Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 677 Martial Arts Arena Message
On the banks of the Imjin River, in the central open space of the Ming army camp outside Changtan Prefecture, several bonfires crackled, casting long and short shadows that swayed in the twilight river breeze.

Zhou Wenbing stood bare-chested, his bronze skin glistening with a fine sheen of sweat that, in the firelight, resembled a layer of tung oil. In his hand, a long, narrow, slender saber, its blade gleaming with an orange-red flame, rested on his shoulder. Opposite him was his old rival, Zhang Kui, the Left Division Commander. Zhang Kui, equally muscular, gripped a shorter, standard-issue saber tightly, his eyes sharp as a hawk's.

"Commander Zhang, I'm afraid the food in my belly today will have to be worn down by the force of your blade!" Zhou Wenbing laughed loudly, his voice as booming as a bell, causing the flames of the nearby campfire to tremble slightly.

"Zhou Zuoji, there's no need to be polite, just lend it to me!" Zhang Kui straightened his back and stood on his horse, the tip of his knife pointing diagonally, and a calm and steady aura suddenly rose up.

Before he finished speaking, Zhou Wenbing made his move!

Without warning, he stomped his left foot hard on the ground with a muffled thud, the dry earth beneath his feet exploding into a small cloud of dust. He shot forward like an arrow, carrying a gust of wind mixed with the smell of sweat and rust, hurtling straight at Zhang Kui. The blade flashed, not a direct thrust, but with the force of splitting mountains and shattering rocks, drawing a sharp, blinding silver-white arc from the upper right to the lower left!
"Splitting Mount Hua in two!" someone among the onlookers whispered.

This strike was swift, fierce, and heavy! The blade sliced ​​through the air with a sharp "whoosh," as if it truly intended to cleave everything before it, along with the twilight river breeze, in two!

Zhang Kui's pupils contracted sharply, but he didn't take the blow head-on. He knew Zhou Wenbing's strength was astonishing, and a direct confrontation would be unwise. Instead, his body moved like a willow in the wind, spun sharply to the right in the blink of an eye as the blade touched his body. Zhou Wenbing's powerful blade almost grazed his nose and chest, the icy aura of the blade sending shivers down his spine. As Zhang Kui spun, his waist knife didn't remain idle; with a flick of his wrist, the blade brushed against the back of the descending goose-feather saber, sweeping upwards and outwards with a powerful flick!
"clang--!"

A deafening, teeth-grinding metallic explosion rang out! Sparks flew like hot iron filings from a hammered anvil, illuminating the faces of several people holding their breath for a moment before fading away, leaving only a faint, scorching metallic smell in the air.

Zhang Kui's "Hidden Flower Under the Leaf" technique was exquisite! Not only did it deflect most of the force of "Splitting Mount Hua," but the clever upward thrust also caused Zhou Wenbing's arm to go slightly numb. The downward slash was involuntarily deflected, and the tip of the blade "hissed" and plunged deep into the soil at Zhang Kui's feet, three inches into the ground!

good chance!
Zhang Kui's eyes flashed with a sharp light. Taking advantage of Zhou Wenbing's weakened stance and lack of fresh strength, he twisted his waist and hips. The parried sword, propelled by the spin, moved like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, transforming into a streak of dark light that skimmed the ground, aiming straight for Zhou Wenbing's lower ankle! This strike was ruthless and cunning, as fast as lightning—a signature close-combat technique in the military—"Azure Dragon Swings Its Tail"!
The blade whistled through the air, whipping up sand and dust that rushed towards him. Zhou Wenbing could even feel the chilling edge of the blade about to slice through his calf!
A close call!
Zhou Wenbing roared like a thunderclap: "Good!" Instead of drawing his sword and retreating, he used the fulcrum of the sword tip hitting the ground to unleash astonishing power from his waist and abdomen. His entire body was lifted up as if by an invisible hand, and he completed a difficult uprooting maneuver in the blink of an eye! Zhang Kui's sinister "Azure Dragon Tail Swing" barely swept past the sole of his boot, and the resulting gust of wind made his trouser legs flutter loudly.

His body was suspended in mid-air, yet Zhou Wenbing didn't stop. He twisted and spun his wrist, gripping the knife! The goose-feather knife, deeply embedded in the soil, seemed to come alive, its blade trembling violently, emitting a low hum, as it forcefully broke free from the earth, kicking up a trail of wet mud mixed with grass roots. Using the force of the twisting motion, Zhou Wenbing completed an incredible spin in mid-air, headfirst, his long knife transforming into a spinning, chillingly sharp wheel of blades, crashing down with overwhelming force on Zhang Kui, who had just sheathed his sword and was still unsteady on his feet!

