Chapter 112: Return
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The onlookers below didn’t clearly see how the battle between He Yan and Ba Zhu concluded. They only witnessed the two of them grappling, with Ba Zhu delivering a palm strike to He Yan, and He Yan using some concealed weapon to pierce Ba Zhu’s neck.
Though the means were not entirely honorable, He Yan had ultimately emerged as the victor.
“Big Brother He is amazing!” shouted Cheng Lisu enthusiastically. “Well done! Well done!”
“You, be quiet!” scolded Song Taotao.
“Why can’t I cheer for my big brother?” complained Cheng Lisu.
“It’s not the time to relax yet,” cautioned Song Taotao. She had noticed that He Yan’s face seemed paler than before and suspected that she might be injured, though it was hard to tell because of her black outfit.
On the stage, the youth in black clothing raised their chin slightly and asked with a smile, “Is there no one else willing to come up?”
Just then, Ridamuzi burst into laughter and exclaimed, “Interesting, very interesting! I didn’t expect the Liangzhou Garrison to have such an interesting person!” With that, he spurred his horse towards the martial arts platform.
His movements were swift, catching everyone off guard. Several Liangzhou new recruits almost got trampled by his horse, but they were pulled to safety by their comrades. Ridamuzi stopped his horse just a step away from the platform and jumped up onto it, landing in front of He Yan.
“Commander, are you thinking of joining the fight personally?” the youth asked in surprise. “I’m just a new recruit; what qualifications do I have?”
“You killed two of my warriors, you don’t seem like an ordinary recruit,” Ridamuzi laughed heartily, showing no hint of displeasure for the loss of his beloved generals just now.
“It was just luck.”
“No need to be modest. I witnessed your fight with those two earlier, and you deserve the title of the top warrior of Liangzhou Garrison!” Ridamuzi said, looking at the people below the martial arts stage, his smile filled with disdain. “I look around here, and it seems only you can bear both valor and strategy. However…” he changed the subject, “I wonder how long your waist wound can hold up?”
He Yan remained silent.
Ridamuzi looked at her with interest. “Ba Zhu is my most capable subordinate. He attacked your waist twice in a row just now, seemingly targeting an old injury. The last time, when you stabbed a hidden weapon into his throat, he…” He walked over to Ba Zhu’s side and nudged his lifeless body with his foot, turning him over. “His hand loosened. What did he stab into your waist, a blade?”
Ridamuzi asked her with concern, “Ouch, it must hurt a lot.”
“It’s not that bad, actually,” He Yan smiled, “Not as bad as what he felt.”
Ridamuzi stared at her for a while, then laughed, “Very well, I like tough people like you. They taste especially sweet when broken.” He kicked Ba Zhu’s lifeless body off the high platform just as he had done with Wala previously, chuckling, “Useless trash.”
Then, he slowly drew his curved blade from his waist.
Shen Han, seeing this, furrowed his brows and said angrily, “Ridamuzi, as the leader, you shouldn’t be fighting our Liangzhou Guard recruits. If there’s a need for sparring, I’ll take you on!”
“You?” Ridamuzi shook his head slowly, “He’s more worthy than you. I want him, this He… He Yan.”
“Instructor Shen, I’ll handle this,” He Yan said.
In reality, whatever she said to Shen Han didn’t matter. Ridamuzi had already set his sights on He Yan. It was the worst possible outcome, but at the same time, it offered them more time.
“Don’t you want to switch weapons?” Ridamuzi grinned, “My blade could easily slice through your whip.”
“Perhaps my whip will twist your blade into knots,” He Yan smiled, holding her whip horizontally in front of her.
Each Qiang soldier used a different type of curved blade, and Ridamuzi’s was particularly large and long, standing half the height of a person. Its blade had seen the blood of many, bearing a dark red hue. As the blade was unsheathed and touched by the sunlight, a hint of a bloody aura emanated from it.
He Yan had no choice but to use her whip. During her years of fighting with the Qiang people, she had always used a sword. Anyone who had seen the “Flying Phoenix General” in action could recognize her swordplay immediately. However, the Qiang people excelled at using blades, and using a blade in front of them would be like exposing her own weaknesses. After some thought, she decided to stick with her iron whip.
Ridamuzi charged with his blade.
His steps were swift, and despite his burly physique, his movements were remarkably agile and crafty. He maintained a distance that just eluded He Yan’s whip.
He Yan attempted to wrap her whip around his blade, but Ridamuzi skillfully evaded her and countered with a backhand strike, causing a loud “thud.” Although the iron whip didn’t break, it was a close call.
Continuing like this, He Yan wondered how long her whip could endure. The weapons on the rack were designed for training and durability, but Ridamuzi’s blade was clearly a high-quality blade, not in the same league.
