Qu Wuxing and Zhou Fang both thought, The other side is attacking without defending, and the power of his swordsmanship has more than doubled. Meanwhile, our boss can only hold his ground, relying entirely on his keen eyesight to strike each time on the spine of the other man's sword. That's the only thing keeping him from being killed. But if this goes on, the slightest slip will get him killed by that man's sword.
Zhou Fang flicked his hand, sending more than a dozen flying daggers whistling through the air. They all struck Gao Kun, yet only a series of clangs rang out as they fell to the ground. Gao Kun was completely unharmed. His eyes were fixed solely on Yan Chihuo, and he paid them no attention.
Seeing this, Yun Zaitian knew it was only a matter of time before Yan Chihuo lost. If Gao Kun wins, he certainly won't let me go. If Yan Chihuo wins, he'll take me back to Tiger Roar Manor. If I don't leave now, when will I?
Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he began edging toward the door. He was almost there when a flash of golden light streaked past: Gao Kun's sword thrust at him. Yun Zaitian was horrified. Knowing he couldn't dodge, he could only close his eyes and await death.
Yan Chihuo let out a long whistle and leaped straight at them. His speed was no less than Gao Kun's. With a swing of the White Jade Short Sword, he blocked the other man's long sword.
A sharp crack rang out, and the White Jade Short Sword was cut in two. Gao Kun, too, retreated three steps. Then he lunged forward and thrust at Yan Chihuo, his attack so fierce and ferocious it beggared belief. Yan Chihuo slid aside, but in a flash of golden light, Gao Kun's sword tip was already at his throat.
Yan Chihuo hurriedly threw himself down and rolled. Then he braced his right toes against the ground and shot diagonally away. Gao Kun's long sword swept past him, and a piece of his robe fluttered down from the air. Had he been even a fraction slower, he would have lost a hand or a foot, or else his head. It had been perilously close.
Yan Chihuo had just escaped alive from a situation that should have been impossible to survive. But Gao Kun swung his sword upward, and Yan Chihuo, still airborne, had nowhere to dodge. In that split second, he swept his hand across Gao Kun's long sword, pressing it against the spine once more, and used the force to drift several feet farther away.
But Gao Kun circled his long sword and thrust it into Yan Chihuo's side. Yan Chihuo rolled again and got to his feet. Blood poured from his side, and then he staggered, nearly falling. His face was deathly pale. The wound was severe, and Yan Chihuo seemed unable to fight any longer. Gao Kun was overjoyed. He flicked his sword, about to advance, when Zhou Fang suddenly swung both hands, sending another dozen or so flying daggers at him.
Gao Kun laughed heartily and stood still, letting the daggers strike him before they all fell to the ground. But in that very instant, Yan Chihuo lunged forward and threw a punch.
Gao Kun sneered and swung his sword. But Yan Chihuo let out a loud shout. To Gao Kun, it sounded as if a thunderclap had exploded beside his ear, and he swayed twice before he could steady himself. Yan Chihuo seized the chance to tap the ground with his toes and dart behind him. By then, Gao Kun had already turned around.
Yan Chihuo sighed inwardly. Cultivators really were extraordinary. He had gathered his true energy into that shout and sent it all into Gao Kun's ears. An ordinary person—even one with profound internal skill—would have stood stunned for a long while. Someone with a weaker foundation might have been reduced to a drooling fool, or even died with their heart and soul shattered. But Gao Kun had only swayed before recovering. Even so, Yan Chihuo still threw a punch at him, because he only had the strength for one more strike!
Whenever Yan Chihuo fought someone, he calculated things carefully. But when he had no other choice, he was willing to stake his life! Even when victory was out of reach, he had never been one to surrender and wait for death!
Seeing the punch coming, Gao Kun didn't care in the slightest. With his movement technique, he could easily have dodged, but he neither dodged nor blocked. Golden light blazed around him; he clearly intended to take the punch head-on. With a bang, Gao Kun's body flew through the air, turning over once before crashing to the ground, disbelief filling his eyes. He struggled twice, then spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed again.
