Marilyn hadn't expected a man to stand up for her before she died. When she recognized Fang Jie, the emotion overwhelmed her. Her carefully controlled emotions nearly crumbled, and her hand gripping the sword trembled. Ultimately, no matter how strong she was, she was still just a woman. Faced with this life-or-death ordeal, she had done more than enough.
"Thank you!"
She bit her lip and uttered those two words, completely ignoring Fang Jie's earlier curse of "get lost." She had never felt such gratitude before, because no one had seen Fang Jie block that finger strike more clearly than her. The broken sword swayed, Fang Jie's arm trembled, and she even saw the muscles in his arm quiver. Because of this, she could sense Fang Jie's condition better than anyone else.
He wasn't confident he could defeat the young monk, but he still appeared before the enemy.
"What's your name?" Fang Jie asked.
"Marilyn," Marilyn replied.
"Do you know how ugly and annoying you are? Standing behind me, you're nothing but annoyance; you can't help me at all. If you don't want to die, get out of my way. And those guys behind you, what can you do besides throw your lives away? Why don't you run away?"
"You won't run away!"
Marilian took a step forward and shouted, "Why should we run away!"
With a thud, Fang Jie kicked Marilian in the stomach without turning around. The stubborn woman rolled down the hillside, her face contorted in pain as she finally regained her balance. Fang Jie's kick and his previous words enraged the students from the martial arts academy. They rushed down to help Marilian up, some offering comfort, others berating her.
Fang Jie didn't look back at them, nor did he listen to their insults. Whether he was talking to Marilian or kicking her away, his eyes were fixed on Chen Ya in the distance. Although he had only met this young monk once, he had deeply etched his face into his memory. When they first met, Chen Ya was severely injured and being carried by the old monk. Fang Jie's knife had torn Chen Ya's clothes and left a wound on his body, but in less than ten days, Chen Ya looked nothing like a seriously injured person.
Fang Jie was furious.
Extremely furious.
Because he finally understood the meaning behind the strange look in Professor Mo Wanwu's eyes when he looked at him earlier. This so-called trip to the mountain retreat to eat fish by the pool seemed to have been premeditated. Mo Wanwu knew that the Buddhist sect members were hiding in Half-Moon Mountain, but he hadn't told the students.
None of him had told Fang Jie either.
This was the root of Fang Jie's anger.
He didn't like being used like an idiot, nor did he like Mo Wanwu's methods. He had not only used Fang Jie as bait, but had even disregarded the lives of thirty-two students from Class B of the Martial Arts Academy. This was not how the Sui people should act, although from the perspective of the Sui Dynasty, Mo Wanwu might not have done anything wrong.
If Mo Wanwu appeared before Fang Jie now, Fang Jie might not be able to resist punching him in the nose. But what he really wanted to do now was to cut off the young monk's head.
"I see."
Chen Ya quickly understood the meaning behind Fang Jie's words and couldn't help but laugh: "Today I finally have a new understanding of the Sui people. It turns out that the Sui people are also ruthless in achieving their goals, willing to sacrifice innocent lives. Since that's the case, I really don't know where your inherent pride comes from, or how hypocritical it is."
"Generalizing from a single example is a stupid theory."
Fang Jie tightened the sleeves of his robe, seemingly relaxing his vigilance towards Chen Ya. He even dared to bend down and tear strips of cloth from the hem of his robe to tie the cuffs tightly. The martial arts academy's uniform was too loose and not suitable for combat.
"The Sui Dynasty has hundreds of millions of people, and among them are bound to be a few bastards."
Fang Jie tied his cuffs and took a step forward. "But you can't deny that the Mongol Yuan people are all bastards."
"Do you think you can survive in front of me?"
Looking at Fang Jie's earnest preparations, Chen Ya seemed extremely interested. "I once thought that when I saw you again, I wouldn't wait to kill you. Even I'm surprised I allowed you to talk to me so much. But you seem ungrateful for my mercy. Don't you think your preparations for the fight are childish and full of flaws?"
"So you're just an idiot."
Fang Jie slowly took a breath. "When you had the best chance to kill me, you hesitated, wondering if it was a flaw I deliberately revealed, if there was some conspiracy. Now you should know, there's nothing. I just thought tying my sleeves would make it more comfortable to beat you up. Disappointed?"
Chen Ya's expression changed slightly, then he sighed. "Then die."
He raised a finger and pointed it at Fang Jie's forehead. ...
...
The old monk held an extremely high position, ranking second among the Four Heavenly Venerables of Buddhism. Within Buddhism, the Great Wheel King had gone into seclusion eleven years prior, entrusting all affairs to his disciple, Great Freedom, who was also the Great Heavenly Venerable. Consequently, Wisdom's status also rose.
Such a revered person, outside of the Sui Dynasty, would receive the most lavish treatment and the most sincere reverence.
However, in the Sui Dynasty, this second Heavenly Venerable of Buddhism was reduced to hiding in a desolate mountain. For Buddhism, and for him personally, this was a profound disgrace.
But the most peculiar thing about Buddhism was that the more virtuous a monk, the better he could portray everything. What others saw as shame, he could earnestly explain as the Buddha's compassion for humanity. But Wisdom's status was too noble, so even Chenya dared not let him walk. The first thing he did after capturing Fang Henshui was to have him carried in a sedan chair.
Therefore, the equality of all beings is truly a load of nonsense.
