Chapter 120: Departing Gracefully After the Matter, Concealing One’s Merit and Fame (Part Three)

Tsao Peng timed his strike with absolute precision.

First, Zhou Cang emerged, drawing the attention of most of the enemy. Then, Xiahou Lan launched a sudden assault, slaying Lei Fang unexpectedly and enraging Lei Xu.

At such a moment, Lei Xu would be furious, yet his vigilance would be at its lowest.

If Tsao Peng struck swiftly at this juncture and killed Lei Xu, it would instantly shatter the remaining will to resist among these bandits.

This was the principle: to capture the bandits, one must first capture their leader.

One could say Tsao Peng had brewed this single strike for a long time. When the blade finally swept forth, his essence, breath, and spirit achieved a perfect unity. The sword wind howled, and blade energy surged across the space.

However, to Tsao Peng's astonishment, Lei Xu seemed to have eyes in the back of his head.

Without even turning around, the Wugou sword that had been descending toward Xiahou Lan halted mid-air in an instant. His feet traced an arc, his body shifted sideways to follow, and the Wugou sword was retracted, only to thrust out obliquely from beneath his ribs in a bizarre fashion. This stroke possessed an untraceable, ethereal quality, like an antelope hanging its horns by the boughs, leaving no tracks to follow.

Clang!

The Wugou sword struck the spine of the blade with an unfathomable precision.

Tsao Peng felt his arm vibrate violently. A tremendous force surged upward, and the steel saber almost slipped from his grip.

A startled exclamation escaped his lips as Tsao Peng hurriedly retreated. Meanwhile, Zhou Cang and Xiahou Lan were entangled by more than a dozen bandits.

Although the martial prowess of the two men far exceeded that of their opponents, breaking through the encirclement was not something that could be accomplished in a brief moment.

Lei Xu abruptly turned around, straightening his waist as a ferocious grin spread across his face.

"Little fellow, wanting to take your Grandpa Lei's head is not going to be that easy!"

Pointing the Wugou sword toward Tsao Peng, Lei Xu stepped forward.

Originally, Tsao Peng had not taken Lei Xu seriously because the bandit leader's appearance made it difficult for anyone to pay him much attention. Short in stature, with short limbs, and always walking with a hunched back... at first glance, it was hard to associate him with the "ferocious bandit" others described. He belonged to that extremely unremarkable category of men. Therefore, Tsao Peng had not given him much thought!

Yet, the moment Lei Xu took that single step, Tsao Peng's heart jolted.

Bad!

This fellow is a master...

A formidable surge of vital blood could be clearly perceived.

It was not the kind of vital energy an ordinary person could possess, and it had already vaguely formed a crushing pressure.

This was the effect that only appeared at the peak of the Tendon-Transforming stage. Furthermore, this Lei Xu seemed to understand the secrets of concealing his aura, causing many people to underestimate him.

Whether it was Dian Wei or Xu Chu, both were men of immense physical strength and robust blood flow. They also knew methods for concealing their aura, but they rarely used them. This was related to their status; fighting on battlefields year-round made that formidable momentum nearly impossible to hide. At the same time, as personal guards of Cao Cao, they had to project an atmosphere that would deter any malicious petty villains.

Therefore, they had no need to hide, nor did they deign to do so.

Lei Xu was a bandit, and the environment he faced was far more perilous... Having endured countless tests of life and death, he had been forced to learn how to conceal himself.

In fact, this concealment had saved his life countless times.

In terms of martial might, Lei Xu's skill was roughly on par with Wei Yan's—referring, of course, to the Wei Yan of Jiunv City from over half a year ago.

Tsao Peng's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition instantly welled up within him.

However, he had no other choice at this moment. Zhou Cang and Xiahou Lan were bogged down by the bandits, leaving him to fight a duel of life and death with Lei Xu alone.

With a sinister smile, Lei Xu stepped forward and slashed out with his sword. It was an unassuming strike that seemed to conceal numerous subtle variations, enveloping Tsao Peng entirely.

