Chapter 301: The Iron Fan Inner Armor

On the Official Road, the black smoke and poisonous mist had already dispersed, revealing the shattered carriages, the horses and bailiffs poisoned to death, and the eight large craters blasted into the road surface where the explosives had been buried...

Right at the site of the explosion, several zhang to the east along the Official Road, six figures were currently locked in a tangled fight.

Blood threads floated and squirmed around Yu Lieting's entire body; he held a copper hammer, heavy and powerful, spinning in his hand like a wheel as he smashed it toward Zhu Qunxiang.

Zhu Qunxiang's face was deathly pale, and he dodged with repeated leaps like a rabbit.

Both he and Yu Lieting were at the True Qi Realm First Stage; when the two had first begun to fight, Yu Lieting's style of swinging the copper hammer in wide, sweeping motions had already pressed him until he couldn't catch his breath.

Fortunately, by relying on his agile figure and sword techniques, he had gradually steadied his footing and managed not to be crushed by Yu Lieting's fierce onslaught.

After some probing, both had become familiar with the other's Martial Technique; Yu Lieting had excess ferocity but lacked agility, while Zhu Qunxiang was the opposite.

Next, they entered a state of tangled combat.

Half a stick of incense later, both had expended a great deal of energy; Zhu Qunxiang had tried several times to use his agile movement and sword techniques to stab Yu Lieting, but Yu Lieting's copper hammer whistled with wind, and he could not get close at all.

Just as they were at a stalemate, blood threads suddenly erupted all over Yu Lieting's body, and from that moment on, the situation took a sharp turn.

With the floating, squirming blood threads protecting his body, Yu Lieting had no scruples and invaded aggressively, putting Zhu Qunxiang in constant peril.

In his haste, Zhu Qunxiang suddenly discovered that Lu Qingfeng and Wang Shanshan, not far away, were encountering almost the same situation, with blood shadows flickering before them as well...

Zhu Qunxiang parried with difficulty, struggling to keep up, but under Yu Lieting's relentless, explosive barrage of attacks, he gradually began to show signs of defeat.

Yu Lieting surged forward wildly, his hammer swinging like a wheel, forcing Zhu Qunxiang to retreat repeatedly; seeing that he could not dodge in time, Zhu Qunxiang had no choice but to swing his sword to resist head-on.

His sword technique excelled in agility, but he was now forced into a head-on confrontation by Yu Lieting. This was attacking the enemy's strength with his own weakness, and he had already fallen into an inferior position.

After blocking several times, the web between Zhu Qunxiang's thumb and forefinger was already trembling, and his weapon was nearly knocked from his hand, yet Yu Lieting fought with increasing ferocity, his force stacking layer upon layer, arriving in a continuous stream.

With a "Bang—" sound, Zhu Qunxiang's Long Sword finally flew from his hand; the web of his hand was already mangled, and after supporting himself through several hard blocks, his palm was already smeared with blood and flesh.

Yu Lieting smashed Zhu Qunxiang's weapon away with one hammer blow, a ferocious grin on his lips, and swung the copper hammer down toward Zhu Qunxiang's chest.

If this hammer blow landed solidly, Zhu Qunxiang would be dead or crippled, but having been hammered repeatedly by Yu Lieting, Zhu Qunxiang's breath was chaotic and his movements were hindered; he could not dodge in time.

Zhu Qunxiang's face was as pale as paper as he watched the shadow of the hammer fall toward his chest, a flash of fear in his eyes; just then, a large hand like a platter suddenly reached out from behind him and grabbed the copper hammer.

The circumference of the long-handled copper hammer was a circle larger than a human head, and having been swung repeatedly by Yu Lieting, its force was stacked and enough to split mountains and break stones.

Yet that large hand met it directly, grabbing the copper hammer and causing it to stall in mid-air. Then, using that momentum, it pressed down, grabbed the copper hammer, and smashed it back toward Yu Lieting.

Yu Lieting was startled; he saw a massive black shadow like a mountain of flesh flash, and his right hand, which was gripping the long handle of the copper hammer, was snapped open by an incredible force. Then he saw a large hand grabbing his own copper hammer, and as the black shadow swayed, it smashed toward him.

