Chapter 61: Dust Settles

"Step, step, step!"

Feng Yi held the Blood Blade, deliberately walking very slowly and heavily, kicking up dust on the ground; each footfall sounded like stepping on everyone's heart, making people's hearts pound involuntarily.

And that Blood Blade Old Ancestor, whom everyone feared three parts, had lost his arrogant, overbearing aura; his face was as pale as paper, his head drenched in sweat, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth staining his chest with specks, as Feng Yi stepped closer he staggered back step by step, like a frail bamboo in the wind, his condition utterly miserable.

But the blood on his severed arm kept dripping, yet he didn't utter a sound of pain, as if that arm wasn't his at all.

Around were mostly blood‑licking bladesmen who killed without blinking; seeing this, they were all moved.

The Blood Blade Old Ancestor's steadfastness deserves everyone's respect.

Feng Yi suddenly shouted and rushed forward two steps.

The Blood Blade Old Ancestor retreated three steps with a thud, his back hitting the street wall, he sat down, gritting his teeth, enduring the pain, stiffening his neck, and loudly said: "If you want to kill me, kill me; tormenting people is not what a hero does."

His desperate, end‑of‑the‑road appearance made Feng Yi feel a stimulation he had never known before, and a satisfaction he had never experienced.

That feeling far surpassed tricking Ding Dian into passing on his skills, forcing Ling Tui Si to comply, defeating "Falling Flowers Flowing Water," and forcing Hua Tiegan to be struck from the rolls! "Hero?"

Feng Yi smirked, lifted his face, and said arrogantly: "After all, we're all just out here making a living; nobody is more noble than anyone else. The most important thing is to keep one's word."

"Saying I'll cut off your limbs with the Blood Blade means I will cut off your limbs!"

Everyone agreed deeply, each nodding.

Di Yun could no longer bear it and shouted: "You old beast, breaking my junior sister's arm—you're utterly wicked."

Di Yun had his mute point sealed by the Blood Blade Old Ancestor striking his pressure point with a stone, but everyone knew that, gravely wounded, the Old Ancestor couldn't send his energy through the meridians; even if Di Yun had never practiced high‑level internal arts, breaking through the mute point outright would not be surprising.

For when a person faces a great peril or intense upheaval, latent potential bursts forth, often enabling feats impossible under normal circumstances.

For example, during a fire emergency, a weakling who can't even truss a chicken can often lift a thousand jin.

And the essence of practicing profound martial arts is actually to uncover each person's potential.

This is why some can master divine arts in just a few years, while others train a lifetime in profound martial arts and still achieve nothing—it's simply a matter of individual innate talent.

It's like a three‑year‑old's body trying to bear a thousand jin—no matter what, it's impossible.

The Blood Blade Old Ancestor had just used Qi Fang as a hostage, tearing her sleeve and breaking her arm.

Qi Fang was the person most dear to Yun in his heart; in extreme grief and indignation, his vital energy surged, and the sealed mute point burst open.

And Qi Fang, having suffered humiliation and a broken arm, angry, anxious, and in pain, couldn't catch her breath and fainted.

Di Yun checked her breath; feeling she still breathed, he relaxed a bit. Otherwise, given his temperament, he wouldn't have just shouted abuse—he would have rushed forward to fight to the death.

The Blood Blade Old Ancestor naturally paid no heed to Yun's insults, but seeing Feng Yi approach with blade in hand, he lost all his spirit, his eyes filling with fear.

This wasn't greed for life or fear of death; rather, the thought of Feng Yi's vicious words frightened him even more than death itself.

But fear cannot solve the problem.

He had just intended to destroy Qi Fang and fight Feng Yi to the death, but even exhausting all his strength, he failed to achieve his goal.

So he must pay the price for that.

Feng Yi stood before the Blood Blade Old Ancestor, looking down on him, his hand trembling slightly; the Blood Blade is a Burmese sword, truly a flexible treasure forged from repeatedly refined steel—when inner energy is stirred, it flares like a sudden rise of red flame, humming like bees.

Feng Yi gave a light slash; the Blood Blade, as thin as paper, hissed, and he praised: "What a fine blade!"

