Chapter 1613: Chapter 67: Borrowed Sword Technique_2

Zhan Qi laughed, the corners of his mouth lifted in a cruel and bloodthirsty manner: “What if this young master is unwilling?”

“Then, please go back, and send someone over who is willing!”

Kaba said indifferently, his expression unchanged.

“Outrageous!”

Before Zhan Qi could speak, the Great Elder became furious, stepped forward, and scolded Kaba angrily: “Who are you? A guard from where? I’ve never seen you before!”

“I am a guard from the West Wing specially hired by the madam; it is only natural that the Great Elder does not recognize me.”

“Well, from this moment, you are no longer a guard of the West Wing. The Zhen Clan does not need a willful and useless guard!”

The Great Elder glared at Kaba maliciously, then turned to Zhan Qi, who kept sneering, and said: “Young master, do not be incited by this person. Our Zhen Clan has absolutely no objection to the Star Assimilation event, please, please use the front door.”

“Heh, old man, seems like you can’t decide for this little guard.”

Zhan Qi tapped his fan on the sword that blocked the door and taunted the Great Elder.

“Insolence, complete insolence!”

The Great Elder, enraged and frantic, commanded the armed guards within the courtyard: “Expel this person from Zhen Mansion!”

The guards, who were already fuming, glanced at the Great Elder, then at the guard with the sword blocking the door and, without hesitation, threw down their spears. They ran toward Zhen Zhuo, who had fallen in the courtyard; a dozen men awkwardly lifted the wounded and rushed away without a trace.

“Tsks tsk tsk, unable to even direct a few guards, what a worthless creature.”

Zhan Qi glanced at the two old men with sullen faces, unfurled his fan, and stepped forward with disdain: “I will do it myself then. If this delays Lord Zhan’s auspicious time, not even the annihilation of the Zhen Clan would be sufficient compensation!”

The white snake, which was originally moving slowly, suddenly contracted and expanded, darting towards the dark young man like a sharp thorn, its fan bones sharp as knives, aiming for Kaba’s right shoulder.

No blocking, no parrying, no dodging, no flinching.

“Ssss~~~~~”

Accompanied by a long breath control, Kaba retracted the short blade to his stomach, his body coiled into a ball, and only the flash of the blade shimmered brilliantly.

Having entered the “Abandoning Life” state, the dark young man felt everything around him slow down; even the swift strike of the white snake seemed clear and traceable.

That deadly fan surface rippled like the tide, but within it was a red dot, the key to breaking through the siege.

Kaba, who had cast aside life and death, saw the sole chance of survival within the dance of the fan and lunged forward with his sword!

With spiritual power coursing through his body in harmony with his breath, flowing from his dantian down through his spleen, across to the meeting of sun and moon, alighting on his Achilles’ tendons, the explosively unleashed spiritual power propelled Kaba forward. The basic footwork he had practiced millions of times combined with his sword technique, a lethal red light flashed at the entrance of Zhen Mansion.

“Dodge it!”

The moment Kaba erupted, Zhan Qi felt a sense of impending doom, which made his body react instantly.

Without holding anything back, the precious fan flew out of his hand; he performed Zigzag Steps to retreat explosively, his spiritual armor quickly enveloping him.

Yet even this astonishing reaction was slower than the bursting thrust of the breath; no one could stop the red gleam’s trajectory.

The red light that struck first penetrated Zhan Qi’s chest, and with a “snap”, the high-carbon steel short sword broke off, while the white snake was knocked flying.

The watching crowd drew back swiftly but was still knocked over en masse, amidst woeful cries, Zhan Qi stood up shrieking.

“Just a bit more, and this young master would have been killed by you!”

Zhan Qi, disarrayed, glared frantically and pointed at his chest screaming at Kaba.

Following the direction of the white snake’s hand, the crowd then saw that underneath the white jade long robe, there was actually another piece of protective spiritual armor.

‘So that’s how it is…’

Kaba looked down at the pieces of the broken sword scattered on the ground and his own broken wrist bone, laughing at himself with self-mockery.

The so-called Abandoning Life is a do-or-die sword technique. After its execution, the hollow dantian and the overly exerted meridians will completely deprive the martial artist of the ability to fight.

The dark-skinned young man standing at the gate, although still holding the broken sword, was already nearly delirious. Just as he was about to be slapped to death by the leaping Zhan Qi, he mustered his last strength to lift the broken sword.

Even in death, he wanted to die in the act of wielding his sword. This was what the one-armed dark-skinned youth thought to himself before closing his eyes.

To say there are no regrets would be a lie. If he had known Zhan Qi was wearing a spirit armor, that strike should have aimed for the forehead.

But what’s done is done, what use is regret now? He just didn’t know whether his wife would remarry. Fortunately, they had no children to worry about, so even if she remained a widow, she wouldn’t have too hard a life.

