We settled in a small inn that Altunay bought from a former owner who wanted to immigrate back to his hometown in the south of the Ba-Shu region which we also known as Sichuan, to be more specific, a small town close to modern-day Chongqing. One of the reasons we chose Hanzhong is because of its strategic position as the gateway to both Sichuan and Yunnan. As the King of Han, Liu Bang will rely heavily on Sichuan's fertile agricultural basin to supply his massive forces. Since the war will continue soon, we realized we must establish the southern food trade routes quickly to support the local population before Liu Bang's troops overpopulate the Hanzhong region, straining local resources.
Before that our next priority is to take over Hanzhong's underworld, to fully control this city both in light and darkness. Crime syndicates are very different from other organizations, especially in this ancient time. Not only must you be a competent leader who receives respect and gives rewards, as in normal companies, but sometimes you need to balance between intimidation and protection at the same time to maintain control over them.
However, we decided to make things a little different because our new organization still had the Moon Maidens at its core, but we might have to shift their focus from the protectors of women and children into the organization for the heroes of the commoners and lower classes. We still need a lot of manpower before we achieve our original ideal organization but right now, we can only recruit them by hiring.
We also took over the blacksmith and cloth shop, while Erik and Cynthia traveled south to seek out food and other resource trade deals, and look for local death cults and white tiger worshippers. We plan to extend our network into the Dian kingdom and other tribes in Yunnan. Later, I will personally lead my own expedition, aiming to contact with the Baiyue Tribes, which include the ancestors of the Tai and Zhuang people in Guizhou and Guangxi.
An employer and a leader are two different things, and it will take time until they develop that kind of devotion for us. So, I brought Aykuz and four Moon Maidens with surplus resources from the Tagh Boru and left Asena with her grandparents.
They will learn and adapt to Chinese culture while teaching their knowledge to Altunay. I plan to rotate many of them into the Central Plains later, and there are only two places where we can fill with a large number of women, one is a nunnery and the other is a brothel, but the second option is much more suitable for our cause.
There are three major groups that dominate this city. The first is the Han River Guild, which controls the docks and all river traffic that leads to the eastern land. Next are the Caravan Merchant Guild, which manages the mountain trade routes to Guanzhong in the north and the Ba-Shu region in the south. And the last group is the Iron Fist, who controls all the gambling, prostitution, and extortion of protection money in the downtown area.
The first two are Merchant Guilds. If we can establish mutual interests, they will surely cooperate. While the Iron Fist is on the other hand, we will have to destroy them if we cannot make them submit to us. Since we have to control this city before spring comes, we immediately offered protection to other businesses, which is basically a declaration of war against the Iron Fist.
Even though we want to create a benevolent organization that helps the people, I have already decided to use violence against any criminals if needed. Not everyone can receive my mercy and have redemption, they must be worthy. As we just started, I want to win them over as much as possible, which gave me the idea of taking over the existing organizations by changing them from the inside. However, this method will be difficult for entrenched ideological or political groups, as we cannot truly change anything from historical patterns.
Not long after we offered the protection, violence broke out on the streets. Aykuz and the Moon Maidens were more than enough to fighting them, but we seemed to be at a disadvantage in terms of raw numbers. So, I ordered Xiao Feng to look after the blacksmith shop, and ordered Yu Zhen to look after our cloth shop, then placed Altunay at the inn, and let the employees, workers and local people be our scouts.
After a week, the situation stabilized. I told the Maidens to only subdue and drive them out. While they were already losing, I sent a message to their leader Wei Hu, the Steel Tiger. Inviting him to a duel to decide the outcome of our conflict and allow him to step down peacefully and earn me some respect from their members. That was my initial plan.
The meeting was held in the shattered courtyard of what was once the city's largest trading post, now little more than a muddy, frozen patch enclosed by crumbling stone walls. The air was heavy with the silence of hundreds of onlookers. My four Moon Maidens, clad in their dark, practical fighting leathers, formed a tight, disciplined semi-circle on one side. Opposite them, The Iron Fist members—grimy, defiant men—stood huddled.
I finally met Wei Hu as he strode toward the center of the courtyard, his every step radiating solid, uncompromising power. He was indeed a mountain of a man—tall and broad-shouldered, his face set in a perpetual scowl that didn't hide his age but seasoned it. His tan weathered skin is the evidence of a life spent under the sun and in brutal conflict.
