Eternal Saber

Chapter 617 - 38: Killing for Pleasure

After Chen Tang took his seat, Tie Falei looked towards the man with the golden cane sitting below and asked, "Is everyone here?"

"Reporting to Master."

This person bowed and said, "They are all here, waiting outside."

"Let them in."

Tie Falei waved his hand.

This person slowly backed away.

"This is my eldest disciple, named the Greedy Lord, Second Grade Innate Realm."

Tie Falei introduced to Chen Tang, "This man has a greedy nature and loves gold, silver, and jewels the most in his life."

Is this considered a merit?

Introducing a disciple in such a manner was something Chen Tang was witnessing for the first time.

"I can see that."

Chen Tang smiled slightly.

The Greedy Lord even wielded a weapon made of pure gold, with a translucent gemstone embedded at the top, rings on all ten fingers, and a belt adorned with gold and jade.

The various items and accessories he carried on him likely weighed over a dozen pounds.

Soon, a crowd of people filed in from outside the hall.

To be precise, it was more like they were herded in, many uncertain and anxious.

Tie Falei raised his voice and said, "You are all civil servants and military generals of Gaoping County; according to past customs, feel free to take your seats. No need to be restrained."

The crowd hesitated.

"What are you standing there for, Master told you to sit down!"

At the entrance of the hall, a group of Tie Fa’s warriors wielded weapons. The leader was tall, with a full beard resembling a lion’s mane, fierce and unruly, as he shouted!

Not daring to hesitate, everyone rushed to take their seats.

Among them, some displayed discontent, suppressing their anger as they followed the crowd to sit down.

Even with the wine and delicacies laid out before them, they sat upright and dignified, their expressions grave, not knowing what Tie Falei intended to do.

"Heh, it seems your enthusiasm is lacking."

Tie Falei chuckled lightly, clapped his hands, and said, "Nu King, bring those craftsmen up with armor and bow and arrows to show their skills and liven things up."

"As you command!"

The tall man at the entrance responded and turned to leave.

Chen Tang frowned, puzzled.

Is this a tradition of Tie Fa’s tribe?

A performance to amuse, needing the craftsmen to come up?

He looked towards the seated crowd, who also showed perplexed expressions.

Before long, Nu King brought up twenty craftsmen, dividing them into two rows.

The ten craftsmen on the left were all clad in armor.

The ten on the right held bow and arrows.

The two rows stood opposite each other in the hall, bewildered, not knowing what to do.

Tie Falei looked at the leading craftsman on the left and asked, "Can the armor you’ve made withstand arrows from a crossbow?"

The craftsman on the left solemnly stated, "Reporting to the general, my craftsmanship is ancestral. The armor I make is absolutely hard and durable. Ordinary arrows definitely can’t penetrate it!"

Tie Falei then looked at the craftsman holding the bow and arrow on the right and asked, "How powerful are the bow and arrows you forged? Can they pierce through the armor?"

"Reporting to the general."

This craftsman glanced sideways at the person beside him, patting his chest as he said, "Although my skills aren’t ancestral, I’ve accumulated over ten years of experience, having visited renowned craftsmen. The bow and arrows I make are certainly superior!"

"Good!"

Tie Falei praised with some excitement, "Now take up your bow and arrow and shoot at the person opposite you to see if you can pierce his armor."

Chen Tang furrowed his brow.

The two craftsmen were momentarily stunned, hesitant, not expecting such an arrangement from Tie Falei.

"Master told you to act, didn’t you hear!"

Nu King stepped forward, placing a hefty hand on the long knife at his waist, casting a stern gaze.

The craftsman holding the bow and arrow swallowed and nodded towards the opposite craftsman, "Be careful, Master Xu."

Having said that, he hesitated no longer, bending his bow and nocking an arrow.

The two were too close, standing directly opposite each other in the hall.

Worried about injuring his counterpart fatally, he didn’t draw the bow to its full extent and let loose an arrow.

Clang!

The arrow struck the opponent’s armor, sparking a spray of sparks before falling to the ground.

Both craftsmen simultaneously let out a slight sigh of relief.

"Haha, your craftsman’s armor is indeed excellent!"

Tie Falei laughed heartily, then turned to the craftsman on the right, saying eerily, "Your bow and arrow fall short, undeserving of its reputation, and therefore, you deserve to die."

The craftsman was momentarily stunned.

Before he could react, Nu King stepped forward and decapitated him with a single stroke!

Head severed from body, he died instantly!

"Ah!"

Around them arose cries of alarm.

Many turned pale with shock!

No one expected that just because the arrow failed to pierce the armor, this craftsman would lose his life.

Tie Falei had just been laughing loudly, yet in the blink of an eye, he ordered a kill!

"Young brother, how amusing, right?"

Tie Falei laughed heartily as he patted Chen Tang on the shoulder, saying, "Let him boast; one trial reveals the truth, hahahaha!"

Chen Tang found no amusement at all.

Tie Falei’s laughter even seeded in him an unprecedented fear!

Even when facing the Demon Venerable, he’d never felt this way.

The bruises on Chen Tang’s wrist began to ache faintly.

"Continue, continue!"

Tie Falei waved his large hand, immensely excited.

The remaining craftsmen, witnessing this scene, were all petrified, trembling with fear.

The second craftsman on the right dared not delay, bent his bow, and nocked an arrow, mustering all his strength to draw the bow like a full moon!

The first craftsman’s bow and arrows might not have been incapable of piercing the opposing armor.

Yet, his momentary soft-heartedness and lack of full strength led to his demise.

The second craftsman couldn’t dare hold back.

Swoosh!

The arrow whistled through the air.

Thud!

An arrow hit the opposing craftsman square in the chest, piercing through the armor and into the chest!

The craftsman staggered, stumbling a few steps before collapsing dead.

"Well done!"

Tie Falei praised again, saying, "Your bow and arrows are remarkable, there will be a reward!"

Onto the third pair of craftsmen.

The craftsman clad in armor looked at the opposite with a trace of pleading in his eyes.

The craftsman holding the bow and arrow dared not meet the other’s gaze.

If he held back, he would be the one to die.

But ultimately, he was just a craftsman, and committing such a murder himself bore immense psychological pressure.

He hesitated for a moment but still bent his bow and nocked an arrow, pulling until the bow was fully drawn.

Swoosh!

The arrow shot swiftly, embedding into the other’s armor.

Yet, although the arrow pierced the armor, it didn’t strike a vital point and instead injured the opposing craftsman’s shoulder.

"Thank you, brother, for sparing me."

This man was grateful, knowing the other intentionally avoided his vital parts.

"Your armor is still insufficient."

Tie Falei’s voice carried over, tinged with regret.

Thud!

A gleam of a blade, and a head fell.

The opposing craftsman silently lowered his head, it was the only thing he could do, but still, he couldn’t save the other.

At that moment, he heard Tie Falei’s voice again: "Your bow and arrows may be good, but acting clever in front of me is something I dislike and warrants death."

Nu King stepped forward, executing another slash, killing this man!

In the blink of an eye, four craftsmen were dead, their blood staining the hall red.

The spectators, witnessing this scene, were as silent as cicadas in winter.

Chen Tang’s expression was grave.

According to Tie Falei’s requirements, proceeding in this manner, at least half of the twenty craftsmen would die!

This so-called performance to amuse turned out to be presented in such a way.

Chen Tang, on his journey, had killed many.

He had also encountered those more ruthless and notorious, like Monk Fa Qing.

But never had he seen someone like Tie Falei, who found joy in killing.