Chapter 25: Facing the Five Tigers Alone, A Slight Regret

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Chapter 25: Fighting the Five Dan Tigers Alone, with Some Regret

Seeing that the Five Tigers of the Dan Clan had already been subdued by the five elders of the Beggars’ Sect, Zhang Fang immediately grew displeased.

The reward for my quest has not even arrived yet, and you people have already rushed to take down the Five Tigers of the Dan Clan. What is the meaning of this?

To protect his own interests, he immediately cupped his fists toward the elders of the Beggars’ Sect and said solemnly, “My thanks to the esteemed elders of the Beggars’ Sect for your assistance. However, heroes from all over the realm have come to the Worthy Gathering Manor today to attend the Heroes’ Assembly. With so many heroes gathered under one roof, it would be a pity if there were no martial contest to enliven the occasion.”

As he spoke, Zhang Fang cast a glance toward the Five Tigers of the Dan Clan. “Since the five brothers of the Dan family wish to instruct this junior in martial arts, I am more than willing to oblige. I hope the honored elders will permit it.”

Upon hearing this, everyone present could not help but inwardly exclaim at the boy’s cunning. He clearly knew that he had already thoroughly offended Dan Zheng, and was now determined to go all the way, using the Five Tigers of the Dan Clan as stepping stones to make a name for himself!

It had to be known that, taken individually, the Five Tigers of the Dan Clan might not necessarily be stronger than Qi Liu, whom Zhang Fang had fought the day before. The eldest, Dan Boshan, was at most only a little stronger than Qi Liu, while the youngest, Dan Xiaoshan, was roughly on the same level as Tian Meng. It was merely that the five brothers possessed the backing of Mount Tai’s Dan Clan, and had always acted together with flawless coordination. That was how they had forged reputations far greater than those of Tian Meng and Qi Liu.

Today, so long as Zhang Fang defeated all five of them in front of the heroes of the realm, he could use their fame to elevate his own standing and establish himself as one of the outstanding rising talents of the martial world.

Once everyone understood the crucial point, they no longer tried to stop him.

The elders of the Beggars’ Sect released the Five Tigers of the Dan Clan. Zhang Fang then strode to the center of the courtyard, raised the steel shield in his hand, and said to the five men, “Brothers of the Dan family, there is no need for courtesy. Come at me together.”

What?

When the crowd heard that Zhang Fang intended to challenge all five men at once, another uproar erupted.

Xue Muhua was about to call out a warning, but Elder Xu stopped him. “Divine Physician Xue, judging from Tan Zhi’s performance today, he is clearly not a reckless man. Since he dares to challenge the Five Tigers of the Dan Clan simultaneously, he must have something to rely upon. We need only watch.”

After a slight pause, he added, “Besides, several elders of our Beggars’ Sect are here to keep watch. I guarantee that nothing will go wrong.”

At those final words, the Five Tigers of the Dan Clan felt utterly dejected.

Given the current situation, even if they won, they would certainly be unable to injure You Tanzhi. Moreover, victory through numbers would be dishonorable, while defeat would be even more humiliating. No matter how one looked at it, they were the ones at a disadvantage.

Just as the five hesitated, Zhang Fang gave a cold laugh and mocked them once more. “Five brothers of the Dan family, when you attacked me just now, you never spoke of the rules of the martial world. Why is it that now, when I have given you an opportunity, you have suddenly become so useless?”

At this, the Five Tigers of the Dan Clan finally could not bear it any longer. Their leader, Dan Boshan, shouted angrily, “Since you are determined to seek death, the five of us will grant your wish.”

With that, the five men surged forward together, and Zhang Fang raised his shield to meet them.

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From the very beginning, the battle entered a fever pitch!

The Five Tigers of the Dan Clan had grown up together. They had learned martial arts under their father from childhood, and after mastering their skills, they had continued to roam the martial world together. Their mutual understanding was naturally beyond that of ordinary fighters. With all five striking at once, the strength they displayed was certainly far more than the simple sum of five individuals.

By contrast, Zhang Fang appeared completely unhurried while facing the assault of five young experts. The round shield in his hands shifted between offense and defense, every movement smooth and natural yet precise and disciplined. Compared with the clumsy performance he had shown against Tian Meng, Qi Liu, and the others the day before, he seemed like an entirely different person.

At times he wielded the steel shield for both attack and defense. At other times he hurled it outward, using the iron chain in his hand to guide and control the changes between offense and defense. He was actually using the shield like a meteor hammer, yet every attack forced his enemies to save themselves.

The Five Tigers of the Dan Clan were indeed formidable, and they were skilled at fighting in concert. Unfortunately, they had just been captured alive in public by the elders of the Beggars’ Sect, losing both face and momentum. With their spirits deflated, the strength they could now bring to bear was naturally greatly diminished.

