The Blade-Wielding Legend

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People in the pugilistic world could smell from miles away.

This was originally a saying, meaning that fellow martial artists could easily see through each other's little tricks and deception that might fool ordinary people.

However, for Li Yan, he could truly smell it.

Since that night, his sense of smell had become even more sensitive.

The group was galloping along the official road, still a hundred meters away, but their heavy scent of blood could not escape Li Yan's nose.

It was the smell of human blood!

Not only that, but there was also a hint of corpse stench.

Fortunately, Li Yan could distinguish that these were genuine odors, unlike the peculiar smells of Rampaging Soldiers or the Land God Temple.

He could see that Sha Lifei, the seasoned pugilist, was naturally more alert and immediately got up and said in a low voice to those around him, "Something's wrong, be cautious."

After saying this, he quickly stood up and assumed a stance with his feet, neither exactly standing in a T or at an eight, with his elbows slightly bent and his palm just three inches from the knife handle.

This was a bladesman's precautionary posture.

When encountering unfamiliar martial artists, one neither drew their blade to avoid misunderstandings nor delayed in drawing first to hold an advantage.

Li Yan recognized the fast knife technique he shared with Sha Lifei from the same school.

Moreover, he could see that the old fox's center of gravity was held back, clearly ready to flee immediately upon sensing danger.

The wheat harvesters hired the bladesman as a leader not only for the job but also to ensure safety because of the fierce Guanzhong people who never lacked for bandit robbers.

But Sha Lifei clearly lacked that kind of responsibility.

The surrounding wheat farmers were tense and gripped their scythes tightly.

Some of them had practiced wielding it; the rest, although unfamiliar with the Scythe Technique, had long been skilled with farming tools and, in a pinch, would cut people.

And with the advantage of numbers, they were emboldened to stand firm instead of turning into chaos and fleeing.

The sound of horse hooves grew near, and the group stopped their horses to look.

Below the bamboo hats were faces etched with experience, each with a sullen face, their eyes either playful or full of disdain.

At this moment, Li Yan also confirmed that these people were indeed bandits.

Regardless of their attire or weapons, they all had a loosely tied black cloth around their necks.

This was the hallmark of bandits; if they wanted to operate, they could pull it to cover their faces.

But even bandits had rules.

It was broad daylight and they were swaggering about, were these people mad?

Just at this moment, Sha Lifei barely stepped forward, laughed, clasped his fists, and said, "The mountain has Five Sacred Peaks and the water has Five Lakes, the Northwest has a knife, you all look unfamiliar. Where do you come from?"

This was martial arts code, which others found perplexing, but Li Yan understood.

The Five Sacred Peaks and Five Lakes referenced the four corners of the Divine State.

Sha Lifei saw they were unfamiliar, seemingly not from the Guanzhong way, and hinted at his identity in the martial world to make them wary.

After all, there's a saying that a strong dragon doesn't suppress a local tyrant.

Sha Lifei didn't exactly qualify as a dragon, nor even a snake.

But in the pugilistic world, it was about bluffing first to see what happened.

Ordinarily, when Sha Lifei asked this, the others would respond by mentioning which mountain they lived on, which river they crossed, or which incense they worshipped.

This was called checking each other's background to avoid misunderstandings.

Who would have expected they had no reaction at all?

Some were even playing with their knives, their eyes filled with ill intentions.

Then the leader called out, "Let's go, they're just a bunch of poor peasants. Don't delay the hour."

From his accent, it was completely different from this part of Guanzhong.

Shandong bandits!

Li Yan's heart skipped a beat, instantly guessing their identity.

There were many strongmen along the Green Forest Road, with many famous ones like the Eastern Outlaws, Guanzhong Bladesmen, Central Plains Rodsmen, Shandong bandits, and Tai Lake pirates.

They were all involved in kidnapping and robbery, known as the Lan Family.

Generally, each had their territories and barely crossed borders.

This grand entrance surely held something strange.

Sha Lifei also noticed this, his legs shaking.

Fortunately, with the leader's command, the bandits didn't linger, urging their horses on amid a swirl of dust.

After waiting a while, Sha Lifei suddenly stepped forward, with a clang drew his knife, and pointed toward the distance, cursing angrily, "Ignorant dogs, if I wasn't leading the villagers, today I would teach you a lesson!"

Li Yan rolled his eyes, speechless.

They were gone, what was the point of saying this now?

The surrounding harvesters hurried up to coax and advise.

"Hero Sha, please calm down..."

"Yes, don't call them back..."

Sha Lifei still put on an angry demeanor, sheathing his blade with a curse, "A bunch of bandits, I, Sha Lifei, really don't count them worth mentioning. If I wasn't afraid you'd get hurt... hmph!"

An old man spoke with lingering fear, "It's not peaceful this year. Why don't we get going early?"

"What do you mean early?!"

Sha Lifei glared, "That group just left, maybe to fight ahead. Are you rushing to die? Let's leave later and avoid them."

Hearing this, Li Yan nodded secretly.

This guy was cowardly, but his experience in the martial world was undeniable.

The harvesters all nodded in agreement. They were out to earn money, regardless of who those people were, avoiding trouble was best.

