Volume One: The Dragon Rises from the Wild Chapter Seventy-Two: I’ll Show You How It’s Done

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Moonlight.

Mountain peaks.

Precipices. A cave in the cliffs.

Within the cave, two people were still arguing when, all at once, they fell silent, lifting their heads to listen, not daring to breathe.

A flash of swordlight swept past the mountaintop.

Like a meteor, it shot into the depths of the wild, sprawling mountains.

“Bu Yi!”

“Was it really him?”

“Though we didn’t see clearly, it must have been!”

“I told you, he really did chase us here.”

“My guess wasn’t wrong either—he didn’t expect us to hide here.”

“You’re sharper than he is!”

“He’s a master of the Foundation Establishment. How could I compare?”

“Oh? What you can think of, do you imagine he cannot?”

The two watched the swordlight vanish into the distance, but could not help but start bickering again.

Without waiting for further debate, Bai Zhi insisted, “There’s no time to lose—we must leave at once!”

Now that they knew Bu Yi’s movements, finding a place to hide promptly was surely the wisest course.

Yu Ye realized further argument was pointless, so he followed her out of the cave. Skirting the narrow rim of stone around the peak, they reached the ridge by which they’d come. Bai Zhi led the way, but as soon as she set foot atop the ridge, she motioned frantically and hastily backed away.

Below the ridge, three figures had appeared—it was the three cultivators from Qizhou they had seen before, having tracked them here from Tiger Leaping Gorge.

And atop the ridge, there was nowhere to hide.

Before they could retreat to the cave, another change occurred.

The swordlight, which had flown far away, suddenly returned. In the night sky, it gleamed like a falling star, dazzling and terrifying.

The two of them stood on the narrow crest, as if hanging from the cliff face, exchanging glances; though their thoughts may have differed, the same awkward and desperate expression was etched on both faces.

“They’re here—”

“That’s the brat who killed Quan Li.”

“Hmph! Keep running, then! Let’s see you fly to the heavens if you can...”

The three middle-aged men stood to one side of the ridge. Leaning forward, they could see Bai Zhi and Yu Ye—only a dozen paces separated them, so close as to be within arm’s reach. One side jeered without restraint; the other clung to the cliff with nowhere to hide, nowhere to flee, and certainly no way to ascend to the clouds.

But upon the clouds, someone was indeed approaching, riding a sword.

“Alas, I didn’t think things through,” Bai Zhi thought in her despair, blaming herself.

“What good does blaming yourself do now?” Yu Ye muttered. His face was drawn, but his brows were fierce and a sneer twisted his lips as if he didn’t care at all.

“Perhaps I should have listened to you...”

“You are a disciple of the Daoist sect, master of Xuanhuang Mountain—why listen to me?”

“You—”

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At this point, Bai Zhi raised her voice and declared, “Why must you be so caustic? Everything has its chance; fortune and misfortune are decreed by heaven. If death is our fate, I’ll face it with you!”

“Hey, let’s be clear—it’s that man who wants to kill you, not me who brought this doom!” Yu Ye called out as well, without care for caution. “I see it now—so-called ‘accidents’ are wrought by men. Even natural disasters are caused by human wickedness. If not for the prowling vermin, would the world be thrown into such chaos?”

“Haha, well said!”

A swordlight approached, halting suddenly in the air a dozen paces away. A lean, middle-aged man stood atop his sword, hovering. With a smile, he praised their words, nodded slightly to the three cultivators on the ridge, then turned to look at the two young people clinging to the cliff. “So it’s Daoist Bai Zhi. You’ve changed your attire—becoming ever more elegant and lovely!”

Now, with a man above them and three blocking the ridge, all retreat was cut off. Each party eyed the other like beasts of prey, brazen and unrestrained.

Upon the cliff, ringed by wolves and tigers, the two young people were like cornered prey, shivering as they awaited death.

“Senior Bu Yi...” In the dim night, Bai Zhi’s chest heaved slightly. She stared at the man on the sword, hesitated, then raised her voice: “Why did you kill my master and slaughter my fellow disciples?”

“Hong Gu died of old age, nothing to do with me. As for your sect, they provoked others, and casualties were to be expected. Besides, Daoist Bai Zhi, you are safe and sound; it shows I bear no ill will toward Xuanhuang Mountain.”

The newcomer was indeed Bu Yi. Stroking his beard, he said, “Daoist Bai Zhi, stay calm. Tonight, I will not kill you. The one I want is that brat!”

“He is my junior brother...” Bai Zhi, faced with her enemy, ought to have denounced him, but his few words distanced himself from blame, leaving her at a loss for argument in her desperate straits. She tried to shield Yu Ye, but her words sounded weak.

“Haha, so even Xuanhuang Mountain cultivates sword energy now?” Bu Yi questioned with a laugh. “To my knowledge, among the eight Daoist sects of the Great Marsh, none know sword energy. Yet Quan Li died by sword energy tonight, and the killer is that brat—Yu Ye!”

With his last words, he called him by name.

