Chapter 195: Battle in Chaos

Episode 2: Pool of Shadow War, Chapter 166: Duel

Shouts and wails erupted from all directions, and the inn instantly became as noisy as a boiling pot. Yet, amidst the pandemonium, it was difficult for anyone to grasp the full scope of what was happening.

As Song Qian pulled Qin Siyuan out of the main entrance, the burly, tall man from behind had already pushed through the crowd and was charging towards them, rapidly closing the distance. Ahead, at the intersection, dozens of people were surging forward, blocking their path. It instantly felt as if they had walked into a pre-arranged ambush.

Although the imperial clan held little real power at the time, Song Qian, as a royal guard, was no pushover. Seeing threats from both front and back, he gritted his teeth and drew his long saber. The surrounding area erupted in chaos. Not only did Song Qian and Qin Siyuan rush out, but also other guests who had been near the entrance. Upon seeing dozens of people blocking the street ahead, they paused in surprise. However, the leader of the opposing group also seemed to hesitate, then abruptly raised a hand, bringing his formation to a halt and creating a standoff.

There was hardly any time to think. No one knew who the real enemies were. Gunshots echoed deafeningly in the main hall. The powerful strongman fought his way out of the crowd, heading straight for Qin Siyuan. Song Qian drew his steel saber, ready to fight to the death, but found it difficult to decide which side to engage first. Amidst the din, a voice rang out clearly: "It's them! Get them!" The voice was steady and composed, and though it was soon swallowed by the general confusion, it was clearly heard. It was Qin Siyuan, who was behind Song Qian.

Looking back, although the turn of events was sudden and he was dragged out without understanding why, the sixty-year-old man showed no panic, reacting instantly. Others also clearly heard his words. The burly man behind them let out a furious roar, grabbed a potted plant, and hurled it forward. Song Qian parried with a swing, but the immense impact pushed him back several steps. Broken ceramic shards and soil flew through the air. The main body of the plant, however, veered slightly, flying towards the dozens of people blocking the street ahead. The leader, who had just raised his hand to halt his subordinates, suddenly saw a pot flying towards him. He hastily struck it with both hands. Although he wasn't seriously hurt, he was covered in splashing mud.

"Damn it, they came prepared too..." The leader wiped the wet mud from his face, then abruptly drew something from his side. "Brothers, smash them!" Dozens of people charged forward with a roar!

The chaos at the entrance instantly intensified into a surging tide, colliding violently. Inside the main hall, Yuan Jin'er peeked out from under a counter, utterly bewildered as to why things had suddenly become so chaotic. All she heard were shouts, gunshots, and saw spreading smoke and splashing blood. The gunpowder used in these early firearms produced immense smoke and a deafening sound. When one exploded, the force was truly terrifying beyond words. On the other side of the smoke, flesh and blood splattered, extending outwards and covering some people behind them.

Meanwhile, on the platform at the second-floor corridor exit, several people rushed out to witness the scene. These were Zhou Pei, Zhang Rui, and Li Tong, who had come with Ning Yi. They had seen Ning Yi take out a fire lance and hesitated for a moment before following him. Before they even exited the corridor, they saw someone leap from the platform. Chaos erupted instantly, and the area below descended into pandemonium. Zhou Pei was startled and crouched by the railing to look down. Before she could grasp what was happening, she heard a huge bang, and smoke billowed up on one side of her vision, mixed with an astonishing amount of blood.

Then, Zhou Pei and the two scholars saw the very same scholar they had just been debating with, now stripped of his earlier refined demeanor. As chaos enveloped the hall and simultaneously erupted at the entrance, the sudden gunshot was swift and decisive, without any hesitation. After retracting the gun barrel, the scholar embraced the white-clad woman beside him, preparing to retreat into the crowd.

The three people on the platform, after all, couldn't adapt to the sudden sight of blood and death. Whether it was Zhou Pei, who was usually more worldly than most women, or Zhang Rui and Li Tong, who understood military strategy, seeing a body collapse to the ground with blood gushing out left them momentarily stunned, unable to comprehend or process the scene. Their minds went blank. Then, they saw a scarred man below halt and suddenly charge towards the robed scholar.

