CHAPTER 40: CHAPTER 40 NI KUN

The story of the bloody massacre in Song Village begins with tonight’s martial law and strict inspections at the south entrance of Baojiao County. This is how it all began.

「Two hours earlier.」

Just as Chen Ku stepped into the Lian Family Medicine Mountain.

At the back of the Lian Family Medicine Mountain.

CREAK.

In the tranquil woods, an official’s boot snapped a twig as it stepped over rotting leaves.

A man emerged from behind a large tree; it was a constable from Baojiao County.

Li Yuancheng held a torch, a blade hung at his waist, as he walked through the woods. He was around thirty, in the prime of his life, built with long, ape-like arms and a wasp waist, a tiger’s head and sharp eyes. A slight beard around his lips exuded an air of maturity and cunning.

He currently held the torch up front. Following him were seven other constables, similarly dressed in black, with long blades at their waists, bows on their backs, and torches in their hands.

"Brother Li, we get all the dirty and tiring work," a young constable following behind Li Yuancheng complained. "Everyone knows how vicious Ni Kun is; he even killed Old Zhao from the Fast Squad. He’s nothing short of a desperate criminal."

"An Inner Qi expert! Only you, Brother Li, can match him. For us, encountering him is like serving ourselves up on a platter."

Li Yuancheng glanced at him and said, "If you’re unwilling, there’s still time to leave. Opportunities lie within risks. If it weren’t this dangerous, why would I have brought you all..."

The young constable fell silent and spoke no more.

Hearing the quiet, Li Yuancheng said no more, his sharp eyes fixed on the village ahead.

Ever since his brother-in-law got into trouble and was caught, Li Yuancheng had been implicated at the Baojiao County Yamen. He was demoted from his position as Deputy Constable, reduced to the most ordinary Fast Squad constable. Over the past year, not a day had passed when he hadn’t thought about cracking a major case or capturing a major bandit chief to reclaim his rightful position.

Ni Kun... This smuggler, who had already killed an Inner Qi expert constable, was now burdened with a plethora of charges and had become a notorious bandit. The bounty for Ni Kun had now reached five hundred taels. Furthermore, his activities were connected to a major smuggling route between the Daji and Yuan empires. If he could personally capture Ni Kun...

According to recent tips in the county town, someone seemed to have spotted traces of Ni Kun in Song Village of Grass Hall Town, in the southern outskirts.

Li Yuancheng, leading the constables, moved swiftly through the woods like a dark shadow, heading straight for Song Village.

...

「The time returns to Song Village now.」

Inside and outside a household, a tall figure wielding a long, flexible, curved blade incisively sliced through the throat of a woman in the house.

A moment later, the blade was seen trembling in the woman’s wound as if it were a live snake...

The blood spurting from the woman’s neck flowed along the blood grooves on the blade and was entirely absorbed by it.

The blade remained embedded, absorbing for a full ten breaths.

Then, the tall man withdrew the blade.

Under the moonlight, the edge of the blade was covered in dark red, with a faint glimmer of blood, utterly terrifying.

"The Blood Blade of the Blood Blade Sect."

Li Yuancheng led the remaining three constables as they hurried over. Upon closer inspection, all three had sustained injuries; one even had three fingers severed. They had started with eight constables, and now only four remained. Needless to say, four had been sacrificed.

Li Yuancheng also had a bloody mark on his chest. However, because he had dodged in time, his organs were unharmed. Only a foot-long bloody gash remained, and he had already managed to stop its bleeding.

"Blood Blade Sect, Blood Blade, Ni Kun! So this is the truth behind how you killed an Inner Qi expert from our county!"

Li Yuancheng, his official blade in hand, lunged at Ni Kun, covering a distance of one hundred feet in an instant. The official blade in his hand carried an overwhelming force, slicing through the air, and in the blink of an eye, it was slashing towards Ni Kun’s face.

Facing the formidable bladesmanship, Ni Kun, who had been wanted by the entire county for several months, had a slightly pale face. But instead of fear, he sneered coldly, confident in the Blood Blade in his hand, which had already absorbed the blood of over a dozen people. He was not intimidated in the least.

Raising his blade, he met the attack head-on!

The two blades struck each other!

CLANG!

Sparks scattered, Blood Qi dispersed. In the moment they faced each other, each was reflected in the other’s eyes.

BOOM!

The next moment, two intense Sword Energies, from where their blades collided, spread outwards, exploding in the air like a clap of thunder.

The fierce wind from the blades blew their hair and clothing wildly as they were both forced back several steps by each other’s Inner Qi.

