338 Red Clothes Today
"I had a shifu named Xie Qidao, because whenever he killed, he only used seven sabre moves." Xie Jiucheng's sabre twisted abruptly and shredded Dugu Gudu’s shirt sleeves. "I can’t compare to my shifu, but I still want to learn from him. I will give you a chance up to seven sabres. After seven sabres, if you’re not dead, I will admit defeat."
"Go to hell!" Hu Dan raised his dagger anxiously and stabbed it towards Xie Jiucheng's eyes. No matter how skillful a person’s external martial arts was, his eyes couldn’t possibly be invulnerable!
"Very clever. I bestow you the second sabre!" Xie Jiucheng retreated a little and swung his second sabre downwards.
All of Hu Dan's courage crumpled in that instant. He had never witnessed such a tyrannical sabre power. When Xie Jiucheng raised his sabre, he could almost see his own head separating from his body. His legs weakened and he almost fell to his knees.
"Hu Dan!" An angry yell sounded, snapping Hu Dan back to his senses. Dugu Gudu swept past Xie Jiucheng, grabbed Hu Dan's sleeves, and retreated hurriedly. His sleeves danced wildly, once again, wrapping around Xie Jiucheng's sabre.
"Third sabre!"
"Fourth sabre!"
Dugu Gudu's shirt sleeves were completely shredded, the scraps of cloth flying everywhere while he grabbed Hu Dan and retreated again and again. However, Xie Jiucheng withdrew his sabre and stood still, slowly raising his sabre and leaning it against the back of his head.
A feathered arrow hit the blade, and the shaft was instantly split in half. Xie Jiucheng turned around and flung the arrow onto the ground. "Fifth sabre."
Wu Dadai lowered her bow and arrow, her hands trembling slightly.
This was a death trap they had set up. Whether it was Hu Dan or Dugu Gudu, they were both just acting as bait while Wu Daidai hid on the roof eaves to shoot the killing move. She was skilled in archery, and could accurately shoot a person between the eyes from a hundred paces away. But, now she was facing a martial expert who killed Jiu Jiudao with a single sabre, her bow and arrow had zero chance. So Hu Dan and Dugu Gudu created this opportunity for her. When Xie Jiucheng had the upper hand and pressed forward, he would be thinking that they had no way of fighting back. That would have been their only chance.
However, a true killer would never relax for even a moment.
Xie Jiucheng raised his head and looked at Wu Daidai who was standing on the roof. He gave her a small smile. "You’ve underestimated me."
The smile carried a hint of gentleness, but Wu Daidai felt as if she was struck by lightning. She was paralysed and couldn’t move at all.
"Run!" Dugu Gudu yelled furiously.
But Wu Daidai's legs couldn’t stop shaking. She hated herself for her fear, and she forced herself to raise her bow again. "I’m going to… kill you! I want revenge for Jiu-ge!"
"The sixth sabre is for you then." Xie Jiucheng leaped up and swept towards the eaves.
Dugu Gudu hurried to chase but he felt a prickling pain in his chest. When he looked down, he realised that his body was already dripping with blood.
"Jiu-ge!" Wu Daidai roared in anger, furiously raising her bow and arrow. She drew an arrow with her left hand and pulled the bowstring taut with her right hand.
Once again, an arrow shot through the air.
Xie Jiucheng slashed his sabre and splintered the arrow without effort. But, the sabre power didn’t stop there and aimed straight for Wu Daidai.
In the face of absolute power, the little courage brought by her strength of spirit could not change the outcome.
But Xie Jiucheng suddenly stopped attacking.
He retreated immediately!
Retreat!
Retreat again!
Because there was a sword coming from the west.
A man in red broke through the sky!
His one sword dispersed all of Xie Jiucheng’s sabre power.
Lei Wujie appeared on the roof and patted Wu Daidai’s shoulder. "Don't be afraid."
"Lei-xiongdi." Dugu Gudu started. No wonder he kept having the feeling over the last few days that someone was secretly following them.
