Chapter 653

Hu Xiaotian raised his voice and said: "You little brat, you must absolutely not hurt General Dong's life—he's the beloved younger brother of Consort Shu! He's practically royalty!" This wasn't a reminder to Xiong Tianba to go easy; it was deliberately rubbing salt in Dong Tianjun's wound in front of everyone.

Dong Tianjun seethed with anger upon hearing Hu Xiaotian's words. Seeing Xiong Tianba step forward and grab the iron hammer, he sprang out with a quick step, stamping his right foot heavily on the ground, using the ground's rebound to launch himself into the air, raising his great hammer high above his head and attacking Xiong Tianba with the force of thunder. Nobody was a fool; Dong Tianjun also realized he was weaker in strength than this lanky brat, and only by seizing the initiative could he have a chance to win.

Xiong Tianba had just picked up the great iron hammer from the ground, happily gripping it, when he saw Dong Tianjun come flying at him like a tiger descending the mountain, the initiative already lost. Others would ten have ** will choose to temporarily avoid the sharp edge, adjust, and then fight again, but Xiong Tianba was born unwilling to lose; he shouted, "Bring it on!" He fixed his gaze on Dong Tianjun's attacking direction and swung the great iron hammer upward to meet him.

Clang! The two great iron hammers struck squarely in midair, sending sparks flying everywhere; the tremendous roar of the impact shook the bystanders' eardrums to the point of bursting.

Dong Tianjun's tactic of seizing the initiative indeed worked; this blow was delivered with all his might. Xiong Tianba, being slow to react, essentially took the hit head-on, and his feet were actually driven over two cun into the ground by Dong Tianjun's hammer.

Hu Xiaotian silently thought, "Uh-oh," then glanced at Zhou Mo, who remained as calm as ever. Since the elder brother wasn't nervous, it showed he had full confidence in the brat; might as well watch and see how things unfold.

After the hammer strike, Dong Tianjun used the rebound to launch himself over one zhang into the air, then dove down again and smashed down with another hammer blow, this time with even greater force than before.

The warriors originally gathered in the inner circle scattered outward to avoid the hammers, as the two great iron hammers kept clashing, truly a torment to the eardrums.

Xiong Tianba again took the second blow head‑on; this strike drove half of his lower leg into the ground.

Seeing his successive attacks succeed, Dong Tianjun's heart leapt with joy; using the rebound, he rose again into the air, determined to take down Xiong Tianba with this third hammer strike.

Xiong Tianba yelled, "Damn it! You're taking advantage of me!" As he spoke, the iron hammer slipped from his hand and flew into the air. He also realized that if he let Dong Tianjun keep attacking, the next blow would likely bury more than half of his legs in the ground—equivalent to having his feet tied up, leaving him only able to endure the beating.

Dong Tianjun hadn't expected Xiong Tianba to have the flying hammer trick. Seeing the great hammer fly straight at his face, he could only block it for now, swinging his own great hammer with a whoosh and smashing it at the incoming hammer. With a muffled clang, the flying hammer was struck and sent spinning like a windmill into the crowd. Those people were precisely the warriors Dong Tianjun had brought; they thought they had reached a safe zone. Yet they hadn't expected to still suffer flying misfortune; they watched the hammer spin toward them. They scattered in fright, and several warriors went weak‑kneed from the sight, as a tragedy seemed imminent. A burly figure suddenly appeared ahead, his large hand reaching out casually to steady the hammerhead in his palm; the violent hammer, accompanied by the sound of wind and thunder, came rushing in. Yet the moment it reached his hand, it instantly turned into a gentle lamb. Zhou Mo appeared just in time to intercept the runaway great hammer, also saving the warriors' lives at the critical moment.

Xiong Tianba used the flying hammer to disrupt Dong Tianjun's advance. Seizing the rare opportunity, he leapt up from the ground, and in the instant before Dong Tianjun could retrieve the hammer he had knocked away, he reached out, grabbed the hammerhead as if snatching a rebound, and shouted, "Damn it, give it to me!" He strained his arms, trying to wrest the great iron hammer from Dong Tianjun's grasp.

How could Dong Tianjun let his weapon be taken? He gripped the hammer shaft with both hands, roaring, "You damn it! The hammer is mine!"

The two struggled over the hammer, deadlocked for a moment.

Xiong Tianba's feet were planted like roots, his expression still composed. In contrast, Dong Tianjun's face was flushed red, veins bulging on his forehead; in a pure test of strength he was still inferior to Xiong Tianba, and moreover Xiong Tianba held the hammerhead with both hands, clearly giving him the advantage in the struggle. Dong Tianjun felt he could barely withstand the opponent's force, gritting his teeth and summoning every ounce of strength; actually, whichever of them let go first would surely send the other flying, but both were the sort who wouldn't give up until hitting a wall, neither willing to be the first to release.

At that moment a troop approached from the distance, its leader a general clad in Lan-colored combat attire; before even drawing near, he had already taken off his longbow from his person and, with a backhand, pulled a feathered arrow from his quiver. The arrow he held differed from ordinary shafts: its shaft was silver‑white, its fletching one‑third shorter than usual and variegated, highly conspicuous. He nocked, drew, aimed at Xiong Tianba's arm, and released the arrow with a whoosh.

As he nocked and drew, Zhang Peng had already darted out from beside Hu Xiaotian, pulled out a horn bow, completed the shooting motion at unbelievable speed, aimed at the dark arrow aimed at Xiong Tianba, and let loose an arrow.

