Chapter Seventy-Three: A Narrow Victory

After the death of the alpha wolf, the pack, driven by instinct, continued to chase the fleeing bandits. At this moment, not a single wolf disturbed the duel between Su Bai and his opponent.

The cool autumn night wind stirred, sharpening the tension between the two men, making the atmosphere crackle with hostility.

The chief, upon confirming Su Bai’s status, realized that the young man before him—someone young enough to be his son—actually possessed martial skills equal to his own. Worse still, he was no longer at his peak. Despite years of battle-hardened experience, he could not guarantee victory.

Su Bai, too, harbored concerns. Though his cultivation matched that of the chief, he had never fought a life-or-death battle before. The previous scuffles at Dayan Sect had been chaotic and unrefined, incomparable to the enemy before him.

They stood locked in a stalemate, neither willing to make the first move.

Yet the chief was wounded, and prolonging the standoff would only worsen his disadvantage. Left with no choice, he drew a steel blade from a nearby corpse and charged at Su Bai.

Su Bai sidestepped, his right fist gathering force as he struck at the chief’s abdomen.

The chief was prepared; he raised his left knee, causing Su Bai’s punch to ache from the impact.

Using the momentum, Su Bai rolled backward, drawing his sword from his waist with his left hand. The blade sang as Su Bai poised himself, thrusting at the chief.

The chief, having missed with his first swing, spun around to block, the blade positioned perfectly to intercept Su Bai's thrust, as if he had anticipated the sword’s trajectory. The tip pressed against the steel, unable to advance.

The chief sneered, clearly seeing through Su Bai’s simplistic fighting style. It was obvious the youth had never faced mortal combat. Once he exhausted Su Bai's tricks, he would strike mercilessly.

Su Bai noticed this, quickly withdrawing his sword and widening the distance between them.

The chief immediately pressed his advantage, launching a relentless assault.

As Su Bai landed, he looked up to see a three-foot-long blade descending upon him. He pivoted and stepped aside. The blade swept horizontally through the air, aiming for his waist.

“Ah!” Su Bai, sensing danger, bent low to dodge. The razor edge sliced past barely ten centimeters from his eyes, sending cold sweat down his back. In the next instant, he spun his body one hundred eighty degrees, hands planted on the ground as he kicked at the chief, targeting the space between his legs.

The chief responded by slashing straight for Su Bai’s leg, showing no intent to block.

Su Bai had no choice but to retract his right leg and roll away, rising to his feet after tumbling twice.

“Hahaha! You brat, tonight I’ll make you wish you were dead!” The chief, sensing Su Bai’s fear, grew even more arrogant, swinging his blade with increasing ease.

“Bang!” Su Bai attempted to block, but the blow sent him staggering back several steps. Feeling the ache in his hands, Su Bai realized the gap in combat skill between himself and the chief.

While he was calculating his next move, the chief kicked him in the abdomen. Distracted, Su Bai was sent flying several yards.

As he soared backward, a sleeve arrow shot from Su Bai toward the chief’s brow. The chief was startled; unable to block with his blade, he raised his arm to shield his face.

Crash! Su Bai collided with a tree, sending leaves rustling.

“You little bastard! Dare to ambush me? I’ll flay you alive!” Blood poured from the wounds the chief had suffered battling the alpha wolf, and his vicious, blood-soaked face made him look like an enraged deity.

He advanced toward Su Bai, each step evoking dread.

“Cough, cough.” Su Bai felt as though his bones were about to shatter; the burning pain in his abdomen kept him from rising.

“Die!” The chief raised his blade, poised to cleave Su Bai in two.

Yet Su Bai suddenly lunged, gripping the end of his sword hilt. His body straightened like an arrow loosed from a bow, charging at the chief’s face.

The chief realized Su Bai was determined to take him down with him. With his superior combat prowess, there was no need to risk mutual destruction. He withdrew his blade, hurriedly shielding himself.

