Chapter 294: Chapter 293: Chinese Jump Rope
The current Ji Tang still battled fiercely with his saber, displaying an impressive sharpness. However, with the overwhelming power that once exceeded Hu Ma’s no longer present, Hu Ma finally found an opportunity to exchange blows with him. He brought out all the tricks he had learned before, engaging in a rolling and tumbling melee.
"With just this little skill, you think you can kill me?"
After exchanging several blows with Hu Ma, Ji Tang was unable to overpower him. Abruptly, he shouted in anger, glaring fiercely.
He had no eyelids, and the exposed eye appeared exceptionally terrifying. Hu Ma had thought it was an angry glare, but suddenly realized that Ji Tang’s pupil shrank to the size of a bean, fiercely focusing on Hu Ma’s shoulder.
Inexplicably, Hu Ma’s shoulder suddenly ached, his entire arm lost its strength, and he nearly dropped his saber to the ground.
What is this move?
Just by being looked at, did it feel like an attack that drained his arm of energy?
His arm weakened, Hu Ma was astonished. He retreated precariously to avoid Ji Tang’s pursuit. Just then, Miss Red Wine spoke softly, "The Shousui man has Entered the Mansion; their Seven Apertures all possess Divine Skills. Be careful."
"..."
"Is this a skill gained after Entering the Mansion?"
Hu Ma was greatly shocked. Unable to grasp the details for a moment, he retreated quickly.
However, Ji Tang followed in large strides. His gaze narrowed slightly, fixing on Hu Ma’s knees. Hu Ma immediately felt a sudden weakness in his knees, and his pace slowed.
There was a feeling of being unable to escape, at the mercy of the opponent approaching with a saber, like being prey on a chopping board.
"Damn..."
Hu Ma was astonished. Do I have to scream for help?
Luckily, he didn’t have to shout. Seeing Ji Tang using the skills of a Shousui man who had Entered the Mansion, Miss Red Wine wove her fingers, changing the pattern of the string in her hand.
The Pendant!
The cat’s cradle, new, becomes a square kerchief; the square kerchief shatters, becomes a pendant.
The pendant, tangled, becomes sliced noodles; the sliced noodles, few, become chicken feet.
Cannot eat the chicken feet, becomes an old ox trough.
The ox trough’s belly is large, hides a great soft-shelled turtle.
Miss Red Wine’s red string formed a cat’s cradle, interwoven among her fingers. One strand extended to the ground, though it was unclear where it led. With each change in the cat’s cradle’s pattern, the extended red strand transformed.
Now, as the square kerchief changed to the pendant form, Ji Tang, whose one eye was fixed on Hu Ma, suddenly let out a muffled groan of pain.
Those eyes, capable of directly piercing a person, instantly shattered, blood gushing out.
The weakness in Hu Ma’s legs and arms also vanished instantly. He shifted the saber from his left hand back to his right and stared at Ji Tang.
"Lady Han, how much preparation did you make to kill me?"
Even with his eyes ruptured, Ji Tang’s anger only intensified. He took a deep breath, his internal organs gurgled, and his depleted strength, despite its considerable reduction, began to surge again with that inhale.
Hu Ma became alert. What kind of skill is this? Can strength already exerted increase again? It’s not like he ate Blood Food.
"Having refined the tongue, one can swallow qi into the stomach and smash stones upon one’s chest."
Miss Red Wine quietly reminded Hu Ma while gently tugging the red string in her hand. In an instant, the silver needles hanging on Ji Tang’s skin sprang back to life, quickly boring into his flesh, abruptly interrupting his surge of power.
His rage mounting but his power stifled, Ji Tang grabbed his saber again, intending to charge at Miss Red Wine.
Hu Ma, seizing the opportunity, charged in and stopped him with all his skills.
"Hmph!"
Ji Tang suddenly turned to Hu Ma and snorted heavily through his nose. The surrounding air seemed to distort for a moment, and a wave of darkness washed over Hu Ma’s vision.
He took advantage of this, flipping his saber to strike at Hu Ma. His supposed rush towards Miss Red Wine had been a feint; his real intention was to kill Hu Ma quickly before dealing with her.
Thankfully, Hu Ma had remained vigilant. As darkness clouded his vision, he instinctively raised his saber in a Banlan Power stance, forcefully meeting Ji Tang’s strike. His feet plowed into the ground as he was pushed backward.
Xing Qi!
This time, without needing Miss Red Wine’s explanation, Hu Ma understood the problem.
Ji Tang had already Entered the Mansion, having achieved refining life in his Seven Apertures; his mouth, eyes, and nose were not what they seemed.
A single exhalation could rattle one’s Divine Soul. Presumably, Ji Tang hadn’t specialized in this particular Aperture’s Divine Skill; otherwise, Hu Ma’s soul might have been blasted right out of his body.
Even so, though not expelled from his body, the attack blackened Hu Ma’s vision. With a mere soft snort, Ji Tang had achieved an effect comparable to what Hu Ma could only manage by using his Four Ghosts Salute with all his might.
Impossible to fight...
Hu Ma had gained a clear understanding of himself.
Even though the Beggar Gang Leader had been pierced by Miss Red Wine’s silver needles, his qi gate broken and his strength greatly weakened, he had Entered the Mansion and could effortlessly wield various skills—how could Hu Ma fight him?
Meanwhile, Miss Red Wine, seeing Ji Tang use the power of his Seven Apertures, swiftly manipulated the cat’s cradle in her hands.
