Qian Zheng looked at the large black blade, and the anxiety that had been hanging in his heart finally faded away.
From a distance, arrows were shot in rapid succession, and the opponent's movement was not weak. In close combat, instead of using a sword, he wielded a heavy blade with a thick back, sharp edge, and straight blade, combined with a murderous aura that surely came from having experienced life and death. It reminded him of the time in battle when he saw archers, after exhausting their arrows, pick up long-handled blades.
They discarded their bows and formed a formation with their blades, stepping back onto the battlefield, like the edge of a drawn sword, slaughtering their foes.
If it weren't within the borders of the country, the handle of this heavy blade might have been connected to an iron rod.
Qian Zheng's inner qi circulated, stimulating several major acupoints, temporarily sealing the blood loss from his severed arm. The heightened concentration in battle allowed the pain from his injury to momentarily recede. He turned sideways, his right hand pointing the blade at the enemy ahead, stepping forward in an arc, slowly closing the distance.
Under the starlight, his opponent appeared youthful yet calm.
Like a swordsman who had experienced hundreds of fierce battles, he was not in a hurry to strike.
The blade was held, but not tightly gripped.
It was relaxed, like a string that had not been tightened, making one imagine the terrifying explosion of power when it finally did.
He was doomed...
Qian Zheng cursed inwardly.
If it weren't for the recent appearance of a bearded man relentlessly hunting down wanted criminals, he wouldn't have taken the risk to come this close. He would have been bullying the weak in those remote villages where news did not circulate. He regretted it.
He should have been more cautious today.
Then he wouldn't have been discovered.
At this moment, the youth's aura seemed to momentarily falter.
A glint of malice flashed in Qian Zheng's eyes as he seized the opportunity and suddenly stepped forward.
With the momentum of his advance, the battle blade in his right hand arced down fiercely.
At the same time, he shifted his body, aligning himself with the edge of the blade, protecting himself behind it. This was the technique of combat, but in that instant, the youth suddenly struck as well, spinning around, his blade like a black ribbon.
The two blades clashed violently.
One was wielded with both hands, the other with one.
One charged forward with a side slash, borrowing the momentum of a downward lunge; the other executed a spinning slash, utilizing the inertia from the waist's rotation.
The two finely crafted blades collided, sparking in the night.
Both blades were deflected to the sides.
However, their realms were different.
Li Guanyi's palms went numb.
He held the heavy blade with both hands, barely matching the strength of this intruding martial artist with a severed arm.
Qian Zheng shouted in anger and charged again, connecting with a second strike, but Li Guanyi also unleashed his second strike, his speed and judgment not inferior to that of this border veteran. The blades continued to clash, both recognizing each other's techniques.
Breaking Army Eight Blades!
One was a modified version of the Breaking Army Eight Blades passed down at the border, more perilous and ruthless.
The other was the direct transmission from Yue Qianfeng, with techniques as rigorous as those of the great sects of the Jianghu.
Qian Zheng grew increasingly alarmed as he fought.
The refined blade techniques, the keen combat judgment, and this murderous aura.
If he closed his eyes, he would almost think he was fighting with the old sergeant.
Clearly, this was a boy of about ten years, how could he possess such blade techniques, how could he exude such a murderous aura, as if he were a veteran who had danced on the edge of life and death countless times.
With a sharp clang, they clashed again. The youth's blade suddenly changed; although it was a heavy blade, it danced like a butterfly on Qian Zheng's blade, Li Guanyi's footwork shifted, sliding to the side, and the rising blade grazed the severed part of Qian Zheng's arm, slicing through flesh and bone.
Qian Zheng let out an angry roar, veins bulging on his forehead, cold sweat pouring down.
He swung his blade wildly, guarding himself, staggering backward.
He had severed his arm, hoping that the uncontrolled limb would not become too great a weakness; otherwise, it would affect his movement. When he charged sideways, that arm would sway outside, becoming a huge target for the enemy's focused attacks. The arm was useless, but the pain would still remain.
He suddenly missed the border.
When his arm was injured, comrades would come to protect him.
The vine shields would block all arrows.
But now, he was no longer one of them...
Qian Zheng suddenly became alert.
He recalled the old sergeant's words: once you start to reminisce about something, it means your death is near, so you must look forward.
At this moment, the youth's blade moved lightly, still striking at his wound.
Although he had entered the realm, his inner qi was released, crashing into a tree, but he was still flesh and blood, not yet at the level of those strong warriors.
The intense pain in his body was enough to affect his combat effectiveness.
Li Guanyi exhaled.
He seemed to understand.
Memories of his battles with the Iron Le Prince surfaced in his mind. He lightly jumped, relaxing his wrist, the blade in his hand seemed to loosen its grip, his body leaped lightly, the blade subtly locking onto Qian Zheng's vital points. Qian Zheng's eyes reddened as he lunged at Li Guanyi.
The border veteran knew what he had to do.
A faint aura emanated from the blade.
As he lunged forward.
