Chapter 33: The Dragon Slayer Captures the Leaping Mountain Tiger Barehanded

Chen Da was overjoyed to hear that a "big fish" was approaching. With the Shaohua Mountain stronghold newly established and in desperate need of money and provisions, he certainly could not let this opportunity slip by. As for his two brothers' caution, Chen Da scoffed, thinking them too timid; after all, it was just two carriages, and they had a force of one or two hundred men at their disposal.

Without further ado, he donned his armor, grabbed his steel spear, and led fifty or sixty men down the mountain. By the time Yang Chun and Zhu Wu had finished arming themselves and arrived, he had already led his men out of the main gate.

"That fellow! Why the rush?" Yang Chun and Zhu Wu felt helpless, but there was nothing they could do; one must indulge one's own sworn brother.

"Gather twenty men and come with me to assist the Second Chieftain." Yang Chun felt slightly relieved upon hearing that Chen Da had taken fifty or sixty men; at least with such numbers, Chen Da would not be at a disadvantage.

"No! Leave thirty men to guard the stronghold, and have everyone else follow us down!" Zhu Wu’s sudden order surprised everyone present.

"Brother, why must we mobilize almost the entire force of the stronghold?" Although Yang Chun was a cautious man, he could not fathom this arrangement.

"We have only recently established our presence on Shaohua Mountain, yet we have already gained some notoriety. For these two carriages to dare charge straight toward us—if they are not courting death, then they must be exceptionally confident in their own skills." Zhu Wu rubbed his temples. "I have a premonition that this group is coming specifically for the three of us. I just don't know if they are fellow practitioners of the martial world or officials from the government."

"Then we shall fight them to the death!" Yang Chun grew anxious; having been brothers for so long, the bond between them was genuine.

"Let us go down and see. I hope they are merely travelers from the martial world passing through." Zhu Wu nodded, tightening the dual blades at his waist. If these were indeed government agents coming to make arrests, then no matter what, they would have to fight to the end.

Meanwhile, at the foot of Shaohua Mountain, Ren Yuan and his party had alighted from their carriages and were observing the mountain.

"Although it is not as grand as the Liangshan stronghold, it is still a strategically secure location." Ren Yuan gave his assessment. Not every place could be like Liangshan, protected by a natural, vast lake. However, for a mountain stronghold on dry land, Shaohua was quite decent—at the very least, it was difficult to attack and easy to defend.

Just as the four of them were studying the terrain, a whistling arrow suddenly flew out from the woods and struck one of the carriages with a sharp thud!

"Clack, clack, clack!" Following the sound of wooden clappers, fifty or sixty bandits emerged from the forest and lined up. Chen Da, the leader, fully armored, spurred his horse forward!

The group looked up. What a magnificent "Leaping Tiger"!

Chen Da wore a red, concave-shaped headscarf, iron armor reinforced with gold, a red quilted jacket, and high-soled boots. Around his waist was a seven-foot-long embroidered sash. He sat atop a tall white horse, holding a ten-foot-eight steel-tipped spear horizontally.

"Listen up, you four! I opened this mountain! I planted these trees! If you want to pass through, leave your toll money! If anyone dares to utter a single word of refusal, heh, I’ll kill you, but I won't bury you!" the lead bandit shouted at the top of his lungs.

The four men on the other side burst into laughter.

"Brother, they only have this many men; where does their confidence come from to think they can take us?" Although Shi Qian was not a master of combat, his lightness skills were peerless, and he had no concerns for his own safety. As for Ren Yuan, Sun An, and Guang Hui—which of them did not possess the courage of ten thousand men?

"Brother, let me go and deal with him." Sun An surveyed the scene and felt he should take action; after all, he was joining the mountain, and he could not afford to have no contributions to his name.

Since Sun An had spoken, Guang Hui did not interject. In fact, Guang Hui rarely drew his weapons these days. Throughout their journey, Ren Yuan had often seen him chanting over his twin monk's swords, as if praying for the souls of those who had perished by his blades.

