The woman was in her thirties, plump in figure, draped in a crimson robe, with a huge bright red flower atop her head. Her face was coarse and ugly, yet she wielded a man-sized giant mace in her hand.
The man beside her looked about forty, dressed in a blue silk gown, with an ordinary appearance. A short sword with a yellow wooden sheath was inserted at his waist, and he held a three-foot-long crossbow, which on the bolt case appeared empty—a sign that it was the very weapon that had just been used to attack Liu Ming.
"You're not from the Black Tiger Guard?" Liu Ming stared at the two and asked, taking a deep breath.
Living alone on the ruthless island for so long had taught him to always search for the opponent's weakness before a fight unfolded.
Thus, his question was both an inquiry and a way to buy time.
In fact, as his gaze flickered, countless thoughts raced through Liu Ming's mind.
"The woman has thick arms and heavy footsteps, clearly strong but probably slower in agility. Considering the weight of her weapon, I absolutely must not make any contact with it. The man has pale, steady fingers, a gloomy look in his eyes; he must possess some unique skills. I must be extremely cautious with him..."
The pair across from him didn't know that the frail-looking young boy had so many thoughts in such a short span, but facing such a young adversary appeared to be a first for them, and they both showed a hint of interest.
The man grabbed another bolt case filled with steel bolts and started loading it onto the crossbow, his voice cold as he spoke:
"Liu Yangzong, from Yangyuan City in the southern province, charged with the grave crime of disrespecting the emperor seven years ago, was captured and imprisoned in the Nanlan Province prison, where he later died of illness. His son, Liu Ming, was spared from death due to his young age but was sentenced for life to the Savage Island in the deadly waters of Chuzhou. However, a month ago, the island sank mysteriously, burying most of the prisoners at sea. Only Liu Ming and eleven others managed to escape. The Judiciary has now issued a silver-level decree for his capture, dead or alive. Is there anything I've said that is wrong?"
As soon as the man finished speaking, the woman in red let out a shrill laugh:
"Young lad, this man was killed by me and my husband seven days ago. Is he one of your companions?"
With that, she threw a leather pouch from her waist down to the ground.
With a "thud," the pouch rolled over, and from it tumbled a blood-stained human head.
The head had a full beard, dark, rough skin, and slightly agape mouth, appearing to be about forty years old.
After a glance at the head, the young boy's heart sank, and he softly cried out, "Ironhead."
"Since you recognize him, it seems there is no mistake. Boy, if you surrender peacefully, my husband and I might let you go and taking you into custody could even spare your life. Otherwise, once the fight starts, you will surely be shown no mercy," said the man in the blue robe, skillfully reloading the crossbow and leveling it in front of him.
"The two of you seem to know a great deal about me; you must be envoys of the Judiciary. May I ask what rank of envoy you hold? But to trick me with such words, do you really think I am naive and ignorant of the Da Xuan Code? Considering how many catchpoles and Black Tiger Guards I've already killed, even if princes or high officials pleaded for me, I would likely still face the punishment of being sliced a thousand times," the young boy said, blinking and disbelieving the man in the blue robe.
Hearing this response, the man in the blue robe snorted but said nothing to deny it.
The ugly woman in red let out a giggle and said:
"Who would have thought that despite your young age, little brother, you're quite knowledgeable about the Da Xuan Code. The people of Savage Island are truly not ordinary; even the youngest cannot be underestimated. Indeed, my husband and I are contracted Silver Scale Envoys of the Judiciary. Young brother, when you're beneath the Yellow Springs, don't bear a grudge against us for bullying the young. Husband, let's move."
At the end of her words, the woman's expression turned ice-cold, and she swung her mace, transforming it into a whirlwind as she charged straight at the young man.
Despite her plump physique, she was exceedingly agile, and the giant weapon in her hand swung with the ease of carrying nothing at all.
On hearing his wife, the man in the blue robe lifted his crossbow in tacit understanding and with a flick of his wrist, a dozen bolts turned into glints of cold light shooting toward either side of the young man.
If the young man tried to dodge left or right, he would inevitably be unable to evade the bolts' assault, yet if he stayed in the bushes, he would have to confront the ugly woman's head-on attack.
The husband and wife were indeed a skilled pair; their coordination was seamless.
Seeing this, Liu Ming's expression changed, but in the next moment, he took a deep breath, clenched both hands, and swung his silver blade, casting it as a bolt of lightning toward the ugly woman's head.
He completely disregarded the colossal mace, adopting a reckless fighting style.
The woman's pupils shrank; even though she knew her opponent did not truly intend to die together, she dared not gamble with her life either. With a helpless pause, she swung her mace back, changing direction to smash at the silver blade.
With a flick of Liu Ming's wrist, the silver blade blurred and retracted, avoiding the colossal mace's strike and instead cleaving fiercely to the left and right.
