Qian Zheng looked at the wide black sword and his heart, which had been hanging, finally sank.
From a distance, it was a continuous barrage of arrows, his movement technique wasn't weak, and in close combat, instead of a sword, he used a heavy sword with a thick back, a sharp blade, and a straight spine. Pair that with the murderous aura that could only come from someone who had been through life-and-death battles, and it reminded him of the archers who, having expended their arrows, would pick up long-handled swords during the great wars.
They dropped their war bows, then formed up holding swords and stepped back into battle, like unsheathed blades intent on mincing their opponents.
Had it not taken place within the nation's boundaries, that heavy sword's hilt might have been attached to an iron rod.
Qian Zheng's Inner Qi circulated, stimulating several major acupoints to temporarily stop the bleeding from his severed arm. The intense concentration during battle momentarily took the edge off the pain from his amputation. He sidestepped, his right hand's sword pointing at the enemy ahead, his feet moving in an arc, slowly closing in.
Under the starlight, his young opponent appeared calm and composed.
He seemed like a swordsman who had endured over a hundred fierce battles, in no hurry to strike.
He gripped the sword, yet had not clamped down completely.
Loose and relaxed, like an unstrung bow, one could imagine the terror of its instantaneous release.
He's been planted...
Qian Zheng cursed inwardly.
If it hadn't been for that bearded man who recently started capturing wanted fugitives, he wouldn't have risked coming near this area. He would've bullied the villages where news traveled slowly. He regretted it.
He should have been more cautious today.
Then he wouldn't have been discovered.
At this moment, the young man's Qi Mechanism seemed to briefly falter.
With a hint of ferocity in his eyes, Qian Zheng seized the opportunity and charged forward ferociously.
His right hand's blade, following the momentum of his charge, sliced fiercely at an angle.
At the same time, he shifted his body to the same side as the blade's edge, shielding himself behind his war sword. This technique, used in battle, was almost instantly matched as the young man on the other side also unleashed his sword. As he spun, his blade's edge whipped out like a black ribbon.
The two swords clashed fiercely.
One wielded with both hands, the other with just one.
One had a slashing charge, carried by the momentum of a diving attack; the other was a stationary rotation slash, harnessing the inertia of a twisting waist.
The two Hundred Refinement Blades collided, sending sparks flying into the night.
Both swords veered off to their respective sides.
But the difference in realm was ultimately telling.
Li Guanyi's palm tingled numbly.
He gripped his heavy sword with both hands, barely holding his own against this one-armed Entering Realm martial artist.
Qian Zheng roared furiously, charging forward and commencing the second strike, but Li Guanyi was no slower with his second slash. His speed and judgment were every bit as sharp as those of this veteran border soldier, and as the two sword edges constantly collided, each recognized the other's technique.
Breaking Army Eight Sabers!
One was a modified version from the frontier, based on the transmitted Breaking Army Eight Sabers – more dangerous, more ruthless.
The other was the original taught by Yue Qianfeng, with strict and meticulous moves that were on par with those of the great sects in the Martial World.
Qian Zheng grew more and more alarmed as he fought.
Proficient swordsmanship, keen battle judgement, and that murderous presence.
If he closed his eyes, he could almost believe he was fighting with the old squad leader.
It was just a teenager, yet how could he possess such sword skills, such a murderous aura, as if he were a veteran who had escaped death a dozen times.
The swords sang sharply as they met again. This time the young man's blade suddenly shifted; despite wielding a heavy sword, it danced like a butterfly on Qian Zheng's sword edge. Li Guanyi's footwork changed, and with a sidestep, he slashed past Qian Zheng's severed arm, slicing off a swath of bloody flesh and bone.
Qian Zheng emitted a roar of rage, veins on his forehead bulging as he broke out in cold sweat.
His sword flailed wildly, guarding his vulnerable points, stumbling backwards as he retreated.
He had cut off his own arm, hoping that this uncontrollable limb would not become an overly obvious point of weakness, which could hinder his movement technique and make it an easy target for the enemy when charging. The arm was useless, but the pain persisted.
He suddenly missed the frontier.
When his arm was injured, his comrades on either side would come to protect him.
Bamboo shields would block all incoming arrows.
But now, he was no longer one of them...
Qian Zheng's senses suddenly sharpened.
He remembered the old squad leader's words: once you start reminiscing, your time of death is near, so look ahead.
The young opponent's swordplay was nimble and light, still landing on his wounds.
Although at the Entering Realm, able to knock down a tree with a burst of Inner Qi, he was still made of flesh and blood and had not reached the realm of those mighty warriors.
The severe pain in his body was enough to impact his fighting ability.
Li Guanyi exhaled deeply.
He seemed to understand.
Memories of his struggle with the Third Prince of Tie Le surfaced in his mind. He bounced lightly, his wrist relaxed, the sword in his hand almost loose. His light hops targeted Qian Zheng's vital points, which glowed faintly red as he lunged at Li Guanyi.
The old border soldier knew what he had to do.
A faint trace of Inner Qi shimmered along the blade.
As he lunged.
Li Guanyi had just lightly jumped up, moving swiftly to the side with his steps, which was faster by a breath compared to standing still and starting to move. It was as if his movement technique had accelerated, allowing him to dodge Qian Zheng's last crazed slash. At the same time, he raised the blade in his hand.
