Chapter 1198: The Four Renegades

The man drained his cup in one gulp and almost immediately started swaying left and right. Looking a little drunk, he praised, “What a fantastic wine. As expected of the Westwind Hunt!”

“You wastrel! The Westwind Hunt is

not

meant to be drunk like that! ‘Westwind hunts, and tears part’. Although Westwind Hunt tastes rich from the get go, it is a rare, strong wine that should be tasted bit by bit! The way you just gulp it down your throat, you couldn’t taste a damn thing, you fool!”

An old man with dirty white hair complained with a painful expression before shuffling over to the young man, smiling obsequiously. “Say, brother, do you mind pouring this old man a cup?”

“It is a kind of fate that we are meeting today, no brother? If you think so, then pour me a cup too!”

“Me too!”

The young man was surprisingly patient and generous. He did not turn anyone down, and it wasn’t long before he had poured everyone in Westwind Inn a cup. This did not stop until the jar of Westwind Hunt was completely empty.

“So, brothers and sisters, does anyone know who’s the guy who killed Zhao Changming?” The young man asked again.

The young man had treated everyone to a cup of delicious wine, so it was only right that they answered his question, especially since it was no secret. For a time, everyone chimed in their opinion.

“Who knows? I heard that he’s a young lad; one who’s not even in his thirties yet!”

“Ridiculous! A Great Grandmaster who’s not in his thirties yet? Not even the Two Temples of Buddha, the Three Temples of Dao, the Five Profound Sects and the Nine Dark Ways could boast such a genius, could they? I heard that he’s just another old monster of the Dark Ways. He just looks young is all.”

“An old Dark Way monster? No way. Can an old monster really earn the Earthly Sovereign Bell’s acknowledgement?”

“Heh, I’m serious. Let me tell you something. Did you know that a massacre took place just yesterday at the Brocade Shirt Marquis Office? Not even a dog was left behind when all was said and done.”

“What! How do I not know about this? Also, are you claiming that the guy’s the one who did it?”

“Who else has the motive to do such a thing? I heard that all two hundred and fifteen people in the Brocade Shirt Marquis Office—even the infants and the dying elderly—were killed. Not a single person survived, and every single one of them died the same way: their flesh and blood was shattered until all that was left was a patch of human skin. Tell me, if this wasn’t done by that old monster, who else could it be?”

“Heavens! That old monster went a bit too far, didn’t he? Every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt its creditor. He already killed Zhao Changming, so why did he go after the innocents? The infants and the elderly too? How inhumane!”

“Why else would I call him an old monster?”

“I can’t believe that the Earthly Sovereign Bell would fall into the hands of a man like that! The heavens must be blind!”

“The heavens

are

blind, so yeah.”

Everyone was echoing in agreement when suddenly, a voice chimed in, “Ahem... I do not think that man is the way you think he is. I don’t think he is the one who massacred the Brocade Shirt Marquis Office either.”

The crowd looked and so that the speaker was none other than the generous young man.

“Why do you say that, youngster? Do you know something?” Someone asked.

“Because he never went to Snowview. How could he possibly slaughter the Brocade Shirt Marquis Office without being present?”

“Hmph! And how would you know that he didn’t go to Snowview? It’s not like you’re him!” Someone scoffed.

“Haha... I said he didn’t, so he didn’t,” the young man replied smilingly.

Seemingly embarrassed that the young man was talking back against him, the man clicked his tongue. “Tsk. What would you know? It’s obvious that you’re a greenhorn who hasn’t weaned off his mother’s tits yet!”

“Hahaha... he’s right, brother. The

jianghu

doesn’t suit you. You should head home and return to your mother’s tits!”

The rest of the crowd echoed in agreement, and some were absolutely trying to fan the flames. For a time, there was only cheer and merriment in Westwind Restaurant.

The young man’s smile never faltered, however. It was almost as if he wasn’t the one they were laughing at.

Clang!

It was at this moment someone slammed open the wooden door of Westwind Restaurant. As a blast of cold wind invaded the interior, everyone shivered involuntarily.

“Motherfucker! It’s freezing over here! Who’s the blind bastard who opened the door like that?!”

