Volume 3 – The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace, Chapter 28: Strike of a Fighter King
The angle of this strike was incredibly tricky. She was actually able to cut towards the point three inches below his ribs while Qianye was running in high speed.
The surrounding audience could only hear a thin and sharp sound of a palm breaking through the air. The sound did not appear all that shocking to other people, but the ears of the charging Qianye were filled with an extremely shrill whistle that threatened to tear his ear drums apart. The air had reached him before the technique could, and it was as biting as a sharp blade that poked at Qianye’s skin until it hurts.
Ye Mulan’s origin power was as cold as ice, and it was far more dense and immense than Lu Shenjiang’s. If Qianye still persisted on his charge, then her palm blade would cut into the vital spot beneath his ribs.
Suddenly, Qianye came to a rapid stop without any prior signs whatsoever. While twisting his waist and legs, he bent his body at the same time to just barely avoid the path of the palm blade. Then, he countered with a strike to Ye Mulan’s elbow.
Both opponents exchanged a blow fiercely with each other! Then, they immediately parted and took two steps in retreat.
Neither side were able to utilize their full force during the clash. Qianye’s Combatant Formula had to switch directions mid rampage so the origin tides only managed to strike its target with its sides. Ye Mulan’s palm blade had reached the end of its offense and was struck by Qianye at an unmaneuverable spot. She had only managed to dish out half of her full strength.
Qianye’s face was so dark one could squeeze water from it. While staring at Ye Mulan, he said coldly, “You interfered even in a life or death duel. Do you have no sense of shame at all?” His Combatant Formula continued to press on one tide after the other, crushing the wisps of needle-like frost energy that had invaded in his body. In the blink of an eye, it had reached the ninth cycle once more.
Ye Mulan stood on the field proudly. The hem of her overlapping skirt hadn’t yet completely subsided due to the surging ripples of origin power. It spun and flew like flower petals in full bloom. She said indifferently, “I’m doing this for your sake. I doubt you can assume the responsibility of hurting a noble.”
Qianye actually smiled at the height of his anger, “As we are in a life or death duel, I will not hurt my opponent! I will only kill them!”
Ye Mulan’s face was as frigid as ice. She said, “There is a limit to my patience! Do not challenge my bottom line!”
Qianye’s expression suddenly turned calm as he said indifferently, “My patience has a limit as well. Since you’re entered the field, then you shall continue the battle on his behalf!”
Right after he said this, and without waiting for Ye Mulan to speak, Qianye appeared in front of her in a single step and threw out yet another simple punch right at her chest!
Ye Mulan’s expression changed on the spot.
The straight punch. This was the first basic movement taught in the military combat arts. In Qianye’s hands, the straight punch was perfectly average without any sort of variations or special effects. It was just fast, heavy, and straightforward!
Ye Mulan suddenly discovered that the many combat skills she prided herself in had utterly lost their effects in front of this one punch. There was no other way to neutralize this punch other than blocking it head on.
Naturally, there was no way she would clash against Qianye head on. Qianye’s frantic power left a deep impression in Ye Mulan’s mind, and she had failed to gain any shred of advantage at all despite preparing herself for the earlier ambush and forcing Qianye to switch techniques midway to meet her head on. Now that Qianye’s aura had attained full completion, the result of another head on clash was self-evident.
Ye Mulan pushed at the ground with the tip of her toes and floated backwards in abrupt retreat.
A faint, cold smile appeared around the corners of Qianye’s lips as the Combatant Formula climbed to the peak of a new cycle of tide. He chased after Ye Mulan with large steps and attacked her with a vertical palm slash.
This was the second basic movement in the military combat arts, the knife hand. The strike looked so imposing, as though it could cut apart a mountain, granting it greater might just because of this. But if someone were to place close attention to the shape of Qianye’s hand, they would notice that the joints of his second and third fingers were slightly curled into a nearly indiscernible arc. This way, he could instantly clench his hand into a fist the second he struck the target and erupt immeasurable power.
Ye Mulan’s expression was ugly as she pushed the ground again with the tip of her foot, drawing a graceful arc in midair and dodging sideways. Just as before, she did not dare to take the blow head on.
Suddenly, Qianye let out a long howl and quickened his movements. Like a tidal wave, his offense surged towards Ye Mulan.
Qianye had been using military combat arts from the beginning to the end. Almost everyone present here had learned this before, so they could see with absolute clarity every single attacking movement he made. However, like a small boat trapped amidst perilous waves, not only did Ye Mulan failed to rise above the waves, as she drifted along the flow, her dodges only became more and more of a struggle. She actually could not find an opportunity to counterattack under Qianye’s offense.
The entire arena was so quiet one could hear a pin drop. As Qianye’s attacks grew heavier and heavier, it was no longer a question whether Ye Mulan would be defeated. It was at the level where a single misstep for her side and a single solid strike would result in grievous injuries.
