Chapter 228: Gang Lie and Sweet Talk
Bai Ya’s probing attack was thwarted, and he quickly took a few steps back to create distance.
The human mercenaries quieted down by half.
Although everyone knew the water pigman was physically strong, after they all saw Bai Ya clash with the water pigman, they noticed what the disparity really looked like.
“Hei Ya, don’t lose your head, that guy barely touched a blade, his technique is far below yours.” Xu Ma suddenly shouted.
When that yell transmitted into Bai Ya’s ears, it calmed his fickle heart by a lot.
His gaze became sharp as he attacked once again.
Like Xu Ma said, the water pigman’s weapon technique was much worse than Bai Ya’s.
For a moment, the water pigman blocked left and right as Bai Ya did his best to look for an opening.
The water pigman’s strength made it difficult for Bai Ya to contest, while Bai Ya’s skill and agility left the water pigman at a loss.
The stamina of both quickly declined, and Bai Ya was the first to show signs, forcing him to slow his attacks.
The water pigman felt the pressure on him lessen, and he gradually adapted to the fight.
The interest of the spectators around them gradually waned as time went on.
Both the water pigman and Bai Ya had firm fighting spirit, neither willing to concede.
This fight went on for a surprising long time!
“Draw.” Finally, it was Zong Ge who stopped the fight.
The scene was too difficult to watch.
Both sides were so exhausted that they were half kneeling on the deck and had to use their full strength to heave their cutlasses.
Bai Ya was carried off by the humans.
“Youngster, you didn’t lose face for humanity.”
“Not too bad, at least you didn’t lose.”
“Why wasn’t I picked, I would have beaten up that pig head!”
The mercenaries had a good attitude towards Bai Ya.
Although Bai Ya didn’t beat his opponent, everyone saw his tenacity to never admit defeat.
His stamina was gone, yet Bai Ya still persevered.
Of course, this was also because the water pigman was too unskilled and couldn’t seize any openings.
“Repulsive!” Bai Ya clenched his fists, his mood terrible.
When he was carried to Xu Ma’s side, he asked, “Leader, is that a beastman?”
“They are stronger, have more endurance, and better defenses than us humans.”
“My cutlass hit his body, and would leave a scratch at most, they didn’t even seem to feel pain from it.”
Xu Ma sneered, “Of course there are racial differences between humans and beastmen. But don’t you think beastmen are too strong.”
“In this fight, you finally experience a beastman’s advantages.”
“But their weaknesses?”
“It is their intellect, they can’t compare to our learning capabilities, and their magic talents are also quite weak.”
“Otherwise, how could our empire attack the beastmen’s Wilderness Continent?”
“Most crucially, your tactics were wrong, therefore your fight was very challenging.”
“If I took the field and gave you a demonstration, then you would understand.”
When Zong Ge heard Xu Ma’s words, he pointed his finger at him, “Since you said that, then you’ll be going up next.”
Xu Ma stared blankly, then cheered to raise his spirits, “Hehe, then observe!”
Zong Ge looked back to the water pigmen, “Gang Lie, you are the strongest bronze level, take the field!”
“Roar, roar.” The bronze level water pigman Gang Lie roared twice and glared at Xu Ma, then strode forth to the middle of the deck.
The surrounding crowd exploded with excitement again.
Bai Ya sat on the deck, leaning against the side of the ship, and stared without blinking for an instant.
Xu Ma had the Dark Earth Spider bloodline; thus, he had long legs and feet, his figure was very tall, but he was always stooped and bowed and scraped to many people, making people feel he wasn’t that tall.
But when confronting the even taller and sturdy water pigman, Xu Ma straightened his back for the first time.
The mercenaries noticed this startling difference, as it turns out, Xu Ma was really tall.
Xu Ma twitched his finger at the water pigman, his provocation very intense.
The water pigman Gang Lie had an obvious irascible temperament, and he immediately charged.
He brandished two hammers and swung them ruthlessly towards Xu Ma.
Xu Ma stood in place, motionless, then when the hammers were about to hit him, he suddenly vanished.
Battle skill – Backstab.
A moment later, Xu Ma appeared behind the water pigman, his dagger ferociously stabbing Gang Lie’s back.
Because the dagger was wrapped in thick cloth, it only left a bruise on Gang Lie’s naked back.
Gang Lie howled and turned around suddenly, sweeping his hammers around in an arc towards Xu Ma.
Xu Ma shortened his height, abruptly going from 1.9 meters to 0.5 meters.
In Gang Lie’s field of view, Xu Ma seemed to disappear.
He unconsciously thought Xu Ma was repeating the same trick again, dodging behind him, and simply increased his power to seize the opportunity to use his own battle skill – Whirling Body Hammer.
Using his own body as an axle, both iron hammers in his hands whirled in a circle.
The iron hammers whistled through the air, raising a gale, its might frightening the people.
But it didn’t hit Xu Ma.
Xu Ma just squatted in place, easily dodging Gang Lie’s attack.
His line of sight concentrated on Gang Lie’s buttocks.
A moment later, his mouth curled up, exposing a sinister and ruthless smile.
Battle skill – Eye Jab!
Battle qi flowed, accelerating Xu Ma’s hand, speeding his cloth wrapped dagger into an ‘eye hole’ on the lower part of the water pigman’s body.
“Oo…ah – oh!”
Within a few seconds, Gan Lie’s modulated roar actually went from anger to pain and misery, in a string of rolling emotions.