Before his death, Kaba’s thoughts began to wander chaotically, his life’s memories speeding by like a scroll of paintings, all of them fondly centered around his wife.

Zhan Qi’s palm was already close at hand, and Kaba could even hear the whooshing sound of the wind. Was he… about to die?

With sword in hand, motionless, Kaba’s eyes were filled with an attachment to the world, and as if the heavens understood his reluctance, the shattered pieces of the sword suddenly stirred.

Like hundreds of streaks of lightning dancing, the fragments of the short sword transformed into a sword screen in front of Kaba, making Zhan Qi’s maniacal expression instantly turn to one of terror.

The sword screen cut through everything; the protective spirit armor was like paper mache, and in an instant, it was slashed to pieces. The sword screen did not stop, and Zhan Qi became the new target, his naked torso like a chunk of meat caught in a turbine. He was cut by a hundred and eighty swords in a blink of an eye, his body covered in blood as he thudded to the ground, his life hanging by a thread.

Then the sword screen paused, the fragments fell, clinking and clattering on the stairs in front of Zhen Mansion.

The onlookers, who saw the dark-skinned young man still holding the sword on the platform and Zhan Qi lying on the ground, not knowing if he lived or died, remained silent for a long time.

The palanquin bearers, who were carrying the Star Receiving Palanquin, put it down and ran off immediately, scrambling on hands and feet, rolling and crawling towards Zhan Qi, and carried him off in a rush.

And the crowd of commoners who had originally gathered outside Zhen Mansion to watch the excitement also scattered. They had come to enjoy the festivities, but who would have thought that a dark-skinned youth from nowhere would turn a perfectly good celebration into a battlefield. It must be known that White Snake Zhan Qi was Great Elder Zhan Jingquan’s most beloved disciple. To have such a man chopped to a point of life and death, who knows what kind of thunderous wrath would descend from the Zhan Clan, and the Zhen Clan… they’re doomed!

…

Zhan Clan’s Four Symbols

Refer to the most outstanding four martial artists of the current Zhan Clan generation: Fierce Bull Zhan Cheng, Ghost Fox Zhan Jiao, Soaring Tiger Zhan Kuang, and White Snake Zhan Qi.

The incident of White Snake Zhan Qi being wounded by the guards of Zhen Mansion was a significant event. However, Great Elder Zhan Jingquan did not rush to gather his forces and head to Zhen Mansion to annihilate them as the people of Danmu Town had expected. Instead, he announced that he would spare no expense to save White Snake’s life first.

A so-called hero may have an arrogant and unruly side, thinking of himself as invincible, but must also learn to evaluate the situation and act accordingly.

Kaba’s insignificant cultivation was not worth noting in Zhan Jingquan’s eyes, but the sword screen that shattered the spirit armor yet spared Zhan Qi’s life compelled the overlord of Danmu Town to be cautious.

“Your Grace, we have found out!”

Ghost Fox Zhan Jiao reported respectfully to Zhan Jingquan, presenting information collected from Danmu Town: “This person is named Kaba, whom from childhood had been sent to the martial arts hall to practice Foundation Building. Later his parents perished at sea, he was cut off from support, forced to beg in the streets, earning a meager living by watching houses and courtyards, carrying bags and delivering goods. His sword skills, initially third-rate, were honed recently while escorting the Zhen Clan’s caravan, where he lost his right arm to the Overturning Sky Thieves!”

“That information might not be accurate.”

Fierce Bull Zhan Cheng frowned and said: “That man’s unparallel reverse grip sword skills are far from mediocre; there isn’t anyone in the whole of Danmu Town that matches up!”

Glancing at Fierce Bull, Ghost Fox Zhan Jiao continued: “The identity of Kaba is certain, the key is how he transformed from an ordinary street swordsman into the terrifying swordsman he is today.”

“Either he encountered a fortuitous adventure or was taken in by a reclusive expert as his disciple,” Zhan Cheng interjected with certainty: “That’s what the stories in the books always say!”

“Would you shut up and let Ghost Fox finish speaking!?”

Irritated at being interrupted repeatedly, Soaring Tiger Zhan Kuang roared: “Interrupt again, and see if I don’t tear that stinking mouth of yours off!”

Seeing Zhan Cheng silenced by the reprimand, Ghost Fox Zhan Jiao smiled and continued: “This time, the boss actually got it right. This street swordsman named Kaba might have indeed been taken in by a high-ranking individual as a disciple!”

“The Zhen Clan’s caravan was robbed, Kaba was maimed by the Overturning Sky Thieves, but the Zhen Clan, instead of abandoning or blaming him, immediately transported him back to Danmu Town for emergency treatment.”

“And the gang of Overturning Sky Thieves who injured Kaba, just after Kaba lost his arm, were all slaughtered in South Mountain Stream. The remnants of their flesh scattered on the ground, eerily reminiscent of Zhan Qi’s shredded protective spirit armor!”