Chief, don't hit me in the face

Chapter 41: Take Life and Death in Stride—If You Don’t Agree, Let’s Fight!

The early spring breeze, carrying a hint of dampness, brushed against his cheeks. Xia Ye was the type to prepare for the future. Like most people, his dominant hand was his right. To ensure he could still fight effectively if his right hand were injured or unable to wield a weapon for some reason, he trained his left hand whenever he had the chance. Chopping branches with the Tai’a was also a form of training. Xia Ye didn’t expect his left hand to be as nimble as his right, but at the very least, he wanted to ensure he wouldn’t miss his target when killing someone. The moment that fierce threat struck his eardrums, Xia Ye froze and immediately cried out, “Don’t kill me!” Although he begged for mercy and feigned a trembling, fearful voice, Xia Ye’s right forearm moved swiftly, drawing the tactical axe hanging from his leather belt. Song Guo’s reaction was just as quick; she immediately aimed her crossbow at him. “Haha, so you’re afraid after all?” Xia Yang emerged from the woods holding his bow and arrow, a smug look on his face. “You fool!” Xia Yexin thought contemptuously to himself. He shouted that not only to lower his enemy’s guard—so he wouldn’t attack immediately—but also because he needed just a single breath to draw his tactical axe. A hand axe is short and compact; whether thrown or used to parry arrows, it’s much quicker than a long sword. Second, of course, was to use the loud shout to draw the enemy’s attention to himself, making it easier for Little Song Guo to aim her crossbow. Once the two sides were locked in a standoff, their team would have more tactical options. “It’s you?” Song Guo had met this guy before—his name was Xia Yang, but he wasn’t sunny or magnanimous in the least; he was incredibly narrow-minded. “Hmm?” Seeing that Xia Ye’s expression was calm—and that he was still holding a battleaxe in his right hand, showing not the slightest sign of fear or willingness to surrender—Xia Yang realized he’d been tricked! “You tricked me?” Xia Yang’s eyes flashed with anger, and a sneer crossed his face: “You think a lousy axe can stop my arrows?” Even as he said this, Xia Yang was still somewhat taken aback—the way Xia Ye had just drawn his battle axe had been truly swift and graceful. What he didn’t know was that Xia Ye had practiced that move—drawing the battleaxe—over a thousand times. “Go ahead and try!” Xia Ye gripped the hand axe tightly, pulling it back slightly, ready to throw at any moment. “Hmph, just so you know, I’m super fierce!” Little Pinecone snorted, making her presence known. “Haha!” Xia Yang let out a nervous laugh to hide the chaotic thoughts swirling in his mind. He was starting to regret it now—he should have just launched a surprise attack and shot Xia Ye right then. Instead, things had turned out like this, and he was now in a no-win situation. He wasn’t a professional archer—his archery skills were half-baked. Setting aside whether a single arrow could even hit Xia Ye, that little girl holding the crossbow was aiming right at him. On the crossbow was a large character “Jia”—enough to make his eyes spin. Xia Yang had seen this symbol before; it was the mark of Xia Jia, one of the Xia Clan’s three great blacksmiths. Such a finely crafted crossbow boasts exceptional accuracy; within fifty meters, even a little girl aiming at a target could hit it with ease. “Attacking your own people—do you want to become a slave?” Xia Ye demanded. “Haha, I was just joking!” Xia Yang wore a smile on his face, but inside he was filled with regret. It wasn’t really his fault, though. He had considered shooting Xia Ye, but he was worried that if he missed, Xia Ye would escape back to the tribe and report him to the elders—which would land him in serious trouble. Unprovoked attacks on fellow tribesmen could result in the confiscation of all assets and demotion to slavery! “How about we all put down our arrows?” Xia Ye suggested, though he sneered inwardly, looking down on Xia Yang as a coward. Someone who wanted to kill and rob but hesitated at every turn—what great deeds could such a person ever accomplish? “Sure!” Xia Yang’s eyes darted about, and the smile