Chapter 009: The Heart of Murder

It turned out that Chang Geng took advantage of his unpreparedness and bent down to touch the lock on the elbow of Shen Yixuan's iron armor.

Chang Geng thought he had not heard clearly: "Wait a moment!"

Prepare for a swift resolution

The barbarian heard the noise and immediately clumsily turned around in his heavy armor, while Ge Pang and Xiao Zhang gaped in astonishment

A mere mortal, even if endowed with innate divine strength, how can one possibly contend with that heavy armor

The reasons behind this are complex and difficult to explain in a few words; how can one make it clear to a half-grown child in just a few sentences

Shen Yi's footsteps did not pause, swiftly gliding past

Chang Geng suddenly asked in a low voice: "Isn't that also your student?"

At such a time, if the person in heavy armor is clear-headed, he should take advantage of the fact that he can still move half of his body to remove his armor first, and then kill the enemy—surely without the heavy armor, a burly barbarian man would not be able to handle two half-grown children

At that moment, Chang Geng's ears perked up as he heard an ominous "rustling" sound, and he immediately called out to Ge Pangxiao, saying: "Shh!"

However, although the barbarian obtained this heavy armor through some means, he clearly has not yet fully mastered this iron monstrosity. The moment the heavy armor locked up, the barbarian inside was momentarily stunned, and his first reaction was actually to attempt to use brute force to resist the mechanical lock.

Ge Pang let out a small gasp: "This, this, this..."

The chubby boy's voice abruptly ceased, and he suddenly halted his steps, retreating two steps with trepidation.

Shen Yise said: "Your Highness, please forgive me... Your Highness!"

How terrifying this matter is, at this moment, the young Chang Geng has no time to think further

Chang Geng threw the steel sword used for lighting candles and pulling wax, which struck the barbarian squarely in the back. The barbarian instinctively dodged, and at that moment, Chang Geng pressed down on the iron wrist buckle on his hand, causing a silk-like poisonous snake to spiral out of his sleeve, piercing through the barbarian's heavy armor as if slicing through melons and vegetables.

The howling wind brushed past his earlobes, and the clammy cold sweat trickled down his spine, only becoming aware of it afterward. Everything he touched was the coldness of dark iron—so cold, like the iron wrist clasp on his wrist that could never be warmed up.

However, Chang Geng's steel leg was also damaged in the process of the hard collision. He kicked too forcefully, and part of the impact rebounded onto his calf, causing one of his legs to suddenly lose sensation, leaving him uncertain whether it was already broken

At least I can still wash your feet for you

His wheezing did not hinder him from swearing his loyalty: "Brother, my parents were killed by them, you saved my life, so from now on, I will follow you! I will do whatever you ask! Let us eliminate all these savages!"

My mother always says that I wash my feet very clean, and after I finish washing my father's feet, they are whiter than steamed buns

Chang Geng was taken aback

With this inch of space, Chang Geng swiftly withdrew his foot and performed a somersault, rolling down from Shen Yi's shoulder.

Shen Yi, of course, would not be as cold-blooded as his cold armor, but at this moment, he was all alone, and naturally, he prioritized the mission, allowing for no mistakes whatsoever

The barbarian shouted in a harsh tone of Chinese: "Run, little bug! I'm scared to death! Run!"

Mr. Shen... When General Shen taught him how to manage the armored suit, he once casually mentioned that the short cannon on the armor had limited space, and the cooling ice pipes were not very effective. To prevent the person inside the armor from being scorched, there was approximately the duration of a stick of incense for cooling time after each shot. During this time, the firing port of the short cannon on the armor would automatically lock, providing him with a moment to catch his breath

He was merely taking a chance, completely unaware that the iron wrist buckle casually tossed to him by Shen Shiliu was actually such a formidable weapon

Chang Geng gritted his teeth and rolled back on one leg

At that moment, a familiar cry pierced Chang Geng's ears. He turned around and saw the heads of the butcher and a pig hanging from the railing. His corpulent wife lay beneath a collapsed wall, her face ashen, already lifeless. The intermittent cries of the little chubby boy from the butcher's family came from not far away. Chang Geng was taken aback, and without considering anything else, he blurted out: "That seems to be the chubby boy from the butcher's family..."

The Western Regions have just submitted, and the elite forces of the Xuan Tie Camp are stationed over there. They have only brought a small portion with them. After two years of laying the groundwork, it is imperative to strike decisively and capture that big fish

Chang Geng twisted open the steam support beneath the steel sword, and a circle of sharp blades began to whimper and spin, mixed with the smell of something nearly burnt. Inside, several components seemed to be damaged, causing a vibration that nearly made Chang Geng lose his grip. He shouted loudly and swung his hand to strike a nearby large tree.

