Chapter 33: Causality (III)

Beneath the moonlight on the high platform, a young man wearing a dark gray conical hat stood firm against the wind. With his phoenix-like eyes and crescent-shaped brows, anyone who glanced at him would be instantly drawn to his slender figure. From afar, he appeared to be dressed only in a long robe with wide sleeves; the dark gray hem trailed to the ground without a trace of dust. Accompanied by the clear ringing of a bronze bell, he continued to bewitch the people in the area, his hoarse voice rising and falling as he composed a mournful song for the souls.

The most unpredictable thing in the world is human hearts!

“Deen!”
Li Kuo could hold back no longer and finally called out. It was Feng Deen—Feng Deen, his childhood friend. Ever since he disappeared from Chang’an years ago, Li Kuo had never seen him again. Who would have thought he would encounter him here after so many years!

Hearing this familiar voice, Feng Deen also trembled and slowly turned his head to look at Li Kuo. Greed, resentment, malice, and emptiness—Li Kuo couldn’t make sense of those eyes, no longer clear as before. He was no longer the Deen he knew; he truly wasn’t!

Where had he been all these years? What had he done? Why had he become like this? Why was he working for those Tibetan demon monks?

As Li Kuo pondered these questions, someone rushed at him with a sword!

It was Feng Deen.

Feng Deen drew his sword, its force immense and deadly sharp. Li Kuo was shocked—normally, long swords were the lightest among weapons, and battles relied more on skill. Yet Feng Deen’s sword defied this convention, combining the dominance of a broadsword with the power of a spear.

Deen had always had incredible strength. If he managed to land that strike, Li Kuo’s chances of survival would be slim.

Li Kuo quickly retreated and seized the opportunity to pull out a short sword from his sleeve. Sword against sword, shield against blade!

In the blink of an eye, the two weapons clashed, generating an aura of heroic intensity that seemed to reach the heavens. Li Kuo’s short sword managed to hold back Feng Deen’s deadly blade!

Chasing winds in the wilderness, crying in despair, fighting among friends—these were perhaps the funniest things in the world. Yet today, Li Kuo encountered all of them. Was it the unpredictability of life or sheer irony?

Although Li Kuo lacked Feng Deen’s strength, he had served in the army for many years, and his strength was far beyond ordinary people’s. Feng Deen’s attack gained no advantage at all. Unable to overcome him, Feng Deen changed tactics—taking a deep breath before stepping back.

This strange move left Li Kuo utterly confused. Before he could figure out Feng Deen’s intention, he felt a sword strike coming toward his lower body.

No good!

Feng Dern had actually used retreat as a tactic to turn the situation around, draining most of Li Kuo’s strength before striking at his lower body. Li Kuo quickly stepped back! His cloth boots slid across the ground, leaving a shallow groove behind. Swift in attack and relentless in departure—such was Feng Dern’s nature! He was accustomed to pushing himself into utter desperation, leaving no room for retreat at all! The intense friction from his shoes emitted a hissing sound, but Li Kuo dared not lose focus for even a moment; he could sense the deadly intent in Feng Dern’s sword—pure intuition! There was clearly a hint of resentment in Feng Dern’s eyes. What was he resenting? What was he hating? Yet Feng Dern spoke only through speed—his immense strength allowed him to push Li Kuo dozens of steps away in just a moment, forcing his childhood friend into a desperate situation! With the silver dragon ahead and the earth walls behind, Li Kuo was now surrounded by peril, with nowhere to escape… Li Kuo’s pupils dilated rapidly; after taking a deep breath, he instinctively turned to the side. But the silver snake refused to miss such an opportunity and bit straight into Li Kuo’s shoulder blade. *Hiss!* Li Kuo took a deep breath of cold air—the intense pain made every muscle in his body tremble, amplifying even the slightest movement tenfold. Qingfeng Longjian sliced across Li Kuo’s shoulder, spraying blood mist! Feng Dern’s lips curled slightly, as if satisfied. But he wasn’t content with that and once again charged at Li Kuo with his sword. It was only then that Li Kuo realized Feng Dern intended to fight to the death. Though heartbroken, he had no choice but to meet him head-on. “Brother Kuo, actually, in this world, the right to choose is never in our hands from the start…” For some reason, Li Kuo suddenly remembered a sentence Feng Dern had said when he brought him back from Leyouyuan. Now, reflecting on it, he felt a faint sadness and helplessness. Indeed, life itself is a form of cultivation, but the rules of that cultivation are never something we can choose. Aside from a few who can grit their teeth and persevere, most give up halfway—some surrender themselves, while others fall into madness in anger. And Feng Dern clearly belonged to the latter group. “Ugh, ugh!” Severe burning pain came from the wound, and dark red blood spilled from his shoulder, causing Li Kuo to frown tightly. The sword was poisoned! “Cough, cough!” As time passed, the burning sensation at the wound grew more intense, eventually becoming as painful as if thousands of ants were gnawing at him!

