"If that’s how you see it..."
Yang Ge also smiled, "I just remembered, I have a few rough new moves I’ve never shown before. Why don’t I let you have a taste today!
"Oh? Is that so?"
The elder in the dragon robe replied nonchalantly, but the smile on his face slowly faded away.
"The first move..."
Yang Ge lowered his eyelids as the natural energy of heaven and earth swarmed toward him.
The next second, boundless blinding brilliance erupted from the Cold Moon Blade.
The elder in the dragon robe instinctively narrowed his aged eyes, and when he reopened them, he found that Yang Ge had vanished from his original spot. His expression changed; without a second thought, he leaped forward.
But halfway through, he abruptly stopped, pivoting to throw a punch behind him...
"Clang."
The edge of the Cold Moon Blade touched upon his withered fist. The elder in the dragon robe looked up in surprise at Yang Ge, feeling puzzled by the weak force of the strike. Suddenly, he felt a cold sensation rushing into his body from his arm.
Yang Ge met his gaze, chuckling without a hint of mirth, "This move is called ’Cold.’
As his words fell, the elder in the dragon robe felt that the coolness inside him suddenly became bone-chilling cold!
It was like a coldness that could freeze one’s consciousness, as if walking naked in the ice and snow during the bitter winter.
At the same time, despair, confusion, and a sense of hopelessness flooded his mind, suppressing his thoughts of counterattacking.
It felt very much like a traveler who had lost their supplies, was wandering in ice and snow, and was beginning to suffer from hypothermia...
The elder in the dragon robe clenched his teeth, desperately resisting the intense, mind-bewildering cold, clenching and unclenching his fists.
He was lost, but Yang Ge was not.
Shaking his head to forcefully dismiss those unpleasant memories, he swung the Cold Moon Blade toward the elder’s carotid artery... It wasn’t that he didn’t want to stab the old man’s heart, but since the elder had already displayed a Body-Protecting Hard Skill not inferior to that of the black-robed old monk, he was worried the blade wouldn’t pierce through.
"Clang!"
Two withered fingers blocked the Cold Moon Blade. The elder in the dragon robe lifted his eyelids, his eyes blood-red as he stared at Yang Ge... It was the slight killing intent revealed by Yang Ge when he swung the blade that awakened him.
Yang Ge didn’t hesitate to kick the elder in the abdomen, using the force to retreat with a flying leap.
The elder in the dragon robe chased after him, palms upright as he roared angrily, "Supreme under Heaven!"
A palm strike sent forth a sword qi, burning with raging golden flames, cleaving the air towards Yang Ge.
Yang Ge’s feet burst forth with True Qi, propelling his body skyward like a bolt of lightning, narrowly avoiding the terrifying sword qi.
The next moment, a dazzling light like a bright sun radiated from his entire body, illuminating the surrounding area for miles as if it were broad daylight.
Having missed his strike, the elder in the dragon robe looked up, his heart throbbing with fear as he bellowed, "Young fool, have you gone mad?"
This clearly looked like a fight to the death!
"The second move..."
Within the bright knife light, Yang Ge’s cold voice was heard. Before his words finished, he descended like a meteor, trailing a fiery tail... It was a sign that the sword qi was too strong for him to control.
The elder in the dragon robe saw the oncoming attack was too swift to evade; he could only cross his arms over his chest and bellow, "Endowed by Heaven, all evils cannot touch!"
In an instant, an opulent palace of brilliant lights appeared out of nowhere, protecting his withered figure within.
"Boom!"
The brilliant meteor struck the grand palace, which shone with golden light as it withstood the impact.
The meteor too released a bright snow-white light, contrasting with the golden palace as if it were made of pure gold.
Just then, Yang Ge’s still indifferent voice emerged from the meteor: "This move is called ’Regret.’
"Boom..."
The meteor exploded fiercely, the palace illusion shattered in response, and two figures spitting blood fell from the sky.
Thud.
Thud.
Both plunged into the snow, a mere four or five zhang apart.
Yang Ge, gripping the Cold Moon Blade, struggled to get up from his snowy crater, using the blade to wobble towards another crater. Each step left a fresh red footprint.
On the other side, the elder, now without the dragon robe and crown, also climbed out of the snow crater, using his hands and feet. Looking up, he saw Yang Ge, blood-covered and no longer recognizable, stumbling towards him, dragging the blade. A chill finally set in his heart...
