Blade - Unbound

Li Yan had naturally gathered some intelligence on the Fire Bear Gang.

It was necessary not only because of this ritual duel, but also because of Lu San's situation. These people were also in league with Qiao Sanhu, and there was every chance they would become enemies in the future.

The Fire Bear Gang's leader was named Xiong Baodong. He hailed from beyond the frontier. His family background was somewhat similar to Li Yan's, as he too was a descendant of a veteran soldier from that great war, though not from the force that had advanced onto the Ice Plains.

His father had been a frontier general stationed in the Northern Border. Originally forced into joining the rebellion, he suddenly switched allegiances and opened the passes when the imperial army arrived. He was one of the reasons the rebellion had been suppressed so quickly.

Of course, while the imperial court rewarded such men, it trusted them even less. As soon as the war ended, their troops had been disbanded. Some retired to their hometowns, while most were reassigned to military garrisons throughout the provinces.

Though they remained military officers, their positions were nothing but paper titles. They would never again have a chance of promotion, and even their descendants found it exceedingly difficult to rise through the ranks.

Xiong Baodong had grown up in precisely such an environment. Living in Chang'an was never easy. His father's salary was enough to keep the family fed and clothed, but nothing more. The man remained gloomy day after day, until one winter night he drank himself to death.

Xiong Baodong had never been a decent person to begin with. After learning his family's martial arts and growing up with no one to discipline him, he quickly became one of Chang'an's most notorious street thugs, bullying the weak, forcing himself upon women, and committing every imaginable crime.

Ordinarily, someone like him would have been destined for execution sooner or later. Yet although Xiong Baodong's family had fallen on hard times, he had grown up immersed in both military and official circles. He could navigate the jianghu, but also thoroughly understood the rules of officialdom. Through careful maneuvering, he transformed the Fire Bear Gang into a flourishing enterprise.

He looked crude and reckless, but in truth, he was as cunning as a fox.

"Xiong!" Tie Shigu wasted no courtesy, barking, "The moment you stick your ass out, I already know you didn't take a proper shit. If you've got something to say, spit it out. Stop playing dirty tricks all the time!"

Xiong Baodong let out a cold laugh. "You old mud-legged peasant. You’re still so hot-tempered at your age. One of these days you'll die from anger, and I'll personally send you a fine coffin. But today, we're merely spectators. This is a matter for the Daoist world, and the Daoist world has its own rules. I'd advise you not to interfere too much, lest you end up in the ground yourself one day."

Xiong Baodong was as crafty as ever. After exchanging a few insults, he immediately addressed the man beside him. "Brother Liu, how we proceed today is entirely up to you."

Tie Shigu had been provoked and was simmering with anger, but seeing that the other side was finally drawing the line for the duel, he could only suppress it for the moment.

A man stepped forward from Xiong Baodong's side. He wore a black military robe beneath bamboo talisman armor, with a Coin Sword[1] and an iron sword hanging across his back. All in all, his attire looked somewhat similar to Red Yaksha’s.

He possessed a well-proportioned figure and an outwardly gentle appearance. Unfortunately, his triangular eyes were crooked and shifty, and together with the smug grin plastered across his face, he gave off an instinctively repulsive impression.

Li Yan immediately knew he was looking at Liu Wenchen.

"Guild Master Xiong truly values loyalty!" Liu Wenchen cupped his fists, putting on a bold and magnanimous act. "But there are a few things that must be made clear beforehand, lest someone muddy the waters. As the saying goes, treasures belong to the worthy. Take the Imperial Jade Seal for example. Old Qin had already fallen. When the Han Emperor obtained it, should he have returned it to Qin's descendants?

"The item was dug out from someone else's tomb, and I spent a fortune buying it. It's already changed hands twice. What does it still have to do with you, Red Yaksha?

"Returning it to you would be an act of generosity. Keeping it is perfectly natural. I'm not a greedy man... But the principles behind this matter must be made clear!"

Xiong Baodong immediately applauded. "Well said!"

The crowd behind him nodded repeatedly, hurling curses and filthy insults without end. Red Yaksha's eyes reddened with anger, yet she found herself unable to refute his twisted reasoning.

Just then, another voice applauded. "Well said!"