In that instant, a silver needle bored into Ji Tang’s body, nailing his qi gate. With this point controlled, Ji Tang could no longer use Xing Qi.
Notably, Miss Red Wine remained vigilant and had preemptively sealed his other Seven Apertures’ abilities as well.
Repeatedly thwarted, Ji Tang was furious beyond words. His techniques were neutralized one after another. Hu Ma seized these openings, leaping forward and slashing repeatedly, each strike aimed at vital points, leaving Ji Tang somewhat flustered and restricted.
"I may not be able to kill her, but can’t I at least take you down with me?"
During their skirmish, Ji Tang suddenly roared in anger and lunged with his left hand towards Hu Ma. Hu Ma, employing his skills, shifted slightly to evade the grab and aimed a slash towards Ji Tang’s groin—the bold move, Monkey Plucks Peaches.
Unexpectedly, Ji Tang’s outstretched arm, which had seemed devoid of strength, suddenly elongated by a segment.
Caught off guard, Hu Ma’s arm was seized, and he was pulled closer to Ji Tang, whose eyes were bloodshot.
Are his two arms not the same length?
This sudden development shocked Hu Ma. He had learned to control distance precisely in combat.
In combat, even the smallest margin could determine life or death.
Hu Ma was certain he could have evaded Ji Tang’s grab. He hadn’t expected the arm to lengthen, though he quickly understood why.
It had actually been taken from someone else and was a segment longer than his right arm. He usually kept it hidden, only revealing it at a critical moment to catch his opponent unawares.
Crucially, this arm, when it grabbed someone, felt like an icy iron pincer, not at all like a human hand.
Once grabbed, a freezing, corpse-like yin qi seeped into the body, threatening to freeze the blood in one’s veins.
"Be careful, that’s the green ghost hand."
Miss Red Wine’s warning came quickly: "That’s the green ghost hand. First, choice materials are selected and refined with poisons and various medicinal herbs. Then, it’s detached from a corpse and grafted onto one’s own body. A single such hand is like a weapon; to be grabbed by it means death."
"It can be done like that?"
Hu Ma was equally astonished. Suddenly, his blood energy surged. Drawing upon the cultivation equivalent to three incense sticks from the incense burner, a torrent of power flooded his arm, expelling the invading yin qi. Finally, he broke free from Ji Tang’s grasp, then swiftly leaped, kicking three times.
These three kicks landed on Ji Tang’s chest and neck, feeling like kicking an iron pillar.
Nevertheless, Hu Ma put his full strength into it, and the third kick finally made Ji Tang stagger back a step.
He then used the momentum to leap away, putting distance between himself and Ji Tang.
After battling for so long, a deep fear of Ji Tang had actually taken root in his heart. Now that they were separated, his instinct screamed at him to flee as far as possible. Yet, at this moment, Hu Ma clenched his teeth. After retreating two or three zhang, he forced himself to land and gather his strength.
He swung his saw-toothed knife back and then, borrowing the momentum, charged forward once more.
The desire to get away from Ji Tang was instinctual, but charging back in was a decision made after urgent deliberation.
Miss Red Wine had said this was a once-in-a-lifetime learning opportunity for him. How could he not seize it? The more dangerous it was, the more he had to fight for it.
He couldn’t afford to be timid and let her underestimate him.
As he rushed forward, he thrust the saw-toothed knife in his hand straight out.
Usually, he would use it to slash, but Hu Ma knew the knife had dulled, especially against Ji Tang—it couldn’t cut through.
Therefore, this time it was a stab, and as it thrust forward, it carried a drilling force, spinning like a power drill.
SCREECH!
That one step Ji Tang had taken backward was precisely the opening Hu Ma needed. His knife stabbed Ji Tang in the chest, right over the heart.
Yet, though Ji Tang’s skin had been flayed, his body was like a wall of bronze and iron; the stab couldn’t penetrate deeply. Only by virtue of its spinning force did the saw-toothed knife manage to bore between his ribs, the tip of the blade touching something round, incredibly tough, and still beating heavily.
Hu Ma pushed with all his might but couldn’t drive the knife any deeper.
It felt as if the force of his thrust, upon hitting that beating object, was completely dispersed.
Is this the Shousui man after Entering the Mansion?
Hu Ma could hardly describe the shock in his heart. Normally immune to blades and spears is one thing, but even the heart can resist sharp weapons?
In his mind’s eye, he saw Ji Tang, writhing in pain, suddenly reach out with both hands.
One hand shot out to grab Hu Ma’s head, while the other, holding his knife, slashed directly at Hu Ma’s neck.
In that split second, Hu Ma knew he should abandon his knife and retreat. But he also realized that if he let this chance slip by, he would likely never get another opportunity to kill Ji Tang himself, unless Miss Red Wine personally intervened.
So, gritting his teeth, he committed fully. He activated the Death Transformation in his Five Organs. A burst of yin qi surged up and, following the saw-toothed knife, flooded into Ji Tang’s body.
Heart Piercing Nails!
The yin qi, sharp as a nail, shot directly towards the heart.
Even with Ji Tang’s formidable abilities, when his heart was struck by the Heart Piercing Nails, it faltered and stopped beating for a moment.
That momentary pause was the opening Hu Ma needed. His knife thrust deeper, finally piercing through Ji Tang’s heart.
Then, with a pull, a twist, and a drag, he shredded it.