Forge a path to success.

Chapter 50 Steel Edge Stream

Chu Hengkong felt a strange sense of disorientation. He hadn't expected that even at this point, the enemy would still reveal their background and name, as if they weren't at the scene of a battle but rather sparring in a martial arts arena.

"No school of thought. Chu Hengkong."

But he responded as naturally as breathing. The two men, facing off with knives, shifted their feet slightly, their gestures, steps, center of gravity, expressions... They observed with their eyes, listened with their ears, and even sensed with their sense of smell, trying to feel and guess the true nature of the enemy's blade, and then both drew their swords simultaneously!

Chu Hengkong began with a powerful horizontal slash, the force of the swing alone causing the chips on the surrounding gambling tables to topple over. Amidst the clang of metal on metal, Du Muyan maintained his stance and stepped forward, firmly blocking the first strike. Chu Hengkong missed his first attack and slashed again, his blade shorter but even faster, while Du Muyan only slightly deflected his longer blade and advanced further.

The scene looked very strange. Although Du Muyan was clearly the one defending with the knife, he seemed to have a great advantage in footwork, pressing forward step by step. Chu Hengkong took half a step back, his eyes becoming slightly serious. He made a third slashing motion, but just before making contact, he pressed down on his wrist, turning it into a thrust aimed at Du Muyan's throat.

Ke Yan's knife also moved, pressing the tip downwards as if striking. His movements were slower, but he aimed to achieve the desired result faster, because the two were targeting different objects. Before Ke Yan's throat was pierced, his knife would first sever Chu Heng's empty hand holding the knife.

A white blade of light erupted like a bolt of lightning. Chu Hengkong released his right hand and leaped back, using only his tentacle to flick the blade upwards. Du Muyan's sword arced in a smooth U-shape, parrying from the side; his defense was impenetrable. Behind Chu Hengkong was a dilapidated gambling table. He used the table as leverage to leap up, his tentacle-wielding blade slashing down at Chu Hengkong's head. Du Muyan, positioned below, countered with the same vertical slash. His blade carried incredible force, and in a single contact, he deflected the white blade away!

The blade flashed, forming a black disc shape. Du Muyan reversed his grip on the hilt and slashed diagonally, a line of light aimed directly at Chu Hengkong's waist. Chu Hengkong performed a backflip, narrowly avoiding the attack, and with a flick of his fingers, two water bullets flew straight towards Du Muyan's eyes. Du Muyan used his sunglasses to shield himself from the water bullets as he charged forward and slashed again, but Chu Hengkong suddenly sprang to his feet and swung his sword in retaliation!

The moment their blades clashed, both men simultaneously took a half-step back. Chu Hengkong's right hand went numb; the deep, bone-deep recoil reminded him of the training he received as a child, striking rocks in the mountains. He looked into his enemy's eyes behind his sunglasses.

"A strike that comes after the initial attack, excellent swordsmanship."

The enemy, lacking Ji Huaisu's monstrous strength, consistently managed to block his strikes—a feat that couldn't be explained by a mere fine blade. The troublesome recoil seemed to stem from some profound swordsmanship, a skill that, along with his judgment and physique, constituted the man's formidable power. He hadn't yet displayed any special abilities, but Chu Hengkong was convinced he was a master craftsman. Neither glimmer of light nor a foundation could match his skill; only a master could wield such a refined blade.

"You're amazing, you haven't been injured yet," Du Muyan said calmly. "How much were they paid you for taking such a big risk to infiltrate alone?"

"Free of charge," Chu Hengkong laughed. "I'm a senior detective!"

He kicked away the scattered chips on the ground, and his tentacle knife, hidden in the chaos, thrust three times in quick succession. Yan defended firmly against the thrusts, but after the flash of the blade came a powerful leg strike. Taking advantage of the chaos, Chu Hengkong spun around and kicked out, his instep striking Yan's blade. This time, the rock-solid defense was shaken, and Yan, knife and all, was kicked into the side corridor. Chu Hengkong switched to his right hand, gripping the knife, and chased after him, only to be met with a sharp sword thrust as soon as he stepped into the corridor.

The sword strike came too fast, so fast that even he didn't have time to dodge, because it was a killing move that Yan deliberately used to feign weakness. Chu Hengkong didn't dodge either; he tilted his head and caught the blade between his shoulder and shoulder, raising the sword with reckless ferocity to strike again!

