All Heavens: A Role-Playing System Starting from Tianlong

"You're talking nonsense!"

Yue Laosan was so angry at Zhang Cheng's words that he jumped up and down, his small eyes wide open.

"I just didn't expect you to have a hidden weapon, which gave you an advantage! This time, I'll pull out my weapon too and show you what's what!"

As he spoke, he untied the bundle on his back, shook it open with a "whoosh," and took out two oddly shaped weapons.

In his right hand he held a pair of short-handled, long-bladed scissors with serrated edges, resembling the jaws of a crocodile.

In his left hand he held a serrated whip, its body segmented and connected, with a sharp end resembling a crocodile's tail.

The two weapons gleamed coldly in the morning light, clearly indicating that they were no ordinary items.

"Alright, alright. Your apprentice came out into the martial world, and if he's not skilled enough and dies, who can he blame?"

Zhang Cheng picked at his ear with his little finger, speaking casually:

"Anyway, I don't care about any of that. I'll protect this girl. If you want to kill her, you'll have to get past me first."

He glanced up at Yue Laosan, a half-smile playing on his lips.

"Second Brother Yue, are you really going to fight me to the death for a good-for-nothing apprentice?"

"Fine, let's fight! You think I'm afraid of you?!"

Enraged by Zhang Cheng's contemptuous attitude, Yue Laosan roared, his voice like thunder, causing the leaves around him to fall in a rustling sound.

Mu Wanqing, whose skill was weaker, felt a ringing in her ears and a tightness in her chest. She said in a trembling voice, "This person's skill is so amazing."

Zhang Cheng had no time to pay attention to her.

He's busy setting a trap for Yue Laosan.

Based on the exchange just now, and this observation now, he has already figured it out—

The South China Sea Crocodile God before me, apart from being more unique in appearance than I remembered, was just as intelligent as the Yue Laosan I remembered.

"Oh, you said it yourself."

"What if you make a move on this young lady while I'm not here, Master Zhang?"

"Pah!" Yue Laosan spat, his small eyes darting back and forth between Zhang Cheng and Mu Wanqing, then suddenly seemed to realize something:

"I see your kung fu is pretty good, protecting this little girl like this... You must be her master, right?"

The more he thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed, and he slapped his thigh:

"Don't worry! Now that we've found the right person, I have no interest in bullying the weak!"

"Your disciple killed my disciple, so I, as his master, will kill you, his master, to avenge him!"

As he spoke, he flicked the soft whip in his left hand with a "snap," leaving a half-foot-deep crack in the ground, sending dust flying.

"I'm relieved to hear you say that." Zhang Cheng's smile widened.

He raised his hand and whistled, and Black Rose, who had been waiting in the distance, immediately trotted over and affectionately nuzzled his arm with her head.

Zhang Cheng turned to look at Mu Wanqing, his tone unusually serious:

"Alright, I've covered for you. This is none of your business anymore. Now you can go wherever you want."

He deliberately raised his voice: "If this old bastard breaks his promise and attacks you, he's a son of a bitch and a coward!"

"You—!" Yue Laosan stomped his feet in anger, leaving several shallow pits in the ground.

Mu Wanqing did not move.

She looked at Zhang Cheng, her brows furrowing slightly: "Then what are you going to do?"

"Me?" Zhang Cheng pointed to himself. "I'll come find you after I've settled things here."

Don't forget, I haven't done what I promised you yet.

I'm a man of my word, not some bastard or a son of a bitch!

After saying that, he lifted her onto the horse's back and slapped the horse's rump.

"drive!"

Black Rose let out a long neigh, her four hooves flew, and she disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Alright, second brother."

Zhang Cheng turned around and looked at Yue Laosan, who was so angry that his beard was trembling. His smile gradually faded.

"It's time for the two of us to practice."

The moment he finished speaking, Zhang Cheng's aura changed drastically, and he unleashed his full [Military Might]!

An invisible pressure spread like a tide.

The chirping of insects and birds in the forest suddenly fell silent, and even the wind seemed to stand still for a moment.

Yue Laosan felt as if a thousand-pound weight was pressing down on his shoulders.

