Chapter Nine, the long sword resembles pure snow

Three soldiers clad in Tang army leather armor slowly emerged from the forest, each wielding a gleaming long knife. "Good hearing, I merely stepped on a dry branch by accident, and you heard it," one of the Tang soldiers said coldly. A brownish-red scar twisted grotesquely across his right cheek. He pointed his long knife at Cui Han and Xu Haoyue, stating coldly, "I am Chen Liang, a subordinate officer of General Liu's personal guard of the Qinghuai Army. You two are spies from the State of Zhou; surrender at once!"

Cui Han and Xu Haoyue rode out for a distance, and the mountain path gradually became steeper. The horse, carrying both of them, began to struggle. Xu Haoyue frowned and said, "Cui Dage, why don't we dismount and let the horse run on its own? We can hide in the nearby dense forest; the pursuers will surely not notice us." Cui Han praised, "Sir, you are astute; I was just thinking the same thing." Thus, the two dismounted and hid in the dense forest, while the horse continued to gallop along the official road.

Sun Yu led the cavalry, believing that his subordinate, Deputy General Zhang, had already dealt with Zhao Kuangyin and the others. To his surprise, he saw from a distance that several of them were unharmed. Meanwhile, over a hundred of his infantry soldiers had been killed, scattered and in disarray. Anger surged within him as he shouted loudly for the cavalry to charge. However, halfway through the charge, from over a hundred paces away, Zhao Kuangyin shot down his standard-bearer with an arrow, leaving him in shock. Yet, it is crucial for cavalry charges to avoid stopping midway. The cavalrymen raised their leather shields to block the feathered arrows and pressed on with determination.

Seeing Cui Han injured, Xu Haoyue hurriedly stepped forward to support him: "Brother Cui, are you alright?" Cui Han gritted his teeth and smiled, saying: "I am fine, let's hurry, it is not suitable to stay here for long"

Cui Han shook his waist knife and coldly laughed, "I did not expect that the Tang Kingdom still has a general like General Liu, truly rare. However, my Great Zhou front-line army will not surrender easily!" After saying this, he let out a loud shout and swung his waist knife fiercely, directly striking towards Chen Liang

Cui Han's expression changed dramatically as he exclaimed, "How did you know, sir?"

Xu Haoyue blinked and said mysteriously: "I have my own ways of knowing, Brother Cui need not panic. www.hetushu.com.com What brings you to Huainan? I will not interfere."

Xu Haoyue and Cui Han walked deeper into the dense forest. After half an hour, they arrived at a small stream and sat down to take a short rest. After scooping up a handful of cool stream water and drinking it, Xu Haoyue let out a long sigh of relief. He glanced at Cui Han beside him, who was drinking with one hand while the other hand remained firmly on the hilt of his knife, showing no sign of relaxation even while drinking. Xu Haoyue smiled slightly and said, "Brother Cui, you don't seem like merchants. What kind of traveling merchants possess such a murderous aura as yours?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Yu felt a sudden clarity in his heart. It seemed that these individuals were indeed likely spies from the Zhou Dynasty, given their remarkable skills. He immediately ordered a junior officer to lead twenty cavalrymen to pursue them along the official road, while he himself took a large contingent into the dense forest to search for Zhao Kuangyin and others.

Chen Liang's expression changed slightly, and he snorted, saying: "General Sun's matters will be handled by General Liu, and there is no need for you people from the State of Zhou to meddle! General Liu, noticing the unusual movements of the Zhou Dynasty, will certainly send spies to infiltrate and dispatch us to scout the area. I have been watching you for a long time; you are nothing but spies from the Zhou Dynasty. Do not try to argue; surrender quickly!"

Originally, Cui Hanzhan was locked in combat with Chen Liang, while Xu Haoyue was being closely pursued by Qi San. Fearing for Xu Haoyue's safety, he gritted his teeth and feigned a weakness, exposing a gap at his waist. Chen Liang, overjoyed, thrust his long knife forward. Cui Han sidestepped and then suddenly swung his weapon, causing Chen Liang's head to fall with a thud. Despite sustaining a wound to his waist from Chen Liang, Cui Han managed to behead him with a single strike, then turned around and killed Qi San with another blow, thus saving Xu Haoyue.

In a flash of the blade, Qi San's smile froze, his eyes widened as he slowly fell backward. Xu Haoyue, choked and flushed, coughed incessantly. When he looked up, he saw Cui Han, drenched in sweat, gasping for breath. His right hand, holding a dagger at his waist, dripped with fresh blood, while his left hand pressed against his waist, blood seeping through his fingers, indicating that he had sustained an injury to his waist

Upon hearing this, Qi San was filled with rage and swung his knife fiercely. Xu Haoyue dodged behind a tree, but the long knife could not be stopped and struck straight into the trunk. As Qi San hurriedly withdrew his knife, he was unexpectedly attacked by Xu Haoyue, who emerged from behind the tree and landed a heavy punch on his nose. The blow was so forceful that Qi San saw stars and blood flowed from his nose. Enraged, Qi San let out a tiger-like roar, no longer bothering to pull out his knife. He seized Xu Haoyue's wrist with one hand while the other formed a fist and struck fiercely. Xu Haoyue quickly raised his hand to block, disregarding any fighting techniques, and lunged forward, pinning Qi San down. They fought like street ruffians, rolling and grappling on the ground.

