Chapter Fourteen: The Execution Ground

Wu Renfu was just about to personally execute Ye Xiaotian, his blade raised high, when suddenly a voice rang out: “Wait! Ye Feng is here—do not harm my father!”

As the words echoed, Ye Feng emerged from the crowd, wielding a pair of hammers. He removed his leather cap, revealing his true face.

“Release my family, and I, Ye Feng, will submit to your judgment,” he declared coldly to Wu Renfu, his expression utterly fearless.

Wu Renfu was overjoyed and praised him, “Well done, boy! You truly have courage, coming here to surrender. Your father didn’t raise you in vain!”

Then, with a thunderous shout, he ordered, “Seize him!”

The soldiers moved to apprehend Ye Feng. But Ye Feng’s eyes blazed, and he swung his hammers, roaring, “Who dares approach?!”

The soldiers, having witnessed Ye Feng’s prowess in recent days, recoiled in fear and dared not advance. Both sides stood at an impasse, neither moving.

Wu Renfu’s eyes glinted as his expression shifted; a sly grin spread across his face as he walked forward.

“Young Master Ye, you truly are a hero, a true man! Do you want your family to live? If so, just lay down your weapons and surrender. I, as the city lord, will naturally release your father and kin. But if you persist in your stubbornness… see for yourself!”

With a wave of his hand, an executioner raised his blade. In a flash, with a chilling “crack!”, a head fell and rolled to Ye Feng’s feet.

Ye Feng’s heart twisted as if pierced by knives. The head was his aunt’s.

“Will you not surrender? Must your entire family perish before your eyes?!” Wu Renfu’s shout jolted Ye Feng to his core.

Again, Wu Renfu waved his hand, bellowing, “Kill!”

“Wait!” Ye Feng cried out in desperation.

Wu Renfu burst into hearty laughter.

With a heavy sigh, Ye Feng let his hammers fall to the ground with a clang, giving up all resistance.

Several soldiers stepped forward with ropes, preparing to bind him.

Ye Feng’s uncle, seeing this, cursed him in fury: “Feng’er, you fool! Do you think this cur Wu Renfu will spare us if you give in? Your weakness will only cost another life in vain! If we die, so be it—as long as you avenge us, that is enough! What is there to fear?”

With those words, seizing an unguarded moment, he sprang up and hurled himself onto a spear. The blade pierced his chest, and he collapsed instantly.

“Uncle!” Ye Feng cried out in anguish, shoving aside the soldiers and rushing to his uncle’s side. Tears streamed down his face as he lifted the dying man.

His uncle, his breath faint and ragged, gasped his final words, “Feng… er… remember… avenge…”

He did not finish—the life already fled his body.

Ye Feng set his uncle’s corpse down, his eyes blazing with fury as he glared at Wu Renfu.

Wu Renfu laughed, “You cannot blame me for this. He sought his own death—what of it?”

He waved his hand, and the soldiers surged forward to seize Ye Feng once more.

“Fellow townsfolk, Boss Ye is a good man! We cannot let his whole family die unjustly. Fight with all you have!”

With a rallying cry from the crowd, countless citizens surged onto the execution platform.

The soldiers guarding the scaffold could not stop them and were quickly overwhelmed. The people seized the executioner’s blade and untied Ye Feng’s family.

The soldiers and executioners, who had always pitied Ye Feng’s family, gladly seized the chance to shirk their duties, and merely encircled the crowd with weapons, refraining from attack.

“Rebellion! Rebellion!” Wu Renfu fumed, stomping in rage. “Will you not obey your city lord and seize the criminals?!”

He charged forward to retake the prisoners.

Ye Feng saw the opportunity and would not let it slip. He shouted, “Where do you think you’re going?!” Snatching up his hammers, he dashed ahead to block Wu Renfu’s path.

“Fool! You dare block my way?” Wu Renfu thundered, furious at being impeded. He raised his twin whips and struck at Ye Feng.

“Well met!” Ye Feng bellowed, lifting his hammers to meet the attack.

A resounding crash rang out—like a thunderclap on a clear day—deafening all who heard it.

Sparks burst forth as the two were each forced back three steps, both feeling their arms go numb, their palms burning, their chests aflame.

How powerful! Wu Renfu was secretly alarmed at Ye Feng’s growth in just a few days, regretting that he had let the young man escape earlier. He resolved—he must not let him go again. If Ye Feng lived another year or two, ending Wu Renfu’s life would be child’s play.

With this thought, Wu Renfu attacked again, giving his all. Twin whips whirled through the air, lashing out at Ye Feng with deadly force.

Ye Feng dared not be careless. “Taste my hammers!” he shouted, meeting whip with hammer and simultaneously thrusting his palms at Wu Renfu’s chest.

A thunderous collision shook the air—whip met hammer, palm met palm—sparks flew, dust billowed, and both men staggered back three steps.

Before the crowd could react, the two fighters lunged forward once more, locked in furious combat.

Wu Renfu, steady and experienced, wielded his whips and palms with deadly precision, aiming for Ye Feng’s vital points.