A big man standing close to the entrance slammed the table and shot to his feet. Then, right after the words left his lips, his head rolled off his shoulders just like that, widening eyes staring at everyone deeper inside the restaurant.

The noise inside the restaurant disappeared just like that, leaving behind only a dead silence.

The next moment, three people entered the restaurant one after another. They were all male, and they were all in their forties. Their complexion was pale, and their chin was hairless. Not only that, they looked almost identical as if they were created from the same mold. The only thing that distinguished them from one another was their weapons.

One man wielded a long sword with a bamboo sheath. The other wielded a large anti-cavalry saber. The third man wielded a pair of ghost head axes.

The three men boasted a powerful aura and even thicker killing intent. The scent of death they emanated felt even colder than the howling snowstorm outside.

When the customers saw the trio for who they were, they immediately turned as silent as a winter cicada and as white as a sheet.

It wasn’t because of the outside chill. It was fear. Pure, unadulterated fear.

The three men were three of the Four Renegades of Xi Huang.

Wei was split into four regions, twelve cities, thirty six commanderies, and seventy two counties. The four regions were Dong Qian (East), Xi Huang (West), Nan Tian (South), and Bei Kun (North).

Snowview City was located in the Xi Huang region. It was also one of the twelve cities.

Of the four regions, Dong Qian was the wealthiest, Xi Huang was the poorest, Nan Tian was the tallest, and Bei Kun was the most dangerous.

To go more in-depth into the regions, Dong Qian had the best geography with many rich and fertile lands. Xi Huang was beset by constant snowstorms and so was the most barren. Nan Tian boasted a lot of high, flat, and wide plains and so enjoyed a booming livestock industry. Finally, Bei Kun was mostly made of treacherous mountains and steep cliffs, though it also boasted the most amount of natural resources.

In conclusion, all four regions of Wei had their own unique characteristics. Xi Huang, unfortunately, was defined by their poverty and chaos.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Poverty birthed poor people, and poor people bred chaos. Due to the terrible weather and poor environment of Xi Huang, most of its people were as poor as they were suffering. Worse, the imperial court could not be bothered to help them. This led to the collapse of order and the birth of many bandits and sects. Here in Xi Huang, conflicts and chaos were happening everyday, everywhere.

The Four Renegades were notorious even in an anarchical place like Xi Huang, however. They were the Fast Sword, the Mad Saber, the Ghost Axe, and the God Bow.

As its name implied, Fast Sword was proficient at swords. He was especially proficient at fast swords. It was said that his sword emerges from his sheath without a sound, and moves without leaving behind any trace. It was untouchable by the wind nor tainted by the blood of his victims. It was why they called him the Bloodless Killer and the Sword Renegade.

The one who beheaded the complaining man earlier was mostly likely Fast Sword.

Mad Saber was proficient at sabers. As his name implied, his fighting style was crazy, unhinged and suicidal. Hence, they called him the Saber Renegade.

Ghost Axe wielded a pair of axes, and the axes were forged using three hundred and thirty three human bones. Weighing a hefty 499.5 kilograms, every swing conjured a ghostly parade and annihilated gods or demons. Hence, they called him the Axe Renegade.

Finally, God Bow was a master of archery. His archery skill was godlike, and he could easily headshot an enemy from over three thousand meters away. Hence, they called him the Bow Renegade.

Of course, the reason they were called the Four Renegades was because they carried themselves like crazy, cruel monsters. For example, Fast Sword enjoyed beheading his enemies and making cups out of their heads to drink his wine. Mad Saber enjoyed dismembering people and leaving no intact corpses behind. Ghost Axe enjoyed consuming his victims’ Three Heavenly Souls and Seven Earthly Souls to practice his martial art, and God Bow enjoyed torturing his enemies.

Most people agreed that torturing an enemy was senseless and pointless unless it was a hated foe, or if they had an ulterior motive. However, God Bow enjoyed using his victims as target practice after defeating them. He would cover them in arrows and dragged out their deaths for as long as possible. It was because there was nothing he enjoyed more than watching his victims suffer a slow, painful death.

Perhaps the Four Deviants or Four Degenerates would be an apter moniker for the quartet.