With a creak, Li Yan pushed open the door, wiping his face with the ice-cold towel draped around his neck. Approaching the wooden dummy stake, he picked up the Meridian Mandarin Duck Halberd and gently swept it across.

Name: Li Yan

Status: Severe injury to the right hand

Specialization: Ancient Martial Arts 82%/100%

A month of intense and perilous battles had improbably boosted Li Yan's specialization by a full percentage point.

Furthermore, having taken an ES Cell Completion Supplement the day before, Li Yan, with his right hand crippled and his body weakened by long illness, still insisted on stepping into the ring. That was the height of recklessness.

A slender figure stood at the doorway, donning sunglasses.

"Are you dressed for a trip?" Li Yan joked as he walked over to embrace her waist.

Judy smiled sweetly.

"Finish this fight and come out with me for a late-night meal."

A flicker of emotion crossed Li Yan's eyes, but he smiled and said, "Alright."

"It's also a send-off for you."

"..."

It took a moment before Li Yan spoke, "How did you know?"

"I checked your account. You've withdrawn all your money from the bank. Hard to believe a pugilist like you could earn over five million."

Li Yan touched his nose and fumbled in his shirt pocket.

"Since you're here, take this."

Judy received a ring cigarette holder embedded with a blue bead, exuding an air of the Republic era.

"Is this a family heirloom?"

The woman asked.

"Bought it yesterday in Wan Chai."

"..."

"Using this, your fingers won't get stained yellow when you smoke. Plus, it looks good on you, like a movie star."

Li Yan stretched his shirt awkwardly.

"Take care."

Judy played with the cigarette holder for a moment.

"When will you be back?"

"I'll come back if I get the chance."

"Alright."

The woman pursed her lips, smiling with a shallow dimple showing.

"I've left a gift for you in your room, don't forget to take it."

Judy pressed close to Li Yan, hugging him gently before turning to leave without a word of entreaty.

Walking down the corridor, Judy pulled a stack of documents and photos from her bag and tossed them into a trash bin. The photo on top showed a younger Li Yan.

From birth to the present, all his records were intact, without a single flaw.

But Judy knew that the man in the photo was not him.

...

Stepping out of the room, Li Yan furrowed his brows, his stride steady as he made his way to the raucous tenth floor of Fuk Yee Mansion.

On the edge of the stands sat an old man with steeply furrowed brows, his face calm, strikingly out of place amidst the fervent atmosphere around him.

On the stage, Xu Tianci's eyes remained fixed on the ceiling until Li Yan stepped onto the platform, prompting him to shift his gaze onto the newcomer. Noting the Meridian Mandarin Duck Halberd in Li Yan's hands, the corners of Xu Tianci's mouth curled slightly.

"The stranger the weapon, the quicker the death. Have you heard that before?"

Li Yan gave no reaction, as if lost in thought.

"Hey, did you hear..."

"Between the Rivers, Li Yan."

The muscles on the man's face tensed slightly, his eyes turning stern and icy.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Xu Tianci let out a sigh.

The Butterfly Twin Blades crossed in front of his chest.

"Wing Chun, Xu Tianci."

With those words, Xu Tianci stepped forward, his hands firmly gripping the Butterfly Knives. Li Yan stood with a steady horse stance, unmoving.

Xu Tianci quickened his pace with each step, transitioning from a stroll to a sprint. When he was less than two meters away from Li Yan, he bent his knees slightly and leaped towards him, thrusting the Butterfly Knife towards his chest.

"Clang!"

In the instant of close-quarters combat, Xu Tianci inwardly cursed his luck; the straight blade of his knife clashed with the round edge of the Meridian Mandarin Duck Halberd. If Li Yan were to lift his wrist, the rolling edge would pierce his own wrist.

The young man, recognizing the danger, quickly positioned the other knife above and below the round blade, attempting to press down Li Yan's weapon.

Li Yan flicked his thumb on the halberd handle, using the force of Xu Tianci's downward pressure to spin the Mandarin Duck Halberd in a large circle between his fingers!

The Meridian Mandarin Duck Halberd had four sharp edges on both sides. This spin could easily sever Li Yan's own thumb, but as the round edge turned, he managed to narrowly avoid the inner blade. The outer blade stabbed into the back of Xu Tianci's left hand!

"Thud, thud."

Xu Tianci's expression remained unchanged. His right hand moved upwards as if to sweep across Li Yan's neck, but it was a feint, and he retreated in succession.

Li Yan did not pursue, speaking indifferently, "I've never had the honor of witnessing the authentic Eight-Slash Sword. Today, I feel privileged to have the opportunity. It's been enlightening. This item in my hand is called the Meridian Mandarin Duck Halberd. It's almost unheard of in the south. Let me give you a proper introduction."

He lifted the Meridian Mandarin Duck Halberd high.

"The move just now is called Sun and Moon Resurgence," declared Xu Tianci, the wound on the back of his hand shallow. He paid it little mind, his excitement only growing.

"Pity it was with one hand, not quite authentic."

