Chapter 42 - Formidable Prey
The person's voice was soft and melodic. The person who whipped his back open turned out to be a woman.
"From above?" Ye Beizhi glanced curiously at the woman. "Who are those above you?"
The woman covered her mouth and chuckled delicately, "Young Master, it’s best not to ask too many questions. Just know that the three of us are here to take your life."
Ye Beizhi was silent. Then, he turned to face the woman, slowly raising his blade with the tip pointing directly at her. His clothes billowed as the biting wind howled.
It felt like the area where Ye Beizhi and the three Imperial Guard Vice Commanders were had become an isolated world. Their battle intent was surging like a cauldron boiling over!
The battle could break out at any moment.
Intimidated by the tense atmosphere, the members of the escort agency watched from a distance and dared not make a sound.
The peculiar monk was the first to break the stalemate. Ye Beizhi heard a loud shout from behind him.
"Haaaa! Come and meet your doom!"
Ye Beizhi heard the air whistle behind him, and he quickly ducked to evade the attack.
The monk was not perturbed by missing his first attack as he smoothly transitioned his offense and pressed his palm downward toward Ye Beizhi’s head.
It was obvious that the monk had no intention of settling anything with the initial attack. It was just a feint to get Ye Beizhi where he wanted him!
He called his actual killer move "The Heaven Overturning Seal." If this attack landed, it would surely crumple Ye Beizhi’s head all the way into his belly!
Ye Beizhi was secretly impressed. This peculiar monk, who appeared so tall and burly, turned out to be incredibly agile!
Ye Beizhi found himself in a difficult situation. The monk caught him off balance, and he could not easily evade the descending palm.
The monk’s palm descended like a giant seal from above, and Ye Beizhi could no longer avoid it, so he raised his sword to block the attack.
Bang!
A violent sound came from the collision!
The two-handed sword in his hand vibrated incessantly as Ye Beizhi deflected the monk’s palm and retreated to a side.
Ye Beizhi looked down at the two-handed blade and frowned slightly.
After years of using blades, he could tell the quality of a blade with a simple touch.
This blade, which was the personal weapon of Guo Xiaoliu, was naturally far superior to mass-produced ones.
However, it was clearly inadequate in such a high-level battle, especially compared to the Tang blade that accompanied him for many years.
If he hadn’t been sneak attacked, Ye Beizhi wouldn’t have used the blade to block the attack.
He hadn’t expected the monk’s palm to be so tough that even the sword had trouble withstanding it.
"Can you still afford to be distracted?!"
A loud shout interrupted Ye Beizhi’s thoughts.
He looked up to see a pair of giant hands closing in on his temples.
Ye Beizhi narrowed his eyes, shifted his body, and advanced a step instead of retreating, reversing his grip on the blade.
He then thrust the blade toward the monk’s chest, using a technique known as "Jing Ke Presenting a Dagger."[1]
The monk became horrified at how his offense had failed. Although his hands were as hard as iron, the rest of his body was not nearly as durable.
He had been complacent because Ye Beizhi had done nothing but evade earlier, which led him to underestimate Ye Beizhi.
Now, Ye Beizhi seized the opportunity to finish him with a precise aimed at his heart!
I'm doomed!
The monk realized that the Stormqueller, Ye Beizhi, was a true-blue assassin, more than capable of biding his time to find the perfect opportunity to deliver a fatal blow!
But his realization came too late.
The monk could already feel the chill of the blade penetrate his clothes. There was no way to defend himself in time. He resigned himself to his fate and closed his eyes.
Bang!
The sound of a heavy collision rang in his ears, but the anticipated pain did not come.
The monk quickly opened his eyes and saw Ye Beizhi being sent flying into the air while spitting blood.
Ironsmith Xue, the man with his giant hammer, appeared beside the monk just in time to save him.
The monk with his tall and burly physique, looked like a giant standing next to the thin and short Ironsmith Xue. Together, the two resembled a cabbage next to a bean sprout.
The monk looked down and saw Ironsmith Xue with a face full of disdainful mirth. He snorted coldly.
Ye Beizhi was knocked away so hard that he ended up rolling twice on the ground before he came to a stop! He shook his head and relied on his blade to stand back up.
