Chapter 18: Ambush in the Dense Forest, Green Face's Gambit
The thick layer of decaying leaves beneath their feet was trampled violently, emitting a continuous, muffled rustling sound. Lin Yan and Xiao Ge, one on each side, hoisted the unconscious Chen Yi and sprinted with all their might deeper into the dense forest. The night wind carried leaves, whistling past their sides, while branches constantly whipped across their faces and arms, leaving stinging, fiery scratches in their wake.
Behind them, the shouts and footsteps of the assassins mingled together, chasing relentlessly like a tidal wave, the distance between them shrinking rapidly. Green Face's men had fought in the dark arena for years, and forest tracking was their specialty. Even in the pitch-black night, they could still distinguish footprints and navigate by the moonlight.
"We can't keep running in a straight line! They know this valley well; it's too easy for them to circle ahead and intercept us!" Lin Yan yelled in a low voice, glancing back as he ran. The intense sprinting pulled at the old injury in his left arm, sending waves of dull pain surging through him.
Xiao Ge gasped for air, his chest heaving. The piercing wound on his upper arm had started bleeding again from the intense running, soaking through the outer bandages. Sticky blood trickled slowly down his forearm. But he dared not slow his pace, his hands holding Chen Yi's body steadily, trying to buffer the jolts of the run to avoid tearing the fatal wound on Chen Yi's chest.
Chen Yi remained completely unconscious, his body swaying slightly with their frantic pace. His face was as pale as paper, his lips entirely devoid of color, and his faint breathing was almost drowned out by the wind in the forest.
"To the left! There's a field of jagged rocks over there. The chaotic terrain can disrupt their pursuit route!" Xiao Ge quickly scanned the terrain ahead and shouted.
Lin Yan nodded immediately. Working together, they shifted direction, charging diagonally into the area on the left covered with massive, boulders. The jagged rocks were piled up in a chaotic, overlapping mess, with crisscrossing crevices. Tall shrubs grew wildly from the gaps between the stones, and their field of vision was sliced into fragments by the massive boulders, making it extremely difficult for the pursuers to maintain a neat pursuit formation.
After plunging into the pile of rocks, Lin Yan immediately adjusted the plan: "We'll split up briefly to circle around and throw off their judgment, then regroup at that largest black boulder deep inside! You take Chen Yi and head in first. I'll stay behind to cover our retreat and buy us a moment!"
Xiao Ge's brow furrowed tightly. "It's too dangerous. There are too many of them!"
"There's no other way," Lin Yan said, gripping the short dagger in his hand, his gaze calm and resolute. "If we don't stall them for a moment, we'll all be surrounded together. Protect Chen Yi, and whatever you do, don't deviate from the rendezvous point. I'll catch up with you soon."
Xiao Ge knew the situation was critical and there was no time to argue. Gritting his teeth, he tightened his grip on Chen Yi, turned, and slipped into the crevices between the massive boulders, using the rocks as cover to quickly retreat deeper inside.
Once their silhouettes disappeared behind the giant boulders, Lin Yan turned sideways, hiding in the shadow of a rock about waist-high. Holding his breath, he waited silently for the pursuers to arrive. He held the dagger horizontally in front of him, his back pressed tightly against the cold, rough stone surface, his ears carefully discerning the approaching footsteps.
A moment later, the first figure in black rounded the boulder and rushed into the rocky area. Close behind, three or four assassins arrived in succession, spreading out to search for tracks.
"They ran this way! There are bloodstains here!" one assassin said in a low voice, staring at the dark red blood dripping on the ground, signaling his companions.
Just as they were about to follow the blood trail forward, Lin Yan suddenly erupted from the shadow of the rock. He didn't shout. Using the boulder as cover, he pounced silently on the assassin trailing at the very back. His dagger slashed precisely toward the wrist holding the blade.
Hearing the sound of the wind, the assassin hastily turned to block, but the narrow space restricted his turning movement. With a soft squelch, the blade tore through flesh, and the short dagger slipped from his hand and hit the ground. Before the man could cry out in pain, Lin Yan drove his elbow heavily into his chest. The assassin let out a muffled groan and fell backward to the ground.