Everyone turned, momentarily dumbfounded. The one applauding was none other than Li Yan.

Before anyone could ask why, Li Yan strode forward, clapping his hands as he nodded. "This fellow may not have been blessed in the looks department, but what he said actually makes sense. That's right. Since ancient times, treasures have belonged to the worthy."

Li Yan smiled coldly. "But I happen to think you're lacking in virtue. So does that mean I can simply take your spiritual artifacts?"

"Bullshit! Where did this brat crawl out from? You're spouting nonsense." Liu Wenchen sneered. "What you're talking about is robbery! Her master is already dead. Naturally, his spiritual artifacts belong to me."

Li Yan laughed. "So you admit it's robbery? Then how about this? Let's call today off. You go home, I'll make sure you suddenly drop dead within three days, and then I'll come take everything back.

"Wouldn't that also count as 'the worthy possessing the treasure'?"

Liu Wenchen was furious. "You're deliberately twisting my words!"

He was just about to continue when Xiong Baodong reached out and stopped him. Glancing at Li Yan, Xiong Baodong shook his head with a smile. "This young fellow certainly has a sharp tongue, but enough talking. We'll settle everything with our abilities."

Suppressing his anger, Liu Wenchen nodded before turning to Red Yaksha. "Since you're the one who wants the artifact back, I get to set the rules."

Pointing toward the palace ruins beside them, he sneered. "Let's not waste time with empty formalities. We'll settle victory and defeat right here. Each side sends out five people, one after another.

"We'll leave it up to fate. The first side to win three matches takes the artifact."

"Fine!" Red Yaksha's anger also flared as murderous intent flickered within her eyes. "Let's not trouble anyone else. Why don't the two of us settle life and death first to see who truly deserves to possess the treasure?"

Li Yan's earlier words had awakened her. Someone like Liu Wenchen would twist logic whenever you tried to reason with him. The moment anyone resorted to force, however, he would suddenly start talking about jianghu rules.

She never should have fallen into his trap in the first place. She should have simply struck immediately.

"Hahaha..." Liu Wenchen let out a cold laugh and quickly changed his tune. "What's the hurry? With your meager abilities, dealing with you would be effortless. Besides, since several fellow Daoists have come tonight, we can't very well let them make the trip for nothing. Otherwise, people might accuse me of bullying you."

Sha Lifei burst into laughter. "Hah! If you can't beat her, just admit it. If you're scared, just tell us all, I've never seen anyone so shameless."

Liu Wenchen's gaze turned icy. He made no effort to conceal the killing intent within them as he snarled, "Who the hell are you? What right do you have to speak here?"

He had already reviewed Sha Lifei's background. The man was neither part of the Daoist world nor even considered noteworthy within the jianghu. Naturally, Liu Wenchen had no intention of showing him any courtesy.

With that, he turned toward the others and respectfully cupped his fists. "Fellow Daoists. Who would like to go first and teach them a lesson?"

"I'll do it." An old woman dressed in black slowly stepped forward. Her back was hunched, her waist bent over, and a hood concealed most of her face. Holding a long smoking pipe, she leisurely puffed out clouds of smoke. In a hoarse, strange voice, she added, "It's freezing tonight, and this old woman's body can't endure the cold. The sooner this is finished, the sooner I can go home and rest."

As she spoke, she slowly raised her head, revealing a face covered in scars before grinning broadly. "Besides... I've still got a few little children waiting for me at home."

"Snake Ghost Granny?!" Red Yaksha's eyes widened as she shouted angrily, "Liu Wenchen, you're supposed to be a demon hunter. Don't tell me you don't know this old hag eats children, and has already become a monster herself?"

Liu Wenchen's expression remained unchanged as he shook his head calmly. "You've mistaken her. This fellow Daoist is clearly named Black Granny. In fact, she comes from Tianshui."

Everyone could tell he was lying through his teeth.

The old hag cackled, revealing a mouth full of broken teeth. "That's right. This old woman is Black Granny. I've heard there are quite a few little ones at your estate... This old woman loves little children..."

Red Yaksha instantly drew her sword in reverse grip and prepared to charge forward. "You're courting death!"

This time, the old hag had truly touched her reverse scale.

