Chapter 114: Strategic Planning Determines Victory Step by Step

  Shi Jin's ears were filled with an angry roar that was getting closer and closer, so close that Shi Jin felt like every step was trampling on his own heart. The heavy yet slightly windy footsteps in Shi Jin's mind became clearer and clearer, as if the sounds of clashing bodies, the pain of being stabbed, and the ringing of swords had all fallen silent.

  At this moment, Shi Jin was shooting arrows left and right at the enemies in front of him, but in his heart, all the little soldiers filling up the entire alley didn't exist; there was only one Huang Tianba, the Huang Tianba that Shi Jin wanted to eradicate immediately.

  But in front of them, Huang Tianba's men seemed to have no idea who Shi Jin was, and they simply charged forward with their knives, displaying the most despicable behavior of a street thug. On the other hand, Shi Jin dealt with them effortlessly, each move and style seemingly finely crafted, using just the right amount of force, every detail perfect. When he only needed to use a little strength to knock someone down, Shi Jin would never use an ounce more.

  Shi Jin slightly lowered his left shoulder, letting the sword that was swung from the left side pass by. He then suddenly stretched out his left hand and grabbed the wrist of the incoming attacker's knife-wielding hand. Taking advantage of the momentum of the attacker's slashing motion, Shi Jin stepped forward with his left foot, tripping up the attacker's legs and causing him to lose balance. The attacker's center of gravity shifted forward, and he was thrown towards the group of brothers who were fighting behind Shi Jin like chopping melons.

  At the same time, Shi Jin's right hand never stopped, that bright blade swaying between the front and right sides, killing the incoming person with a fierce momentum, flesh flying horizontally. Wherever the blade passed, fresh blood flowed out. The knife's movement was unpredictable, sometimes left, sometimes right, not only making people grasp at nothing, but also making their hearts tremble with fear.

  All this is now a belated tale, but at that time it was a swift and decisive affair. Shi Jin alone dominated the scene, his left and right hands moving in perfect synchrony, each displaying a flowing and effortless technique. Even the reinforcements from the Huang family who came to kill him couldn't help but feel three parts fearful in their hearts. At this moment, however, their fear was of no avail, only causing them to hesitate and allowing Shi Jin to kill with even greater ease.

  Just as the brothers were enjoying themselves after killing Shi Jin, Shi Jin's right hand suddenly formed a claw-like shape and grabbed one of Huang's attendants who had just rushed forward. The attendant felt his collar tighten, as if he was being bound by thirty-six ropes, restricting his upper body. However, at that moment, Shi Jin pulled the attendant back with his right arm, and when his strength paused for a moment, his right hand suddenly changed from a claw to a fist and struck the attendant's chest. In an instant, it changed again from a fist to a palm. Shi Jin glanced into the distance, having already calculated in his mind, and with great force, he pierced through the attendant's heart bone with one strike, sending him flying to the right side.

  That man spewed fresh blood and flew backwards, but only managed to fly a few steps before his heart and lungs were shattered by Shi Jing's punch, killing him instantly. However, at the moment of his death, he coincidentally crashed into Huang Tianba's chest, who had just dodged out from behind. Huang Tianba saw the flying object about to knock him down, but he had just passed one of his subordinates from behind and was now standing on a strong crossbow's end, which forced him to pause for a moment. However, there was no time to spare now, and Huang Tianba quickly drew back his hands, executing the "Eight Trigrams Return to Origin" move to hold back the flying man, but his lower stance was insufficient, causing him to involuntarily stumble backwards.

  The several dozen elite martial artists of the Huang family who followed behind Huang Tianba, seeing their own big brother's situation, feared that something was amiss. One by one, they fixed their eyes on Huang Tianba, exerted force underfoot, and were about to jump up, wanting to rush to Huang Tianba's side to lend him a helping hand.

  But just at this critical moment, Shi Jin shouted loudly "Stop!"

  This sound was like a thunderclap, rolling over the heads of the crowd. Just as the earth-shattering roar had not yet subsided, the rooftops on both sides of the narrow alley suddenly shouted in unison "Kill—!" and fifty people jumped down.

  The Huang family members were stunned by the deafening roar, and when they looked up, they saw a dazzling array of knife lights filling the sky. But just as the Huang family's elite warriors regained their senses, it was too late, everything was over. At that moment, they found themselves suspended in mid-air, with no foothold to speak of, and in that critical instant, they felt the knives piercing their bodies, one by one, from the back of their spines to the front of their chests, bursting out a fountain of blood. Their strength also dissipated along with the splashing blood, as if their robust bodies had turned into empty skin bags, devoid of any sensation or energy. By the time their corpses hit the ground, they could no longer feel the pain that came too late, just like they could no longer sense the footsteps of the Shaohua Mountain disciples who were trampling on their bodies after jumping down from above.

  In that instant, the Huang family's people were stunned for a moment, and the martial artists who rushed to rescue with Huang Tianba were killed in large numbers. The remaining dozens of them were nothing but crippled goods with broken arms and legs. Under the swords of the Shaohua Mountain disciples, they were just fish on a chopping board, waiting to be slaughtered at will.

  Just as Huang Daxia was heavily injured, Huang Tianba had no one to help him. Shi Jin killed a few people and instantly rushed forward to get close to Huang Tianba. Shi Jin held his knife in his right hand and made a move called "Huo Lian Tian" (Fire Burning Heaven). The blade of the knife started from Huang Tianba's calf, like a raging flame, burning upwards suddenly, aiming straight for Huang Tianba's head.

  Huang Tianba saw that Shi Jin's knife was approaching, but fortunately, he had already paused for a moment, and Shi Jin's knife momentum was biased towards the outside, making it not too difficult to dodge. Moreover, at this time, Shi Jin's strength was all in this move, while his lower body and left chest were wide open. Huang Tianba's eyes were sharp, and as soon as he discovered Shi Jin's weakness, he immediately thought of another plan. If Huang Tianba slightly dodged Shi Jin's knife and then launched a counterattack, he could defeat Shi Jin with one move and kill him in front of himself. After that, cutting off Shi Jin's head and opening the city gate to receive the reward from Meng Dou would be easy. By then, the emperor's reward and the prestige on the Jianghu road would naturally follow.

  However, Huang Tianba's heart was thinking beautifully, just as he was about to take a step back to avoid the knife edge, his own heart had already begun counting down for Shi Jin's life and death. In fact, he was calculating the time he could still jump around.

  Huang Tianba took a step back, suddenly shocked and pale, his heart also cooled down instantly. At this moment, what was lying behind his feet was a pile of corpses that had died here. Huang Tianba had no eyes in the back of his head, so naturally Shi Jin could see it but Huang Tianba couldn't.

  Huang Tianba's footwork was so messy, but Shi Jin's blade was also pressing in front of him. He couldn't help but lean back. But Huang Erlang was also a clever person in his heart. This leaning back could temporarily avoid the danger, but its consequences...

  Not optimistic.