Top-Tier Perception Starts From Basic Fist Techniques-Chapter 32: When the Road Turns Uneven, Someone Will Clear It!
Inside the inn, the atmosphere between Shen Lun and Long Fei grew incredibly tense, razor-sharp as the two swords drawn against one another.
Shen Lun's sudden laughter shattered the silence, his tone eerily calm. "Long Fei, death is already at your door, yet you still put on such a defiant front."
His smile widened as he added, "I wonder, will this bravado of yours persist when you see your wife and daughter in a few days?"
Whoosh!
A gust swept through the room. Shen Lun struck without hesitation. A lethal flash of light burst forth, engulfing Long Fei entirely.
Long Fei steadied himself with all the strength he could muster. He clenched his sword with his left hand, unleashing dazzling arcs of saber-light, each streak carrying a surge of fiendish qi. The saber's brilliance collided with Shen Lun's sword-light, and a surge of blood qi rumbled within the tempest of blades. The deafening clash shook the inn to its foundations.
In the next instant, the two figures split apart.
BOOM!
A thunderous crash followed as Long Fei's saber slammed to the ground. He was flung backward, and he clutched his chest in agony.
"Ghah!"
Blood burst from his lips, leaving his countenance even paler than before.
As for Shen Lun, he stood unscathed. His lips curved into a faint smile as his cold gaze settled on Long Fei.
"I never thought I'd see the mighty Slayer's Saber in such a pitiful state! Tell me, when you put my sister to death seven years ago, did you imagine you would fall like this?
"Hahaha! Don't worry, I won't let you die so easily. I will make you taste every agony this world has to offer."
With a flick of his hand, he commanded, "Go. Break his limbs first, then cripple his cultivation."
The handmaids behind him answered at once. Swords gleamed in their hands as they stepped forward, their killing intent sharp enough to chill the air.
The onlookers inside the inn shuddered in silence. Not a single person dared to step forward, for the martial artists who had tried to intervene earlier now lay in pools of their own blood.
Long Fei struggled to rise, but to no avail. He collapsed, as though his strength had utterly left him. His gaze fell upon the advancing handmaids, and, realizing there was no escaping this, he slowly closed his eyes. He understood that this was the way of the jianghu. Perhaps his fate had been sealed from the moment he first stepped into the martial world. Perhaps he had always been meant to die like this.
Memories rose in his mind, yet no trace of regret stirred within him. After all, he had already died once, when he had carved a bloody path through the mountains of corpses left by the northern barbarians. Facing death once more was nothing to him.
It was only the thought of his daughter that weighed on his heart—the sole regret that lingered in these final moments. They said that disaster should never touch a man's wife or his children, but in the jianghu, such words were nothing more than hollow consolation.
Whoosh!
The handmaids lunged forward, their sharp swords poised to sever Long Fei's limbs.
But then, a shadow flickered.
Shhk!
The faint sound echoed in the tense silence. All three handmaids stiffened, their movements cut short. A thin crimson line split across each of their throats, and blood suddenly sprayed out.
Thud!
The three handmaids collapsed to the ground, their bodies twitching violently until the final traces of life faded away.
"Hmm...?" Shen Lun's expression twisted with shock. He turned and looked at the unfamiliar figure standing before Long Fei.
Long Fei opened his eyes, and puzzlement flickered across his face. The man who stood before him was a stranger, someone he had never seen before. But this stranger had just saved him.
Shen Lun growled, "Hey, you! Have you thought this through? If you save Long Fei, you are making yourself my enemy!"
He tightened his grip on his longsword, his flow of qi surging more and more.
Lu Changsheng's eyes narrowed, and his tone took a razor-sharp edge. "If I kill you as well, there won't be any enemies, will there?"
No sooner had he said that than his figure flickered. In the blink of an eye, he had vanished without a trace.
Shen Lun instantly realized that his opponent wasn't ordinary, and he reacted at once, desperately thrusting his longsword forward.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Brilliant arcs of sword-light clashed relentlessly in midair.
Lu Changsheng fought with a short sword, while Shen Lun brandished a longsword. Shen Lun's swordsmanship had always been renowned for its speed, and now he was unleashing it to its fullest.
