Sword Among Us
Sword Among Us - Chapter 31: Eight Trigrams, Nine Palaces

When Happy, Eastern Green Gate, Azure Wolf, Xuan Zhong, and Qian Kunzi reached their companion, they witnessed Whirlwind Young Li slump to the ground to reveal the second bandit chief’s fierce and villainous face.

“Young Whirlwind!”

“Young Li!”

The four could barely suppress the anger in their heart. They wanted to fight against the second bandit chief with everything they had, but they did not know that the rage in the second bandit chief’s heart was greater than theirs.

The death of around forty of his brothers from Black Wind Mountain and the injuries on his body filled him with humiliation and anger. He withdrew his broadsword and kicked aside Whirlwind Young Li’s corpse. Then, he strode forward to kill them.

The remaining seven Black Wind Mountain Bandits followed closely behind him!

No, there were only five left.

At the instant the second bandit chief kicked aside Whirlwind Young Li’s corpse, Happy’s eyes filled with anger. He did not say another word and just threw two lancet knives from his waist. They sliced through the dark forest, traveling in a line, with neither being before the other. They hit the two subordinates beside the second bandit chief.

Before the duo could even grunt, they were pushed back by a strong force. The momentum threw them off their feet, and with a loud thud, they died beside Whirlwind Young Li.

Eastern Green Gate and the others were behind Happy, and he did not move back any longer!

His handsome face was so dark that it looked like there were thunderclouds around him. There was strong murderous intent in his eyes, and his gaze was as cold as the stars. He stared at the Black Wind Mountain Bandits that rushed toward him from the second bandit chief’s sides, and two lancet knives slid into his grip as if they had spirit. There was not the slightest pause in his movements; the lancet knives just slid into his grip like how dust filled into the air!

Happy could no longer retreat.

The second bandit chief was there. If he retreated, Eastern Green Gate, Qian Kunzi, Xuan Zhong, and Azure Wolf would all be in danger!

They had come to help him with the mission and not to die there for him…

Xuan Kun and Whirlwind Young Li had already died! But nothing could happen to the others!

Happy’s gaze was cold and resolute. He flicked his wrists, and with a barely noticeable sound, the lancet knives instantly sank into the throat and neck of two more Black Wind Mountain Bandits…

At that moment, Eastern Green Gate felt like his vision had become blurry. He thought he saw a faint layer of white light covering the two lancet knives Happy had brought out.

‘My eyes must be playing tricks on me…’

Eastern Green Gate shook his head and looked again. He was just in time to see Happy attack the third time!

This time, it was even clearer.

The lancet knives were indeed enveloped by a faint layer of white light, but Happy did not seem to have noticed this abnormality even though he had the lancet knives in his grip.

His speed became even faster, and his throws were even more resolute!

Even the people who stood behind Happy could not see the trajectory of the lancet knives. They just saw two people fall down while grabbing onto their chests.

Once he swiftly killed the last three Black Wind Mountain Bandits, Happy finally felt relieved. He whispered to the four a word of caution to tell them to be careful before he drew his Noble Sword, which still had the purple tassel on it. It was drawn from the sheath with a loud click, and he rushed to the murderous second bandit chief, who was now alone.

“You’re just asking for death!”

The second bandit chief was filled with rage. He roared, and his speed increased drastically. He spun on his feet, and his broadsword came swinging down in an arc.

“No wonder you turned into an outlaw! As expected, you’re just a barbarian who only knows how to rely on your strength!”

With the Noble Sword in hand, Happy was no longer agitated. His heart and mind became one, and his expression was calm.

His feet tapped against the ground and used the Eight Trigrams Steps. His body moved freely, and he nimbly avoided the brunt of the second bandit chief’s attack. He attacked with his sword to the southwest, and his sleeves fluttered loudly in the roaring wind.

The Noble Sword never wavered in its tracks. Happy swung it and drew back freely. When he delivered his attacks, his sword was stable. Its tip went straight to the second bandit chief’s arms, thighs, and other body parts that were not protected by the leather armor. He forced the second bandit chief to focus on defense.

Saber techniques were fierce and strong, and they placed an emphasis on linking up attacks. Once they were executed, the might of the saber could not be blocked!

But the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Sword was not afraid of this.

This martial art drifted about and changed eternally. It won against its opponents through speed. When its user withdrew, they would be able to find a way to survive, and if its user moved forward, they could drive their opponent into a corner.

It had enough to spare in terms of both offense and defense. As long as Happy did not run into opponents whose strength was much greater than his, he was confident that he could fight against whoever it was that happened to be his opponent for a while.

If it were not for the fact that he had used the lancet knives too frequently, using up all his qi, he might not have been forced to use his other skill—the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Sword—to deal with the second bandit chief.

