Paired Swallows

Lu Wu-bing and Ouyang Lan dodged and blocked arrows as they plunged into the low forest.

A moment later, Wu Yunchong's figure flashed as he retreated.

An arrow was stuck in his left shoulder, and his long sword dripped blood.

His recent charge hadn't been entirely in vain; he had killed five riders and captured a horse.

However, he was then focused by arrows, the horse screamed and fell, and he had gotten injured for nothing.

Wu Yunchong swung his sword with a backhand, cutting off the arrow shaft. Without bothering to bandage, he shouted, "It's Tan Siwu of Tiger's Den Stronghold. I didn't expect these people to be ambushed here. If I'm not mistaken, someone from the Eastern Sea Sword Sect has also arrived. I just don't know if Gu Dongting is here?"

He looked quite dejected.

Being led around by the nose earlier, not only did he fail to vent his anger, but he also ended up looking disheveled, which made him feel terrible.

Now, following behind Lu Wu-bing and Ouyang Lan, he wanted to apologize but didn't know where to start.

"Just the few of you? Why would Master need to come himself?"

To the left of the mountain hollow, a figure in yellow, stepping on grass and branches, leaped forward like a shooting star.

This person's footwork was light and agile, not disturbing the grass.

He held a long sword in each hand, and as they vibrated, two cold sword lights flashed out, spreading like wings.

Fluttering, he moved as fast and fierce as a bird in flight.

"It's Tan Zhongjing of the Flying Feather Sword. Junior Brother, Junior Sister, hurry and leave."

Wu Yunchong flipped his wrist, channeled his sword energy, stomped heavily on the ground, and spun into the air. His sword light splashed out like scattered starlight, forming a dense net of light that trapped Tan Zhongjing.

"Can you leave?"

"Boom, boom, boom," heavy footsteps sounded.

A short, stout, dark-faced man, holding a long spear and a giant shield, charged forward like a wild boar, breaking through the trees, covered in wood chips and leaves.

Whoosh...

Before he even arrived, A steel spear, stirring up a gale, swept towards them.

Further behind, figures flickered, advancing rapidly on both sides...

Amidst the rustling of leaves, they were likely trying to flank the three of them.

The battle immediately became perilous.

Lu Wu-bing, having never learned Qinggong, could only watch helplessly, unable to intervene in Wu Yunchong's aerial battle.

Nor could he get within ten feet to attack the wild boar-like brute with his sword.

Setting aside the fact that his spear was longer than his sword, the man's muscles were as black and hard as iron, and he carried a large shield in his left hand, looking incredibly strong.

Even if Lu Wu-bing charged forward, he probably wouldn't gain any advantage.

Just as he dodged the spear's sweep, his vision blurred, and his shoulder felt a slight weight as Ouyang Lan pushed him aside.

A streak of emerald green darted out thirty feet, her sword light slashing down like a waterfall.

"Po Jun."

Ouyang Lan's sword moved like the wind as she shouted.

Her body swayed left and right, evading the spear's continuous thrusts. The long sword in her hand sparkled like a peacock's tail feathers.

Puff, puff.

Several spurts of blood splashed from the stout man's body, and his steel shield also gained several deep scratches. He retreated, but still roared and fought fiercely.

Lu Wu-bing's retreat had just stopped when he realized that although Senior Sister Xiaolan had the upper hand and had wounded her opponent, The stout man was wearing steel armor and his head and face were well-protected. Despite his slight misstep, he had only injured the flesh of his arm, and it wasn't serious.

"Second Brother, help me."

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

Not far behind him, two sword wings vibrated with a "buzz"... The Flying Feather Sword streaked across the sky, breaking through Wu Yunchong's sword net interception, and arrived in front of Ouyang Lan.

Lu Wu-bing gripped his sword hilt, his internal energy surging, stimulating the acupoints in his legs and waist, and he lunged forward.

He knew that with the two of them surrounding her, Ouyang Lan would absolutely not be able to hold on.

This was his only chance.

Get closer.

Just a little closer, and he'd have a way.

He had only charged halfway when

Leaves rained down. Wu Yunchong, head down and feet up, his sword light transformed into a net, piercing down.

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

He even flicked his sleeve, and a gentle force sent Ouyang Lan flying backward.

Despite the arrow wound on his left shoulder, Wu Yunchong's right arm was still functional for swordsmanship.

His internal energy surged as he unleashed his full strength.

The Tianquan Swordplay treated the sword as a chess piece, deploying moves in all four directions. Fighting two opponents at once, he surprisingly held his ground.

"Junior Sister, hurry and leave! I'll cover your retreat."

"Senior Brother, escape as quickly as you can."

Ouyang Lan showed remarkable decisiveness at this moment. Landing, she grabbed Lu Wu-bing by the waist, pushed off the ground, and in a blur, covered three to four zhang, darting through the forest.

Sword light flashed repeatedly, cutting down three bandits who had charged forward.

She didn't look back, plunging deeper into the dense woods.

Lu Wu-bing's feet barely touched the ground, half-carried by his Senior Sister as they flew. The rushing wind whistled past his ears, making his eyelids sting slightly.

This was awkward.

No Qinggong, no rights.

Just as he was wondering if Wu Yunchong could escape, he suddenly heard a flapping sound in his ears again.

"He actually didn't stop them!"