With a heavy expression, Ji Yuanjia took a few steps into the fighting ring. The position he assumed blocked the group of youths from interfering, but in reality he was preparing himself to save Ye Mulan. He absolutely could not allow the fiance of the seventh young master of the Song grand household be heavily injured by Qianye’s hands. Otherwise, forget Qiqi, even the Drinking Horse Yin clan was willing to defend him. They might not necessarily be able to save his life.
Ye Mulan was losing even faster than everyone else thought.
Her surrounding space was sealed off by Qianye’s immeasurably heavy fist strikes. Finally, she could dodge no longer and had to clash once with Qianye in full. When the two figures ran into each other, Ye Mulan immediately let out a dull groan as her face turned completely pale. She stumbled backwards in retreat. However, Qianye had no intention of withdrawing at all. He strode forwards and widened the five fingers of his right palm. Then, he slapped downwards right on top of her head!
The second this palm strike fell downwards, it was actually accompanied by a thunder-like noise. Right now, the origin tides inside Qianye’s body had reached the thirtieth cycle!
At a critical moment, an icy blue light flashed across Ye Mulan’s body, and as if she was lifted into the air by a big, invisible hand, her figure instantly shifted horizontally backwards for a couple of meters, barely enabling her to avoid Qianye’s attack.
Qianye’s palm strike reached the end of its offense and slammed heavily into the ground. His entire forearm had sunk into the ground built from limestone! Then, the limestone within a ten meter radius all cracked as bits of stones scattered into the air. Some of the stone bits struck Ye Mulan’s face, drawing thin scratches of blood.
The strike of a Fighter King was as mighty as the abyss!
Ye Mulan seized the momentary gap to retreat to the edge of the fighting ring. Her face was deathly pale.
Qianye knew that he had already lost his chance. Therefore, he gradually stood up and said indifferently, “Your secret combat arts is pretty good. But you will not have this chance next time.” It was only now that he finally conducted the origin tides to subside gradually. He also cleared out the frost aura that were as thin as ox hair swimming inside his veins. The combat art Ye Mulan practiced was pretty extraordinary, and every time he exchanged solid blows with her the frost aura would unavoidably seep into his body.
Ye Mulan’s face was still completely pale white. As she stared at the terrifying mark left behind by Qianye’s palm strike in disbelief, she said angrily, “You’re actually trying to kill me?”
Qianye said calmly, “This is a life or death duel. What do you think?”
Ye Mulan choked before following up with a stern voice, “Do you know that the Song grand household would absolutely not forgive you if you hurt me?”
Qianye suddenly smiled and said softly, “You are not a member of the Song Family just yet. Tell me again when you have actually married into the Song Family!”
The color of embarrassment flashed across Ye Mulan’s face, and she immediately beckoned her companions and said fiercely, “He attempted to kill me. Capture him! We shall surrender him to the mayor after we have interrogated the truth out of him!”
The few noble youths walked into the open, but their movements were slightly sluggish. Having watched that absolutely hair-raising duel, none of them dared to rush up alone against Qianye no matter how much they wished to perform.
“Enough!” Ji Yuanjia let out a cold yell before taking two steps forward to block their paths. He said heavily, “Do not think that Miss Qiqi would be afraid to take out all of you just because you’ve managed to cling onto Ye Mulan’s thighs!”
“She dares?!” Ye Mulan cried out.
Ji Yuanjia turned around to look at her, “Miss Ye, even if you married into the Song Family in the future, you are still not their matron. You are not worthy to speak such things.”
Ye Mulan finally lost her reservation and stared angrily at Ji Yuanjia with eyes full of resentment. She raised her right palm slightly, and it emanated with a cold and frigid power. However, Ji Yuanjia simply looked at her just like that with calm eyes.
In the end, Ye Mulan did not act against him. She simply let out a heavy snort and regained her cool pride.
Unlike Qianye who had appeared suddenly out of nowhere, Ji Yuanji boasted an extremely prestigious resume despite his humble beginnings. He had graduated from the famous sword arts military school “Swordrain Springs”, and had once taken third place in the military’s rookie competition.
Although anyone with a discerning eye would know that Ji Yuanjia had been recruited by the Drinking Horse Yin Family, the empire main corps lieutenant colonel badge on his shoulder was solidly built from a foundation of military achievements. If they were to kill someone like him without any reason at all, forget the Yin Family, his fellow comrades would not have let matters drop easily.
By now Qianye had already dispelled all of the frost energy inside his body and was slowly walking over from the center of the ring.
After staring at Ye Mulan for a moment, he suddenly let out a smile that was as pure as the boy that was his neighbor back at Red Spider Lily. Then he averted his gaze and swept a glance across the surrounding noble youths, saying, “I’m just a peasant. If I am push to the brink, then I can only end things in blood and death. Oh noblemen and women, if I may ask, how long can you guard yourself against me? A month? A year? Or ten years?”