The sudden turn of events left Yu Lieting with no time to react, but the blood threads floating and squirming around his body were exceptionally sensitive; they instantly gathered and bulged, like a clump of sand, and collided toward the shadow of the hammer.

Like a flash of lightning, the blood threads collapsed upon contact, and the hammer shadow held by the large hand smashed Yu Lieting's head to pieces.

Yu Lieting had not even seen who the newcomer was before he was dead.

Zhu Qunxiang stood there in a daze; he had only felt a massive black shadow flash behind him, and the next moment, Yu Lieting's head had turned into mush, and a headless bloody corpse fell before him.

A Mo threw the blood-smeared copper hammer down with a clatter, looked at Zhu Qunxiang, and asked, "Have you seen my Young Miss?"

Zhu Qunxiang looked at A Mo, who was bathed in blood with flesh splattered all over her face, and couldn't help but shiver, saying tremblingly, "No... I haven't seen... haven't seen Young Miss Qingzhu..."

A Mo's eyes flashed as she glanced at the two blood shadows fighting with Lu Qingfeng and Wang Shanshan not far away, but she did not intervene.

Lu Qingfeng, Wang Shanshan, and Zhu Qunxiang were fighting together; since Zhu Qunxiang didn't know where the Young Miss had gone, how would they know?

A Mo leaped, and her figure vanished from this side of the Official Road.

Zhu Qunxiang looked at A Mo's back, which was stained red with blood and flesh, and suddenly felt a bit fortunate; along the way, A Mo had often given him a hard time, even once saying she would tear him apart by hand, but he had never dared to fall out with her. Now it seemed he had been wise.

"Zhu Qunxiang, aren't you coming over to help?"

Wang Shanshan suddenly shouted. Zhu Qunxiang turned his head to look and saw Lu Qingfeng and Wang Shanshan still locked in a tangled fight with the two blood shadows; he adjusted his breath, picked up the weapon that had fallen by the side of the Official Road, and joined the fray...

It is said that after Fan Yuanhai left Xiangu County, he galloped his horse wildly the entire way, the whip in his hand lashing bloody welts onto the horse's rump.

Fan Yuanhai watched the green shadows of the mountains and fields on both sides of the Official Road flashing incessantly behind him, and a wave of wild joy surged uncontrollably in his heart.

As long as he captured Duan Rong, not only would he solve the cases of Xie Lei and Xu Ruhu, but he would also solve the case of Xie Daohan's murder; this was absolutely a great achievement.

With such a great achievement, his promotion to Inner Sect Disciple would be within reach!

Fan Yuanhai did not rest for a single breath, running his steed until it was foaming at the mouth, yet the horse whip continued to lash out desperately...

Seeing that he had already run a distance of seventy or eighty li, Fan Yuanhai estimated that he should be catching up to Zhu Qunxiang and the others.

Sure enough, as Fan Yuanhai charged up a ridge, he saw several black dots in the distance ahead rising and falling on the ridge. Fan Yuanhai's eyes lit up with joy, and he lashed the horse's rump with a whip until the flesh tore; the horse, feeling the pain, kicked its hooves desperately and galloped forward.

Fan Yuanhai charged over three or four more ridges, and seeing that he was only seven or eight zhang away from Zhu Qunxiang and the others, Fan Yuanhai's pupils constricted as he stared at the second of the four official carriages in the middle.

He knew that Duan Rong was sitting in that carriage.

But just at this moment, there were several loud "Boom, boom, boom" sounds, and suddenly, black smoke billowed up on the Official Road ahead. The shattered, flying carriages were instantly engulfed by the rising black smoke, and several figures darted out from the black smoke in disarray, scattering and falling...

Fan Yuanhai was greatly alarmed and reined in his horse to a halt. His heart stirred, as if he had just thought of something, but at that moment, a figure suddenly leaped out from the wild land beside the Official Road; a flash of cold light appeared in mid-air, stabbing toward his face.

Fan Yuanhai felt a chill on his scalp, and the hairs all over his body stood on end; this sword strike came unexpectedly and was extremely precise.

In his haste, Fan Yuanhai circulated his True Qi, stepped on the stirrups with both feet, and his entire body flew backward like a falling leaf.