He laughed heartily and swung his blade horizontally, tangling He Yan’s whip around it. However, he didn’t just stop there, with a powerful tug, he pulled He Yan’s body towards him.
“Brother Ah He, be careful!” Xiao Mai couldn’t help but blurt out.
As He Yan flew towards Ridamuzi, it seemed she was about to collide with the edge of his sword. However, the youth suddenly smiled, and her whip looped around in a graceful arc, slipping under the blade. At the same time, she used the momentum to pass over Ridamuzi’s head, rolling on the ground a bit before coming to a stop.
The audience’s hearts, which had been in their throats, finally settled back in their chests.
Ridamuzi slowly turned his head.
Naturally ferocious and ruthless in appearance, Ridamuzi had been struck across the face by He Yan’s whip, causing him to bleed. Blood trickled down his face, but he seemed undeterred. He wiped it away carelessly, licked the blood off his lips, and stared intently at He Yan, saying, “You’re quite impressive.”
His voice was soft, but it sent shivers down the spines of those who heard it.
He Yan responded, “Likewise.”
The wound on her waist was excruciating, and any slight movement caused sharp pain. The rolling action earlier had driven the blade deeper into her body. However, she couldn’t pull the blade out at this moment. Firstly, there was no time for her to do so, and secondly, pulling it out would result in uncontrollable bleeding, quickly sapping her strength.
Yet now, He Yan didn’t appear as relaxed as she wanted to seem. The blade Ba Zhu had thrust into her body was short and slender, about the width of a finger. It had been inserted horizontally, not hitting a vital organ, but it had fallen right on top of her old wound. The previous injury had reopened, and as she moved and fought in the martial arts arena, the blade had dug deeper, making it feel like she was awake and being cut open.
She lowered her head and quickly bit her lip, causing it to bleed again. Her appearance shifted back to that of the spirited young man.
“How much longer can you hold on?” Ridamuzi wasn’t concerned and chuckled, “Your sweat is nearly running dry.”
“Oh, is it?” He Yan wiped her brow, “Perhaps it’s just the hot weather.”
Ridamuzi slowly raised his blade, grinning maliciously as he lunged, “Your blood will run dry as well!”
He Yan charged forward.
The Liangzhou Garrison new recruits below watched with bated breath, anxious as they saw He Yan struggle against Ridamuzi. Facing him was not as easy as her previous opponents. And while He Yan might have been skilled, she was still just a sixteen-year-old kid at the end of the day.
Jiang Jiao murmured, “He can’t hold on much longer.”
“He might be injured,” Huang Xiong furrowed his brow. “If things get worse…” He patted his large golden-backed blade. “We might have to charge in together. We can’t let her throw her life away to the Western Qiang people.”
Wang Ba cursed, “D*mn it! Why aren’t these instructors stopping this? They’re letting a kid face off alone. It’s embarrassing!”
Shen Han stood among the crowd, eyes locked onto He Yan’s figure. He was clutching a piece of paper so tightly it seemed it might crumble. Liang Ping beside him was growing increasingly anxious and whispered, “Head Instructor, we can’t just keep waiting like this. We can’t let these Western Qiang people take control. What if…”
“Don’t take matters into your own hands!” Shen Han snapped. “Just wait a little longer.”
Wait? Wait for what?
On the stage, He Yan and Ridamuzi clashed for a dozen moves.
Her movements were no longer as swift as before, noticeably slower, and she grazed Ridamuzi’s sword on her arm a few times, each time narrowly avoiding being hit directly. However, she was accumulating cuts.
But her smile on her face remained constant, as if this were not a life-and-death battle but a casual sparring match with friends after daily training.
This puzzled Ridamuzi.
He said, “Are all people from the Central Plains as good at pretending as you?”
“It’s not quite like that,” He Yan’s voice wavered with pain, but she smiled. “I’m exceptionally good at pretending.”
Ridamuzi’s smile wasn’t as relaxed as before.
He Yan didn’t dare to lower her guard against him.
Back when she fought the Western Qiang people, their leader, Ridamuji, was brutal and ruthless, wielding his curved blade to harvest countless souls. Wherever he went, there were piles of bones. What Ridamuji loved most was beheading captives with his curved blade and tying their heads to his horse’s tail. The bloody and mangled heads of the dead became the nightmares of many Central Plains civilians.
He Yan led the Fuyue Army against the Western Qiang people, and every time they clashed, she could sense his cunning and dreadfulness.
In their final battle, Ridamuji died at He Yan’s hands.
He had enjoyed beheading others, but he probably never expected to end up decapitated himself. His head was placed in a jeweled box and brought to the Imperial Palace in the capital city, presented as a military achievement to the emperor, earning generous rewards.
After Ridamuji’s death, the Western Qiang forces lost their leader and the rebellion was quickly quelled. The man before her now, named Ridamuzi, had the exact same face as Ridamuji.
