A Pawn's Passage

Li Qingnu glanced at Qi Xuansu.

This small gesture did not escape Young Master Lu’s notice. His gaze followed hers and landed on Qi Xuansu, clearly assuming him to be the victor of this fighting competition.

Qi Xuansu had reason to believe that Li Qingnu did it on purpose. What a petty woman!

However, he had no objection. Considering he still needed to rely on Li Qingnu, Su Chou, and the others to safely escort Liu Hu to Liaodong, he did not mind taking one for the team.

Young Master Lu snapped the folding fan close and pointed it casually at Qi Xuansu. “Are you the winner of this fighting competition? It looks like you have some skills. I have a few masters here: one who has trained in Taiping Sect’s basic swordsmanship, one who knows some fist techniques, and one who can use some spells.

“For each master that you defeat, I’ll reward you with 1,000 Taiping coins. How about that? I’m known throughout Bohai Prefecture for being a man of my word. Do you dare to take up this challenge?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the three masters stepped forward.

The first master was a tall man in his forties with a broad face and full forehead, dressed in a hechang. He held a sheathed longsword, which had two tassels hanging from its hilt—one red and the other yellow. His expression was solemn. One might mistakenly think that he was a renowned swordsman rather than a mere fighter for the Lu family. Then again, the Lu family could afford to hire renowned swordsmen too.

The second master was a muscular, robust man. He was bare-chested, with tattoos of dragons and tigers covering his chest and back. His face, hands, and neck were also bulging with muscles. It seemed as though his entire body was bursting with energy. He was undoubtedly a Martial Arts Practitioner.

The last master was a thin old man with graying hair and a goatee. His face was covered in wrinkles. He wore a sorrowful expression, as if facing monumental grief and teetering on the verge of tears.

Li Qingnu whispered to Qi Xuansu, “He is Lu Yunfeng from the main branch of the Lu family. He keeps many masters on a retainer, so don’t let your guard down.”

Qi Xuansu had a rough idea of what to expect. This person was similar to Zhang Yuelu’s cousin, Zhang Yuyue. Though not particularly skilled themselves, they were born with a silver spoon and wielded considerable power.

Zhang Yuyue could give Zhang Yuelu a residence in Taishang Place and even set up a trap to frame Qi Xuansu in the Bell Tower of Yunjin Mountain.

However, Zhang Yuyue was not as flamboyant as Lu Yunfeng. She had suffered intense heartbreak, so at first glance, she seemed like a pitiful, harmless girl who got bullied.

Qi Xuansu stepped forward, clasped his fists, and said, “Young Master Lu, these three are all experts at the Guizhen stage. Defeating them won’t be easy, but I will do my best. If I am fortunate enough to win, I do not want your reward. Instead, I ask that you no longer set foot in Sycamore Villa. What do you think of my condition, Young Master Lu?”

Lu Yunfeng narrowed his eyes, glaring at Qi Xuansu. “You should win first before stating your conditions. Come on, fight!”

With that, the robust Martial Arts Practitioner stepped forward. The tiles beneath his feet shattered, and the cracks continued to spread like a spider’s web until they reached Qi Xuansu’s feet, where they abruptly stopped.

The Martial Arts Practitioner clasped his fists and said, “Lu Niu, at your service.”

Qi Xuansu saluted the man and smiled. “Alright. But I must clarify something. I am a self-taught fighter and have never fought in a regulated competition, so I don’t know how to hold back and often go heavy-handed. I also happen to be quite good at using some rather underhanded tricks. I would like to apologize in advance if I injure you, Brother Lu Niu.”

Before Lu Yunfeng could speak, Lu Niu said in a deep, rumbling voice, “Don’t worry. Injury is inevitable in fights. Life and death depend on fate, so use whatever tricks you have. I will have no complaints if you do end up injuring or even killing me. But I expect the same of you if you die under my fists.”

“Naturally,” Qi Xuansu said as he walked forward.

Su Chou wanted to say something, but Long Wuji held him back.

Long Wuji whispered to his friend. “Don’t worry. Brother Wei is not an ordinary person. That man may not necessarily be a match for him.”

Su Chou only felt reassured after seeing Li Qingnu’s and Liu Hu’s calm demeanor, showing no signs of concern.

Lu Niu immediately held his breath and focused on his target. The bones in his entire body cracked with a series of faint popping sounds.

Qi Xuansu assumed the starting posture of the Tantai Fist Intention.

