Chapter 26: The Green Omen (8)

The hand moved; the knife fell.
At this moment, Nan Jiyun felt no fear. He had anticipated that this pharmacy was a liaison point for the Green Guest Alliance. His conclusion wasn’t based on the three members of the alliance suddenly appearing in the pharmacy, but rather on the large number of patients seeking treatment.
After all, the main source of income for a pharmacy should be medicines and remedies. Yet, few people came to buy medicine, and the pharmacy owner seemed indifferent to this. It wasn’t surprising that the pharmacy cooperated with a physician, but the fact that it was a miracle doctor made it seem like the physician was overshadowing the pharmacy itself. That was one thing, but the physician didn’t even work there daily and wandered around, with almost no one knowing when he would be available for consultations. Over time, it would be difficult for the pharmacy to survive, let alone make a profit. Merchants always pursued profit; if the pharmacy owner were truly charitable and indifferent to income, not even a three-year-old child would believe it. When something is abnormal, there must be something suspicious. Yet, even then, Nan Jiyun only suspected the nature of the pharmacy. It wasn’t until he saw “Doctor Wan” leaving Li Kuo alone for a “consultation” that he determined this pharmacy was indeed a hideout of the Green Guest Alliance! No physician would pay attention to a boy buying medicine behind a curtain during a consultation, nor would any physician break his twenty years of medical principles for an unknown boy. Everything was too abnormal—there was only one explanation: they wanted to kill and silence him.
But Nan Jiyun had been waiting for this moment. He never believed in concepts like benevolence, righteousness, propriety, or ethics. In his view, the best way to deal with thugs was to use violence against them. Only by scaring or stunning them could they be prevented from harming himself and his comrades.
Nan Jiyun waved his hand lightly, and Lei Wanchun, Zhang Xun, Zhang Yanji, Chen Xiaoliu, and the others rushed forward, each wielding a sword. The Tang Dynasty didn’t forbid its people from carrying swords, so wealthy families like the Zhangs of Hedong had servants and guards equipped with leather armor and swords. Although Chen Xiaoliu and Zhang Yanji’s combat skills were almost negligible, with just his own skills and those of his senior brother Lei Wanchun, it was easy enough to kill these petty thieves.

With a cunning smile, Wan Langzhong drew a golden whip from behind him. With a slight shake of his wrist, he swung it at the two square tables beside him. A cloud of yellow dust rose as the golden whip coiled around the table legs like a dragon. With a slight force, the two tables rushed toward Nan Jiyun’s face with tremendous momentum. The strike carried the force of thousands of pounds; even someone as powerful as Nan Jiyun dared not confront it head-on. Left with no choice, Nan Jiyun immediately leaned backward, his feet as firm as iron, his body straight as a board, forming a bridge-like stance. With a perfectly timed “Iron Bridge” move, he barely managed to avoid this fierce attack. Yet the tables retained all their momentum and slammed straight into the door behind Nan Jiyun. Soon, amidst swirling dust, the two tables were deeply embedded in the door!

“Hiss.”

Nan Jiyun got up quickly, taking a deep breath. He never expected Wan Langzhong to be so cruel—his moves were deadly enough to kill a person. But Nan Jiyun had no time to think further, as Wan Langzhong’s second whip strike came right after! The golden whip coiled like a dragon and carried the force of a giant python. Nan Jiyun met it with his sword, delivering a powerful slash. With a swift motion, he executed the “Dragon Gate Wave” technique, his sword flashing brightly.

Wan Langzhong simply smiled coldly, twisted the end of the whip above his head, and retreated sideways, lowering his body. With a light motion, he used the “Golden Scales Soul Hook” technique to neutralize Nan Jiyun’s attack. Nan Jiyun hated entangling in fights and was already growing impatient. Shouting loudly, he used the “Kui Xing Kick” to kick the golden whip aside and then charged forward with a sword strike at Wan Langzhong.