He seemed to be electrocuted, causing him to run forward as his offensive posture abruptly fell apart and his hammers fell away as both hands subconsciously covered his buttocks.
Xu Ma took out the dagger and slowly stood up, his eyes following the water pigman Gang Lie as they “madly and violently” ran until they crashed over the side of the ship with a bang and fell into the ocean.
“I won.” Xu Ma raised his right arm, his right hand still holding that dagger.
The wrapped cloth dagger was bright red.
The humans didn’t cheer, for they all felt their hearts chill.
Bai Ya was dumbstruck as he thought, “Leader, I can’t copy your attack method!”
The water pigmen seemed to be in a nightmare that they were waking up from.
They wailed loudly, and two or three of the water pigmen rushed to jump into the ocean to save Gang Lie, while the rest of them pointed at Xu Ma and loudly cursed him, their angry eyes were bloodshot, their wrath demanded murder!
“Xu Ma is victorious!” Zong Ge loudly declared while simultaneously glaring at the water pigmen for a moment, “On the battlefield, it goes without saying anything can be used, life and death is nothing to being despicable and shameless!”
“Anyone want to teach them a lesson?”
“This will be your final chance for today.”
An iron level pigman let out a torrent of abuse and walked onto the deck.
Xu Man rushed to withdraw.
The water pigman was so angry that it made Xu Ma feel that if he was a bit slower, that iron level water pigman would beat him up.
Zong Ge looked at Tripleblade, “This time, you’re up.”
Tripleblade faintly stared at him, then understood somewhat, and he walked to the middle of the deck.
The water pigman turned around to see Tripleblade, and after getting past his astonishment, he turned serious.
He looked at Zong Ge.
It was very obvious that Tripleblade was Zong Ge’s competent assistant.
Zong Ge said to the water pigman, “If you can defeat him, you can supplant his position!”
The water pigman’s eyes shined, and with a low growl, his battle intent rose dramatically.
Tripleblade coldly snorted, took out a dagger, and held it in his hand.
Battle skill – Extreme Speed, stage three.
Battle skill – Lightning Attack!
Tripleblade charged forward, quickly resembling a line of shadow.
The shadow easily passed by the water pigman.
The water pigman rigidly and sluggishly stood in place, his eyes wide open, then a second later, he fell to the ground with a loud bang, his big face planting itself into the deck.
The shadow dissipated, and Tripleblade stood behind the water pigman.
As he lightly sheathed his dagger, the crowd finally reacted.
It was an uproar.
“So strong!”
“He felled them in just one attack.”
“It wasn’t just one move, moron, he used at least two battle skills simultaneously.”
“His dagger isn’t ordinary either, it is an iron level weapon!”
Everyone discussed spiritedly.
Zong Ge nodded with satisfaction, and Tripleblade respectfully returned to Zong Ge’s side.
Tripleblade was an iron level, and a former mercenary commander. He was naturally proficient with his battle skills and using two of them simultaneously was as effortless as moving his fingers.
More importantly was that he improved his dagger.
The survivors had granted capital to improve their comrades’ equipment.
Bai Ya and Lan Zao had benefited from his, and Tripleblade too had gotten an iron level dagger – Sweet Talk.
The dagger’s attacks also caused paralysis.
It was worth mentioning that the paralysis did not take effect through cutting or touching, but through sound.
As long as the sound hit the target, it could paralysis them.
So, despite the dagger being wrapped in cloth, after it hit the water pigman, its friction left a deep mark on their body.
The iron level pigman was consequently struck by this, and was paralyzed all over, causing him to fall and his face to smash into the deck, unable to stand back up.
After seeing their strongest companion so effortlessly knocked down by the short human, the water pigmen became grave and heavy, their gazes exposing ever more dread.
Of course, there was still anger and indignation.
After all, Tripleblade held the superiority in equipment.
But the water pigmen didn’t dare to be angry or speak, they were mere slaves, and in addition, according to Zong Ge’s words from before, everything can be used on the battlefield, and using good equipment was a matter of course and beyond criticism.
Zong Ge looked at the water pigmen, “Today’s solo training is merely the beginning.”
“I treat all of my subordinates equally.”
“The Quick Knife battle squad is an example right before your eyes.”
“I will give you better equipment, teach you a more outstanding battle qi technique, and train you to fight.”
“What I just said is similarly valid, whoever can publicly defeat another in a one on one, they can supersede their position.”
Zong Ge put a finger on Tripleblade.
Tripleblade sighed to himself, but outwardly he raised his head, his face callous and disdainful.
The water pigment couldn’t help but growl, their fighting spirit greatly stimulated, and at the same time, they had been taught a bitter lesson that destroyed the pride many of them held deep within their hearts.
Zong Ge’s hidden goal had been attained.
He continued to preside over military training, and Tripleblade was his assistant.
Apart from his, Chi Lai also participated.
As a former navy gunner, Chi Lai was responsible for drilling and teaching mercenaries how to use cannons.
The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps’ 11 ships were all almost completely packed with cannons.
After the battle for Two Eyes Island, there were too many dead, and there were both ships and cannons in surplus.
But Chi Lai was not satisfied and told the dragonman youngster bluntly that they needed to improve their cannons.
Because most of them were ordinary cannons.
Chi Lai also mentioned the gold level cannon, asking the dragonman youngster to think of a way to repair it as soon as possible.
In the days following their departure from the island, he found the time every day to examine the damaged gold cannon, like someone visiting their sick sweetheart.