on his face grew even wider, making the few pockmarks on his face stand out even more. He put away his bow and arrow and walked toward Xia Ye. “By our ancestors, you’re truly impressive! Is that bronze longsword your spoils of war? It looks very sharp!” Xia Ye flattered him, trying to lull Xia Ye into a false sense of security: “Wow, a box made of bronze? The things inside must be very precious, right?” Xiao Song Guo was on high alert. “Do you want to see?” Xia Ye flashed a smug smile, loosened the vine he’d been using to carry the chest, and set it down on the ground. “No rush. First, tell me how you got it.” Xia Yang stepped closer. The more he looked, the more he regretted it—he should have just shot Xia Ye dead right then. Never mind the two large chests; even this long sword, radiating a dark golden glow, was worth the risk. But there was still a chance. He adjusted his position to make it easier to draw his sword. “Well, that’s a long story!” Xia Ye rubbed his shoulders and took a few steps to the side: “I’m absolutely exhausted!” “Looks like you made quite a haul. Want me to help carry them? Just give me a cut when we get back!” Xia Yang forced a smile, gauging the distance between them to see if he could kill him with a single stroke. But how annoying—this half-blind guy kept shifting around, making it incredibly awkward for him to get a clean strike in. “Sure, ten blade coins, and you can carry it back for me!” Xia Ye smiled. “Alright, let me check the weight first!” Xia Yang agreed readily, striding quickly to the crate. Using the cover of bending down to grab the vine, he swiftly drew his sword and slashed at Xia Ye. “Die!” Xia Yang roared, but in the next instant, his expression froze—a tactical axe was coming down right at him. The sharp blade radiated a bronze-colored killing intent, like a cold tide that threatened to freeze his very soul. At a moment like this, it all came down to who was more ruthless, who was more unwavering. If Xia Yang had swung his sword with utter resolve, he might have had a chance to turn the tables—but he hesitated. Instinctively, he swung his sword horizontally to parry the blow. Bang! The tactical axe struck the stone blade, sending stone dust flying with a thunderous crash; the powerful impact sent a numbing shock through Xia Yang’s arm. Seizing the advantage from that strike, Xia Ye pressed his attack. The tactical axe struck again, swift as lightning! “That fast?” Startled, Xia Yang blocked with all his might, only to see Xia Ye flick his wrist. The axe traced a gleaming arc, dodging the stone knife and striking Xia Yang’s left forearm. Crack! Bone snapped, and blood spattered. “Ah!” Xia Yang let out a agonized scream and stumbled backward, crashing into the bronze chest. Xiao Song Guo had originally been aiming at Xia Yang’s thigh, but seeing him like this, she curled the corners of her mouth, put away her crossbow, and stood to the side to watch the show. Whoosh! Xia Ye whistled, clenched his fist, and spun the tactical axe in his hand, flinging off the blood in the process. “Wow!” Song Guo clapped her hands with delight. Big brother’s move was so cool—she wanted to get her hands on a tomahawk to play with, too. “Xia Ye, what are you doing?” Xia Yang backed away, clutching his severed arm, and glared at Xia Ye with a mix of shock and rage. “What? You tried to kill me—so I’m not allowed to fight back?” Xia Ye taunted him. His tactical axe was top-notch—it had severed the arm bone without so much as a chip on the blade. “Who’s trying to kill you? You were the one trying to kill me—I was just blocking your attack!” Xia Yang tried to justify himself. To be honest, he’d expected Xia Ye to be on guard against him, so he’d flattered him and deliberately steered the conversation toward the spoils of war—all to distract him and set himself up for a surprise attack. But he hadn’t expected this kid to strike at the exact same moment. “Is that so?” Xia Ye laughed. “You were moving the whole time before you struck—weren’t you trying to find an opening to strike?” “You’re talking nonsense!” Xia Yang argued vehemently, feeling utterly frustrated. So this half-blind guy had seen right through him all along—his movements had all been calculated, and