His small eyes widened suddenly, a look of surprise flashing across his face, but it quickly turned into excitement:

"Wow! So you were hiding this trick all along!"

Although Zhang Cheng outwardly disdainful of Yue Laosan, he dared not be careless in the slightest.

In that brief exchange, the two were evenly matched in strength, but Zhang Cheng was slightly slower.

What Yue Laosan said earlier was true; Zhang Cheng did indeed take advantage of the opponent's poor decision-making to launch a strong attack and gain some advantage.

Zhang Cheng had anticipated that he would encounter a master on this trip to Wuliang Mountain, as ordinary wooden poles could easily be broken by someone using internal force.

So they specially commissioned someone to forge this iron spear, which was then embedded in a staff made of ash wood.

Unfortunately, since it's made entirely of iron, this thing can no longer be considered a gun; it's more of a spear.

Because the gun barrel is less flexible than the wooden shaft, many shooting techniques that rely on the flexibility of the gun barrel cannot be executed.

Otherwise, that initial attack wouldn't have resulted in just a bloody mark.

Zhang Cheng quickly calculated in his mind.

The improvements that the [Soldier] profession brings to him can be divided into three main aspects: self-enhancement, equipment utilization, and team combat.

The latter two options are practically useless right now, and taking down Yue Laosan single-handedly will not be easy.

Therefore, he was not prepared to fight the other party head-on from the beginning.

Zhang Cheng knew very well that he might not be able to beat Yue Laosan, but if he wanted to leave, Yue Laosan would definitely not be able to stop him.

Even if the other party uses light-footed skills to follow him, Zhang Cheng is confident that he can shake them off with his endurance.

That's why he sent Mu Wanqing away.

Now all we need to do is engage in a prolonged fight with Yue Laosan until Mu Wanqing runs far enough away that Yue Laosan can't catch up.

As for how to determine "sufficient distance"...

This is even simpler.

Zhang Cheng kept a close eye on the feedback regarding the progress of the role-playing.

Once the system determines that the task of "protecting Mu Wanqing from danger" has been completed and the progress is credited to the account, it proves that Mu Wanqing is safe.

At that point, he could withdraw at any time.

"Looks like you've killed your fair share, kid!"

Yue Laosan, on the other hand, was already itching to get his hands dirty.

He had been patiently waiting for Zhang Cheng to see the person off, out of a sense of "expert manners".

Seeing Zhang Cheng unleash his full power, he immediately pounced forward with a wild laugh:

"Come on! Try my alligator snip shears first!"

Before the words were even finished, the person had already approached like a ghost!

With his right hand, the alligator scissors opened their gaping maw and slashed straight at Zhang Cheng's neck.

Knowing how powerful the iron shears were, Zhang Cheng naturally didn't want to confront them directly.

He shifted his feet, dodging the scissors, and at the same time, flicked his iron spear, aiming at the wrist of the opponent holding the scissors.

Yue Laosan chuckled and had no choice but to change tactics and defend.

The crocodile's jaws snapped shut, and with a clang, the spear tip was raised, sending sparks flying.

The two then engaged in battle.

Guns flashed like dragons, blades flashed like lightning, and whips howled! In the blink of an eye, they had exchanged more than ten blows.

The more Zhang Cheng fought, the more reassured he became.

There is a way.

While the "Military Might" ability cannot directly diminish the fighting spirit of a master like Yue Laosan, it is not entirely without effect.

He could clearly feel that Yue Laosan's moves were being suppressed by an invisible force, and were not as swift and fierce as when they first clashed.

In addition, the value of the system's "specialization in one area" is undeniable.

Zhang Cheng's mastery of the spear had long reached the level of "one technique mastered, all techniques understood," and at this moment, his spear techniques, executed with an iron spear, were still fluid and graceful.

On the other hand, even if Yue Laosan occasionally manages to use his unique weapons to launch a surprise attack with ingenious killing moves, they are easily neutralized by Zhang Cheng's "Soldier's Stun".

With their strengths and weaknesses shifting, the two ended up fighting to a standstill.