Chapter 1407: Death Duel

Wait — Third Uncle… Third Uncle!

A sudden flash of insight blazed through Qi Wang's mind. Third Uncle's expression and movements from moments ago resurfaced in his thoughts — that look of grim finality, something he had never seen in him before, as if he had already steeled himself for a certain outcome.

Could Third Uncle have already resolved to sacrifice himself?

No!

"I… I have to go save Third Uncle!" Qi Wang shot to his feet and thrust the papers back into Wei Zhongxian's hands. "Keep these yourself. We'll talk when Third Uncle and I get back!"

"Save him? Surrounded by that many men, how do you plan to?" Wei Zhongxian countered. "Young fellow, a bellyful of hot blood is a fine thing, but why throw your life away dashing an egg against a rock? Besides, the reason your Third Uncle is fighting with everything he has is precisely so you can live a comfortable life from now on. Why go against your elder's wishes?"

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Qi Wang raised his head, his voice sharp. "If I… if I took the money my Third Uncle bought with his life and went off to live in ease, would I still be human?!"

With that, he hurled the papers forcefully to the ground at Wei Zhongxian's feet. "I am an Embroidered Uniform Guard. The assignment my superiors gave me is to escort you to Fengyang. Until those orders change, what right do I have to abandon my post? You… you stay put and behave yourself. Once I've rescued Third Uncle, I'll escort you there!"

Hearing these words, Wei Zhongxian's expression turned peculiar, as if he could scarcely believe the other would say such a thing.

"You wait right here for us to come back. Don't go anywhere, unless you want to get yourself killed by some bandit out there!" Qi Wang's voice rang out, loud and clear, charged with a fierce, unyielding spirit. "If… if neither of us comes back, then you can leave on your own — and walk all the way to Fengyang!"

When he finished speaking, he spun around and charged back the way he had come without a backward glance. His bearing had reverted to the spirited confidence of before; the listlessness of the past few days was nowhere to be seen on him now.

Wei Zhongxian remained standing, watching Qi Wang leave just like that, and made no further attempt to stop him. His expression was not one of surprise — it was as if he had long anticipated Qi Wang would make this choice.

"Both of you, uncle and nephew, are true men. For you to have such an uncle, and for him to have such a nephew — that is your good fortune!" After a moment, he sighed, then bent down and slowly began picking up the scattered papers. "It's only a pity that in this Great Ming, there's no place for a true man to rise! I can only hope… only hope that you both come back alive."

Then, following Qi Wang's earlier instructions, he unhurriedly sat himself down on a rock beside the underbrush.

Qi Wang, bent low, sprinted madly back along the path they had come. He panted heavily, feeling as if every drop of blood in his body was boiling and blazing.

Concern for his Third Uncle had overwhelmed every other thought, driving out the anguish and indignation he had felt moments before. He tore through the thick grass, sending vegetation flying in all directions, like a fierce tiger rampaging through the mountain woods.

Just as he had predicted earlier, after driving off Qi Wang and Wei Zhongxian, Liu Songping had immediately stopped fleeing and instead returned to the spot he had just run from.

He had never intended to run from the start. His plan was to buy as much time as he could by himself, giving the other two a better chance to escape.

Because it had happened so suddenly, he had not had the chance to explain everything he had secretly arranged to Qi Wang, but he believed that if he failed to rejoin them, Wei Zhongxian would certainly tell Qi Wang about their deal, ensuring his life would not be thrown away in vain.

With no more worries to hold him back, what was there left to fear?

Driven by this thought, Liu Songping slowly raised his blade at the edge of the wild grassland and watched the approaching pursuers in silence.

This life of his should have ended over a decade ago. Having lived until now only because of attachments he could not let go of, he had already gained more than his due. Even if he lost it now, what was there to begrudge? A strange smile surfaced on his face.

Although the sudden appearance of those two to rescue Wei Zhongxian had caught them off guard, they had horses, after all. Once their initial shock passed, they quickly mounted up and gave chase. Among the several riders, Li Zhao was one of them.

Yet, to their surprise, only a single man stood blocking their path.

Li Zhao stared at his opponent with venomous malice, but the lesson from their last encounter had been far too searing. For the moment, he actually reined in his horse and came to a halt not far from Liu Songping. The others followed suit, likewise pulling up their mounts and encircling Liu Songping at a cautious distance.

"Where is Wei Zhongxian?" Li Zhao first glanced left and right, then barked the question at Liu Songping. "Where have you hidden him?"

"You don't actually think I'd tell you, do you?" Liu Songping countered, his face grave, his grip tightening on the blade in his hand.

Such an unceremonious reply made Li Zhao's face twist into something even more savage.