Retreating several steps, Ni Kun let out a cold, long laugh, "The ’Hundred Battles Blade Technique’ of the Border Army from the Daji Dynasty, coupled with that ’military camp Inner Qi,’ is indeed sharp. What a pity that such a valiant man, after retiring, only managed to land a minor constable’s job. Truly pathetic."

But before he could finish—

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

The sound of several arrows cutting through the air closely followed Li Yuancheng’s retreating figure, whizzing past him and heading straight for Ni Kun’s forehead, heart, and vital organs.

It was the three constables behind Li Yuancheng, armed with bows and arrows, who had long been waiting to release their shots. As Fast Squad constables, their daily work involved apprehending thieves and recovering stolen goods, frequently clashing with all sorts of martial arts-practicing bandits. They handled the dirtiest and most tiring tasks, and since they were dealing with such a notorious bandit this time, they naturally had tactical understanding and coordination.

As the three arrows were fired, Ni Kun was still reeling from Li Yuancheng’s attack, his old strength gone and new strength yet to rise. Seeing the three powerful arrows, shot from thousand-jin bows, heading his way, his face turned pale with shock.

He raised his blade, attempting to chop and dodge as best he could. Even though he managed to slice through one arrow and evade another, a third still struck him in the left arm.

THWACK! The arrow pierced right through the flesh, lodging in his arm.

"Despicable!" Ni Kun cried out in pain, cursing continuously.

"Foolish. Did you think I’d fight you one-on-one?" Li Yuancheng’s face was cold, especially since Ni Kun had just touched upon the aspect of his identity he found most unbearable. He swung his blade and charged forward once more.

And so, with Li Yuancheng leading the charge at the front, and the remaining constables behind him with nocked arrows, the five men battled, pursued, and retreated. Sword Light and Sword Energies clashed, and arrows tore through the air, sinking into flesh...

They were completely unaware. A white-furred Skinny Dog had been following and watching them nearby. The chase continued like this for over fifteen minutes. Although Ni Kun was struck by two more arrows, he seized an opportunity to kill two archer constables. Using the sharpness of the Blood Blade, he directly snapped Li Yuancheng’s official blade in half and took the chance to throw out a handful of white powder...

Li Yuancheng, completely unprepared, got a face full of it. As it entered his mouth and nose, his mind buzzed. No good! This beast is even more despicable! It’s... Knockout Drug...

His head began to spin instantly.

"Brother Li!" In his dizziness, he heard the sole surviving constable rush up from behind to support him. Then, his ears were filled with a cacophony of noise.

Fortunately, Ni Kun, now struck by three arrows, was also seriously injured. The arrows had pierced his arm, thigh, and chest. The chest wound, in particular, was critical, preventing him from staying to finish off Li Yuancheng and forcing him to flee for his life.

Not far away, a flash of human-like intelligence glinted in the eyes of the white-furred Skinny Dog as it finally locked onto Ni Kun’s scent. Staying five li behind, it slowly began to follow.

Ni Kun fled for more than ten li.

As he ran, he cursed, "Damn constable, you dog! I’ll remember you! Once my arrow wounds heal, I’ll kill your entire family first!"

He didn’t dare pull the arrows out of his body.

Suddenly, the Blood Blade he was holding sensed the Blood Qi from his wounds and began to exert a suction force, causing his injuries to bleed uncontrollably.

Ni Kun, already pale, became even more deathly white, as if a large amount of blood had been drained from him. He exclaimed in horror, "Blood Blade, Blood Blade! Why must you turn on me now?"

Ever since he received the Blood Blade Sect’s inheritance, he knew that the Blood Blade was a lethal weapon. However, it was also a double-edged sword. Due to its special forging, the blade was inherently bloodthirsty, unable to distinguish between friend or foe.

"ARGH!"

Feeling his Blood Blade, like an insatiable abyss, drawing his blood, Ni Kun finally couldn’t bear it any longer.

Looking around, he saw only desolate wilderness with lonely grave mounds—a cold and bleak scene. It was clearly an unmarked burial ground.

He finally mustered his strength, approached a grave, and muttered to the Blood Blade, "My treasure, spare me today. Rest here quietly. Once I’ve healed, I will come back to satisfy you!"

With that, he dug a large hole in the grave mound, buried the Blood Blade, and covered it with soil. His face showed reluctance, yet he dared not touch it again. Finally, supporting his broken body, he disappeared into the night.

However, less than half an hour after Ni Kun had buried his Treasure Blade, a white-furred Skinny Dog, sniffing the air, arrived at this burial ground. It sniffed around, circled a bit, and finally, its nose led it to one grave mound. It began digging with its paws...

In a short while, it unearthed the Treasure Blade and carried it away in its mouth.