Blade - Unbound

Chapter 98: Long Wind Inn

Bang!

Inside Long Wind Inn, a burly man slammed his palm onto the table and sprang to his feet. Cupping his fists toward everyone present, he declared passionately, “Fellow brothers of the jianghu, the bandits of Niubei Ridge have become utterly lawless. They've completely thrown the rules of the jianghu aside!

“If you ask me, there are plenty of us here. We might as well join forces and slaughter them all. We might even earn a reward from the imperial court!”

The inn's main hall was packed with people from every walk of life. Every table was full, and some people were even squatting in the corners. However, not a single person responded. The crowd looked at him as though he were a fool.

Seeing the lack of reaction, the man's face turned red with embarrassment. He cursed, “You're all grown men capable of carrying horses. How can you be this cowardly?”

“Oh my, what harsh words.” A woman carrying a Fengyang Drum on her back replied sarcastically, “I'm just a woman. Others might be too polite to say it, but I don't mind. Who doesn't know that your Dingyuan Escort Agency suffered a huge loss? Not only was your cargo stolen, but you lost quite a few men as well. If you want revenge, go get it yourself. Don't treat the rest of us like idiots!”

“That's right!”

“The bandits may have no rules, but you're not exactly honorable either!”

Now that the truth had been exposed, the people around him mocked him without restraint.

The man nearly blacked out from anger. “You're all nothing but a bunch of rabble!”

His words only triggered even more laughter.

“Well now, listen to that. Quite the accusation. Just as expected from a grand gentleman from Chang'an.”

“Tsk tsk. We can't compare to you. We're just trying to earn a living. If something happens, we wait it out. Why risk our lives?”

The entire inn became a noisy mess for a while.

In a secluded corner on the eastern side, Li Yan, wearing a bamboo hat, shook his head slightly. Turning to one side, he smiled and said, “Master Zhou, you're heading to Shangzhou as well?”

After learning that all the caravans had been blocked at Qilipu, Li Yan and his companions had set out at first light. They made their way to the Long Wind Inn to see whether there was any way to cross the mountain.

However, the situation was exactly as expected. There were indeed many jianghu people gathered. Half were ordinary folk, while some possessed genuine skill. Whatever it was, the crowd was a chaotic mix of dragons and snakes, and nobody shared the same purpose. Uniting them to force a path through the mountain was completely impossible.

The only pleasant surprise was running into an acquaintance, the Spring Breeze Troupe from Xianyang. Troupe Master Zhou looked noticeably healthier than before.

But a bitter smile graced his face as he shook his head. “Thanks to Young Hero Li and Daoist Wang, the Zhou Family has fallen. Nobody is chasing us for debts anymore. We've picked up some work and even gained a bit of fame.

“This time, someone contacted us about a major performance in Shangzhou. Since the pay was excellent, we thought we would earn one more large sum before the New Year, so we immediately set out. Who would've thought we'd run into this mess? It's the inauguration ceremony for a major clan's ancestral hall. If we're late, what are we supposed to do?”

Sha Lifei quietly asked from the side, “You're an old hand in the jianghu and arrived before us. Have you figured out what everyone plans to do?”

“What else can they do?” Troupe Master Zhou laughed. “When you're in the jianghu, it's better to avoid trouble whenever possible. From what I can see, most people intend to wait until the bandits finish whatever they're doing and disperse before continuing their journey.

“If you wait, at worst you lose money. But you've only got one life.”

Crash!

Before he had even finished speaking, someone stumbled into the inn. It was Old Meng, the cart driver.

His face was bruised, and he shouted anxiously, “Young Hero Li, quickly! Someone's trying to rob the coffin!”

Li Yan's expression changed immediately. He rushed out of the inn with a few quick steps. Since the innkeeper had refused to let them bring the funeral procession inside, the group had been waiting beneath a large tree several hundred zhang away.

That area was now in complete chaos. Several large men were kicking and beating the coffin bearers. Another man had shoved Wang Daoxuan aside and was raising an iron pry bar to force open the coffin.

Li Yan roared, “You bastard! Are you tired of living?!”

