Sixty-four Slaughter

The sudden surge of murderous intent from the Guardians of the Faith crashed toward Sun Ru’s face, startling him into retreating three steps. In a shrill, off-key voice, he shouted, “What are you waiting for? Release the arrows, release them now!”

The sound of bowstrings resounded from the ramparts, while below the walls, Luan Yi called out anxiously, “Rear ranks, raise shields! Front ranks, form a wall and defend!”

A volley of arrows shot from the battlements, accompanied by sharp twangs and the clatter of metal. Luan Yi had spared no expense equipping the Guardians of the Faith below. Each wore sturdy, lightweight armor and bore an unyielding shield. They raised their shields in concert, providing tight protection, but the arrows came from such close range that a few inevitably slipped through the gaps, piercing the formation and striking the Guardians.

Agonized cries echoed without pause. When one fell, the follower behind stepped up. When that follower fell, another took their place, shield raised in response.

On the other side, troops from within the city surged forward in a coordinated assault. The Guardians of the Faith stood firm. Protected by the shield bearers, a dozen archers nocked arrows and unleashed a barrage.

These archers were specially trained by Luan Yi. Though not unfailing, their accuracy was formidable—nine out of ten shots struck home. Each arrow found its mark, felling a soldier in an instant. Yet, against the overwhelming number of enemy troops, these dozen casualties were but a drop in the ocean.

The massed soldiers charged on, undeterred, drawing ever closer to the Guardians—less than fifty paces away.

Luan Yi grew desperate. With a quick assessment, he estimated there were at least five hundred troops storming out of the city. In close combat, the Guardians would stand no chance. In his urgency, he glanced back at the city wall, then at the five hundred enemy soldiers, and vaulted from his horse.

“Master, where are you going?” Dian Wei’s eyes were bloodshot with worry.

“Where else?” Luan Yi pointed his massive hammer toward the steps twenty paces away. “I’m going to force open the city gate myself!”

“What? Such a dangerous task cannot be done by you! If anything happens, what will we do?” Dian Wei pleaded. “Let me open the gate for you. You can wait below.”

“No,” Luan Yi replied without hesitation. “My mind is made up. I will do it myself. Brother Dian, you lead the others in facing the enemy below.”

“But—”

“That’s an order! There is no ‘but’!” For the first time, Luan Yi spoke to Dian Wei with such grave authority, leaving no room for doubt. Dian Wei dared not argue, seeking solace with a quiet prayer for divine protection.

“Wu, take a team and follow me!” With a grand sweep of his arm, Luan Yi led over ten Guardians of the Faith toward the stairway leading up the city wall.

From his high vantage point, Sun Ru spotted Luan Yi’s movement and instantly understood his intent. He shouted, “Someone stop Luan Ziqi! He’s trying to climb the wall. Shoot him! Whoever kills him gets a hundred taels of gold!”

Dian Wei was alarmed, summoning all the archers—few as they were—“Cover the Master, quickly!”

Arrows rained down from the ramparts. Below, shield bearers strained to block them, knowing that every arrow stopped meant greater safety for their leader. The archers among the Guardians sacrificed caution, rising to fire wildly at the ramparts, each shot claiming the life of a soldier atop the wall. Recognizing the threat, the soldiers turned their arrows on these deadly archers.

Five archers were riddled with arrows on the spot, yet they stood resolute, mustering their last strength and will to bend their bows one final time. “For the Holy Mother… May she live as long as heaven!” Though their aim faltered, their blood-soaked faces and fearless defiance shook all who witnessed them.

“May the Holy Mother live as long as heaven!” The Guardians shouted in unison, murderous intent blazing. The soldiers, in contrast, were pale with fear, trembling, their fingers pausing on the bowstrings. Sun Ru shouted, “Why are you standing there? Shoot! Shoot, you fools!”

At that moment, chaos erupted among the charging troops from within the city. Screams rang out as confusion spread. “Li San, what are you doing? Ah—”

“What am I doing? Guarding the Faith…” Dozens of soldiers suddenly turned traitor, pulling out cross-shaped badges from their pockets and pinning them to their chests. They spun their weapons around and attacked their nearby comrades.

They had learned of the government’s plans against the Master earlier that evening, but with the gates closed, they could not send word out. Unable to help in time, they now lent their belated aid as the slaughter began.

“Master, go open the gate! We’ll hold them off here.” The rebel soldiers formed an iron line, clamping down on the troops attacking the Guardians. The sounds of battle and suffering filled the air. “Ah… Fight for the Holy Mother!”