Li Guanyi lightly jumped, stepping to the side, faster than the usual stationary launch, as if his movement had accelerated, avoiding Qian Zheng's final desperate slash. At the same time, he raised his blade.
The relaxed wrist flicked like a whip, sending the blade flying.
It was like a short punch, from loose to tight, this strike exploded with immense power in an instant.
From Qian Zheng's side, he executed a horizontal slash against his forward momentum. The three-hundred-refined hundred-guan black blade, under the immense force of the clash between Li Guanyi and Qian Zheng, directly split open Qian Zheng's side. The intruding martial artist's body was strong, and such a swift blade could not sever it, but it was still better than being cut in half.
Internal organs spilled out, and Qian Zheng collapsed, rolling in pain.
He cried out in agony, abandoning his blade, stuffing his organs back inside, pink blood mixed with foam flowed from his mouth, his eyes wide open, yet tears streamed down.
Finally, his movements halted, and he shouted:
"Mother..."
His hand fell heavily to the ground, breathless.
Li Guanyi's tense spirit relaxed. He circled around Qian Zheng, retrieving the Su Ni Bow, picked up several usable arrows, drew the bow, and shot several arrows into Qian Zheng's body to ensure he was thoroughly dead. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, sitting down on the ground, his spirit easing, sweat pouring from his pores.
The strength he had just exerted seemed to vanish in an instant, and his wrist trembled slightly.
"Is this my first time fighting alone, and did I unconsciously overexert myself?"
Li Guanyi recognized the situation.
After resting for a while, he retrieved the arrows. The arrows were actually one-time use; due to their center of gravity and the 筋, they would suffer significant impact when hitting flesh, especially when hitting bones, and would not fly straight, resulting in a damaged center of gravity and uneven weapon 筋.
In such cases, they were practically impossible to shoot accurately.
They were unsuitable for actual combat.
The high cost of arrows was precisely due to this difficulty, requiring specialized craftsmen.
Arrows that struck an enemy became scrap metal, needing recalibration.
But scrap metal could still fetch some money.
The youth looked at the arrows that Qian Zheng had broken, feeling a pang of heartache. One or two silver coins were the result of a month’s labor for him. He wondered if the Xue family could reimburse him. Li Guanyi looked at Qian Zheng and, following Yue Qianfeng's teachings, searched the corpse, retrieving over ten silver coins and a waist token.
Several yellowed letters and a booklet were hastily collected.
Sitting under a tree, surrounded by blood, the youth raised his head, looking through the gaps in the branches at the moonlight, silent and still.
He felt the surrounding silence, the vastness of the world.
The moonlight flowed like a spring.
After a short while, he heard rustling sounds. He turned his head and saw the old man who had just run away returning.
He was picking vegetables.
Noticing the youth's gaze, the old man's face turned pale, and he was about to kneel and bow. Li Guanyi had a hard time stopping him.
The old man hesitated for a moment but still said, "This old man and his family thank you, young master, for saving our lives."
"These things aren't worth much, just take them as a gift."
Li Guanyi looked at the vegetables in the muddy ground.
Not worth much, perhaps; but certainly important. If it weren't important, why would he come out at night, risking life and death, only to return to collect them? Was it tomorrow's food, or taxes for the court? Li Guanyi advised, "Don't come out at this time again; it's too dangerous."
The old man nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes."
"But after a while, there will be spring taxes, so I have to work a bit harder. Once the spring taxes are over, it will be fine."
"Spring taxes..."
The old man cautiously added, "Yes, it's just that these two years have been tough. Five years ago, there was a war, and they collected ten years' worth of taxes in advance. But three years ago, they collected five years' worth again. This year, they aren't collecting annual taxes, but instead are collecting seasonal taxes, which is even more than before."
"Originally, selling to the village's vegetable stall would have sufficed, but since three years ago, the Xue family stopped charging for stall space and taking a cut. They even provided awnings, and a big pancake costs only one coin, along with a bowl of soup, so everyone went there."
Li Guanyi fell silent.
Suddenly he said, "Leave the vegetables."
"Huh? Oh, okay, these are all grown by me; they're good vegetables, really, quite good."
The old man awkwardly set down the vegetables in his hands, rubbing his rough, wrinkled hands. The youth reached into Qian Zheng's money pouch and pulled out a handful of coins, flicking his wrist to drop them into the old man's embrace, then patted the nearby fallen corpse, saying:
"I'll buy these things."
"The money, he paid!"
The old man stared in disbelief.
A young man wielding a blade, slaying under the moonlight.
Such impulsive behavior carried a certain boldness.
The old man held the money, thanked him, then, in disbelief, placed it in his bosom, slowly backing away. He suddenly knelt in the muddy ground, bowing heavily to Li Guanyi several times, turned around, staggered forward, then began to run, tripping and getting back up to run again.
In the wind came the sound of sobbing: "Wife, we have money now."
"We don't need to sell our daughter anymore."
"……"
Li Guanyi raised his head, leaning against the tree trunk, having killed the villain, yet feeling no satisfaction in his heart.
He cursed.
"Damn this world."
"Damn this chaotic era."
(End of Chapter)