he’d thought it was just a coincidence. But he couldn’t really blame himself; his acting had been too convincing, as if he were completely lost in his own praise. “Act like a man, will you? You did it, so just admit it. What’s there to be afraid of?” Xia Ye looked down on Xia Yang for acting so cowardly. “Xia Ye, Brother Ye, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have had my eye on you. Can you let me off the hook?” Knowing he couldn’t fool him anymore, Xia Yang decisively begged for mercy. “Too late!” Xia Ye shook his head. “I know I insulted you a few days ago. I was blind. I’ll kowtow to you.” Xia Yang dropped to his knees. What’s the big deal about backing down once? As long as he survived, he’d still have a chance to make a comeback. “That guy is so shameless!” Song Guo looked down on such a wimp. “I’m so poor I don’t even have half a knife coin, and the weapon I use is just a stone knife. If you kill me, you won’t get any loot, and there’s a chance my clan will find out. Then you’ll be demoted to a slave!” Xia Yang pleaded earnestly, sweating profusely from his anxiety. This was also the result of his own carelessness—after all, if Xia Ye killed him, he’d get nothing but trouble and wouldn’t gain a single hair’s worth of benefit. “Come to think of it, you also pulled a fast one on me outside the Tower of Glory!” Xia Ye laughed. “Absolutely not!” Xia Yang was drenched in sweat, so frantic he was on the verge of swearing an oath in the name of his ancestors. “But never mind!” Xia Ye glanced around and lowered his voice: “I’ll let you in on a secret—thanks to your overconfidence, I managed to subdue that Undead Hero!” “Huh?” Xia Yang was dumbfounded. Xia Ye turned sideways and patted the scroll at his waist: “The Great Wasteland Scripture of Ten Thousand Spirits—an ancient treasure that every spirit medium dreams of. With this, capturing a spectral hero is a piece of cake!” After a moment of daze, Xia Yang’s face betrayed utter shock, and his heart swelled with jealousy so intense it felt like it might burst: “So it was you! Xia Qingyuan actually thought Cao Ang had snatched the treasure!” “All right, let’s hit the road!” Xia Ye glanced at the sky; he didn’t want to waste any more time. “Killing me won’t do you any good!” Xia Yang grew frantic. “There is. It’ll make me happy—and that’s enough.” Xia Ye blinked. “Damn it, what kind of reason is that? Wait—are you going to let this little girl do it?” Xia Yang suddenly realized what was going on and scrambled to escape. That Song Guo wasn’t a member of the Xia tribe, which meant Xia Ye could avoid the punishment for killing him with his own hands. “Is that really necessary?” Xia Ye pursed his lips. “I’m at peace with life and death. If you don’t agree, let’s fight. I’ve done it, so I’m not afraid!” “Xia Ye is here—he’s going to kill me!” Xia Yang spun around and fled for his life like a stray dog, shouting, “He has an ancient artifact—come and kill him!” Xia Ye took a step forward with his left foot and swung his right arm out. Whoosh! The tactical axe flew through the air, and with a sharp click, the blade embedded itself deep into Xia Yang’s back. Thud! Xia Yang fell face-first to the ground, struggling as he continued to crawl forward. Xiao Song Guo scampered over on her little legs, stepped on Xia Yang’s back, pulled out the tactical axe, and, seeing that he was still writhing, swung the axe with a casual motion, chopping down on his neck. Crack! Most of his cervical spine was severed. After wiping the blood on her clothes, Song Guo crouched down beside him and began rummaging through his belongings. Aside from a lump of salt the size of a red date and a few millet rice balls, he was truly as poor as a church mouse. “Aww!” Song Guo was very unhappy. “Let’s go!” Xia Ye hoisted the bronze chest onto his back again. “Should we hurry?” Song Guo asked; Xia Yang’s last few shouts had likely drawn the enemy’s attention. “No need!” Not only was he unable to move quickly while carrying the large chest, but even if enemies arrived, Xia Ye didn’t care: “A few days ago, I was surrounded and attacked by members of the Cao clan. It’s time to settle that score.” “You’re so vengeful!” Xiao Song smiled sweetly: “But I like it!”