The Journey North 9

It was rather obvious that the two men knew that they had him at a disadvantage. They didn't bother to hide it, from the way that they were grinning at each other as they advanced on him. And he doubted that he could fend them off long enough for the Prince, or Lieutenant Wei, to finish off their own opponents and come lend him a hand.

Then he gritted his teeth, and charged at the pair.

The pudgy fellow laughed out loud, as he moved to intercept the assault. And he attacked, even before Qin Feng could even begin to execute the attack that he had intended. Forcing the younger man to grit his teeth, and switch to a more defensive stance.

Four Seasons Sword: Wilting Autumn Leaves!

The long sword in his hands seemed to weave a chaotic net, like withered brown leaves falling off tree branches, fluttering in the wind. And somehow ward off the three sharp, piercing strikes that the older, and fatter, enemy threw at Qin Feng. Who quickly backed away from the same, as he fought to adjust his breathing, and recover his strength.

Qin Feng knew that he had been lucky, and he also knew that it was unrealistic to expect that same defensive move to work so efficiently if he used it again. Another piece of luck was that Pudgy Cheeks, as he had labelled the one who had just attacked him, had also used one of his more effective moves. Which meant that he was unlikely to try that again.

Honestly, Qin Feng had barely been able to catch a glimpse of that unusual sword style, and was far from understanding it. But the enemy didn't know that, so he was more than happy should the fellow be intimidated enough not to use it again!

On the other hand, he was rather annoyed at the way that the fellow with the slightly pudgy cheeks was able to avoid almost all of his attacks. And how these false Barbarians were putting up such a hard fight. Wasn't he already in the Core Formation Realm? The Core that was in his dantian was no more than the size of a small bean but it was a Core nonetheless! So why was he having such difficulty against these people conducting the ambush?

But Pudgy Cheeks' partner did not give him time to dwell on such a puzzle, forcing Qin Feng to back away again as he shot out another one of those strange attacks on the young man. This was a repeat of one of those moves that he had managed to dodge earlier though, so Qin Feng didn't have any trouble avoiding it.

Only to realize that the attack was nothing more than a feint!

The thinner man clad in Barbarian furs had lulled him into repeating the same dodging pattern as before, and had a second move prepared just as Qin Feng was starting to feel complacent! And he was forced to back away abruptly from the sharp stab to the throat that had suddenly appeared right in front of him!

Four Seasons Sword: Shards of Winter Frost!

The Defensive Style of Shards of Winter Frost threw a layer of sword qi between him and the rapidly approaching sword tip. That caused the air around Qin Feng to give out three sharp clashing sounds as it deflected the seemingly simple stabbing blow. Allowing the younger man to fend off the assault.

A trickle of cold sweat dribbled down Qin Feng's back as he pulled away. Then he cursed himself as he forced himself to take the offensive once more. If he kept pulling back like this, wasn't he going to end up further and further away from the Second Ducal Prince and Lieutenant Wei? Wasn't that going to make things even more risky for him, once that happens?

He used the Autumn stance of his Four Seasons Swordplay once again. But this time, he changed the intent of the stance from pure defense to an aggressive advance. The sword in his hand whined as it clashed against the thinner man's weapon continuously, preventing the fellow from preparing yet another of his strange moves.

Since he was calling one of them Pudgy Cheeks, the other fellow would just have to be stuck with the label Skinny Man, Qin Feng thought as he drew closer to his target. While he wasn't as thin that the one that he had killed earlier, when they started exchanging blows, this one was relatively slimmer, and younger, than Pudgy Cheeks. So that name would have to do.

But it was already clear that his opponents had some idea of the Four Seasons Sword, so he knew that he couldn't rely on that to score him another victory. The fact that he had caught them by surprise earlier was probably the only reason why he had succeeded before.

So Qin Feng's left hand struck, the moment that he was close enough to use his other fighting art. Just as he pushed Skinny Man's sword out of the way, but before his enemy realized that he had failed to keep him engaged, and started to pull back.

That was the only time that he was close enough to Qin Feng for the latter to strike. And apparently, too surprised to react!

White Jade Hands: Sink the Fish!

Qin Feng's left palm caught his skinnier opponent directly on the right side of his face. That was enough of a shock to Skinny Man that he almost dropped his sword. And something that Qin Feng had not expected to succeed too!

He had intended to aim for Skinny Man's shoulder at first, and perhaps, disarm the fellow. But he changed his mind, and struck a little deeper, catching the man on the jaw line instead. And he had thrown all of his zhenqi behind the blow as well!

There was a loud cracking sound as his hand crashed against his opponent. And Qin Feng felt something shatter under his palm. Somehow, he was confident that he did not have to worry about Skinny Man any longer.

Even if he wasn't seriously injured from that attack, Qin Feng was rather certain tha he had rendered the fellow unconscious.

But QIn Feng did pay a hefty price!

Pudgy Cheeks had seen what the young swordsman was up to, and had charged in even as the latter began his Four Seasons Sword defense. And backed away so that he could drag out the distance between the pair. Fortunately, that had succeeded, so that Qin Feng had managed to make that crucial palm strike, before Pudgy Cheeks arrived.

He switched to defense bare moments after he hit Skinny Man, and barely dodged the cunning stab that Pudgy Cheeks threw at him, at almost the same instant. Probably attempting to save his partner in crime, Qin Feng thought. Instead of punching through the latter's left arm, Qin Feng had pulled back his hand just in time, such that his remaining enemy's strike only left a long shallow track on his forearm. Instead of drilling a hole through his left shoulder-blade!

That sent another chill down Qin Feng's spine as he fled!

But he gritted his teeth, and turned to face the last of the group that he had thrown himself in front of. It should be easier now, shouldn't it? When he only had one opponent left? And if he could hold this one off, wasn't there a chance that Li Changhai or Lieutenant Wei would come help? That is, if they could finish off their own opponents!

Something that Qin Feng dearly wished that they would settle quickly!

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