However, not long after, Li Yan suddenly performed a kip-up, stood up, and drew his blade with a clatter, his eyes filled with tension as he looked into the distance.

"What's wrong now?"

Sha Lifei was startled, hurriedly coming to ask.

Li Yan gripped the Guanshan Knife tightly and said in a deep voice, "Something's coming!"

What he referred to as "something" was obviously not people.

Shortly after the bandits left, he sensed another smell, cold and damp, full of a thick fishy scent.

Much stronger than the previous "Old Three."

Li Yan was startled, could it be that after he gained a Spirit Root, something had already set its eyes on him again on his journey?

What daring creature would dare appear right under the midday sun...

Sha Lifei was also taken aback, drew both knives to look around, but seeing nothing unusual—no people, no horses—he couldn't help but suspect, "Kid, are you hallucinating? There's no one around."

"What's that!"

Before he could finish, Hei Dan pointed to the left with a shout.

The crowd looked up to see the wheat fields to the left of the road swaying and parting as if something was speeding through.

Judging by the shakings, it had a considerable size.

As everyone wondered, a giant snake the thickness of a bowl slowly lifted its head from the wheat field, hissing with its tongue flicking, its scales glistening in the sunlight.

Strangely, its head also had something resembling a rooster's comb.

"Rooster Comb Snake!"

Many harvesters instantly turned pale with fright.

There were folk tales that said a Rooster Comb Snake, with a head like a rooster's, could spell sure death to a person.

The snake had an insidious nature, loved to intrude on tombs and ancient graves, and was often mentioned in the stories old folks told of grave-digging rats meeting their doom.

More crucially, it was said to be a monster snake with Dao.

Li Yan was also terrified, he sensed more clearly than others, the Rooster Comb Snake exuded a cold fishy scent stronger than the incense at the Land God Temple.

Moreover, its cold gaze seemed fixed on him.

Li Yan reached for the red cloth parcel containing the Three Talents Demon Suppressing Coin Blade Tassel.

Thankfully, it had a physical form he might be able to slash with the treasure.

Though he wondered if slaying it might turn into some strange entity clinging to him…

"Nobody move recklessly!"

At this moment, Sha Lifei commanded in a low voice, fixating ahead and trembling as he spoke, "I've heard these Dao-practicing snakes measure people."

"As long as you're taller, the creature would supposedly die of fear."

"Quick, stack up like a pagoda!"

Many also heard such tales.

Even in ancient book stories told by storytellers, there recorded: snakes with Dao compare lengths with people, if they surpass, they bite, if they don't, they die on their own, inevitably making sure humans see them, and not secretly comparing. Seeing this on mountain paths, use an umbrella overhead to make the snake die from fear.

Not knowing if it's true, they could only obey.

They weren't fools; they saw the speed of this Rooster Comb Snake earlier, no chance to escape.

The harvesters quickly began stacking up.

This childhood game was familiar to them, with the strong ones at the bottom while the slimmer ones climbed onto their shoulders.

Though they couldn't rival those martial street performers, soon they had three layers.

To their delight, the Rooster Comb Snake merely observed from the distant wheat fields, seemingly hesitant, not approaching.

"It worked, see, I told you it would!"

Sha Lifei, strong and capable, carried two people with pride.

However, his face soon stiffened.

The Rooster Comb Snake suddenly lifted its head, its body stood erect, growing taller and soon surpassing their human tower.

"Quick, add more people!"

"Who… who the hell chickened out!"

In a panic, Li Yan jumped, standing on the large locust tree beside him, vaulting to the top of the human wall with his blade at the ready.

Confronted with such an unknown entity, he too had to trust Sha Lifei's method.

Yet, for some reason, he oddly felt the snake was mocking them.

Then, the Rooster Comb Snake twisted its neck as though listening, then burrowed swiftly into the wheat fields, disappearing in a flash like the wind.

The wind rustled the wheat waves, with distant breezes sounding like a flute...

Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief, weak from fright.

An elderly harvester couldn't help but grumble, "What's with this year, bandits then a monster snake, did we offend Tai Sui going out?"

Li Yan was deep in thought, looking into the distance.

He had a feeling the Rooster Comb Snake's target was indeed the bandits.

After the constant scare, everyone was clearly anxious.

Seeing the instability, Sha Lifei boasted and thumped his chest to gather the group to move on.

Initially, they'd planned to take a short secluded mountain path.

But under these circumstances, Sha Lifei too, was nervous, leading the group strictly along official roads, even if it meant an extra day's journey.

Fortunately, nothing bizarre happened along the way.

As an experienced pugilist, Sha Lifei naturally inquired at tea stands and from travelers about the bandits' whereabouts, finding they'd vanished after the road fork.

Thus, after several days, they finally saw Xianyang City ahead.

But they didn't enter the city, instead, Sha Lifei led them to a nearby village.

Here, Sha Lifei boasted, "Our place this year is generous, paying more than the others for more land."

"Without Sha Lifei, you wouldn't have this chance…"

Li Yan, however, was distracted, looking around.

Sha Lifei had promised, after settling the harvesters, he would take Li Yan to Xianyang City to meet Wang Daoxuan.

Who knew if that person had genuine skills, or would be willing to take him as a disciple…

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