Chapter 731: Chapter 37 Stinginess, Generosity (1/2) (3600)
The piercing blade light layered upon itself, unfolding in sequence like the unpredictable flow of autumn water, causing Liu Ling’s old coachman to unwittingly open his mouth wide, feeling as though a chill seeped straight into his bones, even making his eyes feel cold.
By the ti the blade light receded, the previously haughty young swordsman who had disregarded the onlookers had already plunged to the ground. Blood was seen flowing from his body, spilling onto the ground and lding into the puddles, creating layers of red diffusion.
With a sudden snap, the forty-three Divine Martial Mansion disciples simultaneously sheathed their swords and stepped back in unison. Apart from the extra tinge of crimson in the puddles and the corpse sprawled on the ground, there was no difference from monts ago, and even the faces of the many warriors from the Divine Martial Mansion were as indifferently normal as ever, with their swords stopping back in their original positions.
This silent display of power brought an oppressive intimidation far more formidable than any raucous roar, causing everyone, friend or foe, to find it sowhat hard to breathe at that mont.
This tactic, known as First Rank Red, was the result of Yuchi Jie’s painstaking contemplation and design. The Divine Martial Mansion practiced it for at least two hours every day, becoming extrely familiar with how to form, change, and slaughter within the formation.
In the blink of an eye just now, the successive flashes of the swords flowed like interlinked ripples on water, and Chen Jinyu was seemingly torn apart alive, with each of his vital points slashed by the Qin waist saber.
Each stroke sought not to cut deep into bone but to follow through in one breath, linked from beginning to end, endlessly circling, giving no chance for the opponent to break free. By the third breath’s ti, Chen Jinyu’s protective inner Qi had been shredded by the relentless assault.
By the fifth breath, he no longer could grasp his famous sword tightly.
By the seventh breath, he t an indignant death, his body in disarray and eyes wide open in rage, yet lacking his forr defiant spirit, like two dull, dusty stones lying there on the ground.
He was counted as a promising talent of the younger generation within his sword sect. Now fallen here, the middle-aged swordsman should have been filled with regret and anger, ready to fight forward with his sword. But at this mont, those feelings were absent, replaced by a bird startled by the re twang of a bow, his eyes darting anxiously left and right, pride gone from his heart, leaving only unspeakable horror.
The sword strike he had launched was no ordinary attack. In Jiangnan Road, it bore a great reputation called ‘Ling Yuehua.’ Worried about Chen Jinyu’s safety, he did not hold back at all; it was a stroke of genuine skill, capable of slicing through a dozen armored soldiers. Yet such a sword light unexpectedly burst apart without warning as soon as it was deployed, dissipating into thin air. How could he not feel unspeakable terror in his heart? This sign clearly indicated the presence of a profound martial arts master lurking nearby.
It was uncertain whether this master happened to pass by this place, disapproved of their actions and had intervened to admonish them, or if it was to protect this group of travelers. If the forr, there was still so leeway for redemption, but if it was the latter, even with ten lives, he feared he might have to surrender them all right here.
With this thought, he grew increasingly uneasy, reining in his horse and stopping in place, feeling neither advancing nor retreating was correct, perceiving suspicions in everything he saw.
Those two old n drinking their wine had an air and deanor a bit too bold, the smiles on the several graceful won seed to have hidden anings, and even the pallid-faced old servant and the guileless butcher-like tavern assistant all suddenly appeared enigmatic.
Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his will to fight diminished instantly.
Cao Limin was highly experienced. If it were a matter of one-on-one combat, ten of him might not be a match for the martial artists painstakingly trained by these great sects, but when it ca to seizing the mont in battle, how could these coddled sect progeny compare with the fierce warriors who had gambled their lives on the battlefield?
In an instant, he noticed that the middle-aged swordsman had completely lost his combat will, his heart in turmoil. A trace of ruthlessness flashed in Cao Limin’s eyes as his right hand, holding the knife, hung low and behind his back, stealthily making several moves without a sound.
