's by half, but absolutely limited, and slightly better than himself by half, the difference between them could be ignored.

  Even if Dianwei comes on stage, wanting to defeat Xu Chu is by no means an easy task.

  Zhou Jian secretly thought that relying solely on force, it would be estimated that after a thousand rounds, the outcome would not be decided until dawn the next day.

  However, in order to subdue Xu Chu, the fierce tiger, other means could not be used. After all, the main goal was still to capture Xu Chu. If he only sought to kill his enemy, he had enough means and grasp to make Xu Chu die on the spot.

  Four hundred together, eight hundred together.

  The sun has set and the sky is gradually darkening.

  Dian Wei stood like a door god at the gate of the courtyard, holding a large iron halberd, his eyes burning with intensity, motionless.

  Zhuang Zhongyi, who was watching the battle, felt a bit sore in his neck, and his heart was racing with excitement. This young white-faced boy was incredibly fierce, and he had actually fought Zhuang Zan to a stalemate after 800 rounds, which was truly unbelievable.

  After passing through Qianhe, the situation finally changed.

  Zhou Jian has been conserving his strength, defending more and attacking less, reserving enough energy.

  Xu Zhu was all out, consuming much more strength than Zhou Jian. After a thousand unions, he was somewhat exhausted.

  "It's time."

  Zhou Jian's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he quickly swung his sword to launch a surprise attack.

  Xu Chu's hair was disheveled and his face was ferocious. He charged forward with a fierce cry, swinging his sword and cutting down anyone in his path, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.

  Right!

  In the midst of the clashing sounds of gold and iron, Xu Chu's nine-ring elephant-nose knife was raised.

  Zhou Jian was like a leopard that had been lurking for a long time, suddenly pouncing and rushing up, with one knife slashing towards Xu Zhu's throat.

  Xu Zhu's large knife was lifted, and when he tried to retrieve it, he was too late. He hastily lowered his head to dodge, abandoned his large knife, and swiftly extended his right arm, fiercely grabbing Zhou Jian's right wrist that held the knife. His left hand formed an iron fist, heavily smashing towards Zhou Jian's face.

  Zhou Jian swiftly and decisively snatched the knife, but failed to obtain it. He hastily abandoned his precious sword, tilted his head, and dodged Xu Chu's iron fist. With a move called "Double Dragons Competing for the Pearl", he directly thrust at Xu Chu's eyes. At the same time, he launched a kick called "Sweeping Yin Leg" that directly struck Xu Chu's groin.

  Both of them abandoned their swords and engaged in a fierce hand-to-hand combat.

  Xu Chu was far superior in physical strength compared to ordinary people and was on par with Dian Wei, but his agility was just like Dian Wei's, extremely nimble.

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