Fang Dongbai took a deep breath, let out a fierce shout, and launched a strong offensive. His sword qi wove into several nets that cut off the sabreman's retreat.
The sabreman refused to show weakness. Gripping his sabre with both hands, he unleashed a ferocious frontal slash. Sabre and sword clashed, sending showers of sparks flying.
Gouge, however, was unimpressed. To his eyes, the life-and-death struggle between the two looked no different from children fighting. Assuming they were the closest of friends, he figured they simply weren't holding back even in a spar.
Fang Dongbai's sword moves were dense and treacherous, every strike aimed straight at fatal points. While lacking the extraordinary grace of Bai Wanjian's Snow Mountain Sword Technique, he had carved out a style of his own—a fast-sword approach that relied purely on outspeeding the opponent.
Han Liyong, on the other hand, favored stability. When pressing an opponent, he relied on the immense strength of both hands to bear down heavily, using offense as defense and specifically targeting the other's weapon so Fang Dongbai could not fight comfortably.
The two fought fiercely for hundreds of rounds without a victor. Both were stained with each other's blood, their eyes bloodshot with rage.
At first, Gouge had wanted to step in and help, but as the fight wore on, he could no longer tell whether it was a friendly spar or a fight to the death, leaving him completely at a loss as to what to do.
"Old Han, are you really trying to take my damn life?" Fang Dongbai roared angrily.
Han Liyong sneered. "I didn't notice you holding back when you struck, either. You probably want to get rid of me so you can keep the secrets of the Taixuan Scripture all to yourself. Did you see some new commentary in the lines about 'silver saddles lighting up white horses, shooting past like falling stars,' and purposely keep it to yourself? How else could your martial arts have advanced so fast?"
Fang Dongbai's face flushed crimson. He pointed right at Han Liyong's nose and cursed, "Keep it to my sister's leg! After more than ten years on Xiake Island, what on earth was left unsaid? You're just judging a gentleman with the heart of a petty person. Your own laziness let your skills slip, and now you're blaming me?"
"My heart is petty?" Han Liyong retorted. "If I had a petty heart, would I have risked my life to save your entire family from the Yellow River bandits?"
"Is saving people only your achievement?" Fang Dongbai shouted back. "If it weren't for me, you would have died surrounded by the Four Ghosts of Taihang long ago, tossed out to feed stray dogs! And if I hadn't taught your daughter Liu Xiaowan swordplay, do you think she and her mother would have survived until today?"
"I must have been blind to have ever known a piece of trash like you," Han Liyong cursed. "You wanted to hog the Taixuan Scripture all to yourself and wouldn't tell a soul, and now you have the nerve to stand here and rake up old scores with me?"
Fang Dongbai let out a cold laugh. Without another word, he suddenly executed an intensely bizarre technique, thrusting forward at an oblique angle. While it looked seemingly effortless and weak, it was actually the most lethal move among his thirty-six fast-sword techniques.
Seeing this move, Gouge suddenly realized something. It bore a resemblance to the technique of wielding a golden hammer to rescue Zhao; though it was a sword, it was wielded with the stance of a meteor hammer. It also carried a touch of the casual flair of letting the sword hang horizontally across one's knees, yet it was only similar in form rather than spirit, making it appear somewhat unrefined.
Just as Gouge was feeling puzzled, the sabreman also unleashed a bizarre sabre technique, hurling his sabre directly to smash against Gouge's chest.
Gouge was startled. Wasn't this the energy-channeling method of "three cups washing away pledges, the Five Mountains seeming light"? It was precisely the technique of wielding a heavy object as if it weighed nothing at all, and it bore a good three-tenths resemblance to the real thing.
It was only a pity that their internal energy was far too weak; they simply could not achieve the effortless mastery found in the Taixuan Scripture.
Fang Dongbai's sword pierced Han Liyong's arm, while Han Liyong's sabre hacked into Fang Dongbai's ribs. Exhausted and panting heavily, the two men lacked the strength to move a muscle and collapsed unconscious. Gouge hurriedly stepped forward to bandage their wounds and channel internal energy into them.
Fang Dongbai was the first to slowly regain consciousness. Resentful, he got up and left, pausing beforehand to cup his fists in a formal salute to Gouge, who returned the gesture. When Han Liyong woke up, he began shouting wildly, demanding a fight to the death. Finding no one there, he instead cupped his fists to thank Gouge for his kindness in saving his life, cursed as he left, and Gouge returned his bow with cupped hands, watching the retreating figure of Fang Dongbai vanish without a trace.
"They were clearly such good friends," Gouge sighed. "How could they end up falling out like this? It seems that having high martial arts doesn't mean a life without worries—it only brings more troubles."
Just as he was about to leave, a stunning, scantily clad woman in red leaped out from the roadside and sternly shouted, "Hey, where did you take my dad?"
Shi Potian was stunned. "Miss, are you talking to me?"
The red-clad girl's pretty eyebrows arched in anger. Seeing the bloodstains near the hem of his robe and knowing her father had been dueling nearby, she assumed he was the one who had fought her father, though a shred of uncertainty remained in her mind. Forcing down her anger, she asked, "Pardon me, little brother. Have you seen a man carrying a sabre?"
Gouge smiled. "Are you talking about the Blood-Drinking Mad Sabre Han Liyong? I saw him."
Delighted, the girl asked, "And then? Did you see where he went?"