His weapons were already in hand, two long, polished Steel Tonfas held by the perpendicular grips. They were not just for parrying or show, but also for crushing and striking, perfectly suited to a brawler like the man nicknamed "The Steel Tiger." He positioned himself opposite me, digging his heels slightly into the ground.
He said nothing, his eyes, dark and flat, scanning my appearance with a flicker of raw contempt. Even though we were the same height, my comparatively light build and complete lack of armor likely fueled his arrogance.
"Wei Hu," I greeted him, keeping my voice level and formal, allowing no tension to creep in. "Thank you for accepting the challenge. This can end here."
His lip curled. "You speak of peace after beating my best men. You expect me to just hand over the city to you, a scrawny boy and his girls?" He spat the words out. He shifted his weight, and the simple, T-shaped Steel Tonfas glinted in the overcast light. He then brought the weapons together, letting out a low, menacing clash of metal against metal as the left tonfa struck the handle of the right. "No. The Iron Fist has one law, we fight until the end. I duel you to save their dignity, not my own life. Let's see if your ambition has the strength to match your insolence."
The moment Wei Hu settled into his stance, digging his feet into the churned mud, the crowd fell into absolute silence. The only sound was the wind whipping the banners of the warring factions.
"Ten Directions Lotus Blossom, Wu Haotian," I announced, while drawing my weapon, the Thundering Sword.
The blade slid free, a long, blue-shaded jian of shimmering steel reflecting the light. Its elegance and superior craftsmanship contrasted sharply with the simple, cast steel tonfas held by Wei Hu, even though steel was rare at the time.
I adopted a simple, unchallenging stance, my sword held low and close. Wei Hu didn't wait for a signal. With a bellow that shook the air, he charged. He didn't run, he lunged. A staggering weight of muscle and momentum propelling him forward. The Twin Steel Tonfas became brutal extensions of his fists, his right arm blurring into a destructive crushing blow.
The Steel Tiger sought to end it instantly, attacking with the relentless, unrefined power of a city brawler who trusts his physical strength. I bent my elbow and raised my sword in my left hand, aligning the blade to shield my center line like growing lotus stalk. Instead of clashing with his force, I simply received his attack, remaining perfectly still. The impact shuddered through my feet and into the ground.
"This is Taking Root, Growing Buds," I declared. My sword having absorbed the tremendous blow without moving an inch, stood as an immovable pillar.
Then another tonfa handle hammered down where my head had been a heartbeat before. This time, I didn't receive his power. Instead, I moved like water around stone, executing the rapid 'Tracing Step' to pivot off the line of attack, then using my own sword guided the remaining force of his overextended punch, using his own momentum to force him to lose his balance. The hammered down tonfa impacted the ground with a wet, crushing thud that sent clods of mud flying, while I jumped back using the 'Flying Leap.'
My footwork techniques, 'Tracing Step, Flying Leap' are fundamentally the same. They both involve the process of changing posture without losing the center of equilibrium, much like a spinning top maintains its axis. One technique instantly changes the center of equilibrium by leaping, while the other changes it only after achieving new stable footing and tracing that step.
He stood up and roared, then swung a wide, sweeping arc attack that caused his right tonfa to roll and turn into an extended grip. Before the steel could hit me, I used the flat of my sword to ward it off. The block was guided by a spherical expansion force outward from my center of equilibrium, pushing Wei Hu just enough to disrupt his balance.
"Maiden Bloom's First Expansion," I stated.
Wei Hu followed up by turning his body and used his left tonfa for a crushing cross punch, a force meant to destroy me. This was the strength of the Tiger—brutal, direct, and overwhelming.
I am lighter, faster and my reach is longer, I thought, forcing myself to ignore the instinct to call upon Divine Power. I must rely on skill, not strength.
I then reversed the grip on the sword in my left hand and crossed that arm behind my back. My right sword-hand thrust upward, not to block or reflect, but to stick and rest it lightly on his incoming left arm. I turned my body, stepped in, and used my left leg to sweep his right leg.
I followed his force, leading it further and deeper, making him instantly lose his center of balance. He had to attach himself to my arm, a captive follower swinging around me in a circle, before I sent him flying toward his waiting men.
"This is Dewdrop Glides on Lotus Leaf," I declared.