Hearing the commotion, the others ahead immediately turned around, two short blades thrusting toward Lin Yan simultaneously. The space between the rocks was too narrow for wide evasive maneuvers. Lin Yan quickly slid sideways, dodging the incoming blades, while his dagger swept horizontally, forcing the closest attacker to pull back.
He had no intention of engaging in a prolonged fight; his only goal was to buy time. After exchanging two blows, he immediately disengaged, turned, and slipped into another stone crevice. He darted rapidly between the giant boulders, deliberately making footstep sounds to lure the assassins in the wrong direction.
"He went that way! Chase him!" The assassins took the bait, abandoning the original blood trail and pursuing Lin Yan relentlessly.
Lin Yan continuously circled back and forth in the rocky field, using the交错 (interlocking) rocks to keep pulling away and drain the pursuers' stamina. Judging that enough time had passed, he suddenly turned into a narrow crevice, quickly circled around to avoid the pursuers' line of sight, and then stealthily made his way toward the designated black boulder to regroup.
When he arrived behind the massive black boulder, Xiao Ge was guarding Chen Yi, nervously watching for any movement around them. Seeing Lin Yan return safely, Xiao Ge's taut nerves relaxed slightly.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Xiao Ge asked in a low voice.
"Just superficial wounds," Lin Yan replied with a brief shake of his head, bending down to check Chen Yi's condition. Chen Yi was still unconscious, and the bleeding from his chest wound was slightly worse than before, but fortunately, it hadn't burst open completely.
"We can't stay here long. The noise from the fight just now will quickly attract the other pursuers," Lin Yan said, quickly standing up and scanning the surroundings. "Beyond this rocky field is the valley exit. Once we break out of the valley and reach open ground, it will be very hard for them to use the terrain to trap us."
The two hoisted Chen Yi up again and continued toward the valley exit. At the end of the rocky field, the trees gradually thinned, and the outline of the valley exit was faintly visible in the distance. Just as they were about to break free from the valley that had trapped them, and a glimmer of hope had just risen in Lin Yan's heart, a severe sense of crisis suddenly surged from deep within.
"Stop!" Lin Yan abruptly raised his hand to halt Xiao Ge. The two immediately stopped, hiding behind a massive boulder.
In the open area at the valley exit, dozens of figures in black stood silently, fanned out in a semicircle, directly blocking the entire path out of the mountain.
Green Face stood right in the center of the formation. His grey cloth long gown fluttered slightly in the night wind, and the greyish iron mask on his face gleamed coldly in the moonlight. He was in no rush to lead his men in a chase. He simply stood there quietly, as if he had long calculated that they would break through from this direction and had set up an interception well in advance.
"You've run quite far," Green Face's voice drifted over on the night wind, his tone flat, betraying neither joy nor anger. "From the stone alcove to the rock hollow, from the cave to the rocky valley, you've been fleeing endlessly. Pity. The valley exit has long been a dead end."
Xiao Ge gripped his short dagger tightly, a chill running down his spine. They had fled with all their might, wandering and dodging, only to ultimately fall into the encirclement their enemy had pre-arranged.
"Green Face! Twenty years ago, you personally abducted Su Nianwan during the massacre of the Su family and harmed the innocent. Aren't you afraid of heaven's justice?" Xiao Ge shouted, suppressing his rage.
Green Face tilted his head slightly, his gaze beneath the mask falling upon Xiao Ge. He gave a faint smile, the laugh entirely devoid of warmth. "Heaven's justice? In the Jianghu, the strong rule. The Su family possessed evidence they shouldn't have kept; they deserved to be exterminated. That little girl was spared only because she still has great use. Sparing her life was already an act of mercy."
"Your so-called mercy is imprisoning a seven-year-old girl for twenty years, using her as a pawn to be manipulated?" Lin Yan spoke slowly. He gently laid Chen Yi down behind the giant boulder, signaled Xiao Ge to stay and guard him, and took two steps forward, facing Green Face directly. "The roster is in our hands. The names and evidence of everyone involved back then are all recorded in it. Even if you kill us, the truth will eventually come to light."
Green Face's gaze fell upon Lin Yan, carrying a hint of scrutiny. "You are not a person of this Jianghu. From our very first clash, I sensed that your aura is different from ordinary people. I don't know where you come from, nor do I intend to investigate. I only want two things: Chen Yi, and that roll of mulberry paper roster. Hand them over, and I will let the youth live."