"Sweeping away the clouds—!" Another exclamation arose. This move, borrowing momentum, borrowing force, and borrowing the spin, transformed all the kinetic energy of the fall into a ferocious blade strike. The blade light was like a waterfall, enveloping all directions, leaving no way to avoid it!
Zhang Kui felt a fierce wind pressing down on him, as if the air itself had been sucked away by the raging wheel of blades, making it hard to breathe. His eyes widened, his pupils reflecting the chilling, rapidly spinning wheel of light that tore through the air. Retreat? It was too late! Defend? How could he possibly withstand such overwhelming force?

On the brink of life and death, Zhang Kui roared and poured all his life's strength into his arms. He raised his waist knife horizontally above his head and used the defensive move "Iron Chain Across the River." He did not seek merit, but only to avoid mistakes, hoping only to withstand this fatal blow!
"Qiang——!!!"

This time, the impact was more muffled and prolonged than any before! It was no longer a crisp crack, but like a giant hammer striking a bronze bell, with a heart-shaking metallic tremor that echoed continuously over the camp, making people's eardrums buzz, and even the sound of the waves of the Imjin River in the distance seemed to be briefly suppressed.

The immense force traveled down the blade, and Zhang Kui felt as if his arms had been struck by a battering ram. His tiger's mouth split open, a sharp, piercing pain shooting through him, and warm blood flowed down the hilt of the blade. His feet felt like they were standing on red-hot iron plates; he could no longer maintain his footing. He stumbled back three large steps, each step leaving a deep footprint in the solid mud, raising clouds of dust. His last step landed on the edge of the campfire, sending several pieces of burning charcoal flying, sparks flying everywhere.

Just as Zhang Kui lost his footing, his blood surging, and his defenses wide open, Zhou Wenbing landed as silently as a cat. With a flick of his wrist, the blade flashed like a serpent, slicing and coiling around Zhang Kui's waist, which was gaping open from his parry!
"A jade belt around the waist!"

The cold blade, still warm from the fierce battle, swiftly and precisely pressed against Zhang Kui's waist, like a cold iron chain suddenly tightening. Zhang Kui froze, and just as he was about to struggle to pull the blade back, he felt a subtle force from his waist, as if all his strength had been instantly drained away. The sword slipped from his hand with a clang and fell to the ground, splashing up a few specks of dust.

The room was deathly silent.

The only sounds were the crackling of the campfire, the faint sound of the Imjin River in the distance, and the heavy, panting breaths of the two men.

Zhou Wenbing's goose-feather saber remained firmly against Zhang Kui's waist, the back of the blade conveying a cold touch. A bead of sweat silently slid down Zhou Wenbing's tense chin, landing on the trampled ground beneath their feet—a mess of sweat, dirt, and scattered bloodstains—quickly spreading into a small, dark patch.

In the blink of an eye, the outcome was decided. The air was thick with the smells of sweat, the earthy stench, the coldness of metal, and a faint, almost imperceptible whiff of blood, all intertwining to create the most authentic atmosphere of this gladiatorial combat, weighing heavily on the hearts of every onlooker.

After the competition ended, no one cheered or applauded for a long time.

"Good!" one of the servants shouted in approval.

"Good!!" After a brief moment of stunned silence, the other servants present also shouted in unison, beginning to cheer.

One point leads to another, and another leads to a whole area. Soon, the soldiers who had come to watch the battle and the excitement all started shouting.

"Thank you for the concession." Zhou Wenbing smiled and flicked his hand, the tip of the blade pointing back at the ground.

"Phew!" Zhang Kui let out a long breath, trying his best to suppress the splitting wound on his hand. "That feels good! It's been so long since I've felt this good!"

"You're bleeding?" The smile on Zhou Wenbing's face vanished the moment his gaze fell upon the single, barely concealed drop of dark blood.

"It's just a shallow crack in the tiger's mouth," Zhang Kui said, taking a small sip into his mouth, then spitting out a mouthful of bloody saliva. "It's nothing."

"Your hand is injured, you can't even hold the knife properly. You need to get a medic bandaged up right away." Zhou Wenbing casually tossed aside the goose-feather knife, which had already been chipped, and walked over to Zhang Kui's side to check on his injury.

"It's alright." Zhang Kui pressed his thumb and rubbed his hand, which was a little numb but not injured. "I've become an expert through experience; I can bandage myself."

"Let me see." Zhou Wenbing reached out to grab it.

"It's really nothing." Zhang Kui took a step back. "It's just that I've been on the ship for too long and my calluses have become thin. Besides, swords are merciless. It's normal to see some blood when fighting with real weapons."

"Let me see!" Zhou Wenbing glared at Zhang Kui.

"Oh." Zhang Kui could only shrink back and extend his injured right hand.

Zhou Wenbing grabbed Zhang Kui's wrist, and saw that most of his palm was already stained red with half-congealed blood, with only a small area near the base of his thumb showing a lighter color because of Zhang Kui's earlier clenching. Blood was still gushing out from the split base of his thumb, but the gushing blood was visibly congealing into clumps.

