Chapter 43 - Destined to Die

"Next."

Ye Beizhi stared darkly at the cloaked woman, his gaze like ice.

Seeing Ye Beizhi's attitude, the cloaked woman furrowed her brow momentarily before she relaxed and started giggling. "Young master, you are impressive indeed, but I’m concerned if you can keep up with me. Hehe... how are your injuries?"

𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Ye Beizhi glanced down at the palm print, waves of pain radiated from his chest.

Ye Beizhi frowned slightly but did not speak.

The cloaked woman hopped down from the roof and sauntered towards Ye Beizhi.

Ye Beizhi turned to look the other way as Ironsmith Xue had also risen from the rubble, propping his iron hammer over his shoulder as he walked over.

Closing in on Ye Beizhi, Ironsmith Xue spat into his palm, rubbed it, and gripped the iron hammer tightly.

"You almost hurt me there!" he grunted as he shot a provocative glance at Ye Beizhi.

The moment Ironsmith Xue looked at him, Ye Beizhi blurred into motion. He leaped into the air and swung his blade toward Ironsmith Xue’s forehead.

Ironsmith Xue reacted just as swiftly, grinning, and thrust the iron hammer straight into the air. The iron hammer he wielded was heavy at the head and long at the handle, making it ideal for fighting in wide-open spaces. He was skilled with his weapon and confronted Ye Beizhi head on.

Ye Beizhi’s two-handed blade was not long enough so his downward strike was stopped by the hammer in the way. He could only use the two-handed blade to bash against the hammer’s head and use the rebounding force to slip to the side.

Calculating where Ye Beizhi was going to land, the cloaked woman swung the steel whip with a flourish, aiming another swift strike at his back.

As he landed, Ye Beizhi heard the crack of a whip from behind him. Ignoring the incoming whip, he sheathed his blade and charged toward Ironsmith Xue!

Covering the distance between them in the blink of an eye, Ye Beizhi and Ironsmith Xue were now a blade's length apart. Ironsmith Xue’s iron hammer was heavy and strong but lacked flexibility in a critical moment. He had just hefted it mid-air, making him unable to rapidly adjust it!

Ye Beizhi’s right hand was primed on the hilt of the sword at his waist.

Blade draw, horizontal slash!

Ping!

The two-handed blade heavily struck the hammer’s shaft.

In that instant, Ironsmith Xue had no choice but to forcibly drag the hammer down with both hands and block the deadly blow with the shaft of his hammer.

The two-handed sword trembled uncontrollably as it bounced off the hammer’s shaft.

Ye Beizhi’s strike missed its mark, and he had no choice but to jump back and create distance. However, the whip he ignored reared its ugly head as it closed in on him from behind.

In the next moment, searing pain radiated from his back as the whip once again struck heavily onto his back. The steel whip carried enough force to toss Ye Beizhi across the courtyard with a single blow!

He crashed and rolled on the ground, but before he could even get his bearings, Ironsmith Xue’s large hammer pounded down again. As Ye Beizhi tried to roll away, an intense pain suddenly flared in his chest from his previous injuries!

In that moment of pain, his reactions slowed. The giant hammer crashed down, landing squarely on the half of his body that hadn't rolled out of the way in time!

Ye Beizhi’s vision went dark, and he involuntarily coughed up a mouthful of blood. His body felt as if all his bones had been broken, and he lay on the ground, unable to move.

"

Pah

, this counts as my revenge!" Ye Beizhi heard Ironsmith Xue disdain in the distance.

"Be careful... don’t be careless and get killed," the cloaked woman called out, reminding Ironsmith Xue.

"

Psh

... This kid is already at the end of his rope. He's lucky that I haven’t killed him yet," Ironsmith Xue poked Ye Beizhi’s body with the hammer.

Ye Beizhi lay limp and unmoving.

"Just be careful... I’m going to check on the monk," the cloaked woman said, her voice fading away.

Ye Beizhi kept his eyes closed and remained still, focusing on regulating his disordered internal qi. He could sense that Ironsmith Xue had crouched down next to him.

"Hmm... So this is Stormqueller?" Ironsmith Xue grabbed Ye Beizhi’s hair, lifted his head, and muttered softly, "He doesn’t look like an assassin at all."