Everyone knew that this fine blade in Feng Yi's hands was like adding wings to a tiger, but for the Blood Blade Old Ancestor it was a nightmare come true.

Everyone remembered Feng Yi's earlier words.

Why did he sheathe his sword and draw the Blood Blade? Was it because the sword couldn't kill? No, he wanted to make good on his words, using the Blood Blade that had brought the Old Ancestor fame through slaughter to chop off the other's limbs.

Then Feng Yi said: "I always strive to be fair in my deeds; considering you sent me a blade from afar…"

Speaking, he fixed his gaze on the Blood Blade Monk and said lightly: "If you kowtow three times to me, I'll only cut off your limbs—I won't drag you naked through the streets. How about that?"

The street fell into a hush; everyone wore a strange expression.

This really is damn fair!

The Blood Blade Monk hearing this was momentarily choked with anger; he already knew Feng Yi's intent, thinking: "This brat not only wants to torment me, but also make me kowtow begging for mercy, turning me completely into a laughingstock?"

He wanted to gather his strength and fight again, but his dantian felt like thousands of needles pricking, and he couldn't draw a breath. Even though the Blood Blade Old Ancestor was as crafty as a ghost, he had reached a dead end, at a loss.

Feng Yi flicked the Blood Blade with his finger; a clear tone rang in his ears as he smiled and said: "You know, I still have unfinished business with Prefect Ling; time is precious, so I've given you a chance—you'd better make good use of it!"

The Blood Blade Old Ancestor's heart pounded with fear and fury as he stared at Feng Yi, then suddenly shouted: "Feng Yi, you're more shameless than the Old Ancestor, more cruel and vicious—you're the greatest demonic heresy in the world! Had the Old Ancestor known you were like this earlier, who knows who would be lying down now!"

What he said isn't wrong; if you compare thickness of skin and ruthlessness of heart, he might not surpass Feng Yi.

But Feng Yi's attitude toward good people is one thing; toward evildoers he is even harsher, with a reckless, abandon‑all‑cares frenzy.

It is this person‑dependent wickedness that let the Blood Blade Old Ancestor suffer a great loss before Feng Yi—losing his arm and facing imminent death.

For after hearing Feng Yi's deeds and seeing with his own eyes how he dealt with Di Yun and Qi Fang, everything about him exuded a great‑hero aura.

Thus, when faced with adversity, he lavished praise on Feng Yi, begged for mercy, saying things like "I will never set foot in the Central Plains again," and, given his exalted status, one could say he had already given Feng Yi ample face.

If it were a great hero like "Falling Flowers Flowing Water," he would naturally stop after achieving good—thus gaining fame for subduing the Blood Blade Old Ancestor, saving people, and taking no risk; why not?

Too bad he threw all those flirtatious glances at a blind man.

The foremost quality of a great hero is sacrificing self‑interest to benefit the many—that is self‑lessness for others—and Feng Yi has not realized that level.

All he has is, within his ability, letting good people reap good rewards and bad people meet their due, and he is unwilling to profit at others' expense.

At most he has a bit of chivalrous heart, still falling short of those great heroes who win people over with virtue.

Thus, the Blood Blade Old Ancestor was forced to issue an ultimatum using Qi Fang's life—yet Feng Yi still struck.

Even so, the Blood Blade Old Ancestor never gave up; in his continued struggle with Feng Yi, he risked tearing Qi Fang's clothes and crushing her arm, all to unleash a final fierce killing move.

Just then, seeing the Blood Blade Old Ancestor again grappling with him, Feng Yi was startled when he suddenly struck at Qi Fang.

He himself knew his inner power wasn't pure enough; having been slashed on the left shoulder by the Blood Blade Old Ancestor and not yet recovered, he forced himself to hold the Old Ancestor, making his counter‑strike slow.

In that situation, trying to save a person from the Blood Blade Old Ancestor—a seasoned combat expert—while also wanting to kill him, is indeed a dilemma.

But he hadn't expected that, in this life‑or‑death instant, the Blood Blade Old Ancestor breaking Qi Fang's wrist would be for that reason—he soon realized the Old Ancestor wanted exactly that line of thought.