Seeing Ye Beizhi get up, the woman on the roof laughed and said, "Young Master, is quite impressive! You nearly killed that foolish monk. It was quite entertaining to watch… but don't forget, he is not the only one here…"
As soon as the woman finished speaking, she suddenly flicked her hand, and the steel whip shot out like a venomous snake toward Ye Beizhi!
Ye Beizhi hastily raised his sword and jumped aside, the steel whip struck the ground, shattering the stones where he stood.
While Ye Beizhi was in the air with no place to gain leverage, a figure ran up from behind him, swinging a giant hammer fiercely!
As Ye Beizhi was occupied with the hammer, a shadow was suddenly cast over his head.
Ye Beizhi quickly looked up and watched as the monk’s hand descended toward his head yet again!
There was no way out!
Ye Beizhi’s heart sank, all he could do was rapidly calculate the best way to break out. There was no time left.
Ye Beizhi abruptly twisted mid-air, and launched a whip kick to deal with Ironsmith Xue's attack first!
Due to this thin physique, Ironsmith Xue's stance lacked stability, so he was knocked flying backwards by the kick.
There was no time to confirm Ironsmith Xue's condition as Ye Beizhi could already feel the air around him distorting from the descending palm!
Ye Beizhi gathered his breath and twisted his body a second time mid-air, turning sideways so that he could face the incoming palm attack head on.
Ye Beizhi’s and the monk’s gazes met in mid-air, blade still held in a reverse grip, he tightened his grip on the handle, narrowed his eyes. His entire demeanor overflowed with an unyielding momentum!
The monk shuddered when he saw Ye Beizhi narrow his eyes.
The last time the monk faced Ye Beizhi's narrowed eyes, he nearly became a corpse. Now that he saw it again…
Ye Beizhi gripped the two-handed blade with his right hand and executed an unstoppable upward thrust!
Bang!
Centered around Ye Beizhi, a massive tornado swirled in the courtyard.
The figures of the two were intermittently visible in the wind. The woman leapt away, followed by the sound of tearing leather.
The tornado’s residual wind blew away the woman’s mask, revealing a beautiful but incredulous face.
"What, what’s going on?"
The woman’s eyes twitched in disbelief.
As the leader of this mission, although she had been warned not to underestimate the target. She dutifully orchestrated a trap, but she never expected him to still be so difficult to handle.
Including herself there were only five Vice Commanders in the Ruen Dynasty; losing one here would be disastrous… The woman looked at the monk's silhouette within the tornado and dared not think further.
The woman anxiously turned to look at Ironsmith Xue, who had also turned to look at her.
She nodded at him solemnly, and Ironsmith Xue nodded in understanding before charging straight into the tornado.
"Hai-ya!" Ironsmith Xue shouted, as he swung his giant hammer toward Ye Beizhi’s figure within the tornado!
Just as the giant hammer was about to touch the tornado, Ironsmith Xue heard a fed up voice boom from within.
"Scram!"
Immediately, Ironsmith Xue felt a titanic blow upon his chest that sent him flying backward and crashing into a pile of rubble.
Whoooosh
The tornado struggled and twisted a few more times before finally dissipating, leaving only scattered debris behind as evidence of its existence.
Ironsmith Xue clutched his chest as he got up. Ye Beizhi looked carefully at the remaining blade hilt in his hand… the blow that sent Ironsmith Xue flying earlier had actually been delivered with the hilt of the blade.
Ye Beizhi looked somewhat disheveled. His white robe was stained with blood and torn in several places. There was a deep palm print on his chest that served as a testament to the monk's full-strength strike earlier.
However, the monk was in even worse shape.
He lay amidst the debris left by the tornado, covered in numerous cuts and gashes.
Bones poked out of a massive wound on his chest that bled continuously.
Only occasional twitches of his limbs proved that he was still alive.
Ye Beizhi shook his blade, flicking away a streak of blood. His gaze was cold as he faced the cloaked woman.
"Next."
1. The phrase "Jing Ke Presenting a Dagger" is often used to evoke a historical moment in Ancient China where in order to repay a benefactor Jing Ke embarked on what was tantamount to a suicide mission to attempt to assassinate the King of Qin, this phrase is often used to symbolize themes of tragic heroism, sacrifice, bravery, loyalty, and defiance against overwhelming odds. ☜
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