Leng Yifeng

"Leng Yifeng, you've got some nerve! How dare you attack Miss Huang!"

Yu Qingqing arrived at the scene and saw a barehanded guard fighting Leng Yifeng, dodging and weaving.

She could tell that Leng Yifeng was also at the Bright Force level, but he had mastered a formidable saber technique.

His long saber followed a treacherous, vicious style. Its moves were tricky, each slash skimming toward the guard's vital points.

Dark Force martial artists were still only flesh and blood. Once someone with a blade that fast got close, the slightest mistake could draw blood.

That was why the guard was being suppressed.

After weighing their respective strengths, Yu Qingqing didn't hesitate. She shouted and darted forward, joining the fight.

Attacking from either side with the guard, she managed to halt their losing streak and steady the situation.

Yu Qingqing's arrival changed the expressions on both the guard's and Leng Yifeng's faces.

The guard's previously grave expression eased somewhat. His footing grew steadier, and he began finding openings to counterattack between moves.

Leng Yifeng's brows, however, suddenly knitted together. His saber slowed for a moment as he wondered:

Where's the other one?

They were supposed to be in pairs.

If Yu Qingqing was here, where was her other companion?

Besides, that kid called Li Yun was a skilled hunter whom Yu Qingqing had invited along.

His archery couldn't be bad!

If he found an opening to fire a cold arrow, Leng Yifeng would be attacked from both sides, and the situation would turn completely against him.

With that in mind, Leng Yifeng stopped trying to overpower them. His saber moves abruptly shifted to defense, and his footwork changed as he fought while retreating, deliberately putting a thick tree branch behind his back.

As he retreated, he slipped his left hand behind him and kept scattering powder.

Yu Qingqing and the guard didn't notice a thing.

Not far away, behind a small slope,

Li Yun had his bow raised, the string drawn, and his aim set. He was ready to give them a hand.

Unexpectedly, Leng Yifeng seemed to know someone was planning a sneak attack.

He actually dodged and maneuvered his way into a blind spot.

He left only his front exposed, facing Li Yun.

And he kept his body low, often hiding behind Yu Qingqing and the guard.

Tricky.

That was Li Yun's first thought.

It was obvious that Leng Yifeng wasn't some ordinary brute.

The moment he saw Yu Qingqing, he'd come up with the best strategy for the fight.

He'd left Li Yun, the support, with no chance to make himself useful.

What worried Li Yun even more was that the two people on the ground had clearly been dosed with some unknown drug.

That meant Leng Yifeng knew his way around drugs.

Yu Qingqing and the guard had taken no precautions at all, and were foolishly standing downwind.

They were doomed sooner or later.

Li Yun didn't expect much from his two deadweight teammates.

The situation didn't look good.

Charging forward to fight at close quarters would be like throwing an egg against a rock. It was out of the question.

The only way to turn things around was to keep his distance and rely on his archery to find that fleeting opening.

There was no need for a strategic retreat. A flat little slope lay right in front of him, with a clear, open view.

If Leng Yifeng dared to chase him, Li Yun wouldn't mind letting him taste the power of max-level archery.

One breath after another passed.

They still couldn't bring him down.

Yu Qingqing and the guard were getting anxious.

Nearby, Huang Shengnan and Lin Biling had flushed a deep purple, and were clearly close to their limits.

If this dragged on, the consequences would be unthinkable.

"Leng Yifeng, what exactly did you do to them?"

Yu Qingqing narrowly dodged a slash and asked, her heart pounding.

She usually fought opponents with her fists. This was her first time facing someone who wielded a saber.

She was struggling to keep up.

Leng Yifeng's long saber danced like an impenetrable wall of copper and iron. Even with Yu Qingqing and the guard attacking him from both sides, he held his ground against them both.

He showed not the slightest opening.

At Yu Qingqing's question, an evil smile curled Leng Yifeng's lips.

