Chapter 104: A True Man Doesn’t Let Grudges Last Overnight
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Clang!
In the warehouse filled with rubble, a cold light flashed!
The moment Zhou Huaili broke through the roof, Ye Jingtang stepped heavily on the ground and flew up. He held the saber in his left hand and unsheathed the silver blade like a white rainbow penetrating the sun, accurately striking at the tip of the stabbing sword.
Thump!
An ethereal sound rang out.
Accompanying it was the sound of robes tearing.
Zhou Huaili was extremely skilled in swordsmanship. He blocked with the flat of his sword, and the blade curved and flicked toward Ye Jingtang’s shoulder, instantly piercing through the black robe.
This move could have severed Ye Jingtang’s tendons and crippled his left arm.
But when the sword tip bounced up, what it brought out was not flesh and blood but undamaged silver soft armor!
Almost at the same time, the surging power contained in the saber spread from the sword to Zhou Huaili’s body.
Zhou Huaili had nowhere to borrow strength in the air. How could his 125-pound physique withstand Ye Jingtang’s full strength from the ground? His body instantly bounced upward.
“Haa!” The falling Song Chi shouted. He lowered his elbow and threw an extremely fierce elbow strike at the back of Zhou Huaili’s head, wanting to kill him with one blow.
But the reputation of Zhou Huaili’s sword skills was definitely not undeserved.
The sword was smashed in front of him by Ye Jingtang’s explosive attack. Zhou Huali directly blocked the blade with his arm.
Thump!
The blade curved and bounced back around his body. It almost bent into a half arc as it accurately pointed toward Song Chi’s heart.
Song Chi’s fight style was valiant, and he dared to exchange injuries for injuries, but he definitely wouldn’t do something stupid like exchanging his life for an injury. He immediately retracted his elbow and kneed Zhou Huaili in the side of his waist.
Bam!
Although he had nowhere to borrow strength in the air, he still kneed Zhou Huaili sideways and smashed him through the old wall of the warehouse.
Boom!
Bricks exploded!
Zhou Huaili was fighting one against two, and he was still basically unharmed. He even exchanged a few ruthless moves with the two of them, but he knew that he would definitely be at a disadvantage if the fight continued. The moment he broke the wall, he wanted to fly into the city.
But just as Zhou Huaili’s feet landed on the riverbank, a sound came from behind him.
Swoosh!
The violent saber wind broke through the rain, bringing with it the almost shrill sound of the wind breaking!
When he received the first saber attack just now, Zhou Huaili was still doubtful. But when this strike attacked from behind with a terrifying aura, he was certain that this was the Eight-Steps Frenzied Blade that had disappeared from Jianghu for thirty years!
If it were anyone else, they would most likely be caught off guard by this attack.
But Zheng Feng had been one of the ‘Three Heroes of Cloud Lake’ back then, and Zhou Huaili was from Ze Province. He and Zhen Feng were of the same generation, so it was impossible for them not to have sparred.
Although the power of the saber behind him was far more terrifying than Zheng Feng’s, Zhou Huaili was not the Zhou Huaili in his twenties.
Zhou Huaili didn’t even turn around when the saber came. He raised his left hand and slapped the sword in his right hand.
Thump!
The blade bent in front of him and bounced behind him again. All the raindrops along the way were shattered into white mist.
Ye Jingtang exploded with his full strength and slashed at Zhou Huaili’s left waist. Although he was already on guard against the ‘Returning Horse Sword’, the tip of the sword suddenly popped out from Zhou Huaili’s left shoulder and stabbed at him, shocking him.
But when he saw Zhou Huaili stabbing at his heart, Ye Jingtang ignored the attack and slashed down with all his might.
Zhou Huaili’s sword strike hit Ye Jingtang’s heart first. It was a one-hit sure-kill technique. Even with the silver soft armor that Ye Jingtang was wearing, he was confident of piercing through it.
But after the unbeatable sword pierced through Ye Jingtang’s robe and soft armor, it hit something and couldn’t advance any farther, causing the sword edge to bend instantly.
Crack!
The saber slashed down without any hesitation!
Zhou Huaili dodged sideways, but a bloody wound instantly appeared under his left rib, and two of his ribs were broken!
“Haa!
Song Chi had already rushed over with large strides, looking like a ferocious tiger in the forest. When he was still 30 feet away, he had already pounced forward and punched the unsteady Zhou Huaili’s back.
Boom!
The heavy punch landed on flesh, and the sound of tearing flesh sounded at the same time.
