Chapter Sixteen: Fierce Battle

The sky had turned completely dark.

The moon was veiled and dim, plunging Zhen Family Village into a shroud of blackness. Only a handful of households still kept their lanterns burning. The wind swept through the treetops, letting out a mournful, whistling sound.

Fang Xiao sat quietly in the courtyard of Old Man Zhen’s house, patiently awaiting the appearance of the yellow weasel. In his left hand, he gripped a triangular bayonet, while his right held a military belt, poised for combat at any moment.

His heart burned with fervor—not a trace of fear, but rather a mounting excitement eager for the test.

Time stretched on, and just as Fang Xiao began to grow impatient, a chilling, ripping noise suddenly resounded at the firmly closed gates. It was as if razor-sharp claws had carved into the wooden boards, leaving deep, gouged marks behind.

The next instant, a shrill voice rang out, abrupt and unsettling: “Old Zhen, open up! We’ve arrived!”

They were here!

Hearing this somewhat familiar voice, Fang Xiao’s spirit soared. Without hesitation, he leapt to his feet, covering the distance to the door in three quick strides. He reached out and drew back the bolt.

At the same time, he deliberately lowered his voice, trembling as he said, “C-come in...”

With that, he stepped back.

Bang!

With a dull crash, the wooden door was slammed open from the outside. Before him stood a massive yellow weasel, upright on its hind legs!

Its eyes glowed an eerie green, like twin orbs of ghostly fire, brimming with sinister malice. It was about to storm into the yard when, without warning, an old cowhide belt, whistling with force, came crashing down from above.

The gleaming five-star steel buckle flashed before the weasel’s eyes. Its pupils shrank in terror—the nightmarish memory of pain surged through its mind.

In the nick of time, it instinctively jerked its head aside, narrowly dodging the descending steel buckle. Yet the buckle, driven by tremendous strength, still smashed heavily onto the beast’s furry back.

Crack!

The sharp report of the strike was almost simultaneous with the crunch of splintering bone.

“Ah!” The weasel let out a tortured wail as it was sent sprawling to the ground. The agony it had once tasted now returned, tenfold in intensity!

This soul-piercing pain left the newly intelligent creature utterly helpless—tears and snot streaming down, its hindquarters soaking the earth in humiliating defeat. So agonizing was the blow that, writhing on the ground, the beast could only emit hoarse, choking gasps, its limbs twitching and tail curled tight—a pitiful, dreadful sight.

At that moment, Fang Xiao, wielding the military belt, strode boldly across the threshold. Though the night was dark and the wind high, he immediately spotted four figures ahead: one large and three smaller yellow weasels. The largest stood upright, while the three smaller ones crouched on all fours—strength and weakness instantly apparent.

Without a moment’s pause, Fang Xiao unleashed the military belt again, bringing it down mercilessly on the large yellow weasel. The beast reacted quickly, raising its forepaws to defend itself, but it had never before faced the punishment of materialism—nor did it understand the power of Fang Xiao’s belt!

Snap!

Its paws managed to grasp the belt, but the steel buckle still lashed across its face with brutal force. The weasel’s nose caved in, its left eye bursting open in a spray of blood and torn flesh.

Unable to help itself, the beast released its grip, howling in agony as it fell to the fate of its companion.

Should this weasel survive, the savage beating it endured tonight would forever haunt its nightmares, waking in terror at the memory of such unbearable pain.

At that moment—squeak, squeak!—two of the smaller weasels lunged at Fang Xiao from either side, while the third sprang high, claws slashing for his face.

They attacked with wild ferocity and impressive speed, but Fang Xiao was already prepared. With his left hand, he drove the triangular bayonet forward, meeting the oncoming beast head-on. His right foot snapped out toward another attacker.

Splurt!

The sharp military bayonet pierced the skull of the first weasel without resistance. At the same moment—thud!—Fang Xiao’s right foot sent another beast flying.

But one small weasel managed to latch onto Fang Xiao’s leg, jaws agape, ready to bite down.

Snap!

The military belt came down in time, ruthlessly whipping the creature away.

In mere moments, Fang Xiao, facing two large and three small yellow weasels, had achieved overwhelming victory. Had this been the Fang Xiao of only a short while ago, such a feat would have been impossible.

But now, he was a martial artist at the Tempered Body stage, his “Dragon-Tiger Stance” honed to mastery. His strength, speed, perception, and reaction far surpassed his former self.

Correspondingly, the weapons in his hands carried far greater might. He swiftly withdrew his left hand, drawing the bayonet smoothly from the weasel’s skull, letting its body tumble lifeless to the ground.

[Experience +5]

A silent notification flickered before Fang Xiao’s eyes, but he had no time to dwell on it. He swung the belt again, striking a small weasel as it tried to flee.

Fang Xiao already knew—slaying monsters would earn him experience points, which could be used to enhance his martial skills. His “Dragon-Tiger Stance” had reached mastery by this very method.

But it still wasn’t enough. He needed far more experience.

Snap!

One strike broke the beast’s spine, leaving it paralyzed on the ground.

Snap!

A second blow caved in its skull—another five experience points claimed.

Exhilarated by the carnage, Fang Xiao turned his attention to the large weasel still writhing on the ground.

Strike while the iron is hot—never let a defeated foe escape!

With absolute dominance, Fang Xiao showed no mercy or pity to the monster at his feet. The belt flashed, steel buckle gleaming, scattering blood with every blow. The heavy cracks of the whip mingled with the fracturing of bones and the beast’s hoarse laments, until at last all fell silent.

[Experience +15], [Experience +15], [Experience +5]...

In the end, all five yellow weasels—two large, three small—lay dead, yielding a total of forty-five experience points to Fang Xiao.

Gazing at the bloodied, mangled corpses littering the ground, Fang Xiao felt a surge of satisfaction. The stifling resentment that had weighed on his heart was now utterly dispelled.

“Hurry, hurry!”

“Over here!”

“It’s at Uncle Dashan’s house!”

At that moment, the clamor of hurried footsteps and shouts echoed from nearby. Flickering torches approached—a group of villagers rushing toward Fang Xiao’s location.

Clearly, the commotion of Fang Xiao’s battle with the yellow weasels had stirred the entire Zhen Family Village.