Lin Yan's heart jolted. Green Face had actually vaguely sensed his abnormality, even though he couldn't possibly know about the "dimensional dream entry."
"Impossible," Lin Yan refused flatly. "The roster is the only evidence of the Su family's injustice, and Chen Yi is the sole surviving witness to the massacre back then. We will absolutely not hand them over to you."
"Since you refuse to hand them over, I can only take them by force," Green Face said lightly, raising his hand in a simple gesture.
The assassins on both sides immediately began to slowly close in, gradually shrinking the encirclement. The blades gleamed with a sinister, icy light in the moonlight.
"Guard Chen Yi!" Lin Yan called back to Xiao Ge. Gripping his dagger tightly, he met the charge of the first two assassins. The short blades clashed, the piercing metallic screech tearing through the valley's silence. Relying on the reflexes honed through numerous battles, Lin Yan maneuvered and dodged under the pincer attack, his dagger searching for openings in his opponents' defenses.
Xiao Ge guarded the giant boulder, keeping an eye on Chen Yi while staring intently at the battlefield. Whenever an assassin bypassed Lin Yan to sneak attack from behind, he immediately swung his dagger to intercept. But there were simply too many assassins; for every two that fell, new ones immediately stepped up to replace them in an endless stream.
New wounds gradually appeared on Lin Yan's body. His arms and ribs were slashed by blades, his blood soaking through his clothes. The prolonged running and continuous skirmishes rapidly drained his stamina, and his movements began to slowly grow sluggish.
Green Face still stood in the center of the encirclement, not making a move himself. He simply watched the slaughter quietly, like someone watching a play whose ending had already been written. Only when he saw his assassins getting injured one after another, yet still unable to quickly take down Lin Yan, did he slowly step forward, walking out from the crowd.
"You've done your best," Green Face said, walking slowly into the center of the battlefield. Seeing this, the other assassins immediately stopped their attacks and automatically parted to the sides, leaving space for the duel.
Lin Yan tensed every muscle in his body, his dagger aimed at Green Face, not daring to relax for a second. He could clearly feel that the oppressive aura emanating from Green Face far surpassed that of all the previous assassins. This was the true formidable enemy, the core executor of the family extermination massacre back then.
"I'll do it myself," Green Face said lightly. A slender soft sword was slowly drawn from his palm, the blade shimmering with a faint blue glow. "This sword is named Ghost Thread. It seals the throat upon drawing blood."
Before the words had even faded, the soft sword shot out like a venomous snake emerging from its den, silently and invisibly thrusting toward Lin Yan's throat. The blade was soft, its trajectory erratic and unpredictable, completely unlike the hacking, slashing, and thrusting of ordinary swords. Lin Yan hastily leaned back, barely dodging the fatal strike. The tip of the sword grazed his neck, tearing a layer of flesh and sending a sharp sting through him.
In a single move, the difference in skill was instantly apparent.
Green Face's martial arts attainment unfathomably deep, his moves were soft yet insidious and tricky, each strike aimed directly at vital points. The soft sword alternated between straight thrusts and winding entanglements, shifting unpredictably. Lin Yan could only rely on his dagger to barely block and evade, with absolutely no chance to counterattack. He was forced back step by step, continuously falling into the disadvantage.
After several moves, Green Face flicked his wrist lightly. The soft sword bypassed the dagger, the tip thrusting straight toward Lin Yan's lower abdomen. Lin Yan hastily dodged sideways, but his movement was half a beat too slow. The soft sword slashed across his waist, and a wave of severe pain instantly engulfed his entire body. The wound wasn't very deep, but the poison on the Ghost Thread sword began to slowly spread through his bloodstream, and his limbs gradually started to feel numb.
The speed of the poison's onset wasn't extremely rapid, but it was enough to continuously weaken his stamina and reflexes.
"Your skills aren't bad. Pity your foundation is shallow and you lack internal energy entirely," Green Face said, slowly closing in, the soft sword swaying gently in his hand. "This struggle ends here."
Just as Green Face was preparing to launch the final blow, a faint groan suddenly came from behind.
