As they emerged from the alley, distant lights illuminated the houses one by one.
Bang, bang!!
Fireworks blossomed overhead, casting a hazy glow over the weathered streets, alleys, and rooftops.
Not a soul stood on the flagstone street.
Old Ox followed behind the two of them, letting out a low moo now and then.
A figure approached from the other end of the street, head lowered and back bent.
Then footsteps sounded all around them.
All manner of sounds rose: soles scraping across snow, weapons sliding from their sheaths.
The dark mass of people was like a living beast.
It crept silently toward them, waiting to swallow them whole.
"Don't be afraid."
Li Ping'an squeezed Liu Yun's hand and spoke softly.
"Mm." Liu Yun nodded slightly.
The crowd parted as though sliced by a knife, opening a passage seven feet wide.
Liang Chenggang, leader of the Flying Eagle Gang, stepped out through the middle. "Sir, we meet again."
"Gang Leader Liang, you certainly know how to enjoy yourself.
"Instead of going home to celebrate the New Year, you've brought your brothers here to admire the snow."
Liang Chenggang sneered. "Sir, let honest men speak plainly.
"You should know better than anyone why we brothers have come here today."
A faint smile lingered on Li Ping'an's face.
Liang Chenggang changed the subject. "Allow me to introduce them. These are all prominent figures in Luoshui City.
"Chen Zhongshi, owner of the Peace Escort Agency.
"Liu Guanji, an officer of the Canal Gang.
"Zhang Dabiao of the Tiger Head Gang, formerly of the frontier army.
"And Elder Huo from Willow City..."
Liang Chenggang introduced them one by one.
"Sir, I've seen what you can do. We don't wish to make an enemy of you.
"Turn around, go home, and get some sleep. Pretend none of this ever happened.
"I guarantee you'll remain safe and sound."
Li Ping'an tightened his grip on Azure Sky at his waist, giving his answer.
He lowered his center of gravity as a faint azure glow appeared.
His body traced an arc through the air, hurtling straight toward the crowd.
"Watch out!!"
But in midair, his body suddenly twisted.
He made a sharp turn and abruptly landed on the ground.
The saber's gleam bore down on Liang Chenggang's head.
No one present could react to the sudden change before a shrill sound tore through the air.
Like a sharp knife, it plunged viciously into everyone's heart.
With a dull squelch, the blade split his head in two.
Liang Chenggang was dead.
Silence blanketed the scene, and the thick stench of blood filled the air.
"Kill him!"
Someone shouted, and hundreds of people surged forward like a tide beneath the night sky.
Draw-Sword Technique: Diagonal Rising Draw.
A shower of light burst in the air, as though the stroke had drawn in all the air and wind, bearing down with the crushing weight of Mount Tai.
No one could clearly see how that blade swept upward and back.
So powerful was the sight that everyone who witnessed the stroke felt their vision reel.
Blood shot skyward, all of it happening in the flash of lightning and the strike of flint.
Not a single scream sounded before a swath of figures at the front collapsed.
A vast, terrifying trench appeared in the ground.
It was as though a giant block of ice had been cleaved down the middle by an enormous axe.
In an instant, heaven and earth fell quiet once more.
The sight left everyone struggling to breathe.
Fear seized their bodies.
Li Ping'an took a step back and sheathed his saber.
"Everyone, I have no wish to make enemies of you. Let this line mark the boundary.
"If you cross it, you'll have no one but yourselves to blame."
The moment his words fell, sword light flashed.
Four longswords attacked at once, carrying a fierce cutting wind.
The sound of his saber leaving its sheath rang out alongside Li Ping'an's voice.
The attackers were the Four Swords of Mount Yan.
They were famous bounty hunters in Luoshui City, renowned for the extraordinary speed of their sword strikes.
All four swords performed the same move: a thrust.
It was simple and ordinary, without any variation.
Yet it felt incomparably fierce.
But their target's figure suddenly flickered out of sight.
Then saber light flashed, intercepting the four sword gleams like a mountain splitting a mighty river.
In the blink of an eye, all four lay in pools of blood.
Everyone stared blankly at the scene, their hearts as cold as the ice and snow.
The trench in the ground no longer seemed a mere saber mark, but a red line of death.
To cross it meant bidding farewell to the world of the living.
Utter silence reigned. No one dared take another step forward.
Li Ping'an silently took Liu Yun's hand and walked ahead.
"If they leave here alive, do you think any of you will have a way to survive!?"
The surrounding crowd instinctively cleared a path, for everyone felt a bone-piercing chill.
An old man with a hunched back stepped out.
He held a saber like a walking stick, using it to support his body.
He seemed like a tree, fused into one with his blade.
"Whoever takes his head will receive a thousand gold pieces and be made Marquis of a Thousand Households!"
Men died for wealth as birds died for food.
This world had never lacked people willing to die for money.
"He's only one man! What are you afraid of!!"
The furious roar rang out, forceful and deafening.
Everyone's spirits surged, and they shouted in unison.
"Kill, kill, kill!"
A burly man charged out with a long spear, roaring wildly as he rushed forward.
The crowd behind him followed close on his heels.
"Stay close to me," Li Ping'an said.
"Mm."
A dull thud sounded, and the burly man died before he could even scream.
A storm of blood and carnage, a flurry of snowflakes.
A head with its eyes still open slowly fell through the air.
Amid scream after scream, bodies toppled every which way onto the ground.
The saber light flew, immediately sweeping toward another enemy.
"Ready!"
Chen Zhongshi of the Peace Escort Agency raised his hand and shouted.
"Fire!!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Piercing sounds erupted through the air.
These were proper military crossbows.
Their shots were accurate and powerful.
They could strike soldiers clad in iron armor even at eight hundred to nine hundred meters.
Dozens of pitch-black bolts lunged at Li Ping'an like a savage beast.
Azure Sky chopped and swept, flicked upward and brushed aside.
Every stroke stirred a fierce gust, forcing away the bolts fired by his enemies.
While Li Ping'an was pinned down by the crossbow fire,
a group of men rushed in from behind, hoping to seize Liu Yun.
And that great black ox who was in the way.
"Kill her!"
One man drew his saber and charged.
Wealth and glory were only an instant away.
Wild delight spread across his face despite himself.
Die!
He was just about to roar it out.
Bang!!
But in the next instant, Old Ox suddenly raised a hind leg.
A hoof struck the man in the chest.
With a crack, his breastbone shattered, killing him on the spot.
Old Ox: "Moo~"
Brave little ox, unafraid of hardship.
Facing the enemies closing in, Old Ox let out a loud bellow.
A kick sent one charging enemy flying, while those two enormous horns were like a pair of natural shields.
They even had sharp points. Whoever touched them died.
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