Ye Feng, agile and resilient, parried each strike, his hammers and palms protecting his body and retaliating with unexpected force.

But as time passed, Ye Feng began to falter. His demon-slaying technique had only just reached the third level and was far from practiced; how could he hope to withstand Wu Renfu’s decades of mental power?

Sweat poured from Ye Feng’s brow, his movements slowed, and his confidence wavered.

“Villagers, lead my family away! If I survive, I swear to repay your kindness!” Ye Feng, knowing he was overmatched, feared for his family’s safety should he fall, and called for the townsfolk to shield their escape.

More citizens surged onto the scaffold to protect Ye Feng’s family.

“Think you can escape?!” Wu Renfu thundered. “Archers, loose your arrows!”

A wave of terror swept through the crowd, but no arrows flew. Relieved, they continued to help Ye Feng’s family flee.

The soldiers, unwilling to stop them, opened a path.

“Rebellion! You defy your city lord’s orders! Once I kill Ye Feng, I will slaughter every last one of you!” Wu Renfu, beside himself with rage, focused all his fury on killing Ye Feng before turning on the others.

His attacks came faster and fiercer, forcing Ye Feng to retreat again and again.

Suddenly, Ye Feng stumbled over a corpse, nearly falling, and though he regained his footing, his defenses were wide open.

Wu Renfu seized the chance, closing in with a vicious palm strike aimed at Ye Feng’s abdomen.

The wind of the blow was sharp and deadly, but Ye Feng twisted away at the last instant, his body coiling back just enough to evade mortal injury.

But then, a fierce wind rose behind him—another strike, swift and inescapable.

Ye Feng closed his eyes and braced himself for the blow.

A metallic crash exploded beside him, startling him into opening his eyes.

A young woman in green stood before him.

“Miss Murong, why are you here?!”

It was Murong Yan, who had blocked the deadly blow with her jade sword.

The force of the attack sent her staggering back seven or eight steps before she could steady herself. Catching her breath, she winked at Ye Feng and flashed a mischievous smile.

“Young Master Ye, did you really think you could give me the slip? How could you face this old villain without my help?”

Wu Renfu, seeing Murong Yan, grew even more determined. “Excellent! I searched everywhere for you, and here you come to me. Since you’re both here, I’ll kill you together!” He hurled himself at Murong Yan, whips raised.

Now, facing two opponents, Wu Renfu held his own easily.

It bears explaining: how did Murong Yan appear, when she’d supposedly been drugged and unconscious by Ye Feng? In truth, Murong Yan was a clever girl. When Ye Feng stopped her brother from drinking, she sensed something was wrong. She only pretended to drink the drugged wine and feigned unconsciousness. As soon as Ye Feng left, she followed after him, waiting until he was in danger before revealing herself.

At that moment, Wu Renfu lashed his whips at Ye Feng, while his palms struck at Murong Yan.

Ye Feng, robust and strong, met the whips with his heavy hammers, but the whips were swift and unpredictable.

Murong Yan, quick and nimble, dodged Wu Renfu’s palms by wielding her sword, thrusting at Wu Renfu with every opening.

But Wu Renfu, seasoned and shrewd, countered every move, forcing Murong Yan to sweat and falter.

Wu Renfu’s true fear was Ye Feng; seeing Ye Feng’s rapid growth in power, he was determined to kill him on the spot, while only intending to capture Murong Yan alive for the reward.

Ye Feng, assaulted by the ever more ferocious whips, fought with all his might, his hammers clashing against the whips with a cacophony that rang through the execution ground, making everyone’s ears ache.

Sparks flew like a blacksmith’s forge.

The longer the fight, the more Ye Feng struggled. Already exhausted from his earlier battle, he was at his limit.

Wu Renfu targeted him mercilessly, seeking his life.

Ye Feng’s hammers grew heavier and slower; his grip weakened.

Suddenly, a whip snaked toward the back of his head. He swung his hammer in desperate defense, but the whip curved midair, striking at his feet. Ye Feng sprang upward to avoid the blow, but a second whip, whistling through the air, struck his back with a fierce gust.

Too late to dodge, Ye Feng braced himself.

A crack rang out as the blow landed squarely on his back. Agonizing pain shot through his chest; a hot surge of blood rose to his throat.

With a strangled cry, he spat a mouthful of blood and collapsed in a faint.

“Young Master Ye!” Murong Yan cried out, heartbroken to see him fall, uncertain if he lived or died.

“Old fiend, your granny will fight you to the death!” Her grief cast aside all restraint; she abandoned her maidenly reserve, calling herself “granny,” and charged at Wu Renfu in a frenzy, sword flashing wildly, all form forgotten.

Her defenses crumbled, her technique in chaos.

“Good!” Wu Renfu exulted, dodging Murong Yan’s wild attack. With a single palm strike, he sent her sprawling to the ground.

He stepped onto her, recalling his twin whips and pressing them against her back.

“Don’t move, or you’ll die where you lie!” he threatened.

Murong Yan struggled, but it was as if a mountain pressed upon her—she could not move an inch.