Did Tsao Peng want to dodge?

Yet there was nowhere to evade...

Lei Xu's sword had completely sealed off Tsao Peng's path of retreat.

When narrow paths meet, the courageous win!

This was also Tsao Peng's first true battle in the truest sense! Previously, he had killed quite a few people, but most of the time he had fished in troubled waters, rarely facing opponents head-on. Of course, this was related to his early physical condition. Back then, his body was frail, and hard-fought head-on clashes were difficult to win, leaving him no choice but to fish in troubled waters.

Right now, however, Tsao Peng had guided his breath into his bones, and his physical condition had improved immensely. Taller than before, sturdier than before, stronger than before, and at the same time far more agile...

Since he could not dodge, he had no choice but to fight to the death...

Tsao Peng twisted his waist and lashed out with his saber.

The instant the blade and sword met, unexpectedly, no sound was produced at all.

Instead, Lei Xu let out a low chuckle. The moment the Wugou sword clashed with Tsao Peng's long saber, it executed a sudden "lifting" motion. Then, the sword edge lightly pressed down, flipping over with a crisp snap to skim right along the ridge of the blade.

This sweeping motion was executed with extreme eeriness and terrifying speed.

It was already a bit too late for Tsao Peng to alter his stance. If he did not let go of his saber, Lei Xu's sword would sheer off his palm. In swordsmanship, this technique was known as "lifting the standard," a form of foundational swordsmanship. Yet mastering such a technique was by no means an easy feat.

From this single sword stroke alone, it was evident that Lei Xu's swordsmanship was extraordinary.

With no other option, Tsao Peng was forced to let go of his saber and dodge.

Having succeeded with a single strike, Lei Xu burst into hearty laughter.

"Little beast, let's see how much longer you can last."

As he spoke, he lunged forward, leading with the Wugou sword as his sword momentum fully unfolded. Interlacing arcs of light crisscrossed the air, and surging sword qi filled the space, trapping Tsao Peng within its perimeter.

"Young master, be careful..."

Seeing this, Zhou Cang nearby turned pale with fright.

The long saber in his hand vibrated, and a series of strange, explosive sounds rumbled in his throat.

Saber light flashed and saber clouds rolled. Every swing of his blade generated an eerie sonic boom.

His saber momentum suddenly turned exceptionally ferocious. Two bandits failed to dodge in time and were instantly cleaved in two by Zhou Cang, collapsing into pools of blood...

Xiahou Lan was likewise growing anxious and desperately wanted to charge over to reinforce him.

Yet the remaining bandits were well aware of the stakes.

As long as Lei Xu killed that youth, these two opponents would inevitably fall into utter disarray.

Therefore, even if it meant death, they had to hold them back to ensure Lei Xu's success. Consequently, both Zhou Cang and Xiahou Lan exerted their utmost strength, but their desire to charge over and rescue Tsao Peng felt like a case of having the heart but lacking the power.

Tsao Peng's back was already pressed against the cold stone wall. With no path of retreat behind him, beads of cold sweat streamed down his forehead.

Lei Xu laughed wildly, his Wugou sword clinging to Tsao Peng like a maggot upon bone.

A diagonal thrust, swift as lightning.

With one foot planted against the stone wall, Tsao Peng's essence and spirit reached their absolute peak at this moment.

Pressing his lips tightly together, he suddenly exerted force through his legs, lunging outward with a rush of wind to evade Lei Xu's lethal strike. He rolled across the ground, executed a carp kip to spring back to his feet, his clothes appearing exceptionally disheveled.

By now, however, the initial panic had vanished, replaced by a gradual calmness.

Lei Xu's strike hit nothing, the Wugou sword piercing deep into the stone wall with a crisp clang and a burst of flying sparks.

"Little beast, where do you think you're running!"

He was growing anxious!

He had originally thought dealing with Tsao Peng would be effortless.