"Don't." Li Yan raised a hand to stop her. Looking thoughtfully toward the opposite side, he spoke in a grave tone, "She's deliberately provoking you into making the first move. I suspect she's prepared something specifically to deal with you."

Feng Feiyan also hurriedly grabbed Red Yaksha's arm. "Sister Hong, it's definitely a trap."

With Li Yan's reminder, everyone could see something was amiss. Although practitioners of the Daoist world differed from martial artists, they themselves were divided into many different specialties.

Some excelled at ritual altars and ceremonial magic; some specialized in close-quarters combat. Others even devoted themselves entirely to supporting roles. There were artisan Daoist craftsmen who specialized in making talisman paper, scriptures, ritual banners, and consecrating spiritual objects. They were essentially the Daoist world's equivalent of artifact refiners.

Red Yaksha was a demon hunter. She excelled at close combat, making use of numerous spiritual traps and artifacts specifically designed to deal with demons and zombies.

Judging by the way the old hag could barely walk steadily, Red Yaksha would likely behead her before she could even complete a spell. Since she dared provoke Red Yaksha so openly, she was clearly confident she would be able to take her on.

Li Yan narrowed his eyes and whispered, "Sister Hong, since you recognize her, you must know her background."

Red Yaksha had also calmed down by then. She quickly started to explain, "She's an old witch from the Qinling Mountain Range. She was once bewitched by a snake demon who had cultivated into a Wild Immortal. After that, her temperament changed drastically.

"She murdered her own son to cultivate witchcraft, gu poison, and ghost-controlling arts. She's also one of the Black Enchantresses of the Yan Sect. She often disguises herself as a servant, infiltrates wealthy households, and secretly devours infants.

"The Enforcement Hall has been hunting her for years. She deserves to die!"

Hearing such atrocities attributed to the old woman before him, killing intent also rose within Li Yan. Nevertheless, he shook his head. "But you can't fight her, not unless we absolutely have to."

As he spoke, he glanced around, confusion appearing in his eyes. Night Crier and the other man known as Shadow had both agreed to assist them. By all rights, they should already have arrived. Yet neither had shown themselves.

Nor could he detect their scent... That meant that they hadn't come.

Could something have happened...

It seemed he would have to fight the opening match himself.

Just then, Wang Daoxuan, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly turned to the old woman and spoke, "Three years ago, at Luo Family Manor, a child cried incessantly. I was invited to perform a ritual to calm his spirit.

"But the next day, the child disappeared. When we found him, his heart, liver, and all five internal organs had been dug out. Thinking back now... The old woman serving the mistress of the household bore some resemblance to you.

"Was it you?"

Seeing Red Yaksha refuse to take the bait, the old hag had already felt disappointed. Now, being questioned by Wang Daoxuan, irritation flashed across her face.

"This old woman's getting old. I truly can't remember..." As she spoke, her withered hand slowly brushed across her face. "Were you talking about this face... Or this one..."

With every word, the scar-covered face transformed as though performing a face-changing act. One human-skin mask after another appeared and each depicted an elderly woman. However, every face possessed an entirely different appearance and temperament.

This disguise technique alone was extraordinarily impressive.

When Wang Daoxuan saw one particular face, he let out a quiet sigh, almost as though a burden had been lifted. "That's right. It was you. Back then, I had only recently begun cultivating. I thought I'd made some mistake that allowed a monster to harm the child. I nearly took my own life over it..."

He turned toward Li Yan. "I'll take this round."

"Daoist, don't be rash!" Sha Lifei hurriedly tried to stop him, but Wang Daoxuan never responded. He simply rummaged through his ritual case, searching for various implements.

He had already made up his mind, and though he was normally easygoing, the moment he chose to do something, he was as immovable as a mule.

Li Yan did not attempt to dissuade him. Quietly forming a hand seal, he walked over, patted Wang Daoxuan on the shoulder, and said, "Daoist, please be careful."

As he spoke, he secretly slipped the Summoning Writ into Wang Daoxuan's hand. It contained three astral decrees, each capable of summoning the Five Yin Ghost Battalions.

Li Yan had already unlocked it. Once Wang Daoxuan established his ritual altar, he would be able to consume one astral decree and summon the spirit soldiers.

