Chapter 555: Chapter 145: Western Swordsman_1
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Turns out, when Ah Dai split the energy sphere, the immense energy concealed within it numbed his whole body. He suddenly realized that if he kept being suppressed by his opponent, he wouldn’t have any chance of victory. The strength of the man in the green robe surpassed even that of Xuan Yuan, the Judgment Chief. In order to regain the upper hand, Ah Dai decisively used Goris’ Wish for the first instant teleportation after splitting the green light sphere. Surprised, the man in the green robe found Ah Dai’s Transforming Sword aimed at his head. For the first time, the man in the green robe was put in a passive position. He had not felt this kind of fear for nearly twenty years. In this life-or-death situation, he had no time to look back. As the green battle aura forming a lotus flower under him abruptly descended, he casually flicked his waist, and a green light as flexible as a chain flowed out to counter Ah Dai’s Transforming Sword. The abilities of the two were not that different. One had plotted while the other defended hastily, and the outcome was immediately obvious. A green and a purple light suddenly erupted, and the man in the green robe was sent tumbling down by Ah Dai. With a loud crash, he hit the ground hard. The moment his body touched the ground, he had channeled the destructive energy from the Transforming Sword, blowing a deep hole in the ground. Even so, a certain shock still reverberated through the meridians within his body. Conversely, Ah Dai was tossed up high by the powerful aura from the man in the green robe. Having gained the upper hand, he did not suffer much from the shock. Without any hesitation, Ah Dai recited the spell for the Dragon’s Blood, "Using the Dragon’s Blood as the guide, open the doors of time and space." Even though the Dragon’s Blood could no longer enhance his attack and defense, it could still store items. The black iron bow was held in Ah Dai’s hand. Taking advantage of the moment when the man in green was dissipating the Transforming Energy, Ah Dai drew his bow, and the purple Transforming Bursting Arrow appeared on the dark bowstring. His concentration was fully placed on the man in green, who had just stood steadily. Since the man in the green robe was stuck in the large pit and had nowhere to dodge, he was immediately faced with the immense pressure brought by the Transforming Arrow.
"Stop," the man in the green robe shouted. Ah Dai was about to release his bowstring when he heard the man’s shouting, only then did he realize that the man was not his enemy. But he didn’t retract his energy arrow and stared at the man in green, and said coldly, "Did you concede?" Upon overcoming such a powerful adversary, a sense of excitement inevitably surged in Ah Dai’s heart.
The man in the green robe shook his head and said, "Young man, although your energy arrow is exerting quite the pressure on me, if you release the arrow, both of us will only come out beaten. However, you are indeed very strong, but we are evenly matched. We are not enemies, so I don’t want to leave any resentments with you." He flicked his right hand, and a green light appeared in his hand. It was a soft sword, once the unconquered Divine Weapon that he wore around his waist. The faint green lightning that coiled around the sword body indicated to Ah Dai that he still had the ability to fight back. His colossal strength was highlighted by the green lotus-shaped energy, and Ah Dai knew that if he hadn’t relied on Goris’ Wish, he couldn’t have seized the initiative so quickly. The man in the green robe was speaking the truth; even amplified by the black iron bow, firing this arrow may not be able to defeat him, let alone, Ah Dai’s archery skills...
The man in the green robe saw that Ah Dai was still intending to attack him, thinking that Ah Dai was still unwilling, he casually took off the green mask on his face and said, "Ah Dai, look at who I am."
Ah Dai strained his eyes to look at the large pit below and was shocked. The man in the green robe who had previously fought him to a draw turned out to be Uncle Harry from Hak Village. His simple face had a hint of a smile, and his eyes were fixed on Ah Dai. Ah Dai no longer had the heart to compete, and his mind was filled with surprise. He quickly dissipated the energy in his hand and sent the black iron bow back to the Dragon’s Blood. He floated down to the edge of the pit and exclaimed, "Uncle Harry, how could it be you?" Harry flew out of the big pit and landed beside Ah Dai, looking at him with an appreciative gaze. He said, "Truly, a hero out of the youth! I never expected that the Tian Gang Sword Sect would produce such a talent."