That Blood Blade, supple as a snake, shot out from Qi Fang's body like rain from heaven, countless silver arcs, already covering his whole body's pressure points; its power is so strong it can be called unparalleled.

Although Feng Yi wore the Black Silkworm Armor, which makes him fearless of blades, facing this storm‑like sword technique—with its illusions and real strikes—where will his final landing point be?

Feng Yi, in that instant, was somewhat unable to tell.

After all, the Blood Blade Old Ancestor's fighting spirit is unmatched; he knows that once he engages Feng Yi, it means death, with no other way.

Yet, trapped in a deadly situation, he still must desperately drag Feng Yi down with him; that is his only thought.

Only with unceasing breath and unending battle is he the Blood Blade Old Ancestor.

In a duel between masters, victory hangs by a thread; everything follows the mind's impulse. After all, the Blood Blade Old Ancestor has but one thought: he cares nothing for Qi Fang, whether she lives or dies is utterly irrelevant.

In contrast, Feng Yi wishes to save Qi Fang, but his left arm injury has not healed, making him less agile than usual; the Blood Blade Old Ancestor's move is elusive and hard to grasp, and Feng Yi knows he intends to drag him down, so the attack can only land on the throat or chest.

Feng Yi can be said to have his mind and spirit divided; in this situation he leans back, performs the Iron Bridge technique, uses his left arm to fling Qi Fang backward, and with his right hand he extends his sword posture to guard his whole body, focusing his defense on the throat and chest—vital spots that could be fatal.

Who would have thought that the Blood Blade Old Ancestor's thrust would come, swift and elusive, appearing to envelop the whole body, yet just as Feng Yi leans back and flings someone, his left hand relaxes, gathering all his strength into his right hand; in a flick of the wrist, the rigid blood blade, like a live snake, suddenly went limp.

He did not aim for the lethal throat or chest, but instead stabbed directly at Feng Yi's abdomen, at the Qi Sea point.

Yes, it was Feng Yi's abdomen, protected by his treasure robe.

It turns out the Blood Blade Old Ancestor is rich in combat experience, having observed Feng Yi repeatedly display his martial arts for a long time, and thus has some understanding of his techniques and mindset.

He willingly took great risk, breaking Qi Fang's arm, just so Feng Yi could use his left hand to pull her to safety; but his right hand still had to resist his own incoming move, making it easy to misdirect his force.

Then he could slip in through the opening, but at that moment he did not insist on killing Feng Yi; merely wounding him would be satisfactory.

The Blood Blade Technique itself is inherently a feint to strike west while feinting east, weird and unpredictable; moreover, the Blood Blade Old Ancestor unleashes it after storing power, Feng Yi's guess was off, leaving him unable to block or dissolve it in time. When the blade edge neared his body, he could only steel himself and shout angrily, and at that very moment the Blood Blade Old Ancestor's strike landed squarely on his abdomen.

Yet where the blade tip reached, it felt tough and slick, not like piercing flesh and bone; the Blood Blade Old Ancestor had anticipated this, but he had gathered his body's final strength into the blade's tip.

His aim was to drive this sharp force into Feng Yi's dantian, so as to injure him.

If Feng Yi is injured, he too will meet the same fate today! This is Jingzhou!

Moreover, in the eyes of these martial artists, Feng Yi's head is worth more than his own.

This is the Blood Blade Old Ancestor's way of burial accompaniment.

But whether that force was actually released or not, as Feng Yi let out a loud shout, the Blood Blade Old Ancestor became befuddled.

He was already wounded, and just now those few moves had drained all his internal energy; the shock left him feeling somewhat dizzy.

In that brief moment of stunned hesitation, he felt a chill at his right elbow, and a spray of fresh blood shot straight up into the sky, landing him in his present state—life and death out of his control, subjected to humiliation.

In their final exchange, the techniques were mysterious, issued and retracted instantly, never making solid contact; the two stood within a hair's breadth, their lapels and sleeves flying, while Qi Fang's body blocked the view, so onlookers naturally could not perceive the subtlety.

All they saw was Feng Yi standing unharmed.

The Blood Blade Old Ancestor lay there, having lost an arm.

