Chapter 43 The Victory is Decided

In that originally death-like silence, Liu Yuan suddenly cried out, her crisp voice ringing clear across the entire field.

Everyone's face involuntarily twisted into a strange expression.

The Single-Blade Swordsman’s brow twitched.

A lowly courtesan actually dared to curse him with such vulgar language in front of everyone?

This was the height of insult!

His soaring momentum instantly slackened, and he was slightly distracted.

However—

Liang Jin had already made his move!

The Single-Blade Swordsman hurriedly collected his wits and raised his blade to meet the enemy.

"Whoosh—!"

The moment the two moved, it felt as though the howling gale instantly intensified.

A violent wind raged, kicking up a blinding cloud of sand and dust that completely swallowed their figures.

Everyone hastily covered their eyes with their hands to block the grit, while struggling to peer hard through the haze in hopes of catching a glimpse of the decisive battle between the two.

Alas, with the dust filling the sky, they could see nothing at all.

"Neigh—!"

The horses neighed in terror, frantically fighting against their reins in a desperate bid to escape.

Their instincts seemed to make them acutely aware of a horrifying murderous intent.

The brothel keeper also snapped back to his senses and struck Liu Yuan fiercely across the face with a fist, sending her crashing to the ground.

"Bitch! How dare you show disrespect to the Grand Chieftain?"

"If you dare curse again, I'll hack off your head with my own axe!"

Liu Yuan’s dainty nose was beaten until blood streamed from it.

She had no time to wipe it away, nor could she pay any heed to the brothel keeper. Instead, she hurriedly pushed herself up from the ground and looked toward the dueling ground.

Gao Hongzhe trembled with excitement:

"Brother Meng, you must win!"

The wind and sand were simply too fierce.

Everyone's hair and clothes were whipped into disarray.

Looking out, one could see nothing but rolling yellow dust everywhere.

Amidst the swirling grit, human figures could be vaguely seen flashing about, accompanied by the occasional clash of weapons.

In the end, only the howling of the great wind remained in their ears.

It could be heard.

Yet it could not be seen.

This left everyone consumed with anxiety, longing for the fierce wind to cease instantly.

At last, the wind died down.

The horses also lowered their heads, no longer as frantic as before.

The yellow sand settled to the earth, and the dust cleared away.

Two figures gradually came into view.

Everyone rubbed their eyes and stared hard.

Both Liang Jin and the Single-Blade Swordsman were still standing, but the two of had traded positions.

They now stood back-to-back.

Liang Jin held his spear in one hand, the tip pointing forward.

The Single-Blade Swordsman held his saber with both hands, the blade angled in a slashing posture.

The next moment.

Liang Jin withdrew his spear, and the Single-Blade Swordsman also sheathed his saber.

It was over?

Everyone was utterly baffled.

The victor was decided just like that?

Who had won and who had lost?

Both Gao Hongzhe and Liu Yuan carefully scrutinized the two figures, hoping to find a single clue.

Merchants and travelers subconsciously held their breath.

The brothel keeper and the bandits wore expressions of absolute bewilderment as well.

Such a situation was entirely unprecedented for them.

At that moment, the Single-Blade Swordsman spoke:

"Fine spearplay!"

As his words fell.

A thin line of blood suddenly appeared across Liang Jin’s neck.

Following that, a trace of crimson blood trickled down from the wound like a meandering thread.

Before the blood could flow completely, it was matted and sealed by the wind-blown sand, congealing against Liang Jin’s neck.

Gao Hongzhe’s eyes split with grief:

"Brother Meng!"

His cry was filled with despair, assuming Liang Jin had already been slain by a throat-cutting strike.

Liu Yuan also sighed despondently:

"It seems this is simply my fate."

"I should never have pinned my hopes on such a man."

She lowered her head, bracing herself to endure the consequences of having cursed the Single-Blade Swordsman.

As for the brothel keeper and the gang of bandits, smiles of natural certainty broke out across their faces.

The surrounding bystanders, upon looking at the Single-Blade Swordsman’s posture, were gripped by a surge of terror, as if gazing upon a demon god!

That punk dared to challenge such a terrifying martial artist—if he didn't die, who would?

Then, the Single-Blade Swordsman spoke once more.

Only this time, his tone turned low and heavy:

"What a pity."

"If my blade technique were not of the Yellow Grade, but of the higher Profound Grade..."

"Then today..."

He lacked the strength to finish his final words.

He pitched forward and crashed heavily to the ground.

A massive pool of blood gushed from his back.

Only then did the crowd realize in shock that a gaping hole had been pierced straight through the Single-Blade Swordsman’s chest out to his back!

In contrast, Liang Jin stood untouched.

The spear in his hand was smeared thick with blood, clearly having been thrust straight through the Single-Blade Swordsman’s chest and pulled out completely from his back.

He raised a hand and wiped away the blood on his neck.

Then, leaning upon his spear, he burst into wild, unbridled laughter:

"Hahahahaha..."

He was indeed injured.

Yet it was merely a flesh wound.

The Single-Blade Swordsman’s blade had been extremely fast, slicing open his skin; had it been a fraction of an inch deeper, it would have severed his carotid artery.

At the moment he was struck, Liang Jin hadn't even realized it, only breaking out in a cold sweat after he had evaded.

It had truly been a matter of extreme peril!

Unfortunately, the Single-Blade Swordsman no longer had the chance to capitalize on it.

Liang Jin had won.