Gouge thought for a moment and said, "I don't know where he went. That old man was quite badly injured, covered from head to toe in blood! I saw that swordsman go chasing after him. Could it be that my strike was too heavy? Ah, it's all my fault. These hands of mine really do kill people without warning." Gouge genuinely believed he had accidentally injured the old man and caused him to vomit blood, filling his heart with remorse. He completely failed to notice the girl's expression growing increasingly dark and her pretty face trembling with fury.
Furious, the red-clad girl cursed, "Bah! I thought you were some kind of good person, but you're just as bad as that Fang Dongbai. My dad just came back, and you beat him half to death! Scoundrel, take my sword!" Consumed by rage, she thrust her sword forward, launching straight into the move "East to the Ocean" as she lunged at Gouge's throat.
Seeing her resort to violence without a word, Gouge had no time to overthink. Naturally and instinctively, he executed the "A Thousand Miles Without Stopping" lightness skill from the Taixuan Scripture, leaping back several yards in a single bound. The girl was taken aback, but anger immediately clouded her judgment again, and she unleashed a flurry of fatal strikes, every single one aimed at Gouge's vital points.
Gouge merely dodged without ever fighting back. The girl stubbornly ran through her entire set of sword forms twice over, leaving her panting heavily. Standing there calmly, Gouge said, "Miss, you should rest for a moment. You've worn yourself out, and I haven't even made a move yet."
The girl was left feeling both exasperated and amused. Panting for breath, she cursed, "Bah! Who wants your pity? Exactly where has my father gone?"
"I saw that swordsman—what's his name, Fang Dongbai—heading east," Gouge said. "You people are so strange, resorting to blows at the drop of a hat."
The more she listened, the stranger it sounded; it seemed Gouge was not actually trying to make things difficult for her father. Suspiciously, she asked, "Aren't you here to kill my dad, Han Liyong?"
Gouge shook his head. "How could that be? My martial arts are weak, and I don't even know how to read. Why would I ever hurt anyone? You people are so violent—not a bit as gentle as Axiu."
Hearing this, the girl immediately realized she had wronged him. Her hostility vanished instantly, and she broke into a bright smile.
"I wronged you, brother. What is your name? I am Liu Xiaowan, and my father is none other than the Blood-Drinking Mad Sabre Han Liyong."
Gouge smiled. "My name is Shi Potian, though my mother calls me Gouge. Miss Liu, next time you shouldn't just go around fighting and killing. As a young lady, wouldn't it be better to be gentle like Axiu?"
Liu Xiaowan smiled faintly and said, "Big Brother Shi, it was all a misunderstanding. Please accept my apologies." She bowed deeply, and Gouge hastily returned a clumsy bow. Seeing him flustered by the gesture, Liu Xiaowan burst into a giggle.
Gouge smiled. "Miss Liu, your dad's last name is Han, so why are you surnamed Liu? Could it be that you're just like me—snatched away from your family?"
Liu Xiaowan chuckled. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, Big Brother Shi. Since my father wasn't around, I had to learn martial arts from a young age to protect my mother. That Fang Dongbai is actually my martial arts teacher. My father has many enemies, which is why I've always kept my mother's surname. When I was little, I didn't dare say who my father was, but now that I'm older, I'm not afraid of those people anymore, so there's no harm in telling you. I wasn't snatched away—though, who knows, maybe I was just picked up off the street."
Toward the end, Liu Xiaowan let out a soft, melancholic sigh.
"Forget it," Liu Xiaowan continued. "He's been gone for ten years, and the moment he comes back, he goes looking for someone to duel. He can go wherever he pleases; I'm done caring about him. My mother passed away in loneliness and sorrow, so I've long since given up any illusions about men."
Gouge asked, "You can't choose your parents, Miss Liu. You just need to live each day well now. At least you still have your mother, don't you?"
Liu Xiaowan gave a bitter smile. "Ever since my father went to Xiake Island and disappeared without a trace for ten years, my mother fell ill and died long ago."
A wave of sorrow washed over Gouge. He thought to himself that although his own fake mother from the past had also passed away, his real mother, Min Rou, was still alive. Liu Xiaowan, however, had completely lost the person who loved her most in this world; truly, she was to be pitied.
Gouge comforted her, "Look on the bright side, Miss Liu. In the grand universe, humans are merely specks of dust, and our joys and sorrows are nothing more than a single drop of water in the vast ocean."
Liu Xiaowan nodded in deep agreement. "You're right, Big Brother Shi. Who was that Axiu you mentioned earlier?"
With an embarrassed smile, Gouge said, "She is my fiancée, and I'm on my way to find her."
Liu Xiaowan's pretty eyes lit up with a smile. "Then I'm coming too! I want to see what kind of virtuous lady could manage to steal the soul of Big Hero Shi Potian—the man who understands the universe—and make it fly all the way to the Great Snow Mountain."
Gouge smiled. "If you want to come along, that's fine. Axiu is a wonderful woman, and I'm very fond of her. You're welcome to come share in the wedding banquet if you tag along. I only worry you might find the journey boring."
Liu Xiaowan giggled. "The Great Snow Mountain? That sounds like so much fun! I've never seen snow before. Tell me, can snow be eaten? Anyway, the Great Snow Mountain has got to be more interesting than some suffocating Daoist temple! I'd rather freeze to death on the Great Snow Mountain than become a Daoist nun—now that's what I call stifling!"
The red-clad girl smiled charmingly, her voluptuous and explosive figure swaying as her proud peaks heaved.
Gouge continued pressing forward in the direction of the Great Snow Mountain, and the lively, stunning, and vibrant Liu Xiaowan followed closely behind him with a smile.