One soldier, badge pinned to his chest, took two spear thrusts and was near death. Yet in his last moment, he drove his spear into a champion’s side. His life ended, but a beautiful smile bloomed on his bloodied face, convinced he had given everything for the Church, certain the Holy Mother would welcome him into paradise. In that indescribably wonderful day, he would know happiness and peace like never before.

Luan Yi watched from afar as his followers perished for his mistakes… His heart bled. His eyes reddened, and he ran faster, wielding the mighty hammer. As he ran, he twisted the lotus hammer with both hands; it split in two, transforming into a hammer and a rod.

On the wall, over twenty soldiers rushed to block him. A junior officer strode out, spear leveled at Luan Yi’s face.

Luan Yi didn’t even look. With a casual flick of his left-hand iron rod—seemingly effortless, but with force beyond any ordinary man—the officer felt as if his spear had struck a speeding carriage. It swung wide, nearly torn from his grasp, and he staggered, almost falling backwards.

Seizing the moment, Luan Yi swung his giant hammer, the size of a jar, at the officer’s face.

A sound like a watermelon bursting echoed—smashing the once-handsome face into a pulp, features indistinguishable, a mess like glue. The force shattered the neck, tearing the head clean off, which rolled down the wall, landing below.

Blood sprayed, viscera scattered, savage beyond words.

The soldiers behind the officer were terrified, their eyes full of dread as they looked upon the blood-soaked Luan Yi. In their minds, they screamed: Is this even human? He smashed a head off with one blow! How great must his strength be, how fast his strike… The more they thought, the more frightened they grew. With their leader dead, they began to retreat instinctively.

Luan Yi swung his hammer and roared, “Those who block me will die!”

The soldiers broke, scrambling up the wall in panic, only to be stopped at the stairway’s end by the overseers. Trembling, spears raised, not one dared approach Luan Yi. Shaking, they pleaded, “Don’t come any closer, don’t!”

What was meant as a threat sounded more like a plea for mercy.

Luan Yi had no time for words. He strode forward, hammer and rod raised high, bringing them down in a move called ‘Lighting the Sky’. One soldier tried to resist, but his squad leader had been the strongest in the unit, and even he couldn’t withstand Luan Yi’s hammer—how could a mere soldier?

After a sharp metallic clang, the soldier collapsed to his knees, flesh torn on the steps. His spear bent into a crescent, and the hammer and rod struck his shoulders, pulverizing his shoulder blades.

Retrieving his weapons, Luan Yi cleaved left and right in a move called ‘Wild Horses Parting Manes’. Two soldiers tumbled from the steps, falling to their deaths.

Holding the rod horizontally in defense, he brought the hammer down in ‘Phoenix Nodding’. The lotus head crashed with such force that a soldier’s head was driven into his chest, blood spurting from his neck like a fountain, a gruesome sight.

Luan Yi charged up the steps, hammer and rod swinging left and right like a meat grinder. None could withstand him even for a moment. His silver armor was soaked with sticky blood, as if he’d just bathed in a pool of gore.

The soldiers’ courage was shattered; they retreated repeatedly. As Luan Yi neared the top of the stairs, the overseers on the tower were terrified, weapons shaking in their hands as they backed away.

Sun Ru, in a frenzy, clutched the blood-stained sword—once stained with Sun Zhang’s blood—and stabbed at fleeing soldiers. “Why are you retreating? Get up there—get up there!”

“Sir, we can’t! He’s not human, he’s a god sent by the Holy Mother… How can we possibly defeat a god?” one pleaded. Others echoed, “Yes! Killing a god will bring heavenly punishment!”

“Shut your damn mouth!” Sun Ru stabbed the talkative soldier through the chest with his sword. He shouted, “He’s no god—he’s just a man. Even if he were a real god, you must kill him! Otherwise, I’ll have your families slaughtered!”

“Ah?” The soldiers’ faces twisted in misery. They truly did not want to fight the benevolent Grand Master before them, but for the sake of their families, they had no choice but to attempt to slay this semi-divine man.

“Archers, ready!” A group of archers stepped forward, bows drawn, aiming at Luan Yi, who was focused on seizing control of the stairway entrance. Sun Ru grabbed a large bow and, taking careful aim, released an arrow as Luan Yi wrestled with another soldier.

Just as Luan Yi swung his hammer, he heard a volley of arrows whistling toward him. Looking up, he was aghast—over twenty arrows were flying at him, Sun Ru’s arrow among them, its angle so cunning that escape was impossible.