Chapter 13: Battalion Commander Yan is my close friend

The blade’s momentum was vast, surging forth wantonly!

The black horizontal blade seemed to traverse space, reaching Yan Liang in an instant!

Caught off guard and unable to dodge, Yan Liang felt the chilling blade aura pressing against his neck; he felt as if he had already "seen" his own head falling to the ground...

Clang!

The sound of metal clashing set one's teeth on edge.

The horizontal blade was parried and deflected; a woman in fitted attire stood leaning on her own blade.

Her brows were sharp, her black hair tied in a high ponytail, and she held a long-handled horse-chopping saber, double-edged and seven feet long—the blade stood much taller than she did!

This was originally a military horse-chopping saber that no one would carry around, yet it looked entirely natural in her hands.

"Enough..."

Before her voice had faded, the horizontal blade returned once more.

Chen Mo actually refused to stop!

A flash of anger crossed the woman's eyes, and she met the attack with her blade.

Clang!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sounds of impact were as dense as drumbeats.

Without any flashy techniques, the two used only blade aura to bombard each other, head-on!

The woman looked astonished, growing more alarmed with every strike!

Her horse-chopping saber was forged from refined iron and weighed over a hundred pounds; paired with her sweeping, expansive blade style, it was best at suppressing others with sheer force!

Yet after these few exchanges, she had gained no advantage at all!

Chen Mo was suppressing her firmly with nothing but a three-foot horizontal blade!

By the time Chen Mo struck his fifth blow, she had not yet fully dissipated the force, and the sixth was already before her!

The woman’s wrist went numb, and her horse-chopping saber was flicked into the air.

The horizontal blade grazed past her, heading straight for Yan Liang behind her!

"Well come!"

The woman had bought enough time, and Yan Liang was now prepared.

Wearing brass knuckles on both hands, golden light flickering at his fists, he roared and swung his fist forward!

Roar!

The wind of his fist sounded like a tiger’s howl!

Tiger Roar Fist, a low-grade Earth-tier fist technique, possessing extreme explosive power within a small space!

"Your old strength is spent, your new strength has yet to be born; I have waited at ease, let’s see how you take this punch!"

"Everyone is watching; this is legitimate self-defense, and there is no crime in killing you. Today, I shall take your dog life!"

A savage grin tugged at the corners of Yan Liang’s mouth.

Chen Mo might have a deep background, but he was no pushover either!

As long as he was in the right, he would not be afraid even if the matter reached the Empress at the Donggong!

Yet, at the very moment the blade and fist collided, the blade aura sliced through the golden light like a hot knife through butter; the horizontal blade flicked diagonally, and Yan Liang felt a chill at his wrist—his right hand, still wearing the brass knuckle, was already flying high into the air!

Before the pain could even register, the eighth blade strike was already aimed at his neck!

"Enough..."

A mellow voice rang out.

Chen Mo’s movements seemed to have been slowed down a thousand times over.

A middle-aged man in a brocade robe appeared between the two, flicking his index finger lightly against the blade’s edge.

Zing!

The horizontal blade was knocked from his hand, embedding itself into a stone pillar, the hilt vibrating with a hum.

Only then did the severed palm fall to the ground!

The scene fell into dead silence!

Everyone stood dumbfounded, staring at this scene in disbelief.

The Ding Fire Division and the Gui Water Division had a hostile relationship, constantly scheming and fighting against each other, yet no one had ever dared to commit murder in public!

If the Gui Water Division Battalion Commander hadn't intervened just now, Yan Liang would likely have been decapitated!

What shocked them most was that Chen Mo was actually capable of suppressing two Battalion Commanders?

When did he become this strong?!

"Chen Mo!!"

Yan Liang clutched his spurting wrist, his eyes splitting with rage, looking as if he wanted to devour someone!

"Attacking a colleague in public and plotting to kill an imperial official—this is a crime of the ten abominations!"

"Chen Mo, you are finished..."

After Yan Xun recovered, he began shouting and clamoring from the side.

However, Chen Mo merely shot him a sideways glance, which frightened him into immediate silence, nearly causing him to bite his tongue.

This madman dared to hack at a Battalion Commander, let alone a mere Squad Leader like him?

Chen Mo’s expression was one of disdain.

Yan Xun was nothing but a clown, not worth a laugh; his jumping out to mock him earlier had been at Yan Liang’s instigation.

To bicker with such trash would only lower his own status.

Strike the snake at its seven inches.

Since they wanted to play, he might as well play for high stakes!

"What is all this noise..."

"Hm?!"

A series of footsteps sounded as several figures walked into the training ground.

Seeing the scene before them, they all froze.

One white-haired old man with thick, upturned brows said in a deep voice: "Who can tell me what is going on here?"

