Complete Victory

Had this sudden ambush been aimed at any other child of around twelve, they would certainly have found it almost impossible to notice in the slightest. (www..com )

But Qin Fengming was no ordinary child. After consuming those two Vermillion Fruits in the deep mountains, his ability to sense his surroundings, as well as his eyesight and hearing, had become comparable to those of a martial expert who had spent many years weathering the storms of the martial world.

"Smack!"

A crisp sound rang out, and a heavy object was knocked from the air by Qin Fengming's sword scabbard, falling into the grass.

Startled, Qin Fengming did not pause after the heavy object fell. He reached toward his waist, and as he raised his hand, another object shot out, flying straight toward a dense clump of bushes several yards away.

"Ah!~~~"

As Qin Fengming struck, a miserable cry rang out from within the bushes. Immediately afterward came the sound of a heavy body collapsing among the shrubs.

"Hmph. Who is ambushing me here? Come out at once."

Although Qin Fengming had already noticed that the figure in the bushes had fallen to the ground, a careful sweep of his eyes revealed three more small figures hiding beside the fallen person.

"Ah, Fourth Brother, how are you?" Before Qin Fengming even finished shouting, the three figures had risen one after another. Two of them immediately rushed toward the person lying on the ground, and the voice of a young boy rang out.

"Ah, so it's you people. Yuan Kejian, I have no grudge against you whatsoever. Why did you bring people here to ambush me? Aren't you afraid the hall master will find out and sentence you to death?"

By now, the sky had brightened considerably. Though it was still somewhat dim, under Qin Fengming's scrutiny, he clearly recognized the three people opposite him.

Qin Fengming knew all three of them. The leader was Yuan Kejian, the same person the hall master had taken a liking to. Of the other two, one was Luo Shigui, and the other was Shi He. There was also Wu Kaishi, who had come from Bright Moon City together with Yuan Kejian.

The person lying on the ground was surely Wu Kaishi.

"Hmph, brat, count yourself lucky. The crossbow bolt we bought at a high price actually failed to kill you. But with the three of us, killing you shouldn't be difficult. You and I have no personal grudge—it's just that the hall master favors you too much. As long as you're here, there'll never be a day when I, Yuan Kejian, can rise above the rest.

"Only by killing you will the hall master look at me in a different light. As for whether the hall master will find out, you needn't worry about that. We've investigated everything clearly. Usually, only you come here to practice martial arts, and no one else will come. As long as we kill you here, no one will discover a thing."

Glaring at Qin Fengming, the young man spoke with a torrent of hatred, as though he loathed him to the marrow of his bones.

Only after hearing Yuan Kejian finish did Qin Fengming understand why, whenever they met, a trace of venom had always flickered in Yuan Kejian's eyes. It turned out that Yuan Kejian had wanted to eliminate him ever since the two of them had been chosen to receive the hall master's personal instruction.

"Ah~ Elder Brother Yuan, Fourth Brother is already dead. We have to avenge Fourth Brother!"

While Yuan Kejian and Qin Fengming faced off, two sobbing voices suddenly came from behind him.

"What? Wu Kaishi is dead? Good, good! We'll kill this brat right now and avenge Fourth Brother."

As Yuan Kejian spoke, he waved his hand. The other two boys wiped away their tears, raised their weapons, and leaped forward, surrounding Qin Fengming in the center.

Facing three boys his own age, Qin Fengming had by now steadied his mind.

He had originally had a good chance to flee, but although Qin Fengming was young, he had sparred with his Senior Disciple Sister from time to time over the past year and more. He was not afraid of fighting others. At this moment, he also wanted to see just how far his strength had actually reached.

Children did not follow the martial world's rules in a fight, much less insist on single combat. At Yuan Kejian's shout, the three thirteen- or fourteen-year-old boys raised their weapons and attacked Qin Fengming.

Yuan Kejian used the Thunderous Saber Technique. Amid the whooshing sounds of his blade cleaving the air, faint rumbles like rolling thunder could be heard. Luo Shigui wielded the Arhat Staff Technique, his broad, sweeping movements carrying tremendous force. The last, Shi He, unleashed the Eight Immortals Swordplay, every strike aimed at Qin Fengming's vital points.

Qin Fengming was not yet twelve, making him the youngest of the four. Facing the combined attack of three boys his own age, it would be untrue to say he felt no tension. Yet one thought burned in his mind: he wanted to test exactly how strong he was.

With his fingers forming a spell, he swung the sharp treasured sword bestowed upon him by his master, Hall Master Zhang. The sword moves of the Thirteen Forms of the Willow poured forth.

In an instant, a sphere of white light flared on the scene. Flickering and shifting unpredictably, it completely blocked the attacks of the three boys. For a time, the two sides were evenly matched.

The Thirteen Forms of the Willow was originally a martial art extremely suited to group battles. Its greatest essence was to weave through countless willow branches without suffering the slightest injury.