The two swords met head-on, crossing dozens of times within the span of a single breath. They clashed dozens of times, but the entire flurry lasted only a moment.
That single breath left Shen Lun trembling. He staggered back two steps and raised a hand to his neck. He could feel a faint cut there, so fine it was scarcely visible. Blood seeped slowly from the wound, then began to flow more heavily until it burst forth in a crimson spray.
"Wh-What incredible speed!" Shen Lun gasped.
Those words had barely left his lips when he toppled backward.
Thud!
Shen Lun's eyes were still wide open, yet all traces of life had already left him.
Just like that, the White-Clad Scholar was dead!
Everyone in the inn was stupefied. None of them could quite believe what they had witnessed. How long had the clash of those two men lasted? They had crossed swords for just an instant, and Shen Lun had fallen. After all, the White-Clad Scholar was no nameless figure in the jianghu.
"Shen Lun is dead? Killed in an instant by this unknown martial artist?" someone exclaimed.
"Incredible! Shen Lun, the White-Clad Scholar, was famed for his lightning-fast swordsmanship. Yet he fell to someone even faster!"
"Who is that man? I don't recognize him. Could it be that he's never even roamed the jianghu before?" another voice muttered.
Shock rippled through the inn as people struggled to accept what they had just witnessed. Lu Changsheng had been impossibly fast, and he had displayed overwhelming strength.
While the crowd reeled, Lu Changsheng calmly sheathed his short sword and walked straight to Shen Lun's corpse. He crouched and began searching the body with practiced care. The sight made many freeze in surprise. He did not spare the handmaids' corpses, rifling through them as well.
However, the search yielded little, only a few silver notes. After finishing, Lu Changsheng rose and strode toward Long Fei.
Long Fei's lips twitched at the sight, for the act of searching corpses left him more than a little embarrassed. However, such was the way of the jianghu. Despite his reputation as a great hero who despised evil with fervor, he was not a rigid, pedantic man. With effort, he pushed himself upright and bowed deeply to Lu Changsheng
"Thank you for saving me. Sir, may I ask if you know me?"
Long Fei knew he was well-known throughout the martial world, so his question was only natural. However, Lu Changsheng merely shook his head. "I have only made the acquaintance of Great Hero Long today. When injustice arises, someone has to act. Shen Lun simply went too far."
In truth, Lu Changsheng had not intended to intervene, as he generally preferred to avoid disputes of the jianghu. Perhaps he wouldn't have acted if Shen Lun had only sought to kill Long Fei. However, the idea of an innocent wife and child being dragged into this had forced Lu Changsheng to act.
Of course, Lu Changsheng didn't see himself as the kind of great hero who roamed the land upholding justice. He wasn't a naive fool with a heart too kind for his own good. However, he held genuine respect for men like Long Fei, while those like Shen Lun repulsed him.
Long Fei nodded in agreement. He knew that Shen Lun had been ready to achieve his vengeance by any means.
"Regardless, I will never forget your life-saving grace. Should the chance arise, I will surely repay it!" Long Fei declared.
With those words, he turned and staggered to leave the inn. Lu Changsheng stepped forward and supported him.
"You are gravely wounded. It is unwise for you to move right now. Where do you wish to go? I will escort you."
Long Fei hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he nodded. "I have a safe place in Mount Wu City. If you would go through the trouble to take me there..."
Lu Changsheng led his horse to the front, relinquished the room, and supported Long Fei as they departed from the inn. Before long, they reached a secluded courtyard.
"This is the place," Long Fei said with a faint smile. "I have many enemies, but none know that I am hiding here."
Lu Changsheng pushed open the gate and helped Long Fei inside.
Whoosh...
Suddenly, Lu Changsheng faintly sensed a fierce gust behind him. Almost without thinking, he drew his short sword in a flash.
Sling!
He barely turned as he swung his sword, as though he had eyes in the back of his head.
The woman stood frozen in place, utterly stunned, like a statue. Her pale neck lay only a breath away from the razor-sharp blade, as though the next heartbeat might see it split open.
"Don't hurt her!" Long Fei shouted with wide eyes, his voice so strained with urgency that it came out hoarse.