Behind them, Tan Zhongjing of the Flying Feather Sword leaped and stepped off tree trunks, using them for leverage... His sword and wings flapped in unison, and like a great bird, he pursued them, now only seven zhang behind.

His swordplay rotated, slashing at them like a windmill.

Ouyang Lan's Qinggong might have been good, but dragging someone along meant she couldn't shake him off.

They ran, but he was getting closer and closer.

"Put me down."

Lu Wu-bing's right arm bulged with veins, killing intent boiling within him.

He waited for the perfect moment to strike.

"No, Junior Brother, your Senior Sister isn't someone who fears death. We live together, or we die together."

Sweat beaded on Ouyang Lan's forehead.

She was still putting on a brave face.

"Die? What are you talking about? Are you stupid? Let's team up and take him on."

Lu Wu-bing was getting anxious.

Being held at the waist like this made it difficult to attack.

Now that the Flying Feather Sword was alone, what was there to fear?

If he didn't seize this golden opportunity, and waited until more experts arrived and the enemy surrounded them, with a Qinggong expert like this trailing behind, they wouldn't even be able to escape?

"Alright."

At the critical juncture, Senior Sister Xiaolan didn't falter at all.

She loosened her grip on Lu Wu-bing's right arm, adding a slight rotational force, and flung him forward.

The two of them flew and landed.

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

The sword light shimmered with azure waves, endless and continuous.

This was the Azure Wave Swordplay, a direct lineage technique of the Eastern Sea Sword Sect.

Lu Wu-bing felt that no matter which direction he dodged, he would be struck by that tide-like wave of sword energy...

This person wielded twin swords simultaneously, attacking both of them with ease, blending agility with weight.

"Chii..."

Lu Wu-bing landed, standing as steady as a pine tree.

His right hand blurred into an afterimage, and a blinding white light shot out.

His intent was his sword.

No matter how dazzling the sword light in front of him was, or how exquisite the opponent's swordsmanship, he simply launched a single strike, attacking first, always one step ahead.

"You..."

Tan Zhongjing had his twin swords out, but halfway through his slash, his vision blurred. A sharp wind grazed his neck.

As he screamed inwardly that something was wrong, he only had time to slightly turn his head, hearing a hissing sound of escaping air.

It was the sound of blood spraying.

"I've been hit."

As the thought crossed his mind, his neck didn't even feel pain. He only saw his vision darken, unable to clearly make out the surroundings.

In his shock and rage, his nine meridians vibrated in unison. He released the sword hilt, slammed his body sideways, and swung a palm horizontally.

Whoosh...

The gust of wind was like a wave.

Lu Wu-bing had just pierced Tan Zhongjing's neck halfway when the latter's palm swept towards his chest.

At this moment, the strong wind attacked fiercely. Retreat was impossible, so he could only bend his elbows and prepare to block the blow head-on.

A flash of emerald green appeared before his eyes. A hand, as white as frost and snow, blocked his path.

Boom...

The two palms met.

Tan Zhongjing staggered back two steps, his eyes vacant. Blood still sprayed from his throat as he crashed to the ground.

Ouyang Lan flew backward, knocking Lu Wu-bing down with her. As blood trickled from her lips, she couldn't help but chuckle, "Junior Brother is indeed fast."

The movement technique she practiced was the Square Inch Step.

Within a square inch, there was no room for error, and her footwork was exceptionally agile.

Of course, when traveling, it was no worse than the movement techniques of ordinary sects.

Earlier, when she saw Lu Wu-bing's sword strike, even she couldn't see the sword light clearly. Tan Zhongjing's throat had already been pierced, and his martial arts had been completely unable to be displayed.

Perhaps he had dodged a tiny bit at the last moment, allowing him to retaliate with his remaining strength.

It had almost put Lu Wu-bing in danger.

Fortunately, her movement technique was excellent, and she arrived in time to block.

Tan Zhongjing's falling body kicked up dust. In the grass not far away, something like a startled butterfly.

No, it wasn't a butterfly, but a swallow.

The small, black swallow, as if it had eyes, darted through the air and shot towards the two of them.

It didn't make a sound.

Lu Wu-bing's heart trembled violently.

"There's someone else ambushing from the side."

He shifted his body slightly, his sword moving faster than thought, and struck the swallow before him.

Bang...

The hidden weapon, the swallow, suddenly split apart, arcing outwards. Two blades of light spun back for a second strike.

"Paired Swallows!"

Ouyang Lan grunted, pulled Lu Wu-bing into her arms, and spun rapidly...

As blood splattered from her shoulder and back, she took a step and darted into the forest.

"Chase them, they're injured! They can't run far."

A series of footsteps echoed from behind.

In mid-air, with a "snap," a burst of fireworks exploded.

"Get on my back."

Sweat trickled down Ouyang Lan's neck. She glanced back and saw that the enemies were swarming after them.

Not only were there many of them, but they had also fired signal rockets.

In this situation, fireworks could only mean calling for reinforcements, not for enjoying the scenery. If they didn't run now, they'd be fools.

"Senior Sister, you're injured."

Lu Wu-bing sighed.

Being carried by an injured girl made him feel quite embarrassed.

"Stop being so indecisive. Your Senior Sister is amazing, this is just a minor injury."

As she spoke, Ouyang Lan turned, squatted down, and hoisted Lu Wu-bing onto her back. She even gave his hips a little pat...

Dust rose from her feet as she took a few steps, disappearing into the dense forest.