Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 156: Chapter 152 Are You Playing Me!

The spear flew with piercing whistles and dull thunder, its golden shaft gleaming like a stream of light under the sunlight.

From the moment he acted, it was so fierce that Wu Chongzhe couldn’t block it at all and could only retreat to evade.

But such evasion was exactly what Yang Zhenshan had anticipated.

Yang Zhenshan suddenly stamped on the ground, causing the green stones to instantly shatter, then sprang into the air.

With a whirl of his arm, the spear that was stabbing forward turned into a powerful slash downwards.

Clang...

The sound of metal clashing rang out as the spear heavily struck Wu Chongzhe’s Yan Ling Saber.

The terrifying force numbed Wu Chongzhe’s arms, causing unbearable pain in his hands, and he nearly failed to grip the saber’s hilt.

”Haha, good!”

Yang Zhenshan burst into laughter.

The spear flipped once more, sweeping in a strike, and Wu Chongzhe could only retreat repeatedly.

With the initiative lost, Wu Chongzhe was only able to be pressed and beaten.

In terms of cultivation, Yang Zhenshan was still at the Postnatal Fifth Layer, but in terms of combat strength, Yang Zhenshan did not fear a Martial Artist of the Postnatal Sixth Layer, and could even match up against those of the Postnatal Seventh Layer.

Simply because his strength was sufficient, and his physical constitution was strong enough.

With ample strength, one could overwhelm ten techniques.

Strike with a spear, and you’d better be able to withstand it first.

Wu Chongzhe dodged the sweep but was struck by Yang Zhenshan’s spear once again.

Another clang resounded, Wu Chongzhe’s entire body trembled, nearly losing his balance.

”Come again!”

Yang Zhenshan shouted, lifting his spear once more.

Clang clang clang~~

He swung down the long spear again and again, with Wu Chongzhe unable to mount an effective counterattack, forced to repeatedly block with his saber.

Truth be told, Wu Chongzhe’s physique was quite formidable. Although his physical strength couldn’t match Yang Zhenshan’s, it was already impressive to withstand several of Yang Zhenshan’s ferocious strikes.

If it were Yu Qingyi instead, presumably he would have been smashed to the ground in one hit.

Yu Qingyi was also at the Postnatal Sixth Layer, but Jianghu Martial Artists generally excelled in movement techniques and steps. Perhaps if it were Yu Qingyi, he would have been able to dodge Yang Zhenshan’s repeated strikes.

After seven or eight strikes, Wu Chongzhe finally couldn’t hold on any longer. He retreated more than a dozen steps until he steadied himself against the wall. This time, Yang Zhenshan didn’t pursue the attack but stood in place, spear in one hand resting on his back, the other hand stroking his beard as he watched Wu Chongzhe with a smile brimming with amusement.

”Your turn to make a move. Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance!”

To truly make someone respect you, how could one not give them a chance to draw their weapon?

Wu Chongzhe’s face turned red, sweat streaming down his face and body.

From the moment Yang Zhenshan made his move to now, it had only been a few breaths of time, yet he felt as if he had been through a lengthy ordeal, his entire body feeling drained of strength, especially his arms which were so numb that they felt powerless.

His eyes darkened, he said with a grave voice: ”Your Excellency’s strength is indeed extraordinary!”

He was unaware of Yang Zhenshan’s background and didn’t know what battles Yang Zhenshan had fought in or what military exploits he had achieved in the past, so before, he did not think that Yang Zhenshan had such formidable strength.

Only now did he understand that Yang Zhenshan’s strength far exceeded his imagination.

That successive heavier than the last strikes, that violent force that brought despair, were experiences he had never had before.

He gently moved his arms, Jin Qi running wildly inside his body, gathering in his arms in an attempt to alleviate their numbness.

”Of course,” Yang Zhenshan said proudly.

”I’ve entered and exited the battlefield three times; without some real strength, I would have died under the chaotic blades of the Northern barbarian long ago!”

His arrogance was not ostentatious like that of Wu Chongzhe, but it contained a powerful self-confidence.

