The masked man's moves were ruthless and fierce. I was unarmed and unable to defend myself, dodging and weaving in a sorry state.
In the blink of an eye, I barely dodged seven moves. The sword, like a snake or a vine, kept coiling around me. I couldn't discern the source of his martial arts, nor could I figure out why he wanted to assassinate me.
He forced me into the stream, my boots and the hem of my clothes getting soaked, making it even harder to dodge. In this perilous situation, cold sweat broke out. After three consecutive horizontal thrusts, the sword tip was aimed at my throat. I watched helplessly, unable to dodge any longer, and a wave of despair washed over me.
The longsword didn't pierce my throat; it was merely held against my neck. The cold blade pressed against my skin, sending a chill straight into my heart.
"Throw everything off you."
I breathed a slight sigh of relief. Could it be that he wasn't an assassin but a robber, only after money? Unfortunately, he really picked the wrong person. I thought that I wouldn't have to spend any money on food and lodging at Master Yuanzhao's place, so I didn't bring a single coin with me.
I threw a handkerchief and two candies from my sleeve at his feet, feeling quite ashamed.
He glanced at it and shouted, "Tear off your sleeves and throw them over here."
He didn't seem to believe I was penniless. I had no choice but to tear a piece from my sleeve and throw it over. He glanced at the pocket in the sleeve, and sure enough, it was empty.
He said in a deep voice, "The pocket in the lapel."
Men's clothes usually have pockets in the lapels and sleeves, but women's clothes only have pockets in the sleeves. Otherwise, it would be quite unseemly to be constantly rummaging through one's chest, which would lead to suggestive thoughts. However, the garment I'm wearing now is loose and simple, much like men's clothing, which explains why he requested it as well. But indeed, there are no pockets in the lapels.
I said with a sigh, "There are no pockets in my clothes, and I really don't have any money."
He was silent for a moment, then slowly lowered the sword from my neck. I secretly breathed a sigh of relief. His robbery had failed so miserably; he must be quite disheartened and leave dejectedly.
Unexpectedly, the sword tip swung and pointed at my heart.
My heart sank. Could it be that instead of slitting my throat, I was going to stab my heart with a sword?
The sword tip thrust forward, my breath caught in my throat, and I thought my life was over... However, the sword didn't pierce, but rather flicked at me diagonally, tearing open my front and revealing my inner garment. Could it be that I hadn't encountered a robber, but a womanizer! I glared angrily at the masked man before me. If he were to touch my inner garment again, I would throw myself onto the sword and commit suicide.
He seemed to hesitate for a moment, and I shouted loudly behind him, trying to sound intimidating: "Master, save me!"
At this moment, I finally understand why Shaolin has the Lion's Roar skill. In critical moments, it can not only stun the enemy but also attract rescue. Even if there is no rescue, it can still scare the opponent.
The veins on the back of his hand twitched slightly. Taking advantage of his momentary distraction, I leaned back and kicked at his longsword. He swerved to the right to dodge, and in that moment, I finally drew the dagger from my boot. It was my only weapon; I had been forced to use his sword the whole time and hadn't had a chance to draw it.
My shout just now was merely a feint to the east while attacking the west, a diversionary tactic to relieve the siege of Wei and rescue Zhao. Realizing that there was no one behind him, he swung his sword forward.
A dagger is obviously not comparable to a longsword, but it's better than nothing. Having a weapon in my hand immediately gave me confidence, and in that life-or-death moment, I swung the dagger like a short sword.
I never dreamed that this dagger would be so sharp and powerful. With a powerful swing, I actually cut the masked man's longsword in two.
With a clang, the broken sword fell into the stream!
The masked man was stunned, and I was astonished! Master Mingxiang's weapon was indeed as good as its reputation suggested.
Now things had turned into close combat. His broken sword and my dagger were evenly matched. Unfortunately, my internal strength was ultimately inferior, and my physical strength was no match for a man's, so I quickly fell into a disadvantageous position.
Just as I was about to launch another feint, a figure suddenly appeared out of nowhere, landing behind the masked man. Before he could regain his footing, the figure thrust his long sword straight at the masked man's right shoulder.
Jiang Chen!
I was overjoyed; I had never found him so kind and adorable!
He didn't look at me, but said in a deep voice, "Xiao Mo, get out of the way!"
I obediently stepped back three zhang (approximately 10 meters) immediately, switching from participating to observing. Although the situation was critical and the circumstances were dire, I must say that it was rare to see Jiang Chen with such a serious expression; it was quite handsome.
I have never seen him fight anyone. When he used to spar with my fellow disciples, I always thought his movements were graceful and beautiful, and that he was just all show. But today I realize that I misunderstood him. Although his moves are not ruthless, they are sharp and decisive, and every move is a deadly strike.
The masked man's martial arts skills were not weak, but his longsword was broken in half by me. Soon, Jiang Chen forced him to the stream. He seemed to have lost the will to fight and wanted to escape. Jiang Chen blocked his way with his longsword. In desperation, he actually used his lightness skill to leap across the stream several times, and then leaped up the stream and disappeared into the woods behind the mountain.
Jiang Chen watched the masked man's retreating figure, his expression cold and serious, his lips pressed tightly together.
I stepped forward and asked, "Why didn't you chase after them?"
He glanced back at me a few times and said, "How can I chase after him if you're here?"
I was taken aback. Did he mean that he was afraid the man would come back to harm me, or that he had accomplices? I was about to feel touched, but then I remembered how I hadn't been able to get the book from his arms earlier, so my face flushed again. I quickly bent down to wring out the water from my clothes and prepared to go back.
He looked at my cut sleeve and asked, "What's the story behind your clothes?"
"At first he asked me to take out all my belongings, but then he didn't believe me and asked me to show him my pockets as well."
He then pointed to my collar: "And here?"
"This is where the sword was placed. It must not believe that I don't have a pocket in my clothes and insists on seeing it for myself."
Jiang Chen looked at me intently, backlit, and I felt that his eyes were so deep that I couldn't see the bottom.
He suddenly pulled me into his arms.
I was both shocked and ashamed, and struggled wildly. His hands were pressed tightly against my back, his arms seemed to be embedded in my waist, and I was held tightly to his chest, the air in my lungs was almost squeezed out. I struggled several times but could not break free, my face was burning hot, and my heart was pounding as if it would jump out of my chest.
His voice was low and rapid, as if he were talking to himself: "I thought I was fearless, but today I realize that's not the case at all."
My heart skipped a beat, and I was stunned speechless, powerless to struggle any longer.
Was what he said true or false?
He slowly released his arm, reached into his robes, and pulled out the Chongshan Sword Manual, handing it to me. I was a little surprised; he had refused to give it to me earlier, so why was he returning it now?
"Xiao Mo, I don't care where this sword manual came from. Now that you have it, why don't you practice this sword technique?"
"I don't care about this sword manual." I said this not out of spite. This thing is related to my background, and seeing it always makes me feel inexplicably awkward, even though I know it's what countless martial arts practitioners dream of. However, I really don't care for it.
Jiang Chen frowned and said seriously, "You must master this sword technique. I don't want to get hurt."