Reborn Ouyang Ke: From The Condor Heroes to the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 41 The Cold Wind Arrives

After a short while, a tall figure appeared on the riverbank.

The setting sun cast his shadow long, stretching from the riverbank all the way to the water's edge, as if even the surging river couldn't conceal the oppressive aura emanating from his figure. The disciples of the Great River Alliance guarding the perimeter all wore solemn expressions; some instinctively tightened their grip on their sword hilts, while others quietly took a half-step back. Although they didn't recognize this person, they sensed danger from his unhurried gait.

"They're here."

The leader of the Badong Sect, Chen, uttered two words in a low voice, his voice hoarse without him even realizing it. The Qingjiang Sect leader, Xiang Qingliu, instinctively gripped his longsword, his knuckles turning slightly white. Neither of them had ever fought Ba Feng Han before, yet they were both subtly intimidated by his imposing aura.

Jiang Ba and Zheng Shuming stared coldly at the figure not far away. Jiang Ba's hand was already on the hilt of his knife, but Zheng Shuming gently pressed it down.

She said nothing, only shook her head slightly. It wasn't the right time yet.

While almost everyone was on high alert, Ouyang Ke sat calmly to the side, gently stroking the firebird on his shoulder. The little creature tilted its head, observing the approaching figure, and surprisingly remained silent, only rubbing its beak against Ouyang Ke's fingertips, seemingly curious as well.

Dugu Feng and Sha Zhijing, however, both became extremely alert and began to scrutinize the figure slowly approaching from not far away.

Of course, there are subtle differences in their eyes.

Sha Zhijing's gaze was purely curious; she knew nothing of martial arts, only sensing the man's extraordinary bearing. Dugu Feng, however, had a burning desire in her beautiful eyes. As a prodigy of the next generation of the Dugu clan, she instinctively felt a fighting spirit towards a young master like Ba Feng Han.

A cold snort suddenly rang out from not far away.

Immediately afterward, a tall figure appeared proudly a dozen feet away. He was tall and handsome, with a slightly long and narrow face, but with well-defined features, as perfect as a marble statue. His skin was whiter and smoother than a woman's, yet he did not have any effeminate air. On the contrary, his sharp eyes gave him a powerful and domineering masculine charm.

A red cloth was tied around his forehead, and beneath his plain blue outer robe was a tight-fitting yellow samurai outfit, topped with a leather vest, which made him appear even broader in shoulders and narrower in waist. A sword and a dagger hung at each of his waists. He was between twenty-four and twenty-five years old, and his bearing was extremely imposing.

Most of those present were worldly-wise people. Seeing this man arrive alone with his hands behind his back, calm and composed, they knew he was extremely confident in himself. Moreover, given his high nose and deep-set eyes, if he wasn't a Hu (non-Han Chinese), he must have Hu ancestry, which made them all feel a chill in their hearts.

Jiang Ba laughed loudly and abruptly stood up. His gaze was icy, fixed intently on the front, and he shouted, "You are Ba Feng Han?"

The tall man looked surprised, his eyes flashing with a sharp light. He carefully examined Jiang Ba for a moment, then said calmly, "You are Jiang Ba? If you still insist on standing up for others, I advise you to think twice before you act."

Upon hearing this, most of the people were so astonished they couldn't close their mouths. This person had single-handedly barged into the territory of the Great River Alliance, and dared to be so arrogant in the face of a group of experts. If he didn't have real skills, he must be crazy.

Jiang Ba's smile turned cold: "Oh? What if I don't?"

Ba Feng Han spoke calmly, as if he were saying something completely ordinary: "If you insist on sticking your neck out, this place will be where you die today."

Upon hearing this, the riverbank fell instantly silent, save for the sound of the crashing waves. A gentle breeze blew, causing clothes to flutter, but it could not dispel the oppressive atmosphere that permeated the air.

Jiang Ba's eyes flashed with anger, and he instinctively gripped the large knife on the table, but the next moment, Zheng Shuming, who had been sitting silently to the side, stepped forward and pressed him down. She said nothing, only shook her head slightly. Jiang Ba glanced at his wife, took a deep breath, and slowly loosened his grip on the hilt of the knife.

"So you are Ba Feng Han?"

Suddenly, Ouyang Ke, who was sitting under the pavilion, spoke. His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached the ears of everyone present, like a pebble thrown into the center of a lake, creating ripples.

Upon hearing this, Ba Feng Han's gaze shifted, and he finally saw Ouyang Ke and his two companions under the pavilion. His eyes lit up as he saw the white-clad man sitting upright in the pavilion, his white robes as pure as snow, elegant and otherworldly. He sat there quietly like a jade sculpture, incongruous yet strangely harmonious with the rugged riverside. Beside him were two young women, equally graceful and beautiful.

