The person in the portrait had a crooked nose, slanted eyes, a huge bald head, teeth like a phoenix and a face like a ham, plus a pair of lips so thick and ugly they could kill on sight, capped off with a long, hairy black mole. Even the infamous Pomegranate Lady drawn by the martial arts champion wasn't much worse than this. With a face like that, you didn't need a single note of explanation—it was basically the emoji for "pure evil." If anyone really looked like this, even the Pigsy from Journey to the West would probably drop to his knees and shout, "You're so ugly, I, old Pig, admit total defeat!"
No wonder all the girls were terrified. With looks like that, anyone who saw him would want to stab him on sight—being scared was the only normal response.
Next to the portrait, a bold line of text read: Jade Hawk Johnson, bounty: one thousand taels of silver.
"Who the—who is this?!"
While the Demon Queen and the wicked witch were getting mentally wrecked by this visual pollution, George Kwok finally drew his sword. Tonight's gathering had reached its dramatic turning point.
"Hang them up." With that order, a dozen Beggars' Guild disciples jumped into action. The Alliance Against Evil's first batch of wanted posters was hung up one by one right there on the spot. Martial artists have sharp eyes, so even from afar, they could see the portraits clearly. As soon as a few people got a good look, someone couldn't help but shout, "Huh?! Isn't that... Charles Loyalman, that's you!"
Everyone looked over, and sure enough, one of the attendees was a dead ringer for the guy in the portrait.
"Charles Loyalman, Master of the Linked Fortress. On the surface, he's a well-known local hero—fighting bandits, killing outlaws, and protecting the region. He’s made friends everywhere, praised by officials, merchants, and outlaws alike. But behind the scenes, he’s a ruthless human trafficker, selling over a hundred women and children in the past five years. Worse, he’s colluded with enemy nations, betraying his own people—just to curry favor with the Mongols, he sold his wife as a slave and cooked his daughter for their generals." George Kwok recited, his voice calm but full of pressure. His tiger-like eyes locked onto Charles Loyalman, brimming with authority: "Tell me, Charles, am I wrong?"
"Th-this—!" Not everyone has nerves of steel like a Three Kingdoms strategist. When facing the executioner’s axe, he couldn’t just laugh it off—instead, his face went pale, his mind went blank, and he stammered, "I-I..."
"Such a villain has no place under heaven. A bounty of three hundred taels is hereby offered—let all the world hunt him down." George Kwok stood tall, startling Charles Loyalman. In George’s hand was a large bowl of wine. "Charles Loyalman, you once donated a hundred taels to help defend Xiangyang. Even though you used it as a cover to spy on our defenses, good deeds can’t cancel out your crimes. Tonight, I offer you this last bowl of wine."
Gulp, gulp—George Kwok downed a bowl of strong liquor, then smashed the bowl on the ground—crack! The bowl shattered, and so did any remaining ties between them.
"Kill him!" "Take down that bastard!" The crowd of heroes surged forward, chasing Charles Loyalman like a chicken with its head cut off. In his panic, he blurted out the classic villain's last words: "Listen, that Kwok guy is offering three hundred, but I can give you six hundred, a thousand—no, two thousand taels of silver! Let me go and I'll give you everything I own!"
"Screw you! Who wants your filthy money? Die!" Swords flashed, blood splattered, and screams rang out instantly.
Every Hero Summit has its share of fights, but never had it been as intense as tonight.
"Look, that guy’s on the list too—his name’s Lee Patriot!" "And that one, William Builder, don’t let him get away! Block him—let’s take him down together!"
People’s war is a great war—a war that mobilizes all available forces, drowning the enemy in a sea of resistance. The folks of the Southern Song didn’t know this theory, but when it came to practice, they nailed it. George Kwok watched the scene with a stern expression; the 'trap the enemy' plan wasn’t exactly honorable, and he usually wouldn’t stoop to it. But against these bastards, he had no choice. Besides, the Alliance Against Evil needed blood to raise its flag. If they couldn’t shock their enemies with overwhelming force tonight, the consequences would be just as his wife warned—unthinkable.
"Cao Hong? Isn’t that... Wait, look, isn’t that the South Sea Sage on the list? It says he colluded with the Demon Cult and is actually one of their top leaders. Bounty: five hundred taels!"
