Unorthodox Wuxia: While Others Practice Martial Arts, I Cultivate Immortality - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: A Clash of Blades

Five days passed in the blink of an eye.

Since Yuan Zhao hadn’t made any effort to conceal her actions, word of someone ambushing and slaughtering Great Xiao’s soldiers outside of Baiyu City spread rapidly.

Over the past few days, not a single patrol sent out from the city had returned alive. Even the scouts dispatched to investigate had vanished without a trace.

In just five short days, nearly 500 soldiers had gone missing.

This threw the Great Xiao military camp into a state of panic.

That morning, when a city guard woke from a brief doze, he was stunned to see a line of bold writing on the city wall:

“Young General, I always keep my word!”

Frightened, the guard rushed to report it.

The incident quickly reached the ears of the top military brass, who convened an emergency meeting.

Inside the City Lord’s meeting hall, the Marshal of Great Xiao, Xiao Hong, the only Grade-One warrior in Baiyu City, sat at the head with a stern expression. Below him sat numerous generals.

Baiyu City’s military command structure consisted of one Marshal (Grade-One, Xiao Hong), two Grand Generals (Grade-Two), and ten standard Generals (Grade-Three). One of the two Grand Generals, General Tuoba, had already been killed by Yuan Zhao, leaving only one.

Among the ten generals, the Young General—Tuoba Yu—was a direct subordinate and nephew of the slain Tuoba General.

Xiao Hong swept his sharp eyes across the room.

“Can anyone explain to me what those words on the city wall mean? I assume the recent disappearances of our soldiers are directly related?”

The pressure from a Grade-One expert was suffocating; even the Grand Generals struggled to breathe.

Tuoba Yu, in particular, was so terrified he nearly fell from his seat.

Xiao Hong immediately barked: “Tuoba Yu! You explain!”

Tuoba Yu scrambled to his feet, then dropped to one knee, trembling. “Marshal… this is all my fault…”

He didn’t dare hide a thing. He spilled everything—Yuan Zhao’s identity, the reasons for her vengeance, all of it.

Xiao Hong’s face turned livid with rage. “Excellent! Excellent! What an audacious girl—daring to trample on the pride of Great Xiao’s army!”

He turned to the remaining Grand General: “Yelu Fang, you and your troops stay to defend the city.”

“Yes, Marshal!” Yelu Fang stood and bowed.

Then Xiao Hong looked to the five generals under Tuoba’s former command.

“You men, come with me. It’s time to meet this arrogant little girl.”

“We await your orders!” the generals responded in unison.

Xiao Hong added, “As for you, Tuoba Yu… this entire mess is your doing. You will not escape punishment. After I handle the girl, I’ll deal with you.”

“I accept my guilt…” Tuoba Yu replied, drenched in cold sweat.

***

Meanwhile, Yuan Zhao had no idea the Marshal of Great Xiao himself was preparing to confront her. She remained calmly stationed outside the city gates, awaiting her next opportunity.

Suddenly, a 500-man unit caught her attention. It was led by five military generals.

In Great Xiao’s army, generals were commanders of 100 soldiers—lower-ranking officers.

Yuan Zhao was about to tail them as usual, but something felt off.

A trap…

She had just left that threatening message at the gate, and now a large force was being sent out?

Far too coincidental.

Her instincts were right—this unit had been dispatched specifically to lure and kill her. The five commanders were actually Tuoba’s loyal subordinates in disguise, and Marshal Xiao Hong himself had taken the appearance of an ordinary soldier within the formation.

Still, after a moment’s thought, Yuan Zhao chose to follow them.

After all, that message had been meant to draw out Great Xiao’s key military figures.

And if they had taken the bait, then it’s good.

She and the old wolf followed the group into the desert, far from Baiyu City.

After a long journey into the barren dunes, the disguised Marshal leaned in to whisper something to one of the generals.

Immediately, the general raised his right hand and the army came to a halt.

He then shouted toward a seemingly empty sand dune: “Come out. You’ve been following us all this way. Aren’t you tired yet?”

At his words, Yuan Zhao and the old wolf emerged from the sand.

“Oh? You noticed me? Not bad, you’re no ordinary commander,” she said.

The ones she had killed before hadn’t been able to detect her at all.

The general sneered, “You think you can kill so many of our soldiers and still leave alive?”