Thus, the moment the two sides clashed, Yuan Kejian and the other two were utterly shocked.

They had never imagined that Qin Fengming, two years younger than them—and supposedly a mountain child—could possess such ability. They had already begun practicing martial arts back home.

Yet now they saw that even by joining forces, they held only a slight advantage. Defeating and killing the person before them would not be something they could accomplish in a short while.

Qin Fengming grew more startled the longer the fight continued. He had thought that after a year of explosive improvement, no child his age could be his match. But now, a thread of fear suddenly rose in his heart.

None of the three before him was mediocre. Each martial art they used was extraordinarily formidable. Qin Fengming had no fear of any one of them alone, but with the three attacking together, he could only rely on his profound sword techniques to barely hold them off. If this continued, he would undoubtedly lose more often than he won.

Qin Fengming regretted it deeply. If he had turned and left the moment he saw the three of them here, then with his Lightness Skill, the three of them would certainly have had no hope of catching him.

As the saying went, panic bred grave mistakes. This was Qin Fengming's first life-and-death battle with another person. While fighting with all his strength, fear surged wildly in his heart. In his anxiety, he failed to evade a stone beneath his foot. His body lurched to the side, and he fell sideways down the hillside.

"Ah, brat, don't move."

Just as Qin Fengming tried to spring back up, a sharp treasured sword pointed directly at his chest. At the sight of it, Qin Fengming's mind exploded with a roar, and he nearly blacked out.

"Hahahaha, brat, your martial arts aren't bad at all. If the three of us hadn't attacked together, it really would have been difficult to capture you. Shi He, don't take his life yet. I have something to ask him."

When Yuan Kejian saw that Shi He had subdued Qin Fengming, his face lit up with delight. He stopped Shi He from attacking, put away his weapon, and stepped toward Qin Fengming.

Qin Fengming had thought they would strike ruthlessly and kill him outright. He had not expected Yuan Kejian to order Shi He to stop. During that brief pause, Qin Fengming's thoughts stirred, and his hand moved slightly.

"Crack!"

Three pitch-black bolts shot out at high speed. In a flash, they struck Shi He in the chest as he held the sword.

It had happened far too suddenly. An experienced martial-world veteran would have immediately sealed Qin Fengming's acupoints before interrogating him carefully, but Shi He was only thirteen or fourteen and knew nothing of such things.

He had thought that pinning Qin Fengming down with his sword meant everything was settled. How could he have expected Qin Fengming to be carrying hidden weapons? Caught off guard, he did not even have time to cry out before collapsing limply to the ground.

"Ah, no! Brat, you're vicious!" Yuan Kejian had been overjoyed at seeing Qin Fengming captured, but before he could even reach him, his companion had once again been struck down.

Without bothering to check Shi He's injuries, Yuan Kejian and Luo Shigui swung their weapons once more and launched a furious attack at Qin Fengming, who had already risen to his feet.

Without Shi He helping him, the balance of the fight reversed completely. As Qin Fengming exerted the exquisite sword techniques of the Thirteen Forms of the Willow to their fullest, Luo Shigui was struck in the chest by his sword after only a few exchanges.

Amid a miserable cry, his weapon fell to the ground, and his body collapsed into the bushes.

Seeing his companions wounded one after another, Yuan Kejian was now terrified beyond measure. He had never imagined that after the four of them had carefully plotted everything, not only had they failed to do anything to Qin Fengming, but three of his companions had instead been killed before his eyes.

Yuan Kejian was ruthless by nature, but at this moment, even his young heart was filled with utter fear.

"Stop! Elder Brother Qin, please stop! I was blinded by greed. I was wrong in every possible way to plot against you. Please, Elder Brother Qin, for the sake of our shared sect, spare my life."

Yuan Kejian knew that his Lightness Skill was far inferior to Qin Fengming's, making escape impossible. With a clatter, he threw his saber onto the ground, knelt before Qin Fengming, and began desperately begging for mercy.

Seeing him like this, Qin Fengming paused in surprise and could not help stopping his sword technique. As he watched Yuan Kejian kowtow and beg for mercy without pause, his thoughts began churning.

Seeing that Qin Fengming had not immediately struck him down, Yuan Kejian was secretly delighted despite continuing to kowtow. His left hand slowly moved toward the area beneath his left ribs.

Hidden there was a Bamboo Tube capable of firing concealed weapons. Its power was not great, but with Qin Fengming less than a yard away, firing it at this distance would certainly injure him.

But before Yuan Kejian's left hand could touch the Bamboo Tube, he suddenly heard words that sent his soul flying out of his body.

"Hmph. Begging for mercy now is already too late. You can go to hell."

As the voice rang out, a streak of sword light flashed. Yuan Kejian felt a chill at his neck, and then all sensation vanished.