A Roll of Silver Needles, Sword Against Sword

Meng Shuangjiang noticed nothing, but the expressions of the guards behind him turned a little strange.

Wang Fu strode over, but when he reached the middle of the street, a smile appeared on his face.

"Young Master Meng, Doctor Chu."

Without needing a reminder, he kept his voice fairly low, but he clasped his fists and waved his hands, looking very warm and friendly.

"Last night we made friends through martial arts, and I cost you a few silver needles. After I went back, I turned it over in my mind. I admire your skill, and I couldn't let you take the loss for nothing, so I found you a new roll of needles today."

Wang Fu took out a roll of silver needles and held it out, smiling. "Doctor Chu, see if these suit your needs."

Chu Tianshu stared at him, one eyebrow raised slightly, then accepted the needles and unrolled them for a look.

They were typical medical silver needles, a complete set of forty-nine in varying lengths and thicknesses.

Chu Tianshu drew one out and gently bent it. When he eased his grip, it sprang straight again. The workmanship was quite good.

"Then thank you."

Seeing him accept them, Wang Fu smiled more sincerely. "Could we speak in private?"

The two walked seven or eight paces to the side of the tavern, putting some distance between themselves and the others.

Wang Fu lowered his voice even further. "Doctor Chu, last night I had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai. I got a lesson, and I deserved it, but at my age, with elders above me and children below me at home, I can't lose face in front of the children."

"As for how I threw up right away last night, please don't tell anyone."

When Wang Fu had just lost the previous day, he had vomited until his head spun. He had also been furious, itching to draw his sword, chase after Chu Tianshu, and fight another round.

But he was no longer young. After washing up, he had brooded over it, and the more he thought, the more frightened he became.

That palm could have struck his throat just as easily as it had pressed against his chest.

The wound on the black-clad robber's corpse had been right on the throat.

The man surnamed Ma was a mage and was on good terms with the Meng Clan, and Chu Tianshu was clearly in league with them.

If he made an enemy of such a ruthless man with tricks up his sleeve, the one who suffered a serious loss in the end would most likely not be the other party.

Besides, it wasn't his first defeat. Leaving aside his youth, just a few years ago he had fought the man surnamed Zhong behind closed doors. Outsiders didn't know about it, but didn't he himself know how badly he had lost?

Once he had thought it through, Wang Fu stopped pondering revenge and started thinking about how to save face.

The older people present yesterday were all shrewd, and the younger guards were experts themselves. They wouldn't look down on Wang Fu just because he had lost to someone.

As long as he could get Chu Tianshu to put it tactfully when he spoke of the matter in the future, his face would remain intact.

Chu Tianshu understood what he meant. "In last night's spar, Escort Chief Wang only lost by half a move. If you were still in your prime, who knows who would have won? I'm not one to wag my tongue, either, so you can rest easy."

Wang Fu breathed a sigh of relief. "Many thanks, many thanks. I'll be sure to repay you again."

A thought stirred in Chu Tianshu's mind. "Then would Escort Chief Wang be interested in another match with me?"

Wang Fu froze. "Ah? Is that necessary?"

He had already refused instinctively.

"We can spar behind closed doors later. No outsiders will know."

Chu Tianshu smiled. "I got a sword last night, and I mainly want to get used to how it feels to wield it. How about giving me a hand, Escort Chief Wang?"

The manual for the Qi Family Old Tongbei already had a saying: "Flinging sleeves joins with swordsmanship; the footwork is ingenious and unsteady."

The movements of swinging the arms and flinging the sleeves could be directly converted into sword-swinging movements.

But Chu Tianshu had never fought anyone with a sword in actual combat. The weight of an iron sword in his hand was different from fighting barehanded.

After clashing with an opponent, the weapon itself would also vibrate and shift, and the reactive force he felt would be much the same as when he struck someone with a bare fist.

Without getting used to these things, he would be more likely to leave openings when he encountered a formidable opponent.

Wang Fu hesitated for a while. "All right, then. I'll make another round, and come back when it's a bit brighter."