In the blink of an eye, Wan Langzhong leaped backward gracefully, using the “Eagle Flip” move to avoid that deadly sword strike.

Lei Wanchun, watching from the side, frowned deeply. His junior disciple used brutal moves, aiming to end the fight quickly. But Wan Langzhong seemed to be waiting for something, always retreating to counter his junior disciple’s aggressive techniques with agile moves. If this continued, his junior disciple would likely run out of strength and be in danger.

As expected, while Nan Jiyun was regaining his breath, he felt a chill on his back. But Nan Jiyun was no ordinary person. With a quick motion, he spun his sword in a circle, gently deflecting the incoming force. He couldn’t help but admire the many skilled warriors in the Qing Ke Meng. When he turned around to see the person’s face, he was shocked.

Moving like a caterpillar and coiling like a dragon, the man was wielding a soft bladed sword made of cast iron. With a green face, sharp fangs, and loose hair, he was actually wearing Zhang Xuance’s mask.

That man was the masked figure who had fought him at Leyouyuan!

The masked man laughed loudly and shouted, “You refuse the path to heaven yet storm into hell without a door. Nan Jiyun, tomorrow on this day will be your death anniversary!” With that, he gently grasped his soft sword and stabbed at his own Shenshu point. Nan Jiyun immediately met the attack with his sword, its motion as swift as thunder. Just as he was about to exert full force, he felt his lower body go weak. Upon closer inspection, he realized that “Doctor Wan’s” golden whip had entangled around his feet like bone-eating maggots, leaving him immobile. Now completely trapped, Nan Jiyun could only swing his sword sideways. Though he managed to barely block the masked man’s soft sword, he was at a severe disadvantage.

Seeing his junior brother in danger, Lei Wanchun could no longer hold back. With a leap, he drew his sword and charged at “Snow Mountain” behind the masked man. His swordsmanship relied on the power of the Youzhou Tyrant Sword. The masked man felt the sword’s energy as if carrying surging river currents, pressing down on him like Mount Tai. With no choice, he retracted his soft sword and swiftly rolled backward. The masked man had intended to parry this move first and then join forces with “Doctor Wan” to kill Nan Jiyun, but his soft sword, made of bluestone and iron, could not withstand the Tyrant Sword’s energy and was sent flying. Unable to dodge in time, the masked man was injured by the energy, flying backward and raising a cloud of yellow dust.

“Pfft.” Spitting out a mouthful of blood, the masked man felt his ribs crack and his heart and lungs ache violently. He forced himself to seal all his acupoints to avoid fainting.

Lei Wanchun, however, wouldn’t give the masked man a chance to recover. With fierce intent, he launched a strike meant to sever the masked man’s head. Just as the sword was three feet away, “Doctor Wan” shook his wrist, sending a “Bluestone Star” toward his own Xuanji point on the chest. This “Bluestone Star” was made of diamond-like material, so Lei Wanchun didn’t dare neglect it and skillfully dodged by tilting slightly. As he prepared to strike again, he felt pain behind his ear—his Yinqiao point had been hit by another “Bluestone Star”! So this pharmacy still had experts from the Green Guest Alliance!

Lei Wanchun’s body went weak, and he fell to the ground. As he tried to use his internal energy to heal himself, he felt suffocation, his meridians locked, and his blood flow blocked.

“Hahaha, Lei Wanchun, you’ve been struck by our Five Meridians Sky Mist. Do you still want to get out alive? I advise you not to waste effort trying to heal yourself. Your meridians are completely corrupted—the more internal energy you use, the faster you’ll die. Save some strength to bury yourself!” the masked man laughed, slapping his chest.

Nan Jiyun struggled to break free from “Doctor Wan’s” golden whip. With a light touch, he brought Lei Wanchun to the side of youths like Li Kuo. Using his internal energy, he expelled the “Bluestone Star,” and a column of black blood instantly gushed out from the acupoint behind his ear.

