The Nine Cauldrons - Volume 2 - Chapter 34

 Two hundred taels of silver

The eyes of the Second Leader, who was currently mounted on the Scarlet Flame Horse, flashed as he pondered and said, “This fellow named Teng Qingshan really is strong. Plus, within the region of the Yi City, the people are extremely tough. If he pushed too forcefully, these uncivilized people might really fight. During the annihilation of the Black Wood Village, many brothers of my Iron Mountain Gang died. If a fight broke were to break out today…… I’m afraid that half of the thousand brothers I brought here today would die!

The valiance of Teng Jia Village was famous in the region.

Today, the Second Leader also noticed that the Teng Jia Village actually had internal strength experts, and he had no choice but to be wary. If a fight was to break out with a village that possessed internal experts, it would still be a pyrrhic victory for his thousand mounted gangsters. With the coming battle between the Iron Mountain gang and the White Horse Gang, it was really not worth it to lose a large amount of men and horses at Teng Jia Village.
……

Just as Teng Qingshan spoke, the earth cracked, and many Teng Jia Villagers secretly rejoiced as they stared at the mounted gang leader. The mounted gangsters of the Iron Mountain Gang were also staring at their Second Leader. Right now, everyone was waiting for the Second Leader to speak!
“Haha…….” The Second Leader laughed and glared at Teng Qingshan, who was below him, staring up with fierce eyes. He then spoke, “Good skills! Seeing you, little brother, with such skills, I have the urge to fight. How about you and I compete?”

“Compete?

The Teng clan members all looked towards Teng Qingshan.

“Qingshan, don’t go.” Teng Yunlong whispered, “This Second Leader has ventured the outside world and definitely has many tricks. Plus, his internal strength is astonishing. With one strike of his hammer, he destroyed the entrance of the Teng Jia Village into pieces. He’s hard to deal with, and if he made brutal moves during the competition, Qingshan…….You are still young..

Not only Teng Yunlong was worried, Teng Yongfan and Yuan Lan were also very worried.

In their eyes, that Second Leader was an old bird full of scheme. As for their son, he had always ventured the region of the Yi City, and had only seen a few internal martial arts masters.

“Father, Mother, Grandfather, it’ll be alright. Second Leader is a powerful senior and he wouldn’t hold a grudge against me.” Teng Qingshan smiled and walked over with the long spear in hand. He then gestured and said, “I have heard that the Second Leader is more valiant than others. With one strike of the hammer, you destroyed the Teng Jia Village entrance, thus, I also have the urge to fight.

“Haha, great!

The Second Leader laughed and said, “Because you promised to compete with me, decreasing the annual tribute is able to be done with one sentence. Come, little brother. But watch out!”

With this, the Second Leader leaped down from the horse with two red copper hammers in his hands.

“Back off.” The Second Leader yelled.

Immediately, the Mounted gangsters in the training field pulled the ropes, and led the war horses to to a side, allowing a twenty Zhang wide open space. The Second Leader holding the two huge red copper hammers was the only one in the center of the open space. When the Second Leader unmounted, the Teng Clan members then realized that the physique of this Second Leader was extremely brawny. Under the glowing radiance of the sun, the balded gangster was like an iron casting, and with the red copper hammers in hand, he was like a devil.

“Qingshan, don’t be rash. Your life is more important.”

Teng Yunlong stared at this grandson of his, as he felt extremely anxious and nervous.

Teng Qingshan cast a smile at his relatives, and strode towards the center of the open space with the Damascus Steel Spear in hand.

The Second Leader was strong and brawny like a devil. Teng Qingshan’s stature was considered strong, but in comparison to the Second Leader, he was conspicuously one size smaller.

The two people were facing one another in the center of the opening space.

“Please.” The Second Leader gestured.

“Please.” Teng Qingshan also gestured.

