Chapter 13

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Taiping Dao, Immortal Crane Hand!

(Thanks to Grand Alliance Leader Beibei!)

South of the training room.

The living quarters formed a row of two-story wooden buildings, staggered along the mountain’s slope. Though simple, they were neatly arranged. Their windows were covered with oiled paper, some open, some closed, and most of them glowed with lanterns inside. Voices rose and fell. All the Daochang’s nominal disciples lived here after returning to the mountain. A few rooms were also kept vacant for emergencies, for distant believers or martial artists carrying gift boxes. These past few days, the Daochang had been under strict guard, and these guest rooms were completely empty, without a single light.

Initially, the living quarters were quite lively. When Zhou Yi and the two young acolytes approached, the mixed sounds gradually softened, then fell silent, with only faint rustling. One by one, the lanterns in the rooms extinguished. By late Xu time (9-11 PM), there wasn’t a single light left inside.

The night was quiet and still. Over twenty muscular men, each gripping a weapon, crouched around the living quarters. When Zhou Yi first arrived, they hadn’t fully believed him. Now, each one was as if facing a formidable enemy, no one dared to doubt.

The disciples on mountain gate duty were supposed to gently strike the evening drum at the Daochang’s entrance every hour. The last strike was at the end of Zi time (11 PM – 1 AM), after which the next shift would take over. This was a rule set by Zhou Yi. Furthermore, the rhythm of the evening drum strikes varied each hour; outsiders wouldn’t be able to figure it out quickly. Tonight, Jiao Ting and Wang Shi hadn’t struck the drum on time. Combined with Zhou Yi’s words upon his arrival, everyone had a bad premonition. The two had likely met with misfortune. Some of their close friends gnashed their teeth, wondering if the enemy dared to take the bait!

Zhou Yi didn’t lead his men out to attack. Firstly, he didn’t know the situation in the forest and feared an ambush. Secondly, chasing them would create too much noise, and if the enemy was few, they might escape in the night. Thirdly, he wanted to see if the newcomers understood the drum signals, to know if there were any internal spies in the Daochang. Patience, after all, was something the Taiping Dao had more of.

At three quarters past Hai time (9:45 PM).

The living quarters were utterly silent. Zhou Yi, preempting everyone else, heard footsteps. He quickly gave hand signals. The big men instantly tightened their grip on their weapons.

Outside the living quarters, near the bonfire frame, two lanterns were still lit. These were deliberately left for the ‘guests,’ to guide them. If they wanted to kill, they would naturally head towards where people were.

Six, seven, eight… Zhou Yi’s gaze swept through the window crack. Being martial artists, they were more perceptive than ordinary people; his gaze didn’t linger on any single individual.

A full fourteen people. Quite a number. Fortunately, he hadn’t risked rushing into the pine forest. Otherwise, if their positions were swapped, the outcome would be like this…!

“Crack, crack~!”

Several crisp sounds, like old bamboo bursting, suddenly broke the silence! Seven or eight sturdy figures burst out of the rooms consecutively, each whipping out a whip like a steel-studded thorn branch, striking at the approaching enemies! The long whips lashed out, exploding with sound under the immense force!

The unsuspecting enemies were caught off guard. This sudden strike immediately hit six of them. “Ahhh~!” Their legs were pierced with bleeding holes. Pain surged, making them unable to resist. They tumbled, trying to dissipate the force of the whip, but their calves were bound by the whip’s tip, throwing them off balance. In a blink, five of them fell. Another person was decisive enough, enduring the flesh wounds to wrench himself free.

“Charge!”

Zhou Yi roared. Feng Si, Zhang Cheng, Dou Kui, and six others simultaneously broke through the window paper and charged down! Steel blades slashed wildly! In an instant, blood spattered, landing on the lanterns. The dim yellow glow was tinged with red. The five people on the ground couldn’t roll away in time and were finished then and there.