Although he is not very old, his body is already quite substantial with excess fat. As he runs, his white, flabby flesh jiggles and shakes, and Ge Pangxiao is also panting heavily.

Chang Geng : `` ... ... ''

Unfortunately, no matter how solid it was, it was of no use. As soon as he stood firm, he heard a "crack" sound, and that steel sword became completely stuck and immovable. After coughing twice, a puff of black smoke emerged from within, turning it into a genuine heap of scrap metal.

The snot and tears on Ge Pang's small face were all mixed together as he shouted at the top of his lungs: "Big Brother!"

In Shen Yi's eyes, these students who have been with him day and night are merely the result of the imperial decree that he has been immersed in for two years

The dark iron heavy armor stood out conspicuously in the small Yanhuicheng. While Shen Yi was lost in thought, he was immediately targeted and entangled by a group of barbarians. Chang Geng was not worried; even though he was an outsider, he could tell that those barbarians were merely delivering food to the experts of the dark iron camp. This indicated that the folk tales of the past, which claimed that forty dark iron armors could sweep across the grasslands, while somewhat exaggerated, were not entirely baseless.

Chang Geng was inevitably splattered with some red and white brain matter, hanging by one leg, expressionless as he wiped the blood from his face. Amidst the terrifying stench, he surprisingly felt no fear.

The buzzing steel sword, though resembling scrap metal, was quite adept at chopping down trees. Before the barbarian could react, the large tree came crashing down, landing right on top of him. Chang Geng shouted at Ge Pang, "Why aren't you running yet!"

His voice came from behind the iron mask, resembling the cold iron covered in ice shards during the bitterly cold days of winter

Shen Yi said: "I am commanded to protect Your Highness as you leave the city, and there must be no delay"

At the end of the narrow path, a barbarian clad in gleaming heavy armor slowly emerged

Chang Geng almost had the illusion that he had already floated away

At this moment, the sound of wind behind had arrived. Chang Geng rolled up the pair of "steel legs" into his arms and, with a quick eighteen rolls, burrowed into the dog hole outside the wall of a nearby house. The moment he landed, he kicked his legs and, disregarding everything, put the steel legs on his own feet.

The martial arts skills that the young man had honed over many years were not without purpose; he nimbly darted into the narrow path, leaping over the courtyard wall, and witnessed a brute punch a veteran guard of the city, causing his chest to cave in. The old soldier fell to the ground without a sound, clearly on the brink of death

He lost his balance and fell to the ground

"Go away," Chang Geng said softly to Ge Pang.

At a glance, Chang Geng saw the old soldier's sword fly several zhang away. Seizing the moment when the barbarian had his back turned, he suddenly stepped forward, grasping the heavy sword in his hand. The tail of the heavy sword emitted a thin wisp of steam; it was a "steel armor sword," but unfortunately, it had not been maintained for many years, and it was uncertain whether it could still be used

In the last sentence, his voice broke, carrying a tone of weeping

Apart from the Iron Grip, this was the first time he had donned a portion of the steel armor on himself. In a life-and-death situation, he narrowly maintained his balance and grasped a corner of the remaining courtyard wall.

The barbarian had forcefully swept aside the rampaging bricks of the city, the steel armor emitting an unbearable screech, while the steam beneath his feet billowed like clouds. He was somewhat surprised by the difficulty of dealing with this young man. Retracting his iron fist, the gears on his chest turned painfully for a full rotation, and the dark short barrel was aimed at Chang Geng.

The people of the Central Plains would never dare to mount short cannons on their chests, as such powerful short cannons could shatter a person's bones. Only the naturally strong and robust barbarians would dare to do so. It is said that the reason the three great Xuan Iron Camps were able to sweep through the eighteen tribes of the Northern Barbarians was merely because the vast and boundless barbarians were still unable to produce their own steel armor. Now, they have somehow acquired this batch of heavy armor, and with the endless purple gold flowing beneath the grasslands, will they still allow the sheep-like people of the Central Plains to bully them?

"I am not a prince," Chang Geng said, standing two steps away and looking at him, his expression darker than black iron. "My foot is not a dragon's claw; it is a disability wrapped in broken porcelain by my mother. If she indeed has connections to the royal family as you mentioned, she might be trying to create a counterfeit to confuse the royal lineage. Seeing how urgently the general is leaving, there must be another important task at hand. I am not afraid of death, nor do I intend to usurp any noble identity. I just want to clarify this with you now, so as not to delay the general any further."

Before he had learned how to coexist peacefully with the "Wind Fire Wheels" beneath his feet, Chang Geng heard a buzzing sound and instinctively lunged forward. Immediately, a searing pain shot through his back as the sand kicked up from the ground felt like steel nails, rushing towards him in a torrent. He barely had time to use his broken sword to shield his head.

