Chapter 17

This sudden ambush, if it were any other child around twelve years old, would certainly be impossible to detect. (www..com)

But Qin Fengming was no ordinary child. After consuming the two pearl fruits in the deep mountains, his perception of the surroundings, as well as his eyesight and hearing, had already reached a level comparable to that of a seasoned martial arts expert who had been through many battles.

"Clack!"

A crisp sound echoed, and a heavy object was struck by Qin Fengming's sword scabbard and fell into the grass.

Startled, Qin Fengming, without a moment's hesitation, reached for his waist. As he raised his hand, an object shot out, aiming directly at a dense bush several yards away.

"Ah!~~~"

As Qin Fengming attacked, a cry of pain echoed from the bush. Soon after, the sound of a heavy object falling into the bush followed.

"Hmph, who is ambushing me here? Come out quickly."

Although Qin Fengming had already noticed that the figure in the bush had fallen to the ground, upon a closer look, he saw three small figures hiding beside the fallen person.

"Ah, Fourth Brother, how are you?" Even before Qin Fengming could shout, the three figures had already stood up, and two of them rushed to the fallen person. A young voice echoed.

"Ah, it's you, Yuan Kejian. I, Qin Fengming, have no grudge against you. Why did you bring people to ambush me here? Aren't you afraid that the Hall Master will find out and punish you to death?"

At this moment, the sky had become much brighter, though it was still somewhat dim. Under Qin Fengming's gaze, he clearly recognized the three people in front of him.

These three people, Qin Fengming knew them all. The leader was none other than Yuan Kejian, who was also favored by the Hall Master. The other two were named Luo Shigui and Shi He, and the third was Wu Kaishi, all from the Bright Moon City.

It seemed that the one lying on the ground was undoubtedly Wu Kaishi.

"Hmph, boy, you're lucky. The expensive crossbow bolt we bought didn't kill you. However, with the three of us, it shouldn't be difficult to take your life. We have no grudge against you, but why did you gain the Hall Master's favor? With you around, I, Yuan Kejian, will never have a chance to shine.

Only by eliminating you will the Hall Master look at me differently. As for the Hall Master finding out, you don't need to worry about that. We have already investigated thoroughly. Usually, only you come here to practice, and no one else will come. As long as we kill you here, no one will discover anything."

Staring angrily at Qin Fengming, the young man in front of him spoke with a voice filled with hatred, as if he hated Qin Fengming to the bone.

Only after hearing Yuan Kejian's words did Qin Fengming understand why he always saw a hint of resentment in Yuan Kejian's eyes whenever they met. It turned out that Yuan Kejian had wanted to eliminate him from the moment they were both chosen to be personally tutored by the Hall Master.

"Ah~ Big Brother Yuan, Fourth Brother is dead. We must avenge him."

Just as Yuan Kejian and Qin Fengming were facing off, two cries of sorrow suddenly came from behind Yuan Kejian.

"What? Wu Kaishi is dead? Good, good, we will kill the boy in front of us and avenge Fourth Brother."

Yuan Kejian said, waving his hand. The other two young men wiped away their tears, brandished their weapons, and leaped to surround Qin Fengming in the center.

Facing three young boys of the same age, Qin Fengming had already calmed his mind.

Originally, he had a good chance to flee, but although Qin Fengming was young, he had been sparring with his senior sister from time to time over the past year. He was not afraid of fighting. He also wanted to see how strong he had become.

With a hand gesture, he wielded the sharp sword given to him by his master, Zhang Tangzhu, and the thirteen moves of the Willow Dance Sword Technique flowed out.

Instantly, a bright white light appeared on the scene, flickering and dancing, completely blocking the attacks of the three young men. For a moment, the battle was evenly matched.

The Willow Dance Thirteen Moves were particularly suitable for group battles, with the main idea being to weave through countless willow branches without a single hair being damaged.

Thus, the moment they engaged, Yuan Kejian and the others were greatly surprised.