Ah Dai scratched his head and said, "Uncle Harry, how did you obtain such profound martial arts, and why will you..." He never expected that this ordinary civilian from Hak Village would possess strength not inferior to his own. Harry smiled faintly and said, "I know you’re puzzled. Since I’ve revealed my true face, I’ll naturally tell you. Miss Mie Feng, you’ve been watching for quite a while, why don’t we come out? If you want to listen, join Ah Dai and listen to my story." At his level, his awareness was exceptionally high, and he could keenly sense every little wind and movement around him.
Ah Dai’s attention had always been on Harry, so he hadn’t noticed Mie Feng’s arrival. Only then did he notice Mie Feng, who was lurking several hundred meters away. Although Mie Feng couldn’t keep up with Ah Dai and Harry’s speed, she assumed that the two must be heading in the same direction, so she followed them from behind. By the time Ah Dai and Harry had their second round of confrontation, she had already arrived nearby, hiding in the shadows, watching the astonishing skills of the two. Hearing Harry calling her name, she knew her cover was blown, floated out, and landed in front of Ah Dai and Harry in a few leaps. Her icy eyes couldn’t help but reveal a touch of admiration.
Harry smiled and said, "Little girl, your skills are really good! Is your guild leader still Mie Tian? That old fellow and I haven’t seen each other in decades."
Mie Feng looked at Harry in confusion and said, "You, how do you know my grandpa. He passed away, and my father is now in charge of the Assassin’s Guild."
Harry said, "In fact, from your last name and your movements, I had already guessed that you are a descendant of the Mie Family. It turns out that Mie Tian has passed away. Back then, that old chap stole a treasure from me."
Mie Feng was startled. She remembered someone and asked doubtfully, "Who are you exactly..."
Harry looked at Ah Dai and said, "Actually, I have another title that you might have heard of. The Western Swordsman among the current Four Sword Saints is me."
Hearing Harry’s words, both Ah Dai and Mie Feng were so startled they couldn’t speak. The Four Sword Saints had been famous on the continent for fifty years, and they couldn’t imagine that the Uncle Harry before them, who appeared to be less than fifty years old, could be one of the Four Sword Saints. Seeing their surprised expressions, Harry smiled and said, "Don’t look at me, I’m not an old demon. I’m actually ninety-seven years old this year. Among the Four Sword Saints, I’m the youngest and the one with the weakest abilities. However, because the technique I practiced has a strong rejuvenating effect, I don’t look too old. If it weren’t for Ah Dai’s arrival today, and then those brutes from the Empire of Sunset City causing chaos in the village, I wouldn’t reveal my identity casually."
The shock in Ah Dai’s heart lingered for a long time. Having met one of the Four Sword Saints, who stood at the pinnacle of martial artists on the continent, his mind was continually swirling. He whispered, "So, you are one of the Four Sword Saints. That means you and my master’s master, the Sword Saint of Tian Gang, are of the same generation. But what about your wife and child?"
The Western Swordsman, Harry, blushed a bit and said, "That’s a long story. About sixty years ago, the four of us, Sword Saints, had already made our names known. At that time, none of us were willing to acknowledge the others as superior, so we decided to compete to determine our rankings. As a result, Sword Saint of the Tian Gang Di Si, using his superiority, became the leader of the four Sword Saints. Eastern Sword Saint Yun Ying ranked second, Northern Sword Saint Hawks, the drunkard, ranked third, and I ended up last. Originally, I was full of ambition, but the reality of the rankings dealt me a big blow. Consequently, unable to accept the outcome, I proposed another competition in twenty years. Then, I found a place to hide and cultivate for a long time. Yun Ying and Hawks should have done the same. Di Si, on the other hand, built the Tian Gang Sword Sect, which slowed his progress. In the second competition forty years ago, the three of us had clearly reduced the gap with him. However, the rankings did not change. Perhaps because we had caught up so much in the second competition, in the third competition of the four Sword Saints twenty years ago, Di Si further increased the distance between us. I really don’t know how he trained. His innate force had completely reached the realm of the Great Perfection. We three, one-on-one, had no chance of beating him. After three competitions, we four established a deep friendship. Although none of us would acknowledge superiority to anyone else, we did respect each other. Hawks, Yun Ying, and I always treated Di Si as our leader. In a little over a year, we will have our fourth competition. Alas, we are all old. This might be our last competition."