Thus, his laughter was utterly carefree and joyous.

This was his first time defeating a truly formidable opponent.

This battle had also imparted a strange sensation to him—a sudden clarity, as though he had caught a glimpse of an entirely new horizon.

It gave him a renewed understanding of the martial path.

Before this battle, Liang Jin had only possessed a fifty-percent certainty against the Single-Blade Swordsman.

After this battle, if the Single-Blade Swordsman were to be resurrected and duel him once more, Liang Jin would have a ninety-percent certainty!

This battle had completely transformed him.

Though he had taken a risk.

It was entirely worth it!

Meanwhile, the surrounding onlookers were all dumbfounded.

The Single-Blade Swordsman, leader of the bandits who had lorded over this region for many years, had died just like that at the hands of an unknown punk!

The first to snap out of it were the bandits themselves:

"The Grand Chieftain has just..."

"Damn it! That brat is a genuine master!"

"Fall back! Run!"

...

The bandits scrambled onto their horses, whipped their mounts around, and fled at full gallop.

They didn't even care to retrieve the corpse of the Single-Blade Swordsman.

The brothel keeper and the flock of courtesans also wanted to flee.

Yet they were trapped deep within the thatched shed, unlike the bandits who had been positioned right at the entrance and could retreat at any moment.

For the brothel keeper and his crew to escape the shed, they would inevitably have to pass right in front of Liang Jin, robbing them of all courage.

Liu Yuan’s bright eyes flickered as she stood up from the ground.

She looked Liang Jin up and down carefully, sighing inwardly:

"This man is unremarkable in appearance, yet he truly turns out to be... quite beyond expectations."

"It seems this time, I genuinely have a chance to escape this sea of misery."

As for the surrounding travelers and merchants, it took them a long while to fully digest the result.

The Single-Blade Swordsman, who had seemed like a god or demon in their eyes, was actually dead?

That young man had genuinely won?

"This... am I dreaming?"

"The Single-Blade Swordsman was clearly so formidable, how could he just drop dead like that?"

"Judging by that kid's appearance, he doesn't look like some grand master. How on earth did the Single-Blade Swordsman lose to him?"

...

For these ordinary people, the outcome remained difficult to accept.

After all, having traveled this trade route for many years, they had heard countless legends of the Single-Blade Swordsman.

The prestige of the name Single-Blade Swordsman had long weighed heavily in their hearts, and they had just witnessed him slaughtering people with ease.

When he died in the blink of an eye, their ingrained impressions were shattered, yet their mental inertia left them sluggish in reaction.

Of course, there were also those with quick wits.

Two figures rushed out from the inn.

The innkeeper blew a suona, while the waiter banged a gong.

Their joyous expressions made it look as though they were celebrating a grand wedding.

The innkeeper even sprinted over to Liang Jin to offer his congratulations:

"This humble one could tell all along that heroes emerge from the youth!"

"Now that you have slain the Single-Blade Swordsman with your own hands, your fame will surely echo across the great desert!"

"Please grant this humble one permission to spread your tale to every passing traveler! I shall offer silver taels and dry rations as a token of gratitude!"

"From now on, whenever the hero graces my humble establishment, all food and lodging will be entirely free of charge!"

The innkeeper fawned obsequiously, bearing no resemblance to his previous attitude.

Seeing that Liang Jin ignored him, the innkeeper feared his flattery hadn't hit the mark.

Thus, he personally beat his gong and scampered into the middle of the crowd.

Racing through his wits and racking his brain, he rapidly improvised a desert folk song and began to belt it out at the top of his lungs:

"Ai—! Ai—! The youth stands tall with spear in hand, alone he meets the wild bandit band! Though hooves thunder fast, his heart knows no fright, sworn to slay thieves and guard home and land!"

"Ai—! Ai—! Beneath the sun the sand rolls high, the youth's fiery blood burns like fuel in the sky! The bandit chief arrogant as a fierce tiger, the youth's heroic soul fierce as an eagle on high!"

"Ai—! Ai—! Blade light and spear flash like lightning bright, the youth charges bravely into the fight! A single wild laugh shakes earth and sky, and the bandit chieftain's head falls to dust in the night!"

"Ai—! Ai—! The people rejoice and songs take wing, the youth's heroic name forever will ring! The Western desert and Gobi hold wonders grand, oh, the youth is a hero of this blessed land!"

With every couplet he sang, the innkeeper shook his head and gave a rousing toot on his suona.

Liang Jin cradled his spear and watched for a moment, finding it utterly amusing.

What was amusing wasn't the folk song itself, but the innkeeper's acrobatic flip-flop in attitude.

Yet the innkeeper felt no awkwardness, continuing to belt out praises for Liang Jin with all his might.

The most excited of all was Gao Hongzhe.

He rushed eagerly to Liang Jin’s side:

"Brother Meng, today I have finally witnessed what the pugilistic world is truly about!"

"Such an experience is something I will never forget for the rest of my life!"

Gao Hongzhe had spent his entire life poring over books and had never yet glimpsed the flashing blades of the martial world.

Though he hadn't fought in the battle himself, he had skirted the edges of life and death.

At this moment, he felt a surging heroism and boiling blood swell within his chest.

Liang Jin, however, ignored everyone entirely.

Because his complete attention was riveted upon the text flashing on his system panel:

【Congratulations, host, for successfully killing the first target locked by the Thousand-Li Tracking. Reward obtained: Gold × 1000.】