"I just don't understand. Wei Zhongxian is a phoenix that's already fallen from its perch — why go to such lengths to protect him? Hand him over obediently, and it's convenient for both of us. Isn't that better? Do you really believe that taking his money guarantees your safety? What use is money if you're dead?"

"What's the point of saying all this now?" Liu Songping remained unmoved. "More words are useless. Anyone with the guts, come on!"

"You!" Faced with Liu Songping's calm, contemptuous gaze, the hatred in Li Zhao's heart flared again.

Yet even so, he did not dare charge forward himself to teach this ungrateful bastard a lesson. He had crossed blades with Liu Songping that night, and he knew the man's martial skill surpassed his own. The slash Liu Songping had carved into his arm was still a bone-deep lesson to him even now.

As they spoke, more and more men caught up from behind, and these fresh arrivals emboldened Li Zhao further.

"Get him!" He swept his hand down heavily. "This man is an imperial fugitive — kill on sight! Whoever takes his head will be richly rewarded by the court!"

Spurred by his urging, a group of men warily closed in on Liu Songping. Even the few on horseback dismounted and moved to encircle him.

Yet even faced with such a siege, Liu Songping remained unflustered. He held his blade horizontally and sank into a low stance, letting the crowd tighten their ring around him. When they had closed to within a few feet, one of the Eastern Depot agents, blade in hand, finally lost his nerve, let out a strange howl, and hacked at Liu Songping's head.

Driven by that howl, the others struck at Liu Songping at the same moment. Liu Songping moved in that instant as well — he swept his blade in a wide arc around him, forcing the group back with powerful momentum, then thrust his sword straight at the Eastern Depot agent who had attacked first.

With a harrowing shriek, the agent's lower abdomen was pierced through. Blood sprayed in all directions, drenching the ground in scarlet. Liu Songping spared the man no further thought; without a moment's hesitation, he wrenched the bloodied blade from his body and immediately hacked at another man beside him. The ferocity, like that of a maddened tiger, so terrified his target that the man pulled back the blade he had been swinging at Liu Songping and desperately held it across his chest to block the slash, stumbling backward several steps.

Liu Songping followed the momentum of his blade, sinking low and weaving, slipping through the gaps between several enemies at hair's-breadth moments, occasionally lashing out with a return slash.

As the fierce combat dragged on, Liu Songping felt his body growing hotter and hotter, his chest burning as if he had downed several bowls of Xuzhou's strong liquor in a row. He panted like a lion or a tiger, his full attention fixed on every blade swinging toward him, launching merciless counterattacks.

The moment he had decided to stay and face these men head-on, he had given up any thought of leaving alive. All he hoped for was to delay them as long as possible, giving Qi Wang more time to get away.

Just then, he suddenly sensed something in the air above him. As he darted about, it fluttered against his face, stinging his skin with a faint prickle.

He soon realized it was snow falling from the sky.

Amid the sudden wind and snow, he felt no chill. The ice and snow melted on his face, mingling with his sweat as if coating him in a layer of oil and wax. His hair had come loose from its binding cloth during the intense fighting and now streamed wildly about his shoulders, making him look exactly like a lion or tiger that had broken free of its cage.

This man is terrifyingly formidable! Watching his performance, Li Zhao could not help but feel a chill creeping through him.

After their last exchange, he had already been deeply wary of Liu Songping's martial prowess. He had never imagined that when the man fought with everything he had, he would prove to be even stronger than before!

Thank heavens I didn't act rashly and rush into a reckless fight with him.

With this thought, Li Zhao steeled his heart. He pulled a hand crossbow from beside his saddle, then slowly nudged his horse toward the raging battle, careful not to draw Liu Songping's attention.

Liu Songping, fully immersed in the fierce melee, naturally did not notice Li Zhao's movements. He had wounded several men, but at the cost of adding a few wounds to his own body. Fortunately, none were in vital areas; aside from some pain, they did not hinder his movements, and the bleeding was minimal.

The pain from these wounds only further stoked Liu Songping's ferocity. He brandished his blade, its light a near-impenetrable blur, clashing incessantly with enemy weapons. Even in the heat of battle, he kept a calm, watchful eye on the movements of the enemies around him, searching for gaps he could exploit.

Just as he dodged a chest-level thrust from one man, an agent came howling down at him with a heavy chop. He barely managed to halt his momentum and slip lightly to the side. The agent, having swung at empty air with too much force, could not pull back his strength in time and pitched forward past him, exposing his shoulder.

Liu Songping naturally would not let such an opening pass. He twisted his hand and slashed upward from below with tremendous force. Amid a harrowing scream, the agent's arm was severed cleanly and dropped to the ground.

Before he could even savor this success, Liu Songping sank low to the side again to evade another blade swinging toward him.