“We’ll see,” Yuan Zhao smiled.

At this point, her presence was drastically different from when she first arrived in Baiyu City. After slaughtering hundreds, she radiated a terrifying aura of bloodlust, enough to chill even hardened warriors.

The old wolf was the same, his murderous instinct now fully awakened.

“Arrogant fool,” the general spat, signaling his troops.

The 500 soldiers instantly surrounded Yuan Zhao and the old wolf.

“Rrraugh!” the old wolf was thrilled rather than afraid.

Though it had remained calm at Yuan Zhao’s side for so long, its primal, bloodthirsty nature had never faded. Once old and weak, it had now regained youthful strength. The recent carnage had fully reawakened its savage instincts.

With a roar, it leapt into the crowd, tearing into the soldiers with fangs and claws.

Watching from hiding, Marshal Xiao Hong couldn’t help but marvel.

What a ferocious wolf!

He was almost envious that such a beast had bonded with this girl. But he also knew—wolves were fiercely loyal. Otherwise, he’d have stolen it for himself.

At the same time, Yuan Zhao charged in with her saber, cutting down soldier after soldier like they were nothing. She held back slightly, suspecting this force was unusual.

Even so, to regular troops, her attacks were devastating.

Xiao Hong studied her movements closely.

His conclusion was: A Grade-Two martial artist. Not bad, but nothing to fear. That oversized saber is all show.

But as the soldiers were being wiped out and Yuan Zhao began moving toward the five generals, Xiao Hong realized he had to act. Generals, as Grade-Three martial artists, were not easily replaceable.

While Yuan Zhao focused on killing, she remained alert.

Suddenly, she sensed danger behind her and turned—a “lowly soldier” was charging at her with tremendous force.

She instinctively raised her saber to block.

CLANG!

The impact rang out like thunder. Yuan Zhao was sent flying several meters back.

She noticed the man wore metallic gauntlets, shining faintly in the sun.

‘Not a common soldier…’

Xiao Hong was surprised—she had survived his full-power punch?

No doubt, she was a Grade-Two martial artist, but one capable of withstanding an attack from a Grade-One?

Truthfully, Xiao Hong wasn’t wrong. Yuan Zhao was indeed Grade-Two.

But with her massive saber and mastery of the Hellgate Blade, she could nearly rival Grade-One warriors, especially with favorable terrain.

Yuan Zhao narrowed her eyes: “Name yourself!”

Xiao Hong revealed his identity without hesitation: “Marshal of Great Xiao, Iron Fist Xiao Hong.”

“Ah, so it’s Marshal Xiao himself. I must be quite the VIP,” Yuan Zhao sneered.

Xiao Hong replied, “To dare singlehandedly butcher hundreds of my men… you’re the first. Bold little girl!”

Yuan Zhao scoffed, “Your soldiers acted without scruples. They reaped what they sowed.”

“Such a sharp tongue!”

With that, Xiao Hong charged with his fists.

Yuan Zhao met him head-on, swinging her giant blade.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Saber and fist collided again and again. The resulting shockwaves were deafening—even the surrounding soldiers bled from their ears.

The five generals felt their blood surging painfully.

After several exchanges, both Yuan Zhao and Xiao Hong leapt back ten paces.

“Clever little brat…” Xiao Hong growled, realizing she had hidden her true strength earlier.

“Likewise~” Yuan Zhao mocked, accusing him of ambushing her while disguised.

Then the two clashed again, blow for blow. But something suddenly felt off to Xiao Hong.

His feet were sinking, the sand beneath him seemed to grab at his legs, dragging him downward.

Yuan Zhao’s strike landed just then.

BOOM!

She slammed him square in the chest with the flat of her heavy blade.

The force, combined with her superhuman strength, caused Xiao Hong to cough up a mouthful of blood.

Yuan Zhao raised her saber to strike again…

But Xiao Hong suddenly roared, unleashing a surge of true energy that blasted the sand away.

This was where Yuan Zhao’s lack of experience showed.

She didn’t realize that Grade-One warriors could project their internal energy outward, unlike lower-level ones.

While her tactics had worked against Grade-Two generals like Tuoba, they were far less effective against someone like Xiao Hong.

