Chapter 50 Xia Wei - Fight to the Death
Inside the camp, Xia Wei put down her Mo Dao and was helping nearby soldiers carry babies, putting one baby after another onto the carriage.
Beside the carriage, Ye Jie, unseen by anyone, was holding a torn piece of paper in his hand, checking the baby's identity information.
Beside him, Luo Bei was looking around anxiously, trying to find his own child among the group of babies.
"Li Yun, Lin Gong, Zhou Xuancheng..."
Ye Jie unfolded the torn pages and recited the names of the babies one by one. Under the inspection of the Book of Life and Death, the information of the babies could be revealed.
Only after the soldiers drove the baby away in a carriage did Ye Jie put down the torn page and sighed, "Unfortunately, your child doesn't seem to be here. Among the babies sent on the carriage, there was no one named Jiang Lin or Jiang Bing."
"How could this happen..." Luo Bei's face was bitter, and he couldn't accept this result for a moment, "My children... are they dead?"
Ye Jie looked around and said, "Not entirely. When the camp was attacked, several women sensed the danger and fled with their babies. Perhaps your child is in their hands."
Luo Bei pleaded, "If that's the case, will I ever be able to see them again? And my husband Jiang Xin..."
Ye Jie nodded. "If they're still alive, I'll take you to them, but not now. The Hengshan Bandit will attack soon. You're only at the first level right now, and the aftermath of his punches is enough to shatter your soul. You'd better return to the Soul Summoning Banner and wait."
As he spoke, Ye Jie patted the soul-calling banner and put Luo Bei back into it. Then he came to Xia Wei and reminded her:
"The babies abducted by the Hengshan bandits have been rescued. If we don't leave now, they might be in danger."
Xia Wei shook her head firmly. "The carriage is moving slowly, and the tracks are hard to hide. It won't be long before they catch up, and the baby will fall into the hands of the Hengshan bandit. I can't just run away at this moment. Xiaowei must stay here and fight the Hengshan bandit to the death to avenge my father and brother."
Ye Jie nodded, and without further persuasion, he changed the subject and said, "I'll go see how the battle is going over there."
As he spoke, Ye Jie took out the black stone, moved away, and soon returned to Qingshi Town.
In Qingshi Town.
The shouting and screaming at the city gate gradually subsided, and the thieves seemed to have gone far away. Aunt Wang opened the door worriedly, but saw two soldiers holding long spears, still guarding her door meticulously. She couldn't help but ask:
"Is the battle over? Don't you need to help fight off the bandits?"
The two spearmen exchanged a glance and replied, "Following the orders of Commander Zhang Yong, we will stay here to protect your safety."
Aunt Wang nodded without saying anything. Suddenly, she felt a cramping pain in her abdomen, unable to stand. She looked closer and realized her water had broken. Her hands were covered in blood. She hadn't expected the baby to be born at this critical moment, and she cried out in pain. Nearby soldiers quickly lifted her up and carried her to the midwife.
At the top of the city wall, Ye Jie looked around but saw no sign of the commander. From the conversation of the soldiers who stayed behind, he learned that Zhang Yong was leading his men to pursue the retreating Hengshan bandits. He nodded slightly.
Judging from the current situation, Qingshi Town will definitely not be able to hold out for seven days and seven nights until the arrival of the river patrol general. The only thing it can rely on to resist the Hengshan bandits is the existing forces in the city.
Abandoning the defensive advantage of the fortress and leaving the city to pursue the retreating bandits was a difficult decision. If one was not careful, one would lose soldiers and generals, and ultimately be unable to resist the bandits' offensive. However, if one succeeded, one could weaken the bandits' manpower to the greatest extent and win the battle.
After learning of the commander's decision, Ye Jie once again used the Earth-Shrinking Stone to return to Xia Wei's side and reminded her, "Zhang Yong is leading his team in pursuit of the evacuating Hengshan bandits. You are not fighting alone. If you stay and fight, you might have a chance to wipe out the Hengshan bandits here."
Xia Wei's expression brightened with joy, and then she heard Ye Jie's warning: "However, the Hengshan Bandit has the strength of the peak of the third level. The soldiers in Qingshi Town are unable to break through his physical defenses. They can't even inflict a minor injury on him. Apart from consuming his spiritual power, there is no other use. If you want to kill the Hengshan Bandit, you have to rely on yourself."
Hearing this, Xia Wei took a deep breath, and a raging fire ignited in her eyes. All the injuries she had suffered and the blood she had shed along the way were in preparation for this moment.
Except for Xia Wei, the other soldiers also sensed the difficulty of this battle and could not help but tremble all over and clench their teeth.
