Chapter 2: Soulcleaver Blade

Chapter 2: Soulcleaver Blade

Inside the Four Seas Inn, which had its doors shut, four menacing figures stood, each exuding a dangerous aura.

Three of them, each wielding a long saber, guarded the entrance, their appearances disheveled but their stances unyielding.

A short distance away, the one they called their leader was forcefully holding down a young girl, no more than thirteen or fourteen, her body still developing, as he tried to take advantage of her in broad daylight.

“Sir, it’s broad daylight. Can’t we wait until night? I’ll send my daughter to your room then.”

The innkeeper’s wife, still retaining her charm, had a presence that could draw the attention of every passing merchant. But at this moment, she failed to catch the leader’s eye.

Despite her desperate attempts to seduce him, she couldn’t prevent her daughter from being violated.

She was out of options. The few nearly unconscious servants had already proven the strength of these bandits, and her only hope was to stall and find a way to save her daughter.

As for what would happen next, she could only take it one step at a time.

The three bandits, seeing no further threats, held their sabers but didn’t dare to strike, their eyes hungrily scanning the innkeeper’s wife’s alluring figure.

The shortest and most lecherous of them, drooling, said, “Ha-ha, we are the Heavenly Gate Five Tigers. Why wait until night when we can have our fun in broad daylight?”

The young girl had caught the leader’s eye, so they didn’t dare to compete. But the innkeeper’s wife was fair game.

He glanced at his two brothers, and Earth-Diver Tiger, without hesitation, said, “This half-old beauty, let me go first, brothers. You can have your turn after I’m done.”

Mountain Seat Tiger and Sea-Gazing Tiger, not daring to argue, began to guard the area, responding in unison, “Do as you please, brother.”

Seeing this, the innkeeper’s wife cursed her husband, who had gone off to gamble, but she knew today’s fate was inescapable.

As the short man approached her, her daughter’s voice was already hoarse, her struggles growing weaker. She felt a deep despair.

Suddenly, a strong hand pressed her shoulder. Her heart leaped, thinking her husband had returned.

Turning her head, she saw the inn’s young chef, barely out of his teens, standing there.

The young man’s eyes were fixed on the four bandits, and he was unarmed, his fists clenched.

Seeing the determination in his eyes, the innkeeper’s wife panicked and scolded him, “What are you doing here? The gentlemen are waiting for their meal! Get back to the kitchen!”

But Li Chaofeng, having come this far, wasn’t about to turn back. He looked at the approaching short man, his fists tightening.

The young man’s hostility was clear, but Earth-Diver Tiger only sneered.

He had noticed the young man’s heavy steps as he entered the hall, recognizing him as a mere civilian.

Seeing the young man clench his fists, Earth-Diver Tiger laughed, pointing to his head and taunting, “Oh, you want to fight? Come on, hit me here. If I dodge, I’m not a man!”

“Alright!”

Li Chaofeng’s lips curled into a smile. Since the other man was asking for it, he didn’t need to hold back.

Ignoring the innkeeper’s wife’s protests, he formed his right hand into a fist, his index finger extended, and struck at the short man’s chest.

Earth-Diver Tiger, though arrogant, wasn’t stupid. Despite his True Qi protection, he knew a direct hit to the head would still hurt. His left hand shot out, meeting Li Chaofeng’s fist.

Earth-Diver Tiger: “You little brat, you dare to hit me!”

A scream echoed, and Mountain Seat Tiger and Sea-Gazing Tiger both readied their sabers. Their leader, Skyward Tiger, turned to see what was happening.

The innkeeper’s wife stared in disbelief, her hands covering her mouth.

The young man’s eyes were wide, his jaw clenched.

Earth-Diver Tiger, clutching his left wrist, found it severed at the wrist.

All eyes turned to the young man, who smiled, a weight lifted from his heart. He flicked his right index finger, and Earth-Diver Tiger felt a chill in his throat, blood gushing out as he collapsed.

“Brother Two!” ×2

“Second Brother!”