"Had it been both hands, it would be your neck bleeding, not the back of your hand."

"I beg to differ!"

Xu Tianci bent forward, this time his Butterfly Knife proactively clashing with the weapon in Li Yan's grasp.

"Clang!"

Li Yan's eyes flickered, and Xu Tianci's other hand, the backhand blade, was already slicing towards his neck.

Li Yan could twist his blade, at most crippling Xu Tianci's wrist, but Xu Tianci's free right-hand knife could pierce straight into Li Yan's neck.

After all, it was a single-handed axe.

Li Yan's brows furrowed, his right foot stepping back, sidestepping to avoid the full brunt of the attack.

Xu Tianci let out a hearty laugh, his advancing steps filling the gap Li Yan had left, his hands pressing against Li Yan, the left-hand knife of the Mandarin Duck Halberd thrusting forward in a fluid motion, aiming for Li Yan's chest. Having just shifted half his body, with his weight on his left foot, Li Yan seemed to have no escape!

To Xu Tianci's surprise, however, Li Yan's half-step back with his right foot was not the end of it. Instead, his body spun around 150 degrees, offering his left arm.

"Between two evils, one chooses the lesser. Indeed, a decisive move."

Step aside the enemy, lure the enemy to break an arm!

Eight-Slash Sword!

In that instant, the Butterfly Knife sliced into Li Yan's shoulder, the blade penetrating at least two inches deep, reaching the bone!

With your weapon-bearing left hand injured, how will you best me?

Xu Tianci's eyes, fierce and wild, screamed the question in his mind, but his vision suddenly darkened.

It was Li Yan's right hand, wrapped in bandages!

Xu Tianci closed the distance, but Li Yan had stepped back half a step further, colliding with Li Yan's right hand!

The index finger and thumb, exposed from the bandages, curved into claws without hesitation, stabbing straight into Xu Tianci's eyes!

"Heaven's Gift!"

The old man stood up, his gray eyebrows trembling.

"Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah!"

Xu Tianci roared like a raging beast, yet he clung desperately to his weapon, sweeping it across Li Yan's shoulder, the Butterfly Twin Blades thrusting towards Li Yan's chest.

Li Yan's calves lightly tapped as he flew back. His fingers were smeared with blood and a viscous fluid.

The wound on his left arm was deep, blood pooling on the ground.

He remained still, not launching an attack, but quietly observing Xu Tianci.

“This move is called the Gold Thread Eyebrow Wipe.”

“Huff—huff—”

Xu Tianci’s left eye had become a ghastly, terrifying bloody hollow, and his right eye was swollen and red, his vision filled with stars.

Enduring pain that could make an ordinary person faint, he bit his lower lip so hard it bled:

“Your Bagua Palm is nimble and fierce. I'm impressed.”

Li Yan said nothing, nor did he urge him to step down. Instead, he stood out with his feet in a ready stance, eyes locked on Xu Tianci.

“Come!”

The nineteen-year-old roared, charging at Li Yan again!

Butterfly Knives in hand, one held normally, the other in reverse grip, their cold gleam like refined steel, one aimed at Li Yan’s heart, the other slashing down towards Li Yan’s right wrist.

Li Yan twisted at the waist, leaning to the side to dodge the twin blades, his Mandarin Duck Halberd parrying the flat of the youth’s sweeping blade.

As the round blade of the Mandarin Duck Halberd spun in a reverse, the youth switched his left-hand grip from normal to reverse, pressing both reversed blades against the halberd’s edge.

Li Yan’s eyes widened, sensing something amiss.

Eight-Slash Sword, Binding Blade Technique.

Li Yan was experienced and cunning, but found his single hand insufficient, forced to withdraw his wrist to prevent Xu Tianci from sealing off his blade path.

The youth did not retreat an inch, switching the grip on his blades, slicing outward from the inside, from top to bottom like two Wandering Dragons Going Out to Sea, from Li Yan’s arm upward, one to the left and one to the right, heading straight for Li Yan’s neck!

“Shick!”

Blood spattered.

Li Yan’s foot lashed out, striking Xu Tianci’s shinbone, as he himself retreated in alarm.

From chest to neck, two wounds, each eighty centimeters long, nearly slit his own throat!

His sword-wielding wrist was also cut open. He could no longer muster strength in it.

Eight-Slash Sword, Ploughing Blade Technique!

“Hahaha~”

The youth was actually laughing, his bloodied eye sockets delivering a strong visual impact!

“This move!” He pointed the tip of his blade at Li Yan, “Eight-Slash Sword, Twin Dragons Emerge from the Sea.”

Li Yan took a deep breath, looking at Xu Tianci whose face still bore the fervor of battle, the shadow of parting in his heart dissipating, revealing for the first time on the stage a ferocious smile:

“Wing Chun Knife-Frame Soft Cotton, remarkable.”

In unison, they exclaimed, “Come!”

**********

Feel free to check more free following-up chapters here: https://www.readgates.com/article/7956ef