Chapter 114: The Little Tyrant, Zhou Tong

Zhou Tong leaped forward and spun around, only to find a lackey lying on the ground. Standing before him were two burly men, one on his left and one on his right.

The one on the left looked somewhat similar to the monk inside the house at first glance. Yet, under the moonlight, a faint golden halo seemed to glow behind his head, giving him the aura of an enlightened high monk. The man on the right held an iron staff, his gaze toward Zhou Tong filled with frivolous disdain. On his exposed shoulder, a vivid dragon tattoo shimmered with a soft, radiant light; from its scales to its talons, it looked so lifelike that it seemed ready to leap from his skin at any moment.

Disregarding the monk, whose internal energy was beyond Zhou Tong’s ability to gauge, the young man alone possessed an aura nearly rivaling that of his own elder brother. Coupled with the monk inside who had just given him a sound thrashing, Zhou Tong realized that if he pushed this by force, he would likely suffer.

"What do you want? Don't you know better than to meddle in affairs that don't concern you?" Zhou Tong straightened his back, his stubborn streak flaring up. He had finally found a chance to take a wife, and he hadn't done anything truly wicked. Why shouldn't he? Must he end up like his brother, unmarried at thirty, training until the day he dropped dead?

"Hmph! If the old woman hadn't spoken a few good words for you, and if you weren't forcing this marriage without genuine malice, do you think you’d still be standing?" The voice of Lu Zhishen sounded from behind him. "The last man I caught forcing a woman to marry him has already been reincarnated!"

Zhou Tong looked at the three men surrounding him. "They accepted the betrothal gifts! What is wrong with me coming to claim my bride?"

"You give the betrothal gifts on the first day and enter the bridal chamber on the second? Even if you were redeeming a courtesan, it wouldn't be this fast!" Shi Jin chuckled, though he wasn't entirely sure if that was true.

"So what if it's fast? I, Zhou Tong, always act with speed and decisiveness!" He glared at Shi Jin. "I admit I am no match for the three of you here. But I, Zhou Tong, am not convinced! This is not over!" Zhou Tong no longer cared about the marriage; it was a matter of face, and to him, face mattered more than the wedding.

"Fine! We've been traveling for over a dozen days and have been looking to stretch our limbs." Shi Jin planted his staff into the ground. "Let it not be said that we are unreasonable. We'll let you go tonight. Rest up, have a good meal, and come back tomorrow to spar properly with your betters!" Shi Jin looked at Zhou Tong, feeling as though the man’s aura was somewhat familiar.

Hidden in the shadows, Mu Xingye received a system notification: Shi Jin had chosen the path of the General Star. In other words, Shi Jin was a fusion of General and Demon! Although Zhou Tong had awakened, he had not yet made his choice. Yet, previous detection had clearly identified Shi Jin as a General Star. Could this dual-nature state be mutually transformative?

Acting with caution, Mu Xingye relayed this information to Sun Meng and the others. If many such "General-Demon" hybrids existed, the total number of heroes might not reach two hundred and sixteen after all.

A night passed. Within the village, apart from the old woman and the young lady, Lu Zhishen and his two companions slept the most soundly. Even for cultivators, after half a month on the road, finding a steady bed brought a sense of relaxation. As for the promised duel with Zhou Tong, their brief interaction the previous night had already revealed the nature of his temperament.

As Shi Jin put it, if they weren't in a village at the foot of a mountain but in a city, one might mistake Zhou Tong for the pampered heir of a wealthy family. But he was certain this fellow was just a rogue martial artist with decent talent and a bit of luck—someone who had perhaps tried to roam the world as a chivalrous hero, only to be humbled by reality, leading him to settle on this mountain.

The next morning, the villagers rose early. Breakfast was prepared, but few had the appetite to eat. Zhou Tong would surely return with his bandit soldiers. Even if Lu Zhishen and his companions could drive them off, the village would have made an enemy of the gang. They would no longer enjoy the bandits' "protection," and their normal lives would be shattered.

However, the villagers were accustomed to dealing with mountain bandits and did not blame the three travelers. As for the idea that the trio might wipe out the bandits, it was beyond their imagination. In their view, the strength of these bandits could only be matched by another group of powerful bandits.

