Though life-for-life exchanges in battle are rare, they are considered a classic tactic. When pushed to the brink of desperation, using a self-destructive strategy with the resolve of preferring death over dishonor is understandable. Even the most timid of cowards may burst with an impressive willpower when faced with certain death.
But Huang Quan had not been pushed to a life-and-death crisis. On the contrary, he was always in a position where he could retreat entirely whenever he wished. Just as he said at the beginning, if I were to give up the battle and turn to flee, it would be extremely difficult for him to catch up and kill me; and if he made the same decision, it would be equally difficult for me to kill him.
Therefore, even if he couldn't win this fight, there was no need to sacrifice his life. Unless in his view, killing me here was more important than his own survival. For someone like the long-lived Impermanence, this was absurd to the extreme.