Never had he imagined that Tsao Peng would hold out until now, causing Lei Xu a growing sense of anxiety.

On the other side, his own subordinates were barely able to hold their ground! A frantic Zhou Cang and Xiahou Lan looked every bit like two gods of slaughter. Yet this only confirmed Lei Xu's suspicion that Tsao Peng's background was by no means simple.

If he could capture Tsao Peng, wouldn't he have a much stronger bargaining chip?

With his attention thus divided, Lei Xu's Wugou sword faltered slightly.

Tsao Peng abruptly stopped his retreat, stamped his foot, and shouted the Eight-Character Mantra, hurling his body forward.

His form was as agile as an autumn ape, his shifts and movements imbued with an eerie quality.

Lei Xu started, then suddenly burst into laughter!

"Little fellow, trying to fight for your life?"

With Tsao Peng stripped of his weapon, what threat could he possibly pose?

In Lei Xu's eyes, Tsao Peng was merely a cornered beast, a spent arrow.

The Wugou sword lashed out, swift as lightning. The blade tore through the air with a piercing, shrill scream.

Just as the Wugou sword was about to cleave into Tsao Peng, the youth spun fluidly, brushing right past the edge of the blade as he closed the distance.

Lei Xu's pupils contracted sharply as he instantly sensed danger.

This brat's movement technique is too agile; he's clearly trying to buy time...

Realizing this, any lingering thought of capturing Tsao Peng alive was instantly extinguished.

The Wugou sword flashed with dazzling light, every single move venomous and lethal.

Forget everything else; he would kill this brat first!

Tsao Peng ducked and dodged amidst the sword radiance, leaping and bounding like an ape. Time and again, the Wugou sword grazed his body, passing by with terrifying narrowness.

Lei Xu's agitation grew by the second, and he swung the Wugou sword faster and with mounting ferocity.

Autumn Ape Movement Technique, Heavenly Dipper Steps!

These were the foundational arts of the White Ape Tongbei Boxing, but at this moment, they served as Tsao Peng's lifeline.

However, Lei Xu's martial skill was clearly far superior to Tsao Peng's. Even though Tsao Peng possessed the visual perception, his physical execution and reflexes could not keep up.

Right now, his only recourse was to rely on this ape-like movement and the Heavenly Dipper Steps to buy time.

Yet, as Lei Xu's attacks grew increasingly fierce, evading them became harder and harder for Tsao Peng.

In the blink of an eye, Tsao Peng was once again driven into a dead end by Lei Xu. His garments had been shredded into fluttering strips of cloth by the razor-sharp sword qi.

"Brat, give me your life!"

Roaring fiercely, Lei Xu leaped forward, slashing down with his sword.

If Tsao Peng tried to dodge again, he simply wouldn't be able to hold out...

Crossing his hands in front of his chest, he placed one fist forward and the other back.

Planting his feet in a bow stance, he steeled his heart for a desperate gamble. Even if it meant taking a sword strike, he would trade it for a single punch.

"You scoundrel, stop harming my brother!"

Just as the critical moment arrived, a thunderous roar echoed from the stone chamber's entrance.

Dian Man rushed in from outside. Seeing that Tsao Peng had fallen into peril, his eyes reddened with anxiety. He hurled three throwing halberds in one motion before drawing his saber and charging directly at Lei Xu.

The speed of the throwing halberds was blistering. Three flashes of starlight cut through the air and arrived before Lei Xu in an instant.

Startled, Lei Xu swung his sword in a reverse grip, swatting the halberds away.

At that exact moment, Tsao Peng shifted his feet, stepped forward, and unleashed a punch with all his might.

The distance between him and Lei Xu was already minimal, and this explosive punch embodied his entire body's strength.

Bone power surged, and his dantian strained to the limit.

As the punch cleared, it carried a series of sonic booms.

Taken aback, Lei Xu hastily raised his arms to block...

Thud!

A muffled impact rang out.

Tsao Peng's seemingly powerless punch erupted with boundless might.

