Chapter 36: Battle in the Rain
"Beast!"
The raincoat-clad knight holding an axe had bloodshot eyes and let out a battle cry as he charged toward Jiang Ten, hurling his hand axe mid-run and cursing, "He still owes me a year's gambling debt!"
This man appeared rough and reckless on the outside, but his fighting style was insidious and cunning.
After throwing the flying axe, he immediately drew a short sword and, with his left hand, pulled a small round ball from his belt and tossed it out.
Yan Qing of the Thieves’ House perfectly blocked the flying axe, and upon seeing another projectile, instinctively swung his blade.
However, the moment the ball was struck, it exploded into a cloud of white powder.
Jiang Ten couldn’t dodge in time, and her right eye took the hit directly.
Yan Qing was momentarily stunned as he saw a status effect appear above the health bar—"Right Eye Blinded", temporarily reducing accuracy by 40%.
Though it was his first time encountering this, Yan Qing, having seen countless similar scenes in entertainment works, instantly recognized the item.
"Go! She's been blinded by lime!"
The Lime Knight shouted, "It's still raining now—her eyes will start burning soon!"
Although he said that, his steps slowed.
He didn’t immediately approach Jiang Ten but instead positioned himself in front of the carriage.
Clearly, his recklessness was merely a facade.
Even with the upper hand, he remained extremely cautious.
Even though he hadn’t captured Jiang Ten yet, he was already prepared for any interference from the Baiyun Qian Clan.
Back when the Lime Knight had stepped forward, his companions had already started to flank from the left and right.
Upon hearing the order, they charged in at once, leaving Jiang Ten no room to breathe.
To protect her eye, Jiang Ten could only cover it with her left hand and wield her sword with one hand.
Though her technique was exquisite, she could barely defend herself.
In just a few short breaths, she narrowly escaped death multiple times.
Only now did the young girl on the carriage come to her senses.
She had been shocked for quite some time by the earlier scene where Jiang Ten didn't get on the carriage but instead suddenly started killing.
Even so, she grew anxious at Jiang Ten’s dire situation and braced her hands against the carriage, ready to jump out.
"Are you going to shelter this criminal!?"
The Lime Knight, who had not joined the fray but had been watching them closely, immediately shouted, "Is the Baiyun Qian Clan really going to protect this Taohu rebel who killed our brother?"
"If that’s the case, we brothers will withdraw at once and report this to the county magistrate for judgment!"
He put extra emphasis on the words "killed our brother", causing the girl’s movements to freeze.
Earlier, it could still be argued that this group of constables was slandering her.
But now that Jiang Ten had clearly killed someone, even if she wasn't a rebel, she was definitely a criminal.
This logic held up anywhere.
Seeing that neither the girl nor the coachman moved, the Lime Knight let out a breath of relief.
If Jiang Ten had been even a little more ordinary, he would’ve long given face to the Baiyun Qian Clan and withdrawn.
Even if Baiyun Qian was only a Blue Band gentry family, he himself was merely a Black Band squad leader using the county office’s power to bully others.
Not to mention, both members of the Baiyun Qian Clan here seemed to be Messengers—people who could kill everyone here with just a breath.
Unfortunately, the magistrate from the Zhan River Huang Clan was his only chance at rising in status.
And that county magistrate loved beautiful women.
The moment he laid eyes on Jiang Ten, the Lime Knight knew that offering her up would surely earn him the magistrate’s favor.
Naturally, this year’s token allocation would fall right into his hands!
There were seven or eight Messengers like him who had already changed class but still lacked a token in the county office—excluding the county’s many brave and battle-hardened rural warriors who had also completed class change.
For all these people, the only way to obtain a token was to wait for the prefecture's allocation.
For a constable like him, with no status, no wealth, and no backing, he could wait a lifetime and still never receive a token.
He’d be nothing more than a dog at the beck and call of nobles and officials forever!
Only by seizing this rare opportunity could he possibly climb to the top!
Even if it meant offending a Blue Band gentry family—it was worth it!
And he had bet correctly.