Hehe, do you think you can leave after killing Brother Chen? A voice filled with anger floated out from the forest, startling Xu Haoyue and Cui Han. Could it be that the two of them would really meet their end here today?

Cui Han paused slightly at these words, shook his head, and said: "We are merchants traveling for business; in this day and age, which merchant does not possess some martial skills? Moreover, the northern people have always valued martial prowess; it has been this way throughout history, so there is no need for you to be surprised, sir"

Zhao Kuangyin and Mi Xin shot arrows in quick succession, without any pause. Moments later, more than ten arrows had been fired, and over ten cavalrymen from Sun Yu fell to the ground, either horse or rider struck. The momentum of the charge slightly diminished. Once the arrows were exhausted, Zhao Kuangyin let out a tiger's roar: "Retreat into the woods!" The Zhao brothers and their three main guards disappeared into the forest, knowing that Sun Yu would not let this go easily and that a large force would surely come in pursuit. By drawing away the pursuers, Xu Haoyue and Cui Han would be safe.

Cui Han took a step forward, drew his waist knife, and held it protectively in front of Xu Haoyue, speaking in a deep voice: "We are merely ordinary merchants. General Chen could not have anticipated that your Qinghuai Army, which has no notorious reputation, would now engage in the vile act of masquerading as bandits among the imperial troops. It is truly chilling!"

Xu Haoyue sat on a stone by the stream and smiled, saying: "Brother Cui, there is no need to hide it from me any longer. That Lord Zhao is General Zhao Kuangyin of the Imperial Army of the Zhou Dynasty, and that Lord Zhao Er is his brother Zhao Kuangyi, correct?"

If it were a bare-handed contest, Xu Haoyue believed he had the courage to challenge this soldier one-on-one. However, faced with the cold, glinting long knife, Xu Haoyue's confidence was clearly lacking. Lacking the skills to disarm with bare hands, he did not dare to step forward. Seeing the long knife coming at him, without a second thought, he turned and fled.

Xu Haoyue was engrossed in watching the two engage in a fierce knife fight, which was far more captivating than the martial arts scenes in films and television. Suddenly, he noticed a flash of cold light in front of him, and in fright, he quickly retreated. A cold long knife swept past him. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was another soldier following Chen Liang who had stealthily approached to launch a surprise attack, causing him to break out in a cold sweat. The soldier had a large bruise on his face, and his expression was fierce. Seeing that his first strike had missed, he immediately flipped his long knife and swung it again towards Xu Haoyue.

Xu Haoyue interjected with a smile: "It is still the officials who collude with their subordinates to act together"

Cui Han lowered his head and murmured in acknowledgment, just as he was about to speak. Suddenly, he heard a crack, as if a branch had snapped. Cui Han stood up and shouted sternly, "Who is it!"

As the more than one hundred Tang cavalrymen galloped towards them, Cui Han's expression changed slightly, and he shouted sternly: "Sir, quickly mount your horse and leave first; these official troops and bandits are in cahoots." Xu Haoyue had already understood in his heart that the Qinghuai Army led by Sun Yu was even more ruthless than the bandits who kill and plunder, but unwilling to be so ungrateful as to leave first, he hurriedly said: "Brother Cui, let Brother Zhao and Brother Zhao Er hurry and leave together!"

Zhao Kuangyi was momentarily taken aback, his expression turning cold as he said淡淡地说道: "I just don't want you to drag everyone down. Hurry and leave; preserving your life is the most important! We will meet at Wuwang Mountain Villa!" Cui Hanfei mounted his horse and rode off with Xu Haoyue, galloping away swiftly.

Then Qi San responded and chased after Xu Haoyue with his sword. Xu Haoyue was greatly alarmed and could only maneuver around the trees in the forest while evading Qi San. He knew that Cui Han, anxious to protect him, would surely become flustered. While dodging, he shouted, "Brother Cui, don't worry about me; just kill that guy first. This little soldier can't harm me."

This Qi San was quite strong, having flipped back and forth several times before finally overpowering Xu Haoyue. He seized Xu Haoyue by the neck, his eyes gleaming with malice, and grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow, jagged teeth as he sneered: "Die, you stinking scholar!"