"Argh—!""Kill old dog Qin first!""The fire lance! Don't let him ignite it again—"

These shouts came from several people, but Zhou Pei, staring blankly from above amidst the confusion, couldn't distinguish who said what. She could only see the scarred man, amidst an angry roar, suddenly charging at Ning Yi. This northern strongman was more than a head taller than Ning Yi and had a robust, burly build. In an instant, the two collided amidst the lingering smoke.

The young girl's heart leaped into her throat. Her impression of her teacher, Ning Yi, had always been that of a frail scholar. Even when she occasionally heard him boast about the "Blood-Handed Butcher," she dismissed it as his vulgar taste for martial arts legends. But now was no time for jokes; their physiques were entirely mismatched. She feared her teacher would be sent flying, spitting blood, with just a slight collision. Yet, in the next moment, amidst the smoke, the two had already engaged in combat.

From the very first instant, it was a direct collision. This kind of fighting had no martial grace; surrounding tables and chairs were violently knocked aside. The barrel of Ning Yi's fire lance was made of bamboo, with only some metal at the rear end. Ning Yi swung it, aiming for the scarred man's head. The man blocked it, and the entire bamboo tube shattered. The elasticity of the bamboo splinters almost turned the fire lance into a whip. The steel at the rear grazed the back of the opponent's head, and then Ning Yi was sent flying backward by the impact.

He had been practicing his internal martial arts for some time, and his physical condition far surpassed that of an ordinary person. The strength he occasionally unleashed was astonishing; otherwise, the fire lance wouldn't have shattered into a whip with a single swing. However, this power was only effective for a moment during its burst. His body, ultimately, was still no match for the scarred strongman. In a blink, he took a punch and returned one, and a stool he swung was easily smashed by his opponent. These few brief exchanges had already demonstrated the imbalance in their strength. In the next moment, the scarred man swung backhandedly, bringing a steel whip down forcefully, shattering a table into pieces.

The steel whip was entirely black and descended with formidable force. A single hit would surely result in crushed flesh and broken bones. Having barely dodged the first blow, the whip swept horizontally without pause. Ning Yi dodged backward, and his outer robe ripped with a "swish." His stomach felt a burning pain, though he wasn't sure if it was psychological or an actual injury. He dared not wait for a third swing. With a sudden surge of strength, he lunged forward, using all his might to seize the opponent's neck and right ribs.

When Ning Yi's internal energy erupted, his strength was astounding. Lu Hongti had once warned him that this kind of explosive power was harmful to the body, as he hadn't started training it as a child and couldn't fully adapt to the method. Yet, in critical moments, it was truly overpowering. His opponent seemed not to have expected a scholar to possess such courage and strength. For a moment, his neck and right arm felt as if clamped by iron rings. Despite gritting his teeth, he couldn't break free, and the steel whip in his right hand couldn't be brought down. The two tumbled to the ground with a crash.

This entire sequence happened in a flash. As the scarred man charged, they fiercely engaged, then tumbled to the ground with a thud. The surrounding smoke, still dispersing, was churned wildly by their struggle. Once on the ground, the scarred man quickly rolled, his left hand reaching for Ning Yi. But Ning Yi had already released his grip. As his body rolled, he desperately latched onto the scarred man's right arm, which held the steel whip, and twisted his legs around the opponent's shoulders.

Since arriving here, Ning Yi had developed an interest in martial arts. With internal energy, he had learned several sets of forms. Lu Hongti, after all, had taught him the practical uses of these martial arts. However, in the past six months, he had never truly experienced combat, so he couldn't form conditioned reflexes for these techniques. Without reflexes, the martial arts were useless. Now, facing an enemy, his mind was almost blank. The moment they engaged, he knew he couldn't defeat these men with his martial arts. He threw himself into the fight, still relying on his old tactics.

When the opponent had a weapon, running away was almost pointless; he could only confront them head-on.

This man possessed fierce strength; he might have been a great general on the battlefield, but he was no martial arts master like Lu Hongti. In front of Lu Hongti, Ning Yi wouldn't even have had a chance to get close and strike. Even if he managed to grapple her, she could easily break free with a few techniques. But this strongman relied solely on his ferocity and brute force. Although he had extensive combat experience, his strength usually allowed him to casually throw or knock down opponents. In these few moments, the two rolled several times on the ground, yet a mere scholar clung to his body, constantly threatening him with lethal joint locks—a situation he had never encountered before.