Seeing everyone's tense expressions, Captain Zhao Shun came to the front of the group, raised his weapon high, and shouted loudly:
"I know what you're afraid of. Facing the powerful bandit Hengshan, many of us would die and wouldn't be able to see the sun tomorrow. But you must remember why we are willing to sacrifice our lives! The Hengshan bandit has committed countless evil deeds. Even if we shed our last drop of blood, we will never allow this thief to trample on our homeland! Our sacrifice will not be in vain. We fought bravely in this life, and we will surely live in wealth and prosperity in the next!"
After hearing Zhao Shun's passionate speech, the morale of the soldiers was greatly boosted, and they were eager to fight to the death with the bandit Hengshan right now.
Not long after, a burst of intense horse hoofbeats was heard, and a tall and handsome horse rushed into the camp. The man on the horse was dressed in black, with a fierce look on his face, and a scar pierced his left eye. He was the notorious bandit Hengshan.
The bandit Hengshan galloped back to the camp alone. His face was distorted, veins bulged on his forehead, and his eyes were filled with rage. "You sons of bitches, your death has come!"
When enemies meet, their eyes are filled with jealousy. Xia Wei could no longer suppress the rage in her heart. She rushed forward with her knife in hand, chopping down the bandit Hengshan who was still on his horse.
The bandit Hengshan roared and raised his palm to meet the attack. A dark palm print condensed and took shape in front of his palm, and then attacked Xia Wei directly, forcing her to change her tactics to defend herself.
Xia Wei held the Mo Dao horizontally in front of her body and took the incoming black palm print. Mo Dao was hit by the palm print and it felt like being hit by a sledgehammer. She let out a muffled groan and was knocked back dozens of steps. Her feet left two long drag marks on the mud.
After repelling Xia Wei, the bandit Hengshan did not pursue her. Instead, he dismounted and rushed into the large tent in the center of the camp. Seeing that the baby inside had disappeared, he immediately became furious: "I want you to die without a burial place!"
The soldiers wanted to stop him, but the bandit Hengshan swept his palms like a tiger among a flock of sheep. Anyone who was hit flew backwards with a terrifying black palm print on his body. Then he vomited blood and died in agony.
Every time this happened, Ye Jie would perform his duties as a ghost catcher, come to the deceased, take away their souls, and put them into the soul-calling banner.
Seeing that many people were killed or injured, Xia Wei shouted angrily and met the attack with her knife again. The sharp knife light swept across. The bandit Hengshan did not avoid it. Relying on his strong body, he met the attack with both palms, making a fierce collision sound.
Blades flashed, fists and palms flew. In the contest of strength, within a few moves, Xia Wei was at a disadvantage. The suppression of her realm was causing her unbearable pain. Her body swayed repeatedly, and the slender arm holding the knife trembled violently, as if she would collapse at any moment.
Ye Jie was secretly anxious on the side, carefully observing the Hengshan bandit. He saw a few flaws in his every move and hurriedly warned him:
"He only has one eye, attack him to his left!"
After hearing her master's instruction, Xia Wei immediately used the Xuanying Step and, taking advantage of her body movements, dodged to the left side of the Hengshan bandit.
The Xuanying Step at the mastery stage is far superior to that at the entry-level stage. Xia Wei seemed to have really turned into a shadow, and while dodging, she swung her sword violently. The sword light broke through the air, like a beast's claws, and launched a fierce attack towards the blind spot of Hengshan Bandit.
The bandit Hengshan was careless for a moment and was stabbed several times. He turned his head quickly, but he could not keep up with Xia Wei's speed at all. He swung his palm violently, but missed again. He had the brute force of ten oxen and ten horses, but he couldn't even touch the corner of Xia Wei's clothes.
Xia Wei looked solemn as she swung her knife hard at the body of the Hengshan bandit. It was like hitting a piece of hard iron. Apart from a few sparks, not even a drop of blood flowed out.
The comprehensive suppression in realm made Xia Wei's attack no different from a tickle in the eyes of Hengshan Bandit.
On the contrary, the bandit Hengshan, relying on the fierce fighting experience honed in actual combat, gradually adapted to Xia Wei's agile body movements. His Heart-Destroying Demon Palm swept across, narrowly passing by Xia Wei several times. Even if it deviated by an inch, Xia Wei would be seriously injured and die.
Seeing that the bandit Hengshan was gradually turning the situation around, Xia Wei became anxious. She gripped the hilt of the knife tightly with both hands, turning it into a rapidly spinning blade gyroscope, intending to use the power of the Xuanying knife dance to break through the bandit Hengshan's defense.
Facing Xia Wei's fierce attack, Hengshan the Bandit roared angrily, and when the time was right, he raised his left foot and stomped it hard. The ground in the fan-shaped area in front of his toes cracked and shook continuously. Xia Wei was not careful for a moment, her steps were unstable, the sword dance in her hand froze, and her body slowed down by several beats.
The bandit Hengshan strode forward towards the flash of the knife and struck with a palm. Xia Wei's thin body flew backwards for dozens of steps before crashing into a tent.
