The biggest difference between regular troops and江湖人士 (jianghu figures) lies in their ability to coordinate better in large-scale battles, without being hampered by sheer numbers. The constables of the Six Doors, armed with swords, shields, and crossbows, moved forward with seamless coordination, no one speaking, their actions perfectly synchronized.
If the large number of people was unexpected, then their strength surprised Qin Mu. These guards from the brokerage firm had all cultivated bloodthirsty energy, drawing their swords and blades to parry crossbow bolts, while their hidden weapons, trailing blood, flew out to launch a counterattack.
Qin Mu didn't want his men to suffer too much damage, so he flashed forward and attacked. Halfway there, he loudly recited the "Hunting in Youzhou".
A surge of righteous energy erupted, and conjured soldiers appeared, charging towards the guards first.
Not only that, Qin Mu waved his hands repeatedly, pointing out with his qi fingers, breaking through the guards' protective blood aura.
Qin Mu had already opened up eight meridians, and his spiritual energy was only slightly inferior to that of the Righteous Qi. He began to cultivate the Seven Yin Talisman Techniques of the Sutra in its entirety. With every move he made, spiritual energy burst forth, making him resemble a humanoid tyrannosaurus, rampaging and crashing about.
There was another person, no slower than Qin Mu, who charged even more fiercely. Fang Yi'ai swung his fist, which was as big as a sand bowl, and his righteous aura enveloped it. He sent one person flying with each punch. Neither the blood-fiend aura protecting him nor the weapon blocking him were of any use.
He displayed the Qin family's advanced fist technique to its fullest extent, his imposing momentum resembling a tiger descending the mountain, and none of the guards could stop him.
"Stop your arrogance!" a voice roared, leaping into the air and lunging at Fang Yi'ai.
Before Qin Mu could provide support, two more longswords, like venomous snakes, silently pierced through.
Qin Mu had been searching for the leader of the group, his mind completely focused. The moment the longsword appeared, he sensed it. His expression remained unchanged, and instead of retreating, he advanced. He activated the Fierce Bird Scattering Technique, and his figure rushed towards the approaching person at an even greater speed.
With a muffled thud, a martial artist wielding a long sword was punched in the chest and sent flying backward. Before he even hit the ground, he spat out a mouthful of blood, and the protective aura of bloodlust dissipated, revealing a gloomy middle-aged man.
The other person dodged a finger strike and stared at Qin Mu in disbelief. He hadn't expected this young man to be so terrifying, severely injuring his companion with a single punch.
"Wasn't he supposed to be just a young Confucian cultivator?" The guard holding the longsword couldn't understand how this person could use both righteous energy and spiritual energy.
"Break!" Just as he was lost in thought, a voice rang out from the side, and the swordsman hurriedly turned around and slashed out with his sword.
"Bang!" Another muffled sound rang out. The swordsman stared in disbelief at his chest, where he saw an arm as thick as a thigh, exuding an aura of righteousness, with a fist pressed against his chest.
"How is this possible?" These were the swordsman's last thoughts.
With the successive deaths of their leaders, the guards lost their will to fight. In a panic, many of them were killed by the Six Doors constables.
"Go!" This was the first time Dai Zhou had witnessed the Six Doors' operation, and he hadn't expected it to be like a military operation, a complete suppression by force. However, he was a man of experience, and he waved his hand to order his constables to come forward and help.
The constables from the Dali Temple were not bad either; they worked in pairs, wielding their merciless clubs, and also charged forward.
Speaking of the Dali Temple constables, their attacks are truly unique. One man would swing his water and fire stick down on the head, while another man would emerge from behind him, crouching down and sweeping his stick horizontally.
When facing an opponent, a person's attention is naturally focused, and this focus on the front means that attacks from blind spots are overlooked.
He had just managed to parry one of the sticks when he was swept down by another. Before he could get up, he was hit on the head and face by two sticks.
The strength of everyone was about the same. Being knocked down in a one-on-two fight, how could he possibly turn the tables? Moreover, these constables were very experienced in beating people. With two blows, they hit the weak points of the protective blood aura, and shattered it in two or three blows. By the time they stopped, the person on the ground was covered in blood, with broken bones, and had lost the ability to resist.
Not only that, the constables would step forward and, no matter how the person moved, they would tie him up, locking his hands behind his back, making it seem impossible for him to escape.
Although the constables of the Dali Temple are not like those of the Six Doors, who all wear iron chains, they do carry cow tendons. Once someone is locked up with cow tendons, it is impossible for anyone but a top-notch expert to break free.
"Kill!" Just as the guards were being slaughtered and forced to retreat, a loud shout came from outside the brokerage, and many people rushed in, brandishing swords and knives.
Unexpectedly, someone dared to launch a sneak attack. Qin Mu was slightly startled. Fortunately, he always liked to be well-prepared, so he always brought a large number of people with him, including those who would attack and those who would surround.
Qin Mu kicked aside a guard, leaped into the air, and jumped into an open space, shouting loudly, "Form the formation!"
The constables, who had been surrounded, moved swiftly, carrying their embroidered spring knives. Several constables slapped their hands onto a round plate on their chests.
With a "whoosh!" sound, dozens of constables quickly merged their bloodthirsty aura into one, almost materializing, their scarlet red color dazzlingly bright.
"Kill!" Xi Junmai, the leader, shouted and swung his long sword, but this time the sword was accompanied by a beam of light that was ten feet long.
With a "crack!", the gate of the brothel was cleaved into pieces by the bloody aura, collapsing in all directions. Several people who rushed in were also cut in half, their flesh and blood flying everywhere.
"Military formation!" Dai Zhou exclaimed in surprise.
"Kill!" Xi Junmai shouted again, and swung out another longsword.
Unstoppable! That's the only way to describe it. The hundreds of skilled warriors who came to help never expected to encounter such a situation. This was a general-level attack.
"Wasn't it agreed that there wouldn't be any experts?" the leader thought, clutching his chest. He had a long wound on his chest; if he hadn't dodged quickly, he would have been cut in two like the others.
With Dai Zhou's discerning eye, he could naturally see the extraordinary nature of the military formation deployed by the constables of the Six Doors; it was clearly a personal guard formation that only a great military general would have.
This kind of formation is possessed only by a few military families, besides the imperial family, throughout the entire Tang Dynasty, such as the Li Jing, Li Ji, and Changsun families. Such formations are a matter of family heritage; they wouldn't be used unless there was a major event. And the Six Doors (the government's security forces) have only been established for a short time; where did this come from? If it belonged to the Imperial Guards, how could His Majesty have allowed it into the Six Doors?
While Dai Zhou was pondering, Xi Junmai had already led fifty constables and slaughtered the intruders, sending them fleeing in disarray.
"Don't let a single one escape!" Qin Mu leaped into the air and gave chase.
Some time ago, the anger in his heart was stirred up, but he suppressed it by focusing on refining weapons and pills. Now that he was almost ambushed, his evil fire flared up and he fought his way out with all his might.
Qin Mu did not use any secret scrolls; instead, he used the Falcon Scattering Technique to quickly catch up, pointing out his qi and taking lives one by one.
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