Wuxia: Start with max-level Nine Yang Divine Skill

"Tiger's roar sonic attack makes him fearless in group battles."

If a sudden long howl were to be heard here, even if these three thousand soldiers did not collapse, they would be dizzy and thrown into disarray.

If we seize the opportunity to act, we might be able to rescue you.

Li Fu shook his head, his tone neither sarcastic nor factual.

"Unfortunately, he didn't."

It seems that you assassins are indeed ruthless and heartless, only concerned with success or failure.

Mao Tu braced himself on the ground with his hands, coughed up several mouthfuls of blood, and smiled bitterly upon hearing this. The mud and ash on his face were now stained with blood, making him look quite disheveled.

"Yin Hu has issued a challenge to you, which has created an opportunity for me to assassinate you."

It was my fault... my skills were lacking, and I failed because of you.

From the very first day I started this job, I knew this day would come. The assassin has fallen, and there's no other outcome besides death.

"If you want to kill me, then kill me. Why waste your breath!"

She had no intention of begging for mercy.

"But don't get too cocky, you won't live much longer!"

The Dragon, the Monkey, and the Pig have all arrived. Tiger, you only need to wait two or three days before you face the combined might of the Twelve Fierce Signs and four top experts.

Even if you hide in the military camp, it won't help.

"What did you say?"

All the other menacing figures have arrived.

Song Zhaoxue, who had chased after him out of the tent, looked surprised and somewhat incredulous. She took a step forward and asked, "Are you sure?"

"If you want to die, I will grant your wish."

Upon hearing this news, Li Fu remained calm and fearless. He raised his right palm, which glowed with a faint golden light. He channeled his Yang energy and struck out with his palm.

The rabbit's body shuddered, then it collapsed limply, lifeless.

Li Fu withdrew his hand, glanced at the corpse on the ground, and then looked up at the vast mountains outside the military camp with a deep gaze.

"Although Yin Hu didn't make a move, he should be watching from somewhere in the distance."

From the last words of the Rabbit before its death, we learned that the three strongest martial artists among the Twelve Fierce Stars—Dragon, Monkey, and Pig—had appeared together and were heading towards Qin Prefecture, where they would arrive soon.

Song Zhaoxue's face was somewhat unpleasant as she murmured, "How could this be... The other three fierce ministers... have all come?"

The four masters have gathered...

Wei Ying's expression also changed drastically.

The Rabbit is dead, but its last words seem to have thrown the two of them into a panic and made them lose their composure.

"Come on, come on."

When this matter was mentioned, Li Fu's eyes gleamed brightly. Far from being afraid, he was filled with a strong sense of anticipation.

If we can eliminate the remaining ferocious beasts here, we can immediately achieve mastery of the Yi Jin Jing.

"Don't worry."

They came at the perfect time, saving me the trouble of searching for them one by one.

"That's a perfect opportunity to settle things all at once!"

Song Zhaoxue, however, was preoccupied with her own worries.

"No...this is not right. You haven't killed the Tiger yet, and the same goes for the Dog. The four fierce beasts who came this time haven't failed yet."

Logically speaking, how could the remaining three masters arrive so quickly and all at once?

This...this shouldn't be..."

The worry between her brows deepened, as if things had developed far beyond her expectations.

Li Fu waved his hand again.

It's alright.

Perhaps they received news of the Snake's death and became fearful, feeling that fighting alone or in groups of two or three was no longer safe, so they simply gathered the strength of all five of them, intending to eliminate me in one fell swoop.

After all, excluding the already deceased snake, half of the twelve fierce zodiac signs have already fallen at my hands. It's understandable that they're being cautious.

Song Zhaoxue's expression remained unpleasant.

However, it is not surprising that five top assassins have joined forces to attack, including four of the top-ranked masters among the Twelve Killers. Anyone who hears this would be terrified.

She frowned, approached Li Fu, and advised him in a heavy tone.

"We need to think things through carefully and come up with a solution, Li Fu."

The people you killed earlier, apart from the unique and bizarre venomous skills of the Snake, the assassination methods of the Rat, Sheep, and even Rabbit, though difficult to defend against, were not among the top in the martial arts ranking of the Twelve Fierce Zodiacs.

The four who are coming this time—the Dragon, the Monkey, the Pig, and the Tiger in front of us—are the most skilled and troublesome among them. There is also the Dog lurking in the shadows!

If they really join forces, how...how can you possibly hold them off alone?

Li Fu smiled.

"What can we do?"

There's no need to rack your brains for any solutions.

When soldiers come, we'll block them; when water comes, we'll dam it.

He possesses the divine skill of the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth, making him fearless in large-scale battles and ambushes. Even with a large number of people, he has nothing to fear.

Song Zhaoxue and Wei Ying exchanged a glance; Li Fu seemed to have made up his mind.

"In this light, the letter challenging the enemy was probably just a feint by Tiger to create an opportunity for Rabbit to assassinate him."

