Chapter Seventeen: Shi Mingfeng

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Hearing Yu Qi’s words, Shi Mingfeng’s expression darkened further. He shouted fiercely to his men, “Attack! Whoever can chop off his hand, I’ll reward fifty taels of silver.”

Though fifty taels might not sound like much, it was enough for an ordinary person to live comfortably for over ten years. For these servants, such a sum would guarantee a lifetime free from want.

Driven by greed, they seemed to forget that the youth on the rooftop had once crippled Shi Wansan. One after another, recklessly, they spurred their horses and charged toward Yu Qi.

Li Changchu and his wife watched anxiously from the thicket, their hands clenched into the soil from tension. There were over twenty men, all evidently skilled in martial arts—would Yu Qi be able to handle them?

“Fifty taels… you really value me highly.” Yu Qi remained unmoved atop the rooftop like an immovable rock. The warm morning sunlight suddenly turned chill around him, as sinister and eerie auras burst forth in all directions. Invisible gusts of wind radiated outward from him.

Several servants pushed down on their horses’ backs to leap toward Yu Qi, weapons drawn from behind their backs, swinging wildly at him.

Before their blades could reach him, a powerful invisible gust blasted them away, hurling their bodies through the air. Even their horses were blown several meters along the ground before coming to a halt.

Shi Mingfeng sat in his carriage, watching this unfold in surprise. The strange, almost demonic aura spreading from Yu Qi unsettled him. Confident before, he now felt a flicker of doubt.

But there was no turning back now. He stamped his foot hard and leapt toward Yu Qi. The carriage beneath him shattered under the immense force.

Shi Mingfeng gripped a massive axe with both hands and swung it down furiously at Yu Qi. “You useless lot, get lost!”

Hearing their lord’s roar, the servants hastily rode their horses backward.

Yu Qi watched the descending axe. He finally rose from his meditative posture, the dark aura around him sinking into his body—though he absorbed only eighty percent.

His jet-black eyes turned a pale gray again. Yu Qi’s right hand swiftly grasped the sword’s hilt, intercepting the axe’s downward strike.

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A dull clash echoed from where axe met sword hilt. Yu Qi’s arm trembled with the impact. The hut beneath them cracked under the force of their collision, and Yu Qi was driven inside.

He shook his trembling arm, silently impressed. “He’s definitely stronger than Shi Wansan. Absorbing eighty percent of the dark aura has indeed enhanced my physical strength. Yet I can only hold my own against him.”

Shi Mingfeng appeared puzzled yet greedy upon seeing his attack blocked by a mere sword hilt. “This hilt must be a treasure. I didn’t expect you to bring such a valuable thing.”

Raising his axe again from the eaves, he swung it down toward Yu Qi inside the hut.

Yu Qi flashed out just in time, leaping beyond the hut’s walls. The axe struck with a thunderous crash, tearing a huge gash in the wall before the structure collapsed in a cloud of dust.

Emerging from the rubble, Shi Mingfeng’s clothes were torn but he paid no mind. “Kid, you dodge well, but you’ll still die beneath my axe. And that treasure in your hand will be mine.”

Yu Qi replied calmly, “You talk big, but who will win is not yet decided.”

Without hesitation, Yu Qi charged forward—not at Shi Mingfeng, but at one of the servants nearby.

The servant had been watching the duel with detached amusement, but suddenly a figure appeared before him. Recognizing Yu Qi, he raised his iron sword to strike.

Yet his strength was no match for Yu Qi. Before the sword could fall, Yu Qi’s strong palm clamped down on the servant’s wrist.

With a sharp crack, the servant’s wrist was broken. He screamed like a slaughtered pig as the sword dropped from his grasp.

Yu Qi kicked him aside and caught the falling sword. Spinning swiftly, he thrust the blade toward the approaching Shi Mingfeng.

Startled by Yu Qi’s rapid response, Shi Mingfeng abruptly retracted his axe, blocking the sword. The iron blade rang sharply against the axe’s surface.

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Though so young, Yu Qi’s strength and reflexes were formidable. This startled Shi Mingfeng, who wondered how far this youth might grow if given time.

What Shi Mingfeng did not know was that Yu Qi, born of the Yu family, had trained in martial arts since childhood. His reflexes, honed over more than a decade, far surpassed those of ordinary men.

Yu Qi had expected his attack to be blocked—if Shi Mingfeng could not withstand even this strike, that would be truly surprising.

“Don’t think that just because you have an iron sword, you can defeat me,” Shi Mingfeng sneered, shaking his axe. A powerful wave radiated from the blade, repelling the sword.

He then swung the axe in a wide arc toward Yu Qi.

Yu Qi raised his sword to parry, but each clash sent waves of numbness up his arm, nearly causing him to lose grip of the blade.

Their battle quickened, the clang of metal striking metal ringing continuously.

In the nearby forest, Li Changchu and two others watched the duel, anxiety growing.

“Father, will Brother Yu be alright?” Xiao Lian’s voice was filled with concern.

“Don’t worry, he’ll be fine. We have to believe in him,” Li Changchu reassured, though his heart was uneasy. The memory of Shi Mingfeng shattering his house left a deep impression.

Li Changchu didn’t know Yu Qi’s true strength. Being so young, it was hard to believe he could match the seasoned Shi Mingfeng.

He feared Yu Qi might be defeated. For reasons unknown, he dreaded losing this youth, who, though a stranger to them, had somehow become irreplaceable in their hearts.