Hidden force erupted beneath his feet. After all these days of training, his cultivation had grown steadily. His control over hidden force had become increasingly refined, to the point where he could use it continuously.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

His legs exploded with power. After only a few steps, he leapt into the air like a cicada. In the blink of an eye, he arrived beneath the tree.

“Who the hell are y—”

One of the men had barely turned his head before a gust of wind struck his face. Li Yan's Wind-Splitting Palm smashed directly into his nose, causing blood to spray everywhere.

The man didn't even have time to grunt before collapsing unconscious.

“He's trained!”

“Just as expected, there's something fishy here! Get him!”

The remaining men scattered and drew their blades, surrounding Li Yan. Meanwhile, the man who had been preparing to open the coffin tossed aside the iron bar. With a metallic ring, he drew the Guanshan blade from his waist.

Casting Li Yan a sidelong glance, he sneered. “A bladesman, huh? Since when did bladesmen start escorting secret shipments for other people?”

The moment he heard the claim, Li Yan immediately understood what was happening. According to the bandits, Lu Kang had deliberately drawn attention to himself while hiring an escort agency to disguise themselves and secretly transport the valuable cargo back to Shangzhou.

Apparently, word had already spread. Men died for wealth just as birds died for food.

So much valuable cargo had not only attracted bandits but also wandering bladesmen looking for a share. Using a coffin as concealment was a common escort agency tactic. Anyway, those who had attacked them were also bladesmen. Clearly, they had mistaken him for one of the secret escorts.

Even after realizing the misunderstanding, Li Yan had no kind words for them. “Blind fools. The person inside is a respected elder of mine, not whatever treasure you're looking for.”

As he spoke, a crowd poured out from the inn to watch the spectacle.

Troupe Master Zhou angrily shouted, “You idiots have no eyes! This is Young Hero Li Yan of Xianyang City! Do you think he would lie to you?”

“Li Yan? The one who brought down the Zhou Family?”

“I heard he's Sick Tiger's son...”

News traveled quickly through the jianghu. Many of those present were from the Guanzhong Plains. The events in Xianyang had caused quite a stir, so naturally they had heard of them.

The man laughed even harder. “So you're Li Hu's son. The old man loved putting on airs, and it seems the son is just as arrogant. Your hair hasn't even finished growing and you're already roaming the jianghu. Come here. Uncle will teach you how to behave.”

At this point, Li Yan had no intention of wasting more words. “Teach your grandfather instead!”

His father had made a name for himself throughout the Guanzhong Plains. Naturally, he had made plenty of enemies along the way. These bladesmen had probably suffered under him before.

The man snarled, “Break his arms and legs!”

Before the order had even finished leaving the man's mouth, someone beside him had already charged forward with a blade. Among the group, only the man who had intended to open the coffin had entered the Dark Jin Realm.

The others were rather mediocre individually; however, they were flawless when cooperating. All of them used the fast blades techniques of the Guanzhong Plains.

Their attacks targeted Li Yan's upper, middle, and lower bodies simultaneously. In an instant, flashing blade lights enveloped him.

Unfortunately for them, Li Yan's blade was faster. His Guanshan blade left its sheath and he stepped sideways, advanced, pivoted, retreated, lifted, flicked, swept, and blocked in one seamless flow.

Hidden force surged through every motion, bringing about terrifying power.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The crowd only saw flashes of blade light surrounding him. After several crisp impacts, every attacker had their weapons knocked from their hands, but Li Yan's movements did not stop.

Before they could even react, a flash of silver filled their vision. The next moment, screams erupted everywhere as they stumbled backward and crashed to the ground.

Only then did several severed hands fall onto the dirt.

What a vicious youngster!

The spectators felt their scalps go numb. A bladesman’s livelihood depended entirely upon their ability to hold blades. With their hands cut off, they would likely never earn a living in the jianghu again.

Their future would be miserable.

Not to mention, everything had happened in broad daylight, before countless witnesses. Had this occurred in some remote wilderness, not a single one of them would likely have survived.

The man beside the coffin exploded with rage. “You're courting death!”

Bladesmen lived by the blade and expected death at any moment. They never feared risking their lives.

