Chapter 8: The Ceremony of Combat

Yiming lowered his voice and asked Lawrence

Is he very impressive

Mei Yali still held her sword in a noble and elegant manner, but this time she extended it horizontally with her left hand, as if declaring something while gazing at Kufis. Then, the competition began

At that moment, Mei Yali suddenly twisted her wrist, causing the slender sword in her hand to wrap around Kufi's long sword. This maneuver altered the direction of Kufi's attack, allowing the long sword to graze past her side without striking Mei Yali's body

It should be said that she has no killing intent at all. Kufi, you are a warrior, and you should know very well that whether we are mercenaries like us or assassins who specialize in stealthy killings, the moment we engage in murder, we inevitably unleash a sense of killing intent and fighting spirit. In any battle, such an aura is unavoidable. However, do you know why we unleash killing intent?" The old man did not wait for Kufi to respond but continued speaking to himself. "That is because we know that the enemy before us is one we must confront and the prey we must eliminate. Our bodies instinctively react for us, but that young lady is clearly different.

Unfortunately, the swordsmanship employed by Mei Yali is entirely different from that of the world where Kufis resides

The originally lively crowd suddenly fell much quieter, their anxious whispers exchanged while they watched Mei Yali with vigilant eyes. Indeed, the reason mercenaries employed such broad and sweeping sword techniques is twofold: on one hand, swordsmanship is predominantly a male creation, tending towards the bold; on the other hand, mercenaries most often encounter beasts and magical creatures, for which such refined techniques are unnecessary, as their opponents lack the leisure for such finesse. Beasts are simply beasts; no matter how cunning, they are still mere animals. The correct method to deal with them is to confront strength with strength.

The exchanges were rapid and extraordinary. The surrounding mercenaries could only see Kufis's sword wielded with unparalleled momentum, while Meiyali seemed to lift her sword in a graceful twist, somehow managing to close in on Kufis. Now, Meiyali still maintained that elegant sword-holding posture, as if she had not been fighting at all, but rather dancing.

The old man once again revealed an enigmatic smile

Before Kofis could react, Meiyali's actions did not cease at this point. After deflecting Kofis's attack, her slender sword, like a venomous snake, swiftly pierced forward along the inner side of Kofis's arm, then halted in front of her neck.

I am very sorry, but it seems that I did not feel anything at all

Ah?

Drink

At the very least, that is what the rumors say

At this point, the old man sighed, his eyes narrowing slightly, and then he turned to walk towards the tent. Only that aged and heavy voice lingered in the night breeze, drifting past Kufi's ear.

Have you still not understood this?

The old man chuckled inadvertently, then raised a hand to signal Kufis to stop. After clearing his throat, the old man's expression grew serious.

Upon hearing this, Lawrence observed the old man carefully for a moment, and then suddenly turned pale with shock

Faced with Kufi's attack, Mei Yali showed no intention of retreating. On the contrary, she surprisingly took a step forward, her hand and the slender sword from the book closely following Kufi's sword. Kufi felt her attack direction being restrained by a subtle force, causing it to deviate unexpectedly. She was taken aback and hurriedly exerted all her strength, attempting to deflect Mei Yali's slender sword. However, Mei Yali did not resist her with the same force as Kufi had anticipated. Instead, Kufi felt her sword effortlessly swing in the intended direction, and although Mei Yali's slender sword was pressed tightly against her blade, Kufi felt no resistance from her opponent, as if Mei Yali had intentionally allowed her to proceed.

A deep voice sounded, and the two immediately sheathed their swords and stepped back. Yiming raised an eyebrow and looked in the direction of the voice, only to see a frail old man with a white beard walking over, clapping his hands. The mercenaries who had been shouting around them instantly fell silent, parting to make way for him, as if this old man held a very high status among them

That's all!

You are not wrong, little one. However, our enemies are not human. They may be at times, but... it will not always be the case

Miss, your swordsmanship is truly astonishing

He cast a meaningful glance at Mei Yali, while she returned his gaze with indifference, showing neither surprise nor joy.