He paused, then continued to say, "After the third competition, I lost my competitive spirit. I figured that no matter how much I trained, I could never surpass those three old fellows. So, I started thinking about retirement. Twenty years ago, even though I was almost eighty years old, I only looked to be about thirty years old. Hence, I came to this little village. The moment I laid eyes on this place, I felt attracted by the sincere temperament of the villagers. So, I stayed. I actually felt quite ashamed to mention that I, the one who was mad about reaching the top in martial arts, thought about settling down after coming here. As you can see, my wife and I have been married for almost twenty years and we have three kids. Now I understand that the ordinary life is what I yearn for the most, the peaceful life that I never want to change. Hehe, my wife used to be the most beautiful woman in the village. I took a lot of effort to win her heart. I guess no one would have thought that I, the Western Swordsman, would settle in such a place. Oddly enough, even though I am not deliberately pursuing martial arts anymore, in the past twenty years, my skills have been slowly improving. Life is like losing a horse, who knows what is good or bad."
Listening to the Western Swordsman talk about his story, Ah Dai and Mie Feng gradually calmed down. From his story, Ah Dai learned the names of his grandmaster and the other two Sword Saints for the first time. When Harry mentioned the last competition of the four Sword Saints that would take place in a little over a year, Ah Dai remembered the third task assigned to him by the Sword Saint of Tian Gang. Suddenly, an idea struck him. He asked, "Sir Swordsman, is the competition of the four Sword Saints held on the main peak of the Tian Gang Sword Sect in February of the 999th year of the Sacred calendar?"
Swordsman Harry was surprised, "Di Si told you about this? It looks like even though you are his grand-disciple, your status in the Tian Gang Sword Sect must be quite high!"
Once Ah Dai got a definite answer, he finally understood who the three friends mentioned by the Sword Saint of the Tian Gang were. They wanted him to compete with the three Sword Saints! What a huge task, could he really do it? Even against the weakest Western Swordsman, it would be hard for him to win, let alone the other two Sword Saints. With this in mind, Ah Dai said, "Uncle Harry, oh no, Grandfather Harry. If I am to participate the competition of the four Sword Saints on behalf of my grandmaster, what do you think the ranking will be?"
Harry was slightly taken aback, then said, "You replacing old Di Si? Your skills are indeed very strong. Di Si must have put a lot of effort into you. However, with your current skills, you should probably rank between the third and fourth places. I’ve not been on the continent for twenty years. I didn’t expect another young Sword Saint to appear. But I don’t think Di Si would let you participate. That old man cares about the ranking much more than I do. How could he bear to give up the first place? Ah Dai, your future is limitless. If you work hard for another twenty years, perhaps you could take the place of Di Si as the number one martial artist on the continent. I don’t know if I’ll live to see that day."
Ah Dai glanced at Mie Feng, thinking, will I even have another twenty years? He didn’t mention the part about the Tian Gang Sword Saint "ascending to the Divine Realm". He wouldn’t say it unless he reached the same level of power as the Sword Saint of Tian Gang. Ah Dai made up his mind secretly. Even if he has to die, he must hold onto the first place in the ranking for Tian Gang Sword Saint in the fourth competition of the four Sword Saints in the 999th year. He couldn’t let his master, who was on his way to the Divine Realm, down.
Harry said, "The villagers should have cleaned up by now, let’s go back. As long as I’m here, even if the Empire of Sunset City sends a large army, they won’t gain anything. But you mustn’t reveal my identity. I don’t want my ordinary life to be disturbed. After participating in the last competition of the Sword Saints in a little over a year, I will never leave here."
