Chapter 20: Hualang Dao, Iron Arm Shield Hand

The shop assistant had barely finished speaking when several old men surged into the front hall.

They were all shopkeepers from nearby stores, claiming close ties with Master Ma and thus some influence; now they rushed into the courtyard, eager to escort the group to receive their commendation.

Chu Tianshu and the others, helpless, left the courtyard and headed toward the street.

As soon as they reached the main road, they understood why the gongs and drums had sounded so abruptly—they weren’t struck by distant visitors, but by townspeople assigned by the town magistrate.

As for the true arrivals from the city…

Chu Tianshu gazed eastward and indeed saw a column of troops, still at least three li from town.

Master Ma muttered, “It’s certainly Town Chief Lu who reported our success to the city and got a reply—he knew today’s delegation was coming, so he had the drums and gongs beaten early to welcome them.”

Zhong Jinqiu also stared eastward and said, “Looks like a troop of soldiers is coming. Shouldn’t commendations to towns be handled by civil officials, not military men?”

Master Ma replied, “It seems these past few years, Commander Xu has grown even more powerful.”

A military force was stationed in Yuan Nan City, outwardly called a regiment, though its exact size was unclear; yet it controlled all military affairs within a hundred li, and its commander bore the surname Xu.

By regulation, awarding towns like this fell outside military jurisdiction—it should be handled by county magistrates or their appointed clerks.

But this group, led by a man riding a tall horse, clearly was a military officer, with two rows of soldiers behind him running with rifles on their backs.

Further back were several carriages, exuding an air of luxury, their corners tied with red silk, and the drivers dressed in silk jackets—clearly not the attire of city civil servants.

As the officer neared town, Town Chief Lu and several prominent locals rushed forward to greet him—even Meng Lianfa, who usually clashed with the magistrate, joined in, beaming and bowing with clasped fists.

“Deputy Officer Zhou, you’ve traveled such a long distance—we failed to meet you at the border, truly impolite! I’ve already prepared a banquet at my home to welcome you all.”

Town Chief Lu’s pudgy frame stood tall and proud today, his voice ringing loud under the blazing sun without a hint of discomfort.

“Hahaha, Town Chief, you’re too kind.”

Deputy Officer Zhou dismounted, and a soldier immediately stepped forward to take his horse.

“We soldiers are straightforward—no fancy formalities. We handle business, then we eat.”

“Let’s finish the commendation first, then talk about food. No burdens, then the feast will be livelier.”

As he spoke, the deputy officer walked into town; even on foot, he towered over the magistrate by more than a head.

He appeared middle-aged, his hair cropped short like a brush, his face sharp and formidable, his beard cleanly shaven.

Broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs clad in leather boots, dressed in full military uniform—he stood out sharply among the old gentlemen.

The magistrate walked beside him, smiling, then glanced aside and noticed the carriages had not taken the main road but turned off at the town’s edge. “What’s that?”

Deputy Officer Zhou turned back and glanced. “That’s our commander’s adoptive father—an elderly man who finds the city too foul and has come to the countryside to recuperate.”

“You’re lucky—he keeps a theater troupe with him. I begged him, and tonight he’ll put on a grand performance for everyone.”

The magistrate beamed. “So that’s the old patriarch! Might I have the honor to pay my respects?”

Deputy Officer Zhou chuckled. “No rush. The old patriarch will settle into the commander’s residence first—he’s weary from the journey. You can pay your respects another day.”

Commander Xu also owned an empty courtyard here in town.

Rather, he owned residences in several prominent small towns near Yuan Nan City—some gifted to him with deeds, others purchased outright.

Of course, the sellers were always generous, asking prices far below market value.

Hearing this, the magistrate set aside his eagerness to flatter the nobleman and gestured to the crowd by the roadside. “Those two are the heroes who annihilated the Jiaozhi bandits.”

“Oh? So that’s Master Ma and Doctor Chu?”

Deputy Officer Zhou’s eyes lit up as he strode forward, smiling. “Master Ma, your blade still cuts sharp! Doctor Chu, young hero indeed!”

“When Town Chief Lu submitted his report and sent the goose-feather knife and the white bone whistle into the city, we were both astonished and delighted.”

“These bandits didn’t strike here for the first time—they’d raided other counties before, vanishing into the mountains as soon as local troops arrived, leaving only scattered survivors to describe their features.”

Deputy Officer Zhou’s smile radiated warmth and genuine enthusiasm.

“Their complete annihilation here brings great honor to Yuan Nan City.”

Chu Tianshu and Master Ma exchanged glances and bowed politely in response.

The goose-feather knife had been picked up by Chu Tianshu, wielded clumsily a few times, then stuck back into the graveyard—later taken by someone else, no matter.

But the white bone whistle, made from the bones of a virgin victim, had been roasted by Master Ma to expel its evil aura, then buried elsewhere.

No one knew when the magistrate had dug it up.

“This commendation was personally approved by Commander Xu: three hundred silver dollars for Master Ma, five hundred for Doctor Chu.”

Deputy Officer Zhou immediately took two thick cloth sacks from his horse and handed them to the two men.

Nearly half the bandits had been eliminated by Master Ma’s fireballs, luring the venomous bees to destroy them.

But the most dangerous leaders were slain by Chu Tianshu’s own hands—no one in the crowd disputed this reward.

“Additionally, several hundred silver dollars will be distributed among all who fought today—everyone gets a share!”

At this, the onlookers erupted in cheers.

The magistrate again announced his banquet to welcome them.

“Let the men go ahead.”

Deputy Officer Zhou looked around, then patted the magistrate’s shoulder. “I’m just a soldier—I’m more interested in where Doctor Chu fought the bandit chief. If you’ve time, care to show me?”

