Martial Arts: I Have a Wilderness World-Chapter 53: Ruthless! Decisive! Cold

"You old bastard!"

Cheng Zongyang reacted in a flash. After taking him down with a tackle, he rolled over and sat up. Before his opponent could even react, he slammed a heavy fist into Jin Detai’s abdomen.

"Argh...! Ugh!"

Intense, sharp pain washed over him along with a wave of nausea. Jin Detai screamed, clutching his stomach and doubling over, all the strength to fight back gone.

But Cheng Zongyang had no intention of stopping.

He cupped Jin Detai’s head and jaw with both hands. His gaze was chilling as he looked at Jin Deshui and the others rushing over, and he spoke in a cold voice:

"You old bastard, you had so many paths to choose from, but you just had to pick the one that’s a dead end for you—and the easiest for me!"

Cheng Zongyang’s words made Jin Detai realize something, and he began to struggle frantically.

But how could his strength possibly break free from Cheng Zongyang’s hold? Even with all his might, he couldn’t do a thing against Cheng Zongyang’s firm and powerful arms. All he could do was pull desperately at Cheng Zongyang’s hands.

He was scared!

The boundless terror of death completely extinguished his anger and resentment. His stubbled face was filled with fear as he screamed hysterically:

"Don’t! I won’t kill you anymore! You can’t kill me!!"

Jin Deshui also rushed forward, his face a mask of panic. He desperately shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Cheng Zongyang! Don’t do it! Don’t do it! We can talk this out! Whatever you do, don’t do it!! We were wrong, we were really wrong!"

Jin Detai continued to struggle and roar, "Yes, yes, the Jin Family was wrong! If you kill me, your family will suffer too. My uncle is the Li Zheng, you know that! If you kill me, your family will also..."

CRACK!

Suddenly, the crisp sound of breaking bone echoed from Jin Detai’s neck.

It wasn’t a loud noise, but it sent a chill down the spine of everyone present, making the hair on their bodies stand on end.

One second, Jin Detai was frantically begging for his life. The next, his eyes, wide as saucers, stared lifelessly like a dead fish’s as he went limp on the ground, no longer breathing.

Ruthless!

Everyone looked at Cheng Zongyang, and that one word surfaced in their minds!

"Uncle Detian is... is dead!" The young men of the Jin clan all wore looks of disbelief.

The reason the Jin Family was so confident, able to suppress the Li and Chen families, was because they had an uncle who served as the Li Zheng.

Cheng Zongyang knew this as well. But Jin Detai hadn’t even finished his threat before his neck was snapped so cleanly and decisively.

Jin Deshui stared blankly at his older brother, whose head now lolled to the side, completely still. His eyes were vacant.

In less than a day, his father, his eldest nephew, and his second son had all died at the hands of drifters. And now, his older brother was dead too!

Cheng Zongyang, however, had not lost his focus.

He stood up, grabbed his Bow and Arrow, and swiftly began the harvest! He was not swayed by the desperate pleas of some.

The moment they made a move against him, a grudge was born!

The people who had come to cause trouble for his family, including the two Jin brothers, totaled thirteen.

Now, all thirteen of them had been killed by Cheng Zongyang.

Nearby, Li Ming and Chen Dashan watched Cheng Zongyang, a sense of fear growing in their hearts.

It wasn’t just them. Everyone present who had witnessed the events from beginning to end now feared Cheng Zongyang!

Brutal!

Decisive!

Cold!

This was the impression they formed of Cheng Zongyang!

He acted with brutal ruthlessness, his methods were decisive, and his heart was ice-cold!

This was not something a fifteen-year-old boy should be. He was more of an adult than most adults!

"Dad, isn’t that kid a bit too ruthless?"

A young man next to Li Ming, named Li Kunhe, was Li Ming’s eldest son.

He couldn’t bear to watch as the members of the Jin clan, who had no power to fight back, were shot down.

Hearing this, Li Ming frowned. "It’s not that he’s ruthless, it’s that he has to be!"

He watched Cheng Zongyang pull his arrows from the corpses one by one with a cold expression, taking the opportunity to teach his son: 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"This village is full of petty squabbles and bullshit. You’re still young, and you have me, your father, to handle things, and our clansmen to back you up. That’s why no one dares to bully you casually.