But now, his brothers had just lost their hands and feet. If he failed to kill the culprit, he would never again be able to hold his head high in the jianghu. More importantly, he had already judged that Li Yan had only recently stepped into the Dark Jin Realm.

They should be roughly equal when it came to martial arts, and he found no reason to fear the youngster. The man drew his blade and darted left and right, moving like a snake slithering through mud. It took only a few steps for him to close the distance to Li Yan.

His wrist lowered; his blade rose; and he thrust upward diagonally.

The Eight Trigrams Rolling Blade!

Li Yan recognized the technique immediately. The Eight Trigrams Rolling Blade originated from the school of the Eight Trigrams. It incorporated numerous blade techniques into one system and emphasized wrist power above all else.

Movement, turning, flipping, and spinning were all integrated with the blade until man and blade moved as one. The style was famous for its deception. Practitioners excelled at close combat, avoiding direct attacks while striking from unexpected angles. They specialized in vulnerable targets such as the eyes, throat, and back of the head.

This upward thrust served the same purpose. The attack itself was not intended to wound. Rather, it forced the opponent to block. Once the weapon was engaged, silk-reeling force would bind the enemy blade and create an opening. One follow-up strike would be enough to slit a throat.

Li Yan's eyes remained cold. Even though he knew the opponent’s intentions, he still raised his blade to block.

As expected, the man's wrist twisted. Li Yan's Guanshan blade seemed caught by an invisible force and was pulled forward. At that exact moment, the man spun around. Shedding the force through his body, he slipped close to Li Yan and snapped his blade around toward Li Yan's throat.

The man shouted triumphantly, “Die!”

In his eyes, Li Yan was merely an inexperienced youth. No matter how fast his blade was, if it couldn't hit its target and left an opening, death was inevitable.

Yet before his words had fully left his mouth, pain exploded in his chest.

Li Yan had anticipated the move from the beginning. His Guanshan blade had suddenly withdrawn, perfectly intercepting the attack. At the same time, his left hand flicked forward and tapped the man's chest.

Shwing!

A flash of blade light appeared as blood erupted like a fountain. The man swallowed hard. Looking down, he saw the bloody gash across his chest.

His pupils rapidly dilated. “Sleeve blade...”

With those final words, he collapsed stiffly onto the ground. Moments later, he stopped breathing.

“Someone's been killed...”

Whispers immediately spread through the crowd. The laws of the Great Xuan were strict. Even if jianghu people had conflicts, public murder was rare. Doing so created endless trouble. Of course, if people killed one another in secret, the government usually couldn't be bothered to intervene.

That invisible boundary separated the court, the jianghu, and ordinary society.

If the jianghu fell completely into chaos, common people would start believing the law meant nothing and follow suit. Since people of the jianghu could never be exterminated entirely, rules and bottom lines remained essential.

Sha Lifei had been watching from the side. Knowing his own martial skills were mediocre, he had merely stood nearby with his blade, waiting for an opportunity to strike from the shadows.

The moment he saw Li Yan kill someone in public, he instantly cooked something up.

He yelled in shock, “Well now! So these mountain bandits have infiltrated us and are openly robbing people! Quick, kill the bandits!”

As he spoke, murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

The maimed blademen lying on the ground never even had the chance to beg for mercy when their throats were cut one after another.

Smart. Ruthless.

The spectators silently praised him. Nobody present was a fool, and immediately understood Sha Lifei's intentions. At a time like this, anyone robbing travelers on the road was obviously a bandit. Since all the witnesses were dead, no official would trouble himself over a few scoundrels who had tried to pry open someone else's coffin.

Li Yan glanced over but said nothing.

Combat with weapons was far crueler than fistfighting. Life and death were separated by a single instant. Who would dare hold back? As for questions of right and wrong, only the living had the opportunity to argue.

He wiped the blood from his blade and returned it to its sheath. Ignoring the corpses scattered across the ground, he walked toward Wang Daoxuan and the others to check their injuries. Fortunately, they had only suffered superficial wounds.

Wang Daoxuan chuckled bitterly, “It seems this poor Daoist must find some method of self-protection.”