Ba Feng Han's gaze fell on Ouyang Ke, and his tone finally changed slightly: "You are—"

"My name is Ouyang Ke." The man in white slowly stood up, his tone calm. "Today, your opponent is me, not the leader."

""

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone saw a blur before their eyes, and a white figure swept out of the pavilion, landing gracefully in the field. Only then did Ba Feng Han notice that the newcomer was using crutches under his arm, indicating that he was ill in both legs.

"Impressive lightness skill." A hint of admiration appeared in Ba Feng Han's eyes. He had seen countless masters, but rarely had he seen someone with mobility issues achieve such a level of lightness skill.

Ba Feng Han's gaze focused on Ouyang Ke, and he spoke again: "You intend to stand up for the Great River Alliance?"

"No, you're wrong," Ouyang Ke said calmly.

"I was wrong?" Ba Feng Han raised an eyebrow, seemingly unconvinced.

Ouyang Ke said, "Because I am originally a guest advisor of the Great River Alliance."

Ba Feng Han smiled calmly: "Since that's the case, it seems that a battle between us today is unavoidable."

Before he finished speaking, his tiger-like eyes flashed with divine light, and his outer garments moved without wind, fluttering and rustling. Even alone, his imposing presence remained undiminished, as if he were confident of being invincible and arrogant.

Seeing this, Jiang Ba and Zheng Shuming couldn't help but look solemn. Even Dugu Feng, who had always had great confidence in Ouyang Ke, now showed a look of seriousness in her beautiful eyes.

She sensed that the aura emanating from Ba Feng Han was something no ordinary expert could possess.

The next moment, Ouyang Ke's smile remained, his gaze was calm and composed as he looked at Ba Feng Han not far away, and slowly said, "Back in the Western Regions, I wanted to experience your martial arts."

Anyone with eyes could see that from the moment Ouyang Ke stood up, the two began to compete in terms of imposing presence.

A few breaths later, Ouyang Ke lightly tapped his crutches under his armpits, instantly taking a step forward of about ten feet, shortening the distance between him and Ba Feng Han to two feet. This seemingly casual movement was perfectly timed, no more, no less, just the distance he could reach with a single strike.

Upon seeing this, everyone was taken aback. Most of the people from the Great River Alliance present today did not recognize Ouyang Ke, but seeing that although he carried a crutch under his arm, he could move with such ease that it was as if he could shrink the distance between people, they immediately had more confidence in him.

A flicker of surprise crossed Ba Feng Han's eyes, but a smile still lingered on his lips. He pulled up the hem of his outer robe with his hands behind his back, gripping the hilt of his sword and the handle of his knife, making it unclear whether he intended to use the knife, the sword, or both.

However, after a few breaths, Ba Feng Han's expression gradually became serious.

For the first time, he couldn't sense the rhythm of the person's breathing. Every martial artist, regardless of their level of cultivation, has their own breathing rhythm. But this white-clad man, from the moment he landed in front of him, he could hardly sense the other's breathing. Sometimes he would only breathe slightly every seven or eight breaths, and sometimes he wouldn't breathe for more than ten breaths.

Such a subtle difference sent a chill down his spine.

At this point, how could he not guess that the white-clad man with the leg ailment before him had reached a miraculous level of internal energy cultivation that he had never encountered before? It was even faintly superior to Yan Huifeng, who had caused him so much suffering in the past and whom he had barely managed to defeat by using a desperate counterattack during a sandstorm.

"Clang!"

After a long while, Ba Feng Han seemed to finally be unable to bear it any longer. He pulled his knife out slightly with his right hand, and immediately a fierce and unparalleled blade aura was generated to resist Ouyang Ke's strange breathing rhythm.

But Ouyang Ke remained unmoved, only smiling slightly.

The next moment, Ba Feng Han Dao was drawn from its sheath, transforming into a long rainbow, and launched an attack!

Ouyang Ke tapped his crutches under his armpits, his figure soaring like a white crane into the sky, instantly rising to a height of two zhang. The sharp and fierce blade landed on empty air.

At the same time, Ouyang Ke, still in mid-air, reached for his waist with his right hand. In the blink of an eye, a streak of mithril light pierced the sky and shot down from mid-air!

A whip strike in mid-air!

The whip suddenly lashed out, straightening like a flagpole. The once soft whip, when it struck the air, produced a hissing sound like an arrow piercing the air.

Whip techniques are primarily about pulling and coiling, but Ouyang Ke's whip strike, delivered mid-air, perfectly matched the sharp and fierce nature of swordsmanship. The whip transformed into a sword, striking downwards in mid-air with a single, deadly thrust!

"when!"

The sound of metal clashing suddenly rang out.

The whip strike, like a sharp arrow shot out, instantly pierced Ba Feng Han's blade. A fierce power surged forth from within the whip, wave after wave of energy rising like rolling tides, growing ever stronger.