There were indeed many noble scions who disregarded the law and killed at will.
But the Baiyun Qian Clan, as Blue Band gentry, had not yet grown powerful enough to challenge the authority of the county office, which represented imperial power!
"Big brother, big brother—"
Through the sound of rain came a panicked cry.
The Lime Knight turned his head in confusion.
Two constables fighting a half-blind woman, and after so long still hadn't subdued her?
Could they actually be losing?
He saw a constable with a severed right arm screaming as he fled from an alley.
His face was filled with terror, and his steps were frantic, as if chased by a ghost.
Tap.
Jiang Ten emerged from the alley with calm, unhurried steps.
Her left hand still covered her eye, and her right hand held her blade.
But compared to before, her coarse linen robe had now been dyed a dark red-black with blood.
Even the rain couldn't wash away the scent of blood on her.
She was clearly just walking, but her speed surpassed that of the fleeing constable.
When had they shifted their fight to the alley?
The constable, hearing the footsteps behind him, was so frightened he misstepped and fell.
Lying on the ground and facing Jiang Ten—the female demon—he screamed incoherently, "No, big brother, save me, please, I beg you—"
Clang!
A chilling blade flash cut through the rain.
The Lime Knight instinctively narrowed his eyes.
The fallen constable reflexively raised his only remaining left hand to block.
But naturally, both his left wrist and head were sliced off together.
His face still bore a look of terror as his head rolled to the side, while his body twitched slightly on the ground like a poorly butchered fish.
The rain grew heavier, almost to the point where nothing could be seen beyond ten steps.
But the Lime Knight saw clearly—when Jiang Ten killed, she hadn’t used any token power.
She had decapitated the constable with just a one-handed blade.
It sounded simple, but beheading was never an easy task.
Even executioners could fail to sever the head, the blade getting stuck in the cervical spine, or even breaking the blade was common.
Beheading in combat was difficult to begin with, let alone when using only one hand.
The most astonishing part was that she had already killed three people—though one had yet to come out of the alley, no one believed he was still alive—and Jiang Ten’s face remained expressionless.
Her face, perfect like that of an ethereal fairy, was full of cold indifference.
A chill crawled up the Lime Knight’s spine and pierced his heart, as fear drowned his world like the rain.
If Jiang Ten had shown anger, cursed, shown disgust, or even killing intent, he wouldn't have been afraid.
He had seen many enemies, having risen from the bottom to become a Messenger.
But Jiang Ten, though drenched in blood, surrounded by corpses and severed heads, remained unmoved.
Her beautiful eyes—one open, one closed—calmly stared at him.
If the county magistrate were to be looked at this way by such a beauty, he’d probably be utterly bewitched and leap upon her without hesitation.
But the Lime Knight only trembled all over, wishing to flee as far as possible.
He felt that in her eyes, he wasn’t even an enemy—not even a human being.
Just a fish.
A fish in its death throes!
Tap!
Jiang Ten stepped through the curtain of rain.
Her right-hand blade carved a semicircle in the air, seemingly preparing to slash from the right.
But when the Lime Knight raised his shoulder to strike at Jiang Ten’s unguarded left side, her blade tip suddenly twisted downward.
In an instant, her slash from the right turned into a downward thrust!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
In just three exchanges, the Lime Knight understood how his subordinates had died.
Her blade technique was so refined that she could feint and redirect at will, making her attack path completely unpredictable.
At the same time, she was highly skilled in "tendon-cutting counterattacks"—targeting the weapon trajectory’s tendons to disrupt attacks and launch a counterstrike.
These two techniques took only a few lines to describe, but few ordinary people could master them.
Even among constables, those who didn’t tremble when wielding a blade were already elites.
If they tried feinting and redirecting, they’d probably just throw their weapon.
And tendon-cutting was a first-class skill, because if you failed, you'd be standing there like a fool, open to being cut down.
Dodging was far safer, so almost nobody even attempted it.
That’s why they died.
With their clumsy skills, facing a master of feints and tendon-cutting, all their attacks were dismantled.