Everyone was both shocked and delighted. No one had expected Yan Chihuo, when defeat seemed certain, to turn the tables like a carp leaping from the water. Qu Wuxing and Zhou Fang hurried to his side, only to find Yan Chihuo collapsed on the ground as well, unable to get up.
They saw that Yan Chihuo's face was beaded with sweat, his muscles contorted and his expression horribly twisted. He looked nothing like his usual calm, composed self. They were alarmed, but then Yan Chihuo said quietly, "I'm fine. I just need to rest a bit. Keep an eye on Yun Zaitian. Don't let him escape while we're distracted."
Yun Zaitian had been planning to escape amid the confusion, but Qu Wuxing was watching him closely. Remembering that he had also been badly wounded in their fight yesterday, he knew he was no match for Qu Wuxing. He turned around and went back, plopping down into a chair.
Zhou Fang glanced back at Gao Kun, raised his hand, and sent a flying dagger shooting into his throat. Only after confirming that the other man was dead did he finally relax.
Yun Zaitian called out, "Someone, clean this place up." Several burly men came in and carried the bodies out. When Yun Zaitian saw them lift Gao Kun's body, it hung limp in a heap. Clearly every bone in his body had been broken. He couldn't help but think more highly of Yan Chihuo. This Yan Chihuo truly has the strangest methods. He can even kill a cultivator. Second Brother Ping certainly trained his disciple well.
By the time the place had been cleaned up, Yan Chihuo's face was still pale, but he looked much better. He said, "Lord Yun, I'll trouble you to come with me in a few days." After speaking, he got to his feet and went over to press three more major acupoints on Yun Zaitian. Knowing he was no match for Yan Chihuo, Yun Zaitian neither dodged nor tried to resist, letting him seal the points.
After finishing, Yan Chihuo swayed slightly, as if he had run out of strength. Seeing this, Yun Zaitian said, "It seems you're not feeling well, Nephew Chihuo. I'm afraid you'll need to rest for a few days."
Yan Chihuo ignored him and called out, "Someone, take Lord Yun and the Second Manor Lord away. Leave the female thief here." Several burly men came in and led the three of them out of the hall.
Qu Wuxing asked, "Boss, can you hold up?"
Yan Chihuo took a breath and said, "I'm fine. After every all-out strike, I'm drained, but I'll recover after a while. Gao Kun's sword only gave me a flesh wound. It's nothing serious. That kid had very little experience in the martial world. If he hadn't been showing off and had charged straight at me, how would I have had time to build up my strength, let alone launch that strike? Even so, if he hadn't trusted his defense to be invincible, he could easily have dodged my punch. We were lucky, I suppose. But I never expected Second Master's assignment to draw a cultivator into the fray. Hard to say whether our luck is good or bad."
Since entering the world, he had fought more than a hundred battles, large and small, but this was the only one in which he had been completely uncertain of victory. Winning now truly felt like escaping from the jaws of death. Every one of those dozens of sword strikes had landed on the other man's sword spine. Though the exchange hadn't lasted long, it had consumed a tremendous amount of energy. Then that punch had nearly drained all his true energy and strength. He had recovered somewhat, but was already beginning to feel weak again.
Seeing blood still seep from Yan Chihuo's side, Zhou Fang took a packet of medicine from his robes and said, "This is some top-quality Gold Trauma Medicine. Boss, don't say anything. Let's stop the bleeding first."
Yan Chihuo nodded. Qu Wuxing took the medicine, tore open the robe at Yan Chihuo's ribs, and applied it. The moment the medicine touched the wound, Yan Chihuo felt a sharp stab of pain. Not long afterward, a cool sensation spread through the injury.
As he applied the medicine, Qu Wuxing asked, "Boss, there's something I've been meaning to ask. How did you figure out that Xiao Tao had disguised herself? I won't brag about much, but when it comes to the Disguise Technique, I'm no worse than you. Still, I couldn't spot a single flaw."
Before you continue