"Lord Chu..."

Yan Xun acted as if he had seen a savior, stumbling over to explain the situation roughly.

The white-haired old man looked at Chen Mo, his eyes burning with rage.

"Chen Mo, did you do this?"

Chen Mo stood with his hands behind his back, treating the old man as if he were air.

"Good, good, good!"

The white-haired old man laughed in extreme anger, "Absent without cause for several days, by law you should be punished with fifty lashes; I haven't settled that account with you yet, and you dare to attack a colleague in public, causing him grave injury!"

"Violating the laws of the Great Yuan, you are to be arrested immediately; today, even if your father came, he could not save you!"

The white-haired old man flicked his sleeve and reached out to grab Chen Mo!

At this moment, the man in the brocade robe stepped forward, blocking the white-haired old man.

"Shen Shuchou, do you also intend to openly resist the law and act as his accomplice?"

The old man shouted angrily.

Shen Shuchou said indifferently: "Chen Mo is a man of my Gui Water Division; it is not your place to discipline him. Even if he is guilty, it should be handled by a joint trial of the three divisions, and besides..."

"What are you, that you can represent the laws of the Great Yuan?"

"You!"

The white-haired old man was furious.

The two stood in a stalemate, the atmosphere tense and ready to snap.

Just then, Chen Mo cleared his throat and said: "Lord Chu, you have misunderstood. When have I ever attacked a colleague?"

The white-haired old man sneered: "With everyone watching, do you still intend to deny it?"

Chen Mo spread his hands, looking innocent: "Battalion Commander Yan is my close friend, like a brother to me. What just happened was merely a friendly sparring match where I accidentally injured him; that doesn't count as violating the laws of the Great Yuan, does it?"

"Bullshit!"

"Who the hell is your close friend..."

Yan Liang said, beside himself with rage.

But what Chen Mo said next made his heart skip a beat.

"Battalion Commander Yan, you have a poor memory. Didn't we just share wine and joy in the small courtyard at Yicui Pavilion a few days ago?"

"At the time, you even called over a young lady, wanting to kill two birds with one stone and be a man of the same path as me... but I am a man with a clean habit and didn't like that way of playing, so I politely declined."

"I still remember, that young lady was quite..."

"Wait!"

Hearing this, Yan Liang hurriedly interrupted, already breaking out in a cold sweat.

Chen Mo added with a smile: "Quite good-looking."

"What kind of nonsense is this? What does this have to do with today's events?"

The white-haired old man frowned.

Yan Liang gasped for air, glanced at Chen Mo, and said in a low voice: "Lord, Battalion Commander Chen is right. We were indeed just sparring in martial arts; my skills were inferior to his, and I cannot blame him."

"What?!"

The expression of the white-haired old man froze.

The entire scene was suddenly in an uproar!

Anyone could see that Chen Mo had committed the assault on purpose just now!

The two had always been at odds; how could Yan Liang swallow this insult?

"Brother, have you lost your mind..."

Yan Xun looked puzzled.

"Shut up!"

Yan Liang glared at him, picked up the severed hand from the ground, and hurried away in a panic.

"Hold on."

Chen Mo spoke up.

"What else do you want?"

Yan Liang said, clenching his fists.

Chen Mo stood with his hands behind his back and said unhurriedly, "Your brother has no filter; I didn't like what he said. How does Brother Yan think this should be handled?"

Yan Liang was silent for a moment, then used his left hand to hold his right, and slapped Yan Xun across the face!

"Brother, why are you hitting me?"

Yan Xun covered his face, feeling both aggrieved and confused.

Seeing that Chen Mo had no reaction, Yan Liang gritted his teeth, swung his arm in a full circle, and began to strike fiercely!

Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!

Yan Xun was struck dizzy, his cheeks swollen like a pig's head, his mouth dripping with blood, and all his yellow teeth knocked out!

"Is that enough?"

Yan Liang's voice was hoarse.

"Tsk tsk."

Chen Mo said with a look of feigned pity, "I only asked Brother Yan to teach him a lesson; this is too ruthless. Even a spinning top wouldn't be whipped like this."

Yan Xun: "..."

Yan Liang’s chest heaved, he let out a cold snort, and strode away from the training grounds.

Chen Mo raised a hand to summon Liu Mang and whispered something in his ear.

Liu Mang nodded, called over a few brothers, and followed quickly.

Chen Mo turned around to look at the crowd, his gaze sweeping over their faces like a blade.

Their eyes crumbled at the slightest contact; no one dared to meet his gaze.

"Weren't you all laughing quite happily just now?"

"Why aren't you continuing to laugh?"

Chen Mo said, his eyes slightly narrowed.

The entire training ground was deathly silent; one could hear a pin drop!