Chapter 351

While Qing was contemplating whether that face was indeed the one he recognized or if there are multiple Yangsan Park Corps around and Dou Sam isn’t actually a name but just a title tossed around by the Great Lords, he was lost in thought.

“Suragwangbu!” “Dou Sam!” “Suragwangbu!”

Wait, is Dou Sam actually a famous person?

Since someone shouted Dou Sam among the highwaymen, even if he didn’t know who Dou Sam was, it was polite to at least call out his name, right?

I totally get that feeling, been there myself.

But speaking of Suragwangbu—

Qing just realized that Dou Sam, the hopeful father of the little guy, had a pretty cool nickname.

Dou Sam must be quite renowned as the head of a mere bandit group?

Of course, a master in the Realm of Transformation would be famous, wouldn’t they? It’s a rather thoughtless consideration.

“Hehe, everyone knows him. Then there’s no need for further discussion, right? Hand over the toll.”

Last time Dou Sam was all about bad karma, but still, he was a pretty solid individual. Whether his demeanor changed from returning from the afterlife or if he’s not caring enough about maintaining it while impersonating someone, who knows.

“I would, uh, how much should I give?”

“Well, let’s see… how much would be considered acceptable? Hey, Heaven’s Kill, how much is the usual? Anyway, you shouldn’t be stingy charging a toll against a master.”

But Qing didn’t feel the need to butt in with, “Hey, that guy’s a fake! The real Dou Sam is over there!”

He’d learned the hard way that it wasn’t wise to charge in when he was weak and still unclear about his own identity. He got hurt in Zhangjiajie doing that.

If Seomun Sulin knew, she might shed tears thinking her disciple was finally using his brain and would offer a month’s worth of prayers to Goddess Yohi while adding some rice offerings to the mix.

Qing silently assessed the scale and numbers of the enemy, trying to gauge their general level.

His eyesight was terrible, but his hearing was razor-sharp.

He picked up countless breaths from the left and right of the road.

There were ambushes laid out all around the lady; the sheer number of bandits was astonishing.

Then came the moment.

“Ah, right. The toll is one head per two people.”

“Ha! Brother, if it’s one head for two, doesn’t that mean counting heads? Shouldn’t it be every two whole bodies, then?”

“Same difference. Look, if you hand it over quietly, I’ll spare your lives.”

That sounded just about right for what Qing would say.

In fact, Qing was impressed.

Hand over your lives, and if you do so quietly, I’ll let you live—oh, not bad.

The intent of the bandits was clear.

They intended to kill all of them.

Jang Pyodu was taken aback.

“Wh-wha-what’s happening here?”

“Khahaha! I am Dou Sam, the one and only of Yangsan Park of the Green Forest, or rather, I am indeed Dou Sam! If you have grievances, direct them at me! Hey, my brothers!”

It was the precise moment when the self-proclaimed members of the Yangsan Park Corps all gripped their weapons and charged forward.

“Wait! Ugh.”

The lady was making my body ache and yelling.

Qing, who’d been quietly observing, chose the exact moment they were about to charge when the bandits paused their advance, confused.

As Qing stumbled forward and brushed by Jang Pyodu, his lips twitched.

– There are ambushes left and right. They’re numerous.

Jang Pyodu’s expression stiffened.

This old guy couldn’t even manage his facial expressions…

So Qing quickly opened his mouth.

“Hold on a second. I’m coming from Zhangjiajie, but the Dou Sam of the Yangsan Park Corps is dead. But here’s someone claiming to be Dou Sam? Who are you?”

“W-what nonsense!? Dou Sam is dead?”

“Got his head chopped off. The Yangsan Park Corps is finished too.”

As Qing spoke, he THUMP. He leaned on his staff.

The bandits gazed at Qing’s staff, which had a pecular shape—heavier than a hammer yet still practical like a noble heavy staff—growing like a mystical weapon with a black dragon wrapped around it.

Looks of bewilderment crossed their faces as if they were hit by a dose of culture shock.

Qing evaluated them.

These guys aren’t part of the Green Forest, are they?

The staff was polished, and while Qing didn’t know how the dragon was engraved (he was just a carpenter, after all), it surely looked distinctive.

If these Green Forest bandits, who claim to be the elite of the Yangsan Park Corps, couldn’t recognize his weapon, then something’s off.

Just to be sure, Qing checked again.

“Do you not feel anything upon seeing this?”

“It’s a unique weapon, something between a hammer and a staff, right? Looks heavy.”

“It’s not that heavy, about five jade in weight?”

They shot him looks of disbelief, as if questioning his sanity.

“Lady. You really don’t recognize this? Come here, take a look. You really don’t know what this is?”

“What is it? Spit it out.”

“Is that so? You really don’t know… If that’s the case, well, I guess it’s too early for you to understand. But don’t worry, you’ll understand one day. Let’s leave it at that.”

Veins popped on Dou Sam’s forehead.

“What are you talking about? Are you crazy?”

“Have you never questioned your own existence? What exactly does it mean to be Dou Sam? Were you born with that name bestowed upon you, or did you choose the name Dou Sam through self-awareness? Hmph. Seeing your expression, I guess you don’t know the answer to that. If so, let me enlighten you, but… let’s stop the story here. It’s too early for you.”

Dou Sam was left feeling an unexplained frustration as if he’d bitten into a pile of sweet potatoes without chewing.

“You mean you can’t figure it out, so you’ve really lost your way. But memories aren’t conclusive. So, can you take another look at this? Here, isn’t there an inscription here? Look, just see.”

Qing pointed to a spot on his staff.

“Dragon pattern? What’s wrong with a dragon pattern? Sure, it’s a sacrilegious design, but…”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

“What do you mean by ‘is that so’? Damn it! Quit hogging the intel and just spill it.”

