A Man in the Snow: Starting with a Sword Challenge to the Northern Liang Prince's Palace

After the demons withdrew their troops, small-scale harassment continued unabated.

Every night, a small group of demons would sneak up, not to attack the city, but to launch a surprise attack.

Like flies, they can't be chased away or swatted dead; they buzz around your ears and bite you when you're not looking.

Qian Shouxin volunteered to lead the patrol team.

He said he was familiar with the terrain on the flanks and had guarded that area for three years before.

Ye Yun was wiping his sword in the tavern at the time, and without even looking up, he said, "Be careful."

Qian Shouxin grinned: "Don't worry, Boss Ye, I still owe you money for drinks, I won't die."

Ye Yun didn't reply.

There was no moon that night.

The nights at the Sword Qi Great Wall are naturally dark, and when there is no moon, it is as dark as an overturned pot. Qian Shouxin led five sword cultivators to patrol along the base of the wall on the flank.

Each person carried a lantern, the light of which was dim and only illuminated three steps in front of them.

"Brother Qian, will the demon race come today?" a young sword cultivator asked. He looked very young, not even twenty, and his voice was nasal, as if he had a cold.

Qian Shouxin didn't turn around: "Whether you come or not, you still have to patrol. Do you think guarding the city is child's play? You have to guard it whether you come every day or not."

The young swordsman gave an "Oh" and then fell silent.

They reached the narrowest section of the path on the flank. To the left was the city wall, and to the right was a rocky wasteland. Beyond the wasteland lay barren land, and at the end of the wasteland was the demon race's camp. This section of the path was the most dangerous; people could hide on three sides, and more than one group of sword cultivators had fallen into an ambush here before.

Qian Shouxin stopped and gestured for the people behind him to stop as well.

He squatted down and shone the lantern on the ground. There was a puddle of water on the ground, not rainwater, but saliva.

The monster's saliva was sticky, had a fishy smell, and wasn't completely dry yet.

"Retreat," Qian Shouxin said in a low but steady voice. "Go back quickly."

late.

More than a dozen dark figures darted out from the rocky beach, moving with incredible speed, and were right in front of them in the blink of an eye.

These were not ordinary demonic beasts, but elite members of the demon race, all of them at or above the Golden Core Realm. The leader was entirely black, resembling a cheetah, but as large as an ox, with four eyes that glowed green in the darkness.

Jade Purity Realm.

Qian Shouxin's pupils contracted.

He was only at the Nascent Soul stage, and couldn't defeat someone at the Jade Purity stage, but he didn't run away.

"Form ranks!" he shouted, drawing his sword.

Five sword cultivators stood back-to-back in a circle, their sword tips pointing outwards. This was the most basic defensive formation of the Sword Qi Great Wall, with each person guarding a direction and providing cover for each other.

But the gap is too big.

The elite demons were not ordinary demon beasts; they worked together. Three Golden Core Realm wolf demons pounced from the front, while two circled around from the sides. The Jade Purity Realm cheetah demon remained motionless, crouching on the rocky beach, its four green eyes fixed on them, as if watching its prey struggle.

Qian Shouxin slashed down one wolf demon with a single sword strike, but his left ribs were slashed by the claws of another wolf demon, tearing open his flesh and causing blood to gush out. He ignored it, and with a backhand thrust, plunged his sword into the wolf demon's stomach, twisted it around, and pulled it out.

"Brother Qian! There are too many of them!" the young swordsman shouted, his voice trembling. His arm had been bitten, a piece of flesh torn away, revealing the white bone underneath.

"Then kill them!" Qian Shouxin roared. "Killing one is enough to break even, killing two is a bonus!"

Another wolf demon pounced, but Qian Shouxin dodged to the side and sliced ​​off half of its face with his sword. The wolf demon howled and fell to the ground, but more demons surged forward.

Two of the five sword cultivators quickly fell. One had his neck bitten off by a demonic beast, blood splattering everywhere. The other was dragged into the rocky wasteland, his screams echoing from the darkness before fading away.

The remaining three were covered in wounds. The young swordsman could no longer lift one arm and was gripping his sword with his other hand, the tip of the sword trembling.

Qian Shouxin knew they couldn't hold out any longer. Reinforcements wouldn't arrive for at least the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and they couldn't last that long.

"You go," he said, "I'll hold them off."

"Brother Qian!"

"Go!" Qian Shouxin kicked the young swordsman in the backside, sending him staggering a few steps. "Go back and report! Stop dawdling!"

The young swordsman gritted his teeth, his eyes red-rimmed, and turned to run. The other swordsman followed.

The Jade Purity Realm cheetah demon made a move.

It had been waiting for this—someone was fleeing, the formation was broken, and the opportunity had arrived. It leaped from the rocky beach, moving so fast that it was just a blur, heading straight for the two fleeing sword cultivators.

Qian Shouxin stood in its way.

The difference between the Nascent Soul Realm and the Jade Purity Realm is an entire major realm. Normally, one couldn't even withstand a single sword strike.

Qian Shouxin did not answer.

