Chapter Sixteen: The Mountain Bandit's Single Stroke of the Sword

  "This won't do!!"

  The chaotic scene made Tie Jun frown.

  "Brother Iron, hurry up and leave! If you don't go now, it will be too late when the water floods in!"

  "Don't worry, it won't drown anyone!" Tie Juan shook off Xu Lao Da's grasping hand and jumped up, leaping several times before landing on high ground. He shouted loudly, "Don't panic, everyone! It's just the Zhangshui River overflowing, nothing serious! Everyone go to Niujiaozi Mountain to take shelter, it'll be fine!!"

  After shouting a few times, the chaotic crowd on the street gradually quieted down, and Tie Jian gave Xu Lao Da another signal.

  Xu Lao Da thought for a moment, seemingly understanding something. He beckoned to the surrounding carters and instructed them with a few words. These carters also dispersed and shouted, their content similar to what Tie Jian had said. As the saying goes, "many people make light work", soon the originally chaotic crowd gradually calmed down and began to flee in an orderly manner towards Niujiaozi Mountain. Tie Jian saw the situation improve and jumped down from his high vantage point, joining forces with Lao Xu, rushing towards Niujiaozi Mountain. Zhouwangji was at the foot of Niujiaozi Mountain, only a mile or two away from the mountain pass. Those who ran quickly arrived in just over ten breaths' time, while those who were slower, including women and children, arrived within half an hour with the help of some strong adults. By the time they entered the mountain pass and climbed up the slope, the waves of Zhangshui had just surged into Zhouwangji.

  Standing on the heights of Niujiao Mountain, one can see far away that one after another huge waves fiercely rushed into Zhouwangji, and soon the river water will flood the entire town. This is not the end, the huge wave head rushes straight to Niujiaozishan.

  Roaring, waves rose three or four zhang high and the crowd that had already entered the mountain pass was thrown into chaos, rushing to higher places.

  Only Tie Jun and a few others stared at Lang Tou, motionless.

  They now stand at a height of two or three zhang above the flat ground, and the waves are coming with great ferocity. However, if they really want to rush up to the mountain slope, they don't have that much skill yet. Standing on the mountain slope, Tie Jian has an even clearer view of the situation on the other side of the Zhangshui River. The dark clouds still linger, and the thunder and lightning look very frightening, but it's limited to within a hundred zhang above the Zhangshui River. The rising river water is also centered around that area. This is fundamentally not a natural phenomenon; it's divine power.

  And it was also his very familiar divine power.

  Summoning the wind and rain!

  This divine ability is actually not that impressive, as long as one has sufficient qigong cultivation and a suitable water source, basically all immortals can do it, including Chen Jiu this land god, because this divine ability can guarantee a place's wind and rain are in harmony, wanting to gain the faith of mortals, this divine ability is undoubtedly the most effective. Similar divine abilities, Chen Jiu knows quite a few, but having been a land god for several thousand years, at most he can only fix the influence of summoning wind and rain within a three-mile radius, any larger area and he doesn't have the power to take care of it.

  The impact didn't reach, but the technique above the water in front of me has already covered an area of tens of miles, even affecting Niujiaozi Mountain. However, since Niujiaozi Mountain is far from Zhangshui, the impact isn't significant, it's just pouring heavy rain.

  "Brother Tie, although the water can't reach here, this is not right! It hasn't rained recently, how could it suddenly rise so much?!" Xu Lao Da also felt something was off and walked over to say to Tie Jian.

  Tie Jun nodded, took a look at the chaotic surroundings, "This matter is suspicious, it's likely that other things will happen, and this Ox Horn Mountain is not safe, we can only rush through the night, let's rest after leaving Ox Horn Mountain!"

  "Alright!" Xu Lao Da turned around and walked towards the crowd, shouting loudly. The crowd, which had stopped in their tracks, began to move again, heading in the direction of Dongling County Town. Tie Jian also asked Xu Lao Da to find a few able-bodied men to accompany him on his way to report back to Dongling County Town and arrange for the resettlement of these townspeople.

  A line of no words, from the Niujiaozi Mountain to the inside, walked about two or three miles, the rain gradually lessened, and when I walked halfway, the rain slowly stopped. The mountain road was secluded and distant, but it was a peaceful scene.

  Seeing that several of the porters were showing signs of fatigue, Tie Jian said, "Brothers, just a few more steps and we'll arrive at the county town. You can rest well then. I, Tie Jian, will never forget your efforts!"

  "We don't dare, we don't dare!" Several companions hastily said, subconsciously quickening their pace. Now, Tie Jian was a prominent figure in Dongling County, with an unlimited future ahead of him. Having the opportunity to build a relationship with him was simply a stroke of good fortune that they couldn't ask for. With renewed energy, they hastened their footsteps and rushed towards Dongling County together with Tie Jian.

  Tie Jun was also exhausted at this time, originally rushing for a day's journey, without even starting to rest, and then followed by more than ten miles. Fortunately, he had a strong foundation in martial arts, although he was already showing signs of fatigue, but there was a surge of energy supporting him, which wasn't too bad.

  But after all, it was against their wishes. When they were still over ten miles away from the county seat of Dongling, and could already see the outline of the city in the distance, three black shadows suddenly emerged from the mountain forest, blocking their way.

  "What's wrong with you guys, running so fast? Are you in a hurry to be reborn?"

