Fierce Battle

Chen Jianghe's thoughts raced.

Force his way through? The man was a Dark Strength expert and a squad leader of the Green Dragon Guard; his combat experience was leagues beyond the three martial arts students he had faced earlier.

Even if he managed to win, it would be a pyrrhic victory. Once the commotion grew, it would draw a patrol squad to surround him, leaving him with no hope of survival.

There was only one way...

Chen Jianghe hunched his shoulders, his tone a mix of terror and sycophancy. "R-reporting to the lord... I am a gatherer from the outer city, here in the mountains to find some common herbs to scrape by. I, I didn't dare to poach! My luck was poor today, I only found some worthless herbs, which is why I was delayed until nightfall."

As he spoke, he unslung his pack and made a show of opening it. "If the lord doesn't believe me, you, you can inspect it..."

"A gatherer?" The man in black curled his lip. "A blade at your waist, a steady gait—this is the first time I've seen a gatherer like you."

He took half a step forward, his voice turning vicious. "State your name. Which martial arts school or gang do you belong to? Why did you enter the mountain? If you utter a single lie—"

Before he could finish, his right index finger tapped against the hilt of his blade.

Clang!

The blade vibrated slightly.

Chen Jianghe's heart tightened; he knew the man was suspicious. Just as he prepared to weave another lie, suddenly—

"Chief?"

A slightly hurried, young male voice drifted from the woods on the left.

Chen Jianghe glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw a youth in similar dark robes emerge from behind a tree. He looked to be about twenty-three or twenty-four, with fair skin and handsome features, though his clothes were currently disheveled and his cheeks flushed with an unnatural red.

He walked quickly to the side of the man in black, his gaze lingering on the man's face for a moment before turning to Chen Jianghe, his eyes instantly turning cold. "Chief, this person..."

"It's nothing, Liu Qi." The man in black waved a hand to cut him off.

He paused, then tilted his head and whispered to the youth named Liu Qi, "Didn't I tell you to wait where you were?"

The tone was flat, yet it carried an indescribable intimacy.

At these words, the flush on Liu Qi's face deepened. He lowered his eyes, his voice dropping as well. "I, I heard a commotion and was worried..."

Chen Jianghe took in every subtle detail, his heart surging with shock.

The relationship between these two was anything but ordinary.

The Green Dragon Guard had strict discipline; for a squad leader to show such closeness to a subordinate—not to mention the lingering gazes, the disheveled clothing, and that faint, lingering scent in the air...

He abruptly cut off the thought.

Regardless of their relationship, having stumbled upon this, his only path was death!

Sure enough, when the man in black turned back to Chen Jianghe, the scrutiny in his eyes had completely transformed into cold, murderous intent.

He drew his blade slowly.

"A gatherer, are you?" The man in black pulled at the corner of his mouth in a grimace. "Then stay in these mountains forever and keep your herbs company."

Before the words had even faded, he moved!

His dark robes left a blur in the night, and his blade flashed like a streak of lightning, slashing straight for Chen Jianghe's neck!

The strike was devoid of any flair, yet it was terrifyingly fast. Before the edge even arrived, the biting wind of the blade made Chen Jianghe's skin sting.

Chen Jianghe had been prepared; the moment the man drew his blade, he had retreated rapidly!

He dodged three times in quick succession, his back eventually pressing against an ancient tree.

The man in black's fourth strike followed instantly, thrusting toward his heart. Chen Jianghe had nowhere left to run.

Just as the tip of the blade reached an inch from his chest, Chen Jianghe suddenly spoke: "Wait! I, I am from the Inner City Zhang Family! I have an urgent matter to report!"

His words were rapid and sounded earnest.

The man in black's eyes flickered. Though he didn't retract his blade, he slowed by a fraction.

In that very instant, Chen Jianghe's right hand, which had been "reaching for an item," suddenly flew upward—a massive handful of lime powder mixed with Bone-Corroding Powder blasted directly into the man's face!

"Despicable!" the man in black roared, closing his eyes and retreating rapidly, his long blade dancing into a whirlwind to protect his body.