On hearing this, Wu Chongzhe’s spirit suddenly sank.

Someone who has entered and exited the battlefield three times!

This is a true battle-hardened warrior.

Living in Chongshan Town, he was very clear about the terrifying aspects of a battle-hardened warrior.

In worldly society, there may be powerful Martial Artists, but certainly none as formidable as battle-hardened warriors, for they are those who have crawled out from a sea of blood on corpse mountain.

How many people can a Jianghu Martial Artist kill? How big a battlefield have they seen?

Does Yang Zhenshan count as someone who has crawled out from a sea of blood on corpse mountain?

Both yes and no.

The original owner of this body had experienced the battle of Black Cloud Mountain, narrowly escaping death from a bloodbath.

Although Yang Zhenshan himself had been through several bloody battles, those he experienced could not be considered bitter struggles, they were more like one-sided slaughters.

Whether it was fighting alone with a spear or leading a charge with cavalry, it was essentially a one-sided slaughter.

Put simply, Yang Zhenshan had yet to face an opponent who was his equal, nor had he been surrounded by countless enemies in a battle to the death.

So he walked out from a sea of blood on corpse mountain, not crawled out.

Of course, this didn’t stop him from becoming a battle-hardened killer.

Feeling the numbness in his arms recede, Wu Chongzhe took a deep breath, ”Your Excellency, please meet my attack!”

As soon as his words fell, he shot toward Yang Zhenshan like an arrow released from its bow.

The gleam of the saber flickered, especially blinding under the bright sunlight.

Yang Zhenshan narrowed his eyes.

The Wu family’s inheritance was also gained from the battlefield; thus, Wu Chongzhe’s saber skill was also especially straightforward and fierce.

In the blink of an eye, Wu Chongzhe was already in front of Yang Zhenshan, his blade sharp as a spike, directly aiming for Yang Zhenshan’s chest.

His speed was very fast, but the speed at which he swung his saber was even faster.

”Good!”

Yang Zhenshan shouted, his body twisting to dodge the blade.

Simultaneously, his spear danced in his hands, sometimes stabbing, sometimes blocking, sometimes sweeping, in tandem with Wu Chongzhe’s trembling.

Wu Chongzhe’s strength was not weak; it was just that his power was not as great as Yang Zhenshan’s.

Each move was laden with lethal intent, the circling saber edge flashing at such a high speed that even the naked eye couldn’t catch it.

Faced with such an opponent, Yang Zhenshan couldn’t help but get excited.

He had never faced an equal opponent before, but now Wu Chongzhe, who had the upper hand, was barely equal to him.

This kind of heart-pounding confrontation under pressure made Yang Zhenshan overly excited.

That adrenaline-rushing feeling.

Yang Zhenshan was in no hurry to defeat Wu Chongzhe; instead, he deliberately limited his own offense, blocking and dodging again and again.

At first, Wu Chongzhe didn’t realize something was amiss, but as time went on, after he had launched a dozen or so strikes that failed to push back Yang Zhenshan, he finally sensed something was off.

What does this mean?

Is he using me to practice his moves?

By now, he could see that Yang Zhenshan clearly had opportunities to counterattack but did not, had space to evade but chose to block, could block but instead narrowly dodged.

On the surface, it looked like Yang Zhenshan was in extreme danger, yet Wu Chongzhe felt as if he was exerting all his strength against thin air.

Anger, embarrassment, helplessness, until at last he felt a kind of despair.

A despair that was clearly within eyesight but out of reach.

”Stop!”

Wu Chongzhe withdrew and roared furiously.

”What’s wrong?” Yang Zhenshan, in the midst of his excitement, asked somewhat perplexed.

”You’re toying with me!” Wu Chongzhe’s face flushed with irritation.

”Toying with you!”

Yang Zhenshan was first taken aback, then chuckled, ”How so? I merely wanted to show you the gap between us!”

”Damn it~”

Wu Chongzhe couldn’t help but swear.

This was even worse than admitting to toying with him.