Though Lei Xu was slightly distracted and raised his arm to block, the majority of his focus still remained on Dian Man.

He already had a rough understanding of Tsao Peng's capabilities. To be honest, they weren't enough to pose a true threat.

Yet, the moment his fist made contact with the arm, an aura of bone-chilling dread suddenly materialized.

The goosebumps on his arm seemed to stand on end simultaneously, rapidly spreading across his entire body.

Realizing things were terribly wrong, Lei Xu tried to shift his step to dodge, but it was already far too late.

To the onlookers, Tsao Peng's punch appeared merely to have pressed against Lei Xu's arm.

Yet this seemingly feeble blow produced a bizarre result. Lei Xu's sleeve instantly ruptured, fluttering away like shattered butterfly wings. At the same time, a tremendous force surged outward, drilling into Lei Xu's arm like a drill bit. His skin burst open on the spot, the veins on his arm exploding as they snapped one after another. Blood sprayed everywhere, and Lei Xu's arm bent into a bizarre, unnatural angle.

"Argh!"

A miserable shriek escaped Lei Xu's lips.

Tsao Peng's punch had been devastatingly effective!

The explosive force of the Half-Step Bengquan had instantly crippled Lei Xu's arm.

Tendons severed, bones shattered... Even if—and this was a massive if—Lei Xu's arm could ever recover in the future, he would never be able to exert even half his strength again.

The Wugou sword slipped from his grasp and clattered to the ground. Clutching his mangled arm, Lei Xu lashed out with a kick straight at Tsao Peng's stomach.

Vomiting a mouthful of blood, Tsao Peng slammed heavily against the stone wall before sliding limply to the floor.

Meanwhile, Wang Mai closely followed Dian Man into the stone chamber, arriving just in time to witness Tsao Peng coughing up blood.

An unmatched rage instantly surged within his heart!

"Scoundrel, how dare you hurt Ah Fu!"

His iron-spined long spear flew from his hand, hissing through the air like a streak of black lightning.

Under normal circumstances, Lei Xu could have easily dodged it.

At this moment, however, his arm had been crippled by Tsao Peng, and the excruciating pain left his senses blurred. Having just kicked Tsao Peng away, Lei Xu was moving to finish the youth off.

It was then that the iron-spined spear arrived behind him.

By the time Lei Xu sensed the danger, it was already too late.

Instinctively, he twisted his torso.

Splat!

The spear pierced straight through his shoulder, passing clear through his back and protruding from his collar.

The sheer momentum of the iron-spined spear shattered Lei Xu's collarbone, wring a shrill, agonizing scream from his throat.

Coughing violently, Tsao Peng forcibly suppressed the churning blood in his abdomen, rolled forward, and arrived right before Lei Xu.

Before Lei Xu could recover his senses, Tsao Peng planted his feet, twisted his waist, and slammed his shoulder viciously into Lei Xu's chest, sending the bandit flying with a heavy thud.

To be fair, Lei Xu was already severely injured and barely conscious.

As for Tsao Peng, slamming Lei Xu had aggravated his internal injuries, causing him to cough up another mouthful of blood before collapsing limply to the ground...

"Third brother, don't kill him!"

When Tsao Peng finally caught his breath, he saw Lei Xu landing right at Dian Man's feet.

Dian Man wore a ferocious expression, teeth clenched as he viciously raised his saber to bring it down.

What the hell!

Tsao Peng had gone through so much hardship and nearly lost his life just to keep Lei Xu alive for questioning.

He tried to shout a warning, but it was already too late.

With a swift chop, Dian Man brought the blade down with a sharp crack, instantly decapitating Lei Xu.

The bloody head rolled right up to Tsao Peng's feet. Tsao Peng stared wide-eyed at Lei Xu's severed head, speechless for a long time.

He had wanted to interrogate him for intelligence!

If not for Lei Xu's connection with Xue Zhou, Tsao Peng couldn't have cared less whether he lived or died.

