Chapter 873 - The Axe Gang
After traveling roughly fifteen kilometers, Han Wu’s group finally found signs of civilization. It was a somewhat rundown town. Outside the gates, people were pushing wooden carts and carrying shoulder poles as they entered. They looked like farmers bringing produce to sell.
The group was about to approach when He Xu stopped them. He pointed out that their clothing was completely different from what the Martial Arts Civilization’s natives wore. If they walked in dressed like that, they would stand out as four oddballs in bizarre outfits, which was practically inviting trouble.
Jia Gui glanced around. “Wait here. I’ll go find us some clothes.”
He disappeared around the corner of the town wall. Han Wu could just barely make out what looked like a hole in the wall over there.
Half an hour later, Jia Gui returned with four sets of clothes and a small pouch of silver coins, the civilization’s local currency.
“Where did you get these clothes?” Han Wu asked while changing.
Jia Gui waved dismissively. “Never mind where they came from. I got them, and that’s all that matters.”
Qin Shuang looked at Han Wu with a hint of understanding in her eyes. She suspected Jia Gui had stolen them, but she had no proof.
Han Wu didn’t care. In the Divine Civilization, laws and rules kept him in check. Here, the only thing restraining him was whatever morality and ethics remained in his heart.
After changing, Qin Shuang found some dirt and smeared it across her face to mask her beauty. He Xu and Jia Gui both gave her a thumbs-up and praised her for taking the initiative to reduce risk.
Once they disguised themselves, the group approached the town. They paid four silver coins as an entry fee at the gate and entered without any issues.
The town was surprisingly busy. One street was lined with peddlers selling vegetables and meat, alongside shops offering daily goods.
The group found a simple restaurant and sat down for a meal while trying to gather information about Jiang City. The waiter was a useful source of information. After tipping him two silver coins, he answered every question without hesitation. It made Han Wu appreciate the power of money all over again.
Suddenly, a group of burly men barged into the establishment. The leader was fat, with a face ugly enough to make a small child stop crying. Every other patron immediately lowered their head and focused on their food. They didn’t want to attract trouble.
Han Wu noticed that Jia Gui panicked the moment he saw the thugs. He was even trembling slightly.
“Why are you shaking?” Han Wu whispered.
Jia Gui tried to look calm. “Me? Shaking?”
He picked up his teacup for a sip, but his trembling hand spilled half the tea.
Something was definitely wrong.
When Jia Gui realized he couldn’t fool anyone, he came clean. “The clothes we’re wearing? I stole them from those guys. The money too.”
Han Wu was speechless. Out of all the people to steal from, they had just bumped into the original owners. If they got beaten over this, Han Wu wouldn’t feel the least bit wronged.
The thugs started checking the tables one by one. They were closing in fast. Their men had already blocked the exits, making escape nearly impossible. Han Wu decided to just wait for the trouble to arrive.
When the goons reached his table, their eyes lit up at once.
“Boss, they’re the ones who stole my clothes!” one of them shouted, then swung at He Xu, the closest target.
Before the thug’s palm touched He Xu, the latter had already activated the trait he’d awakened after entering the civilization. He called it Spine Carapace. His hair turned hard as steel needles and pierced the thug’s hand.
The thug cried out in pain.
The boss flew into a rage. “You dare injure one of my Axe Gang? Brothers, chop them to pieces!”
Every thug there charged forward, pulling axes from behind their backs. Armed with weapons, they were far more dangerous than they had been with bare fists.
Han Wu’s group didn’t wait around. They jumped to their feet and fought back. Although the Martial Arts Civilization’s Will had sealed most of their strength, their combat instincts were sharp, their physical abilities well above average, and their traits gave them a significant advantage. Dealing with a bunch of armed thugs wasn’t hard.
Of course, only three of them actually fought. Jia Gui had already hidden under a table the moment the brawl started.
Dozens of thugs ended up sprawled across the floor. The boss realized these people weren’t to be messed with and identified the three as special fighters. Still, with his men watching, he couldn’t just run.
“So you three are practitioners with special powers. No wonder you took down my boys so easily. But do you even know whose turf this is? Hurt my Axe Gang, and I’ll make sure you regret it!” The boss pulled a large flare from his sleeve, lit it and launched it through the doorway. “One signal flare, and 1,000 men come running. You’re finished. Just you wait.”
He Xu didn’t want more trouble and suggested they leave immediately.
“They seem to have stronger fighters. We might not be able to handle them as we are,” he said.
Han Wu agreed and was about to leave when two axes came flying through the doorway. One was golden, while the other was silver. Both were aimed straight at Han Wu’s and Qin Shuang’s faces. Han Wu reacted quickly and grabbed a nearby stool just in time to block them.
The two men who had hurled them were now standing in the doorway. One wore a golden robe, while the other a silver one. Both carried themselves with a powerful presence.
The boss rushed over to them. “Gold Axe! Silver Axe! That’s the punk who beat up our brothers!”
The Gold and Silver Axe brothers looked at their fallen men, and their expressions turned icy. The medical bills alone would cost a fortune. Their gazes turned even colder as they stared at Han Wu’s group, as if they were looking at corpses.
“You hurt our Axe Gang brothers. You think we’re just going to let that slide?” Gold Axe channeled his internal energy, and the golden axe embedded in the stool flew back into his hand. “Your move!”
Silver Axe did the same, recalling his silver axe. The two brothers charged at Han Wu’s group with their weapons raised.
Han Wu and He Xu exchanged a glance, and each picked an opponent. Without proper weapons, they could only rely on their physical abilities, combat experience, and traits to trade blows.
After several exchanges, Han Wu realized something was wrong. Gold Axe’s strikes didn’t look particularly fast or powerful, yet the force behind them exceeded his expectations. On top of that, Gold Axe’s techniques were so refined that even Han Wu, with all his combat experience, couldn’t find an opening.
Forced onto the defensive, Han Wu retreated while dodging one lethal strike after another. At the same time, he couldn’t help but remark, “The Martial Arts Civilization is quite interesting!”
Backed into a corner as Gold Axe brought his weapon crashing down, Han Wu called on Shadow Xun. In an instant, Xun’s tail shot up from the ground like a blade and struck Gold Axe’s butt from below. After days of training, the tail could now extend roughly 1.3 meters, giving it the reach of a short spear.
The sudden attack caught Gold Axe completely off guard. The strike hurt him so badly that he couldn’t maintain his technique, and he collapsed to the ground.
Han Wu seized the opening and attacked Gold Axe’s head with Shadow Xun’s materialized tail.