Uh-oh! The South Sea Sage and his crew tensed up immediately, surrounded by murderous enemies on all sides. His 'daughter' glared coldly; they’d come here planning to outsmart everyone, but ended up falling right into a trap! The outlaws circling them were a mixed bunch—some strong, some weak. Maybe they could fight their way out, but even if they did, it wouldn’t be a win. First, George Kwok and other masters were still on guard. Second, the folks from Wenchang Academy were now alert, so their plan was shot.
Damn it, could their luck get any worse?
"Wait, look at those two creeps—Ironpillar and Sledgehammer—they’re on the list too!" Someone pointed at the wanted posters and shouted, "See? It says, Flower Thief Quentin Sherman, bounty: two hundred fifty. Flower Thief Andrew Kotex, bounty: two hundred fifty. These two are in cahoots with Jade Hawk Johnson!" "Bounty on those two is exactly what the people want—finally, some good news!" "And those two perverts even like men—how can we let that slide? For the sake of my own rear end, they’ve gotta die!"
"Holy crap!" Barry Sherman and Stayfree (Kotex) jumped three feet high. Surrounded by a sea of green-glowing eyes, it was enough to make anyone's hair stand on end. As the source of all evil in their profession, the two instantly became hate-magnets. A swarm of people rushed at them, tables flipped and plates crashed, creating total chaos. Back to back, they defended each other—Iron Grip and Pastry Finger techniques flying. With over forty years of martial prowess, these two were top-tier fighters, and for a while, no ordinary outlaw could get close.
"Hey, why’s my bounty two hundred fifty?!" Barry Sherman yelled as he fought. "That number sounds like a damn insult!"
"You’ve got time to worry about that? Mine’s two-fifty too!" Stayfree (Kotex) shot back as he fought. "Forget our original plan—survival’s all that matters. Watch for your chance and run!"
"Where do you think you’re going?!" Boom—palm strikes thundered as Kevin Kee flew into the fray.
"Is that the Dragon Subduing Palms?" Tong Seven’s eyes lit up, then shook his head. "Nope, not quite there yet, but still pretty good."
Nearly sixty years of cultivation made Kevin Kee’s Dragon Subduing Palms suffocatingly powerful. With a move called Twin Dragons Fetching Water, he struck from midair—his palm force was fierce and unyielding, dominating all directions. The attack was so overwhelming, it left no room to dodge. Even from ten feet away, the pressure made it hard to breathe. Barry Sherman and Stayfree (Kotex) were terrified; they wanted to call for Jade Hawk Johnson’s help, but under this crushing force, they couldn’t even open their mouths. Kevin Kee was going all out, determined to end it in one blow—no chance for trash talk.
But just then, a sharp sound cut the air—a phantom-like object flew straight at Kevin Kee’s face. It was fast, but Kevin Kee didn’t sense much power behind it, so he casually blocked it. But with a boom and a crack, it was like he’d been hit by a demolition hammer—he was sent flying instantly.
Spinning through the air, Kevin Kee landed and rolled, dissipating the force. He staggered back more than ten steps, each one leaving a deep footprint. "Ugh!" His face turned crimson, even the whites of his eyes were bloodshot. Grace Kwok rushed over, helping him steady his breath and energy, and only then did Kevin Kee recover.
"What the—?!" The whole crowd gasped, staring at the object—it wasn’t anything fancy, just the wooden rod from a scroll.
A scroll rod? Looks familiar... Wait a minute...
Looking at where the scroll rod came from, they saw that the handsome young man’s portrait was, in fact, missing its rod.
No way, could this guy be more than just a pretty face?
"Look at this mess yourselves!" Jill Young raised the portrait, fuming. "Who the hell is this supposed to be? Li Kui or Zhang Fei? You don’t even know what Jade Hawk Johnson looks like and you’re just making stuff up! With this kind of work ethic, you talk about ironclad evidence, witnesses, physical proof—give me a break!" With a flick of her fingers, the whole portrait burst into confetti.
A thunderbolt in the silence—pulling off a move like that was no small feat.
"You bald fraud!" Jill Young jabbed a finger at Venerable Faceless, her gaze electric. He shivered. "Framing me with your bogus stories, trying to pin the blame on me?"
"I—" Venerable Faceless was about to protest, but before he could get another word out, the young man’s left arm wrapped around the woman beside him. Suddenly, everything blurred—like a flash of light and shadow, not even a breeze could be heard. The young man slipped through the crowd and appeared right in front of him.
