Have You Met My Brother?[Comprehensive Martial Arts + Sword Three] Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Blade Light in the Secluded Forest. Yan Bugui: My hands are itching.

In the silent, dark, and narrow mountain path, a sudden flash of blade light seemed to cleave down from the heavens, swift and fierce, intending to split Chu Liuxiang in two from head to toe! In this moment of crisis, Chu Liuxiang seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. His body instantly contracted downwards, sweeping out several yards like a sparrow hawk. However, the blade light clung to him like a maggot to bone, following closely behind Chu Liuxiang’s back.

If Chu Liuxiang were facing this sudden, deeply murderous assassination alone right now, he might need to maneuver a few more moves against the opponent before he could shake off the trouble or force them to retreat—

After all, the gloomy night was the attacker’s best protection, and the mountain path was extremely rugged. If the attacker was prepared and the victim was not, the unfamiliar party would constantly have to worry about whether their next step would miss and cause them to fall. This inevitably affected movement, making it indeed an excellent time to strike unexpectedly.

However, whether the sudden attacker chose this moment because Chu Liuxiang was not alone, or whether they believed the swordsman accompanying Chu Liuxiang posed no threat or interference to them… none of this was a concern for Yan Bugui.

At the exact moment the blade light was about to strike and Chu Liuxiang darted away, Yan Bugui drew his own blade. Even in the near-darkness of the forest, the unsheathed blade still emitted a faint, eerie blue light, giving off a particularly chilling sensation.

The attacker possessed excellent lightness skills, just like Chu Liuxiang, and due to their clothing, they were almost an elusive shadow in the dim environment. Yet, just as this person caught up to Chu Liuxiang and was about to deliver a second strike, Yan Bugui, who had seemingly been a beat slow and stopped in place, rapidly closed the distance to the attacker. His cold blade light aimed to cut the person in half at the waist!

Faced with such a threat, the attacker had no choice but to change tactics immediately. With a clang, the person reversed their grip on their own blade, blocking the horizontal slash that had already sliced through the clothing over their abdomen. Simultaneously, a burst of purple smoke exploded on the spot, enveloping all three figures present!

Yan Bugui could sense that his movements were restricted within this purple smoke, and the attacker who deployed the smoke vanished from his front almost instantly. Nevertheless, he kept his gaze fixed in a certain direction and spoke with a strange tone: “A Japanese?”

When Chu Liuxiang dodged that initial fatal blow, he guessed that the assailant was likely the same Japanese martial artist he had encountered previously in Jinan, while disguised as “Zhang Xiaolin” investigating the Cinnabar Gate, who seemed to know “Ninjutsu.” In a flash of lightning, his mind worked quickly. He anticipated that Yan Bugui might intervene—

Even though he didn’t know the swordsman’s exact strength, he believed it wouldn’t be poor. If the two of them worked together, they might have a chance to capture the assailant. Therefore, his dodge was not executed with full force, keeping him from moving too far away. The attacker was clearly no simple character; their blade light nearly landed on Chu Liuxiang. The latter’s action was essentially dancing on the tip of a knife!

Fortunately, Yan Bugui did not disappoint Chu Liuxiang. The swordsman’s movement technique and martial arts were equally fast, accurate, and ruthless. A single strike was enough to make the attacker realize the situation was untenable, forcing them to attempt escape immediately. Chu Liuxiang was not facing this bizarre “Ninjutsu” for the first time, and he instantly pursued the attacker toward their previous location.

At this moment, he heard the swordsman’s remark, which sounded like a statement or a rhetorical question, and felt slightly puzzled. He always felt there was an indescribable subtlety in “Young Hero Yan’s” tone. It wasn’t quite dislike or aversion; nor was it simple excitement or enthusiasm.

Before the famed Thief Chu could fully discern the complex meaning, his head suddenly buzzed, and he couldn’t help but tremble all over. He felt it: a completely unfamiliar internal energy, possessing the weight and surge of mountains and seas. Even more terrifying was the fierce blade intent, powerful enough to split mountains and cleave the ocean!

The sharp blade energy, advancing through the forest seemingly slowly but actually quickly, left almost nothing intact in its path. Even the troublesome purple smoke was swept clean the moment the swordsman’s internal energy erupted. Thus, Chu Liuxiang clearly saw the blade energy accurately strike the rapidly retreating attacker some distance away, knocking them directly to the ground!

Chu Liuxiang’s body moved faster than his thoughts, following Yan Bugui toward where the attacker had fallen. The thick smell of blood was so heavy that even he could detect it, indicating how severely the opponent was wounded.

However, the attacker clearly had no intention of waiting for death. With a rustling sound, they flung out countless cold, star-like glints, perfectly concealed in the night, forcing the two men to respond. Taking advantage of the distraction, the attacker dramatically tossed aside a blood-stained black garment, then, like a cicada shedding its shell or perhaps seeking their own demise, leaped off the cliff.

By the time Chu Liuxiang and Yan Bugui either avoided or blocked the hidden weapons and broke through the visual obstruction of the flying clothing, they looked down and saw only swirling clouds and mist, with no trace of the person.

Chu Liuxiang shook his head and sighed, “He still managed to escape.”

Yan Bugui replied, “He was injured by my blade energy. He won’t run far. We could try tracking him.”

