Chapter Three: The Emperor's Banner

It has been half a year since I transmigrated. Whether facing Feng Yuzhi’s indifference and infidelity, or Feng Yumian’s hostility, Xu Feng had never truly felt angry. To him, the Linglong Feng family was merely a disguise to be worn until he grew strong enough. To put it bluntly, even if Feng Yuzhi were to consort with every man in the Jianfeng Mountains, he would not care.

But today, he was truly furious.

The duty of the Great Shun’s Six Gates is to hunt down and apprehend evildoers, their informants spread throughout the entire Great Shun territory. Xu Feng did not believe that before they conspired with the Wild Dog Hall to lay an ambush for him, they were ignorant of the heinous crimes committed by that organization. Those beggars on the streets with missing limbs, gouged eyes, and severed tongues—could it be that they were all just actors?

Yet, the Six Gates chose to turn a blind eye, instead using such misery as bait to hook him, the "Ghost-Masked Man."

Very well! Very well indeed!

Xu Feng laughed. Since they did not want to let him leave, he would not leave tonight. Everyone could stay and keep him company. Be it the Six Gates or the Wild Dog Hall, all were fit to be offerings for his Human Emperor Banner!

Thinking of this, Xu Feng began to chuckle maniacally: "Haha... Hahahahaha!"

His bizarre behavior drew everyone’s attention; they stared at him in confusion. The purple-robed captain of the Six Gates frowned: "What are you laughing at?"

Xu Feng stopped laughing, his tone filled with undisguised excitement and cruelty. This was the first time he had spoken since arriving tonight. "Might I ask, Officer, how many men did your Six Gates send to capture me?"

The captain rested his hand on the hilt of his ring-pommel saber; the frantic, morbid aura exuding from the Ghost-Masked Man in the courtyard made him deeply uncomfortable. "Based on your past crimes, the victims were all martial artists in Gusu City, ranging from the ninth to the third rank of the Martial Novice realm. We deduced that your strength resides within the Martial Novice realm and that you have not yet reached the Martial Master realm. Therefore, I brought only fifty-one men to capture you—which is already giving you quite a bit of face!"

In the pugilistic world, the gap between individuals is divided into five great realms: Martial Novice, Martial Master, Martial Sect, Dragon Opener, and Profound Master. The two realms of Martial Novice and Martial Master are each subdivided into nine minor ranks. The Martial Sect realm is divided into low, middle, high, and peak stages. As for the elusive Dragon Opener and Profound Master realms, their subdivisions are unknown to common martial artists.

Whether in the world of martial arts or the imperial court, the vast majority of martial artists spend their entire lives wandering within the Martial Novice realm. If one is fortunate enough to break through to the Martial Master realm, they are considered a renowned expert in the region—like Zuo Jincheng, who is currently a seventh-rank Martial Master.

Thus, the Six Gates’ estimation that Xu Feng’s strength lay between the third and first rank of the Martial Novice realm was indeed treating him as a formidable opponent. And in reality, it was true. Since he poisoned the estate guards, Xu Feng had killed seventeen martial artists in half a year, reaching the second rank of Martial Novice—a feat no one would believe. After all, in this world, martial arts are not merely about knowing a few combat moves; one must cultivate the body while simultaneously nourishing the internal energy, mastering both in tandem.

...

Having heard the captain’s words, Xu Feng made a quick calculation. Beyond the fifty-one men surrounding him, there was the rabble of the Wild Dog Hall. Furthermore, the leader of the Wild Dog Hall, the purple-robed captain, and the young man who had just emerged as Zuo Jincheng’s brother—their strength likely fell between the fourth and first ranks. From this perspective, he seemed to have no chance of winning.

But he had a trump card: the seventeen evil spirits nurtured within the Human Emperor Banner, still hidden in the shadows! Every time an enemy fell, he would gain two-fold combat strength. The power of the Human Emperor Banner was such that, upon absorbing the soul of the deceased, it would not only provide a feedback of energy to him, the master, but also reconstitute the soul into a wraith, retaining the strength the person held in life. Thus, it was effectively like gaining two allies!

With this assurance, Xu Feng felt a sense of calm. He only needed to ensure they would not all gang up on him in the first wave of attacks. He smiled: "The Six Gates truly thinks highly of me. I have long heard that you imperial dogs are cautious to a fault, and today I see it for myself."

Seeing the captain’s tightly knitted brows, he changed his tone, murmuring, "However... Officer, have you never considered the possibility that I have never been acting alone?"

The middle-aged man froze, his complexion turning ghastly as he heard sudden shouts of battle and terrified screams erupting from outside the courtyard.

"Ghosts!"
"Ahhh! No, no! Don't kill me!"
"What is this? How can it be so evil? Ah—!"

Accompanying these screams were the sounds of blades piercing flesh and bodies hitting the ground. It seemed as if a group of the Ghost-Masked Man’s accomplices had suddenly emerged from the shadows, slaughtering the Six Gates patrol team. Although the captain was a first-rank Martial Novice, his subordinates—save for two or three squad leaders—were merely common yamen runners who knew only basic brawling skills, not true martial arts. Facing a squad of skilled attackers, it was a one-sided massacre.

"You villain!"

Without a second thought, the captain lunged at Xu Feng with his sword, hoping to take him down quickly and rescue his men. Following his lead, the youth who had remained silent all this time drew his blade, and the leader of the Wild Dog Hall—who had been playing dead after being kicked by Feng Yumian—also rose and charged with his saber.

The previously quiet courtyard instantly devolved into a fierce melee. After the first exchange, both sides gauged each other’s strength: Xu Feng, second-rank Martial Novice; the captain, first-rank; the Jianfeng youth, second-rank; and the Wild Dog Hall leader, fourth-rank. Regardless of the quality of their techniques, in a one-versus-three scenario, Xu Feng seemed destined to lose.

Yet he gritted his teeth, feeling the strength accumulating within him as he mentally tracked the deaths outside. One, two, three... Since most of those killed were lowly runners, his strength grew but had yet to reach a breakthrough. After receiving a slash to his body and another to his leg, the count surpassed thirty.

As that thought crossed his mind, a wave of ghostly shadows surged into the courtyard from all directions, ruthlessly hacking at the three men surrounding him. These phantoms were all martial artists of various ranks, ranging from the eighth to the fourth. The situation reversed instantly; the three men were thrown into chaos by the flurry of blades.

What the hell are these things? How do they not look like living people at all?!