Mie Feng asked, "Sword Saint Harry, has your child learned your advanced martial arts?" She had been quiet because she had been too shocked to recover from hearing Harry, the Western Swordsman himself, acknowledge that Ah Dai also possessed Sword-Saint level strength. Although she knew Ah Dai was strong, she had never thought that he actually had the strength of a Sword Saint—how unimaginable for such a young Sword Saint!
Harry shook his head and said, "No. After I understood that an ordinary life is the happiest, how could I drag my children into the vortex? I just hope they can live a peaceful life until they die. In others’ eyes, we four Sword Saints have countless auras, but where do they know that what we’ve given up is directly proportional to these auras. To elevate martial arts to the pinnacle, we have forsaken many happiness that ordinary people can enjoy. Those so-called unique skills of mine, if they are lost, then let them be lost, there’s nothing to regret."
Listening to Harry’s words, Ah Dai seemed to understand something, but he couldn’t explain it clearly. The three of them returned quickly to Hak village, which was peaceful again. All corpses and subdued people vanished cleanly, presumably taken care of. Harry casually tore off his blue attire to reveal the peasant clothes underneath, and he transformed back into an ordinary farmer of Hak village.
Ah Dai said, "Grandpa Harry, you just told me not to kill too much, but aren’t the people you had the villagers throw into the river also going to die?"
Harry faintly smiled and said, "No, not necessarily. That’s the punishment I gave them. I sealed their acupoints with battle aura, putting them in a state of hibernation. Ten miles down the Light and Dark River, the water becomes calm. The surviving fellows who are swept back to the Dark Province will naturally wake up. However, whether they can survive and return to their places depends on their fate, depending on whether Heaven wants to give them another chance at life. Ah Dai, my advice against killing is for your good. You should know that every time you kill a person, your heart will possess more murderous aura. Over time, it will not only affect your progress in martial arts but also have side effects on your determination. Besides, even the worst of humanity surely has a shred of conscience left, refrain from killing as much as possible. Each life has its right to exist. And, you can still call me Uncle Harry. Otherwise, my wife will suspect if she hears it later."
Ah Dai nodded, "I will remember what you said. However, when dealing with those who are incorrigibly wicked, I will not show mercy. Killing one villain is the same as saving thousands of innocent people."
Harry sighed, "You’re not wrong in saying that, we just have different beliefs. I hope you can handle it well. There’s no need for me to worry about someone from the Tian Gang Sword Sect. If you do something wrong, I bet Old Di Si won’t forgive you. Haha, let’s go home."
As soon as they entered the door, Harry’s wife rushed up, grabbed Harry’s ear, and said, "You old rascal, where have you been? I couldn’t find you after a thorough search. I was near panicking." Despite her ferocious actions, the concern in her eyes couldn’t be concealed. Harry kept crying out in pain, "I, I, I just went to help everyone throw people into the river!"
"Who are you lying to? Both our sons went and no one saw you. Tell me the truth, where have you been?"
Looking at Harry’s appearance, both Ah Dai and Mie Feng couldn’t help but laugh. The highly esteemed Western Swordsman was having his ear pulled by a peasant woman without any martial arts skills and dared not fight back. If word got out, no one would probably believe it. Mie Feng took two steps forward and said, "Madam, please don’t give Uncle Harry a hard time. The uncle brought us to hide because he was worried about our safety."
Harry hurriedly said, "Yes, yes, I brought them to hide. My ear, my poor ear! Could you loosen it a bit, it’s going to be pulled off."
Harry’s wife let go, hummed, and said, "Do you know how worried I was when I couldn’t find you? I thought you’d been tricked by those riffraffs from the Empire of Sunset City. Go to sleep already. Ah, we owe a lot to those two flying guys today. Without them, our village would be ruined, and we don’t know what will happen next. It seems our peaceful life is going to be disrupted."
