130. A Life-or-Death Moment

Qu Bupping could not help muttering under his breath, "That damned woman speaks far better than she sings." Then he shouted, "Young Master Chu, draw your longsword! The time for fighting for our lives has come... Ah! Let us hope we still live to see tomorrow's sun."

The fierce battle began. Qu Bupping and Chu Xiaoyu engaged their opponent with longswords against an iron fan, thrusting and parrying back and forth.

Confident in his ability to defeat the two of them and eager to show off his martial prowess in front of the beauty, he did not call upon the River Four Wolves to join in. Defeating Qu and Chu alone would better display his true mettle as a strongman.

Back outside the city walls of Xianyang, the two of them had initially managed to fight him to a draw, but later nearly perished at his hands. Therefore, it was already extremely difficult for them to withstand his onslaught now.

Yet Qu and Chu were naturally clever. Having survived that fierce clash days ago, they had grown somewhat accustomed to his moves and were no longer as flustered as they had been upon their first encounter, though they still remained at a disadvantage. Seeing that victory was well within grasp, the River Four Wolves did not intervene and simply watched with keen interest.

Thus, the three of them tumbled into a chaotic melee right in the middle of the street. Qu and Chu secretly cursed their ill fortune: "Damn it, this fight is utterly preposterous. We were originally heading to take part in a martial arts tournament for a bride, and yet here we are fighting for our lives halfway there."

Little Yun was also filled with anxiety for them. They would not be so fortunate this time as to run into Long Hanxing and the others. He could not help casting a glance toward Peach Blossom, for he understood that the only person who could save the two of them now was her. Yet Peach Blossom merely watched the three of them fight with roaming, beautiful eyes, seemingly entirely indifferent to whether Qu and Chu lived or died.

Little Yun sighed and shouted, "My two big brothers, the true moment of testing has arrived for you! Relying on others is worse than relying on oneself; now you must depend solely on your own strength."

Amidst the fierce combat, Qu and Chu had been pushed completely onto the defensive. Their opponent pressed the attack with murderous intent, unleashing several consecutive moves that the two of them dodged with the utmost difficulty.

They realized that if this continued, they would surely be wounded and brought down. To win, they knew they had to resort to unorthodox moves, but what unorthodox moves could they use?

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Qu Bupping. He recalled the few sword techniques they had secretly peeked at when the Ninth Miss was teaching Little Yun. Would these sword stances actually work?

He had no confidence in his heart and had not dared to risk trying them until now. Just as Qu Bupping was pondering, a fierce attack lunged toward him.

In his panic, Qu Bupping had no way to parry. At the razor-thin line between life and death, he let out a strange cry and instinctively unleashed a move frequently used by the Ninth Miss: "Dragon in the Wilderness."

Though the power behind the strike was not even a tenth of the Ninth Miss's, this execution was more flawless, more effective, and far more formidable than any he had ever managed before.

Sometimes, human beings only unleash capabilities far surpassing their usual limits when driven into a desperate plight. Perhaps it is because, in such dead ends, there is no retreat and fear is useless, leaving only the choice to gamble everything on a single, desperate struggle.

Those with good innate talent possess an even greater burst of strength in desperate situations, and such people are more likely to work miracles.

Qu Bupping possessed decent talent, so his desperate, all-out strike possessed immense power. With this single move, he forcibly beat back his once-arrogant opponent.

Almost simultaneously, Xiaoyu let out a great shout and executed another move taught by the Ninth Miss: "Flowers Blooming in the Full Moon."

Chu Xiaoyu was also a prodigy. He was persistent in his endeavors and dedicated in his martial arts practice, so the fierce execution of "Flowers Blooming in the Full Moon" during his predicament possessed far greater lethality than usual.

Their opponent had already been thrown into disarray while struggling to evade Qu Bupping's "Dragon in the Wilderness." Flustered, he had not guarded against such immense power from this young lad, catching him completely off guard.

At that very moment, Xiaoyu suddenly unleashed the even more destructive "Flowers Blooming in the Full Moon." Because Xiaoyu had originally learned fewer techniques, he had practiced those few moves with greater refinement and far greater might!

Unable to dodge in time, the opponent was slashed across by Xiaoyu's sword. With a miserable scream, the wounded man fled the scene.

This turn of events not only shocked the River Four Wolves, who could not comprehend why their companion had suddenly been injured and fled when holding a steady advantage; even the wounded man himself remained in endless terror. These two young fellows were originally no match for him at all—why had they suddenly erupted with such terrifying killing moves that he was completely unable to evade them?

Among all those present, only Peach Blossom seemed somewhat enlightened. Her martial arts skill far surpassed theirs, and she had deliberately provoked the fight just to observe how Qu and Chu would perform in a desperate plight. Only individuals with extraordinary talent could create miracles when backed into a corner. The fact that Qu and Chu had managed to defeat their opponent was nothing short of a miracle.

In this chaotic era of the martial world, Peach Blossom's true purpose in testing Qu and Chu was to see whether they were moldable materials through this ordeal. If so, she intended to bring them under her command and put them to use; otherwise, why would she waste her time and energy upon them?

Having won the fight, Qu and Chu collapsed onto the ground, utterly exhausted.

Seeing this, Little Yun cheered loudly and smiled at Peach Blossom, "Did you see that, Miss Peach Blossom! My two brothers may not count as great heroes, but at least they are no cowards!"

Finding their defeat inexplicable and feeling deeply resentful, the remaining opponent roared, "The two of you ganged up on one man—what honor is there in winning like that? Watch how this grandlord teaches you pups a lesson!"

Little Yun was greatly alarmed. He knew that Qu and Chu had just fought a grueling battle and presently lacked the strength to face the burly, ox-like River Four Wolves.

He could not help protesting, "Aren't you ashamed, River Four Wolf? You waited until my two brothers finished a fight and grew exhausted before making your move. That is unfair!"

The River Four Wolf retorted, "If you want fairness, that's simple. You haven't fought anyone yet, so I'll pick a fight with you."

Being rather rash by nature, the River Four Wolf cared little whether Little Yun was a man of Long Lengyue. Had it been someone more insidious, they would not have dared to offend Little Yun so lightly.

Little Yun hurriedly said, "That's even more unfair! You're just a grown man bullying a youth."

The River Four Wolf cursed, "Stop wagging your tongue, brat, and see how your grandlord teaches you a lesson." With that, he raised his fist to strike. Although deep down the River Four Wolf knew this lad belonged to Long Lengyue and had even saved the eldest Wolf previously, meaning he had no intention of genuinely harming him, the posture he struck was nonetheless quite frightening.

Startled, Little Yun hurriedly tried to dodge. Suddenly, a pair of beautiful folding fans parried the River Four Wolf's fist.

Little Yun was stunned. Seeing a flash of white shadow, he almost blurted out, "Sister Snow."

In the blink of an eye, he realized the newcomer was not Ba Xuehua, but a young gentleman dressed in white, followed closely by a dainty page boy.

The young gentleman in white appeared to be around twenty years of age, with clear brows, bright eyes, and a face as flawless as jade, possessing a tall and slender physique. If not for his male attire, Little Yun and the others would certainly have mistaken him for an absolute beauty.