"Why didn't you dodge? Just now." Zhou Wenbing released Zhang Kui. "My stance was unstable, I didn't dare to dodge." Zhang Kui grinned, the campfire illuminating his teeth. "Wasn't that the opening you were targeting when you attacked?"

“What do you mean aiming for an opening? This was just an instinctive counterattack,” Zhou Wenbing said. “After dodging your attack, of course I had to retaliate.”

"Hehe." Zhang Kui said with no feigned flattery, "Your dodge was truly brilliant, I can't even begin to match it."

"You still need to practice, you still need to learn." Zhou Wenbing smiled and raised his hand, slapping Zhang Kui's sturdy back with a crisp crack, wiping away the salty sweat from his hands.

"Then I'll have to trouble you to give me your guidance." Zhang Kui subconsciously wanted to cup his hands in greeting, but the stinging pain in his hand immediately made him pull his hand back.

"Let's wait until your hand heals first. Don't use your right hand for the next few days." Zhou Wenbing grinned and casually pointed to a servant. "You, go and fetch Doctor Liu."

"Yes!"

"Go get your wound bandaged. I'll hang out with some other people for a bit." He patted Zhang Kui's bare shoulder.

"This humble official takes his leave." Zhang Kui bent down to pick up the knife and bowed deeply to Zhang Kui.

Zhou Wenbing nodded, then looked at Zhang Kui's most capable captain. "Kid, come on. Choose any weapon—sword, spear, club."

"Let's go with the knife." The captain stepped out of the crowd, brushed past Zhang Kui's shoulder, and approached Zhou Wenbing.

"Still a knife!" Zhou Wenbing stepped onto the back of the goose-feather saber, kicking up a cloud of dust. Then, he hooked the blade with his toes and kicked it upwards. The saber flew diagonally, but Zhou Wenbing reached out and gripped the hilt firmly. "You've never beaten me with a knife!"

"That's why we need to study and refine our skills if we haven't won before." The man took a standard-issue waist knife from the weapon rack, then cupped his hands towards Zhou Wenbing while holding the hilt. "I hope Defender Zhou will show mercy."

"Don't worry, I can control myself. If that old bastard Zhang San hadn't taken the hit head-on, and hadn't dodged, my knife wouldn't have been able to touch him at all." By the light of the campfire, Zhou Wenbing saw the nick on the blade. But he didn't care.

It's just a contest, so it's fine if you use a wooden sword, or even if the sword breaks. Just make sure it's not too serious and doesn't cause any serious injury.

"Then please." The captain took a half step back, assuming a defensive stance. "Your subordinate is ready!"

"Going straight to defense? Well then, I won't hold back!" Zhou Wenbing suddenly sprang up, took a step forward, and was about to swing his sword when a figure squeezed out from the crowd.

"Zhou Zuoji! Zhou Zuoji!" The man shouted as he walked, abruptly stopping the impending duel.

"What are you doing? Can't you see there's a martial arts competition going on here?" Zhou Wenbing withdrew his strength and returned to his original position. He looked at the newcomer with displeasure.

Zhou Wenbing recognized the person at a glance; it was one of the servants he had placed at the Changtuan Prefecture government office to guard the gate.

"Someone's here! People from the yamen are here!" The gatekeeper exhaled several breaths of hot, foul air.

"Who's here?" Zhou Wenbing asked.

"Admiral Shen, it's Admiral Shen's messenger!" After saying this, the gatekeeper and servants finally calmed down a bit.

"The messenger? Is he still in the yamen?" Zhou Wenbing immediately lost his interest in the martial arts competition.

"Yes, he is," the gatekeeper nodded quickly. "He should be having dinner in the gatehouse right now. Shall we call him over, or..."

"I'll head back now; it's getting late anyway." Zhou Wenbing was about to hand the knife to the servant when he saw the head servant come forward and extend his hand, so he simply handed him the hilt. "That's all for today. I'll come back to practice with you another day."

"It's alright. You go ahead with your work." The captain smiled and took the knife.

"Go prepare my horse," Zhou Wenbing ordered a nearby servant. "Once it's ready, take it to the camp gate. I'll be there as soon as I'm dressed."

"Yes." The servant stopped and turned to run away, and the crowd automatically made way for him.

Only one person ran against the flow of people to Zhou Wenbing's side; it was Li Shu, the newly appointed governor of Changtuan Prefecture, who had come to watch the battle.

"Master Zuoji! Are you leaving?" Li Shu asked in his newly learned Chinese.

"I need to go back to the yamen. Commander Shen's men have arrived." Zhou Wenbing took a dry linen cloth from the hands of his son, Zhou Kaixun, and wiped the sweat from his face.

Li Shu was startled and quickly asked, "May I come along?"

"what ever."

(End of this chapter)