The blades tore through flesh, and both men simultaneously withdrew their swords. A deep, bone-revealing gash ran down Chu Hengkong's shoulder; a mere second's hesitation would have severed his throat. Yan's sunglasses slid down diagonally, a shallower cut marring the otherwise ordinary face beneath.

The failed attack signaled the end of the probing phase, and the two no longer held back, unleashing their full power. The ear-piercing sound of clashing swords rang out like a sudden downpour, the corridor filled with the light of blades, and the slashes that tore through the walls resembled the claws of a giant beast.

The one retreating was Du Muyan. Chu Hengkong's attacks were sudden and intense. Every strike he made was as fast and as ruthless as possible. Although he was the one who had infiltrated to assassinate, he was fighting with the frenzy of a cornered beast. This was Chu Hengkong's deliberate move, because Du Muyan was superior to him in the field of defense and counterattack.

In the fight against a strategy of striking late but arriving early, you must not be slow; if you are slow, you will fall completely into the enemy's rhythm. You can only be fast, attacking with reckless ferocity, smashing through that rock with a brutal and brute force. Only in this way will victory emerge.

The fight continued for 20 rounds, the two fighting and retreating until they reached a crossroads shaped like the Chinese character "卜". Yan also realized the enemy's intention, changing his strategy to a low stance with a reverse grip on his sword, conserving energy with minimal thrusts and parries. Chu Heng's powerful and heavy sword strike was easily blocked, and the recoil force returned. Suddenly, he lifted both feet off the ground, his extended tentacles carrying the sword blocking the way, while he himself stepped on the wall and rushed to the side.

Du Muyan's undefended upper body was completely exposed, and Chu Hengkong, in mid-air, clenched his fist and aimed straight for the top of Yan's head. Suddenly, Yan released his left hand, which was holding the knife, and blocked upwards, his palm flashing with a brown light! His left palm, transformed into rock, chopped down Chu Hengkong's fist!
A dull thud echoed through the corridor, like a shovel striking rock. Chu Hengkong withdrew his tentacle, flipped over, and landed, his shattered fingernails falling into the blood. Du Muyan's left hand exploded with a loud crack as his petrified index finger broke off and fell to the ground.

In the fierce battle, both sides suffered heavy losses. Yan lost his vital index finger, but Chu Hengkong also shattered two finger bones. Du Muyan silently gripped his blade, letting a brown light spread across its surface. His skillful ability, "Rockification," transformed his weapon into an indestructible rock blade.

Chu Hengkong raised an eyebrow: "You failed to outsmart me."

"I overestimated myself," Du Muyan admitted frankly. He had originally intended to use his skillful hands only in the decisive moment, but Chu Hengkong's sneak attack forced him to. "But you don't need to be so happy. Or is it the fighting itself that brings you such pleasure?"

Chu Hengkong was stunned for a moment before he realized he was smiling. His lips were wide open, and he looked as excited as a wolf that had spotted its prey.

“It’s in my nature,” he said. “With your excellent knife skills, it’s a shame you’re an assassin.”

“I’m just a bodyguard, you’re the assassin.” Du Muyan looked at his knife. “The stench of blood on you is terrifying, even a new knife smells rusty. Can someone who kills without hesitation be a detective?” “Want to hear a story?” Chu Hengkong laughed. “Forget it. I’m not used to telling stories to a third person.”

They both turned their heads simultaneously, looking at the inconspicuous fork in the road at the side of the T-shaped intersection. It was a dead end, with nothing but a door leading to the tea room, and the dead end was unusually quiet. But their gazes were filled with murderous intent, creating colorless ripples in the dead end.

A piece of "fabric" blending into the environment was peeled off the wall, and a man in a white suit waved awkwardly from behind the invisible cloth.

“He’s just a passing vendor,” Kanin said. “Please continue, don’t mind me.”

Chu Hengkong grabbed a pebble and hurled it at him. Kaning pulled out a talisman, flicked it, and it transformed into a large, light blue banner to protect himself. The pebble struck the banner but bounced back, and Du Muyan caught it and threw it again. Kaning, seeing Du Muyan's stone-throwing attack, looked surprised: "Master Yan, look carefully! You've hit the wrong person!"