After only a dozen exchanges, Zhang Fang had completely forced them onto the defensive!

Watching this, Elder Xu could not help murmuring in admiration, “I never expected that this child Tan Zhi had already cultivated his family’s shield technique to such a profound level. If we speak only of shield techniques, I fear he is no less accomplished than the Twin Heroes of the You Clan.”

Upon hearing this, experts among the crowd with discerning eyes—Xuannan, Xuanji, Master Tan, Madam Tan, Zhao Qiansun, and others—could not help nodding repeatedly. In their hearts, they silently agreed with Elder Xu’s assessment.

Yet this immediately gave rise to a new question in everyone’s mind.

If he possessed such strength, why had he performed so poorly when fighting Tian Meng, Qi Liu, and the others the previous day?

Could it be that he had been deliberately concealing his abilities?

Only Xue Muhua, who was most familiar with the Twin Heroes of the You Clan, did not agree with Elder Xu’s assessment, though he said nothing aloud.

How could You Tanzhi’s shield technique merely be no less accomplished than that of the Twin Heroes of the You Clan?

In terms of shield mastery alone, he had clearly surpassed his predecessors!

It was simply that, aside from their shield techniques, each of the Twin Heroes of the You Clan possessed another unique skill. One wielded a saber, while the other carried a spear. Combined with their family’s shield technique, those skills allowed them to unleash an even more terrifying level of practical combat power.

Furthermore, the two heroes were older, and the internal power they had accumulated was far beyond what the current You Tanzhi could match. In a one-on-one fight, either of them could still easily teach this child a painful lesson.

Even so, there was no denying that You Tanzhi’s talent for martial arts was absolutely the most extraordinary Xue Muhua had ever seen in his life.

Perhaps, if an opportunity arose in the future, he could introduce the boy to his venerable master…

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Just as Xue Muhua began wandering into his own thoughts, Zhang Fang seized an opening on the battlefield and hurled his shield. It struck Dan Xiaoshan directly in the chest, knocking the saber from his grasp and sending him flying backward with blood spraying from his mouth.

Having forcibly torn open a gap in the five-man formation, Zhang Fang immediately increased the pressure. His ferocious attacks poured toward the remaining four men in an unbroken barrage.

Yet with Dan Xiaoshan suddenly gravely wounded and forced from the battle, the other four inevitably lost their formation. Concern for their younger brother’s injuries further weakened their fighting spirit. Under Zhang Fang’s renewed assault, they were immediately reduced to doing nothing but parrying, utterly incapable of striking back. Their numerical advantage vanished completely.

After three moves, Dan Zhongshan was struck in the back by Zhang Fang’s flying shield.

After five moves, Dan Shushan was swept across the ribs by a horizontal strike.

After six moves, Dan Jishan was struck squarely in the face by a shield blow and sent flying.

At last, Dan Boshan alone remained. Under Zhang Fang’s fierce assault, he managed to hold out for three moves before Zhang Fang kicked him out of the ring.

Thus, the battle between Zhang Fang and the Five Tigers of the Dan Clan finally came to an end with Zhang Fang’s overwhelming victory.

Fortunately, Zhang Fang still had to consider his future quests. He also needed to preserve his glorious image in the eyes of the assembled heroes, so he had not attacked with lethal force. Though the five men had been defeated and injured, their wounds were fortunately not serious. Led by Dan Zheng, who was equally unwilling to remain there after losing face, they left the Worthy Gathering Manor in disgrace.

[You have completed the hidden quest “The Five Tigers of the Dan Clan.” Reward received: Bronze Weapon Chest x1!]

After receiving the quest reward, Zhang Fang did not hurry to inspect it. Instead, he gave a sarcastic snort and said, “The Iron-Faced Judge has many sons, yet five against one still ended in defeat. Truly, what an awe-inspiring display!”

Those words amounted to a public slap across Dan Zheng’s old face. Zhang Fang had assumed that no matter how deep the old man’s self-restraint, he would be unable to resist stepping forward to teach this insolent junior a lesson.

Unexpectedly, the old man merely snorted coldly before leaving the Worthy Gathering Manor without even turning his head, taking his five sons with him. He gave Zhang Fang no chance to continue exploiting the father and sons.

Watching the backs of the six men disappear into the distance, Zhang Fang could only sigh inwardly in resignation.

During the earlier battle, he had refrained from using Dragon-Subduing Regret, which had already reached Level 4, waiting for the next hidden quest to activate so that he could land a truly vicious blow on Dan Zheng. He had never expected the old bastard to be such a coward. Even after being mocked so mercilessly, he still refused to make a move, leaving the underhanded trick Zhang Fang had spent the entire night preparing without a chance to be used.

A little disappointing!

End of Chapter