Chapter 15: Seven Slashes Of Bolang
Moments later.
Meng Yue, with a bruised and swollen face and his whole body limp and weak, was supported by someone as he went down to apply medicine.
‘Using Stance Training and some techniques from the Guiding Technique, my strength and speed have improved quite a bit. It seems that even taking on three at once, fighting shoulder to shoulder, poses no threat to me.’
‘I am too steady!’
Hong Yuan pondered silently, his gaze turning to Meng Yue’s retreating figure. ‘However, when this Meng Yue fought me, he seemed to be holding back somewhat…’
At this moment, the martial practice field fell silent, with all the apprentices keeping silent out of fear, not even daring to breathe. When they looked at Hong Yuan, their gazes were filled with awe.
And when Hong Yuan looked back, the apprentices each averted their gazes or lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.
Clearly, Hong Yuan’s swift and decisive act of cleanly knocking down Meng Yue and the other two in an instant had intimidated the remaining apprentices.
‘Sure enough, the best way to establish prestige in a local area is to stand tall through combat. Beating the troublemakers brings much peace. This is like killing the chicken to warn the monkeys… no! Killing the monkey to warn the chickens!’
Hong Yuan’s face still bore a smile.
But at this time, none of the apprentices in the field felt he was amiable and approachable anymore. Instead, some secretly became vigilant, viewing him as a ruthless character like a smiling tiger.
“Don’t just stand there stunned. Fellow disciples sparring and comparing martial skills—some action is very normal.”
Hong Yuan waved his hand, brushing it off lightly, and smiled. “Everyone continue training. I’m in the backyard. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can come ask me.”
“Yes! Senior Brother!”
The apprentices breathed a sigh of relief. Their response wasn’t exactly uniform, but this ‘Senior Brother’ was shouted much more smoothly.
Hong Yuan passed through the martial practice field and headed straight to the backyard.
Yang Lie took a few steps to catch up, walking shoulder to shoulder with Hong Yuan. He grinned and gave a thumbs up, then said, “Brother Hong, Uncle Wu and I plan to leave the martial arts school. Before leaving, Uncle Wu wants to give you a gift.”
Hmm?!
Hong Yuan was slightly surprised. The so-called initiation ‘welcome gift’—wasn’t it already given this morning?
Uncle Wu had insisted on sparring with him. Although Uncle Wu hadn’t used his saber or displayed any True Force techniques, relying solely on his ruthless skills honed over years in the military, he had still left Hong Yuan disheveled.
Suppressing his doubts, Hong Yuan asked, “Brother Yang is leaving? Where to?”
“I’ve always had the temperament of a wandering hero and don’t like staying in one place too long. Uncle Wu thinks I’ve been lax in martial practice, so he’s taking me out for some tempering. As for exactly where? Haha, wherever we go is fine. The Jianghu is vast; anywhere can be home.”
Yang Lie laughed heartily, appearing extremely open-minded.
“Brother Yang is truly a great hero!”
A letter summoned him from a thousand miles away; he risked his life to break into the Demon’s Den; after the matter, he shook off his clothes and left. This was the true style of a knight-errant. Hong Yuan admired him inwardly.
If no one had recorded and spread the tale, this would be enough to enter the ‘Records of Wandering Heroes.’
In the backyard martial practice field, Yang Erhu stood on the steps, holding a cup of hot tea, his expression calm.
Uncle Wu stood in the center of the field, holding a Fish Scale Saber in his arms, eyes closed in concentration.
Hearing the footsteps, Uncle Wu suddenly opened his eyes, sharp as if glowing.
He looked at Hong Yuan and said flatly, “Kid Hong, I already tested your skills this morning. Now that I’m about to set off, I have no real gift, just a blade technique that blends our school’s methods with military styles—barely passable. I’ll teach it to you!”
With a low ‘clang,’ Uncle Wu drew his saber. He casually tossed the scabbard, which sank halfway into the sandy soil nearby.
