Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 595 If I kill you, Yu Shuang will be a widow (7,000 chapters)
It should be almost noon by now.

The crimson sun spread its golden rays across the earth. Like countless golden shuttles, the light pierced through the misty, cold air, and the condensed fog quietly dissipated, revealing the frozen veins of the earth—the fine silver light refracted from the white frost between the fields. The wind blew, and the branches rustled, shaking off the unmelted snow from their tips.

The distant mountain outlines were cut into two shades of light and shadow by the light, and the river surface, whose ice crystals had been broken by the large ship, reflected thousands of golden scales, which flickered with the undercurrent.

Before they could even use their lightness skills to escape the area, Chen Yuntian and Chen Mingzhe stood frozen in place. They had barely turned around when the scorching heat wave hit their faces, causing the hem of their robes to flutter loudly. Yet, at that moment, the father and son felt an indescribable chill creeping over their entire bodies.

They watched helplessly as the black iron ball fell in front of them.

Watching the iron ball explode.

Watching the flames and black smoke rise.

The shrapnel whistled past my ears, creating a sharp, piercing sound.

Occasionally, pebbles or pieces of iron would tear at his clothes, leaving cracked strips, or graz his face, leaving a bloody mark on his handsome face.

Thirty meters away, although the Hongyi cannon's explosive power was strong, it wasn't enough to harm two skilled martial artists at such a distance. However, the impact of the explosion still caused the two to stagger backward.

Song Yan still had a faint smile on his face. This shot must have been fired by that guy Zhao Tiezhu.

Zhao Tiezhu is currently the most accurate artilleryman, basically hitting the target precisely. Even if the Hongyi cannon itself lacks accuracy, he can adjust the angle according to the cannon's condition to ensure the shells land in the intended spot. Thirty meters wasn't enough to directly blast Chen Mingzhe and Chen Yuntian to smithereens, but if it were half that distance, Song Yan, Luo Tianyi, and Yu Shuang might also have been caught in the crossfire. He handled the situation exceptionally well.

The wind swept over.

The thick smoke gradually dissipated.

Upon seeing the ground again, Chen Mingzhe and Chen Yuntian both gasped in shock.

Just thirty meters away, a huge crater was blasted out. The crater was nearly two meters in diameter and about thirty centimeters deep. The charred remains of the flames still lingered around the crater, and some withered grass was still emitting wisps of black smoke.

This is the official road of Huangqiao County. It has long been compacted and solidified. Now, in winter, the road surface is already covered with ice. If it could still be blasted into a large crater like this, what chance would they have of surviving if it had landed directly on them?
Even Master Yunhai's eyelids twitched.

Looking at the dark cannons on the large ships in the distance, he felt a chill run down his spine. If they were to fire simultaneously, even a grandmaster like him would probably be blown to smithereens. When did such domineering weapons appear in this world? Master Yunhai's heart trembled slightly. He knew that from now on, the role and status of martial artists would probably be greatly reduced.

Just as Chen Yuntian and Chen Mingzhe were shocked, Song Yan's elite soldiers had already completed the encirclement. The front row was full of soldiers wielding steel swords, while the rear row consisted of crossbowmen wielding crossbows. The sharp arrowheads gleamed coldly in the sunlight, stinging the eyes of the two men.

Some heavily armored soldiers had already blocked Song Yan, Yu Shuang, and Luo Tianyi's path. Although their numbers were not large, their savage aura, like that of jackals and tigers, clearly told everyone that getting past them would not be an easy task.

Dull footsteps came from behind; it was Shi Lei.

At this moment, Shi Lei no longer resembled a general at all; he was more like a ruthless bully on the street. His fleshy face was filled with rage. Upon hearing the voice, Chen Yuntian and Chen Mingzhe had just turned around when Shi Lei kicked them.

With a thud, the hard combat boots kicked Chen Mingzhe directly in the stomach.

