Chapter 37: One Night of Fish and Dragon Dance (Part 2)

Within moments of Ning Yi turning his head, a sudden scene unfolded about a dozen meters away in the crowd, too abrupt for any pedestrian to react.

The street was already teeming with people. Though the several-dozen-meter-wide thoroughfare wasn't quite shoulder-to-shoulder, a cacophony of sounds filled the air. Children ran along both sides of the road, occasionally lighting firecrackers and darting away, prompting amused scolding from nearby vendors and pedestrians. In the distance, a yellow dragon dance approached, accompanied by a thunderous din of gongs and drums. In such an environment, ordinary sounds would usually go unnoticed. However, the sound that suddenly pierced the air was not mere noise; it was an agonizing shriek.

It was an "Ahhh—" a horrific scream, the dying cry of a person, tearing through the wave of sound. Having just turned his head, Ning Yi's eyes caught a glimpse of a cold metallic gleam shooting out between countless lanterns. The speed was incredible, like the blades of an electric fan, momentarily blurring into two streaks. Blood splattered high above the heads of the pedestrians, and a severed arm flew skyward, accompanying the scream.

A chaotic wave of sound ensued, mixing together those who grasped the situation with those who didn't, those who reacted with those who remained stunned.

"Yaaah—!""Clang, clang, clang, clang—!"

Shouts and the clash of metal weapons instantly rippled outwards. A black figure spun above the heads of the pedestrians, while another figure, shouting, charged from below. Losing control, he was sent flying, crashing through a table and long benches on the other side. Wood splinters flew as he propelled several meters further, ending with a deafening "Boom, boom, boom, boom—!"

A coal stove exploded, sending soup pots, boiling water, and burning charcoal scattering like a peacock's fanned tail, dispersing terrified diners. The black figure landed again, swinging her weapon. Two nearby lanterns caught in the fray shattered, their fiery patterns momentarily extending into the air.

In mere moments, Ning Yi, too, was among those who saw but couldn't react, utterly bewildered by what was happening. Just a dozen meters away, an arm and blood had soared, then someone screamed and charged at the attacker. The attacker had leaped no more than two meters high, resembling a gymnast after a pole vault. Her black dress billowed and twirled. Those who charged beneath her were effortlessly sent flying several meters away, scattering countless objects.

It was only then that the crowd finally reacted. As the blood and severed arm fell, people screamed. Xiao Chan was still asking, "Master, what happened...?" when Ning Yi grabbed her shoulder, pulling her to his side. A pedestrian, sensing danger, started to back away towards them but was pushed aside by Ning Yi.

Shouts exploded into the night. A dozen meters away, the clang of weapons grew dense. Someone screamed "Ahhh—!" The atmosphere was fiery and deadly, like two armies clashing on a battlefield. The already numerous lanterns hanging overhead, resembling a giant spiderweb stretched across the street, burst open intermittently, or entire ropes with lanterns attached fell. On the ground, someone was sent flying, their hand already gone, screaming desperately as they clutched their wound.

Brawls occasionally broke out in Jiangning City, or even street battles between two factions—from escort agencies, gangs, or the guards of influential families, fighting for various reasons. But this sudden scene was different. The figure who had leaped into the air was merely a woman, yet those now围攻 her were all large, burly men. Dressed in blue short-sleeved attire typical of jianghu figures, their presence exuded the grim, bloodthirsty aura of those who live by the sword. Despite their appearance, these men were unable to gain the upper hand against the woman.

Ning Yi watched the chaotic scene unfold. The surrounding crowd began to scatter faster. Xiao Chan clung to Ning Yi's waist with both hands, frantically exclaiming, "Master, Master, they're fighting!" She was desperate to pull Ning Yi away, but he merely held her by the shoulder with one hand, shielding her by his side. If anyone ran close enough to collide with them, he would instinctively push them away. With so many people, the shifting figures were hard to discern, but fortunately, the area was gradually clearing.

