Encounter

Several voices drifted intermittently from the other side of the ravine.

Zhou Yan frowned and set down the water gourd.

Zheng Tong had already raised a hand, signaling for silence.

Sun Ping hurriedly stuffed the scattered ginseng rootlets into his robes.

Zhao Laosi gripped the handle of his short pickaxe, his gaze vicious and his knuckles white.

The footsteps were neither hurried nor slow as several figures emerged from the shadows of the trees.

The bearded man in front was around forty, clutching an iron ruler black as ink.

The stench of blood mixed with sweat on his body, and two or three old scars could vaguely be seen on his bare forearms.

Body Tempering Peak!

Three men followed behind him. A skinny man spun a short blade, its body half a palm longer than an ordinary dagger.

One short, sturdy man carried an iron staff on his shoulder, as thick around as a goose egg, while the remaining man held a dagger and wore a ferocious expression.

The four stopped seven or eight paces away.

Lei Bao glanced at the yellowish-brown ginseng in Zheng Tong's arms, paused for a breath, then looked at the others.

"Azure Cloud Gang. Lei Bao. You fellows look unfamiliar."

Zheng Tong drew the mountain ginseng closer into his arms, his hand resting on his saber hilt. "So you are friends from the Azure Cloud Gang. We are from White Cloud Martial Hall. We entered the mountains to gather medicine, and hope you gentlemen will make things convenient."

"Master Zheng's disciples?"

"You know our master?"

"One of Qingyun County's finest saber users. I've heard of him." Lei Bao rubbed his chin with the iron ruler and glanced at the mountain ginseng in Sun Ping's arms. "I just wonder whether Master Zheng taught you that Blackwind Ridge has a rule: whoever sees treasure gets a share."

Wind poured through the stone walls, making the vines rustle.

Lei Bao waited a moment, took half a step back, and smiled. "Fine if you won't share. Then let me ask you something. Have you seen anyone suspicious in the mountains these past two days? Early twenties, with a chunk missing from his left ear."

"No," Zheng Tong said.

"Really not?"

Lei Bao's gaze passed over him and swept across Sun Ping and Zhao Laosi.

When it landed on Zhou Yan, he saw only a woodcutter. His hemp clothes were faded nearly white with age, and a woodcutting blade hung at his waist. He looked like nothing more than a farmer from a nearby village.

Lei Bao paid him no mind and withdrew his gaze.

"Why are you asking about this man?" Zheng Tong asked.

Lei Bao patted his palm with the iron ruler.

"A scout sent by Black Tiger Hall. We're hunting him. He slipped into the western forest two days ago, injured two of my brothers, and ran deeper into the mountains."

He paused and stared at Zheng Tong. "The west side of Blackwind Ridge belongs to the Azure Cloud Gang. You three from White Cloud Martial Hall crossed the boundary."

Zheng Tong did not move. "Blackwind Ridge has no owner. Anyone can enter."

"Say that in Qingyun County, and you'll offend people." Lei Bao sneered. "The Azure Cloud Gang occupies the western docks, Black Tiger Hall controls the eastern gambling dens and brothels, and the Sun Family holds the medicine shops and pawnshops. When those three meet in the city, none are friends. Your White Cloud Martial Hall is caught in the middle. Did Master Zheng never tell you?"

"White Cloud Martial Hall only practices martial arts. We do not involve ourselves in gang affairs."

"Don't involve yourselves in gang affairs?" Lei Bao rubbed his chin with the iron ruler. "Then where will you sell the ginseng you dug up in Blackwind Ridge after leaving the mountains? The Black Tiger Hall shops in the east won't take goods from Azure Cloud Gang territory, and the Azure Cloud Gang docks in the west won't ship goods on Black Tiger Hall vessels. If you sell to the Sun Family, they crush prices when buying ginseng. You know that, don't you?"

Zheng Tong said, "That need not trouble you, sir!"

Lei Bao's gaze fell upon Zheng Tong's arms again, and his eyes lit up. He had clearly recognized the ginseng's age.

A section of the mountain ginseng showed through, its yellowish-brown wrinkles appearing and disappearing between the folds of clothing.

"How about this?" Lei Bao paced half a step forward, his tone smoothing out. "Give the Azure Cloud Gang some face. We'll help you sell this ginseng at a fair price. Gathering medicine is not easy for you, and we won't take advantage for nothing."