The relaxed wrist flicked like a whip, sending the sword flying.
It was like Inch Fist generating power, from loose to tight, this slash exploded with immense force instantly.
Striking from the side of Qian Zheng, against the momentum of his charge, the Hundred Refinement Blade, honed three hundred times, tore open Qian Zheng's side under the immense force of the collision between Li Guanyi and Qian Zheng. The body of a Martial Artist at the Entering Realm was strong, and such a quick blade actually failed to sever it completely, which was even worse than if it had.
His innards spilled out, and Qian Zheng fell there, rolling in agony.
He cried out in pain, discarding his sword, and stuffed his organs back inside with his hands. Frothy pink blood spewed from his mouth as his eyes bulged, yet tears streamed from them.
In the end, his movements ceased, and he cried out:
"Mother..."
His hand heavily fell to the ground, breathless.
Li Guanyi's tense spirit relaxed. He took an arc around Qian Zheng as the center, retrieved the Su Ni Bow, picked up any usable arrows, drew the bow, and shot several times into Qian Zheng's body, ensuring that he was truly dead. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, sat down on the ground, and felt his spirit loosen and his pores open, sweating profusely all over.
The strength he had just felt seemed to have vanished instantaneously, and his wrists trembled slightly.
"My first solo battle, did I unconsciously exert too much strength?"
Li Guanyi was aware of this situation.
After resting for a while, he collected the arrows. In reality, arrows were one-time use; due to their balance and the "sinew," they would suffer a strong impact upon hitting flesh, especially sinews and bones, and would hardly remain straight, resulting in a damaged center of mass and an uneven Weapon "sinew."
In such a condition, they could not shoot accurately.
They were unfit for actual combat.
Arrows were expensive precisely because it was hard to achieve this, requiring specialized craftsmen.
Arrows that had hit an enemy were basically scrap metal, needing readjustment.
But scrap iron could still be sold for some money.
The youth looked at the arrows Qian Zheng had cut and felt a sting in his heart; one tael of Silver was equivalent to a month's wages from his past work. He wondered whether the Xue Family would reimburse him. Li Guanyi looked at Qian Zheng, and according to what Yue Qianfeng had taught him, searched the body and found more than a dozen taels of Silver, a waist card,
several yellowed letters, and a booklet, which he gathered hastily.
Sitting under a tree, surrounded by the stench of blood, the young man raised his head, peering through the gaps of the leaves at the moonlight, silent and still.
He felt the quiet around him, the world so vast.
The moonlight gushed forth like a spring.
Time passed.
Then he heard rustling sounds and turned his head to see the old man, who had run away before, coming back.
Picking up vegetables.
When he noticed the young man's gaze, his face turned pale, and he tried to kneel and kowtow, but Li Guanyi finally managed to stop him.
The elderly man hesitated and then said, "On behalf of my entire family, thank you, noble sir, for saving our lives."
"These things aren't worth much; I'll give them to you."
Li Guanyi looked at the vegetables in the muddy ground.
Not valuable, perhaps; but certainly important. Why else would he venture out at night, and even after facing a life and death danger, still want to come back and pick things up? It was either tomorrow's sustenance or the imperial taxes. Li Guanyi advised, "You shouldn't come out at this time in the future; it's too dangerous."
The elderly man responded timidly, "Yes, yes."
"It's just that there will be a spring tax soon, so I need to work harder. After the spring tax, it'll be alright."
"Spring tax..."
The old man cautiously replied, "Yes, actually, it's only been a bit harsh these two years. Five years ago, during the war, they collected the next ten years' taxes in advance, but three years ago, they collected the next five years' worth of annual taxes. This year, they stopped collecting the annual tax and changed it to a quarterly tax, which is more than before."
"I used to sell vegetables to the village stalls too, but starting from three years ago, the Xue Family stopped charging for market stall fees and shares, they even provided shelter and sell flatbreads for a penny each and provide a bowl of soup at noon, so everyone started going there."
Li Guanyi remained silent.
Suddenly he said, "Keep the vegetables."
"Ah? Yes, okay, these are all grown by myself, they're good vegetables, really, quite good."
The flustered old man set down the vegetables he was carrying, rubbed his rough, wrinkled hands, but the young man extended his hand and took a handful of money from Qian Zheng's purse beside him, flicked his wrist, and the coins fell into the old man's embrace. He patted the nearby corpse with the blade, and said:
"For the goods, I'm buying them."
"And the money, he'll pay!"
The elderly man was stunned.
A youth wielding a blade, slaying under the moon.
Such spontaneous actions carried a certain air of boldness.
Clutching the money, the old man thanked him and then incredulously tucked it into his bosom, slowly backed away, suddenly kneeled down on the dirt ground, and gave several deep bows to Li Guanyi. He turned around, staggering forward, then began to run, fell, got up and continued running.
Whimpers carried in the wind: "Old lady, we have money now."
"We don't have to sell Ni'er anymore, we don't have to."
"..."
Li Guanyi lifted his head, leaning against the tree trunk. He had killed a villain, yet he felt no satisfaction in his heart.
He cursed aloud.
"Damn this world."
"Damn these chaotic times."