A warmth flashed in Harry’s eyes. He put his arm around his wife’s shoulder and chuckled, "Wife, I know you care about me, let’s not do this again. Didn’t that man in the blue robe say he is our guardian angel? As a guardian angel, he will certainly protect the village. You don’t need to worry. Let’s go to sleep." After finishing, he gave Ah Dai and Mie Feng a meaningful glance before retiring to their own room with his wife. Watching their retreating figures, Mie Feng murmured, "He made the right choice. Only a simple life can bring true happiness."
The next morning, after eating breakfast, Ah Dai and Mie Feng said their farewells to Harry’s family and prepared to head to the Empire of Sunset City. Harry didn’t ask what they were going to do; he just walked them to the outskirts of the village.
"Uncle, you can go back. We will surely meet again." Ah Dai said to Harry, who stood before him in his farmer’s attire.
Harry nodded and said, "Boy, make sure you come when the fourth Sword Saint contest takes place! I bet Hawks and Yun Yi would be green with envy to see Di Si has such an excellent disciple. Alright, you guys hit the road. If one day you tire of your travels, come settle down here, it would be nice to be neighbors for a few decades."
Ah Dai wanted to tell Harry about the impending disaster on the continent, but thinking of Harry’s content smile in his peaceful life, he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
Ah Dai and Mie Feng said their goodbyes to Harry, each carrying complicated feelings as they set off toward the Empire of Sunset City. They entered the Dark Province of the Empire of Sunset City along the Light and Dark River.
The Empire of Sunset City was indeed prosperous. They hadn’t gone far, when they saw a city. This was a city Ah Dai had never been to before.
Mie Feng, who had grown up in the Empire of Sunset City, knew where this was even without looking at the map. She casually said to Ah Dai, "This is Soul City in the Dark Province. Although it’s not large, it’s one of the more affluent cities in the Dark Province. If I remember correctly, there’s a hideout for the Assassin’s Guild here. While it may not be as big as a branch, it should still house a dozen or so assassins. Do you want to go?"
The moment Ah Dai heard the words ’Assassin’s Guild’, a cold light flashed in his eyes. He replied in a resentful voice, "Of course, all assassins deserve to die. Lead the way."
Mie Feng nodded and led the way to Soul City. While Soul City was only a tenth the size of Dark City, and its desperate atmosphere was similar to other cities in the Empire of Sunset City that Ah Dai had been to before. The pedestrians on the road all looked lethargic. Occasionally, some individuals who looked thrilled had surely just won money at the gambling house. However, how long could their excitement last?
Upon entering Soul City, Mie Feng didn’t hesitate and led Ah Dai straight into the city. After crossing several streets, Mie Feng pointed to a pawnshop not far away and said, "That’s where the Assassin’s Guild has a foothold here. There are probably about a dozen assassins inside, the strongest of whom wouldn’t be above the level of Stealth Killer. With your skills, you should be able to handle them in just a few minutes."
Ah Dai nodded, the scenes of Owen’s death fresh in his mind. He said resentfully, "Assassin’s Guild, the man who’s come to take your lives is here," and strode off toward the pawnshop. Mie Feng’s whispered voice sounded in his ear, "Remember, don’t leave anyone alive. I don’t want them to know that it was the Thieves Guild who helped you find this place."
Ah Dai didn’t reply and continued his stride. How could he show mercy to those from the Assassin’s Guild?
The storefront of the pawnshop was small with a slightly damaged cloth hanging on the main door. The large white word "pawn" was clearly visible on the black cloth. As Ah Dai walked in, the interior looked like an ordinary pawn shop, just a bit smaller. Behind the tall counter, two assistants were chatting. Upon seeing Ah Dai enter, one of them said, "Sir, what would you like to pawn? We promise fair prices here. You can redeem your pawned items within a month."
Ah Dai coldly looked at the chatty pawnshop worker, clearly sensing the aura of Battle Qi radiating from him. "I’m not here to pawn off things. I’m here to kill."
The worker was startled, a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes, but he replied: "Sir, you must be mistaken. This is a pawnshop, and besides, murder is a crime".