He seemed unsurprised when Fang Jie appeared, and didn't stop Chen Ya from attacking. No one knew better than himself that if he wanted to kill Fang Jie, Fang Jie would have been reduced to ashes upon their first meeting. But he didn't, which contradicted his initial intention in sending Chen Ya to hunt down Fang Jie.
Because upon seeing Fang Jie, he suddenly realized he was wrong, terribly wrong.
The moment he realized this, he was drenched in sweat, which is why he spared Fang Jie's life. However, after entering the mountains, he realized something else. So he returned to his original thought, still believing Fang Jie deserved to die. More than ever before, so he didn't stop Chen Ya from attacking.
He knew very well the consequences of his decision, but at this point, what did he need to consider? He couldn't tell anyone about what he had figured out, not even Chen Ya.
When he saw Fang Jie launch the fireworks signal into the sky, this revered old monk in the Western Regions didn't stop him. If he wanted to, even from a great distance, Fang Jie would never have launched the fireworks. Then, he did something that shocked everyone, including Chen Ya.
After the fireworks exploded in the sky, before Chen Ya could make his move against Fang Jie,
the old monk suddenly floated down from the large rock, carrying the now-human Fang Henshui in one hand, and soared into the distance. He quickly disappeared from everyone's sight, flying away like an eagle seizing its prey. At that moment, Chen Ya pointed a finger at Fang Jie's forehead.
The timing was perfect, so Chen Ya was distracted.
Chen Ya's cultivation was far superior to Fang Jie's; if they fought like this, even ten Fang Jies wouldn't survive. But just as he was about to make his move, his master escaped. He hadn't given him any warning, abandoning him here like a pile of excrement. This humiliation and anger were unbearable even for Chen Ya.
Fang Jie quickly ducked, and the force of his finger strike shot over Chen Ya's head, piercing a small, round hole in a tree that would take two people to encircle. The force didn't dissipate; it continued forward, severing a branch, and finally struck a boulder, creating a deep crater.
Scrap stones flew everywhere.
Fang Jie couldn't help but feel relieved, because Chen Ya had revealed an opening.
The young monk's mind was in turmoil. His finger strike hadn't been withdrawn; instead, it flew out like a wild horse. When it finally struck the boulder, it no longer resembled a single finger strike, but rather an angry fist.
He slashed at Chen Ya, his right arm seemingly snapping off mid-air, the broken blade cleaving at an incomprehensible angle, its chilling force aimed directly at Chen Ya's chest. Even with Chen Ya's quick reaction, he was still forced into a panic. He had no choice but to retreat, dodging Fang Jie's seemingly unreasonable attack.
He desperately wanted to turn back and see why his master had abandoned him and fled.
Without his master's support, how long could he hold out against the Sui Dynasty's experts who would arrive following the fireworks? Was there any chance of survival?
His mind was in turmoil.
When the thought of retreat arises in a person's heart, they have already begun to fall from a position of absolute advantage. He could have easily killed Fang Jie, at least that's what he thought. But now, because of his disarray, he was being forced to retreat repeatedly by Fang Jie.
The students from the Martial Arts Academy hadn't fled far, although they were furious at Fang Jie's arrogance and rudeness. But as students of the Sui Dynasty's Martial Arts Academy, they foolishly upheld the Sui Dynasty's unwavering will to die rather than submit. When they saw their comrade Fang Jie gain the upper hand, each of them felt a heartfelt joy. No matter how much they had previously looked down on, hated, envied, or rejected Fang Jie, now, they stood behind him, cheering him on in their hearts.
Marilyn's eyes remained fixed on the boy's figure, and for some reason, she felt no hatred for him kicking her.
Just when they thought Fang Jie would win, Chen Ya, realizing he had been used as bait, suddenly became ruthless. He struck abruptly, seizing Fang Jie's right arm with a speed almost imperceptible to the naked eye. With a twist of his wrist, a snap echoed, and Fang Jie's right arm broke off, the broken sword falling limply to the ground.
"You are ultimately too weak, though slightly stronger than them. In my eyes, you are still just an ant. You like wielding a sword with a severed arm, don't you? Then I'll grant your wish."
With another twist of his wrist, Fang Jie's right arm was twisted into a pretzel.
Fang Jie's body writhed in agony.
Chen Ya's expression was contorted, seemingly unable to bear the loss of his master. Fang Jie's right arm was twisted to a chilling degree, and this twisting contortion made his current posture extremely painful. Amidst the gasps of Marilyn and the others, Fang Jie seemed trapped in a dead end.
"I like… wielding a sword with a severed arm… What do you like?"
Fang Jie, who should have been in agony, actually had the mind to ask such a question.
Chen Ya was slightly surprised, then noticed Fang Jie's slightly reddened eyes. For some reason, this Sui man, whom he considered weak, instilled a sense of fear in him at this moment.
"You like using your fingers."
Fang Jie sneered: "I sometimes like that too."
Chen Ya's expression changed drastically, and he instinctively looked down. He saw Fang Jie's left arm pierce his lower abdomen in a bizarre way. Then, the seemingly severed left arm thrust forward again, churning his dantian to shreds.
"Sometimes I like to use my whole hand, as long as you're provocative enough, I'll shove it all in!"
Fang Jie smiled sinisterly, seemingly unconcerned about his nearly shattered right arm.
Chenya stared in horror at the hand, suddenly wondering if this demon-like Sui man had deliberately let him grab his right hand. Fang Jie was simply not suited for distance-based combat; his only chance of victory was close-quarters combat.