Even the most worn steel legs can shatter a stone slab three inches thick, causing the golden box to crack in response

The heavy armor of the Xuantie Camp naturally could not be easily pushed aside by him, yet it allowed him to successfully push Shen Yi's steel hand back by an inch—Shen Yi had no choice but to retreat. This was the first time Chang Geng had seen the Xuantie heavy armor, and he was completely unaware of the difference between the sophisticated Xuantie heavy armor and the shabby scrap metal used by the guards of Yanhuicheng—if the Xuan armor were to be so rudely damaged by external force, the released buckles would be capable of breaking a tree as thick as a person's embrace.

The barbarian was caught off guard, not expecting him to be so audacious. Instinctively, he swung his long knife at him. The heavy armor was nearly twice the height of the youth, naturally leaving blind spots below. Chang Geng leaned back, staying close to the ground to evade the incoming strike. His steel leg scraped violently against the stone slab beneath, sending sparks flying

Chang Geng no longer looked at him, leaped down from the wall, and ran towards the direction where Ge Pan was calling for help.

He took a deep breath, turned to the side, slightly tilted his shoulder, clenched the sword tightly in both hands, and assumed a solid starting posture

In this world, it seems that some people's lives are worth more than others, and being likable does not necessarily equate to being valuable

Chang Geng, seeing that this matter could not be resolved peacefully, decided to confront it directly.

Chang Geng made a decisive move without hesitation, stepping forward. His steel leg activated its maximum power, aiming at the golden box near the short cannon at the back of the barbarian, and stomped down fiercely.

Perhaps Xiuniang is right, he is inherently a monster

With a resounding "boom," the not-so-sturdy earthen walls of the common people's homes were shattered by a single punch from the barbarian, causing clods of earth to tumble down. The steel legs beneath Chang Geng, aided by a trace of purple liquid gold remaining at the ankle, expelled a fine mist of steam, propelling him a distance of three zhang.

At the very moment he retreated, the barbarian's golden box exploded, instantly turning the barbarian's head into a pile of fragments, splattering everywhere

Ge Fat Xiao Jiao: "Be careful—"

Before he could express his feelings, the barbarian, who had been pinned down by the large tree, suddenly let out a fierce roar, violently splitting the beam-like log in two and tossing it aside. He glared at the two almost defenseless youths in front of him with eyes as red as a raging bull.

Ge Pangxiao lived up to his reputation as a clever little rascal. Upon hearing this, without a second thought, he curled himself into a harmless meatball and rolled into the corner, perfectly yielding the space.

Ge Pangxiao is the best at being charming; when he smiles, his teeth are visible but his eyes are not. He is quite quirky and lively, and there is no one who does not like him

The silk thread pierced through the "Golden Meridian" of the barbarian's heavy armor, causing the intricate armor to lose its power in an instant. In order to prevent the purple flowing gold from leaking and killing the person inside, the armor activated its self-protection mechanism, locking all joints from the arms to the back in an instant.

As Chang Geng took a step forward, a piercing pain shot through his leg, causing him to groan and collapse to the ground, cold sweat streaming down incessantly. Upon seeing this, Fat Ge rushed over without hesitation, shouted loudly, and lifted Chang Geng onto his back

For the prominent figures of the Xuan Tie Camp, what is a mere Yan Hui City?

Ge Pangxiao's face was swollen like a steamed bun, huddled in the corner with his head in his hands, filled with fear

If captured, it can bring three to five years of stability and peace to the northern frontier; otherwise, all previous efforts will be in vain

What is the child of a butcher worth

Chang Geng, exhausted, could not hold onto the useless sword, and had no choice but to let it fall to the ground with a dull thud. His arm muscles spasmed, and he managed a wretched smile as he joked with Fat Ge, saying: "What do I need you for, to be slaughtered and eaten during the years of famine?"

At the moment when Chang Geng bent down as the large iron fist fell on his head, he swiftly darted through the gap between the fist, gliding past the corpse of the veteran, crouching low to deftly remove the veteran's steel leg armor.

At a critical moment, Ge Pangxiao surprisingly did not falter. Although he was trembling like a sieve, his mind was still working. He shouted to Chang Geng, "Brother, let's quickly find a place to hide. I will take you to my father's cellar!"

Chang Geng's expression darkened, and he slid down from the base of the wall in a flowing motion like a stream, unexpectedly turning to pounce towards the barbarian who was pursuing him at high speed

Shen Yi's dark iron mask shot up, staring in astonishment at the young man before him

The barbarian let out a roar, intending to flatten this ignorant little brat into a meat patty with his iron fists