Even though Chen Mingzhe was quite strong and his physical body was far more robust than that of an ordinary person, this kick still caused him to bend over. His intestines were twisted in pain, and the intense pain even made his face turn pale, with large beads of sweat constantly seeping from his forehead.

Damn it, that bastard, his military boots are made of iron.

Seeing his most beloved youngest son being humiliated like this, a hint of madness flashed in Chen Yuntian's eyes. He was about to stop it, but his body immediately froze on the spot, not daring to move at all... He only raised his arm slightly, and he could immediately feel hundreds and thousands of crossbow bolts locking onto him.

He had no doubt that if he made even the slightest movement, he would immediately turn into a hedgehog.

Even a ninth-rank martial artist would rarely have a chance of survival if surrounded by hundreds or thousands of soldiers.

Shi Lei ignored all that, a sinister sneer on his face. He stepped forward, grabbed Chen Mingzhe's hair, and lifted Chen Mingzhe's head up, forcing his pale face to be exposed in front of everyone: "So you think you're the master of the Sword Sect?"

"You dare to lay a finger on my lord's woman? Who gave you the courage?"

Shi Lei and Batu weren't too far from their lord, so they overheard some of Chen Mingzhe's words. At that moment, Shi Lei and Batu almost burst out laughing. Good heavens, some young master who just crawled out of a small, insignificant sect actually dared to challenge the lord? Did he really think the lord's reputation as the "Jingguan Madman" was just for show?

What's most intolerable is that this bastard actually dared to draw his sword at the prince.

If the prince loses even a single hair, it's because the soldiers failed in their duty of protection.

Shi Lei's voice still echoed in Chen Mingzhe's ears. Chen Mingzhe felt his mind buzzing, and a sickly redness almost instantly spread across his entire face... He was the young master of the Sword Sect, a ninth-rank martial artist, and a prominent figure in the entire martial arts world. Now, he was being dragged by the hair and lifted up by a lowly peasant.

humiliation.

The humiliation he had never experienced before filled Chen Mingzhe's chest with unbearable torment. He clenched his teeth, and blood seeped from the corners of his lips.

Chen Yuntian, however, finally managed to grasp the key point from Shi Lei's words.

Prince?

Which prince?

Chen Yuntian's pupils suddenly contracted. Currently, in the vast Anzhou and Pingyang, there was probably only one person who could call himself a prince—the Prince of Yan, also known as the King of Hell, in addition to his nickname "The Madman of Jingguan." Could it be that the handsome young man was the Prince of Yan of Da Ning, who had killed countless people and struck fear into the hearts of foreign tribes?

The moment such a thought crossed his mind, Chen Yuntian could no longer control himself. His whole body trembled violently, and his face turned ashen. Yes, this man had just said that he liked married women, especially widows. He had heard that His Highness the Prince of Yan also had such a fetish. Looking up again, although the distance was a bit far, he could still clearly see the Cangshui River bank, where a row of large ships had a mountain of people on their decks.

Chen Yuntian, who had been in relatively good spirits, was now ashen-faced. Having offended His Highness Prince Yan, he knew that the entire Chen family was... finished.

He could even imagine the scene of a blood-soaked mound of corpses in front of the Chen family's gate.

Just then, Song Yan, with a smile on his lips, slowly walked out from the encirclement of many soldiers, and finally released his hand from Yu Shuang's soft waist.

For some reason, although Yu Shuang felt extremely ashamed when Song Yan held her in his arms, she now felt a little lost after leaving his embrace.

"You shameless slut, are you so desperate for a man?" Yu Shuang cursed herself silently in her heart.

Luo Tianyi, however, frowned slightly and glanced at Yu Shuang discreetly: Is this an act? There's something just not quite right.

Just then, Song Yan walked up to Chen Mingzhe and said, "General Shi, this young master is, after all, the young master of the Sword Sect, a ninth-rank martial artist. He's a big shot in the entire martial arts world... uh, a character. How can you be so rude?"

If Chen Mingzhe had heard someone say such things on a normal day, he would have taken it as a compliment and felt proud. He would have maintained a gentle and refined demeanor while humbly saying that he was naturally stupid. But when Song Yan said these words, they sounded sarcastic and unpleasant.