Lei Wujie grinned and jumped down to join them. "Xiao Se said that the Four Youths of Heavenly Revelations valued friendship and justice and wouldn’t just sit back and watch. Sure enough, he was right."
"Friendship and justice? When we can’t even avenge our brother ourselves?" Dugu Gudu smiled bitterly.
"If we hadn’t entered Heavenly Revelations, the Hidden River wouldn’t have followed after. If Jiu-ge hadn’t helped us probe for information, he wouldn’t have been targeted by them. However you look at it, this matter concerns us too." Lei Wujie shook his head. "We should be the one to take revenge."
Xie Jiucheng looked at the sword in Lei Wujie's hand, and said solemnly, "Good sword, good swordsmanship."
Lei Wujie turned his head to look at him. "My name is Lei Wujie."
"I have heard this name. But you’re stronger than Su Muyu described. You’re very young. Very impressive to have such martial arts." Xie Jiucheng nodded.
Lei Wujie had an amazing talent since he was a child. When he entered the martial world at the age of seventeen, he was already an outstanding talent amongst the younger experts of Lei Clan Fort, but back then, he was still a sliver away from entering the Vajra Mortal Realm. After exploring the martial world and entering Snow Moon City, he entered the Vajra Mortal Realm within three months. Afterwards, he experienced more battles, entered Sword Heart Tomb and learned the Sword Heart formula, thus entering the Unrestrained Earthly Realm. And after that, he went on a trip out to sea and had a brief period of seclusion. From there, he stepped steadily into the Unfettered Heavenly Realm.
Now, he was dressed in the same red shirt, and although the smile on his face never changed, he was indeed no longer the youth who was always beaten up despite his hot-blooded passion.
The person he was today was, as Xie Jiucheng said, very young, but very impressive. What he had achieved was something many martial artists could not achieve, even after spending an entire lifetime. And Lei Wujie was only eighteen years old.
Lei Wujie lost the smile he usually had on his face as he faced Xie Jiucheng who had praised him. He replied coldly, "You said your shifu was Xie Qidao."
"Yes. He was killed by your companion." Xie Jiucheng nodded. "My shifu’s sabre techniques are better than mine, but he was getting old, after all."
"I’ve always regretted it. If I had been stronger from the beginning, I wouldn’t have needed him to fight." Lei Wujie looked at the sword in his hand. "Jiu-ye was a good man. You shouldn’t have killed him."
Xie Jiucheng smiled and said, "In my heart, my shifu, Xie Qidao, was also a good man."
"Xiao Se was right. The reason why the Hidden River is frightening is because they operate on their own rules." Lei Wujie raised his sword and uttered softly, "Enter sword heart."
Sword Heart formula.
Heart and sword became one. When the heart moves, the sword rises. Li Xinyue once cultivated her sword for seven days, and with a single sword, she defeated tens of martial experts guarding outside her residence before she forced her way through to the Emperor and faced the combined strength of the Five Grand Eunuchs. Even then, she stood tall without backing down.
Jiu Jiudao was joking with Lei Wujie once and said, "The storytellers always say, when you have no sword in your hand but a sword in your heart, that’s the highest realm of a swordsman. Is that true?"
Lei Wujie shook his head helplessly. "To have no sword in your hand but a sword in your heart is a total lie. If you don’t have a sword and your opponent has a sword, they will attack you with one sword and cut you dead. Even if you have a sword in your heart, you’d still be hacked to death. Just look at the legendary Kunlun Sword Immortal. His swordsmanship was ranked number one through the ages, but he had a sword too. Not just that, he had two swords."
Jiu Jiudao looked disappointed. "Isn’t there anything worth believing in these stories? They always say that’s the highest realm. Before I can retaliate, you’d have fallen. Then, what is the heart sword?"
Lei Wujie thought for a while. "I can’t really explain it either. If I have the chance, I’ll show it to you personally."
"I’ll show you now! Jiu-ye!" Lei Wujie drew his sword and roared, "This is the Sword Heart formula!"