As the pair fought, blood blossomed around Wu Ying. Lunges and light cuts scored his body. His already tattered tunic became even more frayed, his shirt finally giving way to reveal his slim, muscled, and bloody torso. Again and again, Wu Ying had to sacrifice portions of his body to light cuts to avoid exposing himself to deeper, more dangerous follow-ups. That was Yuan Rang’s style—forcing the opponent to either choose to block quick attacks at the edges or to swing too wide, block too hard, and open oneself to a lethal strike.
Wu Ying’s breathing grew ragged, his eyes squinting hard as his view of the world shrank to the tip of the jian, the edge of the blade, and the tap of feet on soil. There was no conscious realization, no particular action that Wu Ying could point to, but suddenly, he knew. Throwing himself backward, Wu Ying desperately brought his sword sweeping across his chest and face even as Yuan Rang exploded into a blindingly fast lunge. Flat of the sword directed toward Yuan Rang, Wu Ying adjusted the angle ever so slightly as Yuan Rang dropped the tip of his jian, the point directly aimed at Wu Ying’s heart.
Wu Ying sacrificed the flat of his blade to protect his heart, placing his palm to reinforce the weapon even as the explosive attack smashed the jian into Wu Ying’s chest. The pair flew backward, crossing half the lake before the explosive impetus of Yuan Rang’s attack faded, sending Wu Ying’s body continuing to fly across the river and smash into the other bank. The senior cultivator landed on the raging waters, tapping on the water lightly to fly backward to the dry shore. With a dismissive wave, Yuan Rang shook out his sword and returned it to his sheath.
“Minor achievement. I have a long journey yet,” Yuan Rang muttered, disappointment clear on his face. He turned away, not even offering Wu Ying’s prone form a second glance before he took off running across the treetops.
On the other bank, Wu Ying lay still and unmoving until a cough erupted from his chest. Groaning with pain, Wu Ying rolled over as the shattered remnants of his blade fell to the ground. Shaky fingers moved toward his chest and tugged at the shards of metal that had embedded in his chest. Wu Ying stared at the remnants of his weapon. If he had not blocked the attack with the flat of his blade… The sheer strength of that attack…
Too tired to take in the implications, Wu Ying let his head fall back onto the ground and stared at the slowly darkening night. Drawing a deep breath, Wu Ying decided to once again cultivate and heal his newly gained wounds. This constant abuse of his body, healing and being injured, was bound to leave him with scars. Once again, Wu Ying chuckled. Good thing he was no precious scholar.
Chapter 15
As the morning sun greeted Wu Ying two days later, he stood up from his cultivation. Clad only in tattered pants and dried blood, Wu Ying made his way into the river to wash and find some breakfast. It did not take him long to start a fire, his flint always stored in his coin pouch. A peasant’s wisdom that, but one that stood him in good stead. Thankfully, the summer weather meant that even the evenings were nicely warm.
As Wu Ying supped on his breakfast, he stared at the map and sighed. The map was relatively barren of the geographic features, but at a guess, Wu Ying had two choices from his current position. Head back to the road and follow it, risking the possibility of running into Ji Ang and his bandits again. Or strike out through the wilderness. Though he might save some distance, the direct route was also more arduous and dangerous. While there might be fewer monsters that lay in wait, there would definitely be more powerful spirit creatures in the hinterlands.
On top of that, Wu Ying knew that he was late. Not actually late yet, but he had spent too long cultivating and healing. Even if he used the road, he wouldn’t make it on time. Even so, Wu Ying was determined to at least try. Perhaps some other purchasers had been delayed or dissuaded due to the increased danger.
“Through the woods,” Wu Ying finally said to himself.
Going by the road made little sense. He was almost certain Ji Ang would be waiting for him there. Or if not the bandit leader himself, his people. Better to cut through the backcountry. But before he left, Wu Ying took the time to cut down a couple of bamboo shoots and sharpen their edges with the remnants of the sword. Even though it was broken, Wu Ying took the sword and its remnants in his scabbard. Perhaps a good blacksmith might be able to fix it.
Decisions made and now armed, if not dressed, Wu Ying took off at a slow jog through the woods, away from the river. Thankfully, he had enough backwoods knowledge to guide himself in a mostly straight line. With the way roads worked in the surroundings, he was sure to hit another one if he kept going in the same direction.
As he ran and worked on suppressing his new cultivation level, Wu Ying also found time to muse about his most recent experience. Yuan Rang was a bit of an enigma. While it was obvious that Wu Ying had been used as a sparring partner, Yuan Rang did not necessarily need to use a beginner like him. If Yuan Rang had been willing to wait even a day, he could have visited any city and found a martial arts school or arena to do the same.
Then again, Wu Ying mused, Yuan Rang might be a lone wanderer. They were common—independent cultivators who had no sect or school to back them. They were rumored to be extremely paranoid about showing their cultivation and martial secrets to others. The use of an arena or even challenging a school would be public matter, no matter what was promised. In the end, rumors would circulate. Picking on Wu Ying was safer. And if Wu Ying had failed to sacrifice his sword, Yuan Rang would have been guaranteed to end any talk about his style.
Which, Wu Ying wondered, led to the question of why Yuan Rang had not ended his life when the attack failed. He had no doubt Yuan Rang knew he had survived. Was it, like his sponsor in the sect, a belief in fate? Certainly his earlier actions when he saved Wu Ying from Ji Ang had indicated the same. Then again…
Then again, perhaps Yuan Rang did not care. Wu Ying had already angered the bandits, had been grossly injured, and in the end, was only a Body Cultivator. What could a novice cultivator like him actually understand of Yuan Rang’s style, of his final attack?
Lips pursed, Wu Ying considered the question, replaying the last fight in his mind. Yes, what could he learn from it?
The green spirit snake lunged, and only a swift side step and a cross-body block with his improvised spear kept Wu Ying safe. Emerald scales and a slitted yellow eye the size of a dinner plate passed by inches from Wu Ying. The snake had overgrown its normal brethren, being nearly as wide as an oxen and easily thirty feet long. The creature had attempted to ambush Wu Ying and had only managed to spike itself on a spear, forcing this intense battle.
Moving too fast to stop, the snake smashed into a tree, shaking the boughs and sending a cascade of leaves and fruit falling. For a moment, the snake stopped, dazed. Wu Ying snarled, spinning the spear and jumping high before thrusting forward as he fell, using the combined weight and thrust to punch the sharpened edge of his spear into the snake’s body. As the spear sank through meaty flesh, Wu Ying felt the momentum of his fall halt for a second.
Previous passes with the snake had already informed Wu Ying that that was the only way to pierce the monster’s tough scales. Perhaps if Wu Ying had a proper spear, he would have more options. Thankfully, the spot he had targeted had been scraped a little raw after repeated strikes, leaving the sharpened tip to plunge into the meat.
The next few minutes involved the most terrifying ride of Wu Ying’s life as the snake bucked, twisted, and attempted to throw Wu Ying off even as he worked the spear deeper. Eventually, the bamboo shattered, leaving a gaping wound that bled profusely while throwing Wu Ying off.
After that, it was only a matter of running and hiding until the snake grew bored enough to leave. When Wu Ying finally found the monster again, it had laid down to rest and was easy prey. If not for the fact that the snake had left in the same direction Wu Ying was traveling and his want and need for a spirit stone and meat for dinner, he probably would have let it go. After all, he had let off a couple of other monsters thus far.