"Young Master of the Sword Sect, hehe..." Shi Lei chuckled dismissively: "Bullshit."

Even so, she still loosened her grip on Chen Mingzhe's hair.

Chen Mingzhe had been held by the neck the whole time, and now that support had suddenly disappeared, he was caught off guard and couldn't react in time, his knees thudded to the ground.

“Brother Chen, there’s no need for such a grand gesture,” Song Yan said with a smile.

Chen Mingzhe was so frustrated he felt like he was going to vomit blood. He struggled to get up from the ground, but just then, Song Yan's voice came again, cold and eerie: "The Yang family has betrayed us, colluding with the three great barbarian tribes of the Xiongnu, Japanese pirates, and Jurchens, wreaking havoc on the Central Plains. Wherever the rebel army went, villages, towns, and cities were all slaughtered. Human flesh was used as military rations, and women and children were used as playthings. Corpses lay everywhere, and blood melted the white snow."

"Even the description of hell on earth is insufficient to describe even a fraction of its nature."

"I was stationed in Anzhou and Pingyang to guard against the incursions and raids of the Xiongnu and Jurchens. I heard that there were 50,000 Jurchen soldiers and 10,000 Japanese pirate soldiers who attempted to bypass my blockade by sea and land at Langya. I then personally led my navy to intercept them at sea, annihilated more than 70,000 Jurchens, Japanese pirates and Yang family rebels, collected more than 40,000 of their heads, and returned victorious."

"The rebel leader Yang Hexing, the Jurchen chieftain Wanyan Guangzhi, and the Japanese pirate leader Nagano Masaichi all wish they could devour my flesh and kill me. Now, the young master of the Sword Gate, Chen Mingzhe, has drawn his sword before me, intending to assassinate me." Song Yan's voice suddenly became loud and heavy, and his roar exploded in everyone's ears like thunder: "Who exactly are you assassins? The Yang family traitors, the Jurchen barbarians, or the jackal-like Japanese pirates?"

Master Yunhai's expression changed several times in an instant. He first described his own achievements, then revealed the hatred between the Yang family and the Jurchens towards him, and finally named Chen Mingzhe to draw his sword. In this way, it would seem logical to pin the crime of colluding with traitors, foreign races, and assassinating the current prince on the Chen family. Anyone would have such doubts in their hearts, after all, Chen Mingzhe really did draw his sword... When Song Yan wanted to pin this crime on the Chen family, Master Yunhai already understood that Song Yan had no intention of letting the Chen father and son live.

They didn't even intend to let the entire Sword Sect continue to exist.

As expected of the Jingguan Maniac, his methods are truly ruthless.

Chen Yuntian and Chen Mingzhe's expressions also changed drastically. They never expected that, under Song Yan's few words, they would inexplicably become allies with foreigners and traitors. Even though the Chen family was quite famous in the martial arts world, such a crime was definitely not something that a mere Chen family could bear.

Chen Yuntian's body trembled slightly, his face turned pale, and a layer of dense sweat beaded on his forehead, rolling down into his eyes and causing a burning pain. His throat throbbed violently. After several seconds, Chen Yuntian had no choice but to temporarily set aside the pride of a sect leader and respectfully bow to Song Yan: "Your Highness, you flatter me. Although my Chen family are people of the martial world, we have always been law-abiding and have never done anything against the laws of the court."

"The Yang family rebelled, and the Chen family also deeply resented it."

"The Jurchen are a foreign tribe, and my Chen family regards them as beasts."

“It is absolutely impossible for us to have any connection with the Yang family or the Jurchens. Today’s matter is purely a misunderstanding. My son is young and ignorant, and has been spoiled since childhood. He has offended Your Highness in his impetuousness. I hope Your Highness will forgive him.”