He gripped the sword with both hands, channeling all his spiritual energy into the blade, which gleamed with a blinding white light. He didn't defend; he attacked directly—stabping the cheetah demon in the face.

The cheetah demon turned its head to avoid the attack, then slammed its front paws into Qian Shouxin's chest. The paws were like five daggers, tearing open his clothes and flesh, leaving five deep, bone-revealing wounds on his chest.

Qian Shouxin was sent flying backward, crashing into the city wall and spitting out a mouthful of blood.

But he didn't let go. In the instant he was sent flying backward, his sword slashed the cheetah demon's foreleg.

The cheetah demon was enraged.

It let out a low growl, its four green eyes turned red, and its body arched, ready to deliver a fatal blow.

Qian Shouxin slid down the wall and sat against it, blood gushing from his chest.

He recalled the first time he came to the Sword Qi Great Wall; he was just a young lad.

The cheetah demon pounced.

Qian Shouxin raised his sword and thrust it out with his last bit of strength.

The sword pierced the cheetah demon's neck, but only half an inch in. At the same time, the cheetah demon's claws smashed his chest, breaking all his ribs and shattering his heart.

Qian Shouxin's body slid off the wall and fell into a pool of blood.

The cheetah demon pulled the sword from its neck. The wound wasn't deep; it bled a little, but it wouldn't kill it.

It glanced down at the human swordsman on the ground, snorted disdainfully, and turned to disappear into the darkness with the remaining demons.

By the time Ye Yun arrived, the battle was already over.

He heard the news in the tavern.

A young swordsman covered in blood rushed in, crying and shouting, "Brother Qian is surrounded!" Ye Yun flew away on his sword.

When they reached the flank, they found five corpses lying on the ground: three sword cultivators and two demons. The two surviving sword cultivators who had fled back to report the news knelt on the ground, weeping uncontrollably.

Ye Yun found Qian Shouxin at the foot of the city wall.

Qian Shouxin sat against the wall, a large hole in his chest, blood almost completely drained from his body. His clothes were soaked and clung to his skin. His eyes were half-open, and his mouth was slightly agape, as if he were trying to say something.

Ye Yun squatted down and reached out to check his breath.

There was still a breath left, very faint, like a candle about to go out, which would be extinguished by a gust of wind.

He grasped Qian Shouxin's hand.

"Qian Shouxin".

Qian Shouxin's eyes moved, slowly focusing, and he saw Ye Yun. The corner of his mouth twitched, as if he wanted to laugh, but he didn't; only a few muscles twitched.

"Boss Ye..." he opened his mouth, his voice barely audible, his mouth full of bloody foam, "I still haven't paid you back the... money for the drinks..."

Ye Yun squeezed his hand: "You don't need to pay it back."

"How can that be..." Qian Shouxin gasped for breath, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, "I'll repay you in the next life..."

Ye Yun's eyes were red and her voice choked: "Okay, I'll repay you in the next life."

Qian Shouxin closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again, looking at the night sky behind Ye Yun. The night at the Sword Qi Great Wall was starless, pitch black, but he seemed to see something, and a smile finally tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Old Dong... has come to pick me up..." he said softly.

My grip loosened.

Ye Yun felt the hand slip out of his palm, fingers spread, palm facing up, as if trying to grab something, but it didn't grab anything.

He knelt beside Qian Shouxin, head bowed, motionless.

The night wind carried the stench of blood and the distant stench of the demon camp. The pool of blood on the ground had cooled, sticking to my knees, feeling chilly.

Someone came from behind; it was Ning Yao, leading a group of sword cultivators. She saw the corpse on the ground, paused for a moment, and then waved for them to collect it.

Qian Shouxin's body was carried back to the city and placed in a makeshift mourning shed. When Ye Yun arrived, someone was washing Qian Shouxin's body.

He pushed the other person aside and did it himself.

He fetched a basin of water, dipped a white cloth in it, and carefully wiped away the blood from Qian Shouxin's face. Qian Shouxin looked much younger than Dong Bude, around forty years old, with a round face, thick eyebrows, and a mole on the corner of his mouth. He usually smiled in a simple, honest way, like a farmer.

I don't laugh anymore.

Ye Yun changed him into a clean set of clothes. Qian Shouxin didn't have many nice clothes; he only had two changes of clothes in his closet, both of which were patched.

He was the only one who truly remembered the IOUs he wrote. Every month when he received his salary, he would come to repay the debt, sometimes five taels, sometimes three taels, and after repaying, he would buy another pot of wine on credit and write another IOU. Over the past ten years, he wrote hundreds of IOUs, and he kept every single one of them.

He stood up and walked outside the mourning tent.

It's almost dawn.

There was a grayish-white patch on the eastern horizon, like the belly of a fish.

Torches flicker on the distant city walls; a new day is about to begin. The demons will come again, people will die again, people will write IOUs again, and some will be unable to repay them.

Ye Yun stood in the morning breeze, his eyes changed, becoming as cold and calm as when he avenged Dong Bude on the city wall that day, like a frozen lake with undercurrents beneath.

He turned and walked towards the city wall.

There are still battles to fight today.

Slay the demon and seek revenge.