The magistrate naturally refused nothing.

Chu Tianshu considered, handed the silver dollars to the waiter from Old Ma’s Tavern, and decided to follow.

The waiter had just taken one large sack, then another smaller one from Master Ma—over forty jin total, heavy and cumbersome. He dared not linger, hurrying back to Old Ma’s Tavern.

The soldiers headed toward the magistrate’s house; some onlookers followed them, others prepared to disperse.

Few followed Deputy Officer Zhou toward the southern edge of town.

The orchard ground was littered with chaos—bodies had been carried through here to the opposite slope and hastily buried.

Add to that recent rain, and the footprints Chu Tianshu had stamped while dodging bullets were now mostly obscured.

Yet as Deputy Officer Zhou stepped onto the battlefield and moved slightly, he immediately spotted those unusual footprints. He brushed aside fallen leaves and dust with his military boot, his face showing admiration.

“Excellent footwork—these prints were made in rapid succession, within moments.”

Once here, Deputy Officer Zhou needed no guide—he followed the traces himself through the grove and soon found the spot where the swordsman had died.

A tree trunk bore a clean, through-and-through sword hole, now darkened and browned, with dried blood stains still clinging to the bark.

Deputy Officer Zhou bent low, his eyes blinking at the hole, seeing the trajectory of that single sword thrust.

Branches and leaves severed along the path had smooth, even cuts, like polished blue stone tiles.

“Ah! This killing strike didn’t showcase sword skill—it revealed the sheer power of fist strength.”

Deputy Officer Zhou turned to Chu Tianshu. “Doctor Chu, my eyes aren’t too poor, are they?”

Chu Tianshu bowed. “Deputy Officer Zhou, seeing one clue, you grasp the whole picture—as if you witnessed the battle yourself. Truly remarkable!”

“Hahaha, I’m just lucky—I practice fist techniques that emphasize strength. In our jargon, we aim for ‘gathering,’ pursuing the state of ‘dragon coiling around the body.’”

Deputy Officer Zhou laughed heartily. “It seems our fist styles are similar—that’s why I understood it so easily.”

“Rare to meet a young hero with such a style—it’s got me itching to spar.”

Deputy Officer Zhou flashed his teeth. “Doctor Chu, would you be willing to test your skill with me? Just one move—point and stop, a friendly exchange?”

Zhong Jinqiu’s expression turned subtle; Master Ma touched the tip of his nose.

The magistrate, however, beamed, as if about to say something.

Chu Tianshu lifted his gaze and smiled. “All right.”

“Then let’s begin!”

Before the words faded, Deputy Officer Zhou moved in a flash.

This deputy officer had once served as a constable under Commander Xu in the capital.

Back then, the capital teemed with people from all nations, and martial arts from every region clashed and mingled, flourishing in diversity.

Deputy Officer Zhou’s Hualang Dao was said to descend from the ancient Silla Kingdom.

The Silla king gathered youths for martial training, instilling in them the creed: “Serve your lord with loyalty, serve your parents with filial piety, serve your friends with trust, never retreat in battle, choose death with honor”—to forge fearless warriors.

The martial arts taught them were the distilled essence of battlefield and folk techniques from Silla’s time: in the beginner stage, they struck wooden blocks with hands and feet; once they showed promise, they trained their limbs against brick and stone walls.

Silla frequently exchanged with the Central Plains, learning the battlefield techniques of the Tang dynasty, integrating their advanced infantry-shield-cavalry coordination into their fist methods.

Now, Deputy Officer Zhou’s move, “Iron Arm Shield Hand,” was executed with such mastery it ranked among the finest in all Hualang Dao.

His right forearm stood vertical before him, muscles bulging, stretching his sleeve into a distinct shape like a thick shield—narrow at the top, broad at the base. He powered forward with waist and stance, like a charging steed, crashing into position.

Years ago, he’d used this same move to smash a hole through a brick wall half a foot thick!

Town Chief Lu stood too close; as the deputy officer moved, he felt a violent gust crush his mouth and nose—he couldn’t breathe.

Chu Tianshu, the true target, felt the world darken before his eyes.

Yet the sudden shift in light triggered an instinctive roar from Chu Tianshu’s lips—his entire body’s force erupted with that shout. He stomped his rear foot and blocked horizontally with his right arm.

BOOM!!!

Their forearms, one horizontal, one vertical, slammed together with full force.

Deputy Officer Zhou’s sleeve tore apart with a sharp rip, the thick fabric flying off.

Chu Tianshu was thrown back over three feet, feet still grounded, leaving clear grooves in the earth; his body swayed twice, his right finger joints trembling slightly.

Just now, Deputy Officer Zhou used momentum; Chu Tianshu used a vibrating force, transmitted through the fabric.

Hence one sleeve shattered, one man recoiled.

In that sense, it was evenly matched.

But Chu Tianshu’s right hand felt numb and weak, fingers loose; Deputy Officer Zhou’s arm remained firmly clenched in a fist.

The opponent’s tendon strength clearly surpassed Chu Tianshu’s.

The magistrate hadn’t expected such a spectacle from just one clash—he was stunned, sensing rising tension.

The two men stood several feet apart, their eyes met—and simultaneously, they smiled.

“Excellent! At your age, I had no such skill.”

Deputy Zhou, brimming with bold spirit, ignored his torn sleeve, “I’ll be presumptuous and call you Brother Chu. Brother Chu, after the banquet, let’s have a drinking contest, how about it?”

Chu Tianshu feigned helplessness: “Then I’m certainly no match for Brother Zhou.”

He appeared calm, but inside he was on utmost guard.

This Deputy Zhou seemed merely rough and straightforward, yet something about him felt off.

(End of Chapter)