"Oh no, Miss Xia Wei lost..."
Seeing Xia Wei defeated, the remaining soldiers looked terrified. Even Xia Wei was defeated, so how could they be a match for the Hengshan Bandit? If they continued to stay here, they would only be slaughtered by the Hengshan Bandit. They quickly retreated.
As everyone fled, the only people left in the entire camp, besides the bandit Hengshan, were Xia Wei, who struggled to get up from the collapsed tent, and Ye Jie, who no one could see.
"Oh no! That bandit Hengshan is incredibly powerful. He's at the peak of the third level, far beyond what Xia Wei can contend with. The gap of a major realm cannot be made up by natural talent..."
Xia Wei was spitting blood and was seriously injured. She used the Hundred Refining Body Technique to force herself to stand up. Ye Jie was worried and hurriedly reminded her, "Hurry up and use the Mysterious Shadow Step to escape. I'll find a way to hold him back!"
"Master...Did Xiaowei lose..."
Xia Wei used her Mo Dao to support herself and managed to stand up. The serious injuries caused by the Heart-Destroying Demonic Palm were difficult to heal even by the Hundred Refined Body Techniques. The blood that flowed from the corner of her mouth only added a bit of poignant determination to her.
"Not dead yet? Let me give you a ride!"
The bandit Hengshan roared angrily, swung his palm to meet the attack, and was about to kill Xia Wei!
At this moment, a pitch-black noose wrapped around him, causing the bandit Hengshan's forward movement to suddenly stop.
"Is there a ghost?"
The bandit Hengshan keenly sensed the direction of the breath and swung a palm towards Ye Jie who was ten steps away. The pitch-black palm print penetrated the space, making a shrill sound of breaking wind. Ye Jie was unable to dodge and was hit by the palm print in the front of the chest. A burst of black mist burst out of his body and he flew backwards, his life or death unknown.
“Master!”
Seeing Ye Jie's miserable condition, Xia Wei's eyes were bloodshot, boundless rage surged in her heart, and she let out a low roar.
She took out two crimson mushrooms, chewed them and swallowed them. Her aura surged, and billowing air waves gushed out of her body. In an instant, her potential exploded, breaking through the realm and reaching the late second stage!
"What..." Even the bandit Hengshan couldn't help but be slightly stunned after noticing the change in Xia Wei's aura, but his eyes quickly darkened again. "So what if he broke through on the battlefield? What can a mere late second stage cultivator do to me?"
After saying that, he was about to fly forward and take Xia Wei's life!
Without waiting for the bandit Hengshan to approach, Xia Wei took a deep breath. Burning with rage, she used the power of the two burning mushrooms to accumulate layers of heat in her chest and abdomen. She opened her mouth and spewed out a blazing curtain of fire. The golden and red tongues of fire danced wildly, and the flames were twisted and violent, like a burning flaming sword, which immediately put the bandit Hengshan, who was unable to dodge, into a sea of fire.
How could the bandit Hengshan have expected that Xia Wei would have such a trick? Caught off guard, he was filled with hatred and allowed the flames to spread over his body, not retreating, and uttered a loud cry:
"I can't lose here! Die! Heart-shattering Devil's Palm!"
Xia Wei's eyebrows arched, and black smoke billowed from her mouth and nose. The uncertainty of Ye Jie's life or death seemed to have triggered a switch deep within her heart. Her heart trembled violently, like a beast unleashed, roaring to the heavens. In this moment, she abandoned all distracting thoughts, and the only thing that rang in her mind was Ye Jie's past teachings.
"Wild Waves Sea-Splitting Sword!"
The startling blade light swept across like a dazzling meteor that split the night sky. The supreme power of the heavenly-level martial arts was revealed to the world. The head of the Hengshan bandit soared into the sky, and his headless body continued to move forward. With his lifelong cultivation, he struck Xia Wei's heart with a palm.
Under the full force of ten oxen and ten horses, and the erosion of the power of the Heart-Destroying Demon Palm, Xia Wei was blown away and fell to the ground, unconsciously spitting out a lot of blood from her mouth. Her eyes were unfocused and her beautiful eyes lost their focus. Unforgettable scenes flashed through her mind like a kaleidoscope.
In a trance, she saw Ye Jie, with a panicked look on his face, running towards her and half-kneeling in front of her.
Xia Wei, lying on the ground, tightly grasped Ye Jie's hand and murmured, "Master, I'm sorry... Xiaowei... can't accompany you anymore. You have to... take care..."
Her eyes had lost their former brilliance, replaced by a fading, vacant gaze. Her gaze revealed a hint of reluctance and endless attachment. She stared at Ye Jie, wanting to engrave his face in her heart forever.
Slowly, she closed her eyes, as if she was asleep, falling into a dream from which she would never wake up.