At first light, the sky was still a murky white, and the scenery before them looked a little washed out.

Once the sun leaped clear of the mountains, the land was brightly lit and full of color.

Shopkeeper Ma felt the dazzling sunlight and woke up. Squinting, he yawned.

He saw Chu Tianshu sitting alone on the stone steps in front of the door, eating.

The old man rubbed his eyes. "Where did the food come from?"

"The Meng Clan sent it."

Chu Tianshu turned back. "There are several more packets. Want to try some?"

Shopkeeper Ma got up, pounded his lower back and legs, and sat down on the stone steps. He looked at the street before him. Its usual bustle was gone, leaving only a flat, empty stretch.

Chu Tianshu handed him a packet of duck in sauce. "The change in town is too obvious. Those people only have to take a casual look from the surrounding mountains, and they'll probably notice something wrong before noon."

"Do you think they might attack today?"

Shopkeeper Ma unwrapped the paper packet. "It's possible, but it probably won't be during the day."

Even ordinary bandits knew a night raid gave them a greater advantage, and people who practiced evil arts could also use their arts most smoothly at night.

Chu Tianshu frowned. "Then nine times out of ten, it'll be tonight."

Shopkeeper Ma first tore off a piece of duck skin and chewed it, then asked casually, "Feeling a lot of pressure?"

"Against a single enemy, whether ghost or human, I think I have a fairly good chance of handling them."

Chu Tianshu spoke frankly. "I really haven't experienced a group battle, though, and fist manuals rarely go into detail about how to fight one."

If he wanted to get used to wielding a sword, he could spar with Wang Fu.

But a life-and-death group battle was impossible to simulate.

There was no use asking Wang Fu, either. Wang Fu came from an escort agency and had a large group of agency men who worked in perfect sync with him.

Chu Tianshu had no such understanding with those people. What he really needed was experience charging into a group battle alone.

"Everyone has a first time."

Shopkeeper Ma pondered for a moment, then suddenly thought of something. "Right, there is something I should tell you."

"I wouldn't have remembered if you hadn't brought it up. It's a lesson a good brother of mine learned when he was young."

"When skilled fistfighters like you charge into a crowd alone, you might feel that those people's movements are more than just a little slower than yours."

"They're like a bunch of puppets whose joints haven't been properly oiled. Every move they make is full of openings, and you feel you can quickly knock down the people around you."

"But at a time like that, you absolutely mustn't get greedy!"

Shopkeeper Ma's tone was solemn. "Absolutely. Don't get greedy!"

"If you see openings on three people, then after you knock down one of them, you have to break out of the encirclement and keep moving forward. If you see openings on five people, then knock down two at most, and keep charging forward."

"Don't linger in one small area, or your attention will be caught up in what's in front of you, and danger will approach from elsewhere on the battlefield."

"Your instincts might warn you in time to save you once or twice, but within the same area, there's a limit to how much a person can change position."

Shopkeeper Ma recalled the past. "Back then, my old friend had just set out into the world and fought a group of beggars who abducted children. Not one of them could stand against him for a single exchange."

"But he made that very mistake and took a blowdart in the heel. It was coated in snake venom, too. It was a close call-even with his skills, he nearly died at the hands of those beggars."

Chu Tianshu listened carefully and nodded.

He ate breakfast more slowly than usual that day, chewing as he waited.

As the sunlight grew brighter, Wang Fu finally came back around.

"Escort Chief Wang really is punctual."

Chu Tianshu wiped his hands on a burlap sack and stood up warmly. "Come, come, let's go into the courtyard."

Wang Fu greeted Shopkeeper Ma.

Shopkeeper Ma gave them a couple of extra looks, but didn't seem very surprised.

Chu Tianshu led Wang Fu into the courtyard and lowered the cloth curtain between the main hall and the courtyard.

Sunlight slanted down, and the shadow of the eastern building covered half the courtyard.

The two stood north and south of each other, both on the line between light and shadow.

Chu Tianshu held his sword in his left hand, rested his right hand on the hilt for a moment, then let go. "This time, please make the first move, Escort Chief Wang."

