It all seemed drawn out, but in truth, everything happened in the flash of lightning and the strike of a spark.
Yi Xuan drew a deep breath, knowing he had met a ruthless opponent today.
Dazzling saber light flashed again, the gleaming blades weaving together.
By their light, both men saw each other clearly once more.
Pale eyes flickered before him.
Over the years, Yi Xuan's heart had grown cold and hard enough, ruthless enough. He had seen life and death countless times.
Yet at this moment, he suddenly felt that every vicious battle he had fought in his life.
Had fallen short of this one in sheer heart-stopping terror.
Another slash came at him.
The speed of this strike defied description.
Yi Xuan raised his saber, trying to defend himself.
But this strike wove a great net through empty space, shifting and elusive.
What!?
Splurt!!
Blind Man stepped back and sheathed his saber.
All in one fluid motion.
That strike had seemed like a streak of saber light without a single flourish, descending slowly.
"What... saber technique was that?"
Yi Xuan spat blood, despair coloring his voice.
"Wind-Listening."
"The Wind-Listening Saber Technique? A fine name."
"Thank you."
Yi Xuan crashed heavily to the floor.
Firelight appeared again, and Guo Yu tried to rush outside.
Blind Man twisted at the waist, delivering a reverse slash like a whirlwind.
"Aah!!"
It pierced straight through Guo Yu's palm and the wooden door together.
Guo Yu gritted his teeth, watching helplessly as death approached him step by step.
"Your skills are extraordinary, sir. I was presumptuous.
Let's forget what happened today. I won't collect Niu Er's debt."
Guo Yu made his last desperate struggle.
"I also have three thousand taels in banknotes. Come with me to the bank to collect them. What happened today is known only to heaven, earth, you, and me..."
Blind Man did not reply. His saber gave the answer.
Blind Man felt the blood covering his body and sighed silently.
"If you'd said that sooner, wouldn't everything have been fine?"
Once the saber was drawn, what room remained for peace talks?
Blind Man felt for a jar of wine on the table.
It was his favorite strong liquor, with a fierce, pungent smell.
The snow outside fell thick and heavy.
Thicker than the wine, so thick it would not dissolve.
In the twelfth year of Tianyuan, the turn of the year had just passed.
The New Year's bells had barely faded.
Yet the town held not the slightest trace of festive cheer.
More than ten days earlier, someone had splattered the Mandarin Duck Tower with blood.
Twenty-five people had died gruesomely, including County Magistrate Guo's nephew, Guo Yu.
The Mandarin Duck Tower had been engulfed in a sea of fire.
Someone had left a note bearing only four bold characters.
"Deliver justice on heaven's behalf!!"
And the killer had been the blind street musician, Li Ping'an.
Portraits of Li Ping'an spread through every street and alley, every village for miles around.
The authorities offered a hefty bounty.
For a time, constables and bounty hunters swarmed out.
A few days later, people discovered that Da Hu, who spent his days roaming the streets, had gone mad.
That scoundrel had finally suffered his retribution.
"Tofu! Tofu for sale!"
The familiar voice, the familiar stall.
And the familiar fragrance of tofu.
Miss Wang wore padded cotton clothes, her little face red from the cold.
She had escaped the disaster unscathed.
Everyone who knew the circumstances had perished in that night's sea of fire, and no one came to demand repayment from her anymore.
As always, she gazed in that direction.
But she could no longer see the man who used to lead his ox there.
She knew why Li Ping'an had killed Guo Yu.
But she could not understand: had it been worth doing that for her?
So she wanted to find him and ask him face-to-face. And... how could she ever repay such an enormous kindness?
Yet now she could get no answer. She could only wait quietly.
Wait for that man.
To appear before her again one day.
Along a rugged mountain path.
Li Ping'an led Old Ox, trudging through the snow with uneven steps.
He held a piece of frozen tofu dusted with ice crystals.
"Mmm, delicious."
It had not really been for any heavenly principle or justice.
It was only because, when he had been on the verge of starving to death, someone had given him a warm piece of tofu.
And a radiant smile.
One bite of that tofu had made him feel as though the winter snow was about to melt.
That was all.
One day in mid-March,
Several peals of spring thunder suddenly cracked overhead, followed by the patter of spring rain.
Spring rain was as precious as oil, at times drifting like silk, at times sweeping past like a startled swan.
It truly was a beautiful sight.
Tap, tap, tap~
Li Ping'an led Old Ox to a tea stall and sat down.
An attendant brought a large teapot and a large bowl, then poured him a bowl of tea.
"Where have you come from, sir?"
"From where I came."
The attendant smiled.
Li Ping'an drank half the bowl of tea, then offered it to Old Ox behind him.
Old Ox slurped down the remaining half.
Li Ping'an fished fifteen copper coins from his pocket. They were his last fifteen.
He hefted them in his palm and gave a barely audible sigh.
In all the television dramas and novels he had seen before, what great hero had ever been troubled by the petty concerns of worldly possessions?
People spent their whole lives running themselves ragged for money.
And it was precisely this money that left so many people weighed down with worry.
Yet once they had money, those troubles vanished like smoke and clouds.
To sum it up in one sentence: having money was wonderful.
Li Ping'an took out the tool of his trade and began playing a tune.
The melody flowed slowly from his fingertips, free and majestic, vigorous and powerful.
[Skill: The Moon's Reflection on the Second Spring] [Level: LV2 (5500/10000)] [LV1 effects: increases lifespan, improves the flow of qi and blood, clears the meridians, dispels dampness and warms the body] [LV2 effects: Wind-Listening Saber Technique (40%), Turtle Breath Technique (60%)]
"Did you hear? Someone else died yesterday."
"The world's in such turmoil. A death or two is nothing to make a fuss over."
"I heard Ma Sandao, the man on the wanted posters, came this way. He's drawn quite a few bounty hunters here."
"How much are they offering?"
"A hundred alive, fifty dead."
"..."
The conversation between the two tea drinkers reached Li Ping'an's ears.
Li Ping'an pressed his lips together, tempted.
In fact, he himself was on the wanted list.
Sometimes, when he saw the amount on his wanted poster, he felt an urge to turn himself in.
Li Ping'an put away his erhu, and a somewhat blurry scene appeared before his eyes.
But if the light grew too dim, he could no longer make anything out.
Luoshui City.
People came and went, the men busy earning a living for their families.
Housewives went to the market to buy vegetables, while vendors gathered along the streets.
The city seemed unaffected by the murders. They had merely become a topic of idle conversation over tea and after meals.
"Sir, how much for a bowl of wontons?"
"Sixteen coppers."
"That expensive?"
Even all of Li Ping'an's worldly wealth put together could not buy a bowl of wontons.
A big city really was nothing like a small town.
"It's always been that price."
The proprietor spoke without even looking up. He had initially thought this ragged fellow had come to beg.
In the end, Li Ping'an bought only two meat buns and asked the proprietor for a pot of free hot water.
He squatted in a corner.
Li Ping'an and Old Ox, one man and one ox, each had a large meat bun.
"The buns seem to have beef filling," Li Ping'an said suddenly.
Old Ox: "Moo~"
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