The raindrops from the sky exploded on Zhou Huaili’s back, and he flew forward and hit a stone platform by the river.
Bam!
Zhou Huaili’s swordsmanship could be considered to have reached perfection. If it were a one-on-one battle, Song Chi might not be able to gain an advantage, and Ye Jingtang wasn’t his match at all.
However, facing two martial madmen, one with a precious treasure that he couldn’t break through the defense of and the other who traded injuries for injuries and was unafraid of death, how could he deal with them with just a single sword?
Zhou Huaili slammed into the stone platform horizontally and fell to the ground where sewage was flowing. He spat out a mouthful of blood. But before he could get up, the saber slashed down again without any pause.
“Haa!”
Ye Jingtang was furious at Zhou Huaili’s unreasonable words and threats in the Zhou Manor today.
The occasion hadn’t been right, so he couldn’t flip the table. Now that he had seized the opportunity, how could he let the grudge last overnight?
Ye Jingtang had no intention of holding back. He leaped up, spun in the air, and slashed at Zhou Huaili, who had fallen to the ground.
Swoosh!
Zhou Huaili knew how powerful the Eight-Steps Frenzied Blade was, so he immediately put his left arm against the flat side of his sword and used his sword as a shield to block the saber.
Bang!
An explosion rang out.
Waves rose by the river, and the water on the shore was shaken up by more than a foot.
All the old bricks under Zhou Huaili’s back shattered, and his entire body almost sank into the ground.
Behind him was the stone platform. It was impossible to move back, but rolling and revealing his back was courting death. He could only jump up.
But just as Zhou Huaili jumped halfway, the fourth slash landed again without any pause!
“Haa!” Ye Jingtang let out an explosive shout. His muscles bulged as he raised his saber above his head with both hands. Then he slashed down violently and struck the sword supported by Zhou Huaili’s left arm again.
Clang!
Sparks flew in the rain.
Zhou Huaili’s sword didn’t break, but his entire body sank another inch.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The opponent had no room to move at all. After the fourth slash, Ye Jingtang no longer cared about any moves and just slashed down fiercely with the saber.
With every slash, Zhou Huaili sank a little more.
The Eight-Steps Frenzied Blade was too stressful on the body. After just three slashes, Ye Jingtang’s face had already turned red. The veins on his forehead seemed to be about to explode, and the webbing between his thumb and index finger was about to split open.
But as the one being attacked, Zhou Huaili had a much harder time than Ye Jingtang!
The sword in his hand didn’t break. But his left arm supporting his sword was shattered by the violent force. His raised arm fell inch by inch. But if his arm couldn’t hold on even once, his head would definitely be chopped off.
But even if his arm could hold on, it would be useless.
Song Chi rushed forward, but he couldn’t make a move due to Ye Jingtang’s frenzied slashes. He jumped left and right behind Ye Jingtang anxiously, wishing he could punch him away and beat up Zhou Huaili himself.
Now that Zhou Huaili was on the verge of death, his eyes were full of fright and anger. He shouted, “Stop!”
In the distant night, another anxious shout sounded. “Don’t kill him!”
Ye Jingtang’s saber landed. With terrifying brute force, he pressed the saber against Zhou Huaili’s sword. From the corner of his eye, he saw the third-in-command, Chen Yuanqing, rushing over with an anxious and furious expression.
“What are you two doing?!”
Song Chi was covered in blood and had a violent temper. He immediately replied, “What else can we do other than beat this shameless bastard to death?”
Thud!
Chen Yuanqing landed nearby, anxious and angry. “Zhou Chiyang is still around. If you kill his brother, who will pay for his life?”
Zhou Huaili was pressed into a pit, and his eyes were full of anger. “If you have the guts, do it! If my life can be exchanged for your entire Red Flower Pavilion being slaughtered, I won’t lose out at all. Let’s see if you have the guts!”
Song Chi had always had a bad temper. At the Zhou family today, what he had endured wasn’t just a bit of resentment. When he bumped into Zhou Huaili tonight, he immediately wanted to kill him and hit it off with Ye Jingtang.
Only after hearing Chen Yuanqing’s words did he remember that this shameless villain had a younger brother who was among the Eight Chiefs.
Sword Saint Zhou Chiyang was a man of chivalry, and he indeed didn’t have a good relationship with Zhou Huaili. If they beat Zhou Huaili half to death, he might not even bother to ask.
But it would be different if they killed him.
If Zhou Chiyang didn’t care about the murder of his brother and didn’t take revenge, he would be heartless and unrighteous. How could he have a foothold in Jianghu in the future?
