The Reticent Blade

A not-so-sturdy shoulder and chest made abrupt contact. The person who was struck had no time to defend himself before his entire body was sent flying like a cannonball!

It all happened in an instant. The Zhang Dongyun brothers never expected Xue Qiming's counterattack to be so swift and fierce. Before they could react, their group of three had become a group of two. A thunderouscrashsounded behind them—the courtyard wall had collapsed, burying their fallen brother under the rubble of shattered bricks and broken tiles.

"Third Brother!" Zhang Dongyun cried out in anguish. The other rushed over, frantically digging through the debris to pull their brother out.

The man lying amidst the wreckage had his chest bones completely shattered into an indistinct mess. He was barely clinging to life, his breaths faint and shallow.

Xue Qiming bared his teeth, clearly not in the best state either. The earlier sword strike hadn't troubled him. After years of training, he might not have been invincible, but he was at least impervious to ordinary blades. That man's sword had struck his weak spot, but it had only pierced a few inches into his flesh before being clamped in place by his muscles, unable to go any deeper.

What he was having trouble recovering from was the move Overlord Suppresses Mount Hua.

The old monk had given him that book, but he had only scratched the surface of its techniques. This move was far beyond his current level, and forcing it out under desperation had thrown his entire body into chaos. His qi and blood roiled as though they would explode from within at any moment.

He turned toward the inner courtyard. The flames inside the temple had grown even larger, illuminating the entire structure in a blazing glow.

Xue Qiming grew increasingly anxious. He braced himself on his knees, forced himself to stand, and strided toward the fire.

Stepping through the moon gate into the central courtyard of the Buddha Hall, Xue Qiming's eyes instantly reddened. The entire hall was in ruins; the three-legged stool, the hanging drapery before the Buddha statue, the curled pages of scriptures had been carelessly tossed to the ground.

The fire at the hall's entrance had surged past a man's height, forming a wall of flames that blocked the doorway. Through the blaze, Xue Qiming could still make out the old monk's ashes. The funerary urn had been knocked over and shattered into several pieces, leaving his remains scattered across the floor.

"You little bastard!" An enraged Zhang Dongyun stormed in. It seemed their fallen brother outside had already breathed his last.

Zhang Dongyun raised his sword and charged. "A life for a life!"

Xue Qiming snapped his head around, his eyes blazing with killing intent. The veins on his forehead bulged.

As Zhang Dongyun thrust his sword forward, Xue Qiming suddenly stepped in. The blade scraped past his cheek, but he ignored it, reaching directly for Zhang Dongyun's sword-wielding hand. Zhang Dongyun had spent years struggling through the jianghu, his skills well-honed. In a split-second reaction, he twisted his wrist, redirecting the sword's momentum to slash at Xue Qiming's shoulder.

To his shock, Xue Qiming neither dodged nor flinched, letting the sword fall upon him. Zhang Dongyun was overjoyed for a moment, only to be plunged into despair. His sword stopped abruptly, as if hacking into an ancient tree, unable to sink even an inch deeper.

Zhang Dongyun's face twisted in alarm. A bad premonition struck him, and he instinctively tried to withdraw his sword, only to find his wrist suddenly clamped in an iron grip!

"Good trick!" Zhang Dongyun bellowed, twirling his sword in an intricate flourish to break free. But Xue Qiming's grip was like an iron vice. No matter how he twisted and struggled, he couldn't shake loose.

Growing desperate, Zhang Dongyun struck a palm toward Xue Qiming's forehead, and fiercely hollered, "Let go of me!"

Xue Qiming's eyes widened in rage. He didn't dodge the incoming strike. Instead, he sent his own palm straight toward Zhang Dongyun's chest.

"Are you trying to die?!" Zhang Dongyun laughed furiously, channeling his inner qi into his palm before slamming it into Xue Qiming's forehead!

Boom!

A deafening impact echoed as the immense force struck. Xue Qiming's head snapped backward violently.

Zhang Dongyun grinned smugly. "Thieving brat! You think you can survive after taking my palm strike?"