By now, he no longer harbored any illusions about Feng Dene. There was nothing more painful in life than having one’s former friend betray them. Li Kuo felt utter despair.
Feng Dene struck again, his sword strike fierce and filled with murderous intent.
The cold moon made hearts even colder.
With this sword strike, Feng Dene severed the deep friendship that had bound him and Li Kuo for over a decade!…
“Hurry up and strike—give me a quick end.”
Li Kuo stared blankly at his once-familiar yet now strange friend, smiling coldly.
“At this point, why pretend to be a sage? Are you really not afraid of death?”
Looking at Li Kuo, who stood with his back against the earthen wall, looking mocking, Feng Dene finally spoke. He truly couldn’t understand why, after all these years, Li Kuo still retained such a foolish and naive temperament. How could someone like him survive in a cruel world?
“I’m not like you, at least not like the you of now.”
Li Kuo forced himself to stand upright, responding sharply.
“Good! Then I’ll give you that quick end!”
With a sharp cry, Feng Dene gathered his strength and thrust his long sword forward.
“Get out of the way!”
Li Sheng appeared out of nowhere from mid-air, pushing Li Kuo aside with a powerful shove. With a quick flip and a slight push from his toes, he stood firmly five steps away from Feng Dene.
“Reveal your name. I don’t want to owe debts to some unknown fool.”
Spitting lightly, Li Sheng glanced at Feng Dene disdainfully and said coldly.
“Ha, haha.”
Feng Dene laughed loudly, waving at the many Tibetan monks behind him: “You overestimate yourselves! Kill him!”
Dozens of men in black appeared instantly in the darkness, each holding a standard crossbow. The dark handles glowed with an eerie silver light under the flickering candlelight along the banks of the Jade Belt River.
“Fire!”
Short, simple, forceful.
There was no need for much hesitation between life and death.
Sometimes, the choice came down to a single moment.
Dozens of crossbows fired simultaneously. Arrows shot through the air, forming a dense net that rushed toward Li Kuo and Li Sheng with a whooshing sound.
A tearing wind filled the air, laden with murderous intent. Dozens of arrows with eagle feathers struck at Li Sheng’s vital points at lightning speed—the situation was critical!
They were getting closer! Just as the arrows were about to hit Li Sheng’s chest, he drew his sword decisively! The strike was as swift as thunder, as fast as lightning.
The simple sword traced a semicircle in the air, descending like a meteor. At that moment, sword and man became one; the hilt bent slightly inward, tracing a delicate arc to rest right across his chest.

Those short crossbow arrows fell just three steps in front of Li Sheng, forming a cluster like a delicate plum blossom—perfectly in place, not an inch off!
The moon hung low, and the night was eerily quiet, so quiet that one could hear the soft sound of leaves falling, the buzzing of insects in midsummer, and the fragile beating of each person’s heart.
With a light step with his left foot, Li Sheng used the momentum to rise, drawing a half-circle in the air before swinging his sword horizontally straight at Feng Deyen’s face.
Though he didn’t know this man’s identity, his cunning ways surely meant he wasn’t a good person. Since he wanted to harm the commander, he first had to overcome Li Sheng.
After all, Li Sheng was from a military family and had exceptional swordsmanship. His swift strike left Feng Deyen with no chance to dodge.
Leaning slightly backward, Feng Deyen drew a strip of steel from his waist and met Li Sheng’s sword with it. With a slight twist, he spun Li Sheng’s fierce sword around completely!
Only under the dim moonlight could everyone see that the strip of steel was actually a soft sword—a magnificent blade forged from precision steel and worn at the waist!
The soft sword moved like a caterpillar retracting and like a dragon coiling. With a gentle twist from Feng Deyen, most of Li Sheng’s sword force was neutralized. Using his right foot as an axis, he drew a full circle, and with a slight shake of his wrist, he sent the remaining force of Li Sheng’s sword back at him, forcing Li Sheng to retreat several steps.
Damn it! How does this guy possess such sword skills?
Li Sheng inwardly cried out in alarm but couldn’t show the slightest sign.
Life and death hinged on a single moment—retreating now would mean certain destruction!