He ran the tip of his tongue over his thin lips and replied with a hint of mockery:

"Heh, they're just little things to spice up the fun.

"Look at them now. They're about to lose control.

"Their blood and qi are surging, with no way to release it.

"When the time comes, heh..."

In a fight to the death, victory never depended only on the level of one's cultivation or the depth of one's martial skills.

The art of striking at an opponent's mind was also key to victory. It was an important lesson in Leng Yifeng's sect.

He had plenty of experience dealing with rich girls like Yu Qingqing: outwardly capable of standing on their own, but inexperienced in the ways of the world and unfamiliar with underhanded tricks.

Sure enough, when she heard his words, fury flared in Yu Qingqing's eyes, and her attacks grew several shades more vicious.

But her moves lost their order.

Leng Yifeng didn't rush to finish her off. All he needed to do now was wait.

Wait for the drug to take effect.

Besides, the archer hiding nearby still hadn't shown himself.

Very cautious.

A cold arrow was most frightening when it remained drawn but unfired.

Unfortunately, even after the drug took effect and Yu Qingqing and the guard both collapsed, Li Yun still didn't move from his hiding place.

Leng Yifeng didn't let his guard down because of that. He gripped the saber hilt tightly in his right hand.

Then he slowly walked toward Yu Qingqing.

Just as he bent down and reached out,

Whoosh—

A sharp whistle suddenly tore through the stillness of the forest. An arrow came wrapped in a burst of force that split the air.

Like a streak of black light, it shot straight at him!

Leng Yifeng had been prepared. He gave a cold snort, twisted his wrist sharply, and swung his right hand upward with all his strength. His long saber met the arrow with a howling rush of wind!

Clang—

A crisp ring of metal on metal.

The blade struck the arrowhead precisely. The arrow was knocked aside and buried in a nearby tree trunk, its shaft still humming and trembling.

But the tremendous force that traveled up the saber hilt left his entire right arm numb and sent his blood and qi churning.

Leng Yifeng's brows drew together in a tight knot as he looked toward the direction the arrow had come from.

That arrow had struck with far more force than he'd expected.

The arrow hadn't hit.

Li Yun wasn't discouraged.

People were different from animals.

Martial artists in particular had sharp senses and knew how to block and dodge danger.

Since he'd lost the advantage of a sneak attack, there was no point staying hidden.

Li Yun pulled out a face covering and covered his nose and mouth. Holding the Bull Bow with an arrow nocked, he slowly emerged and stood atop the slope.

Their eyes met.

Leng Yifeng's gaze was like a blade, edged with coldness.

Li Yun's expression didn't waver. He looked straight at his opponent without flinching or looking away.

Leng Yifeng spoke first, raising his voice and carrying it with his qi, coaxing him:

"You take the valuables, I'll take the women. How about it?"

But in his heart, he was calculating:

They're so far apart, yet Li Yun nearly hit me from that distance. His archery must be impressive.

The ground between us is open. Apart from a few short trees, there's barely anything to hide behind.

He's practically a sitting duck.

If I can get a little closer, I'll still have a chance...

Hearing Leng Yifeng's offer, Li Yun smiled, baring a mouthful of white teeth.

He shouted back:

"Fool. If I kill you, the valuables and the women will both be mine."

"Haha!"

Leng Yifeng first froze, then burst out laughing despite himself.

"Good grief! I've roamed the martial world for years, and I've had at least eighty or a hundred souls die beneath my saber. This is the first time I've ever heard anyone say that!"

Once he'd laughed enough, he stopped, smacked his lips, and looked at Li Yun with a more playful expression.

"Tsk, tsk. With that look of yours, you'd fit right in with our sect.

"What do you say? Interested in joining?"

"What sect? And what would I get out of joining?"

Li Yun was standing upwind, so he wasn't afraid of being poisoned. He might as well take the chance to find out a little about his opponent.

That way, if they fell out today and his enemy came looking for revenge later, he wouldn't be completely in the dark about where the man came from.