Before Zhang Dongyun could finish gloating, Xue Qiming's head snapped back in place like his neck was a spring! His open palm, which had been pressed against Zhang Dongyun's chest, instantly clenched into a fist, delivering five rapid punches in a flash!

"What!" Zhang Dongyun's eyes widened in disbelief. Before he could even finish his exclamation, his entire body was sent hurtling through the air like a severed kite, crashing far into the distance.

"Wah—" Zhang Dongyun spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, pointing at Xue Qiming in shock. "The Sky-supporting Mountain-Splitting Hands! You actually inherited Xue Yinlong's true teachings?!"

Xue Qiming was now half-kneeling on the ground, blood seeping from the corners of his eyes and nose. The palm strike from earlier had left his head ringing, drowning out all sound. When he wiped his face, he felt warm liquid smearing across his skin. His face was now covered in blood.

With support from his men, Zhang Dongyun struggled to his feet, casting a wary glance at Xue Qiming. Gritting his teeth, he shouted, "This one's tough! Everyone, get out here!"

At his call, more than a dozen men rushed out from the back courtyard, each carrying firestarters in their hands. It was obvious that they had been the ones to start the fire.

Xue Qiming shook his head, then pushed himself to his feet.

"Capture him alive!" Zhang Dongyun's expression twisted with malice as he continued, "I'll take him back to the stronghold as a sacrifice to the heavens!"

The crowd unsheathed their blades and charged forward as one!

"Kill him!"

Under the night sky, the courtyard flickered between light and shadow in the glow of the fire. Suddenly, the air whistled as a dark mass shot toward the leading attacker's face.

Pa!

His head suddenly exploded like a watermelon, spraying blood and brain matter across the ground.

It all happened too fast for anyone to react. When the others finally focused, they saw Xue Qiming, his face smeared with blood, gripping a gourd in his hand. His icy gaze swept over them.

"Every single one of you... will die today."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xue Qiming charged forward, not even bothering to dodge the incoming blades. He whipped the ugly gourd with such ferocity that it created an impenetrable wall that kept the arsonists at bay.

Zhang Dongyun's fourth brother sidled up beside him and whispered, "This kid's gone berserk. He's too hard to handle. Have Old Eight bring that idiot."

Zhang Dongyun's eyes lit up, immediately agreeing. He shouted, "Old Eight! Where's that idiot now?"

A man broke away from the battle and replied, "I had him wait outside. I'll go get him now."

Meanwhile, Xue Qiming continued to swing the gourd with relentless fury, but the attackers were unwilling to confront him head-on to land a decisive blow. Just as their frustration reached its peak, a dark figure suddenly appeared before him. Xue Qiming didn't bother seeing who it was before he hurled the gourd at the newcomer.

Boom!

The gourd slammed into the man's chest, sending him stumbling back several steps. Surprisingly, the newcomer caught it firmly in his grasp.

"This iron lump is so heavy..." A muffled voice rumbled.

Xue Qiming reached to yank the iron chain, but it held taut, completely unmoving. His heart skipped a beat, and he looked closely.

Standing on the other end of the chain was a burly, bald man, cradling the gourd in both hands as he inspected it curiously.

The burly man scratched his head, seemingly puzzled. "What kind of tree grows gourds like this? Why's it so damn heavy?"

Xue Qiming licked his lips, suddenly feeling an overwhelming sense of danger.

From the distance, Zhang Dongyun yelled, "Idiot! Cripple that brat for me!"

The burly man's eyes widened as he bellowed back, "I'm no idiot!"

Zhang Dongyun frowned, ready to curse, but Old Eight grabbed his arm and called out, "Han Niu! Listen up, do your job, and I'll get you some meat when we're back!"

Han Niu still seemed displeased. "I'm no idiot," he muttered before pouting and turning to lock eyes with Xue Qiming.

Xue Qiming lowered his stance slightly, the sense of impending danger growing stronger. This burly man reminded him of something the old monk had once told him...