Chen Jianghe had already seized this fleeting moment to dash to the left, his target none other than Liu Qi, who had yet to react five paces away!

Liu Qi had drawn his blade to guard himself the moment he saw his chief attack. Seeing Chen Jianghe pounce, he remained calm despite his surprise, his short blade slashing out at an angle. The move was fierce, clearly showing he possessed Bright Strength and had been well-trained.

Unfortunately, he was facing Chen Jianghe.

Chen Jianghe didn't dodge or evade; he raised his left arm, using his brass knuckles to block the short blade head-on.

Clang!

Metal clashed against metal, sparks flying.

Liu Qi felt a heavy, surging force travel from the blade, his entire arm going numb, the short blade nearly flying from his grip.

Horrified, he tried to pull back, but Chen Jianghe's right fist had already shot out like a viper striking!

Drilling Fist!

The fist rotated, Dark Strength concentrated at a single point, drilling straight into the gap beneath Liu Qi's ribs.

"Pfft!"

The force of the punch penetrated his body, rattling his internal organs.

Liu Qi's eyes bulged, his mouth opening to cry out, but he only spewed a mouthful of foul blood mixed with fragments of his own viscera.

He staggered backward, looking down at his ribs. His clothes remained intact, bearing only a shallow imprint of a fist, yet inside, his bones were shattered and his organs pulped.

He raised his head to glare fixedly at Chen Jianghe, his lips trembling, but he could not utter a sound before slowly collapsing.

The man in black had by now brushed away the lime. Seeing Liu Qi fall, he froze for a split second before his eyes turned bloodshot, and he let out a shrill, harrowing roar: "Liu Qi!!!"

He whipped his head around to stare at Chen Jianghe, his eyes devoid of any remaining composure, filled only with frantic killing intent and agony: "You... you dare... I will tear you into ten thousand pieces!!!"

His long blade rose again, the blade-light cascading like a waterfall, striking with the desperate, tragic momentum of someone seeking mutual destruction!

Chen Jianghe felt a chill in his heart.

This man's martial arts were already formidable, and now, fueled by grief and rage, his full-force assault was three parts manic and seven parts ruthless, with every strike a bid to trade his life for Chen's.

He could not meet this head-on.

Chen Jianghe tapped his feet repeatedly, his figure weaving through the gaps in the blade-light like a swimming fish, his left hand occasionally tossing lime and Bone-Corroding Powder to disrupt his opponent's rhythm.

The man in black, however, seemed completely indifferent. Even as the lime blinded him and the Bone-Corroding Powder scorched his skin, he continued his frenzied, relentless assault, roaring incessantly: "Die! Die! Just die!!"

Chen Jianghe was stretched thin, caught in one perilous situation after another.

A gust from the blade grazed his shoulder, tearing his clothes and leaving a bloody gash, while his back slammed into a tree trunk, the impact sending his blood and qi into turmoil.

He could not afford a prolonged fight!

A cold glint flashed in his eyes. As he retreated rapidly, his left hand reached into his robe once more, pulling out the last small pouch of Bone-Corroding Powder, and he hurled it viciously at the man's face!

The man in black had been prepared; he swept his blade, Splitting the pouch in mid-air.

But as the dust filled the air, even though he held his breath and retreated sharply, he inevitably inhaled a small amount, and specks of the powder clung to the skin of his arms.

"Sss..."

A faint sizzling sound rang out as his skin instantly blistered and festered.

The man in black let out a muffled groan, his movements stuttering for a heartbeat, the madness in his eyes intensifying: "You despicable coward! You only know how to use such low-down tricks!"

Chen Jianghe remained exceptionally calm.

While dodging, he observed the terrain, his mind calculating rapidly.

There was no chance of victory in a direct clash; he could only use the terrain to maneuver and wait for an opportunity to land a killing blow.

He suddenly veered, charging toward a low-lying area thick with vines.

The man in black roared in pursuit, his blade-light severing the vines in his path as shattered leaves flew everywhere.