A Helping Hand

"Stop acting so arrogantly! Fine, we'll do as you say and fight one-on-one. Each side sends out three people, so you can lose fair and square! The losing side kneels and begs for mercy! Wang Zhong, you go first," the richly dressed youth leading the Black Tiger Gang shouted angrily.

"Yes, Senior Brother Zhao!" A burly youth wielding a large ringed saber stepped out from the crowd and shouted at the Thunder Blade Sect's people, "You sons of turtles from the Thunder Blade Sect, who dares fight me?"

"Then fight. Tao Chong, tear this brat's mouth apart later and teach him the consequences of having a foul mouth," Shi Qingshan sneered.

"Yes, Senior Brother Shi. I'll slash his stinking mouth open and teach him the consequences of relying on nothing but his sharp tongue."

Tao Chong was a youth who wielded a willow-leaf saber in each hand. He was short and thin, but his steps were light, and he seemed quite fast.

Both sides shouted softly and clashed. For a while, saber and sword flashed everywhere. Wang Zhong of the Black Tiger Gang attacked with broad, powerful strokes, every swing of his great saber ringing through the air. He looked utterly imposing. Tao Chong, meanwhile, was driven into a desperate defense, and after receiving two blows, he did nothing but retreat.

The Black Tiger Gang members cheered again and again.

"Hurry, Senior Brother Wang! Cut him down with one saber and show those Thunder Blade Sect people what we can do!"

"Senior Brother Wang is amazing!"

At the same time, the Thunder Blade Sect members were sweating nervously, but Shi Qingshan remained calm and composed. Lu Xiaotian watched the contest between the martial artists with great interest. In the past, whenever he passed the Thunder Blade Sect's practice grounds, he had thought the disciples' techniques were incredibly formidable, their movements so dazzling that some were too fast to see clearly.

Yet in the contest before him, the movements of both sides looked somewhat clumsy to him. Even Tao Chong, who clearly followed a light and agile style, was obviously relying on his speed to wear down the strength of Wang Zhong, the Black Tiger Gang disciple.

Lu Xiaotian saw through Shi Qingshan's intentions at a glance. It seemed Shi Qingshan had also noticed Wang Zhong's weakness, which was why he had sent Tao Chong out. However, Wang Zhong's footwork did not seem fast to Lu Xiaotian either. No matter how Tao Chong leaped about, agile as a fish, Lu Xiaotian needed only one sword to seal off his escape routes.

It seemed cultivators truly could not be compared with ordinary martial artists. In the past, he had been unable to see through these moves at all. Lu Xiaotian felt a surge of delight. He was only at the First Layer of Qi Refining now, but if he reached the Second Layer of Qi Refining, he would probably become even more formidable.

"Senior Brother Shi, what should we do? From the looks of it, Tao Chong may not be able to withstand the Black Tiger Gang's man," a white-clad young woman beside him said to Shi Qingshan, her face filled with worry.

"Don't rush. The good show comes later." Shi Qingshan remained completely unruffled, showing not the slightest concern.

Sure enough, just as Shi Qingshan and Lu Xiaotian had expected, after more than twenty exchanges, Wang Zhong's continuous broad and powerful attacks had failed to achieve anything. He was already drenched in sweat and clearly running out of strength. When he swung his saber again, it was even slower than before. Tao Chong, who had been circling him all along, dodged the blow and immediately closed in. The short saber in his hand flashed toward Wang Zhong's face. Wang Zhong's expression changed drastically, and he jerked his head back, but he still failed to evade it completely. A bloody gash several inches long was carved beside his mouth.

"Haha, as expected, the Black Tiger Gang only knows how to wag its tongue. Once it actually fights, it's useless."

The Thunder Blade Sect disciples finally breathed easy and burst into loud laughter.

"Best two out of three. There are still two bouts left, and the winner is still unknown. What are you so pleased about?" the richly dressed youth shouted. Having already lost one bout, he could not afford to lose the second, or there would be no need for a third. He strode forward. "I'll take the second bout. Which of you wants to come forward and die?"

"Can it be that the Black Tiger Gang only knows how to boast?" Shi Qingshan drew his long saber and pointed it straight at the richly dressed youth, immediately chopping down.

The richly dressed youth hurriedly raised his sword to block.

Clang, clang!

A chorus of saber and sword strikes rang out. The richly dressed youth and Shi Qingshan were evenly matched in martial skill, but Shi Qingshan's saberplay was more fierce and carried an unmistakable killing intent. His practical battle experience was also richer. The richly dressed youth's movements, on the other hand, were often flashy but impractical, wasting strength on unnecessary flourishes. After six or seven exchanges, Shi Qingshan seized an opening and unleashed the successive-strike technique Thundering Saberplay. Four blows in a row drove the richly dressed youth backward again and again.

The long sword in the richly dressed youth's hand nearly flew from his grasp. His face drained of color as he realized he was no match for Shi Qingshan. Enraged and humiliated, he shouted, "What are you standing around for? All of you, attack! Beat these Thunder Blade Sect bastards flat!"

"Kill!"

At the richly dressed youth's command, more than ten other Black Tiger Gang disciples drew their sabers and swords and charged the Thunder Blade Sect members.

"Shameless! Senior Brother Shi, watch out!"