The two had already discussed the method thoroughly during their journey from Mount Taibai to Chang'an, thus Wang Daoxuan nodded without refusing. Picking up a large bundle of ritual implements, he ignored Snake Ghost Granny entirely, and walked straight toward the left side of the ruins.

Across from him, the old hag sneered and headed toward the right. Neither of them excelled in martial arts. Snake Ghost Granny was especially old and frail, so much so that an ordinary person could likely knock her over with a single punch.

As though by mutual understanding, both sides chose to establish ritual altars and settle the contest through the mystic arts. Although Snake Ghost Granny was seemingly hobbling along on bound feet, her body was astonishingly vigorous. Her feet struck the ground like pounding pestles, each step quicker than the last, allowing her to reach the ruins before Wang Daoxuan.

As she walked, her body continued to tremble.

Rustle...

Several black venomous snakes suddenly dropped from beneath her robes. No one knew what species they were but they showed no signs of sluggishness even amid the blizzard and freezing winter. Instead, they slithered swiftly toward Wang Daoxuan.

Seeing this, Sha Lifei immediately cursed, "Despicable!"

It was obvious she intended to interfere with Wang Daoxuan while he set up his ritual altar. Li Yan had naturally scented them long before, yet he remained unconcerned. Even Wang Daoxuan calmly continued arranging his altar.

Just as the snakes were about to reach him, Wang Daoxuan suddenly took out a bundle of yarrow stalks, wrapped them around his hands, stepped through the formation of the Big Dipper, and formed a hand seal.

"Nuogao, three stars upon the left, three prisons upon the right. Heaven overturns and Earth reverses. All nine paths are sealed. Let your mind be lost as east become west, south become north...!"

This was the Thousand Gold Protection technique that Li Yan had obtained in Zhongnan Mountain. Naturally, he had kept nothing back, teaching Wang Daoxuan both this spell and the Baopu Mountain-Climbing Technique.

Now that Wang Daoxuan had reached the second-storey realm, although his ritual implement was merely a bundle of yarrow stalks, the spell's power remained astonishing.

Roar!

A tiger's roar seemed to echo through the wind and snow. The venomous snakes had been refined by Snake Ghost Granny using gu poison. Unaffected by heat or cold, they moved with incredible speed, and their venom carried parasitic gu that would instantly infect anyone they bit.

They were exceptionally vicious creations. Yet precisely because of that, they were also highly susceptible to mystical techniques. The Thousand Gold Protection originated from the orthodox teachings of the Northern Ghost Emperor.

Tigers and leopards fled at its sound. Evil spirits were even more thoroughly cowed by its might. At the tiger's roar, the gu snakes instantly froze stiff.

Still in the middle of setting up his altar, Wang Daoxuan immediately drew a small hatchet, leaped forward, and chopped down.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

He hacked off every one of the snakes' heads.

Seeing this, a smile appeared on Li Yan's face. That little hatchet had actually been something Sha Lifei and Li Yan had given to Wang Daoxuan.

Who said ritualists couldn't use weapons? At the very least, it could protect him. And if he ever encountered another sorcerer equally poor at close combat, he could simply pull out the hatchet and start chopping!

Neither of them had expected it to prove useful here.

After killing the snakes, Wang Daoxuan did not hurry back. Instead, he secretly produced a talisman, formed a hand seal, and lightly brushed it across the snake corpses. The wind and snow howled around them, while Snake Ghost Granny cultivated through the Faculty of Intent.

She noticed none of Wang Daoxuan's subtle actions. Seeing her gu snakes destroyed, she showed no surprise. Instead, she completed her ritual altar before Wang Daoxuan, arranging several black ritual jars upon it. Then, she rapidly formed hand seals and began chanting her incantations.

Meanwhile, Wang Daoxuan stepped in the formation of the Big Dipper and sprayed consecrated water from his mouth to open his ritual altar. He first waved his peachwood sword, releasing the seals upon his several spirit soldiers.

With a wave of his ritual banner, they could now be activated at any moment. Only after completing all of that did he take out a straw effigy and affix the yellow talisman he had just used onto its body.

1. Coin-swords (alternatively spelt as coin swords), or cash-swords, are a type of Chinese numismatic charms that are a form of feng shui talisman that were primarily used in southern China to ward off evil spirits and malicious influences ☜