Ge Qingchuan, however, tapped her toes on the saddle, her figure suddenly leaped, and she pressed toward Fan Yuanhai in mid-air again, the Long Sword in her hand still flashing with cold light as it pointed toward Fan Yuanhai's face.

The moment Fan Yuanhai's body left the saddle, his right hand reached toward his lower back, and a Refined Steel Iron Fan was already in his hand; at this moment, with a "ding" sound, he slapped the Iron Fan against the tip of the sword stabbing toward him.

When Fan Yuanhai's Iron Fan slapped against the sword tip, he only felt a softness in his hand, as if he had hit empty air.

The sword tip had actually bent into a huge arc; it was a Soft Sword!

The forging process for a Soft Sword is complex and precise, definitely not something an ordinary blacksmith could craft, and such weapons had long since ceased to circulate in the world.

Anyone capable of using a Soft Sword is definitely no ordinary person.

Fan Yuanhai's Iron Fan slapped the sword head, and Ge Qingchuan flicked her wrist, causing the sword tip to sway with a clattering sound; the white, blinding sword light made Fan Yuanhai's eyes dizzy.

The sword shadow was right before his eyes; Fan Yuanhai flicked his wrist, and with a "cha" sound, the Iron Fan suddenly unfolded. Fan Yuanhai gripped the Iron Fan and slapped the fan face against the Soft Sword.

In mid-air, one holding a sword and one holding a fan, the two had already exchanged several moves.

Both Fan Yuanhai and Ge Qingchuan had excellent Lightness Skill, and Ge Qingchuan's sudden attack had not gained the slightest advantage over Fan Yuanhai.

The two landed gracefully. Fan Yuanhai protected his chest with the Iron Fan, looking at Ge Qingchuan with cold, sharp eyes; he saw that although Ge Qingchuan was dressed in men's clothing, her skin was like snow, her eyes were like ripples, and her throat was smooth—she was clearly a woman.

But this beautiful woman had just nearly taken his life.

Fan Yuanhai glanced at the Official Road behind Ge Qingchuan, where black smoke was billowing, and glared at her, asking, "Who are you? How dare you attack a Sect Emissary?"

Ge Qingchuan chuckled and said, "So it is the Imperial Envoy! What impressive official authority you have!"

Ge Qingchuan flicked her Soft Sword, and like a venomous snake spitting out its tongue, it struck toward Fan Yuanhai.

The tip of the Soft Sword quivered, and for a moment, Fan Yuanhai could not discern its direction, so he waved his fan and struck directly at it.

Fan Yuanhai utilized his movement technique, intending to close in and launch an attack, but Ge Qingchuan's Soft Sword, like a whip or a dart, appeared and disappeared unpredictably, forcing back all of Fan Yuanhai's several attempts to seize the initiative.

Fan Yuanhai's Lightness Skill and his Martial Technique were a matched set of family-inherited martial arts; when executed, they were elusive and swift, making them impossible to guard against. Yet, Ge Qingchuan's mastery of the Soft Sword seemed to specifically counter his movement style, constantly swaying like the head of a snake about to strike, ready to deliver a fatal blow the moment an opportunity arose.

Fan Yuanhai's intuition was correct; this martial art of Ge Qingchuan's Soft Sword was called the Spirit Snake Sword Technique. Its suppression of Fan Yuanhai's elegant movement style was quite evident.

The two traded blows, and after a fierce struggle, both of Fan Yuanhai's shoulders had been nicked; although the wounds were not serious, Fan Yuanhai's heart sank, for he could already faintly hear the sounds of fighting and weapons clashing coming from all around.

The explosion on the Official Road was clearly caused by someone having planted explosives in advance, and as luck would have it, the sword technique of the person before him happened to counter his own elegant movement style.

This was absolutely no coincidence! It was an organized, premeditated plot!

Fan Yuanhai caught a whiff of a chilling, dangerous aura!

Fan Yuanhai considered whether he should retreat first. Although capturing Duan Rong would be a great achievement, it was not worth risking his own life.

Seeing such danger, preserving his life was the priority!

Unlike the horses in the black smoke on the Official Road, which had all been poisoned to death, Fan Yuanhai had not entered the black smoke. Not far away, the steed he had ridden all the way here was still standing by the side of the road eating grass; as long as he shook off the entanglement of the person before him and fled on horseback, he should be able to escape the danger!