Happy intended to keep what little remained of his true qi in his Dantian Region so that he could kill his enemy in one shot at a critical moment, instead of attacking in a rush like what he did right then. He just landed some insignificant damage on the second bandit chief before slipping away.

“Eldest senior brother, don’t let him get away!”

“You have to take revenge for my brother and Young Li!”

The four did not stop cheering Happy from the side, but that was all they did. Including Eastern Green Gate, neither of them had the courage to rashly join the battle against a powerful martial artist at the peak of Gate Realm.

Even though Happy’s sword technique did not seem to have reached the tenth realm, he still remained calm under the second bandit chief’s fierce attacks, which had a power similar to fierce wind blowing at fallen leaves. Happy moved back and forth with ease, and Eastern Green Gate came to a conclusion that he could not do this after he examined himself.

The four were new players after all. They did not have much experience and could not tell that Happy used his experience of martial arts to fight freely against the second bandit chief. They could only see that Happy could fight on equal ground against the second bandit chief in a close-quarters fight, and they were incredibly excited.

Whenever the second bandit chief roared and cursed Happy, the four would respond by cursing up a storm at the second bandit chief.

However, as time passed, the four gradually noticed that there was no end in sight to the fight.

One attack came after another.

As they continued watching, they gradually discovered that the skills used had become old. Nothing new was being shown by either side.

Qian Kunzi’s lips twitched.

“Er… Say, don’t you guys… find this strange?”

“What?”

Azure Wolf was high in spirits as he watched the fight, so he had responded without even turning his head around.

He practiced saber techniques, so from the second bandit chief’s fierce and strong attacks, he felt that he had gained a little enlightenment, and he was filled with gusto.

However, to the others, this was not much. The second bandit chief’s unrelenting strikes were a little shameless, but Happy’s situation was even stranger. He moved at an appropriate speed, and his attention was focused entirely on the fight. With time, his movements became even lighter and gained an otherworldly air. He looked like a martial arts fanatic who had forgotten everything around him so nothing could make his attention waver.

They watched for a long time, and Eastern Green Gate finally realized in grief that the duel to the death between the duo had turned into a session of two people comparing notes about their martial arts by sparring!

Happy did not show any intention to use his throwing knives. The second bandit chief could not let go of the death of his brothers, and fighting for a long period of time was not beneficial for him. The more he fought, the more agitated and angry he became. Then, a faint aura swiftly appeared. It attached itself to the broadsword, and it began to glow with a faint light.

Happy’s eyes focused, and a hint of happiness appeared in his eyes.

“Just in time!”

He turned the tip of his sword, and a whistle arose! His momentum suddenly changed. His gentle defenses and counterattacks from before were gone, and the force of his strikes became much swifter and fiercer! The fallen leaves in the forest moved quietly along with the wind from the sword.

As the wind roared, it blew against all the other objects in the forest even more violently. In fact, it blew against the second bandit chief’s leather armor, and since it was inlaid with metal, it caused breathtaking sparks.

When the saber and sword crossed each other, their users’ murderous intention could be seen. Wind blew, and the leaves danced madly in the air!

Even though the force of Happy’s strikes had changed, he was still at a disadvantage. There were many times when he dared not clash head on with the second bandit chief, and this gave his opponent greater momentum. Things seemed to be progressing in a dangerous direction for Happy.

At this moment, Happy finally stopped preserving his strength. When he retreated, he managed to find time to draw a lancet knife and threw it, thus rectifying the situation in which he was bound to lose.

It was a short clash since the situation of the battle changed, but the of both sides were incredibly dangerous. If either person was the slightest bit careless, they would die.

The four people watching felt their hearts tremble violently!

It was only then that they realized that the two people who had been fighting for a long while had just revealed their true abilities.

In truth, the second bandit chief had been hiding his true strength all along, and it was the same for Happy!

“The eldest senior brother of the Murong Clan… what a man you are…”

Eastern Green Gate had watched the fight for a long time and shaken his head repeatedly in disbelief. In the end, he let out a long breath in regret.

Before he finished speaking, the second bandit chief’s calf was sliced by another lancet knife. With wounds left from every single time he clashed swords with Happy, he now looked like a bloody mess and appeared extremely terrifying.

“My resolve to kill you will never change! You brat, I will come and take revenge on you someday…” The second bandit chief’s movements became slower, and finally, the thought of retreating rose in him.

However, Happy did not intend to let this “old friend” who had been fighting against him for so long escape in one piece!

When he was forced back by a slash from the second bandit chief’s broadsword, he put his Noble Sword into his Universe Bag without hesitation. At the instant the second bandit chief turned around and jumped into the air, two lancet knives slipped into Happy’s hands at the same time…

Clang!

Thud!

The second bandit chief swung his sword to block the knives, but unfortunately for him, he only managed to block one of them… With a chilling glare, the other one sank into his chest without facing any obstructions!