Chen Yi, who had been in a deep coma, had slowly opened his eyes.
His vision was blurry, his face still pale, his chest rising and falling violently with his breath. Mustering his remaining strength, he spoke in a hoarse voice. The volume wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of everyone present:
"Green Face... Twenty years... It's time to settle the score between us."
Everyone froze.
Green Face's movement paused, his gaze beneath the mask abruptly turning toward Chen Yi, who had awakened behind the giant boulder.
Chen Yi struggled to sit up, and Xiao Ge hurried forward to support him. His gaze locked fiercely onto the person wearing the Green Face iron mask in the distance. The hatred accumulated over twenty years exploded in his eyes in this very moment.
"When the Su family was exterminated, I narrowly escaped. Hiding my name and identity for twenty years, all I've waited for day and night is today," Chen Yi said, his voice trembling yet无比 (incomparably) resolute. "The roster is not just a list of murderers. I also left a backup plan. If I die, a copy of the roster will be automatically sent to the major orthodox sects in the Jianghu. Your conspiracy, the identity of the mastermind, and Su Nianwan's whereabouts will all be made public to the world!"
Green Face's hand gripping the soft sword tightened slightly, the faint blue blade trembling gently. He had originally been entirely confident of victory; he had absolutely never expected that the severely wounded, dying Chen Yi would awaken at this critical juncture, and that he had hidden such a backup plan.
"You're bluffing," Green Face said in a deep voice, but there was already a hint of imperceptible apprehension in his tone.
"Whether it's a bluff or not, you're welcome to test it," Chen Yi said, slowly raising his eyes, his gaze凛然 (stern and unyielding). "My life was prepared long ago for the Su family's unjust case. If you want the roster, if you want to silence me, then bet everything on this round with me."
The night wind swept through the valley, blowing the fallen leaves across the ground.
On one side, Green Face wielded the deadly soft sword, surrounded by dozens of assassins, holding absolute martial superiority. On the other side, Chen Yi had awakened, throwing out a backup plan as leverage, betting his own life as the stake.
This feud that had lasted for twenty years, under the moonlight at the valley exit, had reached its most perilous standoff. Lin Yan's waist wound was going numb, the poison continuing to spread. Gripping his dagger tightly, he knew clearly that the choice he made next would directly determine the success or failure of the entire mission in this dimension.
Behind them, the shouts and footsteps of the assassins mingled together, chasing relentlessly like a tidal wave, the distance between them shrinking rapidly. Green Face's men had fought in the dark arena for years, and forest tracking was their specialty. Even in the pitch-black night, they could still distinguish footprints and navigate by the moonlight.
"We can't keep running in a straight line! They know this valley well; it's too easy for them to circle ahead and intercept us!" Lin Yan yelled in a low voice, glancing back as he ran. The intense sprinting pulled at the old injury in his left arm, sending waves of dull pain surging through him.
Xiao Ge gasped for air, his chest heaving. The piercing wound on his upper arm had started bleeding again from the intense running, soaking through the outer bandages. Sticky blood trickled slowly down his forearm. But he dared not slow his pace, his hands holding Chen Yi's body steadily, trying to buffer the jolts of the run to avoid tearing the fatal wound on Chen Yi's chest.
Chen Yi remained completely unconscious, his body swaying slightly with their frantic pace. His face was as pale as paper, his lips entirely devoid of color, and his faint breathing was almost drowned out by the wind in the forest.
"To the left! There's a field of jagged rocks over there. The chaotic terrain can disrupt their pursuit route!" Xiao Ge quickly scanned the terrain ahead and shouted.
Lin Yan nodded immediately. Working together, they shifted direction, charging diagonally into the area on the left covered with massive, boulders. The jagged rocks were piled up in a chaotic, overlapping mess, with crisscrossing crevices. Tall shrubs grew wildly from the gaps between the stones, and their field of vision was sliced into fragments by the massive boulders, making it extremely difficult for the pursuers to maintain a neat pursuit formation.
After plunging into the pile of rocks, Lin Yan immediately adjusted the plan: "We'll split up briefly to circle around and throw off their judgment, then regroup at that largest black boulder deep inside! You take Chen Yi and head in first. I'll stay behind to cover our retreat and buy us a moment!"
