The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 112 - 98 Changfeng Inn_2

Chapter 112: Chapter 98 Changfeng Inn_2

"Go to hell!"

At this point, Li Yan no longer wasted words. His father had made quite a name for himself on the Guanzhong road, offending more than a few people, and these bladesmen must have suffered at their hands too.

"Break his arms and legs!"

No sooner had the words been spoken than someone beside him wielded a blade and charged. Among them, only the man ready to open the coffin had entered the realm of Hidden Energy; the rest had average skills, but their teamwork was impeccable.

They all employed the Guanzhong Fast Blade, targeting Li Yan from above, middle, and below. In an instant, the blade flashes enveloped Li Yan. However, Li Yan’s blade was faster.

Clang!

The Guan Mountain Blade in his hand unsheathed, he sidestepped to advance, spun around to retreat, simultaneously lifting, sweeping, slicing, blocking, while his Hidden Energy burst forth with astonishing force.

Clang, clang, clang!

Those surrounding him only felt blade light flicker around him. After a few crisp clangs, the blades of those attacking were all knocked aside. Yet, Li Yan’s movements did not cease.

Those bladesmen hadn’t reacted before they saw a dazzling white light; then came screams, and they staggered backward, falling. Only then did several severed hands fall to the ground.

What a ruthless young man!

Those watching the spectacle felt their scalps tingle. These bladesmen had spent their whole lives honing their craft; with their blade-wielding hands severed, they’d find it hard to make a living, their fate utterly miserable.

And this occurred in broad daylight, in plain view. If it had been in some remote corner, not one of them would have survived.

"Courting death!"

The man by the coffin was instantly enraged. Bladesmen all lived by the blade, having no tomorrow. They never feared risking their lives, and if their brothers got their limbs chopped off, they had to slay their opponent to continue living.

Moreover, he had seen that Li Yan had just stepped into Hidden Energy. Comparing himself to Li Yan was neck and neck, why would he be afraid?

Clang!

The man directly drew his blade, his body darted left and right as if sliding through mud, approaching Li Yan within a few steps, lowering his wrist, raising his blade, and thrusting diagonally upwards.

Eight Trigrams Rolling Hand Blade!

At once, Li Yan recognized the opponent’s technique. The Eight Trigrams Rolling Hand Blade hails from the Trigram Sect, merging various blade techniques, emphasizing wrist power, known as the rolling hand. When moving, turning, flipping, rotating, the blade merges with the body, and steps change with movement, the person following the blade, endlessly varied.

What is referred to as the Black Eight Trigrams Hand is known for its close-range maneuvering, avoiding direct hits and striking obliquely, highly deceptive, and specializing in targeting eyes, throats, and back-of-the-head vitals. The Eight Trigrams Rolling Hand Blade was no different.

The man’s upward diagonal thrust from below was not to harm but to force the opponent to parry, creating openings for follow-up moves, using his Coiling Silk Energy to manipulate the weapon in a style akin to trickery.

With one move, he could slit the throat lethally!

Li Yan’s eyes turned cold but he still swung his blade to parry. As expected, the opponent’s wrist flicked, and Li Yan’s Guan Mountain Blade seemed engulfed by a force, uncontrollably advancing. At this moment, the man suddenly turned, dispersing the force, glided intimately, and spun his long blade, aiming for Li Yan’s throat.

"Die!"

The man murmured, glancing down at the bleeding wound at his heart, his pupils dilating, muttering, "The Sleeve Hidden Blade..." With that, he fell stiffly to the ground, soon no longer breathing.

"He’s killed someone..."

The onlookers began whispering among themselves. The laws of the Great Xuan Dynasty were strict. Even when people of the pugilistic world had grievances, seldom did they kill people in broad daylight, lest they invite a heap of troubles.

Of course, if you engaged in clandestine killings, the court would usually turn a blind eye. This line stood delineated the authorities, the pugilistic world, and the common folk. If the pugilistic world descended into chaos, the common folk too would lose respect for the laws, following suit in wanton disobedience. Yet, people of the pugilistic world couldn’t be wiped out entirely, so boundaries and rules became crucial.

Sha Lifei, naturally, had been following along, but knowing his skills weren’t remarkable, he merely held a blade, watching, waiting for an opportunity to strike stealthily. Witnessing Li Yan kill in front of everyone, his gaze turned sinister as he shouted: "Well, these mountain bandits had mingled in, committing robbery in broad daylight!"

Even before he finished speaking, he lunged with malicious intent.

Slick, slick, slick!

The bladesmen with severed hands and fallen to the ground hadn’t even had time to plead before their throats were slit.

Smart! Ruthless enough!

