"Another one coming to die!"
The leader of the men in black sneered.
As soon as the words left his mouth, he moved like lightning, drew the Wild Goose Feather Saber at his waist, and charged at Wang Ruozhi.
Seeing this, Meng Qingshan couldn't help feeling rather entertained.
But once the effects of the wine had worn off a little, he suddenly felt hungry again.
Holding his spear, Meng Qingshan slowly returned to An Ning'er and the others, then asked in a low voice, "Is there anything left to eat?"
An Ning'er was worried about Wang Ruozhi's safety and replied distractedly, "Constable Zhang, I don't have any food left on me!"
Meng Qingshan turned his gaze to Guo Xi'wu, who took a paper-wrapped parcel from his robe and handed it to him.
He added, "Constable Zhang, I still have a chicken leg here, if you don't mind..."
"Mind? Why would I mind? What are you saying..."
At the scent of the meat, Meng Qingshan's eyes lit up at once.
He immediately took the parcel, tore it open, and eagerly began gnawing on the chicken leg.
As he ate, he enjoyed the fine show unfolding before him.
To be honest, Wang Ruozhi's Martial Arts and Agility were both fierce and graceful. Even onlookers who knew nothing about Martial Arts would be captivated by his bearing and find themselves applauding him.
He earned such acclaim not only because of his superb Martial Arts, but also because he was so dashing and debonair.
At that moment, the leader of the men in black and Wang Ruozhi had already crossed paths several times.
Every clash rang out with a crisp impact.
Wang Ruozhi held a White Fan and danced through the interwoven flashes of blades like a fluttering butterfly.
Each sweep of his fan stirred up a wave of invisible True Qi, forcing the leader of the men in black to hurriedly turn his blade back to defend.
However, the leader was no ordinary opponent. His saber technique was just as refined; he blocked Wang Ruozhi's attacks with precision each time, then swiftly launched a counterattack.
Yet Wang Ruozhi moved like a specter, so nimble that no matter how fierce the man's blade flashes were, he always managed to evade them and turn danger aside.
The two fought back and forth in a fierce exchange. In the blink of an eye, they had traded more than a hundred moves, yet neither had gained the upper hand.
An Ning'er looked somewhat anxious. She turned to Meng Qingshan and said, "Constable Zhang, Brother Wang and that bandit are locked in a fierce fight, and it's hard to tell who will win. Could you go help Brother Wang?"
By then, Meng Qingshan had finished the chicken leg. He had even chewed up and swallowed the bones.
Hearing An Ning'er's request, he scoffed inwardly.
In a fight to the death, how could the outcome be so hard to decide? And why would it take hundreds of moves to find out?
In Meng Qingshan's view, a contest between fighters of this caliber was usually decided within a hundred moves.
The battlefield was perilous; one careless move could mean death.
Ever since his life-or-death battle with Chen Sandao at the foot of Great Green Mountain, he had understood this well.
And his experience at the Kushui Road relay station had made him realize even more deeply that in a fierce battle, gaining an advantage—or even defeating a stronger foe or taking on several opponents alone—was entirely possible.
Though the two men were fighting fiercely, neither was actually fighting in earnest.
Meng Qingshan licked his fingers and spoke in a loud voice. "Miss Ning'er, you should know that I, Constable Zhang, haven't eaten for days.
"That last move nearly drained all my strength. Even if I wanted to help Young Hero Wang, I'm afraid I just don't have it in me!"
Hearing this, An Ning'er recalled how he had repeatedly asked for food ever since he appeared. She hesitated and stopped pressing him to help.
But Meng Qingshan seemed to have found his voice and continued, "I've had meat, but a jug of fine wine to wash it down would be even better!"
At that moment, Guo Xi'wu handed him a waterskin. "Constable Zhang, I have no wine, but there's still some water left."
Meng Qingshan took it without ceremony and drank a hearty gulp.
After a few mouthfuls of cool water, he looked at the two men locked in combat and smiled.
"Miss Ning'er, don't worry. From what I can see, Young Hero Wang is exceptionally skilled. That bandit leader can't even touch the hem of his robe. As long as we don't get in his way, the bandit leader won't stand a chance!"
Meng Qingshan hadn't made any effort to lower his voice.
His words instantly drew everyone's attention, including that of the leader of the men in black and Wang Ruozhi.
An Ning'er and Guo Xi'wu both turned to look at Meng Qingshan.
Their gazes were full of helplessness and reproach, as though silently pleading, "Brother, please, just shut your mouth!"
At his words, the leader of the men in black seemed to understand something. He abandoned his entanglement with Wang Ruozhi, flashed away, and quickly broke free.
True Qi surged through the Wild Goose Feather Saber clutched in his hand, its gleaming light dazzling. He suddenly shouted,
"You must be Wang Ruozhi, the Jade-Faced Carefree Young Master! I've long heard of your peerless lightness skill and elusive moves. Seeing you today, I find the rumors were true. I know I can't lay a finger on you, but let's see how you deal with this slash!"
At the leader's shout, he suddenly gathered his True Qi and swung his saber, unleashing a mighty wave of energy.
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