But the Cheng Family is the only one of their line in this village. Of the two brothers, one moved to the County Town, leaving only Cheng Guanghai’s household here.

But I’ve met Cheng Guanghai’s father, Elder Cheng. He was an old man with vision and courage, and he was just as ruthless. If Elder Cheng hadn’t been ruthless, his family wouldn’t have been able to survive in this village.

After Elder Cheng passed away, Cheng Guanghai had to become the pillar of the family, and he had to be ruthless too. Otherwise, everyone would have taken advantage of his youth and pushed his family around, and their lives would have been miserable! His Archery was the foundation of his strength, the reason few dared to provoke him!

Now, in these times of drought, the world has changed. Cheng Guanghai is injured, and without someone strong-willed and ruthless at home, they can’t hold things together.

If Cheng Zongyang isn’t ruthless, his family is truly finished! That’s why... he’s a man!"

At this point, Li Ming turned to his son, his expression grave. "A man must be ruthless! If you’re not, you can’t protect your home, you can’t protect your people! Otherwise, what’s the point of you being born a man?

Son, remember, in this world, I don’t expect you to bring glory to our ancestors, but you must be ruthless! Soft-hearted people don’t live long!"

At the gate, Zhou Hansong watched his decisive nephew, his face a mixture of complex emotions, both happy and worried.

He was happy that his nephew had the Ability and skill to protect his family,

but he worried that such decisiveness would invite retaliation from the Li Zheng, Jin Fugui.

A Li Zheng, no matter how minor, was still an official!

Even though he doesn’t live in Golden Bridge, once word of this gets out, it will surely draw the Li Zheng’s attention!

How can a commoner fight an official?

After dragging all the bodies near the gate to an open area, Cheng Zongyang returned to his front door with his Long Saber and Bow and Arrow.

"Yang’Er," Zhou Hansong asked, his expression worried. "Are you alright?"

Cheng Zongyang was a little tired, but he still nodded and replied, "Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything."

He knew his uncle was not only worried about him, but also about the subsequent retaliation from the Jin Family.

’But to him, none of that is a problem!’

’Since I’ve decided to kill, there’s no way I’m leaving behind any future trouble for my family!’

Next, he worked with his uncle to repair the main gate, then drew some water to wash up. He also threw away his blood-stained clothes.

Outside, the members of the Li and Chen families were clearing away the bodies, but every one of them had a face full of worry.

Would the drifters come again?

If they did, they feared they truly lacked the Power to resist.

In the courtyard, Cheng Zongyang sat on the steps, his cool gaze fixed on the ground.

This wasn’t his first time killing, but the number of people he killed today was the most since he’d arrived in this world.

He had no physical reaction to it.

After killing so much prey, he had long since stopped distinguishing between the bodies of humans and animals.

Killing the drifters was just like killing prey in the mountains!

Although he wasn’t yet an Entry Grade Martial Artist, strength overcomes all techniques. He possessed immense physical power, and his stamina and endurance were far greater than that of an ordinary person.

His exhaustion wasn’t physical, but the mental fatigue that came after relaxing from a state of intense focus.

’The problem now is finding Jin Fugui!’

He had been the Li Zheng for over a decade. Originally, he lived in the village, but he moved to the County Town after the drought began.

He would only come to the village for official business, to register new households, or to collect the tax silver.

For the most part, everything else was handled internally by the villagers according to their clan affiliations.

’I’ll still need to ask around to find out where Jin Fugui lives, though.’

"Big Brother."

Suddenly, a familiar, soft voice of a little girl, tinged with fear, reached his ears.

Cheng Zongyang turned his head and saw the timid little girl standing behind him, her eyelids and eyelashes still damp with tear stains she hadn’t wiped away completely.

"Big Brother."

Hearing the little girl suddenly pronounce the words clearly, Cheng Zongyang couldn’t help but smile, and he immediately opened his arms.

Cheng Zongyun immediately ran to him, wrapping her small hands around her big brother’s neck and burying her face in his shoulder, starting to sob quietly.