Feng Yi, though cursed by the Blood Blade Old Ancestor, calmly replied: "Just kowtow a few times and I won't strip your clothes; that's no loss, and perhaps the treasure elephant and Prefect Ling are hiding in the dark watching—delaying time, you might yet survive; this is no disgrace!"

The Blood Blade Old Ancestor gritted his teeth in hatred, yet was at his wit's end, with no recourse; he could only narrow his old eyes, light glinting in the slits: "Feng Yi!" he snarled through clenched teeth: "If a man lacks trustworthiness, who knows what he is capable of.

You claim you won't spare Ling Tui Si unless you kill him—isn't that a joke? Or perhaps you're already gravely wounded, merely putting on an act so that Prefect Ling dares not move against you!"

Feng Yi's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he snorted: "Exactly, I am just putting on an act—you'd better watch closely."

Suddenly the Blood Blade Old Ancestor felt a dazzling red light, his mouth ached, blood flashed, and with four puffs his limbs instantly turned cold.

In an instant, the Blood Blade Old Ancestor became a bloody, mangled mess, horrible to behold, save for his eyes wide open, full of hatred.

Because the Blood Blade Old Ancestor's tongue had been cut off, and his hands and feet severed from his body, blood flowed across the ground.

After that moment, the Blood Blade Old Ancestor felt pain surge throughout his body, emitting wretched cries; in the pool of blood he writhed in agony, rolling left and right, unable even to kill himself.

He finally tasted the pain that Shu Dai suffered when he had his legs cut off in the original plot.

Moreover, Feng Yi's strike was too incredible; he delivered one blade each to the Blood Blade Old Ancestor's mouth and four limbs, and though the moves were ordinary, the speed of their release and retrieval was like a single stroke, with no discernible order.

Although everyone knows the Blood Blade Old Ancestor spent his life committing myriad evils, his mind scheming and venomous beyond compare, deserving death, this gruesome sight was still too horrifying, prompting a unanimous outcry.

Qi Fang happened to wake up just then, hearing the Blood Blade Old Ancestor's wail, she glanced over and saw a bloody, quivering mass of flesh, and nearly fainted from fright.

Feng Yi, not knowing whether from fear or something else, also involuntarily shivered twice in succession.

Especially that shivering motion resembled the final move a man makes after finishing urination.

Feng Yi sighed: "I'm still soft-hearted, letting you wander the streets—I just can't bear it!"

Saying that, he turned to leave.

The battle between Feng Yi and the Blood Blade Sect, beginning at Wan Jia, has been unpredictable, like the winding Yellow River, with both sides wits and strength clashing in splendid variety; now, with the Blood Blade Old Ancestor reduced to this ghastly state, the dust has finally settled.

But after Feng Yi took two steps, he recalled something, turned back, lowered his body, pressed his sleeve against the Blood Blade Old Ancestor's corpse, and used the blood blade to cut open its garment.

The onlookers watched this scene, exchanging glances, wondering if he truly intended to strip the Blood Blade Old Ancestor's clothes to display them publicly.

Feng Yi lifted the Blood Blade Old Ancestor's clothing, finding only useless items like silver coins, not what he sought; he thought: "The Blood Blade Classic—he has mastered it completely, so he naturally need not carry it on his person; perhaps it is with his disciples.

Damn it, I don't know whether it's on those few corpses, on the living treasure elephant, or whether they didn't bring it at all this time."

Feng Yi pondered, his eyes shifted, he slowly rose, hoisted the blood blade onto his shoulder, and walked toward Yan Daping.

Yan Daping involuntarily trembled, stammering: "Hero Feng, I, I..."

Feng Yi extended his left hand, lightly resting it on his shoulder, his gaze weary, and said: "I hope you can be like this in the future as well!"

For a moment, Yan Daping's lips quivered, unable to speak, only feeling overwhelming gratitude.

Feng Yi lifted his left foot, and upon setting it down he had already spanned several zhang, reaching the edge of the crowd; the onlookers sensibly stepped aside, clearing a path.

Feng Yi shouldered the blood blade, head high and chest out, walked on.