Chu Tianshu had said he was unfamiliar with the sword in his hand, so if Wang Fu got lucky, he might gain a little advantage and recover some face.

At that thought, Wang Fu's expression grew serious, and he fixed his full attention on his opponent.

His sword had a green shagreen scabbard and an ingot-shaped guard. It was a typical one-handed longsword, relatively light and nimble, suited to a fast-sword style.

Yesterday he had felt himself above his opponent. Today he adjusted his attitude and lowered his center of gravity, giving off a much colder, sterner impression than he had yesterday.

Shing!!

Wang Fu thrust his sword forward, abruptly closing the distance of more than two meters.

He watched Chu Tianshu's figure rapidly grow larger. Because he had taken the initiative to attack, his field of view went from encompassing Chu Tianshu's whole body to only his upper half.

In that instant, he failed to see how Chu Tianshu drew his sword. He only saw a flash of white light and felt another sword knock his own aside.

Clang!

The force of the colliding swords made the web between Wang Fu's thumb and forefinger tremble. He drew his hand back at once while stepping left.

His hands and feet moved together like flowing clouds and running water, sending his sword stabbing diagonally and abruptly toward Chu Tianshu's right shoulder and upper arm.

Chu Tianshu turned to the right and swept his blade outward, knocking the other sword aside once more.

Wang Fu had lost too quickly yesterday, but today he finally showed the pattern of his swordsmanship. It was somewhat like the Swimming Body Bagua Sword, and indeed was the sort of swordsmanship best suited to working with others.

His feet darted forward and back, then suddenly shifted sideways. Overall, he was circling Chu Tianshu.

The sword tip remained pointed toward the enemy at the center of the circle, but as Wang Fu changed his footing, the places his sword could strike naturally multiplied.

It was as though every spot on Chu Tianshu, from head to toe, was a target to be pierced.

By comparison, Chu Tianshu hardly moved his feet. He merely turned to keep facing Wang Fu, continually using his sword to flick the other blade aside.

The sound of clashing metal rang without pause through the courtyard.

After a few breaths, Wang Fu had completed a full circle around him. Unable to help himself, he stepped back to catch his breath.

Chu Tianshu watched him without pursuing. Only after Wang Fu had taken two breaths did he speak. "My turn."

Wang Fu's heart tightened. Seeing Chu Tianshu lunge and thrust straight at him, he instinctively stepped back and raised his sword to meet the attack.

Clink!

The swords crossed, barely touching in midair.

Chu Tianshu's sword suddenly veered, striking in a flash and glancing across Wang Fu's wrist.

It looked so natural, as though the force of the sword's rebound had deflected Chu Tianshu's blade to just the right angle.

It was also like skipping a stone across water.

Wang Fu's sword was the surface of the water.

Chu Tianshu's sword was a small stone that struck its target after that swift ricochet.

Pain shot through Wang Fu's wrist, and for a moment he almost thought his hand had been severed. He hurried back two steps before realizing it was still there.

Chu Tianshu had merely brushed the spine of his sword across Wang Fu's sleeve. He had even controlled his strength: despite the speed of that stroke, the iron sword hadn't swollen his wrist.

Shhk!!

Chu Tianshu's sword was back in its sheath. His eyes shone as though he were savoring the exchange. He smiled. "Thank you. I'm used to the feel of iron weapons clashing now. I'll work out the rest myself."

With his basic physique strengthened, his control over force had grown increasingly precise. That exchange had been enough to serve as a reference.

After his second defeat, Wang Fu had mixed feelings as he slowly returned his sword to its sheath.

Before leaving, he had already lifted the door curtain when he turned and asked, "The roving bandits will come tonight, won't they? Master Chu, did that man really push you into such a dangerous situation?"

Chu Tianshu said, "I wasn't lying."

"Sigh... All right. After a few easy years, it's time to lick blood from the edge of a blade again."

Wang Fu fell silent for a moment, then straightened his back, lifted the curtain, and stepped outside.

"Master Chu, I hope we meet again tomorrow in broad daylight!!"