"I think so too— "

A brilliant blade light suddenly swept from ground to the sky!

Ironsmith Xue’s eyes widened as his hand flew into the air.

"My-my hand!"

Ironsmith Xue stumbled back several steps, his right hand tightly gripping his left arm. His left limb had been severed at the elbow, and he let out an agonized shriek, "Ahhhhhhh! I'm going to kill you!"

Having just administered the secret medicine to the monk, the cloaked woman turned around upon hearing the screams and saw this scene.

"What a fool," she cursed silently as she hurriedly gripped her steel whip and ran over.

Ye Beizhi, propping himself up shakily from the ground with his blade. He was caked with blood and dust everywhere, and the original color of his clothes was no longer distinguishable.

Nevertheless, the cloaked woman had lost her previous frivolous attitude. She refused to let Ye Beizhi catch his breath, and was already lashing out with her steel whip.

Ye Beizhi swung his blade, deflecting the whip, and looked up at the woman.

"Only... one and a half left."

"You!" The woman trembled with anger and was momentarily speechless.

"Stormqueller!" Ironsmith Xue suddenly roared from a distance, gripping the hammer with his remaining hand. His bloodshot eyes were fully peeled and looked like copper rings as he glared fiercely at Ye Beizhi.

His hatred was palpable as he bellowed, "Stormqueller! I will kill you!"

"You..." Ye Beizhi coughed weakly, but his words were filled with certainty as he said, "You can't kill me."

"Just die!"

Ironsmith Xue was greatly infuriated by the loss of his left hand.

As soon as Ye Beizhi finished speaking, the giant hammer came crashing down on him.

Ironsmith Xue’s attack was fierce, but his unstable state of mind made him vulnerable.

Ye Beizhi’s blade easily parried the incoming hammer as they passed within a hair's breadth of each other.

Hmm?

A peculiar sensation came from his hand, and Ye Beizhi imperceptibly furrowed his brow as he glanced at the body of his blade. Several new cracks had formed on it.

Ye Beizhi’s heart sank.

"Prepare to die!"

A gust of wind rushed towards Ye Beizhi, giving him no time to think. Ironsmith Xue, now frenzied, wielded the hammer with relentless precision!

The woman with the steel whip constantly interrupted his rhythm with her sneak attacks.

Ye Beizhi could only defend himself at this moment.

Thud!

An iron spear suddenly fell from the sky and landed between Ye Beizhi and Ironsmith Xue. The three of them halted simultaneously and turned to look.

"What’s so great about fighting two against one?"

Master Wu had somehow stood up from the ground and started stumbling over. He called out, "Young Master Ye, I’m here to help you!"

"Master Wu..." Ye Beizhi frowned, wanting to say something but it was stuck in his throat.

Wu Changfeng walked with serious injuries and one hand hanging by his side. He appeared significantly weakened, but undeterred.

As soon as he stepped out, the people from the escort agency in the distant corner became anxious.

"Master Wu, don't do this!"

"You’re too injured!"

Master Wu waved his hand.

"My Changfeng Escort Agency has never been so cowardly as to hide behind our comrades! Don’t try to dissuade me!"

He then turned to the cloaked woman, his gaze resolute and unwavering.

"Regardless of whether Young Master Ye is an imperial fugitive or not, today, my Changfeng Escort Agency will stand together with Ye Beizhi!"

The cloaked woman sneered, "What a joke. Do you still think there’s a way out for the Changfeng Escort Agency—"

"Master Wu! Count me in!" A voice interrupted the cloaked woman, and an armed escort from the corner stepped forward.

"I, Sun Song, am not afraid of death!" Another person stepped out. Ye Beizhi recognized him as an armed escort team leader.

"And me!"

"Me, me too!"

More and more people stepped forward and gathered behind Ye Beizhi and Master Wu.

The cloaked woman's expression darkened. "Alright, alright! What a bunch of brave souls, you can die together then!"

"Where are the Imperial Guardians?!" the cloaked woman hollered.

From outside the courtyard, people dressed in the Imperial Guardians uniform began to pour in. They had clearly been maintaining the perimeter outside for some time.

The woman turned to look at Ye Beizhi, her face contorted in a grim smile.

"Stormqueller—Today, you're destined to die!"