Chapter 68: Lightning Flash
Here, one cannot help but mention a well-known rumor from the martial world some years ago.
It is said that during the Great Zhou, there was an official whose son, barely eighteen, had grown up reading all sorts of storybooks and novels. Long enamored with the freedom and adventure of the martial realm, he one day slipped away from home to seek his own fortune.
The boy was clearly well-prepared for his journey: as soon as he entered the martial world, he donned the attire he had long since readied—a flowing white robe, a neighing white horse, and an exquisite sword at his waist.
He was a striking youth, his lips red and teeth white, handsome to the extreme. From afar, he looked almost ethereal. Even the heroines and married women of the martial world found themselves entranced, their legs going weak at the sight of him.
However, scarcely three days into his adventure, the boy was captured by a group of bandits.
Upon seizing him, the bandits were so stunned by his beauty that their original plan of kidnapping and ransom was instantly abandoned. Instead, they decided to spirit him away that very night to the mansion of a wealthy lord in Jiangnan.
This lord, possessed of immense wealth and vast holdings, had married several concubines to maintain appearances, but in truth preferred the company of handsome young men.
But as fate would have it, on the road to deliver the youth, the bandits themselves were waylaid by highway robbers—a common enough occurrence in the martial world, usually resolved with a bit of “toll money.”
Yet, the leader of these highway robbers was a woman—a bandit chief famed for her beauty and her formidable martial strength, who had never found a man to her liking.
The moment she laid eyes on the youth, she was utterly captivated. Without a second thought, she seized him and brought him back to her mountain stronghold, compelling him to become her husband-in-residence.
A month later, the official finally discovered his son’s whereabouts and dispatched the White Tiger Army to storm the mountain and retrieve him.
Originally, the official intended to execute the bandit chief on the spot. But during his time as her “husband,” the young man and the bandit chief had fallen deeply in love. The youth clung to his father’s leg, weeping and wailing that if she were not spared, he would take his own life.
His father furiously rebuked him: “I can find you any official’s daughter you desire—why must it be her? A female bandit! She’s beneath our station! What sort of disgrace is this?”
The youth roared in reply, “Father! She’s not like other women!”
Enraged, his father slapped him several times, knocking him unconscious before hauling him away.
Yet, the bandit chief’s mountain stronghold was left untouched, no one else harmed.
It seemed the matter would end there, but another twist soon followed.
Several months later, the bandit chief—now heavily pregnant—appeared at their door.
The official was dumbfounded, left to watch helplessly as his foolish son grinned foolishly beside the bandit chief, his anger mixed with helpless resignation.
With no other recourse—since a child was now on the way—the official berated his son for his lack of sense, then praised his daughter-in-law for her strength and determination, ordering her to be well cared for.
Hurriedly, the official summoned a midwife and sent word to the local authorities, demanding they expunge all records of the mountain stronghold, and finally used his connections to arrange for the bandit chief a legitimate identity, complete with a proper background from birth.
And thus, a notorious female bandit was successfully “washed clean” and became a respectable woman.
This affair soon became the talk of the martial world, celebrated as a romantic tale. Even Ji Huo, hearing of it in Western Sichuan, could not help but marvel.
For a time, formidable female bandits sprang up everywhere, ambushing white-robed swordsmen in the hope of recreating this famous story.
Even if they could not secure a new life, capturing a handsome youth and bringing him back for their own pleasure was excitement enough.
The moral, of course, is that boys, too, must take care to protect themselves in the martial world.
But let us return to the main story. When Ji Huo suggested a duel with Hou Baixi, the latter shook his head and replied:
“The ‘Heaven’s Will Sword Art’ demands extraordinary aptitude. I have yet to truly master it. Even if I were to use it, I would not be a match for you, young hero.”
Ji Huo felt a pang of disappointment—was he to be left only with the option of challenging those grandmasters?
“However…” Hou Baixi’s tone shifted, and he smiled. “Before I left, my master bestowed upon me a single strand of sword intent—akin to a strike without the full communion with the heavens. If you can withstand this sword intent, I will depart, and so fulfill my duty to my master. The only question is: do you have the courage?”
A strand of Sword Sage’s intent?
Ji Huo’s eyes lit up, and he laughed heartily. “Excellent! I have long wished to witness the peerless swordsmanship of the Sword Sage!”
Hou Baixi’s expression grew solemn. “You must be careful. This sword intent is beyond my control. Once unleashed, it is an ultimate strike.”
Ji Huo asked in confusion, “You have no wish to kill me?”
Hou Baixi smiled. “Hearing you speak of the demonic blade, I understood your intentions. To stand against the entire martial world single-handedly—such valor commands my admiration. How could I bear you any ill will?”
He paused, then lowered his voice. “Were it not that this sword intent is linked to my master’s will, I would have found some secluded spot to release it, then returned to claim I could not defeat you.”
An intriguing man indeed… Ji Huo grinned. “No matter. Go ahead—I have some confidence I can survive.”
“In that case, I ask you to strike first. I do not know which move from the ‘Heaven’s Will Sword Art’ my master recorded, so I cannot give any warning,” Hou Baixi said gravely, grasping his wooden sword.
“Of course.” Ji Huo drew a deep breath, then turned to Xia Ningshang, saying, “Miss Xia, please step back.”
Xia Ningshang’s face was equally somber. She warned, “I know you are strong, but the Sword Sage’s ‘Heaven’s Will Sword’ is terrifying—one strike is like the wrath of heaven: unmatched in power and blindingly swift. Before you even realize it, the sword has already struck.”
“Do not take this lightly—give it everything you have!”
Ji Huo blinked, then nodded with a smile. “Understood!”
In the distance, the onlookers from the martial world were already leaping with excitement. Several scrambled up trees, eager to secure the best vantage point.
To witness a grandmaster’s strike in one’s lifetime—what fortune!
But the trees groaned under the weight of so many climbers, and many tumbled down, causing a commotion.
Those with better lightness skills clambered to the very treetops, gripping the thick branches and peering out like tree-dwelling bears.
Fortunately, the area was densely wooded, so vantage points were plenty.
“That boy is being reckless—even if he really is of first-rank skill, all beneath a grandmaster are but ants. He won’t survive a single blow.”
“A pity—this young man suits my taste. And now he’ll die beneath the Sword Sage’s strike.”
“To pursue the Way and perish by dusk—so be it. Clearly, this youth seeks to reach the pinnacle of martial arts, else he would not face this challenge head-on. I am not alone in my resolve!”
“Wait, look—what is he doing?” someone suddenly shouted.
The chattering crowd instantly turned all eyes to the mouth of the gorge.
There, Ji Huo rolled his joints, then stomped his right foot on the ground, causing the earth to crack beneath him. He stomped his left foot, and the tremor echoed once more.
He then clenched his right fist at his waist, raising his left hand high, fingers spread as if grasping the very heavens.
Dark clouds began to gather overhead from who knows where, swirling above him in slow circles.
At the same time, arcs of lightning flickered within the clouds, and the low rumble of thunder could be heard.