Martial King's Retired Life

“Hack it? I’ll hack you to bits!” Hai Yecha spat on the ground, disregarding the image he had spent twenty years building up. If you’re so tough, fight me man to man! Just me and you!”

“Your words, not mine!” Hong Jiu came out the gates with a big palm strike.

From the second Hai Yecha felt the wind billow his hair to the arrival of the hand, it felt as if only a split second had passed. Unable to gain a better position in time, he was forced to defuse Hong Jiu’s six-hit combo, each intercept generating sounds akin to rocks splintering.

Hai Yecha developed his strength through training in water, yet he had to use every fibre of his being to block Hong Jiu’s attacks. Though he blocked the fourth strike, his hand hurt as much as a fracture. After blocking the sixth palm strike, he was winded.

“Ol’ Hai, you’re done. Let me play with him.”

Moisture in the atmosphere evaporated rapidly. Hong Jiu didn’t care if it was an incoming elbow or hand as he moved to defuse three attacks via redirects. Drought Demon took Hai Yecha’s spot to engage Hong Jiu.

Now that he crossed fists with Drought Demon, it occurred to Hong Jiu that he was wrong in his assessment of Drought Demon. Drought Demon appeared to be dull, but he was incredibly difficult to read, had knockout power and was ruthless with each attack. Drought Demon and Hong Jiu would have had to fight a protracted fight to determine a winner. Therefore, it was a terrible situation to be in.

Hai Yecha, having backed down, risked an internal injury to yell, “Get them!”

Prepared, Master Qi and Guan Ning drew their sword and broadsword, respectively, to create a barrier between themselves and Hai Yecha’s subordinates. Unfortunately, Nine-Lives Cat Fiend relentlessly stalked down Guan Ning again.

Master Qi kept winking at Hong Jiu, signally for him to find an opportunity to escape, but he was too busy to look her way. Frustrated, Hong Jiu roared as he unleashed a bigger palm strike, forcing Drought Demon to block it head on. The collision of two forces travelling in opposite directions forced Hong Jiu and Drought Demon ten steps back each.

Drought Demon: “Now this is fun.”

Hong Jiu rerouted Drought Demon’s residue energy to launch himself at Hai Yecha and Nine-Lives Cat Fiend, affording Master Qi room to breathe. Because of the momentum, Hong Jiu didn’t stop until Master Qi’s bosom decelerated him.

Hong Jiu: “Phwht, phwooh. You call for me?”

Master Qi undoubtedly wanted to bust open Hong Jiu’s head; however, there was something more pressing at hand. In a low voice, she conveyed, “I have something that needs to be delivered to the capital urgently.”

They couldn’t continue their conversation for Fiends’ Genesis wasn’t going to let them.

Master Qi was fully aware it was dishonourable for her to take off first when Hong Jiu came to aid her. How would she get away if there was nobody to stall Fiends’ Genesis’ group, though? If she didn’t return to the capital to expose the conspiracy aimed at framing Li Muye, his entire family would be in peril.

It took Hong Jiu less than the time to blink to make up his mind. “In that case, escape when you can. I’ll get Xiaoyu out. Tell Guan Ning to head west to find Xiaoyu. Fiends’ Genesis has business in the east, so they won’t dispatch anyone troublesome eastward.”

“Wh-what about you?”

“Me? Hahaha.” First, Hong Jiu inhaled. Next, he straightened his torso and explosively intercepted Drought Demon’s sneak attack head on, sending the latter backwards three steps. “Hahaha, is this all you lot can do after hiding for twenty years? Come one, come all!” He imitated the undulation movement of waves with his left hand, generating a suction force that took Nine-Lives Cat Fiend’s balance.

As soon as she saw Guan Ning have a free window, Master Qi called out to him, and they fled in the opposite direction together, leaving a silver droplet floating behind her. No matter how many decades passed, she knew she’d never forget him, but she didn’t stop for she wouldn’t be able to justify leaving if she stopped now.

Hai Yecha understood there was no time to lose because Hong Jiu’s stamina didn’t deplete despite him being outnumbered, so he beseeched the man in the rear, “Vivianite, please assist me.”

“He is not part of our contract,” Vivianite emotionlessly replied.

Vivianite was a money-motivated assassin; the same held true for many elite assassins. Strictly adhering to the terms in a contract was a principle in their line of work. If a client wanted them to perform an unlisted job, they’d have to make a new offer. Suffice to say, the price League of Assassins’ top assassin demanded was no paltry sum.

“He… He is also a member of Mount Daluo! He is the only son of Hong Ba. He is a disciple of Mount Daluo and is the former first rank of Seventeen Jiaos – Hong Jiu. You two are connected in a way.”

“The agreement was, the capital’s team would handle Mount Daluo’s disciple, not me.”

“What was that about Mount Daluo’s disciple?!” Due to his moment of distraction, Hong Jiu ate a palm strike and claw on his left shoulder and right rib from Drought Demon and Nine-Lives Cat Fiend, respectively. Notwithstanding the pain, Hong Jiu brayed at the dark silhouette, “Don’t chicken out now! What was that about Mount Daluo’s disciple?”

Vivianite answered, “As you are Mount Daluo’s disciple, you are part of the operation, except I am not your executioner.”

Hong Jiu had his heart in his mouth. There was only one Mount Daluo disciple in the capital at the moment. “Buzz off!” thundered Hong Jiu, discharging enough internal energy to shock his two opponents away.

Hong Jiu drew circles, similarly to twin dragons swirling around, with both arms, then bound toward Vivianite. “Tell me your plan!”

A pair of freakish blue eyes appeared in the darkness, freezing Hong Jiu.

“An optical technique!” Hong Jiu churned out more energy to break the petrification technique and continued his charge.

Vivianite was considerably taller than Ming Feizhen and Abels. Though it was impossible to see his face through his iron mask, his body language made it clear that Hong Jiu’s might didn’t scare him. He raised his vivianite arm with speed and precision demonstrating he had done it hundreds and thousands of time. Hong Jiu could clearly see Vivianite reach for his big broadsword on his back, yet his body couldn’t react fast enough. Like a bolt of lightning splitting the night sky, Vivianite knocked Hong Jiu’s consciousness out of his body and sent him reeling.

Leader…

“Hong Jiu!”