On the official road, Zhao Kuangyi, Tian Chongjin, and Li Huaiyi displayed remarkable bravery and exceptional skill, driving the remaining forty or so bandits to retreat step by step. The leading brute was already trembling in his legs, wanting to escape into the woods. However, upon hearing the thunderous sound of hooves on the official road and seeing the flags, he was overjoyed and could no longer conceal his identity. He shouted loudly to his bandit followers, "General Sun's cavalry has arrived, everyone fight to the death!" Upon hearing this, the morale of the bandits surged, and they all shouted in unison, "Fight to the death! Fight to the death!" They managed to turn the tide and fought fiercely without retreating.

Zhao Kuangyi led Tian Chongjin and Li Huaiyi to battle against the bandits, but they were unable to make headway. The enemy cavalry gradually closed in, and they were eager to rush forward and kill the leading man. However, that man was quite cunning, only darting back and forth behind the bandits without engaging Zhao Kuangyi. Just as they were growing increasingly anxious, a long howl echoed, and in a flash of cold light, the man's head flew into the air. It was Zhao Kuangyin and Mi Xin who leaped out from the dense forest, both carrying a bow and half a pot of arrows, presumably having seized the archers' weapons from the woods. Zhao Kuangyin let out a long howl, and with incredible swiftness, his long sword severed the man's head. The action was clean and decisive; the man's headless body stood upright, blood gushing from the neck, while Xu Haoyue witnessed a living person's head being chopped off for the first time. He was so frightened that his face turned pale, and a wave of nausea surged over him, nearly causing him to vomit. From the dense forest behind, two fierce figures emerged, and upon seeing them, they killed the leader. The bandits were thrown into disarray, and with a shout, they scattered in all directions.

The injured soldiers spoke in trembling voices: "General, the enemy is highly skilled in martial arts and proficient in formations and combat. We were careless for a moment and thus were defeated." Another injured soldier, in an attempt to lessen his culpability, stammered, "General, two men rode off on horseback and escaped."

The soldier thought that Xu Haoyue lacked martial skills, so he shouted and charged forward. Cui Han and Chen Liang were locked in a fierce battle. Seeing Xu Haoyue being pursued and attacked by the soldier, Cui Han felt a surge of panic. He swung his waist knife three times to force Chen Liang back a step, then shifted his stance and fiercely slashed at the soldier. Unexpectedly, the soldier was not weak in martial arts either, raising his blade to block the attack. Chen Liang, wielding his long knife, entangled Cui Han once more. Realizing the situation, Chen Liang shouted sternly, "Qi San, you deal with that scholar first; I will hold this person!"

Zhao Kuangyi halted his steps and turned back, only to see Xu Haoyue still dawdling. Unable to contain himself, he rushed forward and threw Xu Haoyue onto the horse's back, angrily saying, "What time is it, still being so indecisive? Cui Han, you get on the horse too. I see this kid is not good at riding and is afraid he won't be able to run far!" Xu Haoyue's old face flushed red to his neck. He did not expect that although Zhao Kuangyi was not on good terms with him, he could still tell that he could not ride. Grateful while on the saddle, he said, "Zhao Erge, thank you!"

Zhao Kuangyin was stained with blood on his blue attire, clearly having killed many people. Upon seeing the bandits scatter, he immediately called out to Zhao Kuangyi, who was still intent on pursuing: "Follow me to hold back the enemy cavalry, and let Mr. Xu and Han Cui go ahead!"

The sound of the blade was formidable. Chen Liang, with his long knife in hand, was ready to block it. Unexpectedly, Cui Han's knife, midway through its arc, made a beautiful curve and struck down a soldier beside Chen Liang, who was caught off guard and fell to the ground. Chen Liang shouted angrily, "What a fierce knife technique!" He thrust out his long knife and engaged in combat with Cui Han. Both displayed exceptionally skilled knife techniques, their blades dancing like snowflakes scattering in the air, and their movements were both valiant and graceful.

Sun Yu rushed forward and saw dozens of his soldiers' corpses on the ground, infuriated to the point of fury. A few wounded soldiers, still alive but injured, were brought before him. Sun Yu sternly questioned, "How could over a hundred of you be so utterly defeated by just seven men?"

Zhao Kuangyin squinted at the approaching cavalry of Sun Yu and said in a deep voice: "Mi Xin! Fire the arrows!" After speaking, Zhao Kuangyin took down the bow and arrows from his back, drew the bow, and with a swift motion, released an arrow. Among the Sun Yu cavalry, the flag bearer at the forefront fell to the ground in response.

Cui Han, with a cold demeanor, drew his waist knife and said sternly: "Sir, do not speak further. The enemy cavalry is approaching rapidly, and anyone left behind is easily pursued and killed. Hurry and mount!" He urged Xu Haoyue to get on the horse, while Xu Haoyue, filled with frustration, could not express it. With his poor riding skills, how far could he escape alone?