“It’s time to find out—who of you is ready to die first?”
‘Doctor Wan’ fiddled with the jade ring on his thumb, his eyes filled with malice.
“Senior brother, why waste words with them? Archers, shoot them through!”
The masked man was furious that Lei Wanchun had severely injured him and no longer wanted to talk nonsense with him.
In an instant, two rows of archers and a row of swordsmen rushed out from the back of the pharmacy. At ‘Doctor Wan’s’ command, they would all be pierced by arrows.
“Ah, junior brother, don’t be in such a hurry.”
Waving lightly at the masked man, ‘Doctor Wan’ smiled at Nan Jiyun and said, “Great Hero Nan, Great Hero Lei. I respect you as heroes. How about joining our Qingke Alliance and ending this old feud?”
Nan Jiyun helped Lei Wanchun lean against the wall, then stood up angrily, spitting out, “A bunch of barbarians thinking Grandpa will die for you? Delusional! If you’ve got the guts, come at me—I’d love to stretch my muscles too.”
‘Doctor Wan’ wasn’t annoyed either. His voice turned cold as he said, “Then it’s not my fault.”
With a quick snap of his jade ring, arrows flew everywhere like a dense net.
“Grab your swords!”
Nan Jiyun shouted at the youths, then struck the hilt of his sword in a circular motion. Since most arrows came from above, his movements deflected most of them. Even when a few arrows passed by, their force was reduced, allowing the youths to easily deflect them.
Yet Nan Jiyun was hit by several arrows. Blood seeped through his white robe, dripping down his clothes.
“Drip, drip.”
The blood formed streams, dripping onto the stone slabs and splashing blood mist. The strong smell of blood irritated everyone’s nostrils, filling the youths with rage.
The archers seemed unaffected, retreating to the back in an orderly manner as the second row of crossbowmen took their place.
“Pick up table planks to protect your chests!”
Zhang Xun shouted, “The small military crossbows aren’t as powerful as the feathered arrows, and their range is limited. Protect your chests and faces—ignore everything else!”
The youths used this moment to shield their chests and faces with broken wood planks. Xiao Zhang, the top scholar here, was the oldest among them, so there was no reason to doubt his words!
Li Kuo clenched his sword tightly. At this moment, he had no choice. Brother Lei was poisoned and barely able to fight. Brother Nan was exhausted and couldn’t carry the load alone. He had to summon courage and protect those he cared about, just like a Tang man would.

Seemed to be inspired by Li Kuo’s actions, all the young men stood there with knives in hand, their eyes filled with pride. “We are Tang people! We will never retreat, even to death!”
Zhang Yanji shook off his two bodyguards and drew his sword on his own. The young man had never felt death so close. Until just a moment ago, he had been terrified, shaking all over, hiding behind his own bodyguards. But now, he resolutely took on his own responsibility. “If Brother Kuo can do it, so can I!” The young man clenched his sword stubbornly, a smile appearing on his lips.
Zhang Xun took off his robes and stood there in simple clothes, staring straight ahead. Though he knew they would all die in this small pharmacy, Zhang Xun was not afraid. He was determined to defend his dignity with his blood.
It was eerily quiet inside the pharmacy. Li Kuo could clearly hear the hissing sound of the crossbows being drawn, the tearing sound of arrows piercing the air, and even the beating of his own heart.
It’s getting closer. The arrows came swirling toward Li Kuo’s face. The young man gently pushed the wooden board upward to protect his vital areas. “Ding ding,” “clang clang”—the arrows struck the board, producing various sounds. Li Kuo felt his arms go numb from the force, with hardly any strength left to fight back. The young man forced a wry smile. The arrows were so powerful. If not for Brother Nan’s heroic attempt to block them earlier, he would likely have turned into a hedgehog by now.
The wooden board Chen Xiaoliu found was quite thin, and after a barrage of attacks, it was riddled with holes. With a loud “crack,” an arrow pierced through the board and struck the young man’s shoulder.
“Puh.”
Chen Xiaoliu let out a muffled groan, his back bending slightly as he nearly fell.
“Go behind! Don’t get in the way!”
Zhang Yanji rolled over to Chen Xiaoliu’s side and shouted angrily.
“I, I…”
“Stop talking!”
Zhang Yanji kicked Xiaoliu lightly and filled the gap left by his friend. “I can’t retreat. Brother Lei is right behind me. I can’t back down!”
The arrows grew more frequent and faster. The wooden board gradually emitted a tearing sound, as if bones were breaking. Zhang Shisan, one of Zhang’s bodyguards, had his protective shield pierced by an arrow but failed to dodge in time. A black-tipped arrow pierced directly into his eye socket. At that moment, he seemed to see his newborn son waving at him, but in an instant, the baby’s smile twisted, his lips stained red with blood, followed by endless darkness.
“Ah!”
The man let out a cry of pain, covered his injured eye, and fell backward. Soon after, he was shot to pieces by the arrows following closely behind, ending his suffering.