Xiao Ge's brow furrowed tightly. "It's too dangerous. There are too many of them!"
"There's no other way," Lin Yan said, gripping the short dagger in his hand, his gaze calm and resolute. "If we don't stall them for a moment, we'll all be surrounded together. Protect Chen Yi, and whatever you do, don't deviate from the rendezvous point. I'll catch up with you soon."
Xiao Ge knew the situation was critical and there was no time to argue. Gritting his teeth, he tightened his grip on Chen Yi, turned, and slipped into the crevices between the massive boulders, using the rocks as cover to quickly retreat deeper inside.
Once their silhouettes disappeared behind the giant boulders, Lin Yan turned sideways, hiding in the shadow of a rock about waist-high. Holding his breath, he waited silently for the pursuers to arrive. He held the dagger horizontally in front of him, his back pressed tightly against the cold, rough stone surface, his ears carefully discerning the approaching footsteps.
A moment later, the first figure in black rounded the boulder and rushed into the rocky area. Close behind, three or four assassins arrived in succession, spreading out to search for tracks.
"They ran this way! There are bloodstains here!" one assassin said in a low voice, staring at the dark red blood dripping on the ground, signaling his companions.
Just as they were about to follow the blood trail forward, Lin Yan suddenly erupted from the shadow of the rock. He didn't shout. Using the boulder as cover, he pounced silently on the assassin trailing at the very back. His dagger slashed precisely toward the wrist holding the blade.
Hearing the sound of the wind, the assassin hastily turned to block, but the narrow space restricted his turning movement. With a soft squelch, the blade tore through flesh, and the short dagger slipped from his hand and hit the ground. Before the man could cry out in pain, Lin Yan drove his elbow heavily into his chest. The assassin let out a muffled groan and fell backward to the ground.
Hearing the commotion, the others ahead immediately turned around, two short blades thrusting toward Lin Yan simultaneously. The space between the rocks was too narrow for wide evasive maneuvers. Lin Yan quickly slid sideways, dodging the incoming blades, while his dagger swept horizontally, forcing the closest attacker to pull back.
He had no intention of engaging in a prolonged fight; his only goal was to buy time. After exchanging two blows, he immediately disengaged, turned, and slipped into another stone crevice. He darted rapidly between the giant boulders, deliberately making footstep sounds to lure the assassins in the wrong direction.
"He went that way! Chase him!" The assassins took the bait, abandoning the original blood trail and pursuing Lin Yan relentlessly.
Lin Yan continuously circled back and forth in the rocky field, using the交错 (interlocking) rocks to keep pulling away and drain the pursuers' stamina. Judging that enough time had passed, he suddenly turned into a narrow crevice, quickly circled around to avoid the pursuers' line of sight, and then stealthily made his way toward the designated black boulder to regroup.
When he arrived behind the massive black boulder, Xiao Ge was guarding Chen Yi, nervously watching for any movement around them. Seeing Lin Yan return safely, Xiao Ge's taut nerves relaxed slightly.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Xiao Ge asked in a low voice.
"Just superficial wounds," Lin Yan replied with a brief shake of his head, bending down to check Chen Yi's condition. Chen Yi was still unconscious, and the bleeding from his chest wound was slightly worse than before, but fortunately, it hadn't burst open completely.
"We can't stay here long. The noise from the fight just now will quickly attract the other pursuers," Lin Yan said, quickly standing up and scanning the surroundings. "Beyond this rocky field is the valley exit. Once we break out of the valley and reach open ground, it will be very hard for them to use the terrain to trap us."
The two hoisted Chen Yi up again and continued toward the valley exit. At the end of the rocky field, the trees gradually thinned, and the outline of the valley exit was faintly visible in the distance. Just as they were about to break free from the valley that had trapped them, and a glimmer of hope had just risen in Lin Yan's heart, a severe sense of crisis suddenly surged from deep within.
"Stop!" Lin Yan abruptly raised his hand to halt Xiao Ge. The two immediately stopped, hiding behind a massive boulder.
In the open area at the valley exit, dozens of figures in black stood silently, fanned out in a semicircle, directly blocking the entire path out of the mountain.