One person resolutely declared: "Hero Feng, martial artists handle martial affairs, subduing demons and upholding the Dao—everyone bears responsibility; we wish to follow you, exerting our modest strength for the martial world, striking straight at the Blood Blade Sect's den of bandits!"

"Not bad!"

A young man in green robes also said: "Hero Feng, years ago my maternal sister was harmed by the Blood Blade Sect; we dared not provoke them, and for the sake of reputation we kept silent. Today you have slain the Blood Blade old villain, avenging my family's great grudge; I am untalented, but I wish to follow you left and right, leading the horse..."

Several men showed righteous resolve, their words moving, yet Feng Yi did not wait for them to finish; he wrapped the blood blade around his waist, laughed heartily, his voice like a dragon's roar, and in an instant he was more than ten zhang away.

The crowd saw his body light as drifting, like a white cloud scattering on the wind, leaving no dust; his lightness was superb, unprecedented, leaving them stunned for a while—today they finally understood what a master is! Someone glanced at the Blood Blade Old Ancestor still wailing in the blood, and stroked his chin.

How could one make use of this cripple to gain fame without claiming heaven's credit?

Yan Daping watched Feng Yi recede, his inner shock beyond words; no one knew that Feng Yi patted his own shoulder, and he felt a warm current surge through his body, his dantian heating up, and all the internal energy he had lost returned.

Yan Daping watched Feng Yi go away; the shock in his heart could not be greater, no one knew, Feng Yi patted his own shoulder, he then felt a warm current surge through his whole body, his dantian grew hot, and the internal energy he had previously lost all returned.

Although he had survived at Wan Jia, after being slapped by Feng Yi he could not muster his internal energy and thought he had become a cripple.

Who would have thought that upon meeting now, not only had his internal energy fully returned, it seemed even stronger than before.

Feng Yi always acts after careful planning, and with his foresight advantage he naturally employed preparatory measures to the utmost.

He had already realized that members of the Blood Blade Sect were present here.

Slapping Qi Fang's cheek was actually a blinding tactic, like covering her with mud and ash, making her lose color and causing the bandits to lose interest.

Crippling Yan Daping is also a valid reason.

He already knew that in the original plot Yan Daping had a good impression of Di Yun, so letting him leave with the two of them was also a form of insurance.

After all, Di Yun and Qi Fang are people who have never left home; even without the Blood Blade Sect harming them, he might not be able to return to his hometown in Xiangnan.

Therefore, that palm merely used the Divine Illumination Skill to suppress Yan Daping's internal energy; within a day he would recover his internal energy.

As for Feng Yi's move to let Yan Daping recover his internal energy…

Yan Daping himself understands.

All this happened because when the Blood Blade Patriarch abducted Qi Fang, he also drew his sword and intervened to protect her.

In an instant, Yan Daping's gaze became unfocused, as if he understood the saying: 'Do good deeds without asking about the future.'

He also thought that if he had behaved that way in the past, his master might have already passed the divine skill to him.

Di Yun also pressed his lips together, his face looking very grim.

He also did not know what qualifications he still had to seek revenge on Feng Yi in the future.

He was not a fool; at this point he realized that the Blood Blade Sect was a gang of rapists and plunderers, and with his junior sister fallen into their hands, what would the outcome be? Di Yun stared at his junior sister, let out a long sigh, lifted her up, placed her on the covered cart, and laid her beside Qi Changfa.

Qi Fang clenched her teeth, endured the pain, glanced at her father beside her, and tears slid down her pale cheeks.

She knew that from today onward, she had no right to avenge her father's murder.

She also understood the reasoning.

Feng Yi pursued the Blood Blade Monk, allowing himself to be taken hostage, which could make her feel guilty, but she could not expect him to save her! His move was exactly what the martial world calls 'exchanging one life for another.'

……

Feng Yi initially ran with incredible speed, passing through a long street, after a few leaps he turned into a small alley, where his steps slowed; just as he entered the alley, he suddenly staggered, braced his hand against the wall, and with a 'kah' spat out a large mouthful of black blood.

Struggling to lean against the wall corner, his face as pale as gold paper, he remained motionless, secretly thinking: 'The Blood Blade Patriarch truly lives up to his name—formidable, formidable!'

(End of chapter)