Song Chi wiped the rain off his face and realized that things wouldn’t end well if this continued. He looked at Ye Jingtang. “What should we do?”
Zhou Huaili knew that the Red Flower Pavilion didn’t have the guts to kill him. He looked at Ye Jingtang with a cold gaze. “Do you really think you’re invincible? If you have the guts, I’ll let you cut me down to—”
Plop!
The bright silver blade pressing against Zhou Huaili’s chest slid up, directly pierced through his jaw, and came out from the top of his head. His words stopped abruptly.
The rainy night fell into a dead silence!
Zhou Huaili looked at the young man in front of him in disbelief. His wide-open eyes were gradually dyed red by blood, and the light in his eyes quickly disappeared.
Song Chi and Chen Yuanqing froze and stared blankly at Zhou Huaili, who had died with his eyes wide open.
Crack!
Ye Jingtang pulled out the saber, wiped the blood off on the sleeve of Zhou Huaili’s corpse, and put the saber back into its sheath. He wiped the rainwater off his face. “Do you really think I don’t dare to kill you…”
Song Chi’s eyes widened. After being stunned for a while, he said anxiously and angrily, “Jingtang, you…”
Chen Yuanqing’s face turned pale. He looked at the corpse on the ground and said angrily, “Song Chi! You brought Jingtang here to cause trouble. Take care of the troubles yourself.”
“How can 1 take care of Zhou Chiyang? If we burn the corpse, no one will know!”
“Do you think the Zhou family is stupid? We had a conflict with them during the day and threatened to exterminate the entire Zhou family. Zhou Huaili died at night. Who could have killed him?”
Song Chi wanted to say something, but when he saw Chen Yuanqing’s furious gaze, he fell silent.
Zhou Huaili suddenly died outside. Even a fool could guess that it was the Red Flower Pavilion who did it.
If he took the blame, when Zhou Chiyang came looking for him, he would be the only one who died.
If he didn’t take the blame, then Ye Jingtang would have to. If Ye Jingtang died, the Red Flower Pavilion would be gone.
Chen Yuanqing looked at Ye Jingtang. “Go back quickly and leave Azure Yang City with the pavilion lord as soon as possible. Pretend that you don’t know about this. I will send Song Chi back to the Heavenly South to hide in Guan City for a while.”
Ye Jingtang shook his head and said, “This matter can’t be related to the Red
Flower Pavilion now. I’ll think of a way to resolve it.”
“You’ve already killed him. How are you going to resolve it?”
Ye Jingtang picked up Zhou Huaili’s corpse and threw it into the warehouse at the dock. He found a few buckets of oil, poured them over the corpse, and lit it with a flame stick to prevent others from seeing the fist marks on the flesh.
Then he took out the bronze waist token of the Prince of Jing Estate and nailed it to the wall with Zhou Huaili’s sword.
When Song Chi saw the token of the Prince of Jing Estate, his eyes lit up.
“The Black Office’s token… When the Zhou family sees this, they definitely won’t dare to act rashly. They will have to figure out the intentions of the Imperial Court first… But it’s impossible for the Black Office to take the blame. When the Zhou family investigates, well be exposed…”
“Zhou Huaili had no regard for the law and disregarded human lives. I saw injustice and drew my saber to help. I acted heroically in a just cause. I can explain it clearly to the Prince of Jing.”
“Even if the Black Office supports you, the Zhou family can still use their relationships with the government to find out who did it. They will still find you…”
“Let’s talk about it after they find out. With this token, at least they won’t think about the Red Flower Pavilion for the time being. As long as I’m given some time, so what if Zhou Chiyang comes?”
Chen Yuanqing felt that this was the best solution at present. He turned around and left quickly. “You two go first. I’ll inform the pavilion lord to leave immediately.”
Flames gradually rose on the old dock, and a commotion slowly started in the distance.
Ye Jingtang stood in front of the fire and watched as the corpse gradually turned black. Then he turned around and jumped onto a small boat. “Let’s go.”
Song Chi wiped the rain off his face and flew onto the boat. He used the pole to push the boat away from the riverbank and quickly moved toward the Clear River in the rain. Along the way, he was still muttering, “I shouldn’t have gone out today. In the past, it was always Yuanqing who held me back. You’re so young, but why is your temper even more explosive than mine?”
“I had already shown my face. When I went in, I didn’t plan to let Zhou Huaili leave alive. He had to die in the end.”
“Sigh… We can’t go out together in the future…”
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