The Thunder Blade Sect disciples cursed furiously as both sides crashed into battle. Overall, the Thunder Blade Sect members were slightly superior to the Black Tiger Gang, but the Black Tiger Gang had numbers on its side, ganging up two against one. Shi Qingshan was surrounded by the richly dressed youth and two other disciples. Unable to withstand them for long, he soon found two of his fellow disciples wounded by the Black Tiger Gang's sabers, while a searing saber wound was carved across his own back.

It seemed he had no choice but to intervene. He could ignore the others, but Shi Qingshan was his childhood friend, and the Thunder Blade Sect had treated him with considerable care. However, he had been a menial servant who originally knew no martial arts, and had suddenly become a formidable martial artist. If word got out, it would inevitably draw some people's attention. He could deal with ordinary martial artists, but who could guarantee that there were no other cultivators in Pingwu County Town?

With that thought, Lu Xiaotian tore a piece of coarse cloth from his clothes and covered his face. He drew the short sword at his waist and rushed forward.

"Haha, you Thunder Blade Sect curs, today I'll show you what I'm capable of!" The richly dressed youth's face twisted as he thrust his sword at Shi Qingshan's abdomen. Among the Black Tiger Gang's younger disciples, he had always thrown his weight around, yet he had been unable to last even ten moves against this man before him. He had to repay this humiliation to Shi Qingshan many times over, or the hatred in his heart would never be appeased.

"Senior Brother Shi!" the white-clad young woman cried out. Shi Qingshan had just hacked aside the other two men, and his previous momentum had been exhausted while his next wave of strength had yet to gather. There was no way he could evade this sword.

Clang!

A gray figure flashed past. The richly dressed youth's sword was knocked aside. His vision blurred, then pain exploded in his abdomen as someone kicked him flying.

After kicking the richly dressed youth away, the gray figure did not stop. He pounced with astonishing agility toward another Black Tiger Gang disciple, exchanged two blows with him, and stabbed him in the arm.

In the blink of an eye, the gray figure had wounded seven people. Not one had lasted a single move against him.

"Let's go!" The Black Tiger Gang disciples were terrified. The richly dressed youth's face was even paler as he hurriedly shouted, then led the others away in utter disarray.

"Thank you for your helping hand, brother. Without you, I'm afraid none of us would have made it back safely today. May I ask your esteemed name? The Thunder Blade Sect will certainly repay you!"

Shi Qingshan came back to himself and looked at the gray-clad youth with admiration. With such effortless movements, he had wounded seven people. Even a first-rate martial artist of the jianghu might be no better.

"There's no need for repayment. The Black Tiger Gang has taken a loss, and they'll probably return with experts to seek revenge soon. This is no place to linger. You should leave quickly." After Lu Xiaotian finished speaking, he leaped onto the rooftops beside the street and vanished from their sight.

After jumping down from the roof, Lu Xiaotian pulled the coarse cloth from his face and shook his slightly sore wrist. He had clashed forcefully with several Black Tiger Gang disciples, leaving his wrist faintly numb. Those had only been disciples from a gang. If they had been renowned first-rate martial artists, or even peerless martial artists, he might still have fallen short in strength. It seemed that after cultivating the Primordial Unity Scripture, the increase in physical strength was only secondary. His eyesight and his perception of his surroundings were what truly surpassed those of martial artists. In a contest of pure force, he was probably still inferior to a first-rate martial artist.

In a luxurious guest room at the Dongyang Inn in Pingwu County Town, a dignified, square-faced middle-aged man slammed his palm onto the table. With a crash, the sturdy wooden table instantly broke into a pile of splinters.

"This is outrageous! The Black Tiger Gang actually disregarded jianghu principles and dared to surround and attack our Thunder Blade Sect disciples. We must settle this score!"

"Junior Brother Qian, don't lose your temper. If we were in Qingzhu County, we could simply storm their headquarters, but this is Pingwu County. The Black Tiger Gang is a local power, so naturally they're more brazen. Fortunately, Qingshan and the others weren't seriously injured. With the various gangs from Liang Province gathering here, the situation is a tangled mix of fish and dragons, and the sect master has yet to arrive. We should watch developments for now. Once the martial arts conference begins, we can denounce the Black Tiger Gang in front of all the sects and issue a challenge, thoroughly cutting down their arrogance." Sitting beside him was another half-century-old man with graying hair, who shook his head as he spoke.

"Very well. We'll wait until the sect master arrives before deciding what to do. But you said a masked swordsman saved you—what happened?" The square-faced man, Zhou Lie, was the Thunder Blade Sect's Hall Master of Discipline and Shi Qingshan's master.

"This disciple doesn't know either. That man's martial arts were extraordinarily strong. He covered his face with cloth and seemed unwilling to reveal his identity. He wounded seven Black Tiger Gang disciples in succession and frightened the others away, allowing us to escape safely. Otherwise, under the Black Tiger Gang's encirclement, we probably would all have been at their mercy." At the mention of the masked man, Shi Qingshan's face filled with gratitude, but then he thought of something else. "However, judging by his build, he should not be older than us disciples."

"What? He was no older than you, yet he possessed such skill?" Zhou Lie and the gray-haired old man looked startled. "To defeat six or seven Black Tiger Gang disciples in succession without suffering so much as a scratch, he must have been at least a first-rate expert. There are only a handful of people among the younger generation in the jianghu with such ability. He must be nearly thirty at least."

"I never expected Pingwu County Town to be a place where dragons and crouching tigers hid. Still, since that person does not wish to reveal his identity, so be it. From this incident, it seems he is a friend rather than an enemy. That is, at least, a good thing for us." The gray-haired old man shook his head as he spoke.