They could only hope that the three would not injure the leader, Zhou Tong, too severely; otherwise, if the head chieftain were to lose control, their village would surely be doomed.

The old village head stood watching the mountain path, his heart in his throat. He both feared the arrival of the bandit army and hoped that the head chieftain would appear with his second-in-command.

Near noon, dust rose on the dirt road. To their surprise, it was not the massive force they had feared, but only Zhou Tong in his battle gear, followed by a dozen or so lackeys.

"It seems he is a man of his word after all," Shi Jin remarked, his suspicions about Zhou Tong's origins deepening.

"The second chieftain of Peach Blossom Mountain, the Little Overlord Zhou Tong, is here! Monk, do you dare to face me?" Zhou Tong stood tall on his horse, his spear held horizontally—a truly imposing sight!

Shi Jin stepped forward. "Zhou Tong, the title of 'Little Overlord' is not one to be used lightly! I, Shi Jin, will take you on!" With a swing of his long staff, he charged forward and leaped into the air.

"We'll see once we've fought!" Zhou Tong jumped as well; since his opponent had no horse, he felt it would be dishonorable to remain mounted.

At their level of skill, a horse that could not keep up was more of a hindrance than an asset.

Zhou Tong’s moniker was no idle boast. He had once single-handedly carved a path through a hundred enemy bandits. He favored heavy, forceful attacks, and his spear was custom-made; without immense strength, one could not even wield it.

Spear and staff collided, sending shockwaves of force outward. The two landed, crossed paths, and simultaneously spun around.

They both chose to restrain their internal energy, deciding to rely on technique alone.

This was their silent agreement after that first clash.

At the Innate level, where internal energy could be projected, ordinary strikes would cause destruction many times over. To avoid ruining the village surroundings, they had to rely on conventional martial skills for their duel.

Yes, to them, this was no longer a battle, but a sparring match.

Dozens of rounds passed in the blink of an eye. Shi Jin parried a direct strike from Zhou Tong, pushed him back with a burst of force, and lowered his iron staff. "We cannot determine a winner this way. I have my ultimate techniques, and I trust you have your own trump cards. If you are still not convinced, let us go into the mountains and fight properly." Shi Jin possessed this confidence because his tattoo was more than mere decoration. If he unleashed its power, even a typical late-stage second-tier expert would be caught off guard and defeated.

Zhou Tong looked at Shi Jin, recalling the tattoo he had seen by moonlight the previous night. He then glanced at Lu Zhishen and the monk Yuanjue, realizing he would not regain his face today. Yet, in terms of pure martial arts, he felt he was at least Shi Jin's equal, and his pride would not let him concede.

Just then, a gong sounded from the mountain path. A banner unfurled in the wind, moving rapidly toward the foot of the mountain.

Zhou Tong glanced at the flag and curled his lip—his elder brother had come out of seclusion.

Monk Yuanjue widened his eyes, looking toward the mountain path. The aura of the leader approaching was vaguely on par with his own!

A moment later, a man rode up to the three, dismounted, and bowed toward them.

"Brother Lu Da, Shi Jin, it has been a long time! And this master, what keen senses you have! May I ask your Dharma name?"

"Li Zhong! So you are the one who has turned to banditry here!" Lu Zhishen looked at the man; he was a completely different person from when they last met. That Li Zhong had been a street performer, selling medicine, living a meager existence, his brow always furrowed with worry. Now, clad in reinforced leather armor, his very demeanor had changed. Most importantly, his strength had actually surpassed his own!

"Master," Shi Jin bowed and offered a salute. Li Zhong had lived at his family's manor for a time and was his first martial arts tutor. Since it had been a professional arrangement, the salute was proper, and there was no issue of generational hierarchy.

"My Dharma name is Yuanjue. Since we are all acquaintances, why don't you, Benefactor Li, settle this matter?" Yuanjue stepped forward, his martial will radiating outward.

Li Zhong did not back down, releasing his own martial will in response.

A golden Buddha and a fierce tiger stood in opposition in the air.