Counterkill

The iron staff smashed down.

Zhou Yan tilted his upper body half a foot aside.

The tip of the staff grazed his ear and crashed into the stone wall.

The Tiger-Subduing Staff was broad and forceful, relying entirely on the twisting power of the waist and hips.

Sweeping, chopping, smashing—every strike carried a mournful howl as it tore through the air.

Zhou Yan did not dare receive it head-on.

His legs sank with the motion. He ducked the horizontal sweep, leaped back to evade the diagonal chop, and sidestepped the blow aimed at his head.

Cao Heng swung five or six consecutive strikes. His breathing grew increasingly ragged, and sweat from his forehead streamed into his eyes.

He had already spent a round fighting the others. The Tiger-Subduing Staff was heavy, and he could not sustain such a fierce assault.

When the next strike swept over, its momentum was visibly half a beat slower.

Zhou Yan sidestepped it, and the staff tip smashed into a pile of rocks, wedged between two large stones.

The instant Cao Heng tried to pull it free, the opening beneath his ribs was completely exposed.

Zhou Yan stepped forward.

Mountain-Breaking Fist, Stone-Rending!

His fist turned upward from below and drove into Cao Heng's right ribs.

Cao Heng had barely opened his mouth when the second punch arrived, shooting in a straight line and landing squarely on his temple.

Thud!

Cao Heng toppled sideways to the ground, twitched twice, and went still.

Seeing this, Zhou Yan withdrew his fist.

At the other end of the mountain stream.

Lei Bao had just forced Zheng Tong against the cliff wall. With the Iron Fiend Technique pushed to its limit, he held the Soul-Severing Ruler in a reverse grip and was about to jab it into Zheng Tong's throat.

Something caught the corner of his eye, and he turned his head slightly.

He caught sight of the Mountain-Breaking Fist Zhou Yan had just unleashed.

Lei Bao's pupils contracted.

He knew this fist technique far too well. The Young Gang Leader had practiced the Mountain-Breaking Fist for two years, and Lei Bao had watched him countless times.

The hand forms of this country boy before him were exactly the same as the Young Gang Leader's.

Mountain-Breaking Fist—and at the Minor Accomplishment stage!

Half a year ago, the Young Gang Leader had taken several brothers into the mountains and never returned.

The Gang Leader had sent out several groups to search for them in succession, yet they had found neither living men nor dead bodies.

This man's Mountain-Breaking Fist had reached Minor Accomplishment. The Young Gang Leader must already be dead.

It was as though something exploded inside Lei Bao's head.

"Mountain-Breaking Fist!" His voice exploded through the mountain ravine. "Where did you learn it?!"

When Zhou Yan said nothing, Lei Bao no longer needed an answer.

"You killed him!"

With an enraged roar, he swept the ruler across with his backhand.

The iron ruler struck Zheng Tong's saber with a howl of wind. Zheng Tong's collarbone had already been shattered, and the blow numbed his entire right arm.

Lei Bao immediately turned, pointing the iron ruler straight at Zhou Yan.

The killing intent of a Body Tempering Peak cultivator surged over like a sudden downpour, Zheng Tong's blood still dripping from the ruler tip.

The iron ruler smashed down at his head.

With the Iron Fiend Technique driven to its limit, the ruler's shaft let out a low hum.

Zhou Yan raised his woodcutter's machete horizontally.

With a clang, the web between his thumb and forefinger split open, blood seeping through his fingers.

The machete flew from his hand and plunged into the nearby stream.

The Soul-Severing Ruler Technique specialized in close-range fighting, its ruler tip targeting the joints.

Knees, shoulders, wrists—every move was aimed at crippling a man.

Zhou Yan hurriedly dodged. The ruler tip grazed his shoulder and cut open a wound, turning flesh outward as blood streamed down his arm.

The next instant!

The iron ruler thrust straight at his throat!

Zhou Yan dropped half his height and dodged the strike.

Mountain-Breaking Fist, Stele Splitter!

His fist shot in a straight line, striking Lei Bao squarely in the chest.

Bang!

The punch felt as if it had hit an iron plate, jolting Zhou Yan's fist with pain.