"Buzzing!"

The blade suddenly trembled, emitting a continuous, resonant sound. Ba Feng Han's hand trembled slightly, his body swayed, and for the first time, a look of emotion appeared on his magnificent face.

With a single lash, his momentum was shattered.

Just now, his sharp edge, like a comet coming from the north, arriving alone at the battlefield of the Great River Alliance, was like a punctured balloon, bursting out under the impact of this whip.

"what?"

This was the first time Jiang Ba and his wife, standing under the pavilion, had seen Ouyang Ke wield a weapon. After a slight exclamation, Jiang Ba laughed and said, "No wonder Young Master Ouyang is so confident. This whip technique is indeed very sharp, and it seems to have even more profound aspects in terms of its adaptability."

Upon hearing this, Chen, the leader of the Badong faction, chimed in, "That's right! Ba Feng Han's momentum has been dampened, and the outcome now rests entirely in Young Master Ouyang's hands!"

Hearing what everyone said, the momentum of the Great River Alliance grew stronger, and everyone wanted to witness Ba Feng Han's death here.

Only Dugu Feng, seeing this, vaguely felt that Ba Feng Han had not yet reached his limit. Her gaze followed the white figure in the arena, then landed on Ba Feng Han's steady footwork despite being at a disadvantage, and her delicate brows furrowed slightly.

She had fought with Ouyang Ke and knew his martial arts were unfathomable, but Ba Feng Han was no ordinary person either.

Sha Zhijing cheered for Ouyang Ke repeatedly, clapping her hands until they were red. The firebird, perched on her shoulder, seemed a little impatient with her chatter and gently pecked her earlobe, signaling for more wine. Although interrupted, Sha Zhijing wasn't annoyed. She cheerfully filled the firebird's glass with wine and secretly stroked it at the same time.

Despite being at a disadvantage, Ba Feng Han still shouted "Good!" and suddenly retreated.

But the countless whip shadows enveloped him like a cascading river.

Despite the situation, Ba Feng Han remained as calm as a still, deep pool.

Junwei's face was as still as water. After retreating several feet, he rushed back and parried with his sword. His retreat and advance were as natural as the tide, possessing an innate charm that evoked an indescribable and strange feeling.

Jiang Ba and the others could no longer hide the shock on their faces.

They had already sensed the boy's extraordinary nature, but they still couldn't have imagined he was this powerful. Only now did they realize that if they were to face this person, their chances of survival would be slim.

"Clang! Clang!"

In the blink of an eye, the two exchanged several blows. A flurry of blade light and whip-like force swept across the air. The combined power of the whip and blade enveloped an area of ​​about three zhang (approximately 10 meters), and onlookers instinctively tried to retreat from this breathtaking battlefield.

Dugu Feng's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Ba Feng Han suddenly narrowed his blade's range, focusing on a small space. With his strange footwork, he moved like a ghost amidst Ouyang Ke's whip shadows, which swept across the room like raging waves. At first glance, it seemed that he was at a disadvantage, but Dugu Feng knew that this was actually the most ingenious strategy to deal with Ouyang Ke.

It should be known that any move that relies on rapid attacks is the most draining of one's true energy. If Ba Feng Han can prolong the current situation, the moment Ouyang Ke is exhausted will be the moment for Ba Feng Han to switch from defense to offense.

Of course, Dugu Feng knew that Ouyang Ke was highly skilled, and that Ba Feng Han might already be dead before that moment arrived. But seeing how easily he moved now, no one dared to say that Ouyang Ke could kill him before that moment.

Sha Zhijing couldn't understand these intricacies; she only felt that the two figures in the arena were constantly separating and joining, their whips and swords flashing, creating a dazzling spectacle. She subconsciously gripped Dugu Feng's sleeve tightly, her palms already damp with sweat.

Ouyang Ke snorted coldly; he could naturally see through Ba Feng Han's intentions. However, with his current level of internal energy, he could certainly secure victory through a steady and methodical approach. But would he allow Ba Feng Han to do as he wished?

The next moment, the long whip flew and flowed, piercing through the air, the sound of its force cutting through the air continuous. In Ouyang Ke's hands, the silver whip was like a dragon, unpredictable and ever-changing.

"The outcome is decided." Dugu Feng sighed softly, her voice filled with admiration, but also with an indescribable emotion. "Ba Feng Han is going to lose."

Jiang Ba and the others were puzzled and were about to ask—

"when!"

A resounding, trembling sound rang out, causing the long sword in Ba Feng Han's hand to tremble violently, his face to flush red, and his body to shake violently.

This whip was imbued with Ouyang Ke's supreme Yang Nine Yang True Qi. No matter how resolute Ba Feng Han was, he was struck as if by lightning, his internal organs and blood trembled, and he felt extremely uncomfortable.

