A narrow escape from death

Just as the last guard had rounded the carriage, two monks suddenly leapt down without warning from the rooftops on either side. Under the terrified gazes of Liu An and the others, they lunged straight for the carriage. At this moment, no one could stop them. All Liu An and his companions could do was watch in despair as the monks swung their steel blades at the carriage compartment.

Fortunately, the carriage was sturdy enough that their initial attack had no effect. Both Chai Long and Liu An were slightly more skilled than their adversaries. The two men almost simultaneously chose the desperate tactic of risking their lives against their foes.

Chai Long, eyes wide, hurled his chest directly into the path of the monk’s blade, while his own saber swung fiercely at the attacker’s waist. Their blows landed almost at the same time. After a harsh tearing sound, Chai Long let out a muffled groan of pain, but his opponent, with a wretched howl, was cleaved in two.

On the other side, Liu An used his horsewhip to block his attacker’s blade, then, before the monk could pull back, seized the weapon with his bare hand. Ignoring the pain, he stepped in close, dropped both whip and blade, and locked his arms around the monk’s neck. With a twist and a wrench of his hands, there was a sickening crack and the monk fell lifeless.

Liu An snatched up the steel blade and was about to rush back to defend the carriage alongside Chai Long. However, they were both a beat too slow. Three more adversaries had already charged at them, while the fourth had leapt straight onto the carriage. That man acted decisively—he planted a boot against the carriage door, shattering the bolt with a crunch, and strode inside.

Chai Long and Liu An shouted and tried once more to take their foes down with them, but this time the monks were prepared and refused to be drawn into a brawl. Poor Li Zhi, like a helpless chick, was grabbed by the monk and dragged from the compartment in a single swift motion.

The monk glanced at Li Zhi in the dim twilight, then, without hesitation, raised his blade and thrust it toward Li Zhi’s chest. Li Zhi, ghostly pale, stared at the savage face before him, his mind blank, not even having time to regret this final journey.

At that critical moment, a shadow appeared at the monk’s side like a phantom. The newcomer, catching the monk completely off guard, sliced cleanly through his wrist. With a flick of his own blade, the shadow reversed its course and slashed upward, severing the monk’s other arm as he screamed in agony.

With one hand, the shadow caught Li Zhi as he fell, and with the other, ended the monk’s life with a swift cut. Then, with a gentle push, he sent Li Zhi tumbling back into the compartment.

In a blur, the newcomer flashed to a guard’s side and, with a single stroke, slew the guard’s adversary. With his arrival, the pressure on Chai Long and Liu An was instantly lifted, and they quickly gained the upper hand. Just as they were about to finish off their opponents, Li Zhi, having regained his senses inside the carriage, shouted toward the open door, “Leave two alive!”

His call was perfectly timed, for just then the shadow had slain another monk, and Chai Long and Liu An were about to bring their blades down on their enemies’ heads. The two reacted with lightning speed, switching from slashing to striking, and with a twist of the wrist, knocked their foes senseless with the flat of their blades.

Whether by luck or misfortune, those two monks did not die immediately. Unlucky for them, they would not even be granted a chance to take their own lives. Chai Long and the newcomer, evidently well-versed in the ways of the martial world, simultaneously dislocated the monks’ jaws. Next, before Li Zhi’s astonished eyes, they delivered a flurry of blows to the monks’ cheeks, quickly knocking out every tooth and swelling their faces past recognition.

They then rummaged through the pile of teeth, soon finding the ones that concealed poison sacs. Even then, they were not finished, deftly dislocating the joints of the monks’ arms as well.

Once all was done, no one lingered—they prepared to return directly to the Prince of Jin’s residence with their two prisoners. One guard carried the gravely wounded comrade onto the carriage, while another sped toward the Capital Prefecture to report the crime. As for the slain monks, they were left where they had fallen in the street.

On the way back, Li Zhi learned that his savior was none other than Chai Long’s senior fellow disciple. His name was Duan Shizi, and he had joined their sect two years before Chai Long. It was thanks to Chai Long’s invitation that he had arrived in time—shortly after Li Zhi took Chai Long in, Chai Long, moved by Li Zhi’s kindness, had decided to introduce his senior to his new patron.

The two men had grown up together, so once Chai Long found a worthy master, his first thought was to bring his brother-in-arms along. By chance, their sect was far from Chang’an, and after Chai Long sent his letter, Duan Shizi hurried day and night to reach the city only that very day.

Even more fortuitously, soon after entering Chang’an, Duan Shizi noticed a group of monks skulking along deserted streets. Out of curiosity, he followed them from a distance—little knowing that this would lead him to save Li Zhi from certain death.

Though Li Zhi now knew Duan Shizi’s true intentions, he still expressed his gratitude on the journey back. Regardless of motives, his life had been saved by someone who owed him nothing.

On the way, Li Zhi set aside his own safety and sent a guard to the Imperial Medical Academy to fetch Sun Simiao to help tend the wounded. Although his own medical skills were decent, he could not treat three people alone.

Upon arriving at the residence, he immediately sent the injured guard to the infirmary to begin stitching his wounds. Lacking blood type testing methods and a ready supply of blood, every second counted to save the man’s life. Fortunately, Li Zhi had no shortage of medicines on hand, or the man would surely have died before Sun Simiao arrived.

While anxiously administering anesthesia to the unconscious guard, Li Zhi quickly taught Chai Long and Liu An how to disinfect wounds. There was no time to worry about their pain. He had to ensure that Sun Simiao could proceed straight to surgery as soon as he arrived.