He must be waiting for the other three villains to arrive so they can join forces against us.

He probably won't be coming to our appointment tomorrow at noon.

Li Fu nodded, then pondered for a moment.

"That might be true."

However… I always felt that this style of doing things didn't quite fit the impression I had of Tiger.

He recalled Yin Hu, who was aloof and disdainful of poisoning arrows and regarded him as an exciting opponent to hunt, and felt that the other party should not be someone who retreated and waited like this.

"He would never risk his own life. If there's a safer way to kill us, why wouldn't he choose it?"

Song Zhaoxue said no more, but the worry between her brows remained.

A day passed, and the military camp was on high alert, but there was no unusual activity.

Li Fu was not afraid of the formidable enemy that was about to arrive; on the contrary, he secretly looked forward to it.

Song Zhaoxue and Wei Ying, however, were preoccupied with their own thoughts.

……

The next day at noon.

About ten miles away from the military camp where Li Fu and his two companions were staying, there was a town called Qingshiji. Although it was not very large, it was a bustling place where merchants and travelers stopped to rest.

A crowd had gathered beside an earthen wall at the entrance of the town, pointing and commenting on several newly posted government notices on the wall.

The notice was a newly issued arrest warrant from the Qin Prefecture government, and it featured two portraits.

One picture shows a man dressed as a valiant hunter with sharp eyes, and next to him is a note that reads "The ruthless Yin Hu is skilled with a strong bow and has superb archery skills."

The other image is a blurry profile of a woman, captioned "The assassin is a rabbit, skilled in disguise and adept at assassination."

The text below states that the two men are among the "Twelve Deadly Bandits," and a reward of five hundred taels of silver is offered for their whereabouts.

The crowd began to murmur amongst themselves: "I heard there was quite a commotion at the military camp yesterday, a female assassin was killed, could it be this Rabbit?"

"Yinhu... that name sounds terrifying. If he can draw a powerful bow, he'd probably be able to hit a target from a hundred paces away?"

Five hundred taels!

Wow, that's enough to buy dozens of acres of good land!

Not far from this notice wall, at the entrance of a quieter alley, several young children were playing around a large dog.

The dog was quite large, with golden fur and thick limbs, but it was extremely docile. Its ears drooped, and it allowed the children to pet and hug it. Occasionally, it would nudge a child with its head, eliciting giggles and laughter.

It has a very good temper. Even when its tail is pulled, it doesn't get angry. It just gently turns away and lies there obediently.

"Big Yellow is such a good boy!"

"Much better than Uncle Wang's black dog. That black dog is so fierce!"

The children chattered excitedly, clearly adoring the gentle, large dog that had appeared out of nowhere.

As they were playing, a hoarse call came from the other end of the alley, seemingly the dog's owner calling to the dog: "Time to go home."

The children looked up at the sound and saw a short, stocky man walking out of the Drunken Immortal Restaurant at the alley entrance.

The man had a very strange appearance; his limbs were short and thick, his neck was almost invisible, but his head was enormous and disproportionate to his body, making him appear to be a dwarf.

He had rough skin, wide-open eyes, and a tangled, short beard, giving him a fierce appearance.

He carried an oil paper package in his left hand, from which the aroma of roast chicken and braised meat could be faintly smelled, and a wine gourd in his right hand, clearly indicating that he had just packed up some food and wine.

The children were startled when they first saw this strange man.

A timid boy pointed at him and blurted out, "Monster!"

Upon hearing this, the short, stocky dwarf glared at him, his round eyes flashing with a fierce light, and shouted, "What did you say, you brat?!"

His voice was rough and hoarse, which, combined with his appearance, was truly frightening.

The children had never seen such a ferocious-looking creature that looked like it wanted to eat people. They were so frightened that they cried out and forgot about the big dog. They all ran away in a panic and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

The big dog seemed reluctant to leave. It glanced in the direction the children had run off into, let out a soft whimper, wagged its tail, and returned to the short, stocky man's side.

The short, stocky man bent down and stroked the golden retriever's large head with his large, fan-like hand, the movement surprisingly gentle compared to his appearance.

He held a chicken leg to the dog's mouth.

"Stop playing around, we have serious business to attend to."

He looked up toward the military camp, grinned to reveal a mouthful of yellow teeth, and his smile was somewhat cold and sinister.

"Once we finish this big deal and get Li Fu's head... we'll never have to worry about money again."

The golden retriever was eating a chicken leg, making snorting noises in its throat.

The short, stocky man said no more. Carrying the wine and food and leading the big dog, he turned and turned into another, more secluded alley, his figure quickly disappearing into the shadows.

……

When noon arrived, the appointed time was approaching, but there was still no movement.

Li Fu and the other two waited quietly in the main tent, all believing that the challenge was indeed a lie.

Just a quarter past noon, when the sun was beginning to set slightly in the west.

"roar--!!!"

A deafening roar, full of wildness and arrogance, suddenly rang out from the mountains and forests several miles north of the military camp!