Noticing that Wu Chongzhe seemed genuinely angry, Yang Zhenshan realized he couldn’t continue this way.

His goal was to subdue Wu Chongzhe, not to truly make an enemy out of him.

He tossed his long spear to a soldier nearby and laughed heartily: ”Satisfying, so satisfying! You don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve fought so heartily.”

”None of these boys at home are of any use. They can’t even force out thirty percent of my strength, but you, you made me use ninety percent!”

”Hahaha~~”

He laughed heartily and also clapped Wu Chongzhe on the shoulder with great force.

The immense strength pounded on Wu Chongzhe’s shoulder, causing the already frustrated man to wince in pain.

Damn it, is this man a monster? How can he be so strong?

”Old Wu, your body is still not strong enough! Just two pats and you can’t hold up anymore!”

Yang Zhenshan’s words seemed mocking, but they were actually a sign of affability.

This address of Old Wu indicated his attitude.

Wu Chongzhe kept a stern face and arrogantly twitched his mouth, putting up an air as if he didn’t want to speak to Yang Zhenshan.

Seeing this, Yang Zhenshan couldn’t help but chuckle secretly.

That’s right, arrogant!

Haha, who would have thought that this burly man could have such a haughty character.

”Come on, let’s talk inside.”

Yang Zhenshan pulled Wu Chongzhe back to the main hall.

Arrogance or haughtiness, they both emanate pride.

Perhaps when arrogance is toned down, it turns into haughtiness.

Anyway, Yang Zhenshan found this version of Wu Chongzhe quite endearing!

*Cough cough*

Using the word endearing to describe a tough burly man might be a bit inappropriate.

”Come on, have some tea!”

Yang Zhenshan greeted Wu Chongzhe warmly.

The anger in Wu Chongzhe’s heart dissipated, the previous arrogance vanished without a trace, replaced by admiration for Yang Zhenshan.

For Martial Artists, strength is the foundation for discourse.

Yang Zhenshan is stronger than him, thus whatever Yang Zhenshan says, he has to seriously consider.

”Old Wu, don’t just nestle in Wu Family Castle anymore. Your Wu family has been dormant for so many years, it’s time to come back into the world!”

As he sipped his tea, Yang Zhenshan said it casually.

Wu Chongzhe’s eyes drooped as he fell into deep thought.

The Wu family was ready to make a comeback, but the current situation did not match their previous plans.

Previously, they only wanted to be officials and not submit under Yang Zhenshan.

But now, Wu Chongzhe had come to understand Yang Zhenshan’s strength and character.

Yang Zhenshan’s intention was clear, that was for the Wu family to serve him, which obviously didn’t align with the Wu family’s prior intentions.

Lifting his eyelids slightly, Yang Zhenshan glanced at him, knowing full well the struggle in his mind.

Accustomed to autonomy, the Wu family naturally did not want to be controlled by others.

Frankly speaking, Yang Zhenshan deeply disagreed with this notion.

How could you wish to be an official and expect no constraints?

If you dare to be unconstrained, there will surely be those who make you have no place to be buried.

Don’t forget, this is a feudal dynasty.

Try telling the old Emperor that you want to be unconstrained, and see if the old Emperor will have your head.

Unless you don’t become an official and stay away from the old Emperor’s side.

But if you don’t cuddle up to the old Emperor, how could you become a high official?

Being a garrison commander, the Emperor and the court definitely won’t notice you, but what if you become a garrison Commander, or an Assistant General?

Being an official inherently means being restrained everywhere, isn’t Yang Zhenshan the same?

At Yinghe Castle, Zhou Lan was his backbone, but conversely, Yang Zhenshan had to be manipulated by Zhou Lan.

Now, Yang Zhenshan had even more superiors: Assistant General Wang Bin, Commander Sha Pingchuan, and the Secret Martial Guards lurking in the shadows—all these were bindings.

Especially the Secret Martial Guards; Yang Zhenshan could only play some tricks with them without even the right to refuse them.

The Wu family want to rise in rank and yet enjoy freedom—this is but a fool’s dream.