"Take a rest, brother. Just capture that simpleton alive." Ren Yuan had long known that Chen Da was a bit of a blockhead, and for someone as naive as him, Ren Yuan was more than willing to recruit him.

"As you command." Sun An drew his twin swords and walked slowly forward.

"You fellow, halt! Are you unwilling to pay the toll?" Chen Da, seeing Sun An walking toward him with his swords held in reverse, leveled his spear and shouted.

"I have the toll, but you must first ask others if they agree to give it." Sun An looked at Chen Da with a smile.

"Who are you telling me to ask?" Chen Da was confused. Was there anyone else present?

"You must ask the twin swords in my hands if they are willing!" Sun An revealed his weapons. They were broader, heavier, and longer than standard swords—nearly four and a half feet long—forged from the finest refined iron, their cold light piercing to the eyes!

"Fine! You dare to mock me!" Chen Da felt he had been played. If they were going to fight, why not just say so? He was about to spur his horse forward, but suddenly he reined it in and dismounted.

"Hey, fellow, why did you get off your horse?" Sun An asked in surprise.

"Hmph! I am mounted, and you are on foot—that would be taking advantage of you! Even if I won, you wouldn't be convinced. Come, now that we are both on foot, I will make sure you lose with no excuses!" Chen Da said with some indignation. It was truly infuriating; the man with the twin swords was clearly provoking him, yet he could not bring himself to win through dishonorable means.

Sun An had not expected this simpleton to be so principled. Well then, for the sake of his willingness to dismount for the sake of fairness, he would definitely capture him alive without harming a hair on his head.

"Hah!" Once off his horse, Chen Da ceased the pleasantries, leveled his spear, and thrust it toward Sun An.

"Well struck!" Sun An wanted to gauge Chen Da’s skill level, so he deliberately held back, using his swords like two door panels. He defended without attacking, a seamless wall of steel; no matter how Chen Da thrust, the spear could not reach him.

"Brother, is Brother Sun An just toying with him?" Although Shi Qian’s martial arts were mediocre, his eye for detail was sharp. After a few rounds, he noticed that Brother Sun An was smiling, his footwork as relaxed as if he were strolling in a garden. In contrast, Chen Da, despite his storm-like offensive, was essentially wasting his energy; it only looked impressive.

The bandits behind Chen Da could not tell; they only saw their Second Chieftain pressing the opponent and cheered him on.

"This style of fighting is what they call 'the first burst of spirit, the second wanes, the third is exhausted,'" Guang Hui remarked. "Chen Da is not bad, but his spear technique is not truly profound; he relies mostly on brute strength and momentum. Against an opponent like Brother Sun, whose technique, strength, and composure far exceed his, he can only admit defeat."

Ren Yuan nodded in agreement. Just then, he saw more figures descending from Shaohua Mountain—it must be Zhu Wu and Yang Chun. He called out to Sun An, "Enough, brother. Bring Commander Chen over for a chat."

Receiving the order, Sun An’s demeanor changed. He crossed his swords, locked Chen Da’s steel spear, and pulled with great force. Chen Da felt an immense power surge toward him! Unwilling to let go of his weapon, he had no choice but to be dragged toward Sun An.

Sun An planted one sword in the ground, used his free hand to grab Chen Da’s sash, and hoisted him into the air!

"Do you submit?" Feeling the cold edge of the blade against his neck, Chen Da fell silent. Only now did he regret dismounting.

"Heroes, spare him!" Just then, Zhu Wu and Yang Chun arrived. Seeing Chen Da captured, Zhu Wu shouted in alarm. Thankfully, he was only captured, not in immediate danger of death.

Hearing Zhu Wu’s voice, Ren Yuan smiled slightly. *This is whom I have been waiting for! Zhu Wu, oh Zhu Wu, you cannot escape now.*