A fierce wind swept the blades; blood stained the mottled bamboo.
Chen Qing Shan's lance moved like a dragon, killing another man!
The assassins were fewer in number, but every one was an expert, every one prepared to die! Whether they had received orders to fight to the death or had some other reason, they neither broke nor retreated after their leader fell. Abandoning formations and assigned roles, they all focused on Wang Yang and charged with everything they had, fighting as though their lives meant nothing!
Corpses already lay strewn across the bamboo grove. Both sides had suffered heavy casualties, but Wang Yang's side had more men, and the enemy's attacks had become disorganized. So long as they held steady, victory was all but assured. Yet the enemy was bent on "taking the head," and all of them were exceptionally skilled. Now, utterly disregarding the openings in their own defenses, they fought like vicious dogs scrambling for scraps, like mad tigers bursting from their cages! Twice in succession, they actually broke through to Wang Yang! Both times, Chen Qing Shan fought desperately to stop them!
Wielding a long lance drained tremendous strength. By now, Chen Qing Shan was beginning to falter. Amid the chaos, she protected Wang Yang as they fought their way out, retreating eastward. By the time they reached a ravine, both were exhausted. Chen Qing Shan, especially, had run so far carrying her lance after that fierce battle that she was almost entirely spent.
Jagged rocks filled the ravine, with a shallow stream winding among them. Wang Yang knew this was Upside-Down Bowl Ravine. A little farther east lay the Tallow Tree Grove.
Supporting Chen Qing Shan, he helped her sit in front of a relatively dry sandstone outcrop beside the ravine. The moment her back