“Let me take a good look at you, boy!” Bu Yi turned to the youth beside Bai Zhi. “At Xuanhuang Mountain, you escaped my grasp. At North Qi Mountain, you killed Gan Song and vanished again. Then you appeared in North Qi Town, Que Spirit Mountain, Deer Cry Mountain—killing my Qizhou kin and men of the martial world. After that, you turned up in Xingyuan Valley, Spirit Flood Valley, once more killing three of my fellows. In a few short months, your footprints have covered the land, your hands stained with blood, and you’ve earned the fearsome title of Deathbringer!”

He shook his head. “I never could understand it, and it’s troubled me for long. What kind of spirit possesses this boy, that with only first or second layer Qi training, he runs rampant through the Great Marsh? Perhaps the gods took pity on me, for tonight I’ve finally caught you!”

While Bu Yi spoke in wonder, Bai Zhi quietly studied the youth beside her.

Many tales about him were mere rumor, but Bu Yi’s account was all fact—one incident after another, shocking and irrefutable.

Who would have thought he’d traveled so far and killed so many?

Yet now, he seemed oblivious; the panic was gone from his face. Calm, he dropped his gaze to the abyss below. Mist shrouded its depths, impossible to judge how far it fell. Just as he seemed a boy with no guile, so too was his true nature unknown.

Standing at the edge of death, with no hope of escape, what was he thinking?

“Haha!”

Bu Yi’s laugh echoed in the night. “Boy, tell me—how should I deal with you to ease my hatred?”

“What hatred?” Yu Ye slowly lifted his head, puzzled. “I never sought trouble with you. You’ve hunted me time and again, rallying martial artists to block every path across the Great Marsh. Forced to defend myself, I’ve only sought to survive. Is that so wrong?”

“You wish to live? Not so hard.” Bu Yi’s smile faded. “Hand over the treasures and techniques you stole, and I’ll spare you!”

“What treasures? What techniques?”

“In Spirit Flood Valley—you seized a beast core and a secret art left by an overseas master!”

Yu Ye glanced at Bai Zhi. “I saw no secret art, but I did pick up a beast core. As for Chen Qi, he was there—he forced me to swallow the core, which became part of my cultivation. But he snatched a storage ring. Why don’t you bring him here and see who speaks the truth?”

Bai Zhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

She had suffered much for his sake, but it did nothing to allay Bu Yi’s suspicions. Yu Ye might appear naive and tongue-tied, but when facing danger, he changed completely—unnaturally calm, his words sharp and well-ordered, with subtle barbs hidden within.

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“Hmph! Chen Qi is no longer in the Great Marsh—how could we confront him?” Bu Yi snorted. “If you never saw the overseas technique, then tell me—where did you learn your sword energy?”

“I found it,” Yu Ye replied without thinking.

“Found it again?”

Bu Yi nodded. “The sword energy you found came from the lost overseas technique—hand it over!”

“No.”

Bu Yi’s face froze, words failing him.

Bai Zhi could not help but close her eyes.

It wasn’t just Bu Yi who was left speechless; she too was at a loss.

She truly could not fathom him. How could he suddenly act so foolishly? Regardless of the origin of the sword technique, whether or not he handed it over, couldn’t he at least bargain for his life? Yet he refused outright, leaving no room for compromise. Wasn’t he forcing Bu Yi’s hand, pushing him to kill? He’d drive a man to death with rage!

Yet what Yu Ye did next was, once again, unexpected.

“But...” Yu Ye seemed to weigh his options, hesitating. “If you can tell me where the technique came from, I’ll hand it over.” He tapped his own head, warning, “To be honest, I destroyed the jade slip—the formulas are all in my memory. If you try to trick me, I’ll jump—”

He pointed to the abyss beneath his feet, taunting, “Hmph, I’ll die before I let you have your way!”

Bai Zhi shook her head in secret.

Is he truly a fool, or is he shrewd? He bargains, but his bargaining is absurd—threatening suicide by leaping off a cliff?

“Oh?” Bu Yi’s face softened. He glanced at Yu Ye, then at Bai Zhi and the three others a dozen paces away, pondering. “Many years ago, several cultivators plundered Immortal Sects everywhere, provoking the wrath of Qizhou and were hunted down. Fleeing to the Great Marsh, they scattered and hid. To recover the lost treasures and techniques, we of the Qizhou Immortal Sects also came to the Great Marsh. But those cultivators were badly wounded, or their lives spent, and one by one they died, leaving their treasures and techniques scattered far and wide.”

He stroked his beard and continued, “That’s the gist of it. I’ve told you the truth. Now keep your word—hand over the technique!”

“No.”

“You—”

Bu Yi’s figure blurred, swordlight flashing beneath his feet. He could restrain himself no longer, about to dart forward and tear the boy apart, when Yu Ye said—

“You lied—the cultivators you spoke of were clearly from Yan Prefecture.”

“Ah, you know more? Out with it—quickly!”

Bu Yi, forgetting his anger, looked overjoyed and expectant.

But the boy grew agitated, snapping, “You broke your word—watch me jump!”

“Ah—!” With a startled cry from the girl, the cliffside was suddenly empty.

Yu Ye had seized Bai Zhi and jumped off the precipice with her!

Was he truly seeking death?

“Damn it—!”

Bu Yi, stunned for a moment, suddenly flew into a rage. The swordlight at his feet spun, and he shot straight for the abyss below...