A large circle, perhaps a dozen meters in radius, had opened up on the road, yet the chaos had not diminished. Weapons clanged, screams echoed, and flames from fallen lanterns burned on the ground. Children cried in the distance, and people shouted in the crowd, some searching for companions, others struggling to get up after being knocked down. Ahead, an old horse tied to a tree was startled, struggling and neighing wildly. A voice rang out in the air: "Wulie Army apprehending a criminal! Civilians disperse!" Just then, one man was impaled through the chest by the black-clad woman's long sword, sent flying back a dozen paces before crashing to the ground.

Although she seemed to effortlessly handle being pursued by five or six men, the scene of combat was far from the elegant martial arts displayed in television shows. The sword in the woman's hand appeared to be just over half a meter long—longer than a dagger or the military sabers Ning Yi had seen, but shorter than a typical longsword. Its blade seemed wider and somewhat bulky, likely designed for durability in chopping. The woman was tall but appeared rather slender, dressed in black clothes and a black skirt, with her face veiled. She didn't attack much, mostly deflecting blows with a clang, clang, clang, and evading within a small radius.

Among her attackers was a two-meter-tall giant who wielded tables and even the wooden pillars from nearby stalls as weapons. At times, she dodged rather clumsily, yet almost every one of her own actions yielded results. With a sword of that length, piercing an enemy's body wasn't easy, but the force behind her strikes was immense. Her slender figure, holding the sword, seemed to ram into her opponents with full body weight, driving the blade all the way through. That was why the man just impaled had been knocked back a dozen paces before falling.

In just a brief moment, the woman's black dress was already splattered with bloodstains, mostly from her enemies. However, she was likely injured beforehand; otherwise, Ning Yi wouldn't have gotten blood on his hand. This wasn't immediately apparent. Once his vision cleared, Ning Yi saw the woman continuously backing away, dragging a wounded enemy by his hair. Amidst the clamor, the man on the ground screamed, flailed his arms, and kicked, desperately trying to grab the woman's hand, but failed to do so multiple times in the intense struggle.

Two of his companions were already charging from the front, but he was blocking their path. From the side, the giant swung a table at her. The woman, already retreating swiftly, suddenly exerted great force with her hands and kicked with her legs, nearly pulling the man on the ground airborne. The woman landed, rolled, and the table barely missed her head. She spun, then began to stand. The man being dragged also landed on the ground, sending dust flying. His hair was pulled into a circular tangle, and as the woman stood, his scalp ripped open with a *whoosh*, blood gushing. The woman then kicked him in the back.

As the two men charged from the front, their companion was suddenly kicked to his feet from the ground. He quickly reached out to help, but from behind, the black-clad woman's sword tip *whooshed* through him, straight into his chest.

"Ahhh—!" The man who had reached to steady his companion's shoulder screamed and quickly retreated. The three men, like a sandwiched cookie, were pushed back over a dozen meters, scattering a cluster of flames caused by burning lanterns, before collapsing with a crash amidst scattered light. The woman performed a backflip, pulling out her sword. The man on the ground forcefully pushed away his impaled companion above him: "Kill her!" His chest had been slightly pierced by the sword tip, and his calf, during the rapid retreat, had been impaled by several bamboo skewers. He was now covered in blood and utterly disheveled.

A shuttle dart shot from nearby, *whooshing* and drawing a spray of blood from the black-clad woman's shoulder. Then, a blue-clad man wielding a great saber closed in, his blade flashing and dancing, forcing the woman to continuously retreat.

Flames flickered, smoke billowed, and a horse neighed loudly. The old horse, tied to a nearby tree, had now broken free from its ropes and bolted wildly through the chaotic fight scene, charging directly towards the still-shouting, hesitating crowd who had no time to flee. The disturbance had spread. Just as the old horse covered half the distance, a streak of light *whooshed* through the air, arcing subtly before *thudding* into the horse's head. It was the black-clad woman, who had thrown her sword like a concealed weapon.

The galloping old horse was struck as if by lightning, letting out a "ying—" sound in the air. Carried by momentum, it still lunged forward a few meters before collapsing with a thunderous crash, blood gushing like a fountain from its head.

