Chapter 31: Bagua, Nine Palaces

When Happy, Ximen Qing, Canglang, Xuanzhong, and Qiankunzi found the Second Chief, they happened to witness Little Whirlwind Li collapse to the ground, revealing the Second Chief’s vicious true nature.
“Little Whirlwind!”
“Li!”
The four nearly lost control of their anger and rushed to fight the Second Chief, unaware that his fury was even greater than theirs…
The deaths of over forty members of the Black Wind Gang, along with their own injuries, filled him with shame and rage. He drew his great sword, kicked aside Little Whirlwind Li’s body, and strode forward ready to cause trouble for them. The remaining seven bandits followed closely!
No… only five left.
The moment the Second Chief kicked aside Little Whirlwind Li’s body, Happy’s eyes turned red. Without a word, two willow leaf knives flew from his waist, slicing through the dim forest. They struck two of the Second Chief’s subordinates simultaneously—before they could even gasp, they were lifted off the ground by immense force and crashed down beside Little Whirlwind Li’s body with a thud.
Ximen Qing and the others were right behind him. Happy would not retreat further!
His handsome face darkened as if dripping with menace, his brows furrowed with intense killing intent. His eyes, like cold stars, fixed on the bandits charging from the Second Chief’s flanks. The two willow leaf knives seemed to come alive, slipping into his hands in an instant. Without pause, they vanished into the air like mist!
He could no longer retreat. The Second Chief was right there, and if he stepped back, Ximen Qing, Qiankunzi, Xuanzhong, and Canglang would all be in danger!
They had helped him carry out the mission, but not to die for him…
Xuan Kun and Little Whirlwind Li were dead! No one else could die!!
Happy’s gaze was cold and resolute. With a slight shake of his hands, the willow leaf knives appeared with a barely audible sound around the necks and chests of two more bandits…
At that moment, Ximen Qing, standing behind Happy, briefly saw a blur, as if he saw a faint white glow surrounding the two knives quickly grasped by Happy.
“It must be my eyes…”
Ximen Qing shook his head and looked again. Just in time to see Happy strike a third time! This time, it was clearer… There indeed was a faint white glow around the knives, yet Happy, holding them, seemed completely unaware of this anomaly.
Faster! More decisive! Even those standing behind him couldn’t track the knives’ trajectory before seeing two more men fall to the ground, clutching their chests.

He swiftly dealt with the last three bandits from Black Wind Fort. Only then did Kai Xin whisper in relief, “Be careful!” Before drawing his Gentleman’s Sword with the purple sword hilt, he drew it out with a whoosh and charged at the lone, murderous-looking “Second Fort Master.”
“Looking for death!”
Filled with rage, the Second Fort Master roared, his speed surging as he spun and swung his great sword like a wheel.
“No wonder he turned to banditry—he’s just a brute who knows how to use strength!” With the Gentleman’s Sword in hand, Kai Xin remained calm, his mind unified and expression steady.
He moved swiftly in the Eight Trigrams steps, skillfully dodging the Second Fort Master’s attacks, then drew his sword from the Kun position. His robes fluttered in the wind, but his sword remained steady, moving freely as he aimed its cold tip at areas unprotected by armor—arms, thighs—forcing the Second Fort Master to defend himself.
His swordsmanship was fierce, with powerful and continuous moves that were unstoppable once unleashed!
But the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Sword was not afraid of such attacks.
With its ever-changing patterns and speed, it offered both opportunities to retreat or press forward, allowing Kai Xin to hold his own against opponents unless there was a huge disparity in strength. Perhaps he wouldn’t have resorted to the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Sword if he hadn’t exhausted his internal energy from overusing the Willow Leaf Darts earlier.
Kai Xin planned to save the little remaining true energy in his dantian for a decisive strike at the right moment, rather than rushing in now to inflict minor injuries on the Second Fort Master and then fleeing.
“Elder Brother, don’t let him get away!”
“We have to avenge our brother and Little Li!”
The others cheered him on, but even Ximen Qing didn’t dare to join the fight between these top experts.
Although Kai Xin’s swordsmanship didn’t seem to have reached the tenth level, he remained calm and agile under the Second Fort Master’s fierce attacks—something Ximen Qing couldn’t do.
After all, the four of them were novices with little experience. They couldn’t tell that Kai Xin was using his martial expertise to outmaneuver the Second Fort Master; they thought he could even match him up close, which filled them with excitement.
Whenever the Second Fort Master roared in anger, the four of them retorted together, cursing him mercilessly.
But as time passed…
They gradually realized the fight seemed endless.
One move from him, one counter from them.
By the end, even the onlookers could tell their moves were becoming repetitive.
Qiankunzi’s mouth twitched:

“Uh, well… do you guys find this strange?”
“What?”
Cang Lang, who was watching intently, replied without turning his head.
He was also skilled in swordsmanship and had drawn some inspiration from the Second Chief’s fierce fighting style, making him very enthusiastic.
But for the others, it wasn’t so clear—the Second Chief’s relentless attacks seemed rather ruthless; Happy’s calm demeanor was even more strange—calm, focused, increasingly detached, as if an obsessed martial artist who had forgotten everything around him, utterly unshakable.
After watching for a long time, Xi Men Qing sadly realized that the life-or-death duel between the two had somehow turned into a competition of martial skills!
Happy showed no intention of using his flying knives, while the Second Chief, unable to let his brothers die and frustrated by his lack of success, grew increasingly irritable. As a faint gust of wind appeared, a faint edge began to form on his great sword.
His gaze sharpened, and a hint of joy appeared in Happy’s eyes.
“Just in time!”
The sword tip turned, emitting a howling sound! Its momentum suddenly changed, abandoning its previous gentle defensive stance and becoming much more fierce! The leaves in the dense forest fell silently, blown even harder by the frequent howling winds from the sword, sometimes even striking the Second Chief’s metal armor and sparking brilliantly.
As swords and knives clashed, the killing intent grew stronger; wind rose, and leaves danced wildly!
Despite the change in the sword’s momentum, Happy was still at a disadvantage. Many times, he dared not directly confront the Second Chief, which only strengthened the latter’s momentum, creating a perilous situation.
Finally, Happy stopped holding back and, as he moved forward and backward, shot his willow-leaf knives at intervals, turning the tide of the losing battle.
The brief exchange was extremely dangerous—any slight mistake could mean death.
All four were shocked!
Only then did they realize that the two who had been fighting for so long had only now shown their true strength…
It turned out the Second Chief had been hiding his abilities.
Happy too!
“What a great eldest brother of the Murong family…”
Xi Men Qing watched for a long time, shaking his head in disbelief and sighing deeply.
Before he could finish speaking, another cut was made on the Second Chief’s calf by a willow-leaf knife. Combined with the wounds from previous clashes, he looked bloody and terrifying.
“The green mountains remain, the waters flow on… You brat! I’ll get revenge on you for this…” The Second Chief’s movements grew slower, and he finally considered retreating.
But!
Happy had no intention of letting this old friend who had fought against him for so long escape unscathed!

Pushed back by the second stronghold master’s sword, the Gentleman’s Sword immediately retreated into the Cosmos Bag. The moment the second stronghold master turned and leaped into the air, two willow-leaf daggers landed in his hands at the same time…
Thwack!
Pfft!
The second stronghold master swung his sword to block, but unfortunately only managed to block one of the daggers… The other cold blade pierced straight through his chest without any obstruction!