Xiao Hong had been caught off guard only because he hadn’t expected Yuan Zhao to possess such strange and unpredictable techniques. He simply hadn’t reacted in time.

Once he broke free from the sand trap, Xiao Hong threw another punch to counterattack.

Clang!

The two clashed and instantly sprang apart, both grunting and dropping to one knee.

Yuan Zhao steadied herself using the long blade that now lay flat against the ground. Looking up at Xiao Hong, she said coldly: “You can’t kill me.”

Xiao Hong glared at her, knowing deep down she was right.

Though she wasn’t as strong as he was, if she truly wanted to flee, there was nothing he could do to stop her.

“You know I can return at any time,” Yuan Zhao continued. “To me, your Great Xiao soldiers are nothing more than lambs to the slaughter.”

Xiao Hong’s face darkened further. “What do you want?” he growled, his voice like steel.

“First,” Yuan Zhao said, “have your men stand down.”

At that moment, the five generals were still surrounding and attacking the old wolf.

Despite its agility and repeated bites and slashes at the enemy, the old wolf had taken significant damage.

“Stand down!” Xiao Hong bellowed.

At his command, the five generals instantly ceased their assault.

“Awooo~” The old Wolf staggered out of the fight, panting heavily, and rushed back to Yuan Zhao’s side.

Xiao Hong: “Now will you speak?”

“I want compensation,” Yuan Zhao replied flatly. “My family was living peacefully in Tianmen Town. It was your General Tuoba who murdered my grandfather without cause. A life for a life, that’s justice. I only sought revenge. Then you sent men to harass me. You even hired assassins from the Dark Night Pavilion.”

At this, Tuoba Yu hurriedly denied: “No! I didn’t—!”

Yuan Zhao shot him a withering glare that practically screamed: ‘You think I’ll believe that?’

Tuoba Yu shuddered from her look. He wanted to keep lying, but Xiao Hong shot him a furious glare as well.

‘Useless thing. What’s the point of denying it now? Even if you didn’t do it, you’ll take the blame.’

Xiao Hong asked coldly: “And just how much money do you want us to pay?”

Hundreds of his soldiers had died, and now he had to pay her? Xiao Hong had never felt such humiliation in his life.

Just as Yuan Zhao was about to respond, a calm, ethereal voice echoed from above: “Why not let me serve as witness to this agreement?”

Everyone looked up.

From who knows when, a giant white crane had appeared in the sky. Atop it stood a mysterious figure, dressed in a white robe and wearing a white mask.

Their voice was genderless, no one could tell if the person was male or female.

Xiao Hong narrowed his eyes. “From Baixiao Sect?”

“Indeed!” the masked figure replied with a cheerful smile.

“You people are everywhere, aren’t you…” Xiao Hong muttered with open disdain.

Baixiao Sect was a secretive intelligence organization that traded in information. Its members rarely showed their real faces, and all of them were highly skilled, shrouded in mystery.

They had branches in both Great Xiao and Great Liang.

Yuan Zhao had heard of them before. She stepped forward and bowed politely: “Then I’ll trouble you, Senior.”

The mysterious person grinned: “What a delightful little girl. Not like a certain old blockhead!”

Xiao Hong: “…”

He was fuming but held his tongue.

Though he despised Baixiao Sect, he couldn’t deny they had a solid reputation.

The masked figure smiled again: “Since both parties have agreed to let me serve as witness, then if either side breaks this agreement, their betrayal will be made known across the entire martial world.

When that happens… well, the shame speaks for itself, no?”

With that, they turned to Yuan Zhao: “Alright, little lady. What are your terms?”

In truth, Baixiao Sect had been monitoring Baiyu City ever since soldiers started disappearing. Otherwise, this person wouldn’t have arrived so quickly.

The fact that Yuan Zhao had dared to challenge Great Xiao’s forces alone had earned their admiration.

That’s why they had stepped in to serve as mediator.

Yuan Zhao nodded and said clearly: “I want 5,000 taels of silver in compensation. And I want Great Xiao to promise that no one from the military will harass me or my family again.”

“Five thousand taels?!”

Xiao Hong was so furious he actually laughed.

“You think we’re a bank?! Why not ask for fifty thousand while you’re at it?!”

The masked figure chimed in with a chuckle: “Now now, Marshal Xiao—there’s no need to overreact. Everything is negotiable~”