Chapter 42: Sneak Attack

Mother Wang stepped forward. "Once we have tallied the damaged items in the General's Estate and had Lord Shuntian Prefecture sign and confirm the compensation, we will naturally bid Your Lordship a polite farewell. You varlets, go quickly and tally everything, down to the very last item, and record it in the ledger!"

"Understood, Steward Wang!" Receiving their orders, the majority of the General's Estate retainers dispersed, though Zhao Meng's massive foot remained planted heavily on the Shuntian Prefect's large head, pressing down with unrelenting force.

Advisor Wang compared the number of people from the General's Estate with his own entourage. Sensing the situation might be turning in their favor, his narrow, rodent-like eyes rolled slightly as alternative thoughts began to brew.

Quietly turning his back, Advisor Wang signaled his subordinates using an angle hidden from normal view.

Among the retainers who had been standing slack-shouldered and straight as pine trees, the leader caught the advisor's signal out of the corner of his eye. His expression lit up, and he immediately conveyed the order to the others in their own clandestine manner.

Taking the General's Estate people by surprise, the entourage launched an attack. The retainer leader lunged at Zhao Meng, who possessed the highest martial prowess, shouting, "You villains actually dare to raise a hand against an imperial official! Let us teach you a lesson right now!"

Zhao Meng looked with utter disdain at the fool charging toward him while screaming at the top of his lungs. Shifting his right foot from a stamp to a kick, he sent the immobile Shuntian Prefect sprawling toward a nearby eaves overhang.

"Ouch! You bunch of useless louts, why haven't you arrested these lawless scoundrels yet? I'll show them what happens when you dare to beat a court official!" The Shuntian Prefect groaned as he strained his arms to push himself up, trembling all over while barking orders at his men.

Seeing his master kicked beneath the eaves, Advisor Wang rushed to the prefect's side, completely ignoring his own hat, which was on the verge of falling off. "Master! Master, are you injured? It's all my fault for failing to protect you properly. Master, I am to blame!" His words dripped with excessive sincerity as snot and tears streamed down his face together, creating a thoroughly repulsive sight.

Groaning continuously, the Shuntian Prefect finally managed to stand straight with Advisor Wang's support. "Advisor Wang, you did well! You saved my life—if not for you, I surely would have perished. There, stop crying, I only suffered a few superficial scratches. Quickly, seize them all!" After offering brief comfort to Advisor Wang, the corpulent prefect bellowed for his men to deal with the people of the General's Estate.

Waiting until the retainer leader was within three paces of him, Zhao Meng abandoned his pine-tree-straight posture. Instead of dodging, he launched a counter-offensive, landing a swift, direct kick squarely into the leader's abdomen. The man collapsed instantly, clutching his stomach and curling his entire body until he resembled a boiled shrimp.

A grim smile played on Zhao Meng's lips. "You've got some nerve! Resorting to such despicable, sneak-attack tactics! I, Zhao Meng, respect those who are upright and honorable above all else, and I utterly despise shameless cowards like you who strike from behind! Today, let me teach you petty scumbags a lesson!"

Stooping down, he reached out to grab the leader by the collar, intending to haul him up and educate him thoroughly with his fists.

Just as Zhao Meng drew near, the retainer leader suddenly sprang up from the ground like a coiled spring, his hands transforming into eagle-like claws as he lunged straight for Zhao Meng's throat!

Zhao Meng narrowly dodged the assault. All traces of amusement vanished from his face as a terrifying, earth-shattering rage radiated from his robust frame. "You have quite the audacity! A shameless cur is always a shameless cur—I almost fell for your trickery! If I don't obliterate you today, I'll renounce the name Zhao!"

With a fluid spin, Zhao Meng evaded another punch from the grinning retainer leader. Utilizing incredible core strength, he flipped his entire body mid-air to face the attacker who was once again attempting a sneak attack from behind, and delivered a devastating blow with ninety percent of his strength straight to the enemy's bridge of nose!