In the next moment, Lu Niu stomped the ground hard. The already shattered tiles almost turned to powder. His massive figure instantly appeared one meter in front of Qi Xuansu, throwing a fierce punch at the latter’s chest, fast as lightning.

Qi Xuansu did not dodge. Instead, he spread his five fingers, attempting to catch the punch.

Midway through the punch, Lu Niu abruptly changed his move, aiming instead for Qi Xuansu’s face. It was an unexpected and bizarre strike.

However, Qi Xuansu’s counter was even faster. He grabbed Lu Niu’s wrist with his right palm and yanked hard.

Lu Niu stumbled forward uncontrollably, taking three steps before stabilizing himself. He felt that the force of his punch seemed to have entered the vast sea, disappearing without a trace, silent and unseen. At the same time, his body staggered two steps to the side.

This was the Sea Fist in the Tantai Fist Intention.

Startled, Lu Niu became furious, launching a series of rapid punches, his arms moving like a blur. It looked as if dozens of arms were striking simultaneously, its force overwhelming.

Seeing this storm-like onslaught, Long Wuji and Su Chou were both shocked, thinking to themselves that if they were facing this attack, they would most likely be overwhelmed.

Li Qingnu was never good at close combat either. If she were to fall into such a situation, there would be no chance of victory. As for Liu Hu, the gap in skill and cultivation was too great.

However, Qi Xuansu, being experienced in battle, remained calm, using the Sea Fist to defend his entire body, turning defense into offense.

After dozens of exchanges like this, Lu Niu felt that every part of his body was enveloped by Qi Xuansu’s fists and palms. The surrounding innate qi surged and rotated like the tide. There was even an invisible vortex pulling at Lu Niu. As soon as Lu Niu made a move, his emitted qi was absorbed and deflected onto him. The greater his force, the stronger the rebound.

However, if he did not strike, the layers of force Qi Xuansu emitted would still press on him, like the immense pressure one would feel when diving deep into the ocean.

Thus, Lu Niu found himself in a desperate situation. Unable to dodge or resist, he had no choice but to go all in. His right fist struck forward fiercely, with his acupoints glowing brightly, vaguely revealing his spirit form that was identical to his current appearance. His spirit also punched forward, hoping for mutual destruction where both sides suffered equally.

Qi Xuansu abruptly withdrew the Sea Fist and shifted to the Mountain Tiger Fist, leaping forward and meeting Lu Niu’s punch head-on.

Although Qi Xuansu was not a true Martial Arts Practitioner and did not have a spirit form, he had innate qi. This was the wondrous property of the Tantai Fist Intention, as it incorporated innate qi into a Martial Arts Practitioner’s techniques. If another Martial Arts Practitioner without innate qi were to use this method, they would not be able to exert their full potential, whereas Qi Xuansu was perfectly suited for it.

The two fists collided with a loud boom.

Qi Xuansu’s right sleeve billowed like a sail in the wind, while his left sleeve hung normally, indicating that all his strength was concentrated in his right arm. His innate qi surged so powerfully that even his left sleeve seemed ready to burst. It was truly amazing.

This punch carried the force of a thunderous strike.

A cracking sound of breaking bones echoed from both fists, followed by the clicking of their joints and the bones shattering.

Lu Niu showed an expression of pain and borderline feralness, while Qi Xuansu remained unfazed, his expression unchanged.

This was to be expected. Although Lu Niu appeared fierce, he had grown accustomed to comfort under the Lu family’s protection. On the rare occasion he fought, it was to intimidate others, and he seldom faced life-and-death struggles.

On the contrary, Qi Xuansu had traveled alone, frequently surviving life-and-death encounters. In just half a year, he had faced Monk Yan Xiu and had a hand severed; he fought Zhao Fu’an, who shattered his arm; and then he met Feng Bo, whose sword qi amputated his entire arm. Compared to those situations, this minor injury was nothing.

Their punches were evenly matched, but their reactions showed a clear difference in their tolerance.

Qi Xuansu seized the opportunity and moved behind Lu Niu.

Distracted by the pain of his broken arm, Lu Niu lagged a step behind.

Qi Xuansu let out a roar while his fist descended at the center of Lu Niu’s back at the speed of light.

Lu Niu stumbled two steps forward. His knees buckled, and he fell to the ground with a thud, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Then, two more sharp pains shot through his spine. His strength was drained instantly, and he collapsed on the ground like a pile of mud.

With three punches, Qi Xuansu disabled Lu Niu without showing any sign of triumph.

Ignoring the pain, Qi Xuansu spread his five fingers, using his mysterious body-regeneration abilities to accelerate the healing of his bones.