After two crisp clangs,
two bolts that had suddenly veered towards Liu Ming were knocked aside,
"You little rat!"
The man in the blue robe cursed under his breath from the distance, reaching toward his waist and starting to reload the crossbow.
His subtle technique of guiding the bolts mid-air had resolved many strong foes; he hadn't expected it to fail against this youth.
The ugly woman was also taken aback but after a snort, she swung her mace wildly, engaging the young man in combat.
Every time she swung the heavy weapon in her hand, it brought about a fierce gust of wind. With wide, expansive movements, she seemed to transform into a humanoid beast, exuding an unstoppable might.
In contrast, the young man opposite her did not let his weapon collide with the mace at all. It simply became a streak of silver light, constantly moving around the ugly woman.
Although he was at a disadvantage, every attack targeted the places the ugly woman had to defend, forcing her to slow down her offensive moves to save herself.
In such a situation, even though the ugly woman's bravery far surpassed that of the youth, she was infuriated to the point of swearing profusely.
But Liu Ming paid no attention to this, his face taut as he continued to bound around the ugly woman.
At this moment, he seemed at ease, but in reality, he had once again activated a secret technique, squeezing out the last bit of strength from his body. Otherwise, just the fierce gales created by the opponent's mace would have been enough to toss his frail body about, to say nothing of launching an attack.
Seeing this scene unfold from a distance, the man in the blue robe became even more astonished.
He was all too aware of the ugly woman's prowess.
Even when sparring normally with his wife, he wouldn't dare to engage in such head-on combat, yet this teenager, barely in his teens, had managed to do just that.
Could it be that the opponent began practicing combat techniques from the womb?
As far as he knew, the direct descendants of some noble families indeed started practicing certain physical-strengthening secret techniques from a young age, constantly tempering their bodies with various medicinal baths and consuming other spiritual medicines, but the degree of their prowess was probably only so much.
Fortunately, the opponent was young, and clearly lacked physical strength. If he had to wait another three or four years, even if he were to face off against him and his wife, he probably could manage to escape unharmed.
Now, however, he naturally didn't have such a chance.
As the man in the blue robe thought this, his intent to kill grew even stronger. He raised the giant crossbow with one hand, while with the other hand, he drew a short sword from the wooden sheath at his waist.
The short sword, grey and white in color, was light and seemingly weightless - it was a bone sword.
With a single motion, the man moved swiftly and silently, charging towards the battle group.
Liu Ming glanced slightly and saw the man in the blue robe's snake-like movements. His heart, already tense, sank even further.
Dealing with one enforcer from the Ministry of Punishment was already strenuous enough; facing two would likely mean certain death right here.
It seemed he had no choice but to go all out one more time.
Upon reaching this conclusion, he did not hesitate any longer. Facing the wildly swinging giant mace, he stood his ground instead of dodging, his blade-wielding arm lifted, and with a thunderous cry of "Pierce the Throat!"
The seemingly frail arm of the young man suddenly bulged with veins, growing significantly thicker.
Under the force of some freakish strength, the silver blade transformed into a streak of light, piercing towards the ugly woman's throat with a speed far surpassing anything before.
The ugly woman, witnessing this, was shocked to her core and wanted to retract the mace for defense, but it was already too late.
Consumed by both fear and anger, she steeled her heart, let go of the weapon, and flung it directly at the young man's chest.
In her opinion, faced with a mutual destruction tactic like this, the opponent would most likely retreat to save his life.
But Liu Ming's eyes twitched slightly, and without changing his movements, he sucked in his chest sharply as he inhaled, twisting his waist, making his torso flatten dramatically.
With a whoosh!
The giant mace brushed past the young man's chest, leaving behind several deep gashes from which blood immediately splattered out.
But Liu Ming's expression did not change at all, as if the person sustaining the severe injury was not himself. Instead, his wrist flicked sharply, and the silver light flashed through the woman's neck.
The woman let out a loud scream, clutched her throat with both hands, fell backward, and her body convulsed on the ground unceasingly.
All of this happened as fast as lightning!
The man in the blue robe only just managed to approach and clearly see what happened, and he let out a roar of shock and anger. The giant crossbow in his hand swung, releasing more than a dozen streaks of cold light, while at the same time, the bone sword in his hand thrust towards the young man at an empty spot.
Just as Liu Ming was about to charge forward and deliver another blow to the fallen woman, he suddenly felt the supreme danger rushing to his heart and instinctively tilted his shoulder.
A flash of blood, and some invisible sharp object brushed past the young man's cheek, slicing off a lock of hair.
"Talisman, you're a cultivator!" Liu Ming flipped and landed easily a distance away, and on closer inspection of the object in the man's hand, he couldn't help but exclaim.
The man in the blue robe held the short sword, which now revealed several strange, twisted patterns, flickering with a faint white light.