The fight on the other side showed no sign of stopping. Amidst flashing blades, the woman, now disarmed, continued to dodge. Suddenly, her black skirt swirled like a lotus. The man swinging the saber stumbled backward, groaning in unbearable pain—she had delivered a groin kick. Beside him, another blue-clad man, wielding two sabers, lunged, trying to force the woman away. However, in the next moment, the woman simply advanced.

The dual sabers swung at empty air. The man with the single saber, who had just taken a groin kick, tried to swing his blade to evade the moment he realized he was the target. However, his saber-wielding right hand was suddenly trapped. A "crack" sound came from his knee; his lower leg was snapped, twisted completely. The instant pain flooded his mind, a fair hand suddenly loomed large before his eyes.

The black-clad woman's sleeves were long, making her hands almost invisible during the fight. Only now could Ning Yi see her fair arm shoot out from her sleeve with a *swish*. The sleeve itself vibrated through the air like a whip. The woman clenched her fist, driving her knuckles straight towards her opponent's eyes.

"Bang—!"

A wave-like force transferred directly through the eye. The man with two sabers nearby swung his blades, attempting to rescue his companion. However, in that instant, the woman struck like lightning, her body simultaneously circling behind her opponent.

"Whap, whap, whap, whap, whap, whap—!"

Eyes, nose bridge, Adam's apple, temples, spine, back of the head—by the time the man with two sabers swung his attack, the woman had already moved behind the man holding the single saber. Her hand, swinging her sleeve like a steel whip, slammed down from the air, striking her opponent on his *Baihui* acupoint (on the top of the head).

"Yaaah—!"

The man with two sabers glared, his blades whirling like a chariot wheel. From a distance, Ning Yi couldn't clearly make out what was happening, but in front of him, countless sparks flew with a "ping-pong-ping-pong" sound. A few seconds later, a great saber suddenly pierced through his back. As the body fell, the slender black-clad woman stood there, holding the great saber, covered in blood, and looked towards Ning Yi.

The two-meter-tall giant grabbed a table and swung it. The woman, however, no longer dodged. With a single swing of her hand in the air, she redirected the force ninety degrees, sending the table crashing sideways. Then, dragging the great saber, she charged forward. The giant had just begun to swing another table when the gleam of her blade already rose.

"Boom—!"

The saber, originally from the man with the single blade, was heavy, almost like a guandao in weight, and looked somewhat incongruous being dragged by the woman's slender figure. Yet, the flash of her blade now directly shattered the table. The giant's entire ribcage was obliterated, the great saber embedded within him, and he was sent flying with a deafening crash. Table fragments still flew through the air, and the woman's long hair streamed wildly. She was now charging like a phantom towards where the old horse had died.

At this point, only two blue-clad men remained alive on the scene. The one with the injured calf had just struggled to his feet, too afraid to charge. The other, who used shuttle darts, had been circling and dodging throughout the fight. Seeing the woman charge, his shuttle dart whistled, spinning wildly in the air. However, the woman directly closed the distance with him. The objects flying through the air seemed like a tangled mess of threads. The two figures collided, falling to the ground and rolling. The woman spun, then stepped up, standing. Blood seemed to swirl around her body. The dart-wielder's throat had been slit. The dart's rope fell into the woman's hand. Her black skirt swayed slightly, and the long dart, trailing its rope, *whooshed* through the air for over ten meters, embedding itself in the forehead of the last survivor, the one with the injured calf...

The entire fight did not last long, a mere three to four minutes. The surrounding crowd had dispersed even further, and the clamor had quieted considerably. Several constables had drawn their blades but dared not approach. The woman ignored them. Covered in blood, she walked to the dead horse. Thick blood had already pooled on the ground. She reached down, pulled out her sword, took out a piece of cloth to wipe it clean with a *whoosh*, and then slipped it into a sheath on her back.

Ning Yi and Xiao Chan had also retreated considerably, but they were now watching the scene from not far away, their entire bodies trembling...