Chu Liuxiang raised an eyebrow, but finally shook his head again: “It’s late, and the mountain roads are difficult. We don’t need to take that risk. Moreover, the commotion from our fight might have already alerted the Beggar Gang disciples patrolling below the mountain. To avoid unnecessary complications, it’s best to leave now.”

Yan Bugui was not overly insistent. Since the target of the assassination wasn’t worried, he silently followed “Brother Chu” carefully down the mountain and returned to the city. Chu Liuxiang kept his word and led him to a wonton noodle shop. It seemed there was no curfew in the Central Plains; even close to the hour of Hai (9-11 PM), many shops were still open for business, and this small wonton noodle shop was quite lively.

When Yan Bugui and Chu Liuxiang arrived, if a table hadn’t just paid and left, they would have either had to eat standing up or take their food elsewhere. While finally enjoying this somewhat eventful late-night meal, they also discussed the evening’s encounter.

Yan Bugui asked first, “Brother Chu, that fellow seemed to be after your life. Who have you offended? Do you know the attacker’s background?”

Chu Liuxiang replied, “Everything I’ve been investigating revolves around that incident discovered at sea previously. I encountered this person before in Jinan. I know they possess excellent lightness skills and ‘Ninjutsu,’ which is rare in the Central Plains. Beyond that, everything is still shrouded in mystery…”

Pausing here, Chu Liuxiang saw Yan Bugui nod thoughtfully. He continued, “Young Hero Yan, you previously mentioned he was Japanese. Can you be certain? You have been overseas for a long time; have you dealt with Japanese martial artists, and how much do you know about them?”

Oh, quite a lot, actually… Hearing this, Yan Bugui seriously considered how to phrase his answer. He was certainly not unfamiliar with the Japanese. After all, their Sect Master was denounced as the “Eastern Sword Demon” precisely because he had traveled to Japan and, due to the Fujiwara family, had taught some people simple techniques for wielding swords and blades in a martial arts school.

And speaking of these “One-Blade Style” practitioners, they had to be divided into two groups. Most of them were people who had received orders to commit evil deeds under the guise of their Sect Master’s name, intending to force their Sect Master out of the Central Plains and back to Japan. If he met these people, he would simply kill them.

A small portion had initially followed the Sect Master to establish the Blade Sect, but some of these were personally purged by the Sect Master. The remaining very few generally lived in seclusion and rarely interacted with other disciples. Later disciples weren’t even aware that these “seniors” existed.

When he joined the Blade Sect, the sect’s reputation had improved somewhat in the Wengzhou area due to their assistance to the Divine Fist Gang and other merchant associations during the Sun Wheel Mountain City incident, but their reputation remained extremely poor in the Central Plains because of the One-Blade Style, only gradually changing after the Dragon-Slaying Hall event.

Yan Bugui had killed many Japanese martial artists because of this and had also sparred and talked with the disciples who remained in the Blade Sect, knowing that there were indeed differences between individuals. The problem was that he had killed far more evil Japanese people than normal ones. If he killed all ten people, he might kill an innocent one, but if he let one go for every one he killed, he would definitely miss a deserving target. Therefore, even though he had never been to Japan, he held no goodwill toward the place.

Since the people of the Central Plains were unaware of the Blade Sect’s past, he didn’t need to explain it in detail. After a moment of contemplation, he replied, “I have killed some ill-intentioned Japanese people before, but I wouldn’t say I truly understand them. That person’s blade technique and certain methods were somewhat similar to Japanese martial artists, but I cannot confirm whether they are actually Japanese.”

Well, if that fellow hadn’t been wearing a mask, he might have been able to tell from some details, but since his face wasn’t revealed, he shouldn’t mislead “Brother Chu’s” thinking. The only thing he could be sure of was that the fellow had nothing to do with the “One-Blade Style.”

Chu Liuxiang nodded calmly, as if he hadn’t heard the blood-soaked word “killed” from the swordsman. He wasn’t disappointed that he couldn’t get more clues, only asking, “Young Hero Yan, are you truly planning to stay in Junshan to await the start of the Beggar Gang Assembly?”

Yan Bugui nodded and replied, “Yes. The city is currently a mix of dragons and snakes, which is the best place to gather information. I believe my two elder brothers are blessed by fortune and will not have met with disaster because of a shipwreck. It will just take some time to find their whereabouts since we were separated.”

“I will also keep an eye out for you,” Chu Liuxiang said, pulling out a wooden tag with a key attached. He mentioned an address. “However, what I said earlier about the inns being mostly full is true. If Young Hero Yan wishes to stay, you will need a place to settle.”

“I booked a room at this inn, but later I met an old friend and can stay at their home. I haven’t canceled this room yet. Young Hero Yan needs it more than I do, so I’ll transfer it to you.”

Yan Bugui thought about it. If this were true, and he didn’t want to sleep on the streets, he had to accept this kindness. So he didn’t refuse, reaching out to take it and then asking, “Thank you, Brother Chu. How much did this room cost you? I will reimburse you…”

Chu Liuxiang interrupted, “Young Hero Yan, do you consider me your friend?”

Yan Bugui replied, “Brother Chu is naturally my friend.”

“Since we are friends, why be so calculating?” Chu Liuxiang smiled, put down silver to pay the bill, and in the blink of an eye, he had floated far away, his voice gently reaching the swordsman’s ears, “I paid a three-day deposit when I booked this room. I’ve only used one or two days at most. If Young Hero Yan wishes to stay longer, just settle the bill with the innkeeper when you leave.”