"I’m here to kill, and I don’t want to repeat it a third time. Summon the person in charge here." Ah Dai stood still, the frigid intent to kill billowing around him.
Seeing Ah Dai’s expression, the worker started to feel apprehensive. "Sir, as I mentioned, this is a pawnshop."
Ah Dai dismissed him with a casual wave of his hand, a streak of dazzling Battle Qi exploding out; the pawnshop’s wooden counter was blasted open with a massive hole, the worker talking before was sent flying, violently vomiting blood and died in an instant. Ah Dai didn’t even bat an eye, remaining calm and uninterrupted, he said: "That’s the price for making me repeat myself a third time. I’m here to kill."
Another worker who was a disguised assassin saw this development and instantly showed his true colors. Knowing that he couldn’t deal with the man in front of him, and not even checking on his colleague’s fate, he simply told Ah Dai: "Wait here." With that, he turned and walked towards the back. Shortly after, bustling footsteps could be heard, and under the leading assassin’s guidance, a total of eleven people came out. The one in front, dressed like a rich merchant, looked at the damaged counter, then at his deceased subordinate, spoke to Ah Dai: "Sir, even if you’re here to give us a mission, you should follow the rules. Killing our people, I’m afraid..."
Ah Dai couldn’t care less, retorted calmly: "You are all assassins. If you can kill, why can’t you be killed?"
The merchant laughed heartily, "Good point, well said! Indeed, as assassins, we accept that our fate may not end well and are always ready to be killed. Since you’ve said so, I’ll skip the formalities and ask, who do you want to kill? But because of your actions just now, our fee will be higher." He was a Stealth Killer, the highest-ranked assassin in this place.
Ah Dai smiled, a cruel smile that resembled the Grim Reaper’s. "No need for fees, you won’t be needing it henceforth. I’m here to kill, all of you." A light blue glow abruptly illuminated the room, countless Battle Qi streaks whirling out, rapidly lunging towards the eleven assassins before him...
Mie Feng was waiting not far from the pawnshop for Ah Dai. She was not worried, knowing that even if it wasn’t Ah Dai but herself, she could easily obliterate all the assassins inside. Just as she was thinking, Ah Dai came out from the pawnshop, with a hint of excitement on his face and a gleam of bloodlust deep in his eyes. The sight of him provoked an icy chill even in Mie Feng.
Ah Dai walked up to Mie Feng, saying: "If you’re not too tired, we can move on to the next city. There were twelve assassins in the pawnshop, their sinful souls have all been sent to where they belong."
Mie Feng replied: "Let’s head to Dark City then. It’s another branch of the Assassin’s Guild. I believe, you will find more satisfactory results there." Their figures gradually disappeared down the street, leaving the pawnshop behind them engulfed in a deathly silence.
An hour later, a down-on-his-luck gambler with his family’s jewelry came to the pawnshop. He planned to use these valuables for gambling money to continue his pursuit. Lifting the curtains, he walked in while saying: "These are priceless family heirlooms! This time you must give me a...." His speech abruptly stopped at the sight before him; an image imprinted in his mind for the rest of his life. Several bodies laid in random sprawls around the lobby, each with a small wound on their forehead and eyes wide open in shock. Skewed writing on the once pristine white walls read: "Assassin’s Guild branch, Eleven sinful souls." At the bottom, it said: "Debt collected by the Grim Reaper." The jewelry fell from the gambler’s hand while he staggered back, his face turning ghostly pale. In a sudden, he let out a scream and bolted out the door, forgetting his "priceless heirlooms".
The next day, news of the Grim Reaper’s return to the Empire of the Sunset City spread like wildfire through the streets and alleys of Soul City, reaching the entirety of The Empire at an astonishing speed.
Just as Ah Dai was eliminating a base of the Assassin’s Guild, Kino and Yue Ji had entered the territory of the Red Charming Clan. Kino had advanced slowly and it took them half a month to get here. Both were walking slowly on a road, Kino looked a bit desolate, for once, didn’t fixate on Yue Ji as he walked, instead, he was lost in his thoughts.
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