Green Face stood right in the center of the formation. His grey cloth long gown fluttered slightly in the night wind, and the greyish iron mask on his face gleamed coldly in the moonlight. He was in no rush to lead his men in a chase. He simply stood there quietly, as if he had long calculated that they would break through from this direction and had set up an interception well in advance.
"You've run quite far," Green Face's voice drifted over on the night wind, his tone flat, betraying neither joy nor anger. "From the stone alcove to the rock hollow, from the cave to the rocky valley, you've been fleeing endlessly. Pity. The valley exit has long been a dead end."
Xiao Ge gripped his short dagger tightly, a chill running down his spine. They had fled with all their might, wandering and dodging, only to ultimately fall into the encirclement their enemy had pre-arranged.
"Green Face! Twenty years ago, you personally abducted Su Nianwan during the massacre of the Su family and harmed the innocent. Aren't you afraid of heaven's justice?" Xiao Ge shouted, suppressing his rage.
Green Face tilted his head slightly, his gaze beneath the mask falling upon Xiao Ge. He gave a faint smile, the laugh entirely devoid of warmth. "Heaven's justice? In the Jianghu, the strong rule. The Su family possessed evidence they shouldn't have kept; they deserved to be exterminated. That little girl was spared only because she still has great use. Sparing her life was already an act of mercy."
"Your so-called mercy is imprisoning a seven-year-old girl for twenty years, using her as a pawn to be manipulated?" Lin Yan spoke slowly. He gently laid Chen Yi down behind the giant boulder, signaled Xiao Ge to stay and guard him, and took two steps forward, facing Green Face directly. "The roster is in our hands. The names and evidence of everyone involved back then are all recorded in it. Even if you kill us, the truth will eventually come to light."
Green Face's gaze fell upon Lin Yan, carrying a hint of scrutiny. "You are not a person of this Jianghu. From our very first clash, I sensed that your aura is different from ordinary people. I don't know where you come from, nor do I intend to investigate. I only want two things: Chen Yi, and that roll of mulberry paper roster. Hand them over, and I will let the youth live."
Lin Yan's heart jolted. Green Face had actually vaguely sensed his abnormality, even though he couldn't possibly know about the "dimensional dream entry."
"Impossible," Lin Yan refused flatly. "The roster is the only evidence of the Su family's injustice, and Chen Yi is the sole surviving witness to the massacre back then. We will absolutely not hand them over to you."
"Since you refuse to hand them over, I can only take them by force," Green Face said lightly, raising his hand in a simple gesture.
The assassins on both sides immediately began to slowly close in, gradually shrinking the encirclement. The blades gleamed with a sinister, icy light in the moonlight.
"Guard Chen Yi!" Lin Yan called back to Xiao Ge. Gripping his dagger tightly, he met the charge of the first two assassins. The short blades clashed, the piercing metallic screech tearing through the valley's silence. Relying on the reflexes honed through numerous battles, Lin Yan maneuvered and dodged under the pincer attack, his dagger searching for openings in his opponents' defenses.
Xiao Ge guarded the giant boulder, keeping an eye on Chen Yi while staring intently at the battlefield. Whenever an assassin bypassed Lin Yan to sneak attack from behind, he immediately swung his dagger to intercept. But there were simply too many assassins; for every two that fell, new ones immediately stepped up to replace them in an endless stream.
New wounds gradually appeared on Lin Yan's body. His arms and ribs were slashed by blades, his blood soaking through his clothes. The prolonged running and continuous skirmishes rapidly drained his stamina, and his movements began to slowly grow sluggish.
Green Face still stood in the center of the encirclement, not making a move himself. He simply watched the slaughter quietly, like someone watching a play whose ending had already been written. Only when he saw his assassins getting injured one after another, yet still unable to quickly take down Lin Yan, did he slowly step forward, walking out from the crowd.
"You've done your best," Green Face said, walking slowly into the center of the battlefield. Seeing this, the other assassins immediately stopped their attacks and automatically parted to the sides, leaving space for the duel.
Lin Yan tensed every muscle in his body, his dagger aimed at Green Face, not daring to relax for a second. He could clearly feel that the oppressive aura emanating from Green Face far surpassed that of all the previous assassins. This was the true formidable enemy, the core executor of the family extermination massacre back then.
