Chapter 3

As he continued to recite, the middle-aged man's voice grew increasingly faint, eventually fading into silence

Meng Jianqing stood with his sword crossed over his chest, observing Hu Jinyong, who was struggling to break through the encirclement. Should he lend a helping hand to Hu Jinyong?

Just now, I barely managed to take this blow; the thief has evidently sustained serious injuries, with dark blood continuously oozing from the corner of his mouth

Meng Jianqing cautiously peered out from the rocky outcrop, surveying the disarrayed soldiers surrounding the watchtower. In the darkness of night, the enemy was unaware of the exact number of their forces, temporarily encircling the watchtower while dispatching troops to search the area; they were merely waiting for dawn to launch a large-scale attack

Meng Jianqing grew up in eastern Zhejiang and was accustomed to walking mountain paths; Hu Jinyong, a native of Huaibei, came to Hangzhou with his uncle. In just three years, he had climbed to the halfway point of the mountain, but he had already fallen behind considerably. In his impatience, he accidentally stepped on a loose stone, which rolled down the mountain with a thunderous sound.

Let them search like this; sooner or later they will find those two horses and discover that the ambush was carried out by only two individuals

By the time they reached the fourth outpost, they had already been surrounded at the outpost by two teams and the book thieves.

The mountain road is covered with snow, steep and slippery

Meng Jianqing's expression changed slightly, and he suddenly turned around

However, when it reached his hands

The middle-aged thief was staring at him

He leaned against the cliff and slowly slid down to the ground, his expression a mix of joy and sorrow: "Alas, after many years, the disciple taught by Master Yan Er is actually able to execute the Mountain Split Slash twice in a row—it's just a pity that he will never see whose head this Mountain Split Slash has severed"

The bandit camp in the mountains has been alarmed, with shouts and the distinct sounds of horses neighing clearly audible

Meng Jianqing calculated briefly and replied: "Eleven"

However, a deep voice from the middle-aged thief came from behind: "I never expected to witness Mr. Yan Er's mountain-splitting strike again tonight"

This time, the force of the blade was even more fierce and domineering, resulting in even more people falling. The snow was stained with blood, and there were severed limbs and broken bodies, evoking a chilling horror. The others, for a moment, did not dare to approach again.

Meng Jianqing leaped off the cliff at https://m.hetushu.com, using the force of his jump to strike again with his blade

His complexion gradually turned grayish-white, palms together and eyes closed, murmuring the scriptures. Meng Jianqing could only understand four lines: "The present world is dark, evil forces run rampant; reborn from the flames, the next life will be bright"

Hu Jinyong angrily declared: "If we are on level ground, you shall not take the lead over me! Very well, let us compete again now!"

Among the bandits, a sudden outburst of weeping erupted, clearly indicating that this person was deeply cherished among them

If Mr. Yan Er were to know all of this, would he regret his initial choice

Meng Jianqing let out a long howl, his body following the blade as he leaped down from the watchtower. His body turned with the knife, stirring up layers of accumulated snow in the mountains and forests, as the cleaver sliced down from the air amidst the mud, dust, flying snow, and withered branches and fallen leaves

At the forefront of the attacking band of thieves, their spears shattered one after another. The first two were struck aside by the blade, and the overwhelming force sent them crashing into their comrades behind, causing more than ten to fall in succession. Ultimately, the one who barely managed to withstand the blade was a middle-aged thief captain, yet he was forced to retreat over ten steps, finally bracing himself against the cliff to absorb this blow

Hu Jinyong, caught up in the heat of battle, was unexpectedly led by Meng Jianqing's maneuver, causing him to uncontrollably charge down the hillside.

Hu Jinyong and Meng Jianqing should have retreated while the enemy troops had not yet arrived, but Hu Jinyong did not retreat, and naturally, Meng Jianqing could not retreat either

Meng Jianqing silently gazed at the middle-aged man. Since obtaining Mr. Yan Er's manual on sword techniques, he had come to understand the profound secret of the Yan family's Thirteen Cuts, which emphasizes essence over form. As he drew his blade, he gradually began to embody the spirit of the technique; however, this middle-aged man still recognized the Mountain Split Cut, indicating that he must have been quite familiar with the Yan family's swordsmanship in his earlier years

The mountain was stirred, torches were lit, the whistle sounded sharply, and several loose stones tumbled down.

Such a knife, in the hands of a barbarian, is merely a cleaver

Hu Jinyong was the first to shout loudly and charged down with his sword

Meng Jianqing wiped the blood from his blade on the snow, crouched behind a rock to avoid the arrows, and observed Hu Jinyong, saying: "Brother Hu indeed possesses great spirit. If it were someone else, they might have taken the opportunity to strike while I was charging ahead, severing a head and making an early escape."

He made a decisive move, using his sword to lift the middle-aged man's corpse and throw it out, disrupting the focus and sight of the bandits. Seizing this opportunity, he swung his heavy broadsword, which whistled as it spun horizontally. Just as the blade struck, several bandits screamed and rolled down the hillside, clearing a path. Meng Jianqing had already grasped the short knife at his waist, and as he leaped forward, he slashed under the armpits of two bandits who were unable to retreat, rushing towards Hu Jinyong, who was still engaged in a fierce battle.

He desperately blocked, and Meng Jianqing was surrounded again

Meng Jianqing and Hu Jinyong exchanged glances, both dismounting in the hollow of the mountain. They tied their horses to a low tree, tightened their belts, and began to ascend the mountain, stepping on the accumulated snow.

He reached back and touched a thick-bladed machete on the ground

Meng Jianqing picked up the thick-backed machete, his left hand gently gliding over the blade

Meng Jianqing said softly, "Alright, let us compete once more! In this round, regarding the books, whoever rushes out first will be considered the winner"

By the time we break through the encirclement, the east will have turned pale with dawn

Hu Jinyong scoffed, "Am I, Hu, the kind of petty person! I have taken down five, how about you?"

Meng Jianqing leaped towards the slanted ground, making several turns, and had already pounced onto the watchtower. Hu Jinyong, seeing the glint of blades on the watchtower, exerted himself to catch up, but was only a moment too late. The four sentinels on the watchtower had already fallen to the ground. Without taking the time to sever their heads, Meng Jianqing hurriedly dashed towards the second watchtower, where torches were lit.

The small leader wielding this knife possesses great strength, and the knife is heavy. If it were not for his truly poor knife skills, Meng Jianqing would indeed find it difficult to handle him for a while.

Meng Jianqing knew that the situation was dire. Although this group of people was momentarily intimidated by the force of his blade and dared not to attack recklessly, their profound sorrow—often referred to as the sorrowful soldiers being victorious—coupled with the notion that one person fighting desperately is difficult for ten to withstand, meant that if they were to attack again, it would be challenging to break through.

Hu Jinyong hurried this time, managing to strike down another watchman with his knife before Meng Jianqing could deal with the three watchmen.