Every youth’s face, including Ye Mulan’s, were ugly to the extreme. They knew that he wasn’t just throwing around empty threats just from Qianye’s ruthless attitude toward Lu Shenjiang and Ye Mulan just now.
After Qianye and Ji Yuanjia had left, Ye Muhai finally spat out heavily and cursed, “What a peasant!”
But he did not realize that he was already covered in cold sweat.
Just when Qianye was about to make it out of the main entrance, a shout suddenly rang out from behind him, “Wait there!”
When Qianye turned around, he saw Lu Shenjiang rushing towards him. And so he stood still and asked, “You want another fight?”
“Of course! But not now! I admit that I am not your match right now.” Lu Shenjiang said naturally and without restraint.
Qianye raised an eyebrow and asked, “What do you want then?”
Lu Shenjiang stretched out a finger and said, “Half a year! Let us fight again half a year later. So, what do you think? I refuse to believe that I can’t take out a commoner like you!”
Qianye smiled and said, “Even if I were to give you another ten and a half years, you will still be a coward who kneels before me.”
“Don’t get too cocky too soon! It’s decided then. Do you dare, or not?” Lu Shenjiang said through gritted teeth. He stretched out a hand and looked like he would clap Qianye’s hand in promise.
As Qianye stared into the other’s eyes, he let out that pure smile of his once more and stretched out his hand just the same.
Just as the two hands were about to grip each other, Qianye’s palm suddenly turned around to detain Lu Shenjiang’s wrist joints tightly like five hooks!
There was a translucent flash, and a crystalline needle that was almost invisible abruptly appeared between Lu Shenjiang’s fingers.
Beside Qianye, Ji Yuanjia’s expression changed greatly. His military achievements all came from the battlefield, so there was no way he wouldn’t recognize the material of that crystalline needle. It was obviously a vampire made product. Not even god would believe it if he were to say that there were nothing fatal on the needle.
“What’s this?” Qianye continued to smile, but there was obvious killing intent at the bottom of his eyes.
Lu Shenjiang felt cold all over. Suddenly, he cried out loudly, “Help, the peasant is about to kill a noble!”
His cries turned into blood curdling screams midway. Qianye exerted strength into his hand, and he broke Lu Shenjiang’s defenses directly and crushed his wrist bones completely.
Many eyes turned towards their direction.
Light purple dress danced on top of the hundred step staircase. Ye Mulan and the others were rushing towards the main entrance.
Ji Yuanjia sucked in a deep breath and lowered his right arm. There was a soft clang, and a small sword that was only one sixth of a meter long appeared in his palm. It glinted with a cold light. He eyes swept across the crowd as he said sternly, “This is the business of the imperial seventeenth corps. Mind your own business!”
The familiar faces that had appeared in Copper Peacock Terrace at the fighting ring immediately showed the signs of retreat. The seventeenth corps was one of the Empire’s main corps. If Ji Yuanjia truly decided to throw caution to the wind, unless they fought each other and decided life or death on the spot, these natives of the Evernight Continent actually would not have the courage to harm him.
Even if Ji Yuanjia were to be punished by martial law later, the seventeenth corps would take out all of the landowning households who were involved in order to protect the main corps’ reputation.
Qianye moved beside Lu Shenjiang’s ears and said softly, “Is it Gu Liyu, or Marquis Ross?”
At this moment, Lu Shenjiang still kept a tight lip and snorted coldly, “Those who know less live longer.”
“Is it?” Qianye’s hand relaxed slightly, and he dropped Lu Shenjiang to the ground with a simple hook using the back of his feet. Then, he stepped onto Lu Shenjiang’s knee and exerted his strength. Lu Shenjiang’s knee was crushed just like then amidst breaking noises.
Seeing that Qianye’s foot was going to land on his other leg, Lu Shenjiang finally screamed out in fear, “Don’t! I’ll speak! I’ll speak everything!”
“Who is it?” Qianye’s question was simple and straightforward.
“Both! There is both Gu Liyu and Marquis Ross. They both wish to see you dead! Can you let me go now?” Lu Shenjiang’s voice was very loud under nearly suffocating pain and panic. Many people had heard his words.
Qianye withdrew his right leg slowly before saying indifferently, “Alright. I can let you go once. But there isn’t going to be a second time, get it?”
“Get it! I get it!” Lu Shenjiang nodded like a chicken pecking at rice.
“Let’s go!” Qianye beckoned Ji Yaunjia and looked like he was about to leave. But just as he had taken two steps away, Qianye suddenly turned around and pointed the revolver of the Twin Flowers right at Lu Shenjiang’s forehead!