Three cries rang out, and Skyward Tiger grabbed his Golden Ring Greatblade, the metallic clanging giving him a sense of security.

With a fierce expression, he kicked the table in front of him, sending the disheveled girl toward the young man, then shouted, “A mere boy dares to strike! Attack!”

Mountain Seat Tiger and Sea-Gazing Tiger, seeing their leader in action, immediately rushed forward with their sabers.

The wind from their sabers brushed Li Chaofeng’s face, and he could sense their attack angles.

The Five Insect Blade Art not only enhanced his physical abilities but also his perception.

Stopping the flying table, Li Chaofeng sidestepped Mountain Seat Tiger’s overhead slash, then swung the table, separating it from the man.

He lunged at Sea-Gazing Tiger’s diagonal slash, while the table flew toward the wall behind the innkeeper’s wife.

Sea-Gazing Tiger’s blade aimed for his chest, but Li Chaofeng extended his palm, gripping the blade with his tiger mouth, the sound of metal grinding filling the air.

“Squeak!”

Using the Five Insect Blade Art to block the blade, Li Chaofeng grabbed the hilt with his right hand and slashed with his left, opening a long gash in Sea-Gazing Tiger’s chest.

Blood spurted from the wound, and Li Chaofeng dodged, standing with his hands at his sides, his gaze fixed on the remaining two bandits.

“Gulp~”

Mountain Seat Tiger, unable to understand what had just happened, hesitated to move, while Skyward Tiger was terrified.

What kind of martial art did this unarmed boy use? How could it be so bizarre?

Iron Sand Palm? Diamond Body?

No, this was something else. More terrifying than a blade that could appear anywhere on the body—fist, finger, palm, tiger mouth, elbow, even the forehead.

Li Chaofeng didn’t practice martial arts, but martial arts only made people stronger, more resilient, and more perceptive. They didn’t significantly enhance reaction speed.

At least, Li Chaofeng could match their speed.

As long as he wasn’t outmatched in speed, Li Chaofeng was truly formidable.

As the leader of the Heavenly Gate Five Tigers, Skyward Tiger, though frightened, maintained his composure.

He raised his Golden Ring Greatblade, stepped over Mountain Seat Tiger, and approached Li Chaofeng, his eyes fierce.

“Boy, where are you from?”

“No school, no sect.”

Skyward Tiger roared, “So, you have no school or sect!”

Gripping his Greatblade, Skyward Tiger swung a horizontal slash at Li Chaofeng’s chest. Li Chaofeng retreated, avoiding the blade but feeling the edge graze his chest.

Was it a blade aura?

Skyward Tiger’s blade aura left a slight tear in Li Chaofeng’s clothes, and through the tear, he saw a thin bloodline.

Almost invulnerable, but not quite.

If he couldn’t even block a blade aura, how could he be invulnerable?

Feeling more confident, Skyward Tiger swung his blade wildly in the narrow inn, the metallic clanging constant. Relying on his heightened perception, Li Chaofeng dodged left and right, avoiding the blade’s edge.

As they found openings and passed each other, the sound of leather being cut by the blade filled the air.

“Cough, cough, cough.”

Despite deflecting some of the force, Li Chaofeng’s back still bore a deep gash, but it only broke the skin, not causing blood to flow.

This was the second ability granted by the Five Insect Blade Art: Ironclad Skin.

Behind him, the arrogant Skyward Tiger, with his left hand extended, had a hole through his palm and forehead.

In his final moments, Skyward Tiger finally understood what weapon the boy had used.

“Soulcleaver Blade.”

As Skyward Tiger fell backward, Mountain Seat Tiger collapsed in fear, and a gust of wind at the back of his head knocked him unconscious.

“Dare to cause a ruckus in my inn? You don’t know who you’re dealing with!”

Wielding a club, the innkeeper’s wife, panting, looked at the bodies on the ground. She then turned to the dazed servant and shouted, “Get up and clean this mess! I must have been blind to raise a bunch of useless men!”

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end