Chen Yuntian tried his best to maintain a calm voice, not wanting to lose his last bit of dignity. Seeing Chen Mingzhe still kneeling on the ground in a daze, he felt a surge of anger for no reason. He kicked Chen Mingzhe hard in the back and shouted sternly, "You unfilial son, why don't you quickly kowtow to the prince and apologize?"

Shi Lei subtly pursed his lips. This man was truly clueless. Did his lord need his kowtow? He wanted to live, but he didn't offer anything substantial. Did he really think his lord was so easily fooled? This was the last chance for the Chen family father and son to survive, but unfortunately, Chen Yuntian had squandered it.

Chen Mingzhe's face was contorted beyond recognition. Once upon a time, he thought that was the most humiliating moment of his life when a peasant grabbed his hair and pulled his head up. But now he finally understood what it meant to have no most humiliating moment, only more humiliating moments.

He was the one who took a liking to Yu Shuang first, and Song Yan and Yu Shuang were the ones who cheated on him, yet now he has to kneel before this bastard who cheated on him and beg for mercy!
It felt like my heart was crawling with maggots, gnawing at it!

pain!
angry!
Epilepsy!
Chen Mingzhe's body was trembling uncontrollably. He was filled with a thousand unwillingnesses and ten thousand resentments, but he also understood that the man in front of him was someone he absolutely could not afford to offend, at least not for now.

He no longer knew what he was thinking. His mind was buzzing, and his body felt like a numb, out-of-control puppet. His legs gave way, and he knelt down in front of Song Yan with a thud. His proud head finally slumped to the cold ground. At that moment, he knew that he had not only lost his head, but also his dignity as a man.

His lips moved, and he slowly opened his mouth:
"I was ignorant and didn't recognize your greatness before. I offended Your Highness. I beg Your Highness to forgive my petty mistake and not hold it against me."

Upon hearing this, Chen Mingzhe felt as if everything before him had gone dark.

He didn't even dare to look up, afraid of seeing the mocking, clown-like gazes around him; he didn't even dare to look at Yu Shuang again, afraid of meeting her cold, aloof eyes filled with disdain and ridicule.

His ten fingers gripped the cold, hard ground tightly, pebbles burrowing into his nails and flesh, causing a burning pain. In a place where no one could see, Chen Mingzhe's eyes were as fierce as a venomous snake, and his face was as ferocious as a vengeful ghost.

Dog men and women.

I'll kill you all sooner or later.

Most definitely.

Chen Mingzhe's heart was filled with rage. Chen Yuntian, on the other hand, smiled ingratiatingly at Song Yan, hoping that Song Yan would relent and give the Chen family a way out: "Your Highness, the Chen family is willing to offer an additional 100,000 taels of silver as an apology."

Song Yan's expression didn't change much. 100,000? Is this how you treat a beggar? He simply scoffed, "Young Master Chen, there's no need for this. If others see this, wouldn't they think I'm abusing my power?"

"You're a ninth-rank martial artist, aren't you? You're considered a master in the martial world. Very well, since that's the case, I'll give you a chance. Stand up and fight me. If you win, I'll spare your life, what's wrong with that?"

Upon hearing this, everyone present looked surprised. No one expected that Song Yan would actually challenge Chen Mingzhe to a duel. Had he gone mad?
No one can deny the King of Yan's military prowess. Every time he goes to war, he can reap tens of thousands of heads from foreign tribes. Even the God of War of Ning Kingdom, Mei Wu, might not be able to achieve such a feat. Currently, Ning Kingdom has dozens of generals, and if Song Yan is ranked second, no one would dare to rank first.

However, when it comes to martial arts cultivation, Song Yan's strength is truly not among the best.

To challenge a ninth-grade martial artist with only an eighth-grade skill is practically suicide.
Chen Yuntian and Chen Mingzhe exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of Song Yan's intentions. However, they both understood that this was their last chance. Chen Yuntian took a deep breath and looked at Song Yan: "Is Your Highness truly serious?"

"I never speak recklessly."

Chen Yuntian gritted his teeth and gave Chen Mingze a wink.

