The Shaolin Abbot Born in the 1980s

Chapter 35: Collateral Damage

As the bandits drew nearer, the guards raised their swords and spears, staring in terror at the masked, black-clad bandits surrounding them. Instinct drove them to fear, and fear led them to seek support. Before long, the soldiers had huddled together in a tight cluster, which, ironically, made it all the easier for the bandits to complete their encirclement. Huo Yuanzhen shook his head from a distance. With military discipline like this, how could the nation ever become strong? In contrast, the bandits moved in unison, advancing and retreating in an orderly fashion—something ordinary mountain bandits and outlaws would be incapable of. Just then, the curtain of the carriage parted, and a woman in her early twenties stepped out. She was dressed in aqua-blue court robes, her ornaments jingling noisily; she was rather fussy, and her appearance could only be described as ordinary. After stepping out of the carriage, she stood on its platform and shouted angrily at the bandits surrounding her, “You blind fools! How dare you block this princess’s carriage! If my father or my husband finds out about this, they will surely have you ground to dust and scattered to the winds!” The bandit leader sneered, “Your Highness, given the times we’re in, why are you still trying to flex your authority? Let me tell you—you’ll never have the chance to see your father or your husband again.” Hearing the bandit leader’s chilling laughter, the Crown Princess couldn’t help but shudder. “You… you know I’m a princess?” She had originally assumed she’d encountered some clueless bandits intent on taking her life—that they’d mistaken her for an imposter—and believed that once she revealed her true identity, these thugs would be scared out of their wits and obediently kneel before her, begging for mercy. But now it seemed they had known who she was all along. If that were the case, then this wasn’t an accident—it was a premeditated ambush. Although she wasn’t exactly stupid, it was too late to realize this now. Her voice trembling, she said, “You… you know I’m the princess, yet you still dared to come kill me. Who sent you?” “That’s a question the King of Hell will answer for you once you get there!” The bandit leader didn’t want to waste any more time with this Crown Princess. With a wave of his hand, the bandits—who had long since formed a circle around her—suddenly charged forward, their steel blades flashing coldly as they cut down her guards. Facing life-or-death peril, the soldiers rallied to fight back. The moment the two sides clashed, blood spattered everywhere. The bandits outnumbered their opponents and fought with well-coordinated tactics; in the first exchange alone, they killed more than a dozen soldiers while suffering only three casualties themselves. The remaining dozen or so soldiers huddled tightly together, preparing for a final stand. The bandit leader stood at the rear, directing his men as they prepared to launch a second wave of attack. The Grand Princess had been so terrified by the gruesome scene of battle that she slumped back into her carriage, her face pale and unable to speak. Just then, the coachman driving her carriage stood up and whispered a few words in her ear. The Grand Princess nodded repeatedly; her complexion improved slightly, and she turned and retreated back into the carriage. The coachman reached for his waist and drew a flexible sword. When the bandits charged a second time, the coachman leaped down from the carriage. With a swing of his sword, a flash of steel appeared out of nowhere; in an instant, the sword found its mark, and three bandits fell where they stood, slain. As he landed, the coachman swung his sword again with a backhand strike, cutting down two more bandits from their horses. “Sword energy! That’s sword energy!” Huo Yuanzhen watched from a distance, his eyes sparkling. To be able to wield sword energy of this caliber, this coachman must be a master at the late Post-Heaven stage. As expected of the Emperor’s daughter—she really does have a master by her side. Now, it won’t be so easy for those bandits to complete their mission. After slaying five men in a row, the coachman needed to catch his breath. To instill fear, he had unleashed his first two strikes with full force, and his internal energy wasn’t sufficient to sustain such continuous exertion. “Crack! The bandit leader, who had been watching from a distance, clapped his hands and rode slowly toward them. “Well, well—Yue Ying, the ‘Shadowless Sword,’ one of the Seven Sons of Tianshan, and quite a name in the martial arts world. How did you end up working as a coachman?” Yue Ying looked up coldly at the masked bandit leader. “You recognize me. Who are you?” “Who I am doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’ve reached a dead end, Yue Ying. Though your skills are decent, you’re still only at the late stage of the Posthuman Realm. But compared to me, you’re still a hair’s breadth behind. I advise you to surrender peacefully. While I’m determined to kill this Crown Princess, I wouldn’t mind taking you on as a subordinate.” Hearing the bandit leader’s words, Huo Yuanzhen understood immediately. The bandit leader was wary of Yue Ying’s strength and was trying to keep him in check this way. Once the situation here was resolved, he would certainly find an opportunity to eliminate Yue Ying—because Huo Yuanzhen had overheard the bandit leader’s earlier remark: not a single one of the Grand Princess’s entourage was to be spared. Moreover, if word got out that a princess had been killed, the consequences would be too severe for anyone to bear—which is why Yue Ying had to die as well. Upon hearing the bandit leader’s words, Yue Ying let out a cold laugh: “Ever since I entered the martial world, I, Yue Ying, have never surrendered without a fight. No need for further talk—come