The roar was as loud as thunder, with extremely strong penetrating power, as if a fierce tiger was declaring its territory and provoking a powerful enemy.

Many soldiers paled and looked toward the source of the whistle with suspicion and uncertainty.

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Li Fu's eyes, then a smile appeared on his lips as he got up, walked out of the tent, and looked towards the distant mountain path.

"Yin Hu was inviting me to a meeting, and he did not break his promise."

It seems you guessed wrong.

He thought for a moment and then said.

"I understand why he didn't show up yesterday to storm the military camp and rescue Mao Tu."

Attacking the military camp and making enemies of thousands of border troops would be asking for trouble.

Although he didn't know how I, a constable in blue robes, had managed to infiltrate the military camp—perhaps I had some connections or knew some people—he certainly couldn't mobilize the border troops.

Indeed, that is the case. Zhaoxue, your imperial edict cannot mobilize troops, especially border troops.

"So, if I'm going to keep this challenge, I can only go alone, with at most the two of you with me."

Having said that, he went to fetch the horse.

"Li Fu, don't go."

Song Zhaoxue quickly stopped her.

"Perhaps...perhaps the three fierce generals, including Chenlong, have already sped up their journey and arrived, lying in ambush nearby."

"If you go, you'll likely be besieged by five top masters!"

She was somewhat uneasy ever since she learned that the three masters had arrived ahead of schedule.

"Li Fu, that Shenhou swordsmanship is superb, ethereal yet fiercely powerful."

The once-renowned Meteor Swordsman Fang Buping was rumored to have been defeated and killed in front of him before he could even last seventy moves, his swordsmanship being completely crushed.

Everyone who witnessed what appeared more like a brutal killing than an assassination said that Shen Hou was a hidden gem; his swordsmanship was exquisite and swift, on par with any master swordsman of his time or even in the past!

Wei Ying also offered her advice, her expression stern.

"And then there's Chenlong, whose martial arts are unfathomable and whose origins are a mystery. No one knows where he was before or what his identity was. All that is known is that he displayed unparalleled martial arts as soon as he appeared in the martial arts world."

His first assassination attempt shook the martial arts world, resulting in the death of the former Beggar Clan leader, Qiao Wenxi, at his hands.

Rumor has it that his internal strength has reached a state of perfection, and in terms of sheer internal power, few in the martial arts world can rival him.

When he killed the Beggars' Sect leader, he did not use any assassination methods. He simply stopped him on the road and then faced three opponents, including Qiao Wenxi and two Beggars' Sect elders who were with him.

In the end, Qiao Wenxi died, and one of the two elders died and the other was crippled!

As for the Pig, although I haven't heard any rumors about it, it must be extremely powerful to be listed as one of the four great masters!

Add Yin Hu to the mix, and any one of them might be no less skilled than the leader of a famous martial arts sect in the world today!

You must not let your guard down!

Didn't the Rabbit say this before it died?

The other three will need another two or three days to arrive.

I have a feeling that I'm only going to face Tiger.

Li Fu was not being careless; rather, he was confident in his martial arts skills.

"How can we completely believe the words of an assassin, especially one like Mao Tu who is known for his cunning and treacherous assassinations?"

This might be part of their elaborate scheme, deliberately feigning weakness to make you feel fortunate enough to face the Tiger alone, giving you a chance to eliminate a powerful opponent and lure you into their trap!

Song Zhaoxue said.

Li Fu was determined and wanted to end the matter as soon as possible so that he could obtain the full power of the Yi Jin Jing.

He said no more, led over a warhorse, mounted it, and addressed the two women.

"This journey may indeed be dangerous; you will wait here."

Whether it's just one Tiger or five fierce beasts, it doesn't matter.

Having said that, he flicked the reins, and his warhorse neighed loudly, then rushed out of the camp gate and galloped off in the direction from which the tiger's roar came.

"Miss, how... how could this happen?"

Why did the three fierce signs arrive early to meet with the Tiger?

Judging from the time, they had already set off before receiving news of the Snake's death.

At that time, the Tiger, Rabbit, and Dog had all succeeded. It seems that after the Dragon asked for the Tiger and the other three to be sent out, he changed his mind...

Wei Ying looked at Song Zhaoxue, her eyes filled with worry.

Song Zhaoxue, lost in thought, looked displeased and waved her hand to interrupt.

"Stop talking! Something's not right. Let's follow them. Li Fu might be in danger!"

"But Miss..."

Wei Ying still wanted to dissuade her.

"I can't worry about that anymore."

"Quickly, we can't let anything happen to Li Fu."

Song Zhaoxue bit her lip, leaped onto another warhorse, and chased after Li Fu.

Wei Ying had no choice but to quickly mount her horse and follow.

Li Fu rode alone for a short while and arrived at the hillside agreed upon in yesterday's letter, where he saw a figure from behind.

"Tiger, are you the only one?"

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