After all, the swordsman Shi Liwen was a high-level Middle Third Rank expert, naturally sensitive to changes in the qi chanism of his surroundings. He sensed sothing amiss, but before he could react, the sound of a snap echoed, and dozens of cold, angular crossbow bolts, like a swarm of locusts, pounced towards his vital points.
Shi Liwen was slightly startled, then imdiately felt a surge of anger, which was quickly followed by a sense of fear. In his view, these martial artists of minuscule skill dared to attack him only because they relied on the backing of a hidden master. He regretted even more following Chen Jinyu here in an attempt to curry favor with his senior brother.
If only he had known, he would not have wanted those two secret manuals and the woman.
The thought had barely flashed through his mind when Shi Liwen imdiately raised his longsword; sotis deflecting, sotis thrusting, as if a snake was winding around his body. Three successive waves of a hundred Armor-Breaking Crossbow bolts were completely deflected by him.
But because he had to divide his attention to be wary of the certain presence of a master, he could not care less about the three Sword Sect disciples around him. One disciple was nailed to death by the crossbow bolts, the other two were struck down from their horses, and toppled to the ground in a sorry state. Before they could even rise, they were hit by the bolts deflected by their own uncle, dying wrongful deaths.
After firing all the crossbow bolts in his hand, Cao Limin, knife in right hand, took the initiative to leap forward, with the forty-two n behind him resolutely following him into the fray. Their movents lost none of their disciplined form, maintaining military formation coordination. Taking advantage of Shi Liwen’s consternation, they managed to fight him to a standstill.
Wang Anfeng closed his eyes, his right hand reaching once more for a fallen leaf, pinching it between his fingers. Following the sa technique as before, he released it in a series of moves, always interrupting the swordsman’s attempts to break free at the critical mont.
Repeatedly disrupted by Wang Anfeng on several occasions, especially at the critical monts of his own moves, Shi Liwen felt an increasing constriction in his chest, as if a heavy stone was pressing down on him.
His heart increasingly filled with terror, hardly able to contain his fear, he raised his sword to ward off Cao Limin, not caring for anything else. He suddenly retreated as swiftly as a fleeing crane, and just as he had leaped several ters away, sothing struck him on a vital point on his back.
Whether it was coincidence or not, it hit exactly where his energy was concentrated. His inner qi scattered, his speed abruptly fell, and he staggered to the ground. The three fearso Divine Martial Mansion warriors had already caught up with him, raising their Qin sabers to deliver three ferocious strikes.
Their blades carried a fierce wind, tearing open three deep gashes in his back. The military sabers of the Divine Martial Mansion, having been modified several tis, caused blood to gush forth imdiately. In addition to his fear, which weakened him to less than half his strength, he was completely unable to escape the encirclent of the Divine Martial Mansion formation.
After dozens of clashes, Cao Limin sliced off nearly half of Shi Liwen’s neck with a single swing, rupturing the artery. The mighty Sixth Rank Martial Artist, who had once dominated a territory in Jianghu, died in an unknown place, choked with indignation.
Li Qidao smacked his lips, slowly taking his gaze back and lifting his hand for a drink. His intervention had been so stealthy that ordinary people couldn’t notice it. Even Fei Yonglin and Tian Zhide thought it was the help of a passing master, repeatedly clasping their fists and, according to the rules of Jianghu, loudly thanking all around.
After the skirmish, ordinary travelers couldn’t help but panic and feel uneasy, like the old servant driving the carriage whose hands trembled as he gripped the reins. But Tian Zhide seed to finally understand sothing, took a few steps forward to where Liu Ling and Wang Anfeng were, clenched his fists in a deep salute, and said hoarsely:
“Because of my junior fellow disciple, I’ve alard everyone here,”
“Last night, my fellow disciple sought out and asked to deliver a letter to the academy in the city we would be passing by. At that ti, I had my suspicions but thought perhaps he had so urgent matter. I did not expect it to bring about such trouble.”
“Had it not been for the assistance of a master and the fact that the brothers of Divine Martial Mansion are all skilled in battle, I cannot imagine what the outco of today’s events might have been…”
He could hardly find the words to speak.
Liu Ling waved his hand and said, “If an old man like can experience a battle in Jianghu before I die, it counts as settling a regret in my heart, which is a good thing. If you’re thinking of apologizing to , don’t bother.”
