Chapter 37: Ten Years of Drinking Ice, Hard to Cool the Hot Blood

In the sea of fire, Yagyu Ichiro waved his Tachi frantically, pressing Lin Zuo step by step.

Because he had to save Tang Zheng earlier, Lin Zuo lost the initiative and could only adopt a defensive posture for a time, feeling very uncomfortable under Yagyu Ichiro's pressure.

Suddenly, Yagyu Ichiro rotated his body ninety degrees, his Tachi cutting horizontally toward Lin Zuo's head. Lin Zuo subconsciously used the oar in his hand to block.

However, the oar was made of wood, and it was split in two by this strike. Yagyu Ichiro's blade did not stop, and it looked like it was about to cut into Lin Zuo's forehead.

No sooner said than done, Lin Zuo remained calm in the face of danger. He kicked the broken half of the oar. Receiving this force, the oar struck Yagyu Ichiro's face like a cannonball.

If Yagyu Ichiro did not withdraw his blade, he could indeed cut Lin Zuo's head in two, but at the same time, his own face would be smashed to pieces by the oar.

The choice of mutual destruction never appeared in Yagyu Ichiro's options, at least not until it was absolutely necessary.

So he immediately tilted his head back, and the half-oar flew past his head, knocking his bamboo hat away.

His blade's momentum was also affected. Lin Zuo took the opportunity to perform an "iron bridge" maneuver, narrowly avoiding Yagyu Ichiro's fatal strike, though the blade's wind cut his scholar's cap, and his hair fell loose.

The distance between the two returned to about three meters, and they stood in a cold standoff.

Seeing Yagyu Ichiro's ferocious face and the ugly scar on it, Lin Zuo suddenly had a strange feeling, as if this scene had appeared in his dreams more than once.

Ever since his master died, he had fantasized and looked forward to meeting Yagyu Ichiro countless times to avenge his master with his own hands, and now, the opportunity had finally come.

Ten years of drinking ice, hard to cool the hot blood.

Looking back after a hundred years, one asks for the long tassel.

"Yagyu Ichiro, we meet again." Lin Zuo said coldly.

"How do you recognize me?"

"Do you remember the scar on your head?" Lin Zuo pointed to Yagyu Ichiro's forehead.

"So you are that boy from ten years ago." Yagyu Ichiro thought for a moment, revealing a look of sudden realization: "No wonder you look familiar. Are you here specifically to avenge your master?"

"Not exactly." Lin Zuo shook his head: "The task assigned to me from above was to investigate the water transport corruption and the River Demon case. I didn't expect to run into you, but I will never miss the opportunity to avenge my master."

"Just by yourself?" A ferocious smile appeared on Yagyu Ichiro's face. He was very confident in his skills; apart from Tang Xiao back then, no one had been able to defeat him in a one-on-one duel.

"Your master died at my hands ten years ago. Do you want to follow in his footsteps today?"

"If it weren't for sneak attacks and insidious poisoning, you would never have been my master's match."

"So what? The final result is that he is the one who died." Yagyu Ichiro said while glancing around.

He saw more than ten small boats rowing toward the large ship. Su Shanhe stood at the bow of the lead boat, shouting: "Row faster, go support Commander Lin."

His heart skipped a beat. If these people surrounded the large ship, he would be in trouble.

"Your name is Lin Zuo, right? Any interest in making a deal with me?"

"No." Lin Zuo answered without hesitation.

"Now that we are all trapped on a burning ship, if we keep fighting, we will both die. I still have a weapon in hand; the first to die will definitely be you." Yagyu Ichiro said viciously: "Let me go, and I will give you whatever you want."

"I want the country to be prosperous and the people to live in peace. I want your head to offer as a sacrifice to my master's spirit in heaven."

"ばか！" (Bastard!) Yagyu Ichiro couldn't help but curse: "You are just like your master, stubborn fools. How much money can you make by working so hard? Do you know how much money Li Sheng got for cooperating with me?"

"I don't want to know."

While speaking, Lin Zuo threw away the remaining half of the oar, took the Black Umbrella he always carried from his back, tore off the umbrella cord tied to it, and tied up his hair, which had been messed up by the wind.

He suddenly tore open his lapels, revealing the neatly worn Embroidered Uniform Guard Flying Fish Suit inside, and tore off the scholar's robe, throwing it into the fire nearby.

The wind blew, making his hair fly and his Flying Fish Suit rustle. The firelight reflected on his chiseled cheeks, making him look exceptionally heroic.

"My master told me one thing before he died, which I have always kept in mind. Master said..."

As Lin Zuo spoke, he pressed his other hand onto the umbrella handle and slowly drew it. A gleaming Embroidered Spring Blade was drawn from the umbrella handle.

The four characters "National Scholar Unparalleled" engraved on the blade were exceptionally eye-catching in the firelight.

This was the very Embroidered Spring Blade that his master Tang Xiao had left behind. For ten years, Lin Zuo had carried it with him on every mission, but this was the first time he had truly used it.

The moment he gripped the hilt, a power that was hard to describe rose from his limbs and bones, and his master's appearance when he said those words surfaced before his eyes.

"Let others be petty and sycophantic, I shall be a National Scholar Unparalleled!"

Before the words faded, Lin Zuo stepped forward, his body rushing toward Yagyu Ichiro, suddenly changing from passive defense to aggressive attacks in every move.

A storm of clashing blades rang out, and the two figures moved so fast that only afterimages could be seen.

Yagyu Ichiro became more and more alarmed as he fought. At first, seeing Lin Zuo's young age, he always felt that he only sat in the position of Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander because of his master's reputation and might not have much real skill.

Unexpectedly, after exchanging blows, he found he was terribly wrong. Lin Zuo's blade technique was not inferior to his at all, and with that iron-cutting Embroidered Spring Blade in his hand, he actually gained the upper hand.

If this continued, even if he could hold on for a while, Su Shanhe had already brought troops to surround them, and his end would be miserable sooner or later.

Yagyu Ichiro was also a ruthless person. Thinking of this, he suddenly revealed a flaw, deliberately pretending to stumble, exposing a large opening in his abdomen.

Lin Zuo naturally would not miss such a good opportunity and kicked Yagyu Ichiro's lower abdomen directly. The latter was kicked away, spitting out a mouthful of blood while still in mid-air.

Lin Zuo wanted to pursue, but saw Yagyu Ichiro suddenly raise his hand, shooting several black Ninja Darts from his palm, whistling toward him.

Back then, his master had accidentally been scratched by one of these Ninja Darts, which led to his death from poison. Lin Zuo naturally would not take the risk and retreated suddenly, dodging the Ninja Darts.

But his action gave Yagyu Ichiro a rare chance to breathe. The latter used the distance created by Lin Zuo's kick, turned, and leaped over the gunwale. While in mid-air, he spread his hands to pull a mechanism, and a pair of bat-like wings suddenly popped out from his ribs.

Yagyu Ichiro used this to glide toward the distant bank, and Tang Zheng followed closely, leaping over the gunwale, chasing after him with his "water-walking" light martial arts... ### CHAPTER 38