Chapter 149: Making a Move

As Xiao Tong followed the dragged trail, all he saw was the corpse of one of his men.

This brave soldier of Northern Yan had his throat slit with his own knife, the bright red blood steadily soaking into the snow beneath him—a stark contrast of red and white, glaring to the eye.

A separate set of footprints in the opposite direction showed that after Jiang Chen eliminated his target, he had wisely changed position, making his movements difficult to predict.

“Is there really only one of them?” one subordinate voiced his suspicion, having never encountered such an elusive foe before.

In a short span, two of their men had been killed, the entire attack unfolding so swiftly that there was no chance to resist.

Such an ambush brought an overwhelming sense of pressure; no one knew when the enemy would strike again or who would be next.

Xiao Tong gritted his teeth and spoke angrily of Jiang Chen, “These are just petty tricks. Has this really scared you so much?”

“No, General. We swear to fight the enemy to the very end!” Though morale had taken a hit, under Xiao Tong’s leadership, his men remained spirited and formidable.

Jiang Chen crouched above on a large tree, carefully observing their movements. From his vantage point, every step the enemy took was laid bare before him.

Two guards were always by Xiao Tong’s side, unaffected by their surroundings; their primary mission was clearly to protect him. If Jiang Chen wanted to strike, these two obstacles had to be dealt with first.

He watched intently but found no opening to attack. Without a guaranteed lethal strike, the surrounding enemies would swarm immediately.

Given his current physical state, the best chance to kill Xiao Tong without fail was to seek a one-on-one confrontation.

Simply put, Xiao Tong had no chance of survival alone, but with two guards, Jiang Chen would struggle and might even let Xiao Tong slip away.

“Everyone, do not leave your formation! Wasn’t the last lesson clear enough? That bastard wants you isolated so he can strike unnoticed,” Xiao Tong warned his men.

“He’s only capable of sneaky tricks. Once I catch him, he will surely die!” he declared fiercely.

Still so arrogant, Jiang Chen smiled coldly.

“General, there are footprints beneath this tree!” As they cautiously advanced, they finally discovered Jiang Chen’s tracks. Xiao Tong hurried over to look up into the tree but saw no sign of anyone.

At that moment, all their attention was fixated on the tree, unaware of the rope hidden beneath the snow, which suddenly yanked two men by their ankles, suspending them upside down.

Jiang Chen had left footprints beneath the tree then quietly shifted his position between two others. This trap had been laid in advance, and astonishingly, Jiang Chen had perfectly calculated their movements and reactions.

Xiao Tong swung his blade without hesitation but still found no sign of Jiang Chen. The frustration of wielding power with no target was nearly suffocating.

“Jiang Chen, get out here now!” The others scrambled to free their suspended comrades and looked up to see Jiang Chen standing on the tree.

Xiao Tong’s gaze met Jiang Chen’s, old grudges and fresh hatred boiling into a fierce killing intent as the two finally locked eyes.

Jiang Chen lightly dropped to the ground and ran off into the distance.

Xiao Tong didn’t hesitate, chasing after him desperately. The two engaged in a snow-covered pursuit, with Xiao Tong’s two guards close behind.

Waiting any longer might not yield an opportunity, so Jiang Chen chose to expose himself, drawing the target away for a better chance to strike.

“Jiang Chen, what else can you do besides run?” Xiao Tong shouted from behind, cursing relentlessly. Unexpectedly, the elusive figure suddenly stopped.

Jiang Chen turned to face Xiao Tong without a hint of expression, his face like a mask carved from cold ice.

“Finally decided to stop and accept your fate?” Xiao Tong’s long blade gleamed, eager to strike, but Jiang Chen, unarmed, radiated a fiercer presence. For a moment, it seemed as though Xiao Tong and his two guards were the ones being hunted.

“Let’s end this now,” Jiang Chen said calmly, as if untouched by any emotion.

Whenever he prepared to kill, he entered this serene state, weaponless yet radiating a deadly edge.

Xiao Tong’s two guards exchanged a glance and simultaneously raised their frost-encased blades toward Jiang Chen.

They were elite soldiers handpicked from the army, the only ones qualified to protect their commander. For them, offense was the best defense.

The best way to ensure Xiao Tong’s safety was to eliminate the enemy quickly—just as they had always done.

Whoosh!

The blades sliced through the air, emitting a sharp, chilling whistle within a flash of white light.

Jiang Chen had no weapon to parry with; his only option was to dodge. Yet these two attackers were no ordinary foes—they had fought together for years, each blocking Jiang Chen’s retreat path on his left rear and right rear sides.

Their blades moved in perfect synchronization, so well-coordinated that if one blade struck Jiang Chen, the other would not miss. This was the true measure of their strength.

Jiang Chen had to retreat to avoid their twin strikes, but he needed lightning-fast reflexes. Life and death hung in a mere blink.

Xiao Tong showed no resentment that his men were stealing his spotlight. He fixed his gaze on Jiang Chen, confident that this persistent adversary would not fall so easily.

Sure enough, the two blades soared high, but Jiang Chen’s speed was so swift that no one anticipated his next move: he did not dodge but instead met the attack head-on with a strike of his own.

Though their coordination was impeccable, both men were struck by Jiang Chen’s powerful palm strikes.

He used the inch power technique, delivering blows to the chest that were fast and fierce. Upon impact, it felt like being struck by a thousand-pound crossbow, the sound of bones cracking almost audible.