They never expected that Qin Fengming, who was two years younger than them and was said to be a mountain child, would be so skilled. They had started practicing martial arts at home.

But now, even with the three of them working together, they only had a slight advantage. It would not be easy to defeat and kill the person in front of them.

Qin Fengming was also increasingly surprised. He thought that with his rapid improvement in martial arts over the past year, no child of the same age could match him. But now, a sense of fear suddenly arose in his heart.

The three people in front of him were all skilled. Each of their martial arts was extremely powerful. Although he was not afraid of them individually, with the three attacking together, Qin Fengming could only rely on his advanced sword technique to defend. If the battle continued, he would surely lose.

Qin Fengming deeply regretted not turning and fleeing when he first saw the three of them. With his lightness skill, the three of them would not have been able to catch him.

As the saying goes, panic leads to mistakes. This was Qin Fengming's first life-or-death battle. While he was fully engaged in the fight, he was also filled with fear. In his haste, he failed to avoid a stone and stumbled, falling down the slope.

"Ah, boy, don't move."

Just as Qin Fengming was about to get up, a sharp sword pointed at his chest. Seeing this, Qin Fengming's mind went blank, but he did not faint.

"Ha ha ha, boy, your martial arts are really impressive. If it weren't for the three of us working together, it would have been hard to capture you. Shi He, don't hurt him yet, I have something to ask him."

Seeing Qin Fengming restrained by Shi He, Yuan Kejian was overjoyed. He stopped Shi He from acting and put away his weapon, approaching Qin Fengming.

Qin Fengming thought that the other side would definitely kill him, but he did not expect Yuan Kejian to order Shi He to stop. In this brief pause, Qin Fengming's mind raced, and he subtly moved his hand.

With a "snap," three black arrows shot out, striking Shi He's chest in an instant.

This happened so suddenly that if it were an experienced martial artist, they would have immediately restrained Qin Fengming's acupoints before questioning him. But Shi He was only a thirteen or fourteen-year-old child and did not know better.

He thought that holding the other side at swordpoint was enough. Unprepared, he did not even have time to cry out before collapsing to the ground.

"Ah, no, boy, you're ruthless." Yuan Kejian was overjoyed when he saw the other side captured, but before he could get close, his companion was already hit and fell to the ground.

Without checking Shi He's injuries, Yuan Kejian and Luo Shigui once again brandished their weapons and attacked the now standing Qin Fengming.

Without Shi He's help, the tide of the battle turned. Under Qin Fengming's full use of the Willow Dance Thirteen Moves, Luo Shigui was struck in the chest after just a few exchanges.

With a cry of pain, he dropped his weapon and fell into the bushes.

Seeing his companions injured one after another, Yuan Kejian was now terrified. He never expected that their carefully planned ambush would not only fail but also result in the deaths of three of his companions.

Although Yuan Kejian was ruthless, at this moment, he was extremely afraid.

"Stop, Brother Qin, stop. It was all my fault, I shouldn't have thought of harming Brother Qin. Please, for the sake of our fellow disciples, spare my life."

Yuan Kejian knew his lightness skill was far inferior to the other side, and escape was hopeless. With a clang, he threw his single saber to the ground, knelt in front of Qin Fengming, and began to beg for mercy.

Seeing the other side in such a state, Qin Fengming was momentarily stunned and stopped his sword. He looked at Yuan Kejian, who was continuously bowing and begging, and his mind raced.

Seeing that the other side did not immediately kill him, Yuan Kejian was secretly relieved. His left hand slowly moved toward his left rib, where a bamboo tube containing a hidden weapon was stored. Although its power was not great, at a distance of less than ten feet, it would certainly injure the other side.

But just as Yuan Kejian's left hand was about to touch the bamboo tube, he suddenly heard a voice that made his soul tremble: "Hmph, begging for mercy now is too late. You can die."

As the voice echoed, a flash of sword light appeared, and Yuan Kejian felt a chill at his neck, then lost all consciousness.