Chen Jianghe's thoughts raced through his mind.
Was he supposed to force his way through? His opponent was a Dark Strength expert and a junior officer in the Green Dragon Guard. His combat experience was nothing like that of the three martial arts school disciples from earlier.
Even if Chen Jianghe could win, it would be a Pyrrhic victory. And if the commotion grew loud enough to draw a patrol and get him surrounded, he would be dead without a doubt.
There was only one way...
Chen Jianghe bent forward, his voice trembling with fear and ingratiation. "R-reporting to Your Excellency... I'm a herb gatherer from the Outer City. I went into the mountains to find some common medicinal herbs to make a living. I-I didn't dare hunt illegally! I had bad luck today and only gathered some worthless herbs, so I got delayed until nightfall."
As he spoke, he took off his pack and made to open it. "If Your Excellency doesn't believe me, you can... you can inspect it..."
"A herb gatherer?" The black-clad man's mouth twitched. "You wear a saber at your waist and walk with steady steps. You're the first herb gatherer like you I've ever seen."
He took half a step forward and said harshly, "Give me your name. Which martial arts school or gang do you belong to? Why did you enter the mountains? If you tell me even one lie—"
Before he finished speaking, the index finger of his right hand tapped lightly against the saber's hilt.
"Clang!"
The blade trembled faintly.
Chen Jianghe's heart tightened. He knew his opponent was already suspicious. He was just about to make up another excuse when—
"Chief?"
A young man's voice, slightly breathless, came from the woods to the left.
Chen Jianghe glanced over from the corner of his eye and saw a young man in similarly dark robes emerge from behind a tree. He looked about twenty-three or twenty-four, with fair skin and rather handsome features, though his clothes were a little disheveled, and an unnatural flush colored his cheeks.
He hurried to the black-clad man's side. His gaze lingered on the man's face for a moment before turning to Chen Jianghe, and his expression immediately turned cold. "Chief, this man..."
"It's nothing, Liu Qi." The black-clad man raised a hand to cut him off.
He paused, then turned his head and asked Liu Qi in a low voice, "Didn't I tell you to wait where you were?"
His tone was calm, yet carried an indescribable intimacy.
At his words, the flush on Liu Qi's face deepened. He lowered his eyes, his voice dropping as well. "I-I heard something and was worried..."
Chen Jianghe took in every subtle gesture, and a storm suddenly rose in his heart.
There was definitely something unusual about the relationship between these two.
The Green Dragon Guard had strict discipline. For an officer to treat a subordinate with such closeness—never mind the lingering glances, the disheveled clothes, and the faint trace in the air of...
He abruptly cut off the thought.
Whatever their relationship, stumbling upon this secret meant death!
Sure enough, when the black-clad man turned back to Chen Jianghe, the scrutiny in his eyes had turned entirely into cold killing intent.
He slowly drew his saber.
"A herb gatherer, is that right?" The black-clad man's lips curled into a savage smile. "Then you can stay in these mountains forever and keep your herbs company."
Before the words were out, he sprang into motion!
His dark robes left a streak of shadow in the night. His blade flashed through the air like a strip of white silk, slashing straight at Chen Jianghe's neck!
The strike was utterly plain, yet astonishingly fast. Before the blade even arrived, its frigid gust had already stung Chen Jianghe's face.
Chen Jianghe had been prepared. The instant his opponent drew his saber, he darted backward!
He dodged three slashes in quick succession, only to find his back against an ancient tree.
The black-clad man's fourth strike followed close behind, stabbing straight for Chen Jianghe's heart. There was nowhere left to retreat.
With the tip of the blade an inch from his chest, Chen Jianghe suddenly shouted, "Wait! I-I'm from the Inner City Zhang Family! I have something important to report!"
He spoke rapidly, his words urgent and earnest.
A flicker passed through the black-clad man's eyes. He didn't withdraw his saber, but his attack slowed by a third.
In that instant, Chen Jianghe's right hand, which had been pretending to reach for something, snapped up—a large handful of lime mixed with Bone-Corroding Powder flew straight at the black-clad man's face!