“Be careful.” The Second Leader moved and darted towards Teng Qingshan like a shooting arrow as the iron chain held in his right hand started waving. One of the Red Copper Hammers rotated rapidly above the Second Leader’s head, as if it was a flaming wheel. The instant the second Leader approached Teng Qingshan, he swung his right hand forward forcefully.

“Whew!”

Like flashing lightning, the rotating red copper hammer made a howling sound as it smashed towards Teng Qingshan.

Coldness flashed through the eyes of Teng Qingshan, who had been standing still, and the Damascus Steel Spear dragged an arc like a flood dragon, touching the red copper hammer. The red copper hammer immediately changed it’s direction and went towards the side.

Teng Qingshan thrust against the ground!

Whew!

He dashed forward, and the Damascus Steel Spear became like a black lightning as it pierced towards the Second Leader’s chest.

“Good Spear skills” The Second Leader yelled and the iron chain revolved and actually wound Teng Qingshan’s long spear. At the same time, he inclined his body as he darted forward and waved the red copper hammer in his hand, smashing it towards Teng Qingshan’s head.

“Eh?”

Teng Qingshan was also surprised by the rotation of the iron chain. This rotation that seemed so simple, yet had been able to revolve with such rapid speed without affecting the two red copper hammers. Without years of hard work, it was extremely difficult.

“Break!” Teng Qingshan yelled.

The Long spear in his hand suddenly quivered, and struck on the waist of the Second Leader along with the iron chain, smashing the Second Leader into the air. The tight iron chain also loosened. Taking the chance, Teng Qingshan hurriedly redrew his long spear and leaped up into the air, thrusting his spear towards the Second Leader in the sky.

“Mountain Hammer Blast!” The Second Leader’s face reddened as he let out a thundering roar. The red copper hammer held in his right hand started making a weird noise. It then slashed through the air and pounded towards the Damascus Steel Spear. The hammer fell like a ten thousand Jin huge rock – a weight that man simply can’t defend again.

Teng Qingshan was still in midair and the long spear in his hand thrusted towards the red copper hammer. As a clang sounded, the Damascus Steel Spear turned the instant it touched the red copper hammer.

Pursuing Shadows Spear Art!

“Pu!” The Long spear directly pierced the Second Leader’s chest.

However, who would have expect that when the Second Leader struck the Red Copper Hammer, the Red Copper Hammer in his left hand was also blasted down simultaneously.

“Clang.” When Teng Qingshan knocked away the hammer, the Second Leader dodged in the middle of the air and seized the chance to grab Teng Qingshan’s spear shaft.

“Let go!” The Second Leader thundered.

Teng Qingshan only felt powerful internal strength transmitting towards him through the spear shaft. The strength in Teng Qingshan’s hand suddenly increased drastically, instilling ten thousand jin worth of strength onto the spear shaft. The strength went along the spear shaft to the Second Leader‘s hand, where the Second Leader immediately felt a painful sensation and released the spear shaft immediately. He then immediately maneuvered his internal strength and descended at an extremely rapid speed.

The Second Leader held the iron chain with his left hand, as he dragged the two copper hammers. His right hand was trembling slightly because of the extremely painful sensation.

“He really wanted death for grabbing my spear shaft.” Teng Qingshan said to himself in his mind. After reaching the level of One with the Spear, the long spear had basically become Teng Qingshan’s hands and feet. For the Second Leader to want Teng Qingshan to let go of the long spear – that would mean breaking his hands and legs, and it wouldn’t be that easy.

“Haiya~~~” The Second Leader’s expression was horrifying. He held the handle of the Red Copper Hammers in each of his hands and roared. Waving the two hundred Jin Red Copper hammers, he instantly dashed before Teng Qingshan.

“Eighteen Mountain Hammer Blast!”

The thundering sound boomed above the training field.

The two Red Copper Hammers smashed again and again, like river water flowing continuously, and each smash was even stronger than the previous smash.

“Qingshan!”

