The Green Bamboo Swordsman

Chang'an sighed, "Dao Lang, you're not keeping your word! I didn't kill your brother. See, he's still alive. If you had said that you'd kill Little Brother if I dared to harm a single hair on your brother's head, I would never have touched him. It's a pity he told me that if I killed him, my own brother wouldn't survive. That's why I felt safe to teach him a lesson. Didn't I listen to your warning?!"

At this moment, Chang'an finally understood why this mere assassin knew so much. It turned out he was the second-in-command of the Wild Wolf Society, which was truly unexpected.

Dao Lang's eyes were icy, filled with killing intent.

Chang'an looked at Little Brother and knew he had suffered greatly. He was covered in wounds and looked utterly miserable. A wave of guilt washed over Chang'an. He suddenly looked at Dao Lang and said, "My brother is now also severely injured and half-dead. We're even. Dao Lang, you're after me. Let my brother go, and we'll fight to the death."

Dao Lang sneered, "Fight to the death?"

Chang'an replied, "Are you afraid and want to keep a hostage to threaten me?"

Dao Lang burst into laughter, "Ning Family's Chang'an, you're nothing but a turtle in a jar now. Why would I need a hostage?" Dao Lang waved his great saber, and the ropes binding Little Brother snapped. Dao Lang sneered, "Ning Family's Chang'an, you're dead for sure, but I won't let you die easily. I'm going to torture you to death."

Chang'an looked at Little Brother and said, "Little Brother, lend me your iron staff. You should leave quickly. We'll meet again if fate allows. We'll definitely drink ourselves silly when we do."

Little Brother managed a weak smile. "You shouldn't have come. My life is actually quite resilient."

Chang'an replied, "My life is also very resilient. I don't die easily. Hurry and go."

Little Brother stumbled out of the small courtyard.

Dao Lang roared, "Kill!"

But Chang'an had already moved, charging straight for the three burly men in yellow holding steel crossbows. He wielded his iron staff with unwavering courage and decisiveness. Those three steel crossbows were the greatest threat, even surpassing Dao Lang.

Dao Lang let out a cold laugh, "Wishful thinking!"

He swung his Ghost Head Saber horizontally, and a saber aura flashed. His style was fierce, blocking Chang'an's iron staff.

Chang'an's body suddenly twisted, and he took a swift step forward, grabbing the second-in-command of the Wild Wolf Society in his hand.

Dao Lang froze and roared, "Damn it!"

Chang'an threatened, "Put down the crossbows!"

Dao Lang suddenly grinned sinisterly and swung his Ghost Head Saber. With a crack, the second-in-command's head flew off, startling Chang'an. Fortunately, Chang'an dodged aside, narrowly avoiding Dao Lang's incredibly vicious strike.

This scene caused Chang'an to break out in a cold sweat.

This scoundrel Dao Lang was truly cruel and vicious, utterly appalling. He was no different from a savage wolf or a beast. He even killed his sworn brother without any warning, so decisively, without a shred of mercy.

Chang'an, still shaken, heard the sound of crossbows being fired.

Dao Lang sneered, "Ning Family's Chang'an, didn't expect this, did you?!"

Chang'an's body flickered, and he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. The steel arrow had pierced through his shoulder bone and gone all the way through. Blood gushed out like a spring.

Chang'an's face turned pale from the pain, and he gritted his teeth, "I truly didn't expect this."

At this point, he realized how different the world of assassins was from the normal world. At the very least, assassins were far more ruthless and heartless than ordinary people. He had suffered a great loss because of it.

Dao Lang roared, "Brothers, attack together! Chop him to pieces!"

All the subordinates of the Wild Wolf Society immediately began a coordinated assault, their killing intent surging. Their auras were connected, forming a formation. It appeared to be a combined attack formation that they had practiced for a long time.

Chang'an was trapped within the formation, feeling the oppressive pressure. Dao Lang's aura was at its peak. He roared, "Ning Family's Chang'an, who do you think you are, being able to fight a hundred? The moment you dared to step into this courtyard, you should have known you wouldn't be leaving. My Wild Wolf Society has been practicing this combined attack formation for a long time, and you're the perfect target!"

As Dao Lang finished speaking, he drew his saber and charged forward. His great saber swung with powerful, sweeping blows, and flashes of brilliant saber light completely enveloped Chang'an.

Chang'an endured the intense pain, his eyes fixed on Dao Lang's saber.

To capture the leader, capture the king first. If Dao Lang fell, the rest would simply be a disorganized mob, leaderless and scattered.

This was often the case with small gangs in the martial world.

The instant Dao Lang's saber was about to strike Chang'an, Chang'an moved. The iron staff in his hand thrust forward from a peculiar angle. In that moment, Dao Lang's speed seemed to halve in Chang'an's eyes, revealing three flaws in his saber technique. Chang'an struck instantly, targeting the most fatal of these flaws.

This flaw was perhaps one that even Dao Lang himself was unaware of.

