Chapter 37: Night of the Fish and Dragon Dance (Part 2)
In the moment after Ning Yi turned his head, what happened over ten meters away in the crowd was a sudden scene that left all pedestrians no time to react.
The street was already crowded at this time, and though the tens-of-meters-wide road wasn't quite shoulder-to-shoulder packed, various sounds indeed formed a cacophony. Children ran along the roadsides, occasionally setting off firecrackers here and there—lighting them and running, causing nearby vendors and pedestrians to laugh and curse. In the distance that yellow dragon danced over with booming gongs and drums. Under such circumstances, ordinary sounds would normally be hard to notice. However, the sound that suddenly arose wasn't from the bustle, but because it was too shrill.
It was an "Ahh—" scream, the cry of someone about to die tearing through this wave of sound, and since he'd just turned his head, what Ning Yi saw included the cold metallic gleam suddenly shooting out among countless lanterns. The speed was truly too fast, like electric fan blades, drawing two circles of afterimages in an instant. Blood flowers flew high over pedestrians' heads along with the scream as a severed arm shot skyward.
The chaotic tide of sound—those who understood the situation and those who didn't, those who'd reacted and those who hadn't—all mixed in this moment.
"Yaahh—"
Ding ding ding~ding—
Shouts and sounds of metal clashing spread like ripples suddenly pushing outward as a black figure spun above the pedestrians' heads while another figure charged up from below shouting, lost control, flew out and smashed through a table and bench on the other side. Amid flying wood chips, it rushed several meters away, rumble rumble rumble—
The smashed coal stove, flying soup pot and boiling water, burning charcoal bloomed like a spreading peacock's tail, scattering diners as the black figure landed back down, weapon swinging. Two nearby lanterns caught in the crossfire broke, flame patterns extending through the air.
In just a brief instant, Ning Yi might have been among those who saw but couldn't react, completely unable to understand what was happening as just over ten meters away arms and blood shot up. Then someone shouted and charged at the attacker. The attacker jumped perhaps just over two meters high, looking like a gymnast's pole vault. Black robes and skirts fluttered and flipped. The person charging below was casually blasted several meters away by her, smashing countless things.
Only now did the crowd finally react, and with blood and severed arm falling, everyone screamed. Xiao Chan was still asking: "Young Master, what happened..." when Ning Yi grabbed her shoulder and pulled her to his side. A pedestrian sensing something wrong backed toward them and was pushed away by Ning Yi.
Shouts exploded in the night. Over ten meters away, sounds of weapons clashing rang out densely. Someone roared "Ahh—" in fury, the atmosphere blazing and murderous like two armies facing off on a battlefield. The lanterns hanging there were already dense, like spider webs suspended above the street. Occasionally a lamp would explode or a whole rope of lanterns would fall. On the ground someone was cleaved away, one hand already gone, clutching the wound and screaming terribly.
Fights occasionally broke out in Jiangning city, or two groups would have bloody street battles—escort agencies, gangs, guards from noble houses fought for all sorts of reasons, but this sudden scene before them was different. The one who'd just leaped in the air was merely a woman, while those now surrounding and attacking her were all burly men in blue shirts and short fighting clothes like martial artists, their bodies full of the murderous bloody air of those living by the blade. But despite this, when these people met that woman, they still couldn't gain the upper hand.
Ning Yi watched that chaotic scene ahead as the speed of the surrounding crowd's dispersal began accelerating. Xiao Chan locked both hands around Ning Yi's waist, shouting: "Young Master, Young Master, they're fighting..." jumping anxiously. She wanted to pull Ning Yi away, but at this time Ning Yi just grabbed her shoulder with one hand, protecting her at his side. If someone ran over about to collide, he'd push them away. There were many people after all. The flickering figures over there couldn't be seen clearly, but fortunately the area was gradually clearing.
A large circle with a radius of over ten meters opened on the road, but the chaos hadn't lessened compared to before—weapons, screams, flames burning on the road along with fallen lanterns, children crying in the distance, shouts from the crowd searching for companions. Some had been pushed down and struggled to get up. Ahead a old horse tied under a tree panicked, struggling and neighing wildly. A voice rang through the air: "Ardent Wu Army1 apprehending criminal, bystanders disperse—" One person's chest was pierced by the black-clothed woman's sword, flying back over ten steps before crashing heavily to the ground.
Though being chased by five or six people she still seemed at ease, the killing scene wasn't elegant like TV martial arts films. The sword in the woman's hand looked just over half a meter long, longer than a dagger or the military machetes Ning Yi had seen, but shorter than normal long swords, and it looked wider and clumsier, probably designed for durability in chopping. The woman was tall but seemed somewhat thin, in black clothes and skirt with a face veil. She didn't attack much, just ding-ding-dang-dang blocking, running and dodging in small areas.
Among those attacking her was a two-meter-tall giant using tables and even nearby wooden shed pillars as weapons. At these times she'd even dodge somewhat desperately, but almost every strike had results. With a sword that length, piercing an enemy's body wasn't easy, but her thrusting force was extreme. The thin figure holding the sword practically seemed to ram forward with her whole body—one thrust went all the way through. That's why the person just pierced was also knocked flying over ten steps before falling.
In just this brief fight, the woman's black clothes were already covered in spots of blood, mostly from enemies, but she'd likely been injured before, otherwise Ning Yi's hand couldn't have gotten that bloodstain. But it couldn't be seen now, and after the view cleared, what appeared before Ning Yi was the woman dragging an injured enemy by the hair while constantly retreating. Amid the clamor, the man being dragged on the ground kept shouting, waving and kicking trying to grab the woman's hand, but in such an intense situation he grabbed several times without success.
