Chapter 45: Hard Stuff

Li You had long since grown accustomed to the dirty jokes and underworld slang mixed in among the mountain bandits; he stood up and reached for the quiver on his back. Since Wu Zhuge had been clamoring to see it that morning, the bow was already strung, so he quickly got the bow and arrows ready.

"Stop all that useless chatter, who’s going to cross blades with me?"

Wang Qiong had a favorable impression of Li You and spoke up to cut through the annoying laughter, holding a goose-quill saber in his hand. This saber inherited the design of the goose-quill sabers from the Song and Jin periods and had further developed during the Ming Dynasty, featuring a back-edge style that made it versatile for stabbing and striking, and it was favored by many.

The most famous example is the one in the National Museum collection, engraved with the eight characters "Tenth Year of Wanli, Qi Family of Dengzhou," which is recognized as a saber used by Qi Jiguang’s troops.

"Wang Tail, is your temper still as impatient as ever? Are you in such a rush to die?" A burly man with a hairy beard walked out laughing; it was Guo Kai, and they all recognized him.

What he held in his hand was a goose-wing saber; the blade head of this saber was relatively wider, and the back of the blade head had a serrated edge. Because the blade head was wide and heavy, it was suited for heavy chopping, but this saber was not considered a mainstream sidearm in the Ming Dynasty because its stabbing and striking capabilities were relatively weak.

There were no rules or opening remarks about "stopping at a touch and not harming the peace." As soon as the two men stepped away from the tables and chairs and reached the open ground, Wang Qiong took the initiative with a swift, shearing charge, launching a vertical chop with an "open door to see the mountain" move. Guo Kai let out a cold snort, stepped back slightly, and suddenly stepped forward with a hanging-chop strike...

Both men’s fighting styles consisted mostly of individual moves, including techniques like lifting, stabbing, intercepting, blocking, slashing, wiping, carrying, wrapping, and covering, but they were essentially just stringing these individual moves together into a flurry of exchanges.

However, Wang Qiong’s fighting style was clearly too straightforward; there were no feints, and he only resorted to defensive moves and counterattacks after his blade momentum had spent itself and missed.

In the end, Wang Qiong’s breathing became ragged, and he was caught in an opening by Guo Kai, who unleashed a flying slash. Although Wang Qiong managed to parry with his saber, a bloodstain still appeared on his shoulder; if Wang Qiong hadn't reacted in time, he likely would have been cut down by that blow.

This setup was practically like risking one's life; how was this anything like a saber duel?

"Do bandits not cherish their lives at all?" Li You muttered to himself.

It went without saying that Guo Kai won this round, and this "opening victory" made the Mao'erba bandits, who were on their home turf, even more arrogant. Liu Jianbao and Liu Jianchen were also beaming with joy, occasionally casting sidelong glances at Wu Zhuge’s livid expression, feeling extremely satisfied inside.

They thought: "Just a straw bag, letting a bird-brained fool like you become the leader of Longmen Shanzhai. Just wait and see; when the time comes, everything in Longmen Shanzhai will be mine! The iron mine, too! The salt field, too! And that slut Da Yun'er!"

At this moment, how could Wu Zhuge care about what Liu Jianbao was thinking?

Watching Wang Qiong lose, he felt a sense of panic; if it were truly a six-to-four split with Mao'erba, wouldn't his Longmen Shanzhai be suppressed?

In such a situation, could the other leaders be convinced? Could the brothers be convinced?

Although bandits would establish their own order and spheres of influence, this order was extremely chaotic and brutal. The leaders were loyal to the supreme chief, but they would always carefully control their own confidants so that they could make more favorable choices at critical moments, such as defecting or throwing themselves into the embrace of another complex bandit group.

How could Wu Zhuge not know these principles?

Having previously killed his own uncle and snatched his aunt, Da Yun'er, he had already lost quite a bit of support. If he were to lose to the Liu Jianbao brothers first in the competition against Boss Zhu, how much longer could he remain the head leader?

While Wu Zhuge was in a daze, Wu Nai had already taken his spear and walked past Li You; the sight of the spear shaft made Li You feel a bit dazed...