But this time, Su Bai changed his trajectory. The sword twisted lightly, and blood gushed from the chief’s right wrist.

In pain, the chief’s grip loosened. Seizing the opportunity, Su Bai’s left fist smashed upward.

Clang! The steel blade fell to the ground, the chief clutching his wounded wrist and retreating. Now Su Bai had the upper hand, unwilling to let the chance slip.

He thrust his sword at the chief’s left chest; the chief tried to dodge, only to find his bulky frame no match for Su Bai’s agile swordplay.

Su Bai knew he couldn’t finish the opponent immediately, so he focused on deepening the wounds from the wolf’s claws and teeth, slashing those areas with precision.

Before long, the chief lost too much blood to evade effectively.

Seizing his moment, Su Bai aimed to pierce the chief’s throat.

The chief closed his eyes, resigned to death, but the sword never fell.

Opening his eyes again, he saw Su Bai standing beside him, sword pressed against his neck, left sleeve aimed at his forehead.

“What are you doing?” the chief asked, his voice trembling. For some reason, the youth had spared him.

Su Bai’s tone was chilling: “I’ll ask you one thing. Answer, and I’ll let you live. If you refuse, you know what I’ll do.”

“What do you want to know?” The chief sensed danger but asked anyway.

“Did someone tell you to set up all of this in advance?” Su Bai’s voice was soft but struck the chief like a blow to the chest.

He hadn’t expected the youth to see through it so easily, but that wasn’t his main concern.

“Well, that person isn’t here. If I reveal a bit, maybe the kid will spare me,” the chief thought.

“Hurry up!” Su Bai’s impatience was clear.

The only reason he could still fight, despite his agony, was the pill he had taken. Its effects lasted only half an incense stick, so he had fought desperately, hoping to defeat the chief quickly.

He had observed the situation for some time, especially when Gu Fanshuang was surrounded, but by then Baxia was dead.

The wolf pack had been driven mad by the powder Su Bai had acquired from Ni Hanyan, combined with the beast-attracting powder the bandits carried. Su Bai placed the beast powder with Ni Hanyan’s corpse, guiding the wolves step by step.

He also noticed the bandits dared not harm Gu Fanshuang. She had once shared her story with him, and after investigating, he learned she was from the Gu Qingyun lineage, now reduced to only Gu Qingyun and Gu Fanshuang.

He guessed the bandits acted under orders from the higher-ups at Blood River Tower, explaining why they spared Gu Fanshuang.

Su Bai’s sword pressed closer to the chief’s throat, the cold steel making him shrink back.

“I’ll talk! That day, someone wearing a—” the chief began, but before he could finish, an arrow pierced his chest, shooting through and embedding itself in a nearby tree. The white fletching was soaked in blood.

“Wearing what?!” Su Bai’s voice was hoarse, shouting loudly.

This time, he truly lost control.

This ordeal was never meant as a trial for copper-skin apprentices—it was a death sentence! Even now, the bandits remained intent on protecting the chance to connect with Gu Qingyun.

“So low birth is so despised, then,” Su Bai thought, kneeling with his sword planted in the ground.

The effects of the pill reversed, causing unbearable pain that made even kneeling difficult.

The bleak autumn wind lifted Su Bai’s hair, hiding his face. His expression twisted in agony, the pain returning tenfold—a torment few could endure.

Su Bai silently shouted to himself, “Su Bai, endure it. They don’t see you as human; you can’t give up now.”

He stifled his groans, unwilling to let others see his misery.

He felt little emotion about such trials that disregarded disciples’ lives, but the feeling of being a pawn, unable to control his fate, deeply wounded him.

From the Su Royal Mansion to Dayan, from the rebel camp to Blood River Tower, Su Bai had witnessed too many deaths. Baxia’s passing barely touched him, but when the arrow killed the chief, he knew he was merely a plaything in others’ hands, powerless to resist. The arrow was a warning: some truths should not be pursued.