Chen Mingzhe slowly rose to his feet. After all, they were father and son, and with just a glance, he understood his father's meaning. He had to win this duel; only by winning could he have a chance to survive. However, he absolutely could not let Song Yan lose too badly. If the Prince of Yan lost face, no one could guarantee that the Prince of Yan would not be enraged.

The best course of action would be to engage in a fierce battle, with both sides exchanging hundreds of blows, until one finally manages to win by a single move. Only in this way could the face of the Prince of Yan be preserved, and only then could one find a true path to survival. As long as one survives, there will be plenty of opportunities to take revenge on the Prince of Yan in the future.

It's truly a pity. If there weren't so many soldiers around, he really wanted to take advantage of the duel to kill Song Yan. As for whether Anzhou and Pingyang would be invaded by the Jurchens and Xiongnu after Song Yan's death, that was not something Chen Mingzhe would consider.

Taking a deep breath, Chen Mingzhe gripped the hilt of his sword again, the blade pointing towards Song Yan: "In that case, I'll have to offend you."

Song Yan chuckled and took out a special weapon from his waist. It looked like a handle connected to a piece of iron, somewhat similar to the double-barreled shotgun he used before, except... the barrel wasn't as long, as a large section had been cut off.

Chen Mingzhe frowned slightly; he had never seen such a strangely shaped weapon before. However, this was irrelevant to him. After calming himself down, Chen Mingzhe's eyes gradually sharpened: "Your Highness, Prince Yan, please enlighten me."

With a soft shout, Chen Mingzhe pushed off the ground with both feet simultaneously. With a loud bang, the distance between Chen Mingzhe and Song Yan closed rapidly. Under the sunlight, the sharp sword light was aimed directly at Song Yan's shoulder. The sword trembled slightly, and the sound of the sword ringing out was extremely piercing.

Song Yan remained where he was, his smile unchanged. He gently raised his right hand, and two dark holes were pointed at Chen Mingzhe... For some reason, when Chen Mingzhe saw the two dark iron pipes, he felt a chill run down his spine... Perhaps it was just his imagination, but he felt that the things in Song Yan's hands were somewhat similar to the things on the deck of the large ship on the banks of the Cangshui River.

What's on the deck?

Suddenly, an image flashed in Chen Mingzhe's mind: a lump of iron that drew an arc in mid-air and then exploded in front of him and his son.

The next instant, Chen Mingzhe's expression changed drastically.

not good!

be cheated.

Terrified, Chen Mingzhe forcibly changed the force of his feet, and his body instantly shifted half a foot to the side.

At the same time, Song Yan's finger finally fell on the trigger.

boom!
A specially designed cone-shaped bullet was instantly ejected from the barrel.

The speed was unimaginable. Even though Chen Mingzhe was extremely strong and even sensed the danger some time in advance, he still couldn't completely dodge it.

The moment the gunshot rang out, a spray of blood exploded on Chen Mingzhe's shoulder.

His arm was torn to shreds.

An arm flew directly into the air.

Several seconds later, it fell to the ground with a thud.

The fingers were still nervously curled up.

The fight had just begun when it was abruptly halted in a strange manner.

Chen Mingzhe lay frozen on the ground, his arm covered in a gaping wound, blood gushing out and veins exposed, bones soaked in blood. It took two or three breaths for the unbearable pain to finally reach his mind.

"Ah~~~~~"

A bloodcurdling scream, piercing to the extreme, suddenly rang out.

“My son…”

Seeing his beloved youngest son being hurt like this, Chen Yuntian's eyes widened in fury. He let out a scream and lunged towards where Song Yan and Chen Mingzhe were.

The instant Chen Yuntian moved, hundreds of military crossbows pressed down on their firing mechanisms almost simultaneously.

hiss hiss hiss hiss...

A dense rain of arrows descended from all directions.

Chen Yuntian waved his hand to deflect several crossbow bolts, but there were simply too many bolts, and he had no way to intercept them all.

puff.

puff.

puff.