Their opponent could seamlessly redirect and strike at unguarded areas...
What difference did they have from straw men with legs?
Such is the nature of combat.
Whether you're a dazzling jade or a worthless lump of mud, you must clash with stones that have been tempered through countless trials.
If you're shattered, then you die.
The Lime Knight knew just how terrifying his opponent was.
Because he too was skilled in feints and tendon-cutting.
His body temperature dropped lower and lower, but his vital energy and blood boiled hotter and hotter.
Though he still had lime bombs on his belt, the Lime Knight had no chance to throw any items.
He could only fight Jiang Ten back and forth with his short sword!
Just like when he was twenty-two, storming a Da Jiang Gang ship with colleagues, ending with only him surviving to block the door and face more than a dozen gang blades!
Just like when he was twenty-five, traveling at night and encountering a giant beast, fighting it to death with only an axe and a short sword!
Just like when he was twenty-nine...
Clang!
The glorious memories in his mind vanished like smoke.
The searing pain in his palm and the cold rain yanked him back to reality.
The Lime Knight’s lips trembled as he looked at Jiang Ten, as though staring at a monster.
Her blade technique was still improving.
Her vital energy and blood surged ever higher during the fight.
The Lime Knight’s previously relied upon advantage in energy and blood had completely vanished.
And her disadvantages of being half-blind and using only one hand were concealed by her technique.
Could it be that I...
Impossible!
The Lime Knight’s eyes widened in rage and he roared as he charged at Jiang Ten.
I am a Messenger, a Martial Messenger skilled in combat!
My martial skills were earned through bitter training.
I’ve experienced dozens of brutal battles in my life—how could I possibly lose in a place like this—
Clang!
The short sword flew high into the air, spinning as it went.
The Lime Knight stared blankly at his empty hands, unable to believe that he couldn’t even hold his weapon anymore.
To have one’s weapon knocked away in a frontal clash only proved one thing—his vital energy and blood were inferior to his opponent’s.
Of course.
Ever since I became squad leader, I’ve spent my days scheming how to secure a token quota.
If I wasn’t at a banquet, I was on the way to one.
I barely trained or fought on the front lines anymore...
No matter how tempered a stone is, daily dripping water will wear it down.
Others couldn’t see it, and I deceived myself too, mistaking the stone for what it once was.
Until it collided with another stone that was still evolving.
Zheng!
Jiang Ten swung her blade, tearing through the rain curtain like ripping a painting—shredding the figure within it at the same time.
A head flew high into the air.
The short sword spun and fell to the ground.
Jiang Ten turned and wiped her blade clean with her sleeve, then sheathed it.
Only then did the corpse behind her seem to come to its senses and collapsed heavily into the rain-soaked ground.
She walked over to the first constable who died, squatted down, and took off his boots and coat.
Just as she was about to put them on, that four-horse carriage rolled up in front of her.
"There are clothes and shoes that will fit you in the carriage, and vegetable oil that can remove lime."
The girl in the carriage poked her head out, her gaze toward Jiang Ten filled with reverence and fear—perhaps even a trace of admiration.
She extended her hand again and solemnly asked, "Would you like to get in?"
Jiang Ten didn’t speak.
She simply reached out her bloodstained right hand toward the girl.
...
…
Yan Qing studied the screen, thinking that the option "She reached out her bloodstained right hand toward her" was simply brilliant.
After all, ‘Jiang Ten’ had just killed four constables.
Getting on the carriage now would undoubtedly implicate the other party.
Reaching out her right hand was a silent question.
My hand is covered in blood—do you really want to touch it?
If the other party was willing to take that bloodstained hand, it meant they didn’t care about ‘Jiang Ten’s’ crimes.
Even stained with blood, still reaching out for support—what a gallant and tender moment!
But...
Yan Qing watched as the girl on the carriage first froze, then came to a realization.
She pulled out a handkerchief from her chest, carefully wiped ‘Jiang Ten’s’ hand clean, then held it and helped her onto the carriage.
I was asking if you’d associate with a criminal—not if you had OCD...