Fangs (Part 2)

"Who are you?" the old man asked, gripping his samurai sword and assuming a high-stance guard, his voice deep as he addressed the boy slowly approaching with a cleaver.

"Who I am isn't important," the boy smiled. "What's important is that you saw what I did. According to the rules of my profession, I have to kill witnesses."

As he spoke, the boy waved the cleaver in his hand. "Heh, come to think of it, I've been playing with a bunch of kids lately, and I've become a bit brain-dead. I could have just taken you out quietly, but instead, I'm facing you directly. This is really... well, mainly, I wanted to tell you that what you did just now hurt a lot."

"Thank you for the compliment."

"You're welcome."

As soon as the words fell, the old man leaped forward, his samurai sword slashing down. Facing this thunderous blow, Jiaming twisted his cleaver and then swung with his right hand alone. With a "clang—" sound, the two blades sparked astonishingly in the air. However, to the old man's surprise, his powerful strike was completely deflected to the side by the boy. The steel blade, held in reverse, pushed along his momentum, causing his body to tilt precariously to the side!

Most people believe that Japanese swordsmanship emphasizes a fatal blow, attacking without defense, relying solely on brute force, and that missing means ruin. In reality, this is a misconception propagated by movies about Japanese swordsmanship. All martial arts share common principles, and Japanese swordsmanship also places great importance on the use of waist power and footwork. After his initial attack failed, the old man immediately swung his samurai sword horizontally. To avoid being counter-attacked, he threw his body to the ground, propped himself up with one hand, and spun his legs in a kick. However, by the time he regained his footing, he found the boy standing exactly where he had been moments before, bouncing lightly like a boxer and smiling brilliantly.

"So flashy, so flashy! To perform such a difficult move, old grandpa, doesn't your back hurt?"

"Less nonsense! Come at me if you want to fight!"

The old man frowned, his expression grave as he pointed his samurai sword at Jiaming, the tip slightly lowered and tilted to the right. Jiaming narrowed his eyes. "Flat-Eyed Gaze... Do you think you're Okita Soji (Note 1)?" As soon as he spoke, he charged forward.

"I'll show you the Chiying Qianhuan you desire!"

Sparks flew again. The old man pressed his samurai sword down, parrying Jiaming's attack, then, with lightning speed, he swung his blade upwards and then down. This technique, Flat-Eyed Gaze, was incredibly difficult. If executed perfectly, it would make the enemy feel almost drawn to his blade to be cut. However, before the strike could land, Jiaming seemed to vanish. Then, he reappeared at the old man's side, swinging his blade.

It was the same Chiying Qianhuan, but Jiaming's execution was clearly many times more skilled than Yuechi Xun's. The old man hastily retracted his samurai sword and rolled to the side in a clumsy manner. Then, Jiaming's figure once again dashed to his side, slashing his sword.

For a time, the sounds of "clang, clang, clang, clang—" echoed in that corner of the plaza, like the crisp melody of music dancing in the night sky. In terms of pure strength, even with Jiaming's training, his child's body could never match the old man's. However, in terms of agility, the old man couldn't even hope to keep up with Jiaming at this moment.

Almost ostentatiously using Chiying Qianhuan, his body danced wildly in the area where light and shadow intersected. In fact, ninjutsu wasn't illusion; it was merely using environmental factors to create false impressions. The lighting in this area, blocked by the buildings, created a distinct division between light and shadow. Combined with the constant interplay of light and shadow, and some complex footwork techniques, it created an illusion of shifting movement. Of course, even without the interplay of light and shadow, simply moving in a bright area could create such illusions through complex movements, but it would be much more difficult.

Sometimes appearing at the old man's side, sometimes behind him, Jiaming's relentless barrage of attacks forced the old man into a desperate defense. Yuechi Xun, still naked and lying on the ground, watched with growing alarm. To execute Chiying Qianhuan to this extent... who in the family could achieve it?

Having exhausted all his tricks, the old man finally managed to create some distance between them. He gripped the sword hilt with both hands, retracted it, and then lunged forward like lightning at the charging Jiaming.

It was still Okita Soji's sword technique ultimate: Mumeiken Sandan Tsuki. He saw that Jiaming was eager to close the distance and was moving too fast to use Chiying Qianhuan to dodge. Indeed, he was struck.

However, it wasn't that Jiaming truly couldn't dodge, but rather that he no longer wanted to.

The first thrust was fiercely blocked by Jiaming. The second and third strikes were about to come down like a storm, but as the blade slightly retracted, he was horrified to discover that the opponent's speed was faster than his own retraction speed. The opponent had put almost his entire body's strength into his blade, rendering the subsequent attacks completely void.

Figures crossed, and blood splattered!

A long gash appeared on the old man's abdomen, a spot seemingly chosen to correspond with Japanese seppuku. The old man staggered a few steps. "Chiying Qianhuan, how could you..."

"Of course, I stole the secret manual, you idiot..." Jiaming thought to himself, but he said aloud, "The old Yuechi family mansion is serene and quiet, filled with beautiful cherry blossom trees. When the cherry blossoms fall, their petals land in the pond, creating ripples that inspired the ancestors of the Yuechi family to create Chiying Qianhuan. That old mansion still retains its original appearance today, simple, clean, and spotless. The secret of Chiying Qianhuan lies within, requiring a completely calm and peaceful heart that reflects even the slightest ripple of disturbance from the outside world. Your heart is filled only with conflict. You can't even properly practice the sword techniques of Tennen Rishin-ryū (Note 2), so how can you master Chiying Qianhuan?"

After saying this, he felt like a high monk. Although the first part was nonsense, the latter part truly spoke of the state of mind required for Chiying Qianhuan.