In modern combat systems, the development of joint locks, combined with scientific understanding, has led to an extreme awareness of vital points. Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, when grappling, can be deadly, and Aikido and Karate also have numerous anti-joint techniques. Traditional Chinese grappling (Qin Na) and various Sanda self-defense techniques are also designed to target weak points. While Ning Yi was certainly not a master of jiu-jitsu, his mind remained clear in this life-or-death situation. He knew that letting go meant certain death. Using the explosive power of his internal energy, he shifted positions several times, either seizing the opponent's head and neck or his limbs, applying joint lock maneuvers. He would roll right, then abruptly roll left, attempting to break the opponent's limbs.

Perhaps only those who have truly practiced these joint locks can understand how fragile the human body is. However, the strongman also possessed an extremely keen sense for life-and-death situations. He was temporarily in disarray, but his powerful counterattacks could still force Ning Yi away at the last second. Yet, the moment he pushed Ning Yi off, Ning Yi would immediately lunge back. The two rolled on the ground for only about ten seconds, but every moment was a near-death experience. The surrounding tables and chairs were destroyed, shattered by the scarred man's wild swings. Ning Yi took a punch to his left leg, but at every moment, Ning Yi was fighting for his life, trying to twist and break the strongman's limbs. As Ning Yi once again locked onto the opponent's right hand, attempting to forcibly break it, the strongman’s left hand forcefully grabbed at Ning Yi. Suddenly, a white figure rushed forward.

It was Yun Zhu, whom Ning Yi had pushed aside at the beginning of the fight. After observing for a few moments, she gritted her teeth, pulled out the hairpin from her hair, and lunged forward, plunging the hairpin violently into the opponent's lower abdomen.

The strongman roared, letting out an "Argh!" and kicked Yun Zhu away. The kick wasn't well-aimed, hitting her shoulder. Though not at full force, Yun Zhu still rolled away. Ning Yi didn't know where Yun Zhu was injured. He gritted his teeth and exerted a sudden, powerful force, snapping the strongman's forearm with a "crack." The steel whip clattered to the ground.

The excruciating pain from his broken arm and punctured abdomen caused the strongman's eyes to bulge. He rolled again, but this time, the scholar didn't follow. As the strongman instinctively rose and just began to lift his head, Ning Yi had already picked up the heavy steel whip, weighing dozens of pounds, and charged directly at him. In the strongman's blurring vision, Ning Yi's hands were already swinging into the final position.

"Die—"

With a *bang*, the sharp edge of the steel whip smashed violently into the scarred man's left temple. In an instant, nearly half of the strongman's head exploded. He was at the hall's wall at that moment, and Ning Yi's full-force blow sent his body almost flying, shattering the riverside-facing front windows. His upper body swayed outwards for a moment before dropping back down.

On the platform, Zhou Pei watched Ning Yi's swing and the horrifying sight of the opponent's head exploding. Her lips trembled, unable to speak, her mind completely blank.

Ning Yi turned to look at Yun Zhu, seeing her sitting up, clutching her shoulder, and trying to force a smile at him. On the other side of the hall, Jin'er let out a cry of "Ah—" and ran towards them.

At the main entrance, an unknown number of people were engaged in a chaotic melee. The most burly of the strongmen was amidst it, constantly closing in on Song Qian and the protected Qin Siyuan. This man was clearly the most formidable of the five. Although the dozens of people blocking the street had weapons, they could barely hinder him for long. Especially since Song Qian was also drawn into the fight; despite his own good martial arts skills, he was protecting Qin Siyuan and was also obstructed, making it impossible to break through for the moment.

The relatively tall and lean man had also entered the chaotic fray. Wielding twin sabers, he quickly cut down several of the dozens of thugs who were blocking their path. He glanced back towards Ning Yi, saw his companion's head had been smashed open, and Ning Yi holding the steel whip. For a moment, he actually wanted to charge back. Ning Yi met his gaze, his own eyes showing no less ferocity. Ning Yi suddenly raised the steel whip again and smashed it down on the scarred man's head once more. The nearby wall, though wooden and sturdy, had already been impacted once; this second blow caused it to visibly crack open. The scarred man's head was now completely unrecognizable.

"Come on!"

Ning Yi threw aside the steel whip and shouted towards them. With a flick of his wrist, he drew his remaining fire lance, while his other hand produced a fire starter from his person. At the same moment, a sword swept towards him. The noble young master, who had been lagging behind, turned and charged at him.

"Kill old dog Qin—"

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