No sound, no movement, no killing intent, not even enough time for anyone to see clearly—the Blade Attendant vanished from where he stood, and a nearly invisible long blade slashed at the Black-clad Assassin’s neck in an instant. The speed of this sudden attack was so fast that the air itself twisted and distorted, as if a sword aura as big as a person pierced through. The Blade Attendant’s robes fluttered, leaving a warped trail in his wake.
He’s not the type for a drawn-out battle—usually, after waiting half a day, he only has the strength for one strike. But in that single blow, he can unleash his deadliest force, enough to kill masters above his own level. Half a second after the Blade Attendant’s lightning charge, the air he sliced through whipped back, kicking up dust and leaving a wild, streaking tail behind him.
Hidden Blade—here and gone in a flash!
In the blink of an eye, that blade was less than a centimeter from the man’s throat!
But in that split second, the Black-clad Assassin flicked his sword tip against the ground. With a twist of his wrist, facing Jack Young’s heavy punch and the Blade Attendant’s Hidden Blade, his sword reversed course and slashed upward toward the sky—
Clang! The clash at that instant was like a flash of lightning. In that flash, everything seemed to freeze—Jack Young’s fist, the Blade Attendant’s blade, and the Black-clad Assassin’s sword collided at the exact same moment.
Rip! Blood sprayed out, each drop shooting through the air like darts, piercing the atmosphere—it was the Blade Attendant! A long sword wound ran vertically down his chest, just a hair away from splitting his skull and sending him to the afterlife. As for the Black-clad Assassin, he didn’t seem to have any visible injuries; the Blade Attendant clearly got the worst of it in that exchange.
Yet he didn’t look discouraged at all, and the Black-clad Assassin didn’t look pleased either. For a moment, the assassin was stunned, but the Blade Attendant just curled his lips into a smile and shouted, “Mr. Yang, now’s your chance—go for it!”
In that split second, the Blade Attendant had actually changed the speed and angle of his attack at the very last moment. He took that heavy wound just to trade blow for blow, managing to block the Black-clad Assassin’s Jade Sword a step ahead—so now, the assassin was facing Jack Young’s full-force punch. The Black-clad Assassin’s stance was off, sword tip pointed skyward, leaving him wide open!
“Hmph!” The Black-clad Assassin snorted, twisting in midair like a fish. His agility was even greater than the Blade Attendant had predicted—he managed to dodge three inches in that brief instant. When it comes to close-range fighting, those three inches are the difference between landing a hit and missing entirely.
But who doesn’t have a trump card? Jack Young had been relying solely on his physical strength during the chase, just to save his best move for the most critical moment. Twenty years of Bright Jade Technique surged into his feet—then, with his family's special lightness skill, he exploded forward! Crack—the dust on the ground burst apart as Jack’s right fist, cold and deadly, shot straight for the Black-clad Assassin’s face.
"Whoa—!" The Black-clad Assassin was seriously fast, but still barely managed to raise a hand for a shaky block.
Bang! A ring-shaped shockwave blasted through the air as both Jack and the Black-clad Assassin were sent flying backward. They flipped and landed, locking eyes—then both glanced up. The Jade Sword spun high into the sky, catching sunlight and scattering dazzling rays.
"Damn it!" the Black-clad Assassin cursed, sucking in a deep breath as he shot upward like a black streak toward the Jade Sword. At the same time, Jack crouched and sprang, leaving another spiderweb of cracks in the ground.
Whoosh—boom! Both of them shot into midair at the same time. Clearly, the Black-clad Assassin cared a lot about the Jade Sword, so no matter what, Jack couldn’t let him snatch it and run. He had to keep him tied down!
The sound of blows rang out like a string of firecrackers overhead—Jack and the Black-clad Assassin seemed to sprout extra arms and legs, moving so fast they blurred together in a wild brawl. In the chaos, the Jade Sword spun, soared, and plummeted between them, dancing crazily but never fully falling to either side.
Even now, he’s still got something up his sleeve? Jack’s mind stayed razor-sharp through the furious exchange. The Black-clad Assassin was being pushed to the limit, but every punch and kick was still controlled—no personal quirks, no bursts of innate energy! That meant two things: first, he didn’t think his identity was blown, at least not for sure. Second—he must have a ton of tricks hidden under the surface!
Looks like if this guy’s identity gets exposed, it’ll be a huge deal. Well, let’s push him until he can’t hide anymore!
Crack, crack—the sound kept going. But wait, it wasn’t the sound of breaking. It was more like the ticking of a safe’s dial being twisted. Not as precise or complicated, but definitely that kind of vibe.
Could the secret of the sword be right here?
In that instant, Jack could feel the Black-clad Assassin’s energy spike, and their struggle ramped up even more. Crack, snap, swish—the Jade Sword split into three pieces.
One piece was the blade, still in Jack’s hand. Another was the hilt, clutched by the Black-clad Assassin. But the third shot out from inside the sword—a slender, rod-like object about two feet long and finger-thick, not quite metal or jade but shining like both. As it flew out, the wind caught it—whoosh!—and it unfurled into a sheet of paper!
"Hah!" Both of them lunged for the fluttering paper at the same time.
Snap, snap—two sharp sounds as they each grabbed an end, glaring at each other.
"Let go!" the Black-clad Assassin roared, stabbing a kick toward Jack’s throat like a spear. Jack, meanwhile, pinched the Jade Sword’s blade between his fingers and flicked it back at the assassin’s face with a swipe of sword technique. At the same time, his left hand switched from hard to soft, wrapping the end of the paper in a tight, spiraling grip. The paper twisted and writhed like a living snake. No matter how many times the Black-clad Assassin tried, he just had to admit—when it came to this kind of contest, there was no way he could beat Jack.
Chinese martial arts really shine in these quick, close-quarters scrambles.
Jack stared hard at the assassin’s mask. Come on, show me your real skills. If you want that paper, you’ll have to reveal whatever you’ve been hiding. There’s no one else here at the dock, so your only options are to kill me, kill the Blade Attendant, and escape with your secret. No other way. Do it!
Sometimes, you don’t need words in a fight to know what your opponent’s thinking. Jack could tell—the Black-clad Assassin was wavering. He was about to unleash some secret move, planning to kill everyone and make off with the prize. Meanwhile, Jack’s left hand was ready, baiting him into action. He wasn’t taking this risk unprepared. If the assassin showed his true self, Jack had a nasty surprise waiting in his storage space: his Dead Stick and the twin Volcano Pistols.
As a martial artist, Jack would never use guns in a duel—it’s just not done. But against this guy, the one who killed Ouyezi and Qin Qi... maybe the rules didn’t matter anymore. Kill him, no matter what it takes!
Rip! The paper split in two like torn silk. The Black-clad Assassin grabbed his half and instantly leapt away, landing atop a mast on a docked boat. The river wind whipped by as he glanced at the paper, snorted, and tucked it into his shirt. From behind the mask, two cold eyes stared daggers at Jack, who stared right back. They locked eyes for a solid two seconds, both thinking the same thing: Just you wait!
Then, the Black-clad Assassin turned into a black streak and disappeared into the rolling river.
Mist rolled over the vast river, endless and deep—the Black-clad Assassin vanished like a fish into the sea, gone without a trace.
"Sigh." Jack let out a low breath and looked back. A mob of Jianghu folks was already charging over, shouting and hollering. It was this noisy bunch that made the Black-clad Assassin hesitate and ultimately choose to retreat.