A Fair Fight

Su Yun had drunk quite a lot the night before, and he still felt a little drunk when he woke.

Hearing that the Turks had returned, he hurried outside with his sword.

But the moment he rushed beyond the village, he froze.

A cool breeze swept past, clearing his head considerably.

"R-run..."

Liu Yong's expression was icy. "Where would we run? Cavalry in these numbers always surround a village before sweeping through it. There could be crossbows aimed at us from anywhere."

"Then what do we do?"

Su Yun felt his legs trembling uncontrollably.

"At worst, we fight them to the death!" someone said.

An eagle beat its wings, tracing a graceful arc through the sky as it swept over their heads.

Then it landed on a tall man's arm.

The Turkic cavalry slowed, like some enormous beast.

It appeared abruptly before them, its immense body exuding an oppressive air that made it difficult to breathe.

The leader halted his men, his vicious eyes fixed on Liu Yong, who stood closest to him.

Horse Saber in hand, Liu Yong stood apart from the crowd.

When he spoke, it was in the Turkic tongue. "I think we can talk!"

"About what?" The leader's voice was hoarse.

"Give us a chance at a fair duel! Let us die on a true battlefield, rather than have your men swarm us all at once. That isn't the way of true warriors."

The leader removed his helmet. His eyes looked like those of a rattlesnake as he said slowly,

"Well said. But unfortunately for you, when it comes to strength, you aren't even worth considering."

"The warriors of the desert fear no one."

The Turkic words from the leader's mouth suddenly changed to the Central Plains Language, which all the villagers understood.

"I will give you a fair chance."

His gaze settled on Liu Yong. "If you can defeat him, I will spare half the people in this village."

Among the Turks, a burly man in heavy armor dismounted.

He carried two small iron hammers.

Commonly called Little Golden Melon Hammers, their heads were shaped like garlic cloves, with an oval outline.

The villagers' hearts rose into their throats. Not a word was spoken as they watched Liu Yong intently.

"Fair, my ass!" a man cursed under his breath.

The burly Turk wore heavy armor that ordinary swords and sabers could not damage.

Only weapons with enough weight, such as hammers or iron maces, could break his bones through the armor.

Liu Yong, on the other hand, wore no protective gear at all, and one look at the burly man made it clear that brute strength was his specialty.

One blow from a Little Golden Melon Hammer would probably break Liu Yong's bones and put him out of the fight.

"I hope you won't go back on your word!"

With that, Liu Yong gripped his scabbard in one hand and the saber's hilt in the other.

His palms were slick with sweat, but his hands remained steady.

The hand gripping his saber made no unnecessary movements.

Like an arrow poised to fly, he shot forward.

Clang!!

The crisp, deafening clash of metal rang out.

Liu Yong's arm went numb from the impact, and his heart lurched.

This Turk's strength was truly terrifying.

The Turk swung his right hammer, stirring a howl of cold wind.

Liu Yong leaped back.

The Turk charged forward with great strides, like a moving wall.

Liu Yong retreated a step and brought his saber down.

The Turk raised a melon hammer to block it, stopping his blade with a sharp crack.

Liu Yong switched to a kick at the man's shin, but it felt as though he had struck a stone wall.

They traded more than twenty moves.

Relying on his agile footwork, Liu Yong landed several cuts on the Turk.

Most, however, were stopped by the man's heavy armor. Only a few joints suffered cuts.

Even those were wrapped in soft armor underneath, so the wounds did little damage.

Gradually, Liu Yong began to run out of stamina.

Seizing his chance, the Turk knocked aside Liu Yong's Horse-Slaying Saber, dropped his Little Golden Melon Hammers, and ducked low to seize Liu Yong around the waist, viciously driving him into a thick poplar tree nearby.

Thud! The tremendous impact sent darkness swimming before Liu Yong's eyes, and he nearly fainted.

The onlookers watched in terror, feeling as though their hearts might leap out of their chests at any moment.

The Turk straightened and threw a punch.

Liu Yong had no time to dodge. Splat!

A mouthful of blood sprayed out.

That spray of blood came at just the right moment, obscuring the Turk's vision.

Liu Yong seized the opening to hook his arm around the man's neck.

Against a Turk covered in heavy armor, the only opening was his head.

Liu Yong twisted the man's head, clamped his fingertips over the pulse point at his wrist, then twisted and threw him.

He used a masterful wrestling technique.

The burly man's body twisted in midair, and he let out a piercing scream.

He hit the ground with a thud.

The Turk kept swinging his fists into Liu Yong's abdomen.

Liu Yong's face turned ashen, and blood spilled from his mouth again and again.

He released the man's neck and jabbed at his eyes instead.

A succession of heart-rending screams sent shudders through everyone.

The sight made Su Yun, who had only just regained a little composure, feel his lower belly go weak again.

Before long, the Turk lay on the ground without another sound.

Liu Yong struggled to his feet and wiped the blood from his mouth.

After steadying his breathing, he said slowly, "I won! Keep your word."

The corners of the leader's mouth lifted slightly. "Of course. I will spare half the villagers here. But the other half..."

Before he could finish, Liu Yong said, "Again. If I win again, this time we wager the other half!"

"Good! You have courage."

A little more respect entered the leader's gaze. "Were you a soldier?"

"Liu Yong of the Swift Cavalry Battalion. I joined the army at eighteen, fought in a hundred and eleven battles, and was wounded eleven times."

"I respect outstanding soldiers. I'll give you a chance. Swear allegiance to me."

"We can discuss that when you can beat the saber in my hand."

Liu Yong picked up his fallen Horse-Slaying Saber. "Next!"

So damn cool!!

Standing in the crowd, Chen Chusheng was filled with excitement as he stared at Liu Yong's back.

In that moment, every great hero in martial arts novels who fought for their country and its people had found a model.

This was a true hero.

A man carrying a long saber stepped forward.

He looked sinister, his eyes flashing with cold light and an air of deadly menace.

Liu Yong roared and attacked again.

The sinister man seemed to know that Liu Yong was merely enjoying a dying flame's last flare, and evaded his furious assault.

Sure enough, after only a few exchanges, Liu Yong began to flag.

The sinister man flicked his left hand, and a fierce wind sprang up.

Countless sparks flew from his sleeve as black mist billowed.

A deafening boom rang out, and smoke and dust erupted.

Liu Yong had not expected the sinister man to attack him with such a move.

Though he reacted fairly quickly, he was still caught in it.

His body flew heavily backward as though he had taken a hammer blow head-on.

"Despicable!"

Su Yun could not help shouting.

The sinister man seized the chance to advance with his saber and slash downward.

Liu Yong struggled to dodge, and the blade bit into his left shoulder.

Liu Yong grabbed the blade tightly and kicked out with both feet.

Only then did he barely escape the fatal blow.

Liu Yong held on to the sinister man's saber.

Twisting at the waist, he delivered a backhand slash like a whirlwind.

The sinister man raised his arm to defend himself. Hard armor was strapped around it.

But as Liu Yong delivered the slash, he turned his elbow slightly inward.

The blade slipped past the hard armor, and the sinister man screamed.

All five fingers were severed at once.

Liu Yong slid in feetfirst and thrust his saber upward through the man's crotch.

He really won!?

Only when the sinister man stopped screaming did Su Yun believe what he had seen.

We're saved. We're saved.

The same thought arose unbidden in the hearts of every villager.