At that moment, Wu Tong threw back his head and laughed, the sound rolling on and on.The Black Bear King barked angrily, "So you are Wu Tong? Laugh while you can—on the brink of death!"
Li Qian turned to Wu Tong with a smile. "Husband, why have you provoked him so?"Wu Tong replied, laughing, "My lady, the man blocked our path to steal away my wife. How could I let him go? I'm left with no choice!"
Hearing Li Qian call Wu Tong "husband," the Black Bear King jolted awake from his daydream, eyes goggling. He stammered, "H–husband? He is your husband?"Li Qian pursed her lips in a teasing smile. "How silly. Of course Wu Tong is my husband—who else?"
Rage flooded the Black Bear King. "You dare make sport of me? Unforgivable! Men—see to them!"His underlings answered at once, closing in to surround the pair. Li Qian faced Wu Tong and said, "Husband, deal with these lackeys first. In a moment, I'll handle the Black Bear King." With that, she sprang lightly onto a rooftop by the road, crossed her right leg over her left, and settled in to watch the show.
A chorus of harsh shouts rang out. Wu Tong never moved from where he stood—his palm flashed and the first attacker flew back. He shifted his stance, feet crossing, and lashed out left and right; two more bandits tumbled through the air. The brigands froze, faces blanching, afraid to advance.
"Grab the weapons!" one finally cried. A dozen bandits ripped out their blades and rushed as a dark mass, steel points converging on Wu Tong with terrifying momentum.
But Wu Tong, as though he had eyes in his back, drew his blade in a smooth reverse motion. The Crouching Dragon Saber wheeled from its sheath—his expression serene—as he swept it in a single arc called "Summon Clouds, Set Rain." Crackling like a storm, one stroke sent the bandits staggering; they were shrimp soldiers and crab generals at best, no match for a single cut. Screams filled the air.
Wu Tong's saber flashed several times. He barked, "If you still refuse to yield, the Crouching Dragon will speed you to the Yellow Springs!"
The might of that one move scattered them like leaves before a gale. A shiver passed through the rabble; many stepped back in panic. At last someone shouted, "Run!"Wu Tong strode forward, his presence like a drawn blade. The bandits broke and bolted. In moments the street lay empty save for fallen weapons and groaning men—an austere backdrop to Wu Tong's solitary valor.
Seeing the rout, the Black Bear King tried to change with the wind. He spun and vaulted away—only to be cut off midair with a sharp crack. Li Qian had launched from the rooftop and intercepted him. She hovered like a fairy descending, sleeves billowing, a smile at her lips as a single palm sealed off his escape.
A cold weight dropped in the bandit lord's gut. He had roamed the jianghu for years and never been so humiliated. His men had withered like frostbitten grass; now this woman, with a single leap, barred his way—her skill beyond reason.
Sweat beaded on his brow. He forced a sneer. "Girl, since victory is already yours, must you drive me to the end? Spare me a path to live."
Li Qian's brows arched, gaze like lightning. "Spare you? A moment ago you vowed to leave Wu Tong without a grave. Had we been the weaker, it would be we begging for mercy."
The Black Bear King clenched his teeth. Words were useless. Only blood would open a road. He gathered his inner force and hurled a thunderous palm—his life's strength behind it. The wind howled; the power was fearsome—the very technique that had made his name: Rampaging Bear Shatters Stone.
Li Qian's eyes cooled. A light tap of her toe—her body blurred like a flying swallow—and the earth-shaking strike passed harmlessly by. "Black Bear King," she said, voice like ice, "persist in your delusion and I'll teach you the true laws of the martial world." Before her words had faded, her jade wrists turned; her hands moved quicker than sight, a surge of force driving straight for his chest.
She smiled faintly. "Why do you think I went up to the roof? I was waiting for the moment you tried to flee." Her hawk's gaze pinned him, calm and deadly, like a raptor stooping on its prey.