“Lady, I’m frustrated too, okay? Just looking at this writing should make it obvious. Can’t you see it?”

“I can see a dragon and not much else.”

“Lady, you can’t see it from far away! Why don’t you come closer and check it out?”

As Dou Sam unconsciously took three steps forward, he suddenly snapped back to reality.

“You brat! You’re trying to catch me off guard! You plan to ambush me if I get closer!”

Well, so much for that idea.

However, Qing played it cool.

“Then I’ll throw it to you, and you can take a look afterward. If you still don’t recognize ‘it’ after seeing this, it really makes no sense.”

With all the emphasis on ‘it,’ Dou Sam was almost about to explode with curiosity.

What on earth is ‘it’? Just tell me! No keeping secrets!

“Ugh, so just what is it?”

“You’ll know when you see it. Shall I throw it? Or do you want to come closer and see?”

“Throw it. Gently. If you try anything funny, you know what will happen.”

“Since you’re going to kill me anyway, catch it. Just don’t let it get damaged.”

Qing tossed the Noble Heavy Staff upward.

As it traced a parabolic arc downwards, Dou Sam raised his arm in anticipation—

BANG!!

Qing’s palm, powered by the Buddha’s Physical Body, struck Dou Sam right in the gut, specifically below the gut.

Heaven’s Kill was just a dirty strong invisible long-distance slap attack.

Of course, a punch would hurt more than a slap, and it makes sense what the Shaolin people said that you would forget the powerful techniques after mastering the Buddha’s Physical Body.

Although the best restoration methods aren’t packed in the White Hammer Technique.

A top-tier fighter might burst someone’s head with the Buddha’s divine-like strike, but when you reach supreme levels, your bones toughen up.

So, as men facing each other, it’s a bit embarrassing to think about, but are we really so kind as to show such consideration?

“Ugh!”

Dou Sam received a fierce blow to his vital area.

In an unavoidable reaction to his grief, his back bent over, and as he was falling, the remaining half of the Noble Heavy Staff’s hammer head crashed into the back of his head.

“Ah!”

When it really hurts, one often can’t scream.

So, when the Noble Heavy Staff crashed into Dou Sam’s skull and made him shout, it meant the pain from his gut was far worse.

But Qing had already activated Pachen Magi and launched upward.

The Moonlight Great Sword, weighing five jade, cut through the air like a crescent blade.

Thunk. Dou Sam’s head was cleanly severed again.

There have been many who have died throughout history, but Dou Sam might just be the first to have his head cut off twice.

Fireworks exploded in Qing’s head as well.

“Ah! My waist!”

Pain transforms into hatred, and hatred becomes strength!

You bandit housemates!

Because of you guys, my side!

If the bandit rep had heard that, he would have yelled back, asking why he was taking it out on the representative after being beaten up by bandits.

But if you want to be treated like a bandit, you’d better share in the hardships too.

When it comes to stealing, you’re a bandit, but when it’s time to defend, you wrap yourself in a representative’s cloak, that just doesn’t add up.

Just when Qing was about to reach his new form, the path left a trajectory in which a bandit’s head split vertically.

At the same time, Qing shouted out loud.

“What are you waiting for! Hit them!”

And the representatives all charged in, weapons drawn.

Under normal circumstances, Qing would have been smiling widely, but now he had a complicated expression.

Stop! If you keep moving like that, I’m going to burst! If you’re scared of sepsis, treat my wound with care!

What was going on? Why couldn’t I cut deeper than this?

Did the pain in my side make me unwittingly loosen my grip?

Seeing the ridiculous sight of a blade growing out from the back of a comrade’s head made one bandit swing his axe around in shock, only to receive a vertical smack from the spiky iron rod of the noble man’s special staff.

Ah, that’s good. Yeah, that’s the flavor.

But as satisfying as it was, something felt really off. What was it?

Why wasn’t it exploding? Was that guy’s head unusually tough?

“Waaa! Die, bandits!”

The representatives roared as they rushed in.

Qing darted between them, stabbing with his sword, hammering with his staff, and striking with the spiked iron rod.

The reason he kept attacking was simple.

His side was hurting, so he had no choice but to sway powerful strikes, using gravity to his advantage.

As the representatives struggled, the bandits fell back into confusion.

In fact, the representatives could be considered the profession most exposed to actual combat.

They attacked in threes against a single enemy using a highly clever combat strategy, even if individually, the bandits were stronger, they kept being pushed back and suffering from swords, strikes, and thrusts.

With a supreme-level master storming through and sending off one bandit with every surge, the bandits found themselves puzzled and began turning their backs.

As Qing chased after them, one bandit sharply twisted his waist, turned around, and with wild gestures, he seemed to say, “Scram!”

If it was enough to scare them off, they wouldn’t be running in the first place.

Just as Qing was about to leap high with a powerful thrust of True Energy, a loud THUD echoed like something was being struck.

Then there were piercing, savage screams from the strong winds signaling a fierce attack. Arrows! And not just any arrows, they were super speedy arrows!

Without any hesitation, Qing dove to the ground and slid.

As the sound of falling arrows filled the air, several arrows fell where he’d been standing.

The force had dug deep into the frozen earth of winter, with only the feathers sticking out.

Feeling the fire in his side begin to flare up, Qing staggered to his feet.

“Ugh…”

“Please, save me…”

Qing had rushed out to pursue the enemy.

But the representatives weren’t as fervent about the chase.

Because representatives are just people who protect the goods.

Once they win against the enemy and drive them away, that’s all there is to it; they’re not hunters who chase and execute the fleeing enemy.

And just as they were about to let out triumphant cheers after defeating the enemy, arrows began to rain down.

And powerful, destructive arrows at that.

Even Qing couldn’t react quickly enough to dodge or block, hitting the ground violently.

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