Two companions ahead had already charged over but were blocked by him. The giant to the side swung a table smashing over. The woman was already retreating quickly. At this moment her hand suddenly exerted force, legs pushing off. The man on the ground was almost pulled flying into the air. The woman's body landed and rolled. The table almost grazed over her head. She spun once and began standing again. The dragged man's form also fell to the ground, dust flying everywhere. His hair had been pulled in a circle. When the woman stood up, with a ripping sound even his scalp tore open, blood flowing freely. The woman kicked him in the back.
Two people charged from ahead. This companion was suddenly kicked up from the ground. They hurriedly reached to support him. Behind them the black-clothed woman's sword tip brushed through, stabbing straight at the other's chest.
"Ahh—" The man pressing his companion's shoulder shouted loudly, retreating rapidly. The three people pushed out over ten meters like a sandwich, scattering flames caused by burning lanterns. They crashed to the ground amid scattered light. The woman backflipped and pulled out her sword. The fallen man forcefully pushed away his already-pierced companion above: "Kill her!" His chest had already been pierced slightly by the sword tip, his calf had several bamboo sticks stabbed in during the retreat, now dripping with blood, utterly wretched.
A rope dart shot from nearby, brushing a spray of blood from the black-clothed woman's shoulder, then a blue-shirted man wielding a broadsword also pressed close, blade light dancing, forcing the woman to constantly retreat.
Flames swayed, dust rolled, horses neighed long, and the old horse tied under a nearby tree had also broken free at this time, charging madly through the chaotic fighting scene, heading straight for the still shouting and hesitating crowd that hadn't fled. Seeing that old horse run halfway, a light brushed past, drawing a subtle arc in the air, thudding into the old horse's head—the black-clothed woman had thrown her sword as a hidden weapon.
The running old horse seemed struck by lightning, its form making a "neigh—" sound in the air, still charging forward several meters from inertia before crashing down with a tremendous sound. Blood gushed from its head like a fountain.
The fighting over there hadn't paused at all. In the blade light, the now weaponless woman kept dodging. Suddenly, that black skirt hem swayed in a circle like a lotus. The man swinging his blade down staggered back in unspeakable pain—groin kick. Beside him, another blue-shirted person wielding twin blades also pounced over, trying to force the woman away. But the next moment, the woman simply advanced.
The twin blades swung through empty air. The man with the single blade who'd taken a groin kick, realizing he'd become the target, tried to swing his blade to dodge. But his blade-wielding right hand was suddenly clamped. A "crack" sounded from his knee—his lower leg was stomped and broken, completely twisted around. The moment pain reached his brain, a pale hand suddenly enlarged before his eyes.
The black-clothed woman's sleeves were very long. During the fight, her hands were almost invisible. Only now could one see that pale arm thrust out from the sleeve. The sleeve cracked like a whip shaking the air. The woman made a fist, knuckles aimed straight at the opponent's eyes.
Bang—
Ripple-like force transmitted directly through the eyes. The man with twin blades beside slashed over trying to rescue, but in that moment the woman struck like lightning, her form already circling behind the opponent.
Pak pak pak pak pak pak—
Eyes, nose bridge, throat, temple, spine, back of head—when the twin-blade wielder slashed over, the woman had already circled behind this single-blade man. Her palm swung her sleeve like a steel whip smashing down from the air, one palm striking the baihui acupoint2 on his crown.
"Yaahh—"
The twin-blade wielder's eyes reddened, blade light whirling like wheels. Ning Yi couldn't see clearly from afar, but before him ping-ping-pang-pang countless sparks flew out. Seconds later, a broadsword suddenly stabbed out from his back. When this person's body fell, the thin black-clothed woman stood there holding the broadsword, covered in blood looking this way.
The two-meter giant grabbed a table and swung it over, but that woman no longer dodged. One hand waved in the air, turning that force ninety degrees to smash aside. Dragging the broadsword she charged over. The giant had just started swinging another table when blade light rose from that side.
Boom—
That single-blade man's sword was already heavy, looking almost ghost-head saber weight. With the woman's build, dragging it beside her looked somewhat strange. But now this blade light directly shattered that table. The giant's entire chest bones were cleaved apart. The broadsword embedded inside, flying out together with him. Table fragments still flew through the air. That woman's long hair also spread in the air. She'd already charged ghost-like toward where the old horse died, toward this side.
At this time only two blue-shirted men remained alive on the scene. The one with the injured calf over there had just crawled up and didn't dare charge forward. The rope dart user here had also been roaming from start to finish. Seeing the woman charge over, that rope dart whistled and spun crazily in the air. But the woman directly closed distance with him. What flew in the air seemed like tangled thread. Two figures collided, fell to ground, rolled. The woman turned and stepped up standing. Blood seemed to circle around her body. The rope dart user's throat was already cut open. The rope dart's cord fell into the woman's hand. The black skirt moved. That long dart dragging its rope brushed over ten-plus meters distance, embedding in the forehead of the last survivor with the injured calf...
This entire fight didn't last long—just three or four minutes—and the surrounding crowd had scattered even further. The noisy sounds had also quieted considerably. Several constables and bailiffs had drawn their blades but didn't dare approach from afar. The woman ignored them. She was now covered in blood, walking to the old horse's corpse. Thick blood had already flowed all over the ground. She reached out to pull her sword, took out a cloth to wipe it, then with a brushing sound backhanded it into the sheath on her back.
Ning Yi and Xiao Chan had also retreated quite a bit, but were now watching this scene from nearby, entire bodies somewhat trembling...
(End of Chapter)