Another bodyguard, Zhang Hua, saw a black arrow aimed at Zhang Yanji’s lower abdomen and rushed forward without hesitation to protect his young master, using his own body to block the deadly arrow.
“Thud.”
The man clutched his chest and fell to the ground, blood gushing out like a fountain, soaking his clothes. With a look of defiance, he pointed at the sky before ceasing to struggle.
“Huazi, Thirteen!”
Zhang Yanji threw aside his protective gear and ran to the side of the two dead bodyguards, calling out loudly.
The arrows from the crossbows grew fewer, and the attack slowed down. Instinctively, the young men lowered the wooden shields they had been using to protect themselves and tried to assess the situation of the battle.
The archers had retreated, but more than twenty masked swordsmen charged forward, taking advantage of the remaining momentum. They were all dressed in dark black robes, armed with Turkic scimitars, and their expressions were cold and indifferent.
Li Kuo felt a surge of heat in his chest and stepped forward with his sword. He had never held a sword before, nor had he ever killed anyone—he was only sixteen years old. But at this moment, none of that mattered. He had to pick up a sword, had to kill, had to fight like a man.
“Don’t fight them head-on. Scimitars have a small defensive area—try to attack their lower bodies instead.”
Nan Jiyun’s weak voice came from behind, yet at this moment it pierced through the noise of clashing weapons, like the sound of sacred chants…
One of the masked swordsmen saw a naive boy from the Central Plains charging recklessly at him and laughed loudly before slashing downward. He had used this move countless times in horse battles—just making a big cut in those “sheep” was enough to find the next target. The previously injured “sheep” had no chance of survival; they would die from excessive bleeding. But this “foolish sheep” seemed truly stupid—instead of blocking the deadly strike, it tried to slash its own legs! If he swung his sword downward, the “foolish sheep” would die, but he too would be seriously injured or even disabled… Gritting his teeth, the masked swordsman still retracted his blade to protect his legs. Though scimitars were sharp and far more effective for slashing and cutting than straight swords, their defensive area was extremely small. Although this quick retreat saved his legs, it also left a deep cut on his hand from the straight sword. The masked swordsman stared in disbelief at the blood flowing from his hand, then charged forward in shame, determined to tear this “sheep” to pieces.
“Cut his hand holding the sword! Don’t stop—your sword is longer than his; he won’t have a chance to hit you!”
Nan Jiyun’s voice continued to ring in the boy’s ears. Seemed to be fueled by the bloodshed, Li Kuo slashed even more fiercely, eventually turning his attacks into a chaotic mess, without any pattern at all!