The onlookers inwardly praised. They weren’t fools. Sha Lifei’s intention was clear to see. In this situation, blocking the road in a robbery, if not mountain bandits, then what?

Dead men tell no tales after all, and the government wouldn’t bother with the vile ones who desecrated coffins. Li Yan glanced around without speaking. Sword fights were more perilous than fistfights, with only a thin line between life and death, not daring to hold back for a second.

Right or wrong, the living had the chance to speak. He wiped the blood from his blade, sheathed it, ignored the corpses littering the ground, and headed straight for Wang Daoxuan and the others, checking their injuries. Fortunately, they were merely flesh wounds, and nothing serious. Wang Daoxuan smiled wryly: "Looks like this poor Daoist might have to find some means of self-protection."

Though kind-hearted, he knew the pugilistic world was perilous. If someone had taken him hostage, Li Yan and the others would’ve been put in a precarious situation.

"Are you young hero Li from Xianyang City?"

While Li Yan was tending to everyone’s injuries, a middle-aged man stepped out from the crowd, with a dignified appearance, bushy brows and large eyes, looking like a fallen artist with a sanxian strapped on his back, but there was a hidden sharpness in his eyes. He shook his fists in respect and smiled: "I come from Chang’an. Brother Zhang has spoken highly of young hero Li."

"Oh."

Li Yan immediately understood, "Let’s talk."

Once they reached a quieter spot, Li Yan asked, "Are you part of the Divine Fist Association in Chang’an, holding a covert escort?"

"Can’t hide it from young hero’s discerning eyes."

The middle-aged man smiled wryly and shook his head: "I am Wu Mao, an escort of the Chang’an Liuhe Escort Agency, and I must call Old Master Zhang my martial uncle."

Li Yan was puzzled, "What business do you have with Lu Kang’s escort?"

The Martial Arts, escort agency, after all, were one family, relying solely on the income from opening training halls was not enough to cover expenses. Take Zhang’s martial hall for example, which runs both an escort agency and a clinic simultaneously.

"The escort agency’s rules couldn’t refuse."

Wu Mao also appeared helpless, "Our agency only sent me this time, just to fulfill the formality, lest others talk about us, yet I didn’t expect to get into this mess."

Li Yan didn’t bother with pleasantries, nodding and asking, "How do you plan to proceed?"

Wu Mao surveyed the surroundings and spoke in a low voice: "Several other escort agencies are in on this, holding most of the responsibility. We must find a way to resolve it."

"About a hundred li past Camp Station lies Thousand Households Garrison, where a thousand troops are stationed. After all, we are escorting a former left councilor. We can’t sit by and watch him get killed by bandits; it would mar the court’s reputation."

"Those agencies have already dispatched experts, climbing the cliff to circumvent Niubei Ridge, headed to the garrison to report and request aid. By now, they’ve likely received the message."

Li Yan squinted, "What if the garrison doesn’t send troops?"

Wu Mao immediately understood and shrugged.

"Then we’ll wait. We can’t meddle in the affairs of the higher-ups..."

...

Outside the garrison, the Fierce Tiger Banner flapped in the wind. Two men stood a hundred meters from the garrison, wary of the watchful soldiers, not daring to advance a step.

Soon, a soldier rode out from the camp, eyed the two coldly, and said in a grave tone: "Households Commander said that since Lord Lu met with danger, we can’t ignore it, but arbitrarily dispatching troops is a big affair, so they are rapidly requesting instructions from Shangzhou."

One of the men respectfully clasped his fists and asked, "How long might it take?"

The soldier replied indifferently, "Who knows, perhaps today, perhaps in two or three days."

"This..."

The man was anxious but just as he was about to speak, his companion stopped him, turning to leave.

Once they had left the camp, he sighed:

"Transmit the message; there’s no point in speaking further."

"Brother, I don’t understand."

"Perhaps... we’ve all become pawns."

Soon, a pigeon soared into the sky, heading towards Zhongnan Inn. In the pugilistic world, carrier pigeons, though faster than the court’s hawks, were still extremely quick, reaching Zhongnan Inn shortly after.

Flap, flap!

The white pigeon fluttered its wings and landed in front of the window of a room in the courtyard. An aged hand caught the pigeon, which belonged to Lu Kang. He removed the bamboo tube from its leg, read the note, and immediately fell silent, his eyes first unwilling and helpless, finally becoming calm.

After a long time, a sigh.

"How is it, dear?"

Inside the room was a richly dressed elderly woman, Lu Kang’s wife, who upon seeing his look, felt uneasy and quickly asked.

Lu Kang shook his head: "Though people say that the Li family is lenient, this old man knows the temperament of these aristocratic families. This was but a little tactic to test the waters."

"The Li family still harbors grudges, and if matters are not resolved, the Lu family will have no peace in the future!"