Chapter 52: The Mysterious Swordsman (Bonus Chapter)

After burying the two men, Li Jie returned to the courtyard and conducted a thorough search. He was convinced that the Demonic Cult could not possibly have only one outpost in Anxi County and must have others. Unfortunately, after searching almost three feet deep into the ground, he failed to find any relevant clues, managing to unearth only some money. Fortunately, the sum was quite substantial, which served as a modest consolation prize.

As for martial arts manuals, that was complete nonsense. Li Jie had already killed quite a few underworld figures, yet he had never seen anyone carry manuals on their person. When he first asked Lin Zhennan about it, wondering why martial arts guides in storybooks were always obtained by killing people, and why he had never encountered such a thing himself, Lin Zhennan's reaction had been deeply astonished. Lin Zhennan told him that in the pugilistic world, practically any renowned martial art had to be passed down orally to be practiced. Even if one managed to acquire a manual, one should never practice from it, as there was no telling what hidden traps the original owner might have left behind.

Ever since then, Li Jie lost interest in manuals. After all, nobody was foolish enough to record all their deepest secrets in a book. No matter how carefully one guarded against theft, one could never be certain a manual wouldn't fall into the wrong hands, allowing outsiders to learn one's family martial arts.

Therefore, current martial arts inheritances in the pugilistic world relied on more than just manuals; they required oral instruction from a master. Complete manuals did exist, of course, because if a master met with an unexpected demise without passing on the knowledge, the martial art would be lost. Major sects generally concealed complete manuals in secret locations, and only those deemed completely trustworthy were permitted to know the hiding places.

When Li Jie returned to the inn, the moon was already past its zenith, and all was quiet. He noticed that the candle in Fang Yi's room was still burning, which told him she was waiting up for him again. It had been like this all along the journey. He walked up to her door, knocked gently, and let her know he had returned.

Hearing the commotion, Fang Yi stirred inside, and a moment later, the rustling sound of clothing reached Li Jie's ears, signaling that she was undressing to sleep. He then stepped into his own room, washed up, and began his meditation and martial arts practice.

As his mind gradually entered a state of serene concentration, a faint, almost imperceptible sound of breathing suddenly drifted down from the roof. Each inhalation and exhalation was exceptionally long and steady, clearly the mark of someone possessing profound internal energy. This discovery startled Li Jie, who thought to himself that years of peaceful living had made him careless. In his current identity as Lin Pingzhi, there were bound to be many people eyeing him with covetous hostility in the future. Had he maintained his vigilance at all times, he would not have noticed this person only now. He wondered what background the intruder came from.

With a swift thought, he quietly picked up his straight sword, exerted his footwork to the utmost, shattered the window, and leaped upward onto the roof.

Hearing the commotion, the figure on the roof attempted to leap away instantly, only to hear the sharp whistle of air splitting beside his ear, prompting the thought:

"What blistering footwork!"

Without a second thought, the intruder drew his sword and spun around to meet the attack. Li Jie saw that from the moment the intruder drew his sword to the counter-attack, the movements were as flowing as moving clouds and water, and as swift as thunderbolts. This was the first time he had ever seen anyone keep pace with his full-power Bixie Sword Technique. From this single move alone, he knew the adversary could not be underestimated and immediately summoned his utmost concentration to respond.

Clang, clang, clang—the sound of swords clashing on the rooftop echoed continuously.

Li Jie held the advantage in footwork, pressing his opponent with wave after wave of attacks. His sword moved like a swimming dragon and darted like lightning and thunder, ferocious as a howling storm yet unpredictable in its transformations. Every single strike blurred the line between reality and illusion, dazzling the beholder.

The intruder, who prided himself on having inherited the legacy of the Sword God Zhuobu Fan and believed himself unrivaled among his peers after mastering his art, now found himself secretly cursing inwardly. Although he could barely manage Li Jie's sword techniques and manage a counter-attack once every ten moves or so, he was well aware of the principle that prolonged defense inevitably leads to defeat. Just as he wanted to open his mouth and declare that he harbored no malicious intent,

rapid footsteps sounded from inside the room below. With a squeak, the door opened. Seeing Li Jie distracted by the disturbance and wearing a look of concern, the intruder's sword moves paused for a fraction of a second. The previously impenetrable web of swords finally revealed a tiny gap. The intruder smiled faintly, seized the opportunity to break away, and sped off into the night without looking back.

