Zhang Wu had never expected the person who scared Da Hu and his men into fleeing in terror to be nothing more than a blind street performer.
The blind man's low voice drifted through the wind.
"I would like to speak with your boss. Could you introduce me?"
Zhang Wu snorted coldly.
"Our boss isn't interested in seeing someone like you. You hurt my brothers. You owe us an explanation."
The blind man slowly stroked the cane in his hand.
He murmured quietly.
"Number three. Number six. Number twelve."
"This month I've taken three jobs."
"Enough to keep me fed for two months. Maybe even enough for a few cups of good wine."
Zhang Wu sneered.
"And that's the price of sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."
"I didn't want to interfere either."
The blind man sighed softly.
"But she gives me tofu every day."
"You know... who could refuse a piece of tofu?"
The wind howled.
Snow whipped through the street, stinging the eyes.
Suddenly a cracking sound echoed in the storm.
A shadow burst through the curtain of snow with a sharp whistling sound.
Mixed within the wind was the faint cry of a blade leaving its sheath.
The blind man moved incredibly fast.
Those standing far away could only see a fleeting shadow.
Those closer could only glimpse a faint arc of pale light.
Thud.
Thud.
Several muffled impacts sounded.
A few of Zhang Wu's men screamed and collapsed to the ground.
"Don't panic!"
Zhang Wu roared.
At the same time he twisted his wrist, swinging his saber in a sweeping arc.
But his opponent easily avoided the attack.
Suddenly a hand grabbed him and yanked hard.
Zhang Wu crashed forward and slammed face-first into the ground.
What the hell?
Wasn't this guy blind?
The sound of clashing steel rang out repeatedly.
Some men's weapons were knocked flying.
Others were thrown several meters away and knocked unconscious.
A few barely managed to block a strike, but their arms went numb and their weapons fell from their hands.
Amid the chaos, the blind man's weapon moved silently.
Like a snowflake drifting through the air.
To be precise...
It wasn't a saber.
It was a cane.
[Wind Listening Saber Art – 40%]
Zhang Wu held his breath.
He knew the opponent was blind.
Taking advantage of the chaos, he suddenly swung his saber with all his strength.
The blade tore through the air with a vicious whistle.
A streak of light flashed across the darkness.
The blind man responded with a backhand strike.
Using the momentum of the attack, a faint cyan blade aura burst forward like a spinning wheel of light.
Zhang Wu rolled several times across the ground before crashing down with a heavy thud.
A wound more than a foot long split across his chest.
Blood poured out rapidly.
His face twisted in pain as his arms trembled uncontrollably.
Da Hu had long since been scared stiff.
His body trembled violently as he sat collapsed in the corner.
He stared at Li Ping'an in horror.
Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined that the blind beggar he bullied every day was actually a terrifying martial arts expert.
What the hell kind of nightmare was this?
"H-Hero! Please spare us!"
"Hero, spare our lives! We were blind and offended you!"
The once arrogant Zhang Wu now lay flat on the ground, begging desperately.
The blind man spoke calmly.
"Take me to your boss."
---
Yuanyang Tower
The largest entertainment establishment in Anqing County.
It was a combination of restaurant, brothel, and gambling house.
In the gambling hall, a curtain separated the tables.
Behind it stood a small table where gamblers gathered in a circle, each with piles of chips stacked before them.
A place like this was not something an ordinary person could open.
The owner was named Guo Yu.
The same Guo as the county magistrate.
Because he was the magistrate's nephew.
Of course, operating brothels and gambling houses alone could never satisfy Guo Yu's appetite.
Secretly, he was involved in human trafficking.
Local women were sold to distant regions.
The Western Regions.
The Turkic lands.
Anywhere across the world.
In the corner of the gambling hall stood numerous guards and attendants.
All wore tight martial clothing and carried weapons.
They looked like martial world fighters.
A middle-aged man with a vicious face sat nearby, holding a seductive woman in his arms.
He drank wine while laughing loudly.
This man was the owner of the place.
Guo Yu.
BANG!
A loud crash shattered the noisy atmosphere.
