Free Web NovelChapter 23: Chapter 23: A Line of Qi, Startling Gods and Ghosts
As one of the four Hall Masters of the Qinghe Gang, Hu Man’s martial prowess was concentrated in the nine-section whip he held.
It was an uncommon weapon; used poorly, it could not only fail to harm the enemy but also injure the user.
This was because the nine-section whip, composed of nine steel segments, moved with an unpredictable trajectory once swung.
Its attacks often came from unbelievable angles. Without proper mastery, it was impossible to defend against—not just for the enemy, but for the wielder as well.
It was by relying on this nine-section whip and a technique set called the "Eight Strikes of the Flood Serpent" that Hu Man had built his illustrious reputation as the Hall Master of Weihu Hall.
As he unleashed it now, it was both swift and vicious.
In the blink of an eye, it was already at Jiang Ran’s chest.
Seeing this, Tang Yuanwai’s eyes widened, a faint redness welling within them.
But just then, a flash of a blade suddenly tore through the night.
In that instant, every onlooker was captivated by the light of the blade and squinted instinctively.
When they opened their eyes again, Jiang Ran had already passed by Hu Man.
In Hu Man’s hand, the once-vicious and swift nine-section whip now hung like a dead snake, dangling toward the ground.
He slowly turned, managing only to utter a single word, "You..."
Blood spurted from his chest, and he fell backward.
Jiang Ran did not sheathe his blade, nor did he look at Hu Man. freēwēbnovel.com
He simply flicked the blade clean and casually untied the wine gourd from his waist.
After opening it and taking a drink, he brought the blade before him.
This was no masterpiece from a famous smith, just a blade he’d bought from a blacksmith’s shop for two taels of silver.
On his journey here, it had first accompanied him in taking down Iron Swallow Zhou Chang.
After that, it had cut down Evil Arhat Dao Zhen.
Now, its edge was far from its former sharpness. The battle against Dao Zhen in particular, where the blade had clashed with the Crescent Shovel several times, had damaged it severely.
If not for the protection of Jiang Ran’s Inner Strength, it likely would have shattered long ago.
Jiang Ran sighed. Holding the blade horizontally before him, he tilted his wine gourd slightly, letting the wine gradually wet the edge.
Then, he raised the blade and declared:
"Men of the Qinghe Gang, listen up! I came here today for one reason: to rescue someone.
"Fan Jiwu abducted a young woman. The Qinghe Gang should not aid a tyrant in his evil deeds.
"Those who don’t wish to die need only clear a path.
"Otherwise... if you lose your life, don’t say I didn’t warn you!"
The Qinghe Gang disciples exchanged glances. Seeing Hu Man cut down by a single strike from Jiang Ran, how could they not know this was an expert?
However, if you were in a gang and ran at the first sight of an expert...
...how could the Qinghe Gang have grown to its current state?
Immediately, they all let out a roar:
"Kill him!!!"
"Avenge Hall Master Hu!"
"Trespassers of the Qinghe Gang... die!!"
Jiang Ran let out a soft breath and, in the next moment, plunged into the crowd.
’The words have been spoken. There’s nothing more to hesitate about.’
Flashes of his blade crisscrossed the air. Jiang Ran moved like a blur, a series of afterimages, like a tiger pouncing on a flock of sheep. With casual swings, he painted the scene with sprays of blood.
Wherever he passed, no one could withstand a single blow. Wherever his blade pointed, he was invincible!
Standing before the Qinghe Gang’s entrance, Tang Yuanwai was completely dumbfounded.
He exchanged a look with Sun Fu, his eyes filled with utter astonishment.
Jiang Ran pushed forward. The Qinghe Gang disciples were numerous, swarming him from all directions and wielding a variety of weapons.
But this fight was different from his battle with Dao Zhen.
Dao Zhen’s martial skill was, of course, far beyond what these Qinghe Gang disciples could compare to.