  Three figures, three flashes of cold light. In front of them, Tie Jian suddenly stopped in his tracks, panting heavily, "What are you people?"

  "Zuo Shān Hǔ is the fifth master of Wò Hǔ Zhài!!" A clerk from a carriage and horse shop recognized the leader, his face showing a look of shock.

  "Judging from your attire, you should be people from Xu's Carriage and Horse Service!"

  Zuo Shān Hǔ was a slender, pale-faced man holding two iron whips in his hand, gazing at Tie Jian and the three people with great interest. Finally, he fixed his gaze on Tie Jian's face, "Who are you? I don't seem to have seen you before!"

  "Dongling County Wei Tie Jun!" Tie Jun's left hand rested on the hilt of his waist knife, his eyes narrowing slightly.

  "Tiě Jūn, you're that lucky guy who took down the evil cultivator, haha! I heard you even apprenticed under that unlucky guy from Liù Shàn Mén and now you're really famous!" Upon hearing this, Zuò Shān Hǔ burst out laughing, his laughter filled with malice. "I wonder what kind of skills you learned from your master at Liù Shàn Mén, hahaha!"

  The laughter was tinged with a sarcastic tone, and the two mountain bandits who were sitting with Shān Hǔ also burst out laughing, although they might not have known what they were laughing at. Since their leader was laughing, of course they had to join in.

  The partner of the carriage company who had just called out the name "Sitting Tiger" looked at Tie Jian with some concern. This was not the time to conflict with these mountain bandits, let alone whether they could win or not. Even if they could win, there were still hundreds of townspeople from Zhou Wang's collection behind them who had to cross Niujiao Mountain. The military strength of Dongling County was sufficient for self-defense but insufficient for taking the initiative. If the people behind them were really robbed by the thieves of Weihudong, it would be a big deal.

  Tie Jun had the same concern, but he didn't think that yielding would get him through this pass. This mountain tiger was obviously a treacherous and despicable person. If he yielded to him, who knows what kind of consequences there would be? With hundreds of refugees behind him and a treacherously smiling bandit in front of him, the only way out was to force his way through.

  But does he have this ability?

  Why not?

  Although he was only sixteen years old, although his swordsmanship was criticized by Mingjian as worthless, he had practiced for more than a decade and had already developed a sense of aura, and with the experience of an old land of over 10,000 years on him, what was he afraid of?

  Zuo Shantiger is just a small thief, if he really has great skills, he wouldn't have run to such a remote and desolate place to be a mountain bandit. Even with a dozen or so bodyguards protecting the merchant caravan, they didn't dare to rob it. Even if he had skills, those skills wouldn't amount to much.

  Iron club is confident in his ability to deal with it.

  "What, you really want to show off your skills? Kid, don't you see where we are?" Seeing Tie Jian's left hand gripping the knife handle tightly, although he didn't respond, his eyes had already narrowed, and a dangerous aura emanated from his body, making Situ Hu begin to tense up.

  His skills were not impressive, and he was on the same level as Tie Zhuan. He had practiced a mediocre qigong for many years, and it wasn't until his thirties that he finally felt any qi sensation. However, the two iron whips in his hands were no ordinary weapons, and the whip techniques he had learned had some history to them. In Wohu Village, he was considered a skilled fighter, which is why he held the position of Fifth Master. But being able to hold such a position among a group of mountain bandits wasn't easy, and he wasn't someone to be trifled with. Sensing Tie Zhuan's danger, his legs slightly bent, and his pupils began to constrict. "You really are one who doesn't take a warning, huh?"

  Having said that, he kicked his legs, and his body was like an arrow leaving the string. The two whips were in front of and behind him, one point and one split, charging towards Tie Zhong.

  "Be careful, County Magistrate!"

  Zuo Shān Hǔ came with a fierce momentum, in an instant, he rushed to the front of Tiē Juàn, his right hand's iron whip almost touched Tiē Juàn's face.

  "The way of the sword emphasizes power, the art of the sword emphasizes intent!!"

  At this moment, Tie Jian's mind was a complete blank. This was his first life-and-death battle with someone, and his Wuhu Duanmen knife had already been sentenced to death by Mingjian. The words that Mingjian had once said to him echoed in his mind.

  The weight of the knife is in its momentum!!

  He didn't know what momentum was before?

  However, today he clearly saw the waves of Zhangshui River surging several meters high, like a furious dragon roaring forward, sweeping away all obstacles in front of him. The momentum of this unstoppable force still lingers in his mind. Today, he practiced the Tidal Qi Gong, absorbing the tidal energy. Although his Qi foundation hasn't increased much, the idea of the tidal flow remains in his mind. He possesses Chen Jiu's memories from over a million years ago, although they are no longer clear. Chen Jiu was also a warrior who had fought on battlefields, killed enemies, and seen blood. Moreover, he was on the battlefield of the Sealing Gods. Chen Jiu didn't know the Five Tigers Broken Door Knife, but the military knife techniques from a million years ago were triggered in this critical moment. Behind him, there were over a hundred villagers from Zhou Wang's town. As the county lieutenant of Dongling, he had the responsibility to protect their safety.

  In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Tie Qian's mind, and these thoughts all burst out in an instant. Finally, it awakened the most skilled knife that Chen Jiu had hidden deep in his memory, the Fengshen era's war array knife method, which was used to kill enemies on the boundless battlefield with the simplest and most practical method. There is no move, no style, only one knife.