Chapter 68 — Blood Washes the Long Street

Dragon coins were small, yet thirty-six hundred of them were by no means a trifling amount; in total they weighed more than ten jin. Shen Mu casually hung the money pouch on the hilt of the slaughter blade at his back, silently praising in his heart: "This plump and portly Seventh Young Master is indeed open-handed."

Seventh Young Master's eyes brightened as they fell upon the slaughter blade behind Shen Mu. He smiled. "If you are willing to sell that blade of yours, I can give you an even better price!"

Shen Mu shook his head. "This blade of mine surpasses those earthen jars by far too much. It is not for sale."

"True enough. Your blade—even its mere material—outdoes the jars by a measure."

Seventh Young Master handed the jars to the attendant at his side and said with a smile, "These jars were refined by a divine-power practitioner of the Six Harmonies Realm. They number thirty-six primordial weapons in all, called the Thirty-Six Heavenly Star Jars, and they can form the Heavenly Dipper Demon-Refining Array. Though somewhat battered, their power remains. I have no use for them myself—I only meant to carry them out of the Desolate Ruins and sell them to princes and nobles for a profit. I recognized the Thirty-Six Heavenly Star Jars because I have seen them before. Your eyesight is extraordinary; have you perhaps seen them before as well?"

Behind him, an attendant coughed and said, "Seventh Young Master, a white dragon traveling in fish's clothing is hardly safe."

Seventh Young Master said with displeasure, "You people meddle far too much. Even going out for amusement brings no joy!" With that, he shook his head and departed.

Shen Mu knew that Seventh Young Master stayed close to Shen Feiyue, who treated him with great respect, so his standing must be far from ordinary. It was only natural that these attendants would not allow him to court danger.

Just as he was about to leave, the stall keeper who had sold him the jars suddenly seized the hem of his garment and cried, "Don't go! Those jars of mine were worth more than three thousand dragon coins, and you bought them for a single coin! You must compensate me!" With that, he snatched at the money pouch behind Shen Mu.

Shen Mu frowned. Suddenly the hairs on his body stood on end as he sensed danger closing in. In the alley, a man flew toward him at speed. His sleeve turned over, and from the sleeve slid a bizarre weapon—like two curved sabers joined together, both ends bending sharply, extraordinarily keen.

The man's palm was turned downward, yet the bizarre weapon did not fall from beneath his palm; instead, howling as it spun, it abruptly swept toward Shen Mu's neck!

Shen Mu's vital essence surged in a torrent into both his feet, and his body shifted abruptly backward. The stall keeper had been about to seize the money pouch, but Shen Mu had already withdrawn a zhang away.

Blade-light glittered. The man followed like a shadow, clinging to Shen Mu, the strange blade pressed against his palm as it flew up and down. Shen Mu looked hastily and saw a fine thread linking the strange blade to the man's palm. Both ends of the weapon were curved sabers, while the middle was the handle, and the thread was tied to the handle.

"Refining qi into silk, controlling the blade with qi—he is a martial artist!"

The martial artist's blade-work was exceedingly bizarre. His steps were slippery as a loach, drilling and darting this way and that. His technique was chiefly cutting, and in this narrow alley it proved extremely lethal. The gleaming blade-light descended from above in a sweeping arc, and its force was by no means weak.

At the same time, Shen Mu saw the other people in the alley stirring with eagerness, rising one after another to their feet.

Clearly, this pouch of dragon coins had roused greed! More than three thousand dragon coins were absolutely a great fortune, enough to breed covetousness and kindle murderous intent!

"Strike quickly, settle quickly!"

Shen Mu stopped abruptly, and vast vital essence poured in torrents into both his fists.

His feet shifted in a cunning step, vital essence coursing through both arms to his fingertips. He curled his fingers into fists, and at the instant the fist was about to clash with the martial artist's strange blade, his fingers suddenly sprang out from the fist like bolts from a powerful crossbow!

The second technique of the Eight Thunderclap Secrets—the Flick-Finger Thunder-Quaking Pipa Hand!

Dang!

His first finger flicked out, the finger-force piercing the air with a sharp shriek, and knocked the rapidly spinning blade upward. His second finger flicked out, and with a single flick he snapped the vital-essence thread in the martial artist's hand.

Shen Mu's third finger flicked out and struck the martial artist's palm. The martial artist gave a muffled groan, and the flesh of his palm blurred into a bloody haze, torn open into a great hole.

Every finger of Shen Mu's carried vital essence of incomparable depth and might. Though his vital essence could not unleash power the way White Tiger vital essence could, it was nonetheless truly vast and profound, and the physical strength it conferred was appalling. Three flicks shattered the martial artist's offense; then he drew his fingers back into a fist and blasted it into the martial artist's chest.

The martial artist's body was bent backward by the force of that punch, his legs leaving the ground as he was hurled backward.

Alone upon the Eastern Sea, clutching spring thunder!

Shen Mu drove off with his feet, and before the martial artist had even landed, he had already rushed up to him. Panic sprang into the martial artist's eyes, but suspended in midair, he had no way to defend himself.

At this moment, the two martial artists on either side of the alley saw Shen Mu dash up to their companion, and their eyes lit up. Without a word, they burst upward from both sides and attacked!

Bang!

Bang! Bang!

Before those two martial artists could even strike their first blow, they saw Shen Mu's fists growing larger and larger before their eyes, and it was as if a savage earth dragon had smashed into their faces. Their heads snapped backward, their skulls punched into the wall, and their bodies hung from the wall below their necks!

The wall was struck until cracks spread across it like a spider's web.

And the martial artist whose chest had just received Shen Mu's heavy fist was struck again in the chest. This punch was even more vicious than the last, leaving his feet no ground to touch and sending him flying backward at even greater speed!

In the alley, human figures flickered, and the heavy sounds of bang bang bang followed. Seventh Young Master and the several attendants versed in divine powers had not yet walked out of the alley when they heard the noise behind them; they could not help stopping, turning around, and astonishment showed on their faces.

That martial artist was sent flying for the third time, hurtling straight at Seventh Young Master. The several divine-power practitioners frowned slightly and were about to act, but Seventh Young Master smiled and said, "No need. Let us simply step aside."

The group shifted sideways to let him pass, and saw Shen Mu clinging to the martial artist like a whirlwind. All the way, fists and palms flew with mad frenzy and lightning speed, blending hardness and softness, long-range grappling and close-quarters striking. With a final punch, the martial artist was driven out of the alley and, with a thunderous crash, slammed into the wall across the street.

The wall was shattered open by the martial artist's backside. His body was caught fast in the wall, his arms and legs dangling limp, hung there unable to move.

And behind Shen Mu, more than a dozen martial artists all had their heads stuck in the wall, their bodies hanging against its face, arms and legs flailing, unable for the moment to free themselves.

"Fine skill!"