Having made up his mind, Fan Yuanhai decided to take a desperate risk, planning to injure Ge Qingchuan so he could quickly leave this place of trouble.

Ge Qingchuan's Soft Sword struck again; Fan Yuanhai seized the moment, suddenly using his Iron Fan to hook and roll, actually wrapping Ge Qingchuan's Soft Sword around the fan, and then he turned his body and struck out with a palm from his left hand toward Ge Qingchuan's chest.

Fan Yuanhai felt a surge of joy; this move of his was an improvised change, and his eyes were sharp and his hands fast!

The distance between the two was already very close, and the angle at which Fan Yuanhai struck this palm was extremely strange and tricky; Ge Qingchuan had no way to block it and had to abandon her sword and jump away to avoid the palm.

And Fan Yuanhai was precisely trying to force Ge Qingchuan to discard her weapon.

Once Ge Qingchuan lost her weapon, the Soft Sword that countered his movement style could not be used, and he could take the opportunity to slip away.

Seeing this palm was but a few inches from Ge Qingchuan's chest, Fan Yuanhai thought this move would surely succeed, but just at that moment, the hand Ge Qingchuan used to hold the sword hilt suddenly pulled, and with a flash of cold light, Fan Yuanhai's left arm was severed at the elbow.

Moreover, that cold light suddenly thrust out from amidst the splashing blood, striking straight for Fan Yuanhai's throat!

The Soft Sword in Ge Qingchuan's hand was actually a Mother-Child Sword, a sword hidden within a sword!

Such a sudden change was completely unexpected!

Fan Yuanhai had no time to think and retreated violently, but the sword in Ge Qingchuan's hand was like a maggot on a tarsal bone, following him like a shadow; the sword body shook with a rattling sound, and the sword tip, like the head of a spirit snake, swayed back and forth until it suddenly veered and thrust toward Fan Yuanhai's chest.

Fan Yuanhai was terrified; it was already too late for him to swing his Iron Fan to defend.

Just as Fan Yuanhai was about to lose his life, a massive black shadow like a mountain of flesh flashed over and smashed a fist into Ge Qingchuan's chest.

Ge Qingchuan took this heavy blow and was instantly sent flying backward!

In mid-air, she performed a backflip and landed, looking with terror at A Mo, who was standing in front of Fan Yuanhai.

"Eh?" A Mo let out a puzzled sound; she had originally thought her punch would have punched a hole through Ge Qingchuan's chest, but she had not expected Ge Qingchuan to be able to take her punch head-on and land safely.

She could tell that Ge Qingchuan did not possess any hard-body martial arts.

A Mo soon saw the clue: the clothing on Ge Qingchuan's chest where she had been struck was torn into a large hole, revealing a piece of grayish-brown material that seemed to be woven from some kind of tiny scales.

A Mo's eyes jumped. "It's Inner Armor!?"

Actually, the Young Miss also had a piece of Inner Armor, but she never liked to wear it, and A Mo had never before forced Lv Qingzhu to do anything she did not want to do. But she had already decided that after this matter, the Young Miss must wear that Inner Armor.

Ge Qingchuan spat a mouthful of thick blood onto the ground. Although she wore Inner Armor, her internal organs had been shaken by A Mo's punch, and her internal energy was in chaos.

Looking at A Mo, who was covered in blood and splattered with bits of flesh on her face, she felt a great surge of fear!

No one knew better than the person who had arranged the troops and formations what it meant for A Mo to be standing here.

"You killed Fan Hanzhou?"

A Mo glanced at Ge Qingchuan and ignored her entirely; Ge Qingchuan was wearing Inner Armor, and killing her would take effort, which she had no time for right now.

A Mo only turned to look at Fan Yuanhai and said, "When did you arrive? Did you see my Young Miss?"

Seeing that A Mo did not answer, Ge Qingchuan's eyes flickered, and she suddenly moved, darting into the Wild Forest beside the Official Road and disappearing.

Fan Yuanhai watched Ge Qingchuan leave; cold sweat poured down his forehead, and he gave a bitter smile, saying, "I arrived just as the explosion happened! I did not see Young Miss Qingzhu."

Having received her answer, A Mo leaped and disappeared from before Fan Yuanhai's eyes...

(End of chapter)