The clan members of the Teng Jia Village, and even the mounted gangsters, were astonished with their eyes and mouths widened. The speed of that Red Copper Hammer was so fast that they only managed to see flashes of shadows. The shadows of the hammers were rapid and fierce, continuous like an explosive flood of water.

“Clang!” “Clang!” “Clang!” …….

As the continuous clashing sound rang, the figures of the long spear and Red Copper Hammer were so concentrated that people couldn’t see clearly.

“Bang!”

The clashing sound suddenly disappeared

“Phew.” Teng Qingshan flew up, and fell onto the ground immediately, with the weight of a thousand Jin. His face was reddened, and gestured, “The Second Leader’s strength is so incredible. I surrender.”

The Second Leader’s face was flushed as he redrew the two hammers. He then scrutinized Teng Qingshan, and laughed out loud, “Good! As expected, good skills! In this region of Yi city, there aren’t more than ten who didn’t die after accepting eighteen of my Blast Mountain Hammer! And you are one of them. I, Wang Tiefeng, see you, Teng Qingshan, as a friend.”

“Since we are friends, I, Wang Tiefeng, will give you face. In your Teng Jia Village, one person pays one string of copper, and we will see it as if this thing has never happened.” The second Leader said straightforwardly.

“As expected, the Second Leader is bold and forthright.”

“Grandfather.” Teng Qingshan turned his head and looked to the other side.

Hearing that one person only need to pay one string of copper, chief Teng Yunlong immediately pooled money with the people around him. With the price of one string of copper per person, the entire Teng Jia Village only needed to pay two hundred silver taels, since ten strings of copper was one silver taels. This price was a lot lower than the annual tribute of the White Horse Gang.

Teng Yongfan immediately sent the two hundred silver taels.

“Collect the annual tribute.” The Second Leader commanded.

Immediately, some mounted gangster collected the two hundred silver taels.

“Brother Qingshan, when will you come to my Iron Mountain Gang? When you come, I will definitely treat you with good meat, good liquor, and beautiful women. Today, I won’t be staying any longer. Brothers, let’s go.” The Second Leader, Wang Tie Feng, leapt up the Scarlet Flame Horse and led the group of mounted gangsters away, rapidly disappearing from sight.

On the road away from the Teng Jia Village, the mounted gangsters dotted the area.
“Second Leader.” A young man mounting a azure mane horse hastily asked, “You’re just letting that kid go like this?”

“Hmmph.” The Second Leader humphed deeply and scolded, “He’s so powerful at such an age. Tell me, to be able to teach such a powerful disciple, how powerful do you think his teacher is? The less trouble the better. Right now is the crucial moment for the battle against the White Horse Gang, so it’s not beneficial to make enemies.
“Second Leader, you are right.”The young man praised.

Yet, the Second Leader himself lowered his head and stared at his chest. On his chest, there was a hole in his clothing. As he recalled the scene that happened earlier, the Second Leader couldn’t help but feel fear as sweat ran down his back, “This Teng Qingshan accepted eighteen of my Mountain Hammer Blasts, and still had the strength to kill me. Today, I almost died. If this Teng Qingshan didn’t think about my big brother, and the three thousand brothers of the Iron Mountain Gang, I would’ve died today.” The scene earlier was too fast, such that outsiders couldn’t see clearly, but the Second Leader himself knew.

It might’ve seemed that Teng Qingshan was thrown to the air and then surrendered.

However, the truth was that Teng Qingshan had pierced his clothing with a touch of his spear. He then redrew his spear and backed away, before throwing himself into the air, pretending to lose.

At that moment, Teng Qingshan totally had the chance to kill him.

Since Teng Qingshan gave him face, the Second Leader would also return the favor by going with the price of one strings of copper per person. Plus, if a fight really broke out……even if the Teng Jia Village was slaughtered, not many of his one thousand men could survive. Most importantly, he himself wouldn’t survive.