He Yan had personally witnessed Ridamuji’s death, so she knew he couldn’t have come back to life. Furthermore, Ridamuji had dark green eyes, while Ridamuzi’s eyes were a dark blue. She recalled that Ridamuji had a twin brother, a man of great brute strength and ferocity. However, he had left early due to conflicts with his brother, and his whereabouts were unknown.
Now it seemed that this was Ridamuji’s twin brother, Ridamuzi.
He probably learned of his brother’s death, perhaps even gathered some remnants of the Western Qiang forces, to arrive at the Liangzhou Garrison. He was just as cunning, gathering intelligence that Xiao Jue was no longer at the Liangzhou Garrison, and realizing that the new recruits here were inexperienced, which emboldened him to act so openly.
But Ridamuzi wasn’t a fool. Even if his subordinates were ferocious and brave, they couldn’t possibly win against the tens of thousands of elite Liangzhou Garrison soldiers. Therefore, he likely had more forces hidden somewhere. This was a carefully planned scheme against the Liangzhou Garrison. With White Moon Mountain in front and Five Deer River behind, it was impossible to cross the mountains in this heavy snow. So, the most likely route was a night-time crossing over the closest waterway.
He Yan had never met Ridamuzi before, but she had fought against Ridamuji several times, and she was well aware of his tactics. Ridamuzi, despite his conflicts with his brother, seemed to employ the same methods. These new recruits of the Liangzhou Garrison couldn’t escape a brutal fight today. She had done everything she could, and her final task was to rally the morale of the Great Wei soldiers on this battlefield.
With high morale, they would unleash their true power in their first battle.
“I hate Central Plains people who pretend,” Ridamuzi grew impatient. He looked into the distance, as if waiting for some news, but when it didn’t come, he turned back to He Yan and said, “Let’s end this quickly!”
He Yan smiled and said, “That’s exactly what I’m thinking.”
She reached out, tightened her belt even more, covering the wound to prevent excessive bleeding. However, the tighter she fastened it, the more it hurt.
Ridamuzi watched her movements and suddenly said, “You remind me of someone.”
He Yan asked, “Who is it?”
“I’ve never met him, but my unfortunate brother once mentioned it. In the Central Plains, there was a general named He Rufei. He could pull out an arrow from his body on the battlefield and continue to lead his troops. He eventually met his end at He Rufei’s hands. You, you’re quite like that person.”
He Yan chuckled at the comment, “You’re mistaken; I’m not He Rufei, and I’m nothing like him.”
She glanced at the Liangzhou guards below, “But as a son of Great Wei, we are all like-minded. As long as we’re alive, we’ll fight to the end! There may be countless Generals like Flying Phoenix General in the Central Plains, but in the Western Qiang, how many can you produce?” She lifted her gaze, her tone mocking, “Not many, I suppose.”
With that said, she brandished her iron whip and charged straight at Ridamuzi!
Ridamuzi sneered but paid it no mind. In his view, He Yan was already wounded, with old and new injuries. It was just a matter of time before she succumbed.
Their curved blade and iron whip clashed, producing a clang of metal.
“Big Brother He…” Xiao Mai watched from below, his heart in his mouth, unable to look away.
He Yan’s movements grew faster.
She swung her whip faster and faster, faster than Ridamuzi’s sword strikes. His curved blade was large and heavy, and for an ordinary person, his movements were already quite fast. But his speed was no match for the steel whip. The whip took advantage of the gaps in his sword swings, striking from all angles and hitting Ridamuzi’s face. What was just a blood streak moments ago now left several bloody marks on his face.
“Is this all you can do?” Ridamuzi was infuriated by the successive hits from the whip, and his expression turned cruel. He swung his curved blade directly at He Yan’s neck, but she easily evaded it, her petite frame allowing her to move nimbly.
“You’re no different,” the youth taunted, even finding time to quip.
What was happening? Ridamuzi became increasingly astonished. It seemed like as time passed, He Yan’s movements were getting faster. Wasn’t she injured? Why was she still so agile, seemingly unaffected at all? Could it be that she had been pretending all along? Did this youth have no previous injuries?
He Yan dodged the blade tip, planted her foot, and circled around behind Ridamuzi.
He was clad in armor, extremely rigid, and although her whip hadn’t directly hit him, it landed on his armor, leaving no marks.
So, there was only one weakness left on his entire body.
She narrowed her eyes and attacked Ridamuzi from behind.
Ridamuzi turned to block He Yan’s iron whip with his blade, sending her flying, but in the blink of an eye, she used the force to pounce back towards him.
This was an incredibly reckless style of fighting, focusing solely on offense and ignoring defense.
“He might be planning to go down with him,” Jiang Jiao muttered.