Zhou Yi and the others rushed out, forming a four-sided encirclement, directly trapping the remaining nine individuals!

At this moment, the sounds of killing abruptly ceased.

The scent of blood fouled the spring breeze, making the evening even colder. The occasional trembling of the corpses was chilling, but at this moment, no one paid it any mind; it was kill or be killed. Zhou Yi didn’t need to overcome anything; he simply looked at the scar-faced man who was clearly the leader.

“Who sent you?”

The muscles on the man’s face twitched. This scene was utterly unexpected. But he was filled with extreme malice. Even though he was encircled, he showed no fear, instead sneering at Zhou Yi: “The Taiping Dao truly has some tricks to establish itself in Yongqiu.”

“You must be the so-called Heavenly Master Zhou, right? I’ll show you a clear path: immediately abandon this poor mountain and poor temple and go to Baling. King Liang can give you an opportunity to lead a sect and survive. Otherwise, in a few more days, all of you will die on this mountain.”

This kind of intimidation was useless against Zhou Yi: “Xiao Xian?” “That’s truly laughable. You can deceive yourself, that’s enough. If you said you were Xiao Xian’s enemy, I might believe you seven or eight tenths of the way.”

The scar-faced man was about to speak again. But as soon as Zhou Yi finished his sentence, he tilted his head slightly forty-five degrees to look at the sky. The surrounding Taiping Dao disciples immediately received the signal. Those surrounding the scar-faced man were listening to them talk. Even though they were alert, they were still a beat slower than the Taiping Dao.

Feng Si, Zhang San, and the others grabbed their weapons and charged forward shoulder to shoulder! Each of them was tall and strong, possessing external martial arts. Though their martial skills were ordinary, with many people attacking fewer, this raw power was extraordinary.

“Clang, clang, clang~!”

A series of clashing weapons. The enemies were also martial artists; their techniques were even more sophisticated than those of the Taiping Dao disciples. But in an instant, two of them fell! The scar-faced man pulled out two sabers and parried left and right; his blade techniques were formidable. His left saber made a diagonal upward cut, using powerful qi to deflect Zhang San’s wild “Cloak-Swinging Chop.” His right hand’s saber, like a white snake spitting venom, pressed its back against the blade of Dou Kui’s “Ghost Head Saber.” He moved faster, launching his attack first, his two hands crossing to generate new force, directly forcing back two people!

“Hmph~!” he roared, using Flower-Splitting Leaf-Cutting! This move required dual-wielding and was a sophisticated technique only mastered by experienced blade practitioners.

“Stop right there! Are you trying to forge a mortal enmity with King Liang?!” he roared again.

“That’s your King Liang; what does he have to do with me?” Zhou Yi looked at him as if he were dead. “Dare to kill people in my Taiping Daochang? Even if your King Liang were here, he wouldn’t leave Fuzi Mountain tonight!”

Zhou Yi’s voice was imbued with true qi, making the people around the scar-faced man hear him clearly. This immediately boosted the Taiping Dao’s morale. Some enemies were distracted by this, followed by screams. Seeing this turn of events, the scar-faced man cursed inwardly, knowing he was doomed tonight. This Taiping “demonic Daoist” was a hothead. No amount of threats would work on him.

He quickly spun his two sabers in a circle above his head, then performed a donkey roll to dodge the thorny whip that swept horizontally. Dou Kui lunged in from the side, but was forced back by the sabers the man threw. Seizing this opening, the scar-faced man pushed a companion into the chaotic melee, stomped his feet for power, kicked up fresh green turf, and bolted outwards.

Zhou Yi sprinted out from the side, picking up a light short sword, and thrust it directly at his back! There was nothing fancy about this move; it was a typical assassin’s technique—sinister and vicious!

The scar-faced man felt a chill down his back; he couldn’t ignore it. Turning back, he slammed his palms together. Zhou Yi wasn’t skilled in any sword techniques; the short sword was firmly gripped by the scar-faced man’s thick palms! Zhou Yi reacted quickly, twisting it, expecting the opponent to let go, allowing him to pursue and stab his throat.