But that had been a one-on-one duel. Now, he was surrounded, and he had to be mindful of weapons coming at him from all sides.
Being in their midst was like being battered by winds from eight directions.
Yet, in the middle of it all, Jiang Ran’s mind was as calm as ice, without the slightest ripple of disturbance.
He swept his blade horizontally. A Qinghe Gang disciple was leaping toward him, his own saber chopping down at Jiang Ran, when he suddenly felt a cold sensation in his palm.
He looked down to see that the lower half of his hand had vanished. His saber and several of his fingers had fallen to the ground.
He screamed incessantly.
Immediately after, Jiang Ran twisted his blade and brought it down with a CRACK, slicing through a spear that was thrusting at him from the side.
The Qinghe Gang disciple holding the spear was still in a daze when Jiang Ran flicked his blade.
With a HUMMM, the flat of the blade struck the man’s chest like a heavy hammer.
The man was sent flying, his body crashing into the crowd and knocking over a large group of his comrades.
The sound of mournful cries and wretched screams was endless.
Witnessing this, the courage of the Qinghe Gang disciples suddenly began to deflate.
It wasn’t that the Qinghe Gang disciples had never seen such a ferocious fighter before.
But usually, there would be a Gang Leader or a Hall Master to stand in their way.
But now, the Gang Leader was truly not present. Of the four Hall Masters, only Hu Man had been left to guard the place, and he had been taken down in a single move.
’What are we supposed to do now?’
With fear taking root in their hearts, some stopped in their tracks, while others wished they could turn and flee.
But just then, a voice shouted from within the crowd:
"He’s only one man! No matter how strong he is, can he really kill all of us? He must be running on fumes by now!
"If we kill him, it’ll be a great service to the gang! A meteoric rise through the ranks will be just around the corner!!"
Jiang Ran glanced up at him, and the man immediately ducked his head back into the crowd.
Hearing this, the surrounding Qinghe Gang disciples thought it made sense.
’He’s so young. Even if he started training in his mother’s womb, his Inner Strength must be running low by now, right?’
At this thought, those who had been on the verge of retreating found a new surge of courage.
They gritted their teeth and pressed forward, wanting to cut down this "exhausted" Jiang Ran and perform a great service for the Qinghe Gang and the Young Master.
But Jiang Ran just smiled. His battle with Dao Zhen had already brought his understanding of the Nine Slashes to a level that was worlds apart from before.
Experiencing this chaotic melee today, he felt his swordsmanship improve with every swing of his blade.
He couldn’t help but marvel inwardly.
’In the past, I only thought the "Nine Slashes" technique was exquisite, but I never had a concrete grasp of just how exquisite it was.’
’The old drunkard said he created this technique himself by merging the strengths of a hundred schools.’
Jiang Ran knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he was lying.
’How could an old drunkard who specializes in swindling, cheating, debauchery, and gambling have such an ability?’
’He probably swindled it from someone else.’
’But this technique... the more I use it, the more profound it feels. It seems to be nine slashes, but how could it be limited to just nine?’
Now, seeing that the Qinghe Gang disciples were fighting to the death without retreating, he let out a soft breath.
He circulated his Inner Strength, and the blade began to hum. He stepped forward, facing the shouts of the Qinghe Gang disciples, slowly raised his blade, and suddenly slashed!
The slash started from his centerline, and a sliver of blade qi instantly cut through the air.
The qi condensed into a single line. The blade moved without a sound, streaking across the distance... a strike to startle ghosts and gods!
A series of SSSHHH sounds rang out.
It was the sound of the blade qi tearing through flesh and blood.
All the Qinghe Gang disciples in the path of this line were pierced by the blade qi. Some were bisected, while others lost half their torsos, an arm, or part of their head.
A clear line was instantly carved through the entire encirclement.
Yet, the blade qi did not dissipate. It continued to press forward, cutting through everything in its path. It was as if this single strike was meant to slice the entire Qinghe Gang in two!
