Chief, don't hit me in the face

Chapter 18: Battle Genius

“Wearing an eye patch and looking like he’s just recovered from a serious illness—this must be Xia Lingyue’s good-for-nothing younger brother, right?” Although he’d asked Xia Ye his name and received no answer, Xia Ming already had a pretty good idea. Xia Lingyue not only possessed a beautiful face but was also the daughter of Xia Wu’an, the tribe’s greatest hero. Unfortunately, she was a complete waste of space who hadn’t inherited the power of her bloodline. These factors combined made her somewhat famous among her peers, and many young men had come to see her. Men are naturally drawn to beauty—what man doesn’t love a pretty woman? While inquiring about Xia Lingyue, he naturally learned about Xia Ye as well. Considered an adopted son by the clan chief, yet offered as a sacrifice to the Prince of Zhao; having survived the blood ritual by sheer luck—who hasn’t gossiped about such a hapless soul over tea and meals? Thus, the reputation of the Xia family’s “double cripple” gradually spread. “Do you know me?” Xia Ye asked. “Who knows what kind of ghost you are?” Xia Ming sneered. To be honest, at first he really hadn’t expected it to be Xia Ye—a good-for-nothing who’d been bedridden for years. How dare he venture into the forest alone? Was he trying to get himself killed? Could it be because of this crossbow? Engraved on the bow’s limb was a large black character “Jia”—the emblem of Xia Jia, one of the tribe’s three great blacksmiths, known to everyone. “Want it?” Xia Ye casually raised the crossbow; he had wrapped his other weapons in burlap so the other man couldn’t see them—otherwise, he’d be even more covetous. “This kid’s in for trouble!” Xia Chong sized up Xia Ye. Why wasn’t he running away by now? Instead, he was actually taunting Xia Ming—was he out of his mind? Still, he certainly looked the part. He wore a tight-fitting leather outfit and long boots, the laces tied into neat, symmetrical bows—he must have OCD. On his belt, aside from a small leather pouch, a yellow raw-hide knife sheath hung on the left, while the right held a quiver and a short-handled battle axe with an oddly shaped blade. Slung diagonally across his back beneath his animal-skin backpack was another weapon, wrapped in burlap—it was impossible to tell whether it was a knife or a sword. Although Xia Ye was slender—not the muscular type—this leather armor gave him a dashing, graceful air. “Heh, I won’t pick on you. Want to make a bet?” Xia Ming looked at Xia Ye’s gloves and thought to himself, This guy really knows how to dress. I’ve got to get myself a set as soon as I get back—with my burly build, it’ll definitely make the women scream. “Sure. What’s your bet?” Xia Ye hung his crossbow and quiver on a nearby tree branch. Xia Chong wanted to try to talk Xia Ye out of it, but when he thought of Xia Ming’s hot temper, he wisely kept his mouth shut—he didn’t want to get an earful. “What do you think of this dagger of mine?” Xia Ming waved the stone knife in his hand. “It’s made from carefully selected, top-quality stone. You won’t even get to touch it for less than ten knife coins!” “I let you take a look at my crossbow—don’t you owe me a hundred knife coins?” Xia Ye licked his lips: “Or are you blind?” Ha! Xia Chong couldn’t help but chuckle—this kid had a sharp tongue. “You’re the one who’s blind—your whole family is blind!” Xia Ming knew his greed had been seen through, and he couldn’t help but get a little flustered, worried the other guy would refuse: “I’ll throw in two more knife coins. You up for the bet?” “Tsk, tsk. What a cheapskate!” Xia Ye sneered, “Just look at this young master’s gear—every single piece is a bronze artifact. I don’t need your two Knife Coins!” “You…” Xia Ming was so furious he felt like his lungs were about to explode. “Throw in a right arm, and I’ll take the bet!” All of Xia Ye’s words were a tactic designed to make Xia Ming lose his cool. “Fine!” Xia Ming agreed without hesitation; as far as he was concerned, he wasn’t just taking on a good-for-nothing—even if a renowned genius like Xia Qi showed up, he wouldn’t flinch. “Let’s get this fight started!” As Xia Ye spoke, he tugged the shoulder strap with one hand; as he darted forward, his leather backpack fell to the ground. “You’re asking for it!” Xia Ming grinned savagely as he charged forward to meet him. His long boots trampled the pile of rotting leaves on the ground, leaving a trail of footprints behind. Xia Ye gripped the hilt of his sword and, as his opponent closed in, drew it with all his might. Whoosh! A flash of bronze-colored blade light gleamed as it struck Xia Ming’s stone knife. Clang! The massive recoil not only halted Xia Ming’s follow-up attack but also caused a look of astonishment to flicker across his face. “How is that possible?” Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the forest canopy, falling upon the Nepalese scimitar and reflecting a dazzling glow. “A bronze weapon?” Xia Chong also let out a gasp of surprise. A weapon forged entirely of bronze was extremely valuable—he never expected this half-blind good-for-nothing to actually own one! “Haha, I never thought I’d misjudge someone like this. You dare bet it’s because you’re wielding a good weapon, don’t you?” Xia Ming sneered. “Today I’ll show you that even if a good-for-nothing wields a divine artifact, he’s still a good-for-nothing!” With a deep breath and a roar, tiny spots of light, each about the size of a fingernail, began to glow all over Xia Ming’s body—a phenomenon that occurs when Yuan Qi circulates. He unleashed a flurry of furious slashes with his stone blade. Xia Ye met the attack head-on without a hint of fear. Clang! As the stone blade and the curved blade collided, a cloud of stone dust erupted into the air. “No way?” Xia Chong