Above the old street where flames were soaring into the sky, a dazzlingly bright sword light suddenly burst forth from the night.
Qiang lang!
Upon hearing the sound of the sword being unsheathed behind him, Yang Wanli instinctively felt a chill run down his spine. He immediately wanted to smash the crying little girl's head with the hammer.
But the sound of the sword being unsheathed clearly came from the city gate tower behind him. The moment he raised his hand, he found that the sledgehammer in his hand didn't come down.
Whoosh——
Scalding blood splashed, spraying onto his and the little girl's faces.
Out of the corner of his eye, he realized that what he had raised was just a half-cut arm!
And his right hand that had been holding the sledgehammer had somehow left his body and was falling to the ground.
This sword strike was incredibly fast, and he didn't even see the blade.
If the person hadn't been afraid of accidentally hurting the hostage, he might have already been split in half by a single sword strike from the top of his head.
Yang Wanli was terrified in his heart, but he was also an experienced martial artist. In that instant of life and death, without hesitation, he threw the little girl towards the nearby house and bent down his head.
Whoosh——
The sword light swept over his head almost at the same time, slicing off the scalp at the back of his head and a great deal of his hair.
Having dodged the fatal sword strike by lowering his head, Yang Wanli didn't hesitate to grab the hammer and his severed right hand that were falling to the ground and threw them towards the little girl who had been flung away.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh——
The sledgehammer and the severed hand spun like a windmill!
Yang Wanli knew that there was an expert behind him. This move was to attack what the opponent had to defend. If the opponent were to strike at him again, the little girl would surely be smashed into a pile of minced meat.
But unfortunately, as soon as the little girl was flung out, a woman in a yellow dress swooped into view and embraced the screaming little girl in mid-air.
Chacha——
In the next instant, his left arm was severed under the sword light, and a spray of blood shot out.
"Ah——"
A miserable howl rang out from the town where the flames were towering. Along with a dull "thud" sound.
Ye Jingtang made three consecutive sword strikes, cutting off the bandit's left and right arms. Knowing that Third Miss was beside him, he didn't pay attention to the flying sledgehammer and the little girl.
But upon hearing the dull sound, his heart skipped a beat. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Third Miss, who had embraced the little girl, was actually hit on the right shoulder by the hammer. Her body staggered, and like an ordinary woman who only knew a bit of boxing and kicking, she fell to the ground with the little girl in her arms.
?!
Ye Jingtang immediately realized that with the Ox Head and Horse Face nearby, Third Miss had deliberately acted like this for fear of revealing her identity.
Seeing that Third Miss had been hit, Ye Jingtang had no intention of caring about Yang Wanli, who had lost both his arms. He kicked Yang Wanli on the back, sheathed his sword, and flashed to her side, embracing Third Miss in his arms:
"Third Miss?!"
Pei Xiangjun had deliberately taken a symbolic blow from the hammer for fear of being noticed by the Ox Head and Horse Face. She was actually fine.
Ye Jingtang suddenly rushed over. His right hand wrapped around her back, and his left hand hugged her waist and hips. His hand, perhaps unintentionally, was also placed on her buttocks to support her, instantly leaving her stunned.
?!
Pei Xiangjun, holding the little girl, was lying in Ye Jingtang's arms facing him. Looking at the face so close to hers, her first reaction was —— Did Jingtang deliberately touch my butt...
But seeing Ye Jingtang's concerned eyes, Pei Xiangjun dispelled this thought. Acting like a delicate and vulnerable little woman, she sat on Ye Jingtang's palm, her eyebrows furrowed tightly, looking pitiful as if in pain.
Ye Jingtang had come to support her. He had supported Third Miss just to prevent her from falling to the ground. When he felt the heavy weight in his hand, he realized what he had touched...
Uh! This damn plumpness...
"..."
Ye Jingtang's expression froze. He wanted to quickly move his hand away, but Third Miss was acting like she was limp and weak. If he let go, she would definitely fall to the ground.
So he could only bite the bullet and squat down halfway, letting Third Miss sit on his knee and looking back at the street.