Zhang Wu's body was thrown into the hall.
Moments later, a blind man stepped inside.
"I came to see the boss."
Guo Yu raised an eyebrow.
His expression was filled with disdain.
It had been a long time since anyone dared cause trouble in Yuanyang Tower.
He waved his hand.
The guards immediately drove the gamblers out.
Soon the entire gambling hall was empty.
Only Guo Yu, his guards, and the blind man wearing a straw hat remained.
"I wish to discuss a business deal."
Guo Yu stood on the second floor, looking down from above.
"I remember you."
"Your name is Li... something."
"Li Ping'an."
"Ah, Li Ping'an."
Guo Yu nodded as if suddenly remembering.
"I didn't expect you to have such skill."
"And such courage."
Li Ping'an answered calmly.
"I'm only trying to make a living."
Guo Yu laughed coldly.
"What? You came to my territory to steal my business?"
Around them, the guards quietly surrounded the blind man.
They waited only for Guo Yu's command.
From their disciplined movements, it was clear they were not ordinary martial artists.
They had spent years in the military.
Especially the man leading them.
Yi Xuan.
He didn't look like someone from the Central Plains.
A pair of golden earrings hung from his ears.
"You misunderstand."
Li Ping'an spoke calmly.
"I bear you no grudge, nor am I here to steal your business."
"The man named Niu Er from East Street owes you a large debt."
"I will repay it."
"I only ask that you leave that mother and child alone."
Guo Yu thought for a moment.
Then he remembered.
"No."
He smirked.
"I've taken a liking to that woman."
"If you like her too..."
"Then after I'm done with her, you can pay some money and visit my brothel."
"Maybe you'll get lucky and get to see her."
The corner of Guo Yu's mouth curled upward.
A quiet sigh escaped Li Ping'an.
"Why make things so difficult?"
Guo Yu's voice turned cold.
"Kill him."
A large man behind him raised a butcher's knife and swung it toward the blind man's head.
SPLASH!
Blood sprayed into the air.
A miserable scream followed.
Then the sound of a blade hitting the ground.
Someone collapsed.
Li Ping'an's cane had pierced straight into the man's right eye.
Two more men screamed as their massive bodies were sent flying.
They crashed to the ground several meters away.
Another man cried out as a saber cut into his shoulder.
Blood erupted instantly.
Li Ping'an seized a Hu saber.
The blade was sharp.
The back thin.
The handle curved.
Yi Xuan suddenly stepped forward and swung his saber downward.
The two figures collided.
Their blades clashed again and again, each strike sending fierce gusts of wind through the hall.
One strike after another.
So fast it made the heart race.
After only a few breaths, Yi Xuan had already been wounded.
"Excellent saber technique!"
Years had passed since he left the military.
A master like this was rarely seen.
Li Ping'an opened his palm.
Using the power of Turtle Breathing Art, he launched the gambling chips in his hand like hidden weapons.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The chips shot toward every light source in the hall.
In an instant, the entire gambling house fell into darkness.
Shadows moved everywhere.
Blade flashes appeared and vanished.
The battle descended into complete chaos.
"Hold formation!"
Yi Xuan shouted.
Several personal guards immediately gathered around him, blades pointed outward.
They tried to create a defensive circle.
But screams continued to echo from the darkness.
From the moment these men chose to commit such evil deeds...
Their fate had already been sealed.
Yi Xuan and his men held their formation.
For now, they had not been attacked.
Yet the screams around them stabbed into their hearts like knives.
Suddenly a flash of steel cut through the darkness.
A man screamed as the blade struck him diagonally across the body.
He rolled across the ground in agony.
Yi Xuan's eyes sharpened.
Gripping his saber with both hands, he unleashed a sweeping curtain of blade light and rushed forward.
Li Ping'an shifted left.
He avoided the attack.
But even with his quick reaction, the edge still cut him slightly.
At that moment, another man leapt from behind him.
The blade descended like falling snow.
Fast as lightning.
But the attacker suddenly let out a horrific scream.
With a single strike...
His head and shoulder were split apart.