The old man truly seemed to have gained enlightenment. Blood continued to pour from his abdomen, yet he stood there motionless. Then, a figure rushed forward from the side and slashed a more fatal wound across the old man's neck – it was the still naked Yuechi Xun.

"Cough... I... I was... right... Yuechi Family... cough..."

After uttering these words, the old man collapsed to his knees, propping himself up with his samurai sword, and finally died.

This training session was quite good... Jiaming thought to himself. When he looked at Yuechi Xun, she was staring straight back at him, completely unconcerned about her nakedness. Of course, seeing her battered body, Jiaming couldn't muster any particular thoughts.

Then, Jiaming placed the blade of his sword directly against her neck.

"Cough, you make things difficult for me. I can't let anyone know about today's events, so I'll just have to kill you... Hey, hey, hey... listen to me finish before you faint..."

Supporting the girl as she finally fainted and slumped into his arms, Jiaming felt as though she was being deliberately difficult. He hadn't really intended to kill her, but she should at least have listened to his plight and discussed a way to keep it secret before fainting...

"Honestly... you're so badly injured. Whether there's medicine upstairs depends on your luck..."

More than an hour later, a large number of police officers arrived at the lumber processing plant to witness a particularly shocking scene.

Two decapitated corpses lay in the guardhouse at the entrance. A fire had consumed nearly half the factory. On the plaza, severed heads were a gruesome sight. At first glance, the assembled police officers knew this would be the biggest organized crime case since the gang shootout at the abandoned Second Cement Factory site six months prior.

Liu Huaisha, leading the police and looking quite disheveled, was stunned by the scene. Crying and shouting, she searched everywhere for Jiaming. However, she didn't find him. Instead, on a bed on the second floor, she found the Japanese girl, battered to within an inch of her life. Her injuries seemed to have been crudely treated, but she was still unconscious.

According to Shasha's intelligence, the gang members at this lumber processing plant couldn't possibly be just this one group. A team, along with some police dogs, rushed into the woods behind the plant. Shortly after, they encountered Cao Dongfeng, wandering around lost with a small torch. Shasha immediately rushed to him, crying and hitting him. "What did you do to Jiaming? What did you guys do to Jiaming...?" Cao Dongfeng, however, was almost scared out of his wits, only managing to stammer, "People are dead... people are dead... help me..." Shasha, thinking Jiaming was dead, ran up and hit him again while the police weren't looking, then knelt on the ground and burst into tears.

A short while later, the police found a clue ahead. Shasha tearfully followed, and almost everyone was pale-faced at the sight of the decapitated corpses, with many officers vomiting on the spot. Shasha aimlessly searched for Jiaming, until the police dogs discovered a small, trembling boy hiding in a dense thicket. Seeing that Jiaming was alive, Shasha excitedly pounced on him, causing Jiaming to cry out in pain.

"Ah... Doctor, doctor, hurry! Jiaming is injured too! Cao Dongfeng beat him for a long time..." Shasha cried out, then burst into tears again. The accompanying doctor quickly arrived, removed Jiaming's clothes, and saw that his body was covered in shocking wounds, almost comparable to the abused Japanese girl. Everyone quickly brought a stretcher, and Shasha excitedly trotted alongside it. A female officer also asked Jiaming about his condition. However, Jiaming naturally claimed he had hidden in the woods and, hearing screams, didn't dare to come out, thus providing no useful information. Seeing how young the child was and how he had been abused, they naturally didn't believe he was lying.

"Right, Shasha, they said they were going to arrest Lingjing, but they didn't catch her?"

"Don't worry," Shasha said, holding his hand. "As soon as we went missing, they reported it. Lingjing was almost caught once, but Father Ye went to pick her up and beat all those guys away. After that, the police protected her... Father Ye is so amazing. Of course, Jiaming, you're amazing too."

"Uh, hehe... hehe..." Jiaming replied with a silly laugh.

The medical team, having seen two shockingly abused children in one day, complained all the way. When they returned to the processing plant and saw Cao Dongfeng, Shasha angrily reported, "He's the one who beat him! He's the one who beat him!" She then tried to rush over and hit him again but was pulled back. In the ensuing chaos, Cao Dongfeng saw Jiaming on the stretcher make a terrifying grimace at him, and then he foamed at the mouth, convulsed, and fell to the ground, having an epileptic fit. It seemed that from this point on, he would fully understand the meaning of despair.

The group boarded an ambulance. Shasha sat by Jiaming's stretcher, holding his hand. Seeing the carefree boy actually fall asleep on the ambulance and start snoring softly, she felt a pang of disappointment, having so many things she still wanted to tell him. As she thought this, she clumsily pulled the blanket up for Jiaming.

The vehicle sped through the long night, heading towards the distant, glittering city.

Note 1* Okita Soji: Those who have watched Kenshin will understand. Also known as Okita Sōjirō, he is said to be the top swordsman of the Shinsengumi, who studied Tennen Rishin-ryū swordsmanship. His ultimate sword techniques were Flat-Eyed Gaze and Mumeiken Sandan Tsuki, but Mumeiken Sandan Tsuki starts with Flat-Eyed Gaze. This is a bit of creative license, as I'm not very familiar with him.

A more familiar character is the young boy Okita Sōjirō from The Legend of the Wind. Fudanshi readers of this book should like that young boy.

Note 2* Tennen Rishin-ryū: A school of Japanese swordsmanship. This is not an academic study. It emphasizes harmonizing natural principles and responding to situations with natural reactions to the opponent's movements, similar to the Chiying Qianhuan described in the text.

Also: Seeking votes, thank you.