Kufis wielded her longsword, elegantly performing a flourish, while intently observing the slender sword in Mei Yali's hand. Compared to Kufis's standard forged longsword, Mei Yali's blade was slightly longer but much more delicate. Like others, Kufis felt that with just a slight exertion, she could easily break this sword. However, she did not underestimate it; judging by the sword's earlier performance, it certainly would not be as fragile as it appeared. She scrutinized the sword closely and instinctively moved a bit closer. Based on the wounds observed on the previous corpses, if Kufis was not mistaken, Mei Yali's swordsmanship was primarily focused on thrusting. When facing such a warrior, the most important strategy was to avoid creating distance, to prevent giving them an opportunity for a lethal strike.

Kufis recalled for a moment, then shook his head and replied with great shame. However, the old man nodded in satisfaction, as if he agreed with Kufis's perspective

The old man looked at Mei Yali and smiled faintly, but his expression soon became much more serious

How is this possible

It is already very close, but unfortunately it is still not correct

What happened? Kufi?

Isn't that Lord Kachut, known as "Hawkeye"? It is rumored that he has retired from this line of work; how could he possibly be here?

Just now, during your match with that young lady, did you feel anything?

With a delicate shout, Kufis lunged forward like an agile leopard. The long sword in her hand flashed with cold light, attacking Meiyali like a sky full of stars. It seemed she had made up her mind to engage in close combat to prevent Meiyali from launching a sudden strike. Although the thrusting technique was powerful, it required a buildup of force for an explosive release. In Kufis's view, as long as she could entangle Meiyali, preventing her from accumulating the strength needed for an explosive attack and maintaining a distance unsuitable for thrusting, she would be assured of victory.

However, such exquisite swordsmanship as found on www.hetushu.com cannot possibly be intended for dealing with monsters

"Let them go, Kufis. The absence of killing intent during battle indicates that it does not matter what is killed in front of them. To them, there is fundamentally no distinction between people and objects. Such individuals are exceedingly dangerous and cannot remain in our mercenary group"

Seeing that there was no one around, Kufi Si immediately raised a question

Ding!!

What a disaster

Who is he

The old man spoke and clapped his hands. The mercenaries who had been watching immediately dispersed to attend to their own matters. After casting a glance at the old man, Yiming left with Meiyali. The once lively scene quickly fell silent, while the old man gazed at the departing figures of Yiming and Meiyali before raising his head to look at the female team leader standing respectfully beside him

Yiming stepped forward and took the old man's words. In response to his sarcasm, the old man smiled, stroked his beard, and nodded.

However, it is evident that Meiyali's swordsmanship is not a technique designed for hunting animals. Undoubtedly, it was created with the primary premise of killing and is solely intended for the purpose of murder

However, you felt nothing at all

Isn't it true that in any era, the most ferocious and the most cautionary beast is none other than humanity itself

"Are you saying..." Kufi furrowed his brow and thought for a moment, then replied with some surprise. "Do you mean to say that Meiyali possesses the means to conceal her killing intent like an assassin?! Could she be an assassin?"

Kufis, you are indeed still too young

Kufis had a gut feeling that something was amiss, perhaps due to the smoothness of the situation, which led her to doubt. If Meiyali's mhetushucomcom truly lacked the strength to resist her, then at the very least, there should have been some force in her sword to counter it, rather than moving in perfect harmony with her, as if they were dancing. In an instant, although Kufis had these thoughts, it was already too late. Without the anticipated resistance, Kufis's longsword had already swung towards Meiyali's side, and if she did not stop at this moment, blood would soon be shed

Well then, everyone, the night is already deep, so let's all rest early. Stay vigilant

Teacher, why did you say that

Caution and prudence are virtues of a businessman

Indeed, that is the case, teacher

Teacher, do you mean ... ...

Kufis was somewhat confused

The old man shook his head, then he lowered his hands and turned to continue gazing at the boundless darkness of the desert.

"The young lady just now, her swordsmanship can be described as extraordinary." The old man slightly moved his fingers, then pointed towards Kufi's neck, stopping at a position almost identical to that of Meiyali just moments ago. Just this gesture alone was enough to reveal the old man's formidable skill. "In this position, as long as her wrist moves slightly, I believe you would surely die."

In fact, there are many such individuals among us mercenaries, aren't there? We are not solely engaged in combating beasts. I believe you have already noticed that these two warriors possess exceptional skills. If we could recruit them into our ranks...

Kufis stared blankly at the old man's back, when suddenly she felt a sharp heat at her neck. In surprise, she reached up to wipe it away, only to see that her originally white palm now bore a faint trace of blood.

He ... ... Oh my God

Indeed, there is nothing at all