Seeing this, Li Jie did not dare to pursue too deeply. Who knew if the enemy had hidden reinforcements? Fang Yi was still in the courtyard, and if he fell for a decoy tactic to lure the tiger away from its mountain, it would spell trouble.

With a single bound, his body drifted like a light swan down into the courtyard. Seeing the tense expression on Fang Yi's face, he said casually:

"It's nothing, just a petty thief. I've already sent him packing."

Hearing this, Fang Yi's expression relaxed, and she let out a long breath of relief. "I was terrified when I heard the sounds of fighting earlier. Fortunately, nothing went wrong. Madam treats me so well on ordinary days; if anything happened to you, I wouldn't know how to face her."

Li Jie offered a few more words of comfort before sending Fang Yi back to her room to rest. Once she had retired, he returned to his own room. Looking at the damaged window, he smiled wryly and shook his head; he would simply have to ask the inn to repair it tomorrow and pay them for the damages.

Back inside, Li Jie began to reflect on his actions. Had he grown far too complacent lately? It seemed he could never afford to let down his guard from now on, as one never knew what kind of situations or people one might encounter out in the world. The martial arts of tonight's intruder were definitely no inferior to his own, and judging by the moves, the adversary also belonged to the school of swift swords. The original tale had never mentioned such a sect, nor had he heard of such a person in the martial world over the years. He still could not afford to underestimate the heroes of the world; after all, this was a real and living world.

The next day, after waking up, the two first went to the town market to purchase some daily necessities needed for the journey, then returned to the inn to have lunch before setting out toward the territory of Chaozhou Prefecture. While eating, they overheard someone in the inn saying:

"Hey! Have you heard? A mysterious figure has recently swept through the outlaws and underworld of the surrounding hundred miles," a dark-faced, bearded man said to his companion.

"How could I not have heard? That's the most talked-about event in the Fujian pugilistic world lately! Word has it that this person is a master swordsman who kills with a single stroke. Among all the underworld figures who have perished, regardless of their martial prowess, only a single wound is left on their bodies. What's most terrifying is that the depth and size of the wounds on everyone are nearly identical, differing by no more than a fraction of an inch. Many local outlaws are planning to temporarily leave Fujian to steer clear of this fierce star."

A man at a neighboring table, overhearing them touch upon the topic, could not help but chime in: "Are you gentlemen speaking of the Single-Sword Soul-Chase, the Soul-奪魄剑 (Soul-Snatching Sword)?"

"Hehe, does the esteemed brother also know about this Soul-Snatching Sword?"

"Of course! Who in the Fujian martial world doesn't know about this person's exploits recently? It's said that among those killed by this lord are even members of the Sun Moon Cult. Jia Bu, the Azure Dragon Hall Master of the Sun Moon Cult known as the 'Yellow-Faced Venerable,' has already released word that once he frees up his hands, he will personally come to cross swords with this Soul-Snatching Sword."

"Hah, nobody has ever seen his true face, and those who have seen him are already dead. How are the people of the Sun Moon Cult supposed to find this Soul-Snatching Sword?"

"Well, that's not something for the likes of us to worry about. If news spreads through the pugilistic world later, it will mean the Sun Moon Cult has successfully slain this swordsman. If no news ever comes, either the Sun Moon Cult failed, or this Soul-Snatching Sword is afraid of them."

Hearing the discussion among the crowd, Fang Yi cast a suspicious glance at Li Jie. The locations where this Soul-Snatching Sword was reported to have operated happened to be places they had passed through. Coupled with the fact that Li Jie often mysteriously vanished at night and that she knew his swordsmanship was supreme, the more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that Li Jie was the culprit.