The variegated short‑tailed arrow approached its target silently, yet Zhang Peng's feathered arrow intercepted it mid‑flight; arrowhead met arrowhead, blades clashed, and sparks flew.

The Lan-clad general's pupils constricted sharply; he yanked hard on the reins, his white warhorse beneath him letting out a neigh, its forehooves lifting high, almost standing upright. Though the mount halted, the Lan-clad general did not ease his offensive posture; he plucked another feathered arrow from his quiver. This time he aimed not at Xiong Tianba but at Zhang Peng, who had blocked his shot, and released the short‑tailed arrow again. Though such an arrowhead lacks the range of a ordinary feathered arrow, at close quarters it is astonishingly fast and nearly silent, typically used for assassination.

Zhang Peng also loosed an arrow, aiming precisely at the short‑tailed arrow's head. Everyone saw the two feathered arrows fly toward their respective shooters and gasped, yet the archers' expressions remained unchanged, both displaying the composure of a mountain unmoved even as it collapses before them.

Arrowheads struck, and the two feathered arrows fell to the ground mid‑flight.

The Lan-clad general raised his hand, signaling the more than ten archers behind him to lower their weapons, his gaze fixed on the distant Zhang Peng, growing exceedingly solemn. This man was Dong Tianbing, second son of Dong Bingtai, a famed archer of Da Yong capable of shooting down two eagles with a single arrow and piercing a willow leaf at a hundred paces. Having heard that the eldest brother had led troops to besiege the South Wind Inn over the Fang Lianhai matter, he had hurriedly brought men to rendezvous. Upon arriving here he saw his elder brother locked in a stalemate with a dark, thin youth; Dong Tianbing's combat experience was also rich, and at a glance he could see his elder brother beginning to falter. If he did not act now, he feared his elder brother's iron hammer would be snatched away by that dark brat, so Dong Tianjun shot an arrow in time—though meant to aid his elder brother, the fellow's methods were not aboveboard, indeed somewhat underhanded.

At that moment, Xiong Tianba let out a roar like a muffled thunder: "Granny's, come over here!" He thrust both arms forward, yanking the hammer toward his chest; Dong Tianjun could no longer hold on, his hands slipping, and Xiong Tianba wrested the great iron hammer away from him. To have his hammer taken in front of so many people was nothing short of utter humiliation for Dong Tianjun; he bellowed and, heedless of everything, charged forward, raising his right fist to strike Xiong Tianba's face.

Xiong Tianba blocked with the great iron hammer in hand; Dong Tianjun's punch landed squarely on the hammer, causing him to cry out in pain, covering his right fist as he hopped in place.

Xiong Tianba gazed happily at the great iron hammer, grinning broadly and chuckling, "Thanks! This iron hammer is mine from now on."

Dong Tianjun was now in so much pain he could barely speak, only muffled sounds escaping his lips—whether from anger or resentment, he couldn't tell.

Dong Tianbing dismounted, slowly shifting to the right, while Zhang Peng stepped forward, his clear eyes coldly fixed on Dong Tianbing.

Dong Tianbing nodded and asked, "May I have your esteemed name?"

Dong Tianbing nodded and said, "May I ask your name?"

Dong Tianbing's lip curled in a cold smile: "I am Dong Tianbing! I just shot you with an arrow; now it's your turn!"

Dong Tianbing's lips curled a cold smile: "Dong Tianbing! Just now I shot you an arrow, now it's your turn!"

Zhan Peng said, "Good!" He drew out a feathered arrow, slowly pulled the bowstring to full, aimed at Dong Tianbing's chest; Dong Tianbing actually slung his long bow back onto his back. Everyone held their breath, wondering if he intended to catch the arrow barehanded.

Zhan Peng's gaze moved from Dong Tianbing's chest to his left shoulder; although they were opposing sides, it was not a life-and-death fight to the death, Zhan Peng obviously had no intention of taking his life; the arrow's tail tugged the bowstring backward and tightened again, then Zhan Peng released his right hand, and the feathered arrow shot swiftly toward Dong Tianbing.

Dong Tianbing fixed his gaze on the arrowhead coming like a chasing wind and lightning; he shifted his body to the right; amid the crowd's exclamations, his right hand reached out into empty air and seized the feathered arrow in his palm; the arrow trembled incessantly in his palm, like a fish desperately struggling to escape his grasp; Dong Tianbing firmly held the arrow; at the same time, his left hand drew the long bow again, nocking and drawing the bow in one smooth motion, the arrow reversed direction, aiming at Zhan Peng's throat, with a "whoosh!" it was shot back.

A glint of cold light flashed in Zhan Peng's eyes; when the feathered arrow was about to reach him, he tilted his body, turned his head aside, and without using his hands, he bit the swiftly incoming feathered arrow with his mouth.

The surrounding crowd let out loud exclamations, occasionally hearing someone hiss as they sucked in cold air; the archery duel before them was extremely perilous; Dong Tianbing's barehanded catch of the arrow was already bold enough, yet he never expected Zhan Peng to be even more daring, actually biting the feathered arrow with his teeth.

Zhan Peng reached out, took the feathered arrow from his lips, placed it again on the bowstring, and with his right pinky lightly flicked the arrow's fletching; although merely a tiny motion, it was enough to alter the arrow's flight path; Zhan Peng calmly said, "Try catching another of my arrows!"

Dong Tianbing's fighting spirit had been fully aroused; he nodded heavily and said, "Good!" (To be continued... If you like this work, welcome to come)

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