Chapter 38: Chapter 36: Unsheathe and Chop! Waist Strike Style! 1
Translator: 549690339
“The Yamen’s people are here!”
At this moment, a wave of commotion swept through the inn. The Yamen constables who were patrolling the town heard the noise and hurried over.
“Who’s engaging in a private fight, committing murder?”
A middle-aged constable, followed by several others, entered the inn, his expression solemn.
If the incident involving a death had occurred outside of Ginseng Town, they’d be disinclined to intervene, but such an event within the town had a non- negligible impact, and thus they had to treat it seriously. It fell within their jurisdiction.
Su Changkong didn’t respond; he hadn’t killed anyone!
“I did!”
At that moment, Yan Song rubbed his eyes and blinked forcefully as he spoke up with a weighty voice.
“The deceased are members of the Nine Thieves of Meng Mountain, previously wanted criminals. I am the Blade Catcher Yan Song, officially recorded in the Great Flame Empire’s register!”
Yan Song explained the identity of Sun Buwen and the others, and took out a black iron token from his chest.
“I’ve seen the esteemed Yan Song.” The middle-aged constable examined the token for a moment before handing it back to Yan Song with a slightly more respectful demeanor.
To become an officially registered Blade Catcher, one must have exceptional martial arts skills and unique capabilities!
And Yan Song had a fairly formidable reputation in the area around Clearwater City; these few constables all recognized him.
“Please take these bodies and deal with them,” Yan Song then instructed the constables to process the scene, indicating that this wasn’t his first encounter with such matters.
“Yes,” the middle-aged constable responded, directing the other constables to start handling the corpses.
The inn’s occurrence of death naturally meant it had to be temporarily closed for cleaning the bloodstains and remnants.
Seeing the matter resolved, Su Changkong also headed out of the inn, prepared to find another place.
“Honored sir, please wait a moment!”
Just as he left the inn, a voice called out from behind; it was Yan Song.
“Is there something you need?”
Su Changkong turned to look at Yan Song without any expression. He deemed Yan Song no easy opponent and didn’t want to become overly involved with him, to avoid trouble.
With sincere expression, Yan Song said, “Without your help just now, I’d likely have been in grave danger. If you don’t mind, might we talk at the small residence I’ve rented? It’s here in town.”
Su Changkong hesitated slightly, but it seemed that Yan Song was familiar with Ginseng Town. Since Su Changkong’s purpose in coming here was to purchase medicine for the Vital Qi Spread, inquiring with Yan Song would surely yield benefits!
“Agreed,” Su Changkong said concisely, feigning an aloof and reticent demeanor.
“Please follow me.”
Yan Song then invited Su Changkong to be his guest at the small residence where he stayed.
Leading Su Changkong, Yan Song passed through a narrow alley and arrived at a secluded estate, pushing open the door to enter.
Inside the estate, there were stone tables and chairs, not luxurious, yet tasteful and tranquil.
In the estate’s reception hall, Yan Song dressed his wounds and personally poured tea for Su Changkong. Then he asked, curiosity on his face, “May I know your esteemed name? With such strength, you should be someone of repute in the martial world of Clearwater City!”
Yan Song also wanted to make Su Changkong’s acquaintance. Although he hadn’t seen Su Changkong in action, the fact that Su Changkong could easily defeat Sun Buwen and the others meant that his strength was at least not inferior to his own!
“My surname is Wen, with the given name Tai,”
Su Changkong naturally did not give his real name and casually made up a false name.
“Wen Tai?” Yan Song quickly searched his memory but found the name unfamiliar and had not heard of such a notable person nearby, yet he felt it inappropriate to inquire too much.
Yan Song obviously did not know that this was not the first time he had met Su Changkong. They were both present at the Zhao Family auction in Dongling Town last time, but Su Changkong was wearing a mask then.
Yan Song said with a sincere face, “I’m a blunt man, but I’ve always been clear about gratitude and grudges. Brother Wen, if you have any tasks for me, I will not refuse as long as I am able!”