However…

The scar-faced man gave a ruthless grin. He let Zhou Yi twist the sword, but his palms didn’t loosen. Even though his calloused palms were layered three times, they were now dripping with blood.

“Hahaha!” Seeing Zhou Yi’s astonished expression, he burst into wild laughter. Gripping the short sword with bloody hands that seeped from the calluses, he snapped it with a violent twist!

“Clang!” The sword immediately broke into three pieces. The scar-faced man held three inches in each hand.

“With such poor technique, you dare to chase after me and contend!”

With two broken sword fragments in his hands, he used his previous powerful saber techniques. However, broken swords were not the same as sabers. Zhou Yi raised the half-broken short sword in his hand, blocking the opponent’s left-hand blade technique. In this clash, the scar-faced man gained no advantage in strength.

But then, he used his Flower-Splitting Leaf-Cutting move again. In terms of weapon techniques, he indeed had a complete victory!

“Die~!” A sword used like a saber, thrusting directly at Zhou Yi’s heart! Even if he could dodge with his movement technique, he would surely be severely wounded!

But just as the scar-faced man was gloating… Zhou Yi suddenly had an epiphany!

Dual-wielding, sword used like a saber…

At this moment, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning; the scar-faced man had awakened him! That’s right, how could I not have thought of it!

Almost instantly, the true qi in his Kidney Meridian of Foot Shaoyin circulated endlessly. At the same time, his meridian qi also began to circulate strangely.

Dual-wielding… True qi and meridian qi circulated together in the meridians! This meridian had been completely opened. True qi was already unobstructed, and now the circulating meridian qi pulled at the true qi, constantly moving it, causing it to operate at several times its normal speed!

The two qi intertwined, embracing the complete circulation, like a water pump! The Yongquan acupoint was that deep well!

A powerful burst of true qi surged out, exploding a second time in the Ran Gu acupoint, rushing directly out of the Kidney Meridian of Foot Shaoyin, and pouring into the major meridians.

Zhou Yi’s eyes seemed to brighten instantly.

And the scar-faced man’s blade…

It slowed! It slowed down! Zhou Yi pulled back, his feet seemingly tapping several times. The scar-faced man’s sword missed, and he showed a look of terror for the first time.

“You—!”

This scene was witnessed by the muscular men of the Taiping Dao. Zhou Yi opened his palms flat like a crane spreading its wings, embracing the morning sun, unfurling its wings to ride the clouds! His right palm extended forward, gripping the opponent’s wrist. His left palm smoothly slid to the bend of the elbow at the Shaohai acupoint. Slightly borrowing power from his waist, he spun, turning attack into grapple, performing the Immortal Crane Chants at Stone Spring!

His speed was extremely fast, directly capturing the bare blade with his empty hands! The scar-faced man couldn’t react in time. In the darkness, he seemed to see a crane’s shadow. His right hand, still stained with blood, was empty. He was utterly astonished, losing his composure. When he tried to find the broken sword again, he only felt a pain in his chest.

He found it… It was piercing his heart meridian!

“You—!” He was furious, wanting to question: You have such skill, why did you toy with me just now? But thinking of how his proud blade technique was broken, he was extremely unwilling. He also remembered that he was about to become an unnamed ghost, and with his last breath, he said something else:

“My name is Kuang Hui, a disciple of Xu Xuanche…”

“What… what is the name of your martial art?”

The scar-faced man’s blood flowed with the wind; Zhou Yi’s Daoist robe moved with the wind. The evening breeze was a considerate spectator, carrying Zhou Yi’s voice into the scar-faced man’s ear.

“Taiping Dao, Immortal Crane Hand. You ascend with the crane; consider yourself lucky.”

The scar-faced man, hearing this, seemed to acknowledge it, and nodded. Then, he simply fell over, as if asleep…

– Mochinuna.