The Fish Scale Saber in Uncle Wu’s hand gleamed with a cold, eerie light under the warm autumn sun, like a green fish swimming in a deep, icy pool. His fingers stroked the blade spine. “Linjiang Prefecture has many waterways, and military combat is like waves crashing endlessly. Thus, I named this blade technique ‘Seven Slashes of Bolang.’ Watch closely!”
As he spoke, Uncle Wu roared, bursting a ‘kill’ from his throat, his tone resounding like clanging metal.
His eyes suddenly turned cold and merciless, his face brimming with killing intent. His figure moved abruptly, and a straightforward opening slash appeared before Hong Yuan without flourish.
The blade edge tore through the air. The fierce, swift saber momentum clashed violently with the air, producing a sudden whooshing wind. The slash struck with rainbow-like momentum, like a bolt of lightning.
The momentum unabated, Uncle Wu flipped his wrist and gripped the hilt with both hands. The blade swept horizontally, a band of cold light rolling through the air, as if to sever any obstacle in its path at the waist.
Whoosh whoosh!
Uncle Wu’s form was steady, his footwork mostly advancing steps and gliding advances. Each step landed like a drumbeat, signaling attack. The ‘drumbeats’ harmonized with the saber in his hand, the killing aura whistling back and forth.
While demonstrating the blade technique, he rapidly explained the saber essentials from his mouth.
This blade technique had few changes—after all, military combat allowed no fancy tricks. Its movements were wide and sweeping; each strike gathered the full body’s power, mostly chops and pursuing slashes, attacking in place of defense, each blade seizing life!
“In military array slaughter, never be bound by forms. Use whichever move works; the blade technique that kills is the best blade technique!”
The seven forms of the blade technique were exhausted in a flash, the blade light suddenly turning with new changes. Uncle Wu disrupted the order of the seven slashes, wielding freely.
The Fish Scale Saber danced in his hand like an extension of his arm, indistinguishable.
Yang Lie’s eyes lit up, mimicking with his hand as a blade, gesturing nonstop.
This ‘Seven Slashes of Bolang’ had refined forms. Hong Yuan memorized them all after one viewing. When Uncle Wu demonstrated in disordered sequence, he began pondering the opponent’s power issuance, footwork advances and retreats, and saber momentum shifts. No crucial detail escaped his gaze.
With a ‘splash,’ the long saber cut through the air like splitting clear waves. Uncle Wu’s saber momentum halted abruptly, unhurried and unlabored. His eyes gleaming, he stared at Hong Yuan: “How much did you remember?”
“All of it!”
“Good!” Uncle Wu nodded.
He had a soldier’s decisive killing resolve. Since Hong Yuan said he remembered, he didn’t doubt it or ask for a demonstration. He retrieved the scabbard himself.
With a ‘clang,’ the saber returned to its sheath!
“Junior Brother…” At this time, Yang Erhu lightly coughed twice, his gaze falling on Uncle Wu, hesitant to speak.
“Enough, say no more!” Uncle Wu waved to interrupt, the killing aura gone from his face. He patted the scabbard, gaining a roguish air. “I’ve muddled in the military for years and finally broke free. I want to see this flowery Jianghu, not stay here working for you, Old Yang, for nothing…”
Yang Erhu knew Uncle Wu’s mind was set and sighed. “Alright then, when will you leave?”
“Now!”
Uncle Wu acted decisively; when he said leave, he left, without any delay.
He brought no packages or clothes, just the clothes on his back and his saber, with some silver tucked in his bosom, then hit the road.
In his words, the sky as blanket, the earth as bed—with his skills, if he couldn’t even get three meals, he deserved to starve and save face, avoiding becoming a laughingstock.
“Uncle, Brother Hong, see you later!” Yang Lie also brought only a steel saber. At the entrance of the Yang Family Martial Arts School, he waved back at the two and followed closely after Uncle Wu.