"I'll do it myself," Green Face said lightly. A slender soft sword was slowly drawn from his palm, the blade shimmering with a faint blue glow. "This sword is named Ghost Thread. It seals the throat upon drawing blood."
Before the words had even faded, the soft sword shot out like a venomous snake emerging from its den, silently and invisibly thrusting toward Lin Yan's throat. The blade was soft, its trajectory erratic and unpredictable, completely unlike the hacking, slashing, and thrusting of ordinary swords. Lin Yan hastily leaned back, barely dodging the fatal strike. The tip of the sword grazed his neck, tearing a layer of flesh and sending a sharp sting through him.
In a single move, the difference in skill was instantly apparent.
Green Face's martial arts attainment unfathomably deep, his moves were soft yet insidious and tricky, each strike aimed directly at vital points. The soft sword alternated between straight thrusts and winding entanglements, shifting unpredictably. Lin Yan could only rely on his dagger to barely block and evade, with absolutely no chance to counterattack. He was forced back step by step, continuously falling into the disadvantage.
After several moves, Green Face flicked his wrist lightly. The soft sword bypassed the dagger, the tip thrusting straight toward Lin Yan's lower abdomen. Lin Yan hastily dodged sideways, but his movement was half a beat too slow. The soft sword slashed across his waist, and a wave of severe pain instantly engulfed his entire body. The wound wasn't very deep, but the poison on the Ghost Thread sword began to slowly spread through his bloodstream, and his limbs gradually started to feel numb.
The speed of the poison's onset wasn't extremely rapid, but it was enough to continuously weaken his stamina and reflexes.
"Your skills aren't bad. Pity your foundation is shallow and you lack internal energy entirely," Green Face said, slowly closing in, the soft sword swaying gently in his hand. "This struggle ends here."
Just as Green Face was preparing to launch the final blow, a faint groan suddenly came from behind.
Chen Yi, who had been in a deep coma, had slowly opened his eyes.
His vision was blurry, his face still pale, his chest rising and falling violently with his breath. Mustering his remaining strength, he spoke in a hoarse voice. The volume wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of everyone present:
"Green Face... Twenty years... It's time to settle the score between us."
Everyone froze.
Green Face's movement paused, his gaze beneath the mask abruptly turning toward Chen Yi, who had awakened behind the giant boulder.
Chen Yi struggled to sit up, and Xiao Ge hurried forward to support him. His gaze locked fiercely onto the person wearing the Green Face iron mask in the distance. The hatred accumulated over twenty years exploded in his eyes in this very moment.
"When the Su family was exterminated, I narrowly escaped. Hiding my name and identity for twenty years, all I've waited for day and night is today," Chen Yi said, his voice trembling yet无比 (incomparably) resolute. "The roster is not just a list of murderers. I also left a backup plan. If I die, a copy of the roster will be automatically sent to the major orthodox sects in the Jianghu. Your conspiracy, the identity of the mastermind, and Su Nianwan's whereabouts will all be made public to the world!"
Green Face's hand gripping the soft sword tightened slightly, the faint blue blade trembling gently. He had originally been entirely confident of victory; he had absolutely never expected that the severely wounded, dying Chen Yi would awaken at this critical juncture, and that he had hidden such a backup plan.
"You're bluffing," Green Face said in a deep voice, but there was already a hint of imperceptible apprehension in his tone.
"Whether it's a bluff or not, you're welcome to test it," Chen Yi said, slowly raising his eyes, his gaze凛然 (stern and unyielding). "My life was prepared long ago for the Su family's unjust case. If you want the roster, if you want to silence me, then bet everything on this round with me."
The night wind swept through the valley, blowing the fallen leaves across the ground.
On one side, Green Face wielded the deadly soft sword, surrounded by dozens of assassins, holding absolute martial superiority. On the other side, Chen Yi had awakened, throwing out a backup plan as leverage, betting his own life as the stake.
This feud that had lasted for twenty years, under the moonlight at the valley exit, had reached its most perilous standoff. Lin Yan's waist wound was going numb, the poison continuing to spread. Gripping his dagger tightly, he knew clearly that the choice he made next would directly determine the success or failure of the entire mission in this dimension.