Paired Swallows

Lu Wu-bing and Ouyang Lan dodged and deflected the arrows as they plunged headlong into the low woods.

Almost at the same instant, Wu Yunchong flashed back in retreat.

An arrow was embedded in his left shoulder, and blood dripped from the sword in his hand.

His charge just now had not been entirely useless. He had cut down five riders and seized a horse.

In the end, however, concentrated arrow fire struck him. The horse gave a miserable neigh and collapsed. His efforts had been for nothing, and he had even suffered a wound himself.

Wu Yunchong swung his sword backhandedly and severed the arrow shaft. Without even tending the wound, he rasped, "It's Tan Siwu of Tiger's Den Stronghold. I never expected this group to be lying in ambush here. If I'm not mistaken, someone from the Eastern Sea Sword Sect has arrived too. I just don't know whether Gu Dongting came."

His expression was deeply dejected.

Earlier, he had been led around by the nose. Not only had he failed to vent his anger, he had ended up bedraggled and disgraced, which left him thoroughly miserable.

Now, following behind Lu Wu-bing and Ouyang Lan, he wanted to apologize, yet had no idea where to begin.

"With only the few of you, why would Master need to make a personal appearance?"

From the left side of the mountain hollow, a figure in yellow leaped through the air, stepping on grass blades and branches like a shooting star bouncing through the sky.

His footsteps were light and nimble; he trod upon grass without bending it.

He held a long sword in each hand. As the blades trembled, two curtains of icy sword light flashed forth, spreading like wings.

As they fluttered, he resembled a great bird in swift flight—fast and fierce.

"It's Flying Feather Sword Tan Zhongjing! Junior Brother, Junior Sister, run!"

Wu Yunchong turned his wrist and wielded his sword, stomping heavily on the ground. His body spun into the air as sword light scattered sparks across the sky, weaving into a dense net of light that trapped Tan Zhongjing within.

"Can you get away?"

Heavy footsteps thundered—thump, thump, thump.

A short, sturdy, dark-faced man charged through the trees with his head lowered like a wild boar, a long spear in hand and a massive shield before him. Wood chips and grass leaves swirled around him.

Whoosh...

Before the man even arrived.

A refined-steel spear had already whipped up a gale as it swept horizontally toward them.

Farther behind, shadowy figures split to the left and right as they rushed forward...

Amid the rustle of leaves, they were clearly trying to cut off the retreat of the three of them.

The battle had abruptly fallen into a perilous situation.

Lu Wu-bing had never learned lightness skill. He could only watch helplessly; he could neither interfere in Wu Yunchong's leaping battle.

Nor could he attack that boar-like brute with his sword from eight feet away.

Not to mention that spears were long and swords short—the man's muscles were dark as black iron, and he carried a great shield in his left hand. He looked immensely strong.

Even if Lu Wu-bing charged forward, he likely would not gain any advantage.

He had just avoided the sweeping spear when his vision blurred and his shoulder grew slightly heavy. Ouyang Lan had pushed him aside.

A streak of emerald shadow stepped forward thirty feet, and sword light slashed out like a cascading waterfall.

"Breaking the Army."

Ouyang Lan's sword flew like the wind as she gave a clear shout.

Her body swayed left and right, evading the spear's successive thrusts. The sword in her hand spread like a peacock opening its tail, starlight glittering.

Pfft! Pfft!

Several sprays of blood burst from the squat, fat man's body. Deep slashes also appeared on his steel shield. He retreated rapidly, yet continued roaring as he fought with wild abandon.

Lu Wu-bing had barely halted his retreat when he realized that although Senior Sister Xiaolan held the upper hand and had wounded her opponent.

The squat, fat man wore steel armor, and his head and face were tightly protected. Though he had slipped slightly, only the flesh of his arms had been injured. It was no serious matter.

"Second Brother, help me!"

The spear-wielding strongman roared, whirling his spear into a wheel.