at me!” “Yue Ying, I advise you to think this through. These soldiers are no match for you—even if you’re made of iron, how many nails can you drive in all by yourself…? Ah! You’ve got some nerve!” It turned out that while the leader was speaking, Yue Ying had already regained his inner energy. He raised his hand and struck twice with his sword, slaying the three bandits on the spot. The bandit leader let out a loud roar, leaping from his horse. As if by magic, two knives appeared in his hands—one long, one short. He held the long blade in his right hand—his primary offensive weapon—and the short blade in his left hand, held in reverse—his primary defensive weapon. However, a blade wielded in the left hand, especially one held in reverse, is the most difficult to guard against. Therefore, this combination of a long and a short blade—also known as the “reverse-grip blades”—constitutes a rather unusual style of swordplay. When masters clash, sword energy attacks are largely ineffective, because in a duel between experts, life and death hang on the slightest of margins, and sword energy requires a brief moment to build up—this is its greatest drawback. What’s more, the opponent’s backhand blade was extremely difficult to defend against, and when Yue Ying saw the bandit leader draw this weapon, his expression turned grave. The bandits and soldiers still locked in a standoff nearby instinctively cleared a space for the two “bosses”—when the big shots are fighting, it’s best for the little guys to stay out of the way. Huo Yuanzhen was in the woods. It was dark inside, so no one outside could see in, but he could see out from inside. He simply climbed onto the White Horse’s back, craning his neck to catch a good show. But once the two began fighting, Huo Yuanzhen realized his assumption was wrong. It was nighttime, and from such a distance—with both fighters moving so swiftly—Huo Yuanzhen couldn’t make out their individual moves. He could only see sparks flying as their blades clashed, creating a clanging din; it all looked quite intense. Although he couldn’t make out the specifics, he could still get a sense of who had the upper hand. The bandit leader’s reverse-grip blade was indeed slightly more formidable than Yue Ying’s flexible sword—it was impossible to guard against. The long sword was ideal for slashing, delivering fierce attacks, while the short dagger was unpredictable and concealed deadly intent; Yue Ying’s flexible sword simply couldn’t gain the upper hand. The bandit leader remarked that Yue Ying had only recently entered the late stage of the “Post-Heaven” realm, and he estimated Yue Ying hadn’t been there for very long. Although the bandit leader held the advantage in weaponry, he couldn’t defeat Yue Ying in the short term. Although Yue Ying was at a disadvantage, his defense remained solid. He pressed his lips together, saying nothing, and while parrying, he occasionally launched sharp counterattacks. Unable to defeat him quickly, the bandit leader grew impatient—and impatience often leads to mistakes. Although his martial arts skills surpassed Yue Ying’s, his composure was lacking, and he eventually made the mistake of rushing in greedily for victory. He swung his long sword down, but Yue Ying dodged it. He then slashed at Yue Ying’s neck with his short sword; so eager was he to defeat his opponent that he applied too much force, and after being dodged again, he didn’t have time to pull it back. Meanwhile, Yue Ying crouched to evade the short sword and executed the “Immortal Pointing the Way” technique, thrusting his sword into the bandit leader’s chest. There was a “clang” as metal struck metal; the bandit leader’s black robe was slashed open by the flexible sword, revealing a pectoral guard beneath adorned with a Yin-Yang fish motif. “A Yin-Yang Fish breastplate—you’re a…” The bandit leader chuckled darkly: “You know far too much. Die!” Yue Ying’s strike failed to wound his opponent; instead, the bandit seized the opportunity and swung his long sword down with all his might. Yue Ying tried to dodge in a panic but couldn’t evade it in time; he was struck in the shoulder, blood gushing from the wound. Seeing that their leader was about to win, the bandits swarmed forward and hacked the remaining soldiers to death with a flurry of blows. Realizing the battle was lost, Yue Ying, ignoring his injuries, leaped onto the carriage, severed the ropes binding the horse with a single sword stroke, and kicked the horse hard in the hindquarters. Startled, the horse bolted forward. Yue Ying grabbed the panicked Crown Princess and, following the horse, managed to break through the crowd. The entire sequence took mere seconds; the bandits didn’t have time to stop him. They watched in disbelief as Yue Ying, holding the Crown Princess with one hand, charged out—heading straight for the forest along the roadside. Once they entered the forest, the pursuit would become much more difficult. The bandit leader whistled, and his men gave chase in a fan-shaped formation. Although Yue Ying had broken through the encirclement, he had only managed to get a dozen or so meters away—and he was carrying someone. In the bandit leader’s eyes, there was no way he could escape. Huo Yuanzhen stared in bewilderment. How had the fight suddenly turned into them running toward him? As he watched them charge toward him, he realized that while he could certainly escape on horseback, he would inevitably be spotted. Revealing their secret would be a hassle, and Huo Yuanzhen didn’t want to leave that potential problem behind. In his panic, he glanced around. He was standing in a clearing in the woods, with a slab of green stone right beside him. He looked at the blue stone, then at the White Horse beside him. An idea struck him. He patted the horse’s large head and whispered, “Horse, horse, it seems I’ll need you to help This Humble Monk put on a little show.”