Though kindhearted, he finally understood just how dangerous the jianghu could be. If someone had taken him hostage earlier, Li Yan and the others would have been placed in a difficult position.

As Li Yan examined everyone's injuries, a middle-aged man suddenly stepped out of the crowd to ask, “Are you Young Hero Li from Xianyang?”

The man had square features, thick eyebrows, and looked like a down-and-out performer. A three-stringed lute was slung across his back. Though he looked like he was in a sorry state, a sharp light flickered within his eyes.

Cupping his fists, he smiled. “I come from Chang'an. Junior Brother Zhang speaks highly of Young Hero Li quite often.”

“Oh.” Li Yan immediately understood. “Let's speak somewhere private.”

After moving to a quieter area, Li Yan asked, “You're from the Chang'an Divine Fist Association? You accepted the secret escort mission?”

“As expected, nothing escapes Young Hero Li's eyes.” The middle-aged man smiled wryly. “My name is Wu Mao, an escort master of Chang'an's Liuhe Escort Agency. By seniority, I should call Elder Zhang my Martial Uncle.”

Li Yan frowned. “Why involve yourselves in Lu Kang's mess?”

Martial halls and escort agencies had always been closely connected. Teaching disciples alone could never cover expenses. For example, the Zhang Martial Hall simultaneously operated an escort agency and a medical clinic.

“Escort agency rules. We couldn't refuse.” Wu Mao looked helpless. “Our escort agency only sent me this time. It's more of a formality so people won't gossip, but I never expected we'd still run into trouble.”

Li Yan nodded. “How do you plan to proceed?”

Wu Mao glanced around before lowering his voice. “Several escort agencies have the largest stake in this matter. They have no choice but to resolve it.”

“A hundred li beyond Yingpan Relay Station, there lies a garrison with a thousand troops. No matter what, Lu Kang was the former Left Minister. The imperial court cannot simply watch him get killed by bandits. Otherwise, it would be a massive slap to their faces.

“The escort agencies have already sent experts to climb the cliffs, bypass Niubei Ridge, and notify the garrison. There should already be news by now.”

Li Yan narrowed his eyes and asked, “And if the garrison refuses to send troops?”

Wu Mao immediately understood. Shrugging, he replied, “Then we wait. Matters involving officials are none of our business.”

***

Outside the military garrison, tiger banners snapped fiercely in the wind.

Two men stood thirty or so zhang from the camp entrance. Surrounded by soldiers eyeing them like predators, neither dared step closer.

Before long, a soldier rode out from the camp.

He stared coldly at the pair before speaking. “The Commander says that Lord Lu's plight is regrettable, and we won't simply stand by. However, mobilizing troops without authorization is a serious matter. A messenger has already been dispatched at full speed to Shangzhou for instructions.”

One of the men respectfully cupped his fists and asked, “How long will that take?”

The soldier replied indifferently, “Who knows? Maybe today, maybe two or three days from now.”

“This...” The man became anxious. But just as he was about to speak, his companion stopped him and turned away.

Only after they left the camp did his companion sigh. “Send the message, there's no point saying anything else.”

“Senior Brother, I don't understand.”

“Perhaps... we've all been used as pieces on a chessboard.”

Soon afterward, a carrier pigeon took flight and headed toward Zhongnan Relay Station. Naturally, jianghu carrier pigeons could not compare to the imperial court's trained hawks. Even so, they were extremely fast. Before long, the pigeon arrived at its destination.

Flap, flap, flap!

The white pigeon landed outside a window in a rear courtyard room, where an aged hand reached out and caught it. As Lu Kang removed the bamboo tube tied to its leg, he unfolded the note inside.

After reading it, he fell silent. At first, reluctance and frustration appeared in his eyes. Eventually, however, those emotions faded into acceptance. After a long time, he let out a sigh.

Inside the room sat a elderly woman who was dressed in elegant robes. She was Lu Kang's wife.

Seeing his expression, she immediately grew uneasy. “Master, how is it?”

Lu Kang shook his head. “People say the Li Family is benevolent, but I understand the nature of these great clans. A small test was enough to reveal everything.

“The Li family's hatred has not yet faded. If this matter isn't resolved, our Lu Family will never know peace again.”