But Ba Feng Han is Ba Feng Han after all. An ordinary person would have no power to resist in such a desperate situation, but he gritted his teeth and unleashed three consecutive slashes. Each slash was taken from a different angle, with varying force, and anyone who stood in his way would feel unable to defend themselves.

But Ouyang Ke dealt with them all with ease.

"Ding ding ding!"

With three sharp cracks, Ba Feng Han's longsword was broken in two! He was forced to retreat rapidly.

"happy!"

Blood trickled from the corner of Ba Feng Han's mouth, but his eyes remained sharp. He laughed loudly, using the recoil to his advantage and disappear into the crowd.

Seeing him fall into a disadvantageous position, the disciples of the Great River Alliance who were guarding around him rushed to intercept him. However, despite being seriously injured, Ba Feng Han was still like a tiger among sheep, unstoppable. Those gang members who were usually considered skilled were as fragile as paper in front of him, collapsing at the slightest touch.

Upon seeing this, several skilled fighters from various sects beside Jiang Ba immediately rose and charged forward, drawing their weapons in an attempt to capture Ba Feng Han. However, Ba Feng Han possessed extremely rich combat experience and, knowing he was already injured, naturally did not wish to linger in the face of the Great River Alliance's ambush.

In an instant, he had boarded a small boat, and with a burst of internal energy, the boat shot several meters into the river like an arrow. Chen Dangjia, Xiang Qingliu, and the others narrowly missed being left on the shore, cursing and ordering their men to chase after him in a boat.

But it was clear to everyone that by the time they caught up with him in their boats, Ba Feng Han would have already escaped. At that point, the pursuers alone would be no match for him.

Ouyang Ke, with a crutch under his arm, gazed at the river and watched the small boat drift further and further away. He said calmly, "This man's martial arts are quite good, and what's even more remarkable is that he has subconsciously grasped a kind of almost intuitive perception in the face of life and death. If he doesn't die today, he will be qualified to serve as my whetstone for martial arts in the future."

In his fight with Ba Feng Han, he failed to kill him at the last moment. When his true energy was temporarily exhausted, he also lost the best opportunity to strike. It was not that his martial arts were inferior, but rather that his legs were not in good condition. In his fight with Ba Feng Han, he had to rely on his powerful true energy to forcefully move his body and keep Ba Feng Han firmly trapped on the riverbank.

Although Ba Feng Han's cultivation was inferior to his, he clearly saw this weakness. After being seriously injured, he made a decisive move and took the opportunity to create distance, not giving him any chance to continue attacking.

At this moment, many disciples of the Great River Alliance chased after them in small boats, gradually approaching with their familiarity with the boats. However, as soon as they got close, they were all knocked into the river by Ba Feng Han. Screams, splashes, and curses mingled together.

Seeing this, Ouyang Ke said calmly, "Chief, there's no need to send anyone to chase after them anymore."

Jiang Ba's expression was somewhat grim, but he understood that Ouyang Ke was right. Insisting on pursuing them would only increase casualties. He took a deep breath and shouted, "Come back! Don't chase them!"

At this moment, Ba Feng Han, who had already shot towards the center of the river, looked towards the riverbank and suddenly gathered his strength, saying, "I, Ba Feng Han, will definitely seek your guidance in person one day!"

The sound traveled from afar, echoing across the river.

Ouyang Ke, dressed in flowing white robes, gazed intently at the river's center, as if trying to etch Ba Feng Han's image firmly into his memory. After a moment, he slowly said, "Alright. I'll wait for you."

This seemingly simple sentence resonated throughout the entire riverbank. The river breeze carried it far, far away.

Dugu Feng gazed at the white figure, a complex expression flashing in her eyes.

She had fought Ouyang Ke before and thought she had figured out his strength, but today she realized that he had actually held back a great deal of power that day.

Sha Zhijing, of course, didn't understand any of this. She only knew that Brother Ouyang had won, so she clapped and cheered. The firebird perched on her shoulder and also made a "coo" sound, as if in agreement.

Jiang Ba strode forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Ouyang Ke, and said, "Young Master Ouyang, your prowess is truly admirable!"

Zheng Shuming stepped forward and said softly, "Young Master, you've worked hard." She glanced at her husband, then looked at Ouyang Ke, her eyes full of gratitude.

If Ouyang Ke hadn't volunteered to fight on behalf of the Great River Alliance, not only would the Great River Alliance have been disgraced in this battle, but Jiang Ba himself would likely have been in grave danger!

Ouyang Ke shook his head slightly: "Boss, Madam, you are too kind. Now that I have joined the Great River Alliance, I will do my best."

His gaze fell on the river surface, where the small boat had become a tiny black dot, gradually disappearing where the water met the sky.