Yet things had turned out like this...

"Ah Fu, are you alright!"

Still oblivious to the gloomy expression on Tsao Peng's face, Dian Man hurried over.

"You..."

Pointing a finger at Dian Man, Tsao Peng trembled with anger.

Another mouthful of blood welled up, and as darkness consumed his vision, Tsao Peng lost consciousness...

Chaos reigned supreme within the stone chamber!

When he opened his eyes again, Tsao Peng awoke from his unconsciousness to find himself already back at the Gaoyang Pavilion post station.

"Ah Fu..."

Deng Ji almost shed two tears of relief.

Truth be told, although only a day and a night had passed, to Deng Ji it felt like a grueling year. Tsao Peng had ventured deep into bandit territory, leaving him deeply unsettled. Throughout the day, he had been restless, finding no joy in food or drink. Even when Puyang proactively sought him out to converse, Deng Ji had no heart to entertain it. He was like an ant on a hot pan—anxious, frantic... and thoroughly haggard.

Deng Ji cared deeply for Tsao Peng!

Not merely because Tsao Peng was his brother-in-law, but more importantly, because he saw the makings of a brilliant future in the boy.

What fourteen-year-old child could establish a school of thought of his own? Although Tsao Peng's commentary on the *Analects* the other night consisted of only two brief sentences, Deng Ji had perceived the extraordinary depth within them. Those few remarks by Tsao Peng were sufficient to found a distinct school and attain the renown of a great master.

Because of this, Deng Ji cared about Tsao Peng all the more.

He had never wanted Tsao Peng to take such risks, but he simply couldn't sway the boy's resolute will.

After waiting anxiously through a long day, Tsao Peng had finally returned... yet he was carried back, unconscious.

How could Deng Ji not feel a profound sense of guilt?

"Brother-in-law, you are..."

Opening his eyes, Tsao Peng beheld Deng Ji's haggard face.

"You've finally come back to life... You scared me half to death. Ah Fu, if something had happened to you, how would I ever face A Nan in the future? From now on, you are forbidden from taking such risks again!"

Tsao Peng's head still felt somewhat muddled.

Yet Deng Ji's nagging words warmed his heart.

"Why am I here?"

"You still have the nerve to ask... You were injured at Lutai Hill and fell unconscious. Ah Man and Hutou carried you all the way back."

"Lutai Hill?" Tsao Peng tapped his head lightly. "Has it been pacified?"

"It's been pacified... General Xiahou is over there clearing the battlefield right now."

"What time is it now?"

"Oh, the Si hour has just passed."

With that, Deng Ji stood up and walked toward the door.

"Your unconsciousness frightened everyone. Hutou and the others have been waiting outside without rest. I'll go call them in."

As he spoke, Deng Ji pulled the door open.

Within moments, Dian Man, Xu Yi, Wang Mai, and Deng Fan came rushing into the room.

"Ah Fu, you really gave us a fright!"

As soon as he entered, Dian Man began shouting boisterously.

Seeing Dian Man, Tsao Peng instantly recalled the events just before he blacked out.

A wave of irritation washed over him... He had gone through untold hardships and risked his life to subdue Lei Xu, only to have the bandit butchered by a single stroke from Dian Man.

On second thought, however, this incident couldn't entirely be blamed on Dian Man.

Without Dian Man's intervention, the one lying headless right now might not have been Lei Xu, but Tsao Peng himself.

No matter how disgruntled he felt, Tsao Peng had to swallow it. Forcing a smile, he looked at the group and said, "I'm fine. Sorry to have troubled you elder brothers."

"Pfft, trouble is nothing, it's just... I didn't expect that Lei Xu to be such a formidable character."

Dian Man casually sat down nearby.

Wang Mai stepped forward and placed a small wooden box on Tsao Peng's pillow.

"This is something Big Brother Xiahou retrieved from Lei Xu... He said whatever's inside this box might be of great use to you!"

Hearing this, Tsao Peng's spirits instantly lifted...