"Madman, all Han people are damn madmen!"
He let out a hoarse roar and staggered as he fled in the opposite direction.
"Go..."
Yang Ge, dizzy and vision blurred, flung his Cold Moon Blade, but the blade landed with a "thwap" heavily in the snow.
It was just that the move had exhausted all of the Sword Qi from the Cold Moon Blade.
"You useless piece of junk, what’s the use in keeping you!"
Yang Ge cursed, bent down to pick up the Cold Moon Blade, and desperately sped up to chase after.
But at this moment, he only felt a bone-chilling cold throughout his body, and his two feet felt as though stepping on cotton, unable to exert any strength. His entire body, inside and out, felt as if it was being pricked by steel needles, causing heart-piercing pain with every movement.
With one deep step and one shallow, he stumbled after the hunched old man for half a mile before he finally closed in on him, gasping like an ox. He summoned his strength to raise the Cold Moon Blade and chopped at the old fellow’s back...
"Slash!"
"Ah..."
The Cold Moon Blade sliced a shallow half-foot-long wound on the back of the hunched old man who let out a heart-wrenching scream.
A venerable powerhouse at the level of a terrestrial immortal, who had just suffered a single slash, the hunched old man rolled on the ground like a lazy donkey, then got up and fled on all fours. His agility was akin to that of a large black rat.
This scene would normally be amusing, but Yang Ge couldn’t find it funny at the moment.
Because he realized he couldn’t catch up with that large black rat.
Not convinced, Yang Ge imitated the large black rat, crawling on all fours in the snow.
However, the advantage of long arms and legs that usually gave him the upper hand in fights had become a disadvantage, making it especially arduous to crawl, and he couldn’t pick up speed.
In no time, the figure of the large black rat vanished from his sight.
Seeing the blizzard picking up, Yang Ge knew he couldn’t delay any longer. Enduring the excruciating pain, he found a small mound with deep snow, burrowed in, and sat cross-legged to recuperate and regulate his breathing.
After an unknown amount of time, a disorganized and dull sound of horse hooves approached. They shouted and searched carefully through the surrounding snow.
"Boom."
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Having regained some strength, Yang Ge burst out of the snow, chopped down a broad-backed, bear-waisted Tartar cavalryman, seized his warhorse, and fled in a random direction.
Some Tartar cavalrymen pursued on horseback, but he sliced both man and horse in two with a backhand swipe.
The remaining Tartar cavalry were daunted by his fierce valor and dared not chase further, only watching as he plunged into the boundless snowstorm.
...
Seven days later, at night.
Wearing a plain sheepskin jacket and a hat, Yang Ge braved the snow and wind and returned to Luting County.
As the end of the year approached, coupled with the continuous snowfall, Luting County, usually bustling, became deserted and quiet. The snow-covered streets were empty, with only the sound of wind and a few lights visible from a distance.
Yang Ge walked alone along the dim streets with his knife on his back, feeling just as empty as the city.
As he passed Yuelai Inn, he noticed not only was the inn not closed, but there was also light inside the front hall.
Surprised, he lifted the thick wind curtain. Instantly, a wave of hot air mixed with the rich scent of mutton washed over him.
"Woof woof woof..."
The next moment, Huang sprang out of nowhere, rearing up into his arms, barking excitedly.
"Big Brother is back?"
"Big Brother is back!"
"Big Brother, you’ve finally come back..."
Yang Ge hugged Huang and gazed fixedly, only to see a hall full of steam from the hotpots, a hall full of friends, a hall full of laughter.
Liu Mang, Shen Fa, Yang Tiansheng, Li Jincheng, Xiang Wudi, Fang Ke, Zhou Fu, Wang Cheng, Wu Eryong, Jiang Kui, Li Qing, Xiao Baoqi, Niu Meng, Fu Qian, Xun Shi, Hu Qiang...
Facing their concerned gazes, Yang Ge cracked a smile, but suddenly everything before his eyes blurred.
"Boom."
A figure crashed heavily into his embrace, wrapping around his waist and wailing, "Waah, I thought Big Brother didn’t want me anymore..."
Yang Ge awkwardly patted the long hair of the person in his arms, "How could Big Brother not want you..."
"Hahaha..."
Seeing this, everyone in the hall jeered and laughed aloud together.
(End of Volume Three: A Cup of Wine in the Breezy Spring of Peach and Plum Trees)