That was the sound of a crossbow bolt piercing flesh.

Chen Yuntian froze on the spot, his body riddled with crossbow bolts, looking like a blood-red hedgehog.

Bright red blood foam kept gushing out from the corners of his mouth.

His already aged face was now completely ashen, and his wide eyes stared blankly at his son. He reached out his hand as if he wanted to do something, but he could do nothing at all.

puff.

His body crashed to the ground, and there was no further movement.

Master Yunhai's face was ashen, and his lips parted several times, but he could not utter a word.

Song Yan didn't care about any of that. He simply loaded another bullet into the magazine, aimed it at Chen Mingzhe who was not far away, and pulled the trigger. With another bang, Chen Mingzhe's leg was severed at the knee. His body, which was barely standing, immediately fell to the ground.

pain!
Mother.

It hurts.

Chen Mingzhe's lips moved, uttering an indescribable wail. His bloodshot eyes were fixed on Song Yan, as if he wished he could tear Song Yan to pieces and grind his bones to dust... This person never intended for his father and son to live.

His body trembled, and even his voice quivered: "Why?"

Song Yan raised an eyebrow, confirming that Chen Mingzhe had completely lost the ability to resist, before squatting down in front of Chen Mingzhe while holding a gun in one hand: "What did you say?"

"Why... do you have to kill me?" Chen Mingzhe stammered, blood spitting from the corner of his mouth. He didn't understand why Song Yan wouldn't give them a way out, even though he had already given in and even knelt down to kowtow. His father was even willing to give him 100,000 taels of silver.

"Why?" Song Yan smiled. "Actually, from the moment you uttered your first words, you and your son were already doomed. You have to nip the weeds in the bud, I understand that principle."

"When you blocked my path with your sword, you actually wanted to kill me directly, didn't you..." Song Yan sneered: "No need to deny it. I am a general who fought my way up from the battlefield. I am more sensitive to killing intent than anyone else. The reason why your sword did not go straight through my chest was simply because you did not want to leave a reputation for ambushing and killing."

"You challenged me to a duel because you wanted to kill me openly and legitimately during the fight, didn't you?"

Chen Mingzhe's pupils trembled violently as if in an earthquake. He never expected that Song Yan would know all his thoughts so clearly.

Indeed, Chen Mingzhe's fate was not unjust. The moment he saw Song Yan and Yu Shuang walking side by side, he had already decided to kill them. If Song Yan were not the Prince of Yan, he would probably be a corpse by now.

Moreover, this person is wicked and fabricated such a vicious story as pledging his life to Yu Shuang. He couldn't possibly not understand what such a lie means to a woman, and sometimes it can even be fatal.

“You want to kill me, and you have good talent. You are a ninth-grade martial artist at such a young age. You may break through to the Grandmaster level in the future. Wouldn’t keeping you around be a disaster for me?” Song Yan smiled and said, “Since I’m going to kill you, then your father can’t be kept alive either.”

"We can't even keep the entire Sword Sect alive."

"I don't want a teenager to suddenly jump out decades from now, point his finger at me and yell things like 'Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river.'"

Chen Mingzhe's body convulsed violently, writhing like a pathetic maggot. What did Song Yan mean by that? Did he intend to uproot the entire Sword Sect?
There are so many brothers and sisters in the Sword Sect, and even his mistress. How could Song Yan be so cruel?

Is he really the King of Hell?

"Oh, right, there's something I almost forgot to tell you." Song Yan patted his forehead, his smile widening: "Since you said Yu Shuang is your fiancée... then I'll kill you..."

"Yu Shuang is the widow."

puff!
Chen Mingzhe felt a tightness in his chest, and unable to control himself, blood gushed out of his mouth.

He raised his right hand, pointing a finger at Song Yan: "You..."

"You...are so vicious!"

puff.

As soon as he finished speaking, he spat out another mouthful of blood, and his head, which he had managed to lift slightly, fell back to the ground.

The light in his eyes faded like the tide.

He's probably dead!
(End of this chapter)