Tian Zhide smiled bitterly, ready to bow again.
Wang Anfeng raised his hand to stop Tian’s palm from bowing further and said, “Everyone is uninjured, and only the elderly driver of the carriage was frightened, but it’s no matter.”
Tian Zhide thanked him with a fist and palm salute, then continued, “Tian is grateful for the younger brother’s understanding. If there is a chance in the future, I will surely repay the debt. However, I must ask for everyone’s forgiveness today as I take it upon myself to have Fei Yonglin lead the way from now on.”
Fei Yonglin had just co over, and his expression changed upon hearing this, saying:
“Elder brother…”
Tian Zhide glanced at him and said, “Now that I have heard that our Situ fellow disciple is in trouble, it is not in our school’s nature to not save soone at the brink of death. However, the order from our school is also of utmost importance. I will go back to help our Situ fellow disciple, and Fei, you will take my place to accompany Elder Liu to Jiangnan and ensure he is safely returned to Fufeng.”
Fei Yonglin struggled with his emotions, as if wanting to say sothing, his fists tightening and then releasing, but in the end, he rely nodded in defeat.
Tian Zhide then gave another deep bow to Wang Anfeng and the others, stood up in silence, and reached into his chest to find the letter. However, as his hand went in, his expression slightly changed, unable to find the letter after searching repeatedly.
Just at this mont, the simple-looking servant suddenly bent down and when he stood up, he had a light blue letter in his hand, which he passed over with a smile, saying:
“Hero Tian, you dropped sothing…”
Tian Zhide was montarily stunned, then hurriedly took it, finding it to be the letter from last night, with the seal intact and no sign of being read. He opened his mouth, filled with doubts, but could only bla himself for having been sowhat distracted earlier, which led to this mistake.
With a bitter smile, he thanked the servant nad Feng An with a fist and palm salute.
Then, turning around, he punched the letter into Fei Yonglin’s chest and after a mont of silence, he said, “Both matters could be a matter of life and death. Think it over for yourself. If the road is safe, then deliver this letter. Rember to be careful.”
Fei Yonglin silently acknowledged, watching his elder brother take up the spear and get on his horse, ready to return, looking like he was prepared to face death. But then he saw the simple-looking servant follow as well. Just as he was puzzled, he heard the bright and valiant girl laugh and say:
“Let him go along. We will wait here. The one who acted on our behalf earlier might be the master protecting that woman. Since we have the aid of this master, there may be no longer any trouble back at the inn. If Hero Tian cos back later and finds we have already left, wouldn’t that be inappropriate?”
“Although my man looks simple, he is actually very clever. If anything goes wrong, he’ll signal us early so we can still make a getaway.”
Hope shone on Fei Yonglin’s face, but Tian Zhide was hesitant, looking at the earnest young man who had several tis eased his embarrassnt, feeling reluctant to let him take such a risk.
Yet, he saw the young man’s mouth involuntarily curling upwards, as if he had received an incredible assignnt, and he sighed inwardly. He simply told him to be very careful later, not to get too close, and if sothing went wrong, to run without looking back and perhaps escape with his life.
The servant agreed repeatedly and at least, as they passed the scene of their earlier fight, where Tian Zhide was too preoccupied to notice, Fei Yonglin who was seeing off his elder brother noted the servant’s excellent horsemanship.
On the horse, the servant reached down, swiftly pulled up the already dead Shi Liwen onto the horseback, and then seed to discover sothing else, bent down again, and grabbed an object.
Tian Zhide, catching the movent as Feng An bent down the second ti, turned to look. He saw the simple-looking young man smiling at him, holding a golden Great Qin Tongbao with traces of blood on it. The young man didn’t hesitate, wiped it on his clothing, then stuffed it directly into his chest.
Then he looked up and said:
“Let’s go, Hero Tian.”
Although worried, Tian Zhide couldn’t help but laugh, unsure if the young man was truly naive or simply very bold.
What a guy—greedy and stingy, yet possessing such audacity and heroic spirit.
PS: The first update of the day… uh, about 3,600 words like this
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