At that moment, a faint hiss reached his ears.

Though the sound was very soft, its strange quality stirred a deeply ominous premonition in Liu Songping's heart.

Sensing danger, he stamped his feet hard and wrenched his body sideways, forcing himself a fraction to the side even as his strength flagged. Then, with a soft thud, the crossbow bolt aimed at his chest struck him in the shoulder.

The instant burst of pain made Liu Songping's vision go black. His movements faltered, and he could no longer dodge. Another blade slashed across his back, the powerful impact sending him staggering sideways, and it was all he could do to keep from falling.

The initial pain in his shoulder quickly faded, replaced by a creeping numbness and itch that made Liu Songping's heart sink with even greater dread.

"You treacherous cur!" He twisted his head to glare at the distant Li Zhao and roared curses. "You treacherous cur!"

"Hahahaha! Traitor, there's no escape for you now!" Li Zhao, having succeeded in his sneak attack, laughed wildly with unrestrained glee. "If you know what's good for you, surrender quietly, and your elder here will leave you a whole corpse!"

Liu Songping's face contorted with fury, but he no longer had the leisure to curse this despicable villain. He could only drag his gradually numbing body and clumsily roll a few steps across the ground, dodging the blade chopping down toward him.

Seeing him so badly wounded, the enemies surrounding him were instantly emboldened and hacked at him with even greater zeal.

Though Liu Songping parried left and blocked right with great effort, he no longer possessed the valor of moments before and could hardly withstand the dense onslaught. The wounds on his body grew more and more numerous. His steps became slower and slower, the blades slashing at him from his enemies seemed faster and faster, harder and harder to fend off, and his strength seemed to be draining away with the blood flowing from his wounds. His vision, too, was gradually blurring.

Has the time finally come to throw my life away? The thought flashed through his mind, yet his heart held no fear whatsoever.

I've already killed and wounded so many enemies — no matter how you look at it, I've more than broken even. What is there to regret?

Besides, after I die, Wang boy... he should be able to live on well enough, right? What else is there to be attached to?

When an enemy, blade in hand, cautiously approached Liu Songping, he strained to raise his blade to resist, but in that moment he found his entire body drained of strength. No matter what, he could not lift his hand to fight back.

Was this long journey to end right here? Very well, I'm weary anyway... Liu Songping closed his eyes and loosened his grip, awaiting the arrival of his death.

Yet at that very moment, a strange rustling suddenly came from a patch of underbrush not far away. Qi Wang, covered head to toe in grass ash, abruptly burst out from within the thicket.

Because he did not know his Third Uncle's exact location, no matter how frantic he was, he could only force himself to be patient and search everywhere. At last he heard the clashing ring of blades and the shouts of combat, and only then was he able to find the direction and follow the sound.

The instant he poked his head out of the underbrush, he saw Li Zhao in the distance fire the crossbow bolt from his hand at Liu Songping, wounding his Third Uncle. His heart immediately blazed with even greater urgency.

He gritted his teeth, leaped straight out of the underbrush, threw himself beside the man Liu Songping had just killed, snatched up that man's blade, and hurled it with all his might at the one preparing to hack at his Third Uncle. Then he picked up another blade and flung it at Li Zhao, who was still roaring with laughter atop his horse.

These two blades, carrying a young man's hot blood and fury, tore through the air with immense force, hurtling toward their foes. Then, without the slightest hesitation, he tightened his grip on the blade in his own hand, let out a great roar, and charged straight at the mounted Li Zhao.

Liu Songping at that moment was awaiting death with closed eyes. Yet this blade was later than he had expected, and still had not fallen.

"Thunk!" A muffled, dull sound suddenly reached his ears.

A faint flicker of confusion stirred in his heart, and he opened his eyes once more.

Then, to his shock, he saw that the enemy who had chased up to kill him now had a sharp blade thrust clean through his chest. The blade was still faintly quivering, and fresh blood streamed unceasingly to the ground.

This enemy stared fixedly at Liu Songping, blood flowing continuously from the corner of his mouth. His eyes seemed filled with shock and unwillingness, then gradually lost their luster, and he toppled forward onto the ground.

After a moment of shock, Liu Songping immediately understood what had happened.

"This foolish boy!" he could not help cursing weakly.

Then, he forcibly rallied a shred of spirit, picked up his blade again, and stumbled away to the side.

And at this time, the remaining few enemies did not pursue him, for they had discovered that their leader had also been attacked.

Just as Li Zhao was watching Liu Songping take his hidden arrow and suffer severe wounds with a heart full of smug satisfaction, he suddenly sensed something was wrong. His body had no time to make any other reaction; he simply hunched down heavily, flattening his entire body against the horse's back, and only barely managed to dodge the blade hurtling toward him.

