Chapter 72 — Using Your Son to Pay Off the Meal Bill
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 3
A cold light flashed in Shen Mu's eyes.
The sure-kill skill of the Slaughtering Blade technique!
Blade raised, out through the palace gates. "Blade raised, I stride out through the palace gates; the chariots and horses thunder like rolling drums.
Alone I go into the imperial palace, to take the sovereign's head in my hand!
" Every muscle in Shen Mu's body leapt. The Slaughtering Blade dropped from his right hand into his left; he reversed his grip, lunged forward in a bow stance, and scooped upward, blade edge forward and hand behind, slipping between the two small swords, lifting the blade up from beneath Master Tingyue's crotch!
One simple upward cut: belly opened, guts spilled, exactly as one butchers a pig. The Butcher's Slaughtering Blade technique. At the same moment, two small swords stabbed at Shen Mu's eyes. Shen Mu flicked his fingers; the two fingertips were pierced through, but the two small swords were knocked aside as well.
Boom — behind Shen Mu, in Zhenjiang Tower, a world-shaking crash rang out.
The whole tower suddenly split to either side, cut in two by a force beyond all description!
The tall tower broke in half and fell into the lake.
The waters surged and boiled, snuffing out countless lanterns in the hands of the girls along the shore and raising a chorus of screams.
Fu Yundi stood livid on the ruins of Zhenjiang Tower, teeth clenched, a thread of blood at the corner of his mouth. In his panic he had struck out to save his own son, and before he could even leave the tower he had been intercepted halfway by the widow of the Dark Demon Cult's leader. Forced to take the blow head-on in haste, he had been gravely wounded by her!
His own injury was a small matter — but he had failed to save his son!
Across from him, the cult leader's widow raised a hand and lightly smoothed her hair, unhurried and composed, and smiled: "City Lord, it hardly seems proper for you to step in personally in a contest between juniors.
Fortunately I blocked you in time; the City Lord has avoided a grave error. " Fu Yundi's mouth twitched.
He forced down the blood surging into his throat, swallowed it back into his belly, and managed a faint smile: "The lady jests.
My son's skills were no match for his. .
. " The corner of his eye twitched, and his voice turned somewhat savage: "He deserved to die!
I was rash just now; I have made a spectacle of myself before you all.
" On the platform in the lake, Shen Mu sheathed his blade and straightened up. "My blade is called the Slaughtering Blade. " The leaping muscles of his body slowly stilled.
Calmly he said: "Master Tingyue, you are quite good — you made me bleed from two fingers.
" Before him, a line of blood appeared on Fu Tingyue's lower belly and spread upward, higher and higher, reaching his throat, his nose bridge, the center of his brow. Then his chest broke open, and the whole man came apart in two halves, blood smeared across the ground. Shen Mu strode toward the middle-aged man, who stood frozen in stupor, and seized the money pouch from the tray.
The man's face went the color of earth; he suddenly grabbed Shen Mu's hand and cried shrilly: "You've killed Master Tingyue. . .
" Chhk — Shen Mu raised his hand and struck; the man's head tumbled to the ground. He turned, flicked the Slaughtering Blade, shook the blood from it clean, sheathed it, and walked toward the now-collapsed Zhenjiang Tower.
Behind him came a splash: the middle-aged man's corpse had fallen into the lake.
Then the water churned and boiled, and the fish-monsters in the depths fought madly over the corpse, tearing it to pieces.
Shen Mu walked across the water to the leveled Zhenjiang Tower, looked up at the livid Fu Yundi, then glanced around at the astonished, aghast faces. The youth showed a plain, honest smile and held the money pouch out toward Fu Yundi.
"City Lord, here are one hundred dragon coins — my meal money. " Fu Yundi's eye twitched. He did not reach out.