The eyes of the cavalryman turned red.
As a squad leader of the Great Yan Iron Cavalry, he had always held himself in high regard, especially looking down on these civilian martial artists, seeing them as mere ragtag fighters with nothing but brute courage.
But now, he was trampled by the person he looked down on the most; what a humiliation this was.
So he struggled hard, trying to free himself from Zhao Ya’s foot and lift his head.
But no matter how hard he tried, Zhao Ya’s foot didn’t move an inch, as if it were not a foot but a mountain.
At the same time, his subordinates’ faces changed drastically, and someone shouted, "Let go of our captain, or face military punishment."
Zhao Ya frowned.
He really hadn’t expected these people to be so overbearing; he had already said in advance that he would crush the man’s head if anyone dared to move.
Their continued threats suggested what their usual way of doing things was like.
Thinking of this, Zhao Ya sneered slightly, looked down at the cavalryman struggling under his foot.
"Looks like your subordinates don’t quite listen to you."
"Rebel, if you dare, kill me, or my Great Yan Iron Cavalry will wipe out all of you martial artists, especially you, I want to... ."
The cavalry squad leader cursed violently, without a trace of fear.
In his view, unless intending rebellion, this person wouldn’t dare to harm him.
But at this moment, he felt the foot on his head getting heavier, to the point where he was finding it hard to breathe.
Only then did he start to panic.
"Come on, why aren’t you cursing anymore? Didn’t you say you’d kill us all?" Zhao Ya said coolly, applying more pressure with his foot.
Blood began to trickle from the cavalry captain’s nostrils and mouth, and his body twisted violently like a shrimp thrown into boiling water.
His cavalry members, who had been clamoring moments ago, were now stunned.
Because at this moment, Zhao Ya looked truly terrifying.
He stood on a man, yet his expression was so unperturbed, even bearing a faint smile.
Many cavalrymen couldn’t help shivering, finally remembering that these martial artists were not the kind of ragtag bunch they could easily bully, but a force that had repelled the Beast Tide with their prowess.
Just then, hurried hoofbeats came from a distant street, and someone shouted from afar, "Don’t act rashly, Young Hero, please give me some face, don’t kill him!"
But as soon as the words fell, a heavy thud resounded, and the cavalry captain’s head burst open like a rotten watermelon.
Brains mixed with blood splattered everywhere, the smell was nauseating.
Yet Zhao Ya, who had stomped the cavalryman’s head to pieces, looked as if nothing had happened, calmly addressing the restless cavalrymen across.
"This Yunxiao County was defended to the death by us martial artists, it’s not your place as soldiers to parade your strength. This was just a small lesson. Next time I see you randomly hitting people, watch your heads."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Ya’s camp naturally gained a surge of morale.
Many looked eagerly at the opposing cavalry, hoping they would make a move so they could rightfully counterattack.
But these cavalrymen, who were usually accustomed to being above others, were now all silent.
Many hands trembled slightly.
After all, the body on the ground with a shattered head spoke louder than words.
These cavalrymen finally understood they had not encountered ordinary civilians who could be casually rebuked, but a group of martial artists ready to draw their swords in the streets at the slightest provocation.
At that moment, the team that had shouted earlier arrived, led by a commander in armor.
When he saw the headless corpse on the ground still twitching slightly, along with the blood and brains everywhere, his expression changed, and he smiled wryly.
"Young Hero, didn’t I already ask you to show mercy? I promise to resolve any issue once I arrive. Why was it necessary to take his life?"
Hearing this, Zhao Ya smiled flatly, "My good sir, that’s not quite correct. It wasn’t that I insisted on his life. In fact, everyone heard me earlier; I gave him a chance, but unfortunately, he didn’t cherish it at all, instead repeatedly speaking insolently and even threatening my sect. Do you think such a person shouldn’t die?"
"That’s right, I can testify, that guy repeatedly provoked Master Zhao; he was seeking death."
"I can testify too!"
"So can I!"
In an instant, the crowd of martial artists was fired up, voicing their opinions.
The commander was rendered speechless, seeing many martial artists eager to make trouble, he sighed.
"If that’s truly the case, then he indeed courted death."
"Commander!"
Someone behind him called out, but the commander waved his hand, signaling them to stay silent, then looked at Zhao Ya.
"If I’m not mistaken, you must be Young Hero Zhao Ya?"
Zhao Ya smiled.
"Correct, it’s me."
"Truly a hero from the young. I am Sun Yingkui, a captain under Commander Wei."
"Captain Sun!" Zhao Ya clasped his hands in greeting.
He could see that Sun Yingkui bore no malice toward him or the other martial artists, but rather sought to defuse the situation.
Though it was undoubtedly wishful thinking, it was well-intentioned, so Zhao Ya maintained a measure of respect.
"Young Hero Zhao, we are new here, and some friction is inevitable. I hope we can exercise restraint in the future. If there’s anything, you can always come to me, and I will do my utmost if it’s within my power," Sun Yingkui said solemnly.