The fierce wind swept past the top of his head, blowing a chill across the back of his neck. Had he not realized it in time and dodged immediately, he would likely have been skewered clean through.

He turned his face and immediately looked in the direction from which the blade had come, and then he saw Qi Wang charging toward him at a flying sprint. In an instant, his heart turned even colder.

He instinctively urged his horse forward, but how could the horse get moving in such a frantic rush? In the end, its legs only shifted slightly, and it barely moved a few feet.

"Villain, meet your death!" Qi Wang, who had already charged with lightning speed to within mere feet of him, suddenly leaped up from the ground and sent a flying kick sweeping toward Li Zhao atop the horse.

Such an all-out strike — Li Zhao certainly wanted to dodge it, but he was on horseback, and the space to maneuver was simply too small. The horse, in the sudden panic, could not possibly make an agile evasive move. In the end, he could only take the blow head-on.

The muffled sound rang out once more. Then, the horse let out a loud, piercing neigh and began leaping wildly about in fright, and both men tumbled off the horse's back.

Li Zhao, who had used his arms to forcibly block this strike, suddenly felt an unbearable pain in his arm, and his old wound was also wrenched open anew.

Clutching his agonizingly painful arm, he rolled several times across the ground before finally managing to arrest his momentum. Because he had picked up quite a bit of dust from the ground, he now looked nearly as disheveled as Qi Wang.

"You... you actually dare to come back?" His expression was one of furious disbelief.

"That's right, your young master has come to settle accounts with you!" Qi Wang sneered, slowly rising to his feet as well. "Last time I let you, you treacherous scoundrel, slip away. This time, your young master has come to take your life!"

"You... let's see who dies!" Li Zhao was enraged by these words. His hand clenched tighter, and because of it, trembled involuntarily.

"So? My Third Uncle's handiwork is passable enough, isn't it? Now both our hands are wounded — let's see who can hold out longer!" Having evened out his breathing, Qi Wang sank slightly at the waist, readying himself for battle once more. Unawares, his expression had become as savage and vicious as Li Zhao's. "Come on! Weren't you so keen to show off? Today, your elder here is going to settle who's better, once and for all!"

Because he was brimming with hatred, his emotions surged high, and toward the end he was practically roaring. At the same time, blade in hand, he charged at his opponent once more. His speed was so great that the dust and ash on the ground were swept up into the air in his wake, as if adding a shroud of smoke around him.

As this cloud of dust bore down upon him, Li Zhao forced himself to raise his blade and parry. But this blow, heavy with momentum and power, was truly more than he could bear, and he had to retreat a step to dissipate the force. Then the cloud of dust and ash enveloped his body as well.

Never in his life had Qi Wang hated anyone as he did now. Thus, his strikes no longer held any hesitation or restraint; his sole purpose was to take his opponent's life. Every slash was aimed at a vital point, and he did not even bother to pull back and guard against a counterattack.

Li Zhao lacked such reckless courage, so he could only keep parrying left and blocking right to defend himself, barely managing to fend off Qi Wang's blade. But the wound on his arm throbbed with ever more searing pain.

The wound on Qi Wang's arm had also split open. Blood soaked through the bandages, and with his violent movements, it flowed out unceasingly, dripping drop by drop onto the ground. Yet he seemed to feel no pain at all, madly brandishing the blade in his hand — slashing horizontally, chopping vertically — launching attack after relentless attack at his opponent.

Seeing how dire the situation was, Li Zhao parried while shouting loudly, ordering his subordinates to hurry over and rescue him. But earlier, to prevent Liu Songping from fighting back like a cornered dog, he had deliberately kept his distance from them during the fierce battle. In the sudden panic, though they were rushing this way, how could they possibly arrive in time?

Just as Li Zhao was still frantic with alarm, Qi Wang slashed horizontally at his waist. When Li Zhao raised his blade vertically to block, Qi Wang scraped his own blade hard upward along Li Zhao's blade edge, slicing directly toward his hand. Li Zhao's heart seized with urgency; he flipped his blade and pressed down with all his might, finally managing to force Qi Wang's blade downward.

Who could have known that Qi Wang would suddenly release the blade with his right hand, then use the momentum to drop his shoulder and ram viciously into Li Zhao's body once more.

Struck heavily, Li Zhao let out a muffled grunt. For an instant, his vision went black from the dizzying impact. At the very last moment, he managed to shove Qi Wang hard, stumbling backward several steps, and only with great difficulty avoided falling to the ground.

Before Li Zhao could even catch his breath, Qi Wang picked up his blade from the ground and charged at him once again.

Why haven't they come yet?

In Li Zhao's heart, only this single thought remained.