looked completely dumbfounded. In his eyes, a good-for-nothing like Xia Ye should have been taken out in a single exchange—he never expected the fight to be so intense. Is this even fair? Did Xia Ming get food poisoning yesterday? “Is that all you’ve got?” Xia Ye sneered. Although they were in the heat of battle—where a single misstep could result in a cut—he felt not a shred of fear. Instead, a surge of excitement blossomed in his mind, making every cell in his body seem to shout with exhilaration. He loved the thrill of battle! Facing Xia Ming—aside from being called a “bastard”—was more about Xia Ye wanting to test his own combat prowess. Before this, aside from a dozen or so street fights, he had no real combat experience. Whether it was venturing into the Fengjing Ruins or participating in the Blood Survival Trial, there were always numerous competitors, and bloody clashes were inevitable. If he didn’t seize this opportunity to see some blood and build up his confidence and experience now, when would he? The stone blade whizzed past his face, the rush of wind stinging his eyes, and the terror of nearly having his nose sliced off—these scenes were being deeply etched into Xia Ye’s body. “Damn it, is he this ruthless?” Xia Chong was stunned. Although Xia Ye’s combat skills were extraordinary, it was obvious he lacked experience. Yet this guy was launching fierce attack after fierce attack, not backing down a single step. That sheer ferocity was truly terrifying! As the battle progressed, his movements quickly shifted from clumsy to fluid, showing remarkable improvement—he was clearly a natural-born fighting genius! “Bastard!” Xia Ming cursed furiously. As he exchanged blows with Xia Ye, he could sense these subtle changes even more keenly. At first, he’d been able to land hits on this guy, but gradually he couldn’t anymore. By now, almost every one of his strikes was either blocked or dodged. The longer they fought, the more impatient Xia Ming became, and his movements inevitably grew more erratic. “You’re weaker than me, your reflexes are slower than mine, and you’ve got less guts than I do—how do you expect to win?” Xia Ye appeared to be roaring in anger, but not a ripple stirred in his heart—this was merely a verbal tactic designed to rattle his opponent. “Damn it, let’s see how you dodge this one!” Xia Ming roared, channeling his Yuan Qi and infusing it into his stone blade. Boom! A five-meter-long blade of Yuan Qi erupted from the stone knife. As Xia Ming spun around, he swung it furiously at Xia Ye. Wind-Splitting Slash! Boom! The air swirled violently; even before the blade reached its target, the powerful wind pressure had already scattered the withered leaves on the ground. Xia Ye didn’t close his eyes. As the first-level technique of the “Dragon-Riding Return” incantation flashed through his mind, he pushed off with both feet and darted forward. Beastly Ambush! Thud! The Yuan Qi Blade struck the ground, sending mud and rotting leaves—reeking of blood—flying in all directions, while Xia Ye simultaneously swept past Xia Ming. A bronze-colored blade of light flashed by like the horizon. Ssssh! An arm was flung into the air, and a torrent of blood spurted from the severed shoulder, staining the ground crimson. “Ah!” Xia Ming screamed in agony, stumbling backward. When he looked back at Xia Ye, his face was etched with disbelief: “No way. How could I lose? How dare a worthless loser like you beat me?” Xia Chong opened his mouth but couldn’t utter a single word—this outcome was quite unexpected! Phew! Xia Ye took a few deep breaths, staring at the several tears in his leather armor. His body was still trembling slightly—not from fear, but from an indescribable thrill. After taking a moment to savor the moment, he clenched his left fist and slammed it down hard. “I won!” Xia Ye’s roar echoed through the forest, scattering countless birds. Xia Chong felt a twinge of envy. Fighting—and winning—who wouldn’t want that? “If it weren’t for that bronze knife, you would’ve lost long ago!” Xia Ming argued back, his face pale from blood loss. “Hmph, how come I can’t even beat a good-for-nothing? This is so frustrating!” Xia Ye put on an angry expression, flicked his wrist to shake the blood off his curved blade, and sheathed it. “You… Pfft!” Faced with such mockery, Xia Ming spat out a mouthful of blood. Xia Chong was at a loss for words—that half-blind guy really had a nasty tongue. Even if Xia Ming hadn’t been killed, he’d be half-dead from anger. “That stone knife is crap. I don’t want those two knife coins I bet either—you can keep them for your retirement!” Xia Ye slung his animal-skin travel bag over his shoulder, retrieved his crossbow, and shot Xia Chong a glance: “What about you? Are you going to avenge him, or…” Before Xia Ye could finish his sentence, Xia Chong raised both hands, signaling he meant no harm. “Don’t leave! Fight me one more time—I won’t accept this!” Xia Ming screamed—he couldn’t accept losing to a good-for-nothing. Too lazy to pay attention to the whining of a loser, Xia Ye reflected on the battle just now. If it hadn’t been for the leather armor, he would’ve sustained some minor injuries—which meant he hadn’t performed well enough. “He’s heading to the Fengjing Ruins, isn’t he?” After bandaging Xia Ming’s wounds, Xia Chong set off in pursuit, following the direction Xia Ye had taken. The farther north he went, the more desolate the area became. As the quadrennial wave of wild beasts receded, the creatures dwelling in the Ancient Forest began to emerge. As Xia Ye walked across a slope, a pack of earth ghosts suddenly burst out of their hiding holes and launched a frenzied, drool-drenched ambush against him. Awoo! The Earth Ghosts screamed, hurling stones the size of goose eggs and brandishing wooden clubs and stone clubs.