Chapter 51: With Twin Palms, Hewed Apart the Path Between Life and Death; With a Single Fist, Sent Half a Tooth Flying

“Hmph, so what if it’s Flying Arrow Manor? Do they really think I’m a pushover?”
Xu Wenshan’s indignation carried a hint of pride. Having been the young master of a landowning family for several years in Deer-Crane Valley, he’d acquired a certain arrogance, even if he lacked the typical airs of nobility. Pretending to be a country bumpkin in front of the county’s gentry was already difficult enough; now, these hunters dared to bully him on his own turf.
He could not tolerate it.
More than twenty hunters marched forward, shouting, “Flying Arrow Manor is handling business—bystanders, clear the way!” as they approached Xu Wenshan.
The street was already emptied of idle onlookers; only a few broken baskets and some quiet cabbages remained on the ground. The hunters kicked away the baskets, crushed the cabbages underfoot, and stormed forward with a fierce air, each looking as if he’d killed a man before.
The leader spat on the ground and said, “Kid, were you the one causing trouble just now?”
Xu Wenshan replied, “Looks to me like you’re the ones making trouble.”
The leader laughed, saying, “It's been a long time since I've seen someone with such backbone when death is staring them in the face.”
Xu Wenshan retorted, “Death? You’re committing violence in broad daylight—won’t the authorities intervene?”
The hunters from Flying Arrow Manor burst out laughing.
Xu Wenshan, feigning innocence, asked, “What’s so funny?”
The leading hunter said, “Kid, we do legitimate business at Flying Arrow Manor, but you’re undermining us, forcing prices down so low—are you not deliberately stirring up trouble? When we beat you up, we’re doing the officials a favor; why would they blame us?”
Xu Wenshan pretended to be naive. “I see, so you’re colluding with the authorities—thick as thieves.”
The hunter sneered. “You finally understand, but now that you do, it’s already too late.”
With a wave of his hand, he barked, “Get him!”
Xu Wenshan glanced around. Only two or three spectators lingered in the distance, so he dove into the midst of the hunters, grabbed one by the shirt, and hurled him out, knocking into another man.

Xu Wenshan’s first brawl in Shaxian County had finally begun in earnest.
Although channeling demon power would greatly enhance his strength, speed, and agility, he was in the city now, surrounded by humans, with unknown talents lurking everywhere. If he revealed even a hint of demon aura, he risked immediate detection. So he resolved not to use his powers, relying solely on his demon-tempered muscles and bones.
He was already a first-level demon cultivator, and like a first-level demon, his physical prowess far surpassed ordinary men. Yet that didn’t mean mortals couldn’t hurt him; his resilience, though above average, was still within human limits—not impervious like Lu Ze, nor as tough as Er Gouzi in his spider form.
Such tough hides and thick flesh were innate to certain demon races—there was no helping it.
The hunters proved more formidable than Xu Wenshan had anticipated. They were well-practiced in group combat, coordinating skillfully and moving with purpose, never hindering each other. Xu Wenshan had to fend off three attackers at once, while watching for ambushes from behind.
But the gap in strength was a yawning chasm.
Each punch from Xu Wenshan carried the force of dozens of pounds; every time his fist landed, the victim looked as if he’d been struck by a cart, disbelief etched on his face as his features turned blue and he collapsed.
The hunter who’d spoken earlier took two punches to the face from Xu Wenshan; half his teeth vanished, flying who-knows-where, and now he lay on the ground, his face resembling a battered sack.
Unable to subdue him, the hunters swarmed Xu Wenshan, hoping to pin him down with their combined weight. Yet Xu Wenshan stood up under the press of bodies, flinging them off one by one.
He’d learned much martial arts in the past two years and naturally used those techniques now—only to realize that his current strength rendered them nearly obsolete. Designed for ordinary humans, such methods no longer suited him.
So, as the fight wore on, Xu Wenshan grew more uninhibited, using the battle to reorganize everything he’d learned, refining the useful parts and discarding the outdated, gradually forging his own fighting style.
Unfortunately, his opponents were still too weak. Before his transformation was complete, the hunters had lost all ability to fight.
The entire brawl was Xu Wenshan’s one-sided domination. Even the few who tried to flee were dragged back and beaten down.
At last, wounded hunters lay scattered across the ground. Only then did the authorities arrive—several constables shouting as they came to arrest everyone.
It seemed the officials in this world were no different, always showing up after the dust had settled.
At that moment, escape would have been easy, but his hides and pelts were still in his ox-cart; he knew he couldn’t simply leave. So he called Lu Ze and Zhuer to his side, quietly instructing them to seek out Xu Jing at the County Guard’s office. The two nodded and slipped away, while Xu Wenshan remained, blending in among the groaning, fallen hunters.

The constables arrived, shackling everyone on the ground, tying up Xu Wenshan’s pelts as well, and pushing them away along with the ox, cart, and goods.
Without any formal trial or sentencing, Xu Wenshan and the hunters were locked directly in jail.
Rather awkwardly, he ended up in the same cell as the hunter leader whose teeth he’d knocked out.
Once the constables left, Xu Wenshan immediately stood and surveyed his surroundings. The bars here were made of wood—he could break them easily. There were no beds, only piles of straw, and he had no desire to sleep in such a place. He could only hope Xu Jing would keep his word and rescue him soon.
He glanced at the hunters; those who met his gaze shrank back, admitting defeat. But the leader, left with only half his teeth, still had some backbone, meeting Xu Wenshan’s eyes head-on.
Xu Wenshan smiled. “Didn’t you say the authorities wouldn’t interfere with you?”
The half-toothed man snorted, “For now, that dog of an official has locked us up, but once my elder brother speaks up, even he will have to let us go.”
Xu Wenshan asked with interest, “Who is your brother?”
“Listen well. My elder brother is the master of Flying Arrow Manor, by name Li Yi. Generous and righteous, acclaimed as a hero wherever he goes. Flying Arrow Manor has three hundred retainers; at his command, they charge through wind and rain without hesitation!”
The half-toothed man spoke with a whistling wind, and it took some effort for Xu Wenshan to understand the whole speech. Curious about Flying Arrow Manor’s operations, Xu Wenshan drew out further details from him.
It turned out that Flying Arrow Manor was originally a mountain village, its land barren. Li Yi, skilled in archery, earned some money and founded the manor, eschewing farming for hunting. Soon, many hunters flocked to join him. Their numbers overwhelmed solo hunters, who quickly went bankrupt, allowing Flying Arrow Manor to monopolize the fur trade in Shaxian County. Thus, pelts sold at exorbitant prices.
Upon reflection, the manor master’s schemes bore a remarkable resemblance to Xu Wenshan’s own.
As he sat on the ground, pondering, a constable suddenly appeared with another man, beckoning from outside the cell. “Come out!”