Not far behind him, two sword-wings buzzed and trembled... Flying Feather Sword swept through the air, breaking free of Wu Yunchong's sword net and pouncing toward Ouyang Lan.

Lu Wu-bing gripped his sword hilt as inner energy surged, stimulating the acupoints in his legs and waist. He bent forward and charged.

He knew that with those two encircling her, Ouyang Lan could never withstand them.

Now, he could only stake everything on one gamble.

Get closer.

As long as he got a little closer, there would be a way.

He had only charged halfway.

Leaves fell like rain. Wu Yunchong descended headfirst, feet upward, his sword light transforming into a net that stabbed down with hissing force.

This time, he enveloped both Flying Feather Sword Tan Zhongjing and Tiger's Den Stronghold's master, Tan Siwu, within his sword light.

He even flicked his sleeve, sending a soft force that flung Ouyang Lan backward through the air.

Though Wu Yunchong's left shoulder had been injured by an arrow, it did not affect his sword arm.

With inner force surging wildly, he attacked at full strength.

Tianquan Swordplay treated the sword as chess, placing pieces in all four directions. Facing two opponents alone, he did not fall into disadvantage.

"Junior Sister, go! I'll cover the rear!"

"Senior Brother, get away as quickly as you can."

At this critical moment, Ouyang Lan was surprisingly decisive. Upon landing, she wrapped an arm around Lu Wu-bing's waist and pushed off with her feet. In a single leap, she crossed thirty or forty feet, weaving through the woods as she rose and fell.

Her sword light flashed repeatedly, cutting down three bandits who charged at them howling.

Without looking back, she plunged deeper into the dense forest.

Lu Wu-bing's feet nearly did not touch the ground as his junior senior sister half-carried him in rapid flight. The gale brushed past his ears, making his eyelids swell slightly.

This was awkward.

Without lightness skill, he had no rights.

Just as he wondered whether Wu Yunchong could escape, another sound of beating wings suddenly reached his ears.

"He actually wasn't stopped!"

Behind them, Flying Feather Sword Tan Zhongjing pounced left and stepped right, borrowing force from tree trunks... His sword-wings flapped in unison, and he chased to within seventy feet of them like a great bird.

His sword momentum revolved as he slashed swiftly down like a windmill.

Ouyang Lan's lightness skill might have been excellent as well, but dragging someone along meant she could not shake him off.

As they ran, he closed in with every step.

"Put me down."

The veins on Lu Wu-bing's right arm stood out faintly, killing intent boiling within him.

He waited only for the best moment to strike.

"No, Little Junior Brother. Your senior sister isn't someone who clings to life and fears death. If we live, we live together. If we die, we die together."

Sweat dripped from Ouyang Lan's brow.

Yet she still talked tough.

"Die what? Are you stupid? Let's join forces and take him down."

Lu Wu-bing was growing frantic.

Held around the waist like this, he could not strike very well either.

Flying Feather Sword was alone now. What was there to fear?

If they did not seize this once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity.

Then when more experts arrived and the enemy surrounded them, with a lightness-skill expert tailing them from behind, would they even be able to escape?

"Fine."

At the crucial moment, Senior Sister Xiaolan did not drop the ball at all.

She loosened the arm around Lu Wu-bing's right arm and, with a slight spinning force, flung him outward.

The two flew sideways and landed.

Tan Zhongjing's eyes lit up. His twin swords crossed, his wings trembled as he slashed diagonally, and he dove down.

Azure Wave Concealment shimmered within the sword light, endlessly flowing on without end.

This was the Eastern Sea Sword Sect's direct inheritance, the [Azure Wave Swordplay].

Lu Wu-bing felt that no matter which direction he dodged, he would be struck by those tidal waves of sword light...

This man attacked them both with his twin swords, yet did so with effortless ease, combining lightness and weight.

"Hiss..."