To outsiders, He Yan seemed to be making a desperate last stand, but in reality, the situation wasn’t as dire as it appeared. Instead, it was Ridamuzi who, from the very beginning, had been gradually losing ground.
This youth seemed to know the traces of every one of his strikes, avoiding them early in each exchange, and swiftly pinpointing weaknesses in Ridamuzi’s swordplay. He used these weak points to attack, leaving Ridamuzi somewhat flustered.
How old was he? Around fifteen or sixteen, yet he could instantly identify his own vulnerabilities. Facing such a formidable opponent must be a terrifying experience. And if this young man was indeed right in saying that there were many like him in the Central Plains, what about the Western Qiang? How many of them could produce such a genius? There was none, not a single one.
In an instant, Ridamuzi started to feel hesitant.
His morale was draining away.
However, in this regard, he had misunderstood He Yan. No matter how skilled she was, she couldn’t quickly discern the movements of her opponent after just a few exchanges, especially someone like Ridamuzi. The reason for her success was perhaps due to the fact that, either because of their blood relation as twins or a shared mentor, Ridamuzi’s swordsmanship was identical to that of Ridamuji.
Having fought Ridamuji numerous times in her past life, He Yan knew him well, and her familiarity with his techniques now worked to her advantage against Ridamuzi. His growing fear played right into her hands.
It was a matter of giving them a taste of their own medicine.
They were accustomed to undermining their opponents’ morale to boost their own. Now, they were finally experiencing the disheartened feeling themselves, which presented an opportunity.
He Yan’s whip cracked faster and faster, with the surrounding onlookers struggling to keep up. In Ridamuzi’s view, the iron whip had transformed into a live snake, slithering and dancing before him, its shadow elusive. His blade strikes missed, and instead, he received a blow to his forehead from the real whip.
He swung furiously at He Yan, but the youth had already circled behind him. This maneuver, which he had previously used against Wala, sent alarm bells ringing in Ridamuzi’s mind. He saw the iron whip swiftly approaching, like a heavy shackle, about to ensnare his neck.
Then, with a tug, his throat would be cut, and he would die just like Wala.
In this critical moment, he shouted, “Kemuzhi!”
It seemed to be the name of one of his subordinates. In the next instant, an astonished cry echoed through the martial arts arena, and it was none other than Song Taotao, who was suddenly thrown onto the martial stage by one of the Qiang people holding her.
The Qiang man was robust and powerful, while Song Taotao was a petite young girl. She was hurled onto the stage like a piece of cargo, and if she fell, she would suffer severe injuries, if not death.
No one in the audience could react in time.
He Yan’s whip, just in front of Ridamuzi’s neck, took a sudden turn and flew towards Song Taotao, and He Yan herself lunged towards her as well. The iron whip coiled around Song Taotao’s body, and He Yan flew to catch her, and they both landed heavily on the ground. In the process, He Yan’s waist wound was driven even deeper by the fall, causing her to emit a sharp “hiss.”
“Big brother, be careful!” Suddenly, Cheng Lisu’s voice rang out.
“He Yan!”
“Brother Ah He!”
Anxious voices echoed from all directions. Liang Ping’s voice was particularly agonizing, and when He Yan turned her head to look, she saw a flash of a blade coming towards her.
She pushed Song Taotao aside, and as the blade gust swept towards her, she closed her eyes.
She had no more strength left to move.
“Go to h*ll!”
“Bang—”
There was no expected pain, no splattering of blood in all directions. Something had knocked the curved blade from Ridamuzi’s hand, and it seemed like someone had come between them to shield her.
He Yan slowly opened her eyes.
A familiar figure with dark blue robes embroidered with silver thread in the pattern of a silver-scaled python stood in front of her. The young man was poised like a pine tree, exuding a calm and reassuring aura. His long sword was still sheathed, as clear and radiant as ice and snow, shimmering with dazzling brilliance.
It was that narrow and thin Drinking Autumn Sword that had deflected the deadly butcher’s blade aimed at her life.
“Commander… Commander! It’s the Commander!” The crowd below was astonished for a moment, and then it erupted in excitement.
“The Commander has returned!”
“Uncle!”
Xiao Jue… really returned?
He Yan looked over, but her vision was blurred, and she couldn’t see clearly.
Xiao Jue pulled her up from the ground in one swift motion. She had no strength left and leaned weakly against him. Xiao Jue supported her waist and seemed to sense something as he looked down.
The youth in black attire, aside from appearing a bit weaker, had no visible wounds. However, the hand that was supporting He Yan’s waist was now soaked in moisture.
It was blood.
He paused for a moment, then looked towards Ridamuzi. However, he directed his words to He Yan, his tone as mocking as ever, “Why is it that every time I meet you, you manage to make yourself so miserable?”
“….”
She chuckled softly and said, “Maybe it’s because every time, I know you’ll come to save me.”
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