"Let me tell you: anyone who tries to pin the blame on me, I’ll pin them right inside the blame!" Whoosh—Venerable Faceless felt his chest tighten, powerless as his collar was grabbed. A strange, unheard-of force invaded his body, freezing him so thoroughly he couldn’t move a finger. All he could do was stare at Jade Hawk Johnson’s cold, cruel smile.
In that instant, he suddenly understood. Was this the real deal?
"Hold on—!" George Kwok and Helen Wong leapt up to help, but it was already too late. Jill Young, like a baseball player, grabbed Venerable Faceless with one arm, twisted, swung, and threw! Whoosh—with a flash of purple light, Venerable Faceless shot out like an arrow from a giant crossbow.
Kevin Kee reacted quickly, springing up to intercept. But Venerable Faceless spun in midair, floating like a petal on the wind, and slipped right past Kevin. The gust from his flight smacked Kevin in the face—it stung so much he nearly teared up. Only then did he realize Venerable Faceless’s flight looked light, but was actually fast and heavy.
"That lightness skill, those techniques!" Tong Seven shot to his feet, George Kwok’s eyes gleamed. Throwing Venerable Faceless like that—strength and finesse combined—was masterful. The style was unlike anything seen in the martial world; every move by the young man was extraordinary, his skills impossible to read. Elusive, ambiguous—enough to make anyone uneasy.
What they didn’t know was that, to avoid being recognized after today’s events, Jill Young had come up with a clever plan.
In the martial world, people identify each other not only by looks and scent, but also by fighting style. Because of Grace Kwok’s connections, Jill Young knew she’d have to interact with George Kwok and Helen Wong in the future. So, to avoid being recognized and to keep Jade Hawk Johnson’s identity mysterious, Jill Young used a simple trick: don’t use any local martial arts, and don’t use her usual moves!
Details to come later. For now, after the mysterious youth flung Venerable Faceless, the whole hall was stunned.
Kevin Kee, on guard, demanded, "Who exactly are you? Do you have some misunderstanding with our Alliance Against Evil?"
"Misunderstanding? There’s a huge one between us!" Jill Young pulled a small pouch from her pocket and slammed it on the floor. Bang! It burst like a smoke bomb, filling the area with clouds of dust. Everyone covered their noses, fearing poison, but it turned out to be nothing but plain flour.
From within the smoke, a cold male voice rang out: "Since you’ve asked so sincerely—"
Then a sultry female voice followed: "I’ll be merciful and tell you!"
"For... damn, there’s a breeze!" Before the speech finished, a gust of wind blew the smoke away, revealing the dramatically transformed pair.
The man wore black brocade robes, a jade belt, and cloud-pattern shoes; his shimmering outfit was as flashy as a thousand-dollar costume from a game’s cash shop. One look, and the ladies were transfixed. In any online game, everyone would know he was a big-spending VIP.
The woman was even more outrageous—clad in purple-red, with a high slit and plunging neckline, her skirt trailing but hiding nothing. Her style was part Diao Chan from Dynasty Warriors, part Da Ji from Orochi. Her makeup was sultry and extreme: deep shadow, heavy liner, purple lipstick—barely human. And those stunning curves and bare, long legs left the men speechless. In any online game, she’d be the ultimate VIP pet—an expensive, exotic companion.
Game companies would never let players dress this hot (or this scandalous)!
"Who—who are you two, really?!" Kevin Kee was dazzled by Lady Simone’s assets, unsure whether to look or not, stammering.
"Ha! You’ve hunted me all day and still don’t know who I am? What a joke." Jill Young threw an arm around Lady Simone’s slim waist, acting every bit the playboy. "Listen up—I am Jade Hawk Johnson!"
Before the crowd could even react, there was a distant crash, boom, and splat—something had collapsed. Then came frantic, piercing shouts, echoing through the hall: "Bad news! A monk smashed through the roof and landed headfirst in the latrine!" "The poop splashed up a whole yard—no one can get close!" "The old sewage is so sour, stinky, and hard, we can’t pull him out!" "Quick, that monk’s about to drown in crap!"
At that, the whole hall erupted. The monks who’d come with Venerable Faceless rushed to the rescue like their pants were on fire. "Hawk Johnson rules!" Barry Sherman and Stayfree (Kotex) led the cheers, while others didn’t know whether to laugh or get angry. Laughing felt wrong—it was a high monk, after all, and an ally. But honestly, it was hard not to! Most faces twitched with awkward grins, and even the fighting slowed down.
"Hahahahaha!" Only Hawk Johnson laughed wildly, sharp and unrestrained: "When I say I’ll do something, I never go back on my word!"