Most martial artists immerse themselves in martial arts their entire lives, studying techniques. Besides the desire for superior martial arts and cultivation methods, they have two other hopes. The first is to break through the inherent flaws in martial arts techniques, gradually modifying each move and stance to reach a state of perfect fluidity. At such a level, even a low-grade external technique could rival a peerless Qi Gong or even a primordial technique. When fighting others, they could rely on their naturally perfected moves to defeat their opponents, leaving themselves with no openings and achieving an undefeated state. This is what martial artists often refer to as reaching perfection or the pinnacle of skill. The second hope is to thoroughly study various martial arts, comprehend the profoundness of their techniques and their myriad flaws, thereby broadening their experience and developing a pair of "fiery golden eyes" – highly perceptive eyes that can spot an opponent's flaws at a glance and strike decisively. It is incredibly difficult for martial artists to achieve either of these desires. Most can only remain stuck within established techniques, achieving nothing. Whether it's refining martial arts and improving techniques or drawing from the strengths of various schools to increase knowledge, it requires exceptional talent and extraordinary comprehension. Furthermore, mere talent and comprehension are not enough; one also needs immense perseverance, to travel the world, broaden one's horizons, and accumulate practical combat experience to have any chance of success.

Before Chang'an descended the mountain, Yang Qingling often taught and trained him in this manner. With Yang Qingling and Yang Taiyi's rich experience and extensive knowledge, coupled with Chang'an's own numerous trials after descending the mountain, he had initially developed this unique vision. Moreover, the Three Pure Nine Nether Wonderful Dharma Lotus Heart Sutra subtly gave him an inexplicable intuition. Although Chang'an could not completely decipher an opponent's moves at a glance, it was not difficult for him to spot several flaws in the martial arts techniques of ordinary first-rate martial artists.

Therefore, when Chang'an thrust his staff, Dao Lang let out a startled cry. Dao Lang could only watch helplessly as his move missed, and Chang'an's staff struck his vital point, displacing his internal organs.

Dao Lang writhed in pain, his body shrinking, baring his teeth like a shrimp.

Having gained the upper hand, Chang'an brought his iron staff down. Dao Lang, terrified, hastily raised his saber to block, but Chang'an's iron staff had already descended, striking Dao Lang squarely to the ground with a thump. As he tried to get up, an iron staff pierced straight down his back.

Dao Lang let out a scream, his limbs stiffened, stretched out straight, and crimson blood flowed from his mouth.

Chang'an stepped on Dao Lang's head, pulled out the iron staff, and coldly shouted, "Anyone else want to die, come on!"

It had all happened in the blink of an eye. Dao Lang was dead. The subordinates of the Wild Wolf Society hadn't even reacted. They only saw Chang'an standing with their leader's head under his foot and smelled the pungent scent of blood. Everyone was stunned, and a chill ran down their spines.

The three men in yellow were likely Dao Lang's confidantes. They immediately roared, "Kill!"

Three steel crossbow bolts shot through the air.

Chang'an flicked his iron staff, and Dao Lang's corpse on the ground was flicked up, serving as a shield in front of Chang'an.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Three crossbow bolts embedded themselves in Dao Lang's body, piercing his chest and skull, creating three bloody holes. Dao Lang, not quite dead yet, let out a pig-like scream and fell to the ground, finally breathing his last.

The three men in yellow turned pale, their hands and feet fumbling, unsure of what to do.

In that instant, Chang'an flashed out, his iron staff striking like lightning.

Three muffled groans sounded almost simultaneously. The heads of three burly men in yellow split open like bursting gourds. They swayed for a moment before collapsing to the ground like sacks.

Chang'an's figure steadied. Gripping his iron rod, he scanned the surroundings with a cold gaze and let out a furious roar. Under the sensing of his Qi, everyone present took a collective step back, their eyes filled with terror, daring not to make a move. Chang'an snorted coldly and strode away.

At the fourth ke of the yin hour, Chang'an emerged from the old ferryman's small courtyard. Outside, his horse, Chasing Lightning, pawed the ground lightly, snorting. Chang'an swung himself onto the horse, tore off a strip of his sleeve, and tightly wrapped it around his shoulder, temporarily stopping the bleeding.

Just as Chang'an was about to ride away, a cold glint suddenly flashed across his face, and a clear, cold voice slowly sounded, "Ning Family's Chang'an, your life is indeed tough."

Chang'an followed the sound and peered intently. He saw a person sitting on a distant rooftop. The person was chewing on a blade of grass, a bamboo hat pulled low over his head, and he held a long sword.

He sat there, appearing lonely yet resolute.

Chang'an's eyes narrowed slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "Green Bamboo Swordsman?!"

The person on the rooftop slowly stood up. He was slender and stood perfectly straight, truly resembling a lean bamboo stalk. He held his sword in one hand, the other behind his back. His green robes fluttered in the wind, as if the rooftop were very windy, not only windy but also cold.

Chang'an, however, knew there was no wind at all at that moment, and the spring breeze was gentle, never cold.

That was the Green Bamboo Swordsman's killing intent.

The Green Bamboo Swordsman said, "That's right, I am the Green Bamboo Swordsman. I didn't expect the Wild Wolf Society to be so vulnerable. Even with steel crossbows, they couldn't do anything to you. In the end, it still falls to me to clean up the mess."

Chang'an sighed, "A swordsman shouldn't be doing such things!"

A swordsman shouldn't be cleaning up after others, nor should they bow for a meager salary.

The Green Bamboo Swordsman also sighed, "Swordsmen are also human. Humans cannot live without money! Ning Family's Chang'an is infamous. If I kill you, it won't tarnish my reputation! You are destined not to live past the mao hour."

Chang'an suddenly said, "Bamboo represents integrity and unyielding spirit, breaking rather than bending. Green Bamboo Swordsman, you take bamboo as your name and hold a high position in the martial world, yet you stoop for a meager salary, chasing after money and profit, disgracing the name of a swordsman. Hmph, you're nothing special! I, Ning Family's Chang'an, stand upright and have nothing to fear. Why should I be afraid of you? Come, let me see the true skill of your Bamboo Charm Swordplay!"