Kill, kill, kill! Anyone who gets in my way must die. If I don’t kill them, I’ll die. The boy’s mind was completely blank, and Nan Jiyun’s voice grew increasingly faint. His chest heaved violently with each swing of his sword, forcing the man in black to take a step back. The clash of weapons was intense and dangerous. Though the man in black was far stronger than Li Kuo, this was not a horseback battle, so he couldn’t use the speed of his horse to advantage with his curved sword. That damned Han boy kept slashing wildly without any pattern, relying solely on the length of his weapon to take the initiative! Though frustrated, the man in black dared not relax even for a moment. Although the Han boy’s swordsmanship had no pattern, he fought with all his might, each strike carrying a fierce killing intent. As long as he could hold off his attacks until the boy ran out of strength, he could easily dodge his sword strikes and cut his throat from behind! As he thought this, he saw the Han boy swing his sword at his chest. Learning on the spot, the man in black snorted disdainfully and swung his curved sword at Li Kuo’s lower body, following the same tactic he had used before. But Li Kuo’s sword showed no sign of retreating, lunging at his prey like a demon. “Ah!” The man in black let out a scream as he saw the blade pierce his right shoulder blade. The bone scraped against the blade, emitting a horrifying screeching sound. The “sheep” pulled hard along the blade, cutting through his chest and abdomen. His intestines spilled out onto the ground. The man in black glared at Li Kuo’s lower body, hoping to see his prey with both legs severed, lying there in agony. But no matter how hard he stared, he found that his prized curved sword had only made a shallow cut on the prey’s thigh—the “sheep” still stood firmly in front of him! Why? At the same spot, with the same force, why had he only suffered minor injuries? “Because a curved sword kills by causing large wounds, while a straight sword can kill with a single strike. I targeted your legs because they’re not vital points. You can’t cut them with your curved sword, so I won’t die from bleeding anytime soon.” A faint smile appeared on Li Kuo’s lips as he continued, “But I’ll tear through your internal organs, making it hard for you to survive. But it’s useless for you to know this.” The boy swung his sword again at the man in black’s chest, speaking coldly. Li Kuo’s heart was tumultuous, his hand gripping the sword trembling. Looking at the blood-red blade, the boy forced a bitter smile—he had killed someone. It was his first time killing, so he was nervous and scared. Even though the person he killed was a Turk, and even though he was acting in self-defense…

But there was no time for the youth to ponder—within an instant, two more men in black robes with knives surrounded him. With the first encounter, everything became simpler. Raise the knife, slash diagonally, pull hard. The youth mechanically performed these actions, effortlessly claiming lives. The more people he killed, the more wounds he sustained. Yet, driven by his murderous intent, he found it hard to encounter a rival for a while.

“Can we say we have no clothes? I’ll share my robe with you. The king has raised an army—let’s sharpen our spears and swords. We share the same hatred. Can we say we have no clothes…?”

As a child, his grandfather would always sing this song to him, saying it was a military song of the Tang Dynasty, carried by the footsteps of Tang soldiers to Yangguan, across the Pamir Mountains, to Suiye. A bitter taste filled Li Kuo’s throat as blood gushed out. Waving his hand to wipe the blood from his mouth, the youth felt a sense of peace. Indeed, fighting alongside his brothers, even dying together, was nothing to complain about.

The youth stepped forward with his knife. He didn’t know how far he could go, but a voice in his heart kept urging him to keep moving.

Using his last ounce of strength, he knocked over one of the men in black robes approaching him. Li Kuo felt utterly exhausted and fell to the ground with a smile.

The blood mist grew thicker and denser, eventually transforming into a proud blooming plum blossom. The youth faintly heard the sound of horse hooves in the distance, “Clatter, clatter.”

It grew clearer, approaching faster and faster…

A swirl of yellow dust appeared as a fast horse rushed over. In a flash, a figure jumped off the horse, kicked open the broken wooden door, and shouted, “The Left Jinwu Guard is here by imperial order to suppress the rebels! Those who stand in the way will die!”

Under the vast blue sky, a banner bore the dazzling character “Tang”!