Lu Wu-bing landed, standing firm as a pine.

His right hand blurred into an afterimage, and a blazing white gleam shot forth.

Where his heart went, his sword followed.

No matter how the sword light before him confused the eye.

No matter how exquisite his opponent's swordsmanship.

He simply struck with one sword, attacking first and forever moving a step ahead.

"You..."

Tan Zhongjing's twin swords had only swung halfway when his vision blurred and a sharp wind pierced toward his neck.

As alarm screamed through his heart, he only had time to turn his neck slightly before hearing a hissing, leaking sound.

It was the sound of blood spraying out.

I've been struck by a sword.

As that thought crossed his mind, his neck had not even begun to hurt. He only felt darkness gathering before his eyes, and the scenery around him became unclear.

In shock and fury, all nine of his meridians shook at once. He released his sword hilts, crashed sideways, and swept out with one palm.

Whoosh...

Palm wind surged like a wave.

Lu Wu-bing had just pierced through half of Tan Zhongjing's neck when the latter's palm swept before his chest.

The fierce palm wind assaulted him. It was too late to retreat, so he could only bend his arms at the elbows and prepare to withstand the blow head-on.

An emerald shadow flashed before his eyes, and a hand fairer than frost and snow had already blocked his way.

Boom...

The two palms collided.

Tan Zhongjing staggered back two steps, his eyes vacant as blood continued spraying from his throat. Then he crashed to the ground.

Ouyang Lan flew backward, knocking Lu Wu-bing down with her. Blood seeped from the corner of her mouth, yet she did not forget to laugh softly. "Junior Brother really is fast."

The lightness skill she cultivated was Inch Step.

Within an inch of space, one had to fight for a single thread. Its footwork was exceptionally nimble.

Of course, when used for travel, it was no slower than the lightness skills of other sects.

Earlier, when Lu Wu-bing thrust out his sword, even she had not seen the sword light clearly before Tan Zhongjing was struck in the throat, unable to unleash any of his martial arts.

Perhaps he had dodged a tiny bit at the last moment, allowing him enough strength to launch one final counterattack before death.

He had nearly placed Lu Wu-bing in danger.

Fortunately, her lightness skill was excellent, and she had made it in time to block the strike.

Dust rose from Tan Zhongjing's fallen body. Amid the grass and leaves not far away, something seemed to startle into flight like a butterfly.

No, not a butterfly, but a swallow.

That small black swallow seemed to have grown eyes. It skimmed through the air and shot toward them.

It had made almost no sound.

Lu Wu-bing's heart jolted violently.

"There's another ambush on the side."

He tilted his body slightly. His sword moved faster than thought, already piercing the swallow before him.

Bang...

The swallow-shaped hidden weapon suddenly split apart, curving past them as two blade lights wheeled back and slashed again.

"Paired Swallows!"

Ouyang Lan gave a muffled grunt. She wrapped an arm around Lu Wu-bing and spun sharply...

Blood blossomed across her shoulder and back. With one step, she darted into the forest.

"Chase them! They're wounded! They can't run far."

A string of footsteps sounded behind them.

With a pop, a burst of fireworks exploded in the air.

"Get on my back."

Sweat streamed down Ouyang Lan's neck. She glanced back and saw the enemies swarming after them like a hive of bees.

Not only were there many of them, they had even fired a signal rocket.

At a time like this, fireworks could not possibly be for admiring the scenery. They were surely calling for reinforcements.

Not running would be foolish.

"Senior Sister, you're injured."

Lu Wu-bing sighed.

Making an injured girl carry him while running was truly embarrassing.

"Stop fussing like an old granny. Your senior sister is formidable. A small injury is nothing."

As she spoke, Ouyang Lan turned around and crouched down. She hoisted Lu Wu-bing onto her back in one motion, even remembering to support his backside and bounce him up slightly...

Dust rose beneath her feet. After several strides, she darted into the vast, untamed forest.