The road ahead is long; losing patience in small matters disrupts greater plans, Su Bai reflected, his hands gripping the earth, fists clenched tight.

Far away, Qinglong watched Su Bai trembling on the ground, feeling guilt but not revealing himself. Instead, he bowed deeply toward Su Bai’s position and murmured, “Your Highness, Qinglong will do everything in his power to fulfill the Marshal’s last wish. Even if it costs my life, I will help you!”

With that, Qinglong swept his embroidered robe, stepping lightly away like a breeze among the branches.

Su Bai finally succumbed to the overwhelming pain, fainting within the time it takes to finish a cup of tea.

When he awoke, he found his head resting on something soft and warm. Opening his eyes, he saw Gu Fanshuang lying on her side, propping her face with one hand as she dozed. Her flawless cheeks still bore traces of blood and tears.

He was lying flat on a massive stone, his head pillowed on Gu Fanshuang’s thigh, a mat of straw beneath him.

Seeing her exhausted state, Su Bai reached out to wipe her face.

“Mm! Stop it,” Gu Fanshuang mumbled, turning her face away and opening sleepy eyes. Her dark circles revealed she hadn’t slept the whole night.

Feeling his touch, she looked down at Su Bai. When she saw his gentle smile, she could no longer hold back her trembling heart.

She hugged Su Bai tight, her tears soaking his clothes in moments.

Though Su Bai’s body still ached, he endured the pain without complaint, seeing the girl cry so bitterly.

After half an incense’s time, Gu Fanshuang reluctantly released him.

Seeing her red, tearful eyes, Su Bai struggled to lift his hand and wiped her tears, saying, “Why are you crying? Everything’s fine, isn’t it? Look, I’m not missing any limbs, and I’m as strong as ever.”

Gu Fanshuang knew he was lying. When Su Bai’s body convulsed, she had already woken up and stayed by his side, listening to him mutter nonsense—though she only understood three words: “Imperial Guards.”

Everyone has their secrets; Gu Fanshuang didn’t press him, choosing instead to keep watch until he awoke.

Su Bai then asked, “Where’s Xue Jiahuan? I remember pulling her up into the tree. Where did she go?”

“Jiahuan took Baxia’s body and left.”

Gu Fanshuang recalled the previous night: Xue Jiahuan, devastated, watched over Baxia’s corpse, gently closed his eyes, then said calmly to Gu Fanshuang, “You two should go back. If anyone asks about us, just say we all died here.”

She then dragged Baxia’s body onto a small cart, tying herself to it with hemp rope. With one leg crippled, she splinted it with a stick and hobbled down the mountain.

Gu Fanshuang offered no comfort, only silently watched Xue Jiahuan’s stumbling departure.

“Ah!!”

Xue Jiahuan’s howl echoed, filled with a heart-wrenching agony. Gu Fanshuang closed her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks.

She knew Xue Jiahuan was alive, but her heart had died. With a crippled leg and no distinguished family, she would never achieve greatness.

Elsewhere—

Gu Fanshuang and Su Bai spent half a month returning to the sect.

The difficulty of the mission earned them great rewards, especially after Gu Fanshuang reported the ordeal and Su Bai’s feat of single-handedly clearing hundreds of blue-eyed white wolves and over a hundred bandits. She omitted the duel against the marrow-refining chief, claiming instead that the wolves eliminated the bandits. The vice sect master (Qinglong) instructed Su Bai’s master to tell him that after the New Year, he would receive a grand gift and should reach the fifth level of marrow refinement soon.

Su Bai was alarmed that the vice sect master knew his level, but secretly delighted. His progress would eventually be discovered, but the vice sect master seemed intent on concealing his true strength, offering silent protection.

Su Bai grew more curious about the vice sect master: “I wonder if, after the New Year, it will finally be time for us to meet.” For some reason, the prospect of this meeting made his heart race.