Yan Song preferred to be a loner and disliked owing favors to others. Today, with Su Changkong’s help in killing the Nine Thieves of Meng Mountain, he wanted to repay Su Changkong and settle his debt of gratitude.
Moved by his words, Su Changkong thought, “Yan Song is quite strong, and his blade technique is very sharp and exquisite, especially the chop that killed two Strength Refinement martial artists earlier. It was stunning. I can learn from that!”
Yan Song, known as the Flying Sand Blade, was adept at blade technique. That sword-drawing-like move particularly made Su Changkong eager to learn!
Su Changkong’s Iron Cutting Blade Technique was simple and straightforward, but if he could integrate more variations, it would undoubtedly become more lethal!
With this in mind, Su Changkong spoke up, “Brother Yan, your blade technique is excellent, especially the sword-drawing surprise attack. I would like to ask Brother Yan for some pointers.”
“Sure thing!” Yan Song was taken aback but then readily agreed.
Among martial artists, exchanging martial arts skills is also a way to gain inspiration and make progress!
“Then I shall perform inadequately first!”
In the courtyard, Yan Song stood there, his aura sharp like an unsheathed blade.
“My specialty is the Sword Drawing Technique, known as the Waist Strike Style. The Waist Strike Style—where the attack surges violently mid-strike, the movement of body, steps, and blade as fast as lightning. This strike is the leading blow among blade techniques. The right foot and right hand perform the snake-chopping movement, stepping forward against the scales.”
Yan Song explained, adjusting the angle of his body and placing his palm on the hilt of the blade at his waist.
“The Waist Strike Style is also known as the Sword Drawing Technique, a swordsmanship that starts with drawing the blade from the scabbard to launch an attack. It includes not only the technique of drawing the blade but sequences and moves of various sword strikes.”
To repay the favor Su Changkong had done him, Yan Song explained in great detail without holding anything back.
Su Changkong listened intently at the side. In fact, from the beginning, he had practiced on his own. Apart from a few days of practicing the Five Animal Frolics with Dr. Hua Shan, he could be considered self-taught. Su Changkong wanted to absorb the essence of Yan Song’s blade technique and learn from its strengths.
“Hiss hiss hiss!”
Yan Song fully demonstrated his Waist Strike Style, his sword-drawing speed incredibly fast and sudden. The right hand rested on the hilt, the left hand gripping the scabbard, adjusting the angle for the strike. As soon as he assumed this posture, he was already in the rhythm of attack!
Stroke after stroke, simple and direct, typically a one-hit kill. And even if the blow didn’t kill the opponent, it would seize the initiative and take control in combat!
“Excellent!”
Su Changkong watched, captivated, full of admiration, his eyes sparkling. The Waist Strike Style was indeed very suitable for him—fast, accurate, and ruthless, a combination of speed and power with astonishing lethality!
As Yan Song displayed his Waist Strike Style comprehensively, Su Changkong’s potential value reached an impressive 12 points. His perception was remarkable. He engraved it into his mind; with just a period of practice, he was bound to integrate the Waist Strike sword drawing into his Iron Cutting Blade Technique, resulting in a significant improvement of his skills!
As the sky grew dim, Su Changkong accepted Yan Song’s cordial hospitality and stayed in the courtyard for the night.
During his conversation with Yan Song, Su Changkong learned about Yan Song’s basic situation.
Yan Song had a very ordinary background. As a child, his parents died at the hands of fugitive bandits, and he had experienced life’s harshness. Fortunately, he was diligent enough to acquire a blade manual and, after relentless practice, finally achieved some small accomplishments.
People with a tragic history like Yan Song were not uncommon in this world!
“Brother Yan, I heard that Ginseng Town has a gathering of herbalists, and as a result, one can buy many medicinal ingredients that are not available elsewhere. Do you know where one can purchase such ingredients?”
Remembering his purpose, Su Changkong inquired Yan Song about the medicinal ingredients for the Vital Qi Spread.
Yan Song must have been living in Ginseng Town for a while and surely had some understanding of the situation there!