Chapter 50: Beheading with a Single Sword

Before setting out, the two of them had already entertained various guesses.
However, they never expected these people to be so audacious as to seize the Brocade Guard outpost. It was the height of absurdity.

"Heh, these people truly have no idea how the character for 'death' is written."
Honglian had previously been busy investigating the treason case and had not stationed anyone at the outpost, only to find out now that her base camp had been occupied.

"Some people simply don't take us seriously. Since that's the case, we will announce our arrival with a massacre. Until their heads roll to the ground, they won't know what fear is."
Xu Feng's face remained largely expressionless.
Before descending the mountain, he knew this trip wouldn't be entirely smooth-sailing, which was actually a good thing. After all, the two of them hadn't come here just to sit down and share a meal with these people.
With someone sticking their neck out, they could shoot the first bird that poked its head up, saving them the trouble of searching everywhere.

"Let's go. Let's step inside and see whose gallbladder is large enough to pull this off."
"You few, seal off the perimeter. Without my permission, no one enters or leaves."

Usually, it was hard to tell what kind of temperament Honglian possessed, but when it came to actual business, she was decisive and ruthless. At a single command, several centurions led their men to surround the entire outpost impenetrably.
The men Honglian brought with her were all carefully selected veterans of military service, thoroughly trustworthy.
Before following Honglian, they had served under her father, Zhan Tongtian, a man who had exhausted no small amount of effort on account of this daughter of his.
This was precisely why Xu Feng had directly suggested storming the place; with this kind of backing, there was simply no need for fear.
Should the sky fall, there were naturally taller figures above to hold it up.

The commotion outside had long since caught the attention of the gambling den's attendants. At first, they didn't take it to heart, but when the entire outpost was cordoned off and all movement was barred, they finally panicked and hurriedly sought out their manager.

"Manager Zhou, something's happened outside! A bunch of people in red brocade robes have surrounded our gambling den. Many guests are frightened; you'd better go out and take a look."

Manager Zhou was currently immersed in the lap of luxury. Interrupting him so abruptly sent him into a fit of rage, and he snatched up a teacup, hurling it straight at the attendant.
"Idiots! If the sky falls, I'll hold it up. Can't you see I'm busy?"
"Those people came with aggressive intent. If you don't go out there now, I'm afraid they'll force their way in."

Hearing this, Manager Zhou had no choice but to hastily dress and step outside.
"I'd like to see who has eaten the gall of a leopard to dare stir up trouble on my turf."
Zhou Tong was a martial artist of some attainment and a lay disciple of Sword Wind Mountain. Relying on himself alone, he certainly wouldn't have dared to seize the outpost; there had to be someone else pulling strings behind the scenes.

Before he even arrived, the guests inside the gambling den were already voicing endless complaints.
"Zhou Tong, are you utterly useless? Letting people disturb us at a time like this, why haven't you driven them out yet?"
"My lords, please remain calm. I received the word and rushed right over. Let me go see what divine beings have arrived."

The patrons of the gambling house were essentially gods of wealth, the vast majority possessing extraordinary backgrounds, leaving Zhou Tong with no choice but to keep bowing and smiling apologetically.
Having finally placated everyone, he hurried outside.
Upon seeing the sea of people outside, coupled with their distinctive uniforms, how could Zhou Tong fail to recognize who they were?

"This is bad. Didn't Your Excellency tell me before that he would handle the Brocade Guard? How did they manage to track us here?"

After recovering from his initial panic, Zhou Tong quickly regained his composure. He had naturally heard of the Brocade Guard's reputation, but he simply didn't believe they could pose a threat to him.
This was the Dashun border—the mountains were high and the emperor was far away.

"Gentlemen, I am Zhou Tong, the manager of this gambling house. What is the meaning of surrounding my establishment?"
"Shameless! You are clearly the magpie occupying the dove's nest, yet you still dare to play the fool before me."

With someone finally stepping forward to speak, Honglian didn't bother wasting courtesies on a mere martial artist, immediately rebuking him sharply.
Xu Feng didn't speak right away, standing with his arms crossed over his sword as if watching a theatrical performance.

"My lord, what do you mean by 'magpie occupying the dove's nest'? I purchased this place fair and square, and I have all the property deeds to prove it. If you don't believe me, we can take this to the magistrate's office and confront each other."

He was certainly well-prepared. Just as Honglian intended to argue the matter further with him, Xu Feng raised a hand to stop her.
"I'll give you the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn to pack up your people and get lost."
"Once that incense burns out, execute without mercy."

He was nothing more than a dog belonging to the mastermind behind the scenes; why bother exchanging idle words with him?
Seeing how overbearing Xu Feng was, Zhou Tong hardened his own stance.
"Such audacity! You must not know whose territory this is. Whoever you think you are, you'd better clear out with your men immediately, or else I'll make you regret this deeply."

Zhou Tong wore an expression of absolute unconcern, betting that Xu Feng wouldn't dare commit murder in broad daylight.
Yet Xu Feng was hardly someone easy to get along with. He was only ever amiable toward his own people, and his previous demeanor with the Feng family had merely been a disguise to hide his identity.
Too lazy to exchange another word, he covered the distance to Zhou Tong in three strides.

"What, you actually dare to make a move?"
"I am standing right here in front of you. If you've got the guts, just try it."
Zhou Tong stretched out his neck with a cold sneer.

The very next second, that sneer froze completely on his face.
A hand rose and the sword fell, a fountain of blood spraying from the neck. To his mockery, Xu Feng's only response was the longsword in his hand.
Clean, crisp, and without a trace of hesitation.
"Wait to reunite with your master down in the underworld."

This scene sent the onlookers in the distance scattering in a panicked swarm. Not to mention them, even Honglian beside Xu Feng was startled.
"You just killed him like that? Didn't we need to interrogate him properly?"
"This fellow is no good. Torture is far too inefficient. I have my own ways of ferreting out intelligence; there's no need to let him live until tomorrow."

Tossing him straight into the Human Emperor Banner for a front-row seat guaranteed absolute truth in any information he sought. In front of Xu Feng, no one could keep a secret.

Witnessing Xu Feng's operational style, the several centurions exchanged glances, satisfaction clearly visible on their faces. Hailing from a military background, they preferred direct action and detested dragging their feet.
It would have been unnatural if they hadn't harbored reservations about Xu Feng suddenly becoming their superior upon his arrival. They had joined the Brocade Guard to achieve merits and carve out a future for themselves.
If their commander proved unreliable, their own missions would become excruciatingly difficult.

However, none of them harbored such concerns any longer; following Xu Feng meant they would certainly not be mistreated.

Xu Feng's control over the Human Emperor Banner had already reached an infinitesimal degree of precision. The moment he executed Zhou Tong, he had quietly harvested the man's soul.
Throughout the entire process, apart from himself, no one else noticed the slightest anomaly—not even Honglian, who was standing mere inches away, knew what had transpired in that fraction of a second.

Souls were inherently ethereal, and as far as Xu Feng knew, aside from the Human Emperor Banner's ability to seize souls, no other method could achieve this feat.
This was precisely why he had always remained so cautious.

"To think they even have ties to Sword Wind Mountain. How interesting. Let me properly go and meet you all then."