Du Muyan didn't bother wasting words with him; making a living with knives and fists didn't mean they were brainless. He had long felt that the attack on the city lord's mansion had gone too smoothly, and now it seemed that Kanin was undoubtedly behind it all. The rubble, crashing into the water flag, would instead be smashed to pieces.

Kanin strode out, holding a water flag for protection in one hand and throwing a silver metal sphere in the other. The sphere bounced upon landing, extending eight sharp claws that transformed into a lifelike spider. The metal spider opened its mouth and unleashed a beam of light at Du Muyan, who slashed the beam with his sword and engaged the agile spider in combat.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Chu Hengkong drew his sword and attacked Kanin's main body, but the blade was deflected by the water flag. Kanin conjured a revolver and fired three shots in quick succession. Chu Hengkong turned his head to dodge, and the bullets grazed the tips of his ears.

“You must be the famous new detective.” Kanin put away his revolver and took out a handkerchief. “My name is Kanin, and I’m a businessman. It’s nice to meet you.”

"I can recognize you even without fire." Chu Hengkong lashed out his tentacle whip. "You brought those fireflies from the swamp, didn't you?"

Kaning remained calm and composed, smiling without a trace of danger. With a flick of his wrist, the handkerchief transformed into a cloth-like rapier. He engaged Chu Hengkong's tentacle whip in a fierce battle with the rapier, then tossed out two more metal insects to join the attack on Du Muyan. This man possessed an astonishing number of relics; he was practically a walking arsenal. Relics considered treasures by all sorts of people in the city were treated as disposable items by him, used and then discarded.

“Of course, it was me,” he admitted nonchalantly. “But I was also the one who delivered that vial of blood. Shouldn’t you consider stopping? We’re on the same side this time!”

Chu Hengkong was surprised that the other party would so directly state his intentions, his attitude bordering on arrogance, clearly showing no regard for the two people present. However, they truly had no way to deal with him; Du Muyan was surrounded by metal insects and couldn't spare a move, and Chu Hengkong had no immediate means to break through the water flag's defenses.

"I have no intention of interfering with your duel, can you stop now?" Kanin took off his hat and dusted it off, appearing remarkably relaxed under the protection of the water flag. "The battle is so tense, I don't recommend you waste your time here. Your methods are useless against me..."

Before he could finish speaking, Du Muyan sheathed his sword with a backhand motion, the sound as clear as flowing water. He stared intently at Kanin behind the water flag, his killing intent etched into his eyes like scars.

He drew his sword, which was imbued with murderous intent!

A bright flash of light pierced their eyes, the rough blade gleaming with the sharpness of steel. That single strike instantly sliced ​​through three metal insects, pierced the water flag's defenses, severed the flagpole, and cut Kanin's legs in two!
Kanin stared wide-eyed, touching the wounds on his lower body, seemingly unaware that he was injured.

“That was terrifying,” Kanin said. “I was almost cut in half…”

He suddenly laughed, as if he had told a very satisfying joke. A scorching wave of heat rose with his laughter, surging like a storm, forcing Chu Hengkong and Du Muyan to retreat. They saw the severed lower half of his body transform into a ball of blue flame.

Kanin laughed and raised his arm, sending sparks flying toward the sinful high-rise building. He then put on his top hat.

“I underestimated you, Master Yan! I shouldn’t get involved in this mess, so I’ll take my leave first!” Kanin’s voice rose. “One last friendly suggestion for Inspector Chu—Mavia’s summoning circle is on the top floor. If you linger any longer, you’ll be swallowed by the Black Moon!”

He burned through the floor with the ease of breathing, descending through the flames. His azure flames spread at an unbelievable speed, seemingly using all matter as fuel. Chu Hengkong wanted to seize the opportunity to go upstairs to investigate, but Du Muyan blocked his way with his sword, his eyes filled with a killing intent as hard as cast iron.

“Leave now, and I won’t kill you,” Du Muyan said.

Chu Hengkong grinned: "It seems Kanin wasn't lying."

In an instant, the battle resumed, and the two who had briefly ceased fighting began to clash again. Burning logs rained down on them from above, and blue flames burned through the floors, revealing the scene above. Also engulfed in flames, the golden-haired knight was battling a horde of demons!

(End of this chapter)