Yang Wanli was kicked out and fell face down on the street. He actually arched his body with his forehead and still wanted to turn around and escape.
Chen Miao, the Silver Hook Horse Face, had already flown over with two silver hooks hanging from his sleeves at this time. When he was still several zhang away, he swung the iron chains in mid-air and accurately nailed them into Yang Wanli's ankle, then gave a hard pull.
Whoosh——
Yang Wanli, whose both arms had been severed, was immediately pulled and slammed face down on the street, as if being dragged by a fierce horse and rubbed along the street.
Shua shua shua...
Tu Jiujin, with anger flaring in his eyes, carried two copper hammers and charged over with thunderous steps. His face was obscured by the iron helmet, and it was impossible to see his expression. But those pair of crimson eyes were probably enough to scare ordinary cowards to death.
Yang Wanli dragged out a trail of blood on the ground. In his dying state, he was unable to break free, yet he still didn't lose his fierceness. He rolled around and cursed:
"Do you think I'm afraid of you? In twenty years, I'll..."
Chen Miao dragged Yang Wanli in front of him. Instead of directly killing him, he said coldly:
"I'm an official appointed by the court. I always keep my word. I said I'll make you wish you were dead, and I'll make you wish you were dead!"
After saying this, he released the chain and walked towards Ye Jingtang.
And Tu Jiujin, whose body was like a mountain of flesh, stood in front of Yang Wanli. He swung the copper hammer in his hand and directly smashed it towards Yang Wanli's left foot.
Bang——
Blood splattered everywhere. The front half of the foot was instantly shattered into pieces, turning into a mass of minced meat and blending into the broken blue bricks.
"Ah——"
A scream rang out, but it was immediately silenced as a hammer shattered his chin.
Ye Jingtang's view was blocked by Chen Miao, who had walked closer, but he could still tell that these two constables were going to smash Yang Wanli into minced meat bit by bit while he was still alive.
Although he was a martial artist who lived a life of danger, killing and torturing were two different things.
Seeing this scene, Ye Jingtang felt a sense of unease. He tightened his arms around Third Miss and blocked her view.
Pei Xiangjun didn't resist either. She lowered her head and hid her face in Ye Jingtang's chest, covering the little girl's eyes at the same time.
Chen Miao came over just to block the view of women and children so as not to scare the innocent people. He stood in front of Ye Jingtang, cupped his hands in thanks:
"Young hero, your martial arts are excellent. Thank you very much."
"You're too kind, sir. It's just a small effort, not worth mentioning."
Chen Miao saw that the lady in Ye Jingtang's arms was so frightened that she seemed to have lost her wits, so he raised his hand and said:
"Old Tu."
Tu Jiujin, who was panting like an ox, had already smashed Yang Wanli until he was only half a man left. His strikes were precise, avoiding the vital parts, and he still hadn't killed the man. His eyes had always been locked with those big, copper-bell-like eyes filled with despair.
Upon hearing Chen Miao's voice, Tu Jiujin still had no intention of stopping. He grabbed the shredded flesh on Yang Wanli's leg and dragged him into the dark alley where he couldn't be seen and continued to swing the hammer.
Dong... Dong...
This scene looked even more bloody than the punishment of lingchi. The scene of the "Stone Mill Hell" probably couldn't be any worse. Ye Jingtang frowned as he watched.
Chen Miao knew that this method was cruel and calmly explained:
"Humanity should be applied to people, and chivalry should be applied to chivalrous people. Our salaries all come from the people. If the small-time bandits in the martial arts world are cruel and ruthless to the common people, we should return it with ten times the cruelty and ruthlessness, so that people in the martial arts world understand what 'royal law' is. I hope that in the future, when you walk in the martial arts world, you can abide by the way of chivalry and keep in mind what you've seen today."
"Thank you for your instruction, sir. I will definitely keep it in mind."
The street was still in chaos. Chen Miao didn't say anything more. He picked up the little girl, nodded in salute, and then turned around and went back to the street...