With the Iron Fiend Technique hardening his body, Lei Bao merely retreated half a step. The iron hue on his chest faded white. He looked down and sneered. "A mere Early Body Tempering cultivator thinks he can break the Iron Fiend Technique?"

Just as he was about to draw back his ruler and attack again, a sharp flash of saber light streaked behind him.

Zheng Tong had crawled up from the stream bank.

His right hand could no longer rise, but his left held a short saber.

The Drifting Cloud Saber Technique made its saber movements seem light and nimble, but in truth, it used dual sabers!

This was also White Cloud Martial Hall's signature art.

A long saber in the right hand and a short saber in the left—only by complementing each other could they bring out the strongest saber technique.

He knew that if they did not join forces, once Zhou Yan died, he would be next.

The saber tip stabbed toward Lei Bao's lower back.

Lei Bao had no time to draw his ruler. He twisted aside, and the blade scraped past his waist, cutting open a wound.

The Iron Fiend Technique protected his body, so the wound was not deep.

But that slash held Lei Bao back.

Zheng Tong's left saber cut again and again. The Drifting Cloud Saber Technique emphasized speed, but his collarbone was shattered and his breathing unstable. Every stroke trembled.

One slash swept for his throat, and Lei Bao tilted his head aside.

One diagonal chop was blocked by the iron ruler.

One upward flick targeted his wrist. Lei Bao drew back half a beat too slowly, and the saber tip knocked the ruler aside.

Zhou Yan circled out from behind a large rock.

He saw that when Lei Bao fully circulated the Iron Fiend Technique, the iron coloration covered his body evenly. Only beneath his right ribs was the color half a shade lighter than elsewhere.

"His ribs!" Zhou Yan shouted.

Zheng Tong heard him and launched a frontal assault with the Drifting Cloud Saber, each slash faster than the last. Lei Bao used his iron ruler to block them, three clangs ringing out in succession.

The left saber lacked force, and every strike was knocked aside, yet Zheng Tong did not retreat. He forced Lei Bao to deal with him head-on.

Zhou Yan seized the chance and pounced from the side.

Mountain-Breaking Fist, Stone-Rending.

His fist struck Lei Bao's right ribs. The flow of the Iron Fiend Technique stalled, and the iron hue over Lei Bao's body instantly faded.

Before he could adjust.

Squelch!

Zheng Tong's saber flashed again. The final form of the Drifting Cloud Saber pierced through the Iron Fiend Technique's protection and stabbed into Lei Bao's left waist.

It sank three or four inches into flesh.

Lei Bao let out a muffled groan and swung the Soul-Severing Ruler backhandedly, the ruler tip carrying all his strength as it smashed into Zheng Tong's left shoulder.

Crack!

Zheng Tong's left shoulder shattered as well, and he was sent flying.

Lei Bao staggered a step.

A saber was lodged in his left waist, and the flow beneath his right ribs was already in chaos.

He turned around in panic, only to find Zhou Yan had already appeared behind him.

Mountain-Breaking Fist, third form: Mountain-Crushing!

His foot stomped down, crushing the pebbles beneath it.

Power traveled from his legs through his waist, from his waist through his shoulder, and from his shoulder into his fist.

The Mountain-Breaking Fist's strongest strike—its force pierced straight through.

One punch smashed into Lei Bao's back, sending the shock into his heart.

Lei Bao gasped in great gulps, bloody foam pouring uncontrollably from his mouth.

The iron ruler slipped from his hand and struck the rocks. His knees crashed to the ground, and his entire body fell over without moving.

The mountain ravine fell quiet.

Nearby, Zhou Yan stood there, breathing heavily.

The wound on his shoulder still seeped blood, and the web of his thumb was split. They were all superficial injuries.

Zheng Tong lay flat on his back atop the rocks.

Both his shoulders were shattered, and his chest rose and fell shallowly and rapidly.

He had heard Lei Bao's words.

Half a year ago, the Young Gang Leader of the Azure Cloud Gang had vanished, and the entire Azure Cloud Gang had searched for him like madmen.

They had yet to find him. Zheng Tong had never expected that this country boy in coarse hemp clothes had killed the Young Gang Leader of the Azure Cloud Gang.

Zheng Tong coughed, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

"How long have you practiced martial arts?"

"Not long."

"It is no easy feat for a farmer like you to enter Body Tempering. Who taught you?"

"I practiced by myself."

Zheng Tong did not ask further.

This man had no resources and no instructor, yet he had reached this level of Body Tempering alone. Either he was a genius or he was lying.

But at this point, neither possibility mattered!

"I originally thought you were a farmer. Since you practice martial arts too, when we sell the mountain ginseng, I'll give you thirty percent." Every word Zheng Tong spoke seemed to squeeze through clenched teeth. "It should fetch over a hundred taels. Thirty percent is thirty taels, enough for you to buy plenty of Body-Tempering Decoction and continue practicing."

When Zhou Yan did not speak.

Zheng Tong continued, "You've entered Body Tempering, and I can see that you have a foundation in stake stances and fist techniques. But without someone to guide you, you will not go far. I can put in a word with a White Cloud Martial Hall instructor. You will not have to pay the apprenticeship fee. You can attend lessons and spar with others. A month will earn you several taels of silver."

"It is far easier than doing farm work here!"

His right hand could not move, his left shoulder was shattered, and there was no saber at hand. He was no different from a prisoner.

Several steps separated the two of them.

"Five members of the Azure Cloud Gang died. The two men you brought with you also died. How will you explain that when you return?" Zhou Yan suddenly asked.

Zheng Tong coughed and said cautiously, "I'll say that Lei Bao led men to rob us, and our people fought them to the death. Sun Ping and Zhao Laosi also died in the battle. I will not mention you, nor will I reveal even the slightest bit of your identity or strength. You have nothing to do with this matter."

Zhou Yan said nothing.

Zheng Tong stared at him, his heart beginning to pound like a drum.

He had not accepted the offer of thirty percent, and he had pushed the Azure Cloud Gang matter back onto him.

From the beginning until now, Zhou Yan had stood several steps away—not too far, not too close, completely safe.

"Come over and give me a hand. I cannot get up by myself," Zheng Tong suddenly said.

Zhou Yan considered for a moment, then stepped forward twice.

But just as he approached, Zheng Tong's expression abruptly changed.

His feet kicked off the ground, and his whole body sprang forward close to the earth.

Without a saber, he would use his head. At Body Tempering Great Accomplishment, his physical strength was naturally greater than Zhou Yan's, who had only recently entered Body Tempering.

He was going to gamble his life!

Zhou Yan seemed to have expected it.

His left hand grabbed Zheng Tong by the nape and pressed down, while his right knee drove upward from below, striking squarely into his throat.

A cracking sound rang out.

Zheng Tong's eyes bulged round, a gurgling sound coming from his throat.

Both men knew that only by killing the other could they survive, but in the end, Zhou Yan had come out one step ahead.

"Alas, I never intended to kill you, but you know too much. If I let you return to the county town alive, I would be the one who died."

Zhou Yan caught his breath and began searching the bodies.

From Zheng Tong's robes, he pulled out a yellowish-brown mountain ginseng stained with blood.

There were also ten taels of broken silver. Sun Ping and Zhao Laosi had a little over five taels between them.

The truly wealthy ones were on the Azure Cloud Gang's side.

Gang members like these, who lived with their heads tied to their belts, generally carried their money on them.

Lei Bao had a cloth pouch in his robes containing twenty-two or twenty-three taels of broken silver, several dozen copper coins, and a small celadon bottle. Inside was a dark red pill, which appeared to be a Qi Gathering Pill.

The other Azure Cloud Gang disciples had miscellaneous items: three packets of Body-Tempering Decoction and four or five taels of broken silver in total.

While searching Lei Bao, Zhou Yan also found an iron badge in his robes.

It was palm-sized. "Azure Cloud" was engraved on the front, and "Bao" on the back.

None of these men carried any cultivation techniques.

Then Zhou Yan dragged the corpses one by one into a crevice deep within the mountain ravine, stacking them two layers high.

He gathered some rotting leaves and loose stones, covering them layer upon layer.

After dragging away the final corpse, Zhou Yan straightened his back.

Suddenly, he felt a chill at the back of his neck.

The chill seeped out from deep within a stone crevice behind him.

He turned back and saw only pitch-black darkness inside the crevice, with no bottom in sight.

His back tensed.

He gave the crevice one last look, then turned away, his steps much quicker than when he had arrived.