Wei Hu hit the ground near the edge of the courtyard, skidding to a halt. His men, who had momentarily flinched back to avoid his body, erupted in a fierce, ragged cheer.
A dozen shouts of "Tiger! Get up!" and "Crush him, Boss!" broke the silence of the duel. They thumped their fists against their shields and boots, eager to see their champion punish the elegant, younger man who dared mock him. Their noise was a wave of misplaced loyalty, a desperate belief in brute force. Wei Hu didn't disappoint them, he used their shouts as fuel.
"Bastard! Do I look like your toy?!" Wei Hu roared as he scrambled back to his feet.
I offered no reply. Instead, I simply walked back to the center of the courtyard, patiently awaiting his next attack.
He dashed forward and threw a few punches at me before swinging his Twin Steel Tonfas, switching his punch grip to an extended grip, and attempting to crush my skull from two sides.
In response, I circled my hands and placed them on top of his arms, instantly sticking to his structure. I then suddenly sank my weight into his attack. As the spherical force was generated by this sinking and expanding motion, I swiftly squeezed it, converting the energy into a focused triangular force. I applied this force through my two forearms and the sword's pommel, which poked precisely toward his nose.
"Seem like 'Moon Beneath the Pond' and 'Twin Lotuses Part the Water' are just a toy to you," I said for all to hear.
His nose started to bleed, which made him both angrier and more cautious. He adopted a high guard with his Twin Steel Tonfas before walking in and jabbing at my center.
I stepped aside, circled, and caught his right underarm from inside. In one seamless action, I grabbed and dragged his entire structure downward, instantly collapsing his high guard. I then positioned my right fist, waiting for his falling face to meet the strike.
"Now this is Pluck Flower, Snap Leaf," I stated.
He still got up and charged in, using his left tonfa as a guard to lead the way and aiming to punch with his right tonfa.
I stepped to his left side and, with a quick action, placed my hands to split his arm and body, separating his unified force just enough to make him lose control. "Split Stalks, Sever Fibers!"
His arm flailed, its structure destroyed. I received his forward momentum and spun, using his own force to drive my right elbow into his ribcage in a grinding rotation, ensuring maximum internal trauma. "Wringing Blooming Petal!"
He staggered, wheezing, and unable to defend. For the finisher, I controlled his left wrist from the inside, opening his torso and leaving him vulnerable. I rotated back and gathered my full body momentum, dropping my left shoulder and driving it into his solar plexus, unleashing my entire mass like a crashing wave. "Whirling Wind, Waving Tide!"
While I watched him down on his knees, I spoke loudly, "Don't you give up yet, Wei Hu?"
"Never! Let's continue the fight!" Wei Hu replied while getting up.
"Great, I like that! I will let my sword, 'Weeping Lotus,' taste some blood." I spoke to him and used a nickname to disguise my sword.
I switched the shimmering blue steel to my right hand, securing my primary weapon for the final act. Wei Hu rushed in with his guard raised, but before my sword could even connect, I changed the movement entirely.
My footwork shifted like a whisper, dropping my center of gravity and pulling my arm back in a single fluid motion. The sword dipped low, passing completely underneath his heavy tonfa defense. Instead of aiming for the body, my blade slashed across the back of his exposed lead leg—a perfect, clean cut across the Achilles tendon just above the ankle.
He gasped, his entire weight crashing down onto the severed joint. In that instant of collapse, I moved around him like a circling hawk, continuing the relentless, systematic destruction. The blade flashed again, targeting the inner thigh to sever the artery. A final cut sheared across his opposing wrist, neutralizing his last potential defense.
Finally, with his life force already leaking onto the muddy ground, I completed the ultimate technique. The blade swept up in a swift, elegant arc, severing his throat. Blossoming crimson stained his chest and the mud in a shocking, final spray.
"Travel in All Directions, Blossoming for a Thousand Years," I recited the poem that summarizes all of my martial arts, while watching the light fade from the Steel Tiger's eyes.
The cheers of Wei Hu's men died in their throats, replaced by a deep, suffocating silence. Not a single boot scuffed the earth, not a single gasp was heard. The dozen men who had just been roaring their loyalty now stood frozen, their mouths agape, staring at the motionless body of their champion and the slick, crimson mud.
"The duel is over, Wei Hu! This city is mine."