"Despicable!" the black-clad man roared. He shut his eyes and retreated sharply, his saber swirling into a barrier around him.
Chen Jianghe seized that brief opening and darted left, straight toward Liu Qi, who was still five paces away and hadn't yet reacted!
Liu Qi had already drawn his saber and braced himself when he saw his chief attack. Though startled when Chen Jianghe charged, he didn't lose his composure. His short blade slashed diagonally upward in a fierce move, clear proof of Bright Strength cultivation and rigorous training.
Unfortunately for him, his opponent was Chen Jianghe.
Chen Jianghe didn't dodge. He raised his left arm and used his Brass Knuckles to block the short blade.
"Clang!"
Metal clashed, sparks flying.
Liu Qi felt a deep, surging force travel up the blade. His entire arm went numb, and he nearly dropped his short blade.
Horrified, he tried to retreat, but Chen Jianghe's right fist was already drilling out like a venomous snake striking!
Drilling Fist!
The fist rotated, Dark Strength concentrated at a single point as it drilled into the opening beneath Liu Qi's ribs.
"Pfft!"
The force pierced through his body, shaking his internal organs.
Liu Qi's eyes bulged. He opened his mouth to cry out, but only spat out a mouthful of filthy blood mixed with bits of his organs.
He staggered backward and looked down at his ribs. His robe was intact, with only a shallow fist mark, yet inside, his bones were shattered and his organs mangled.
He raised his head and glared at Chen Jianghe. His lips moved, but he couldn't make a sound. Slowly, he crumpled to the ground.
The black-clad man had just swept away the lime. When he opened his eyes and saw Liu Qi lying on the ground, he froze for a moment. Then his eyes turned bloodshot, and he let out a sharp, anguished roar. "Liu Qi!!!"
He whipped around and fixed his gaze on Chen Jianghe. All composure was gone from his eyes, leaving only frenzied killing intent and pain. "You... you dared... I'll tear you limb from limb!!!"
His saber rose again. Its light poured down like a waterfall, slashing toward Chen Jianghe with the desperate force of someone willing to die together with his foe!
Chen Jianghe's heart tightened.
His opponent was already skilled, and now, consumed by grief and fury, he attacked with even greater madness and savagery. Every slash was a bid to trade his life for Chen Jianghe's.
He couldn't meet him head-on.
Chen Jianghe's feet tapped rapidly against the ground, his body slipping through gaps in the blade's light like a swimming fish. His left hand kept flinging lime and Bone-Corroding Powder, disrupting his opponent's rhythm.
But the black-clad man seemed not to care at all. Even with lime in his eyes and Bone-Corroding Powder burning his flesh, he continued his crazed assault, roaring without pause. "Die! Die! Die for me!!"
Chen Jianghe struggled to hold him off, danger closing in at every turn.
The blade's wind skimmed his shoulder, tearing his clothes and leaving a streak of blood. His back slammed into a tree trunk, making his blood and qi churn.
He couldn't keep this up for long!
A cold glint flashed in his eyes. As he retreated sharply, his left hand reached into his clothes again and pulled out the last half-pouch of Bone-Corroding Powder. He hurled it viciously at the black-clad man's face!
The black-clad man was ready for it. His blade swept through the air and split the pouch apart.
But the powder billowed everywhere. Though he held his breath and retreated quickly, he still inhaled a little, and specks of powder landed on the skin of his arm.
"Hiss..."
A faint sizzling sound rang out as blisters instantly rose on his skin and the flesh began to rot.
The black-clad man grunted, his movements briefly faltering. The madness in his eyes grew more intense. "You despicable scoundrel! All you know is how to use such underhanded tricks!"
Chen Jianghe remained remarkably calm.
As he dodged, he surveyed the terrain, his thoughts racing.
He had no chance of winning in a head-on fight. His only option was to use the terrain to wear his opponent down and look for a chance to deliver a killing blow.
He suddenly changed direction and charged toward a low-lying area thick with vines.
The black-clad man roared and pursued him, his blade chopping through the vines in his path as shredded leaves flew everywhere.