Clutching his bleeding throat, Liang You was still reeling in shock. He never dreamed that the Sword Technique of the young man before him could be so exquisite.
The reason Li Chang'an called the second move of the Ghost Gate Thirteen Blades the "Butterfly Deceit Blade" was because its path was devious and impossible to defend against.
To block the attack, Liang You had exhausted all his focus, concentrating on the trajectory of the long blade's slash. In truth, however, the real killing blow of the Butterfly Deceit Blade was the subtle force applied in the instant the blade was retracted after being parried.
This was the real reason Liang You died without ever knowing what hit him.
As the long blade was withdrawn, the spray of blood nearly drenched Master Wang.
Master Wang was already scared stiff.
One must understand, Liang You was a Peak Martial Artist he had hired at great expense from the Liang Family Martial Arts Hall in Fengzhou Prefecture City.
Due to his naturally freakish, gigantic size, he could even trade dozens of blows with an ordinary Martial Artist without being defeated.
Yet now, this same Martial Artist, who was considered quite famous in all of Sanhuang County, hadn't even lasted three moves against Li Chang'an.
How could that not chill him to the bone?
Staring at the young man before him, who radiated a murderous aura like a devil, Master Wang subconsciously swallowed and stammered, "Y-Young Hero... D-don't kill me... I admit my mistake... I'll kowtow and admit my mistake!"
He had been scared completely out of his wits.
Right now, he wanted nothing more than to prostrate himself and beg Li Chang'an to spare his life.
Li Chang'an's gaze, however, remained as cold as a blade, unwavering. He said flatly, "I couldn't be bothered to deal with you for threatening me and Senior Brother Lv. But since you dared to target my family, don't blame me for killing your entire household!"
Without hesitation, his blade rose and fell.
Master Wang collapsed, his face a mask of disbelief.
After doing all this, Li Chang'an did not end the slaughter. He was not one to anger easily, but if someone truly provoked him, he would retaliate recklessly, without a second thought for the consequences.
That day, rivers of blood flowed through the Sanhuang County Magistrate's Office.
Magistrate Chai and his men, pissing themselves in terror, fled to the back gate, trying to escape. But the back gate of the County Magistrate's Office had already been blocked solid by a crowd of commoners who had heard the commotion.
Seeing this, Magistrate Chai's eyes nearly split with rage. He was both shocked and furious. "Didn't I order the city gates sealed long ago? Where did this bunch of mud-legs get in from?"
His confusion was soon answered.
The old Daoist Wang Su and Senior Brother Lü Changning stepped out from the crowd. Wang Su fixed him with a mocking gaze and said, "Lord Chai, of all the people to provoke in this little domain of yours, why did you have to go after that prickly kid?"
Magistrate Chai didn't recognize Lü Changning, but he did recognize Wang Su, the Rebel Leader.
To be precise, he recognized Wang Su from a portrait.
The moment their eyes met, Magistrate Chai instantly understood what was happening. His face turned ashen, and he stammered, "Y-You... You bunch of traitors! You dare to seize the county town! The Imperial Court will not spare you!"
Wang Su, however, had no interest in wasting words with him. He glanced at the followers behind him and gave a signal. Immediately, men from the Rebel Army stepped forward, bound him hand and foot, and seized him.
After his value was squeezed dry, Magistrate Chai would certainly die, but now was clearly not the time.
...
By the time they finished all this outside, Li Chang'an had already more or less cleaned up the trash inside and outside the County Magistrate's Office.
Seeing him walk out from the main gate of the County Magistrate's Office with a calm expression, the old Daoist's eyes held a somewhat complicated look.
Ever since he first met Li Chang'an, Wang Su knew this young man was no fish in a small pond—his future achievements would be limitless.
But even so, he had never imagined Li Chang'an's rise would be so swift.
'How much time has passed? This kid already dares to storm the County Magistrate's Office all by himself! Give him a few more years, and he'll be unstoppable.'
After a long silence, the old Daoist said half-jokingly, "You've got some real nerve, kid. You still dared to associate with me even after learning my identity!"
Li Chang'an casually tossed aside his long blade, which was already hacked and battered, and replied with a wry smile, "With all due respect, did I have a choice?"
"That's true enough!" The old Daoist Wang Su laughed heartily. "A golden fish is no mere creature of the pond; upon encountering wind and clouds, it will transform into a dragon. With your world-shaking talent and rock-solid state of mind, even if you don't look for trouble, trouble will sooner or later find you!"
At this, his voice paused. His expression slowly grew serious as he said solemnly, "But since you've made this choice today, you must be prepared to make an enemy of the entire world. This path... might be far more difficult than you can imagine!"
Li Chang'an naturally knew what he was referring to.
Any imperial court's method of dealing with traitors was bloody and cruel.
If he had even the slightest chance of shedding the title of a rebel before today, then after today, he had boarded the pirate ship and could never get off.
Between the Yaoqing and him, only one could survive.
...
When news that the Rebel Army had seized Sanhuang County Town without the slightest effort spread, all of Fengzhou was shaken.
The Prefect of Fengzhou, Harqin, was sleeping when he heard the news. He took a long moment to process it before scrambling up and cursing loudly, "That son of a bitch Chai Busan! I knew he would screw things up!"
After loudly cursing Magistrate Chai and his entire family, Harqin was so angry his nose was practically crooked.
The original plan had been simple: a large number of troops, ready for battle at a moment's notice, had already been assembled around Sanhuang County. No matter where the Rebel Army attacked, the forces from the other county towns would provide swift reinforcement.
Under such circumstances, the Rebel Army, which lacked heavy siege weapons and consisted of nothing more than scattered and undisciplined troops, wouldn't dare make a move easily. They could only conduct minor raids on a few key transportation routes outside the city.
He wouldn't even have needed to deploy a single soldier. Just by constricting their area of activity and reducing the flow of goods, Harqin was confident he could easily starve this band of rebels to death.
But for all his careful planning, he had never accounted for an incompetent fool like Magistrate Chai, who was good for nothing but ruining things. He had actually transferred the soldiers defending Sanhuang County to the County Magistrate's Office, which directly led to the city gates of Sanhuang County being seized by the well-prepared Rebel Army.
A county town with a population of nearly one hundred thousand had been taken by the Rebel Army just like that.
If he could find Magistrate Chai right now, the furious Harqin would have dragged him back to be dismembered by five horses.
After a bout of impotent rage, Harqin calmed down. He began to draw troops from various places, preparing to completely extinguish this Rebel Army that clung to them like maggots on a bone.
At the same time, among his subordinate's reports, Harqin also noticed the unfamiliar name of Li Chang'an.
After thinking for a moment and confirming he had no recollection of the name, Harqin asked, "This Li Chang'an you just mentioned, what's his background?"
...