The atmosphere froze at once...

Only the stream murmured in the ravine. Sweat soaked the handle of Zhao Laosi's short pickaxe, while Sun Ping's Adam's apple bobbed.

The smile on Lei Bao's face faded slightly as he looked at Sun Ping.

"How long have you been in the mountains?"

"Since before dawn."

"Which road did you take?"

"The village road."

Lei Bao nodded, tea leaves wedged between his teeth.

Sun Ping took half a step forward as if to say something, but Zheng Tong silenced him with a glare.

Lei Bao tapped the iron ruler twice with a finger.

The standoff dragged on, and Zheng Tong frowned.

The rusty smell around Lei Bao grew stronger and stronger. It was no sweat stench; it was the sign of the Iron Fiend Technique circulating.

The Azure Cloud Gang's sect-protecting technique, never taught to non-core members.

The bluish-gray shade on his bare forearms deepened, like ironware soaked underwater for too long.

Zheng Tong tightened his grip on the saber hilt.

His thumb pressed against the guard, and the blade slid half a finger's breadth from its sheath.

This was the Drifting Cloud Saber Technique, White Cloud Martial Hall's signature art. The blade was nimble, and before it left the sheath, there was almost no sound at all.

Zhou Yan had shrunk into the deepest part of the ravine, his back pressed against the icy stone wall.

The technique Zheng Tong practiced before him followed a fierce, forceful path. His skin carried an iron sheen, and he looked built to take blows head-on.

White Cloud Martial Hall's Drifting Cloud Saber, meanwhile, followed a nimble path. The blade was so light it nearly seemed weightless, emphasizing continuous slashes combined with strikes.

The two styles naturally countered one another. Whether the heavy could defeat the light depended on whether it could touch it, while whether the light could defeat the heavy depended on whether it could break through.

Zhou Yan ran through it twice in his mind and judged that the Iron Fiend Technique held the advantage.

Moreover, one was at Body Tempering Peak while the other had only reached Body Tempering Great Accomplishment. They were a full tier apart.

The skinny man grew impatient. He twirled the short blade around his fingers. "Brother Lei, they're just medicine gatherers. Why so much talk?"

He stepped forward, his voice becoming shriller. "The Black Tiger Hall men are still running around in these mountains. Why waste time bickering with a few medicine gatherers?"

Those words became the fuse.

The moment they moved, their techniques revealed themselves.

The rusty stench around Lei Bao suddenly intensified.

His exposed skin changed from bluish-gray to iron-colored. Iron Fiend Technique—tempering the body like iron.

The iron ruler smashed down with the wind behind it, but Zheng Tong advanced rather than retreated, saber light flashing.

Drifting Cloud Saber Technique. The blade was light as a swan feather, leaving only an arc of light in the air.

Clang!

The iron ruler struck the blade, sending sparks flying.

Zheng Tong's saber force was knocked aside, but the Drifting Cloud Saber was a style of continuous slashes and strikes. With a twist of the blade, he slid it along the iron ruler and slashed at Lei Bao's wrist.

Lei Bao hurriedly withdrew the ruler to block.

Sun Ping, meanwhile, met the other two head-on.

The Wind-Piercing Fist shot out, his fist cracking sharply as it broke the wind and knocked aside the dagger wielder's arm.

The iron staff was already smashing in from the side.

Cao Heng's Tiger-Subduing Staff was powerful and heavy, whistling through the air.

Sun Ping twisted aside in haste, and the staff tip scraped past his shoulder blade.

Before he could steady himself, the dagger stabbed in from the other side.

No matter how fast the Wind-Piercing Fist was, it could not withstand two attackers at once.

Aah!

The dagger plunged into Sun Ping's left waist. A miserable cry burst from his throat as he dropped to his knees with a thud.

Zhao Laosi's eyes turned red.

The pickaxe head crashed down, caving in the dagger wielder's skull and smashing his face against the rocks.

Just as he was about to pull out the pickaxe—

The sound of wind was already at his back. Cao Heng's Tiger-Subduing Staff thrust in from behind, its tip striking squarely into the center of his back.

Zhao Laosi's chest bulged forward. His mouth opened and closed, but all that spilled out was blood.

In the span of only a few breaths, two members of White Cloud Martial Hall had already lost their ability to fight.

Zheng Tong caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye. Sun Ping was twitching on the ground, while Zhao Laosi lay face-down amid the jagged stones.

He was secretly startled. He had not expected the Azure Cloud Gang to be so ruthless, and his hand trembled.

That single tremor was enough for Lei Bao's iron ruler to arrive.

His Soul-Severing Ruler Technique followed a close-range, short-strike path, its ruler tip specializing in attacking joints as it shot straight for Zheng Tong's shoulder well.

Zheng Tong swung his saber back and slashed twice in succession. Clang! Clang!

He could not keep up with the third strike, and it swept across his shoulder, numbing half his arm.

Gritting his teeth, he retreated, but his saber light did not cease. One slash came faster than the last, and he forcibly relied on the Drifting Cloud Saber's speed to drive Lei Bao back half a step.

The two tangled in battle, the clash of saber and ruler bouncing through the ravine.

Zhou Yan had been retreating from the very beginning.

He retreated to the deepest end of the ravine, his back against a huge boulder, the woodcutting blade clenched in his right hand.

The skinny man's shoulder had been sliced open by Zheng Tong's saber edge.

Blood flowed heavily, and the sleeve of his entire left arm clung to his skin.

He clutched his shoulder and staggered back. Raising his head, he spotted Zhou Yan watching from the side.

He licked his lips and changed direction, walking toward him.

The Viper Saber spun around his fingers.

The first strike stabbed at the throat, its tip aimed directly at Zhou Yan's Adam's apple.

Zhou Yan sidestepped. The blade tip stabbed into the stone wall, and flying chips grazed past his ear.

The second strike came in a backhand upward sweep.

It slashed from below to above, cutting toward Zhou Yan's chin.

Zhou Yan chuckled and leaned back, the blade edge passing against the tip of his nose.

The third strike came as a diagonal chop.

Zhou Yan did not dodge. This man's saber technique seemed poorly practiced.

This speed was painfully slow in his eyes!

He immediately stepped forward.

That step landed between the skinny man's feet.

His left hand clamped down from below on the skinny man's saber-wielding wrist, his five fingers tightening.

The woodcutting blade chopped into the skinny man's forearm.

Crack!

With one chop, bone split.

His left hand yanked downward, pulling the skinny man into a forward lurch, while his right fist surged up from below.

Mountain-Breaking Fist, Stele Splitter!

Everything he had gained from two months of stance training and fist practice was contained in this punch.

The Minor Accomplishment Mountain-Breaking Fist erupted in an instant.

His fist struck squarely into the Adam's apple.

The sound of the throat bone shattering was crisper than the earlier chop of blade against bone.

The skinny man's eyes bulged wide, and a gurgling sound came from his throat.

He reached out as if trying to grab something, his fingers clawing twice through empty air before his entire body went limp. The back of his head struck the stone.

Zhou Yan released his wrist, bent down to pick up the short blade, and tucked it into his belt. His expression was as calm and undisturbed as before he had attacked.

For a brief instant after the skinny man fell, the battlefield went still.

Lei Bao caught sight of the skinny man sprawled across the rocks. His furious roar shook the ravine until it hummed: "The gang leader's task isn't finished, and we've already lost two men here!"

He hurriedly pushed the Iron Fiend Technique to its limit.

The iron hue on his skin deepened further, as though he had been coated in a layer of iron slurry.

The Soul-Severing Ruler Technique suddenly became fiercer, abandoning defense for pure offense.

The iron ruler cut through the air, each strike faster than the last. Zheng Tong's Drifting Cloud Saber was suppressed, and even three consecutive slashes were knocked away.

The ruler tip stabbed into Zheng Tong's left shoulder.

With a crack, Zheng Tong's collarbone fractured.

Zheng Tong grunted and staggered backward, his saber light falling into disorder.

Cao Heng had already risen from beside Zhao Laosi. He too had seen the entire sequence, from the skinny man's first strike to his collapse. Roaring, he charged over with the iron staff. His whole body's strength burst forth, and the Tiger-Subduing Staff dragged along the ground, crushing broken stones and sending them flying outward.

Zhou Yan retreated one step until he was pressed tightly against the mountain wall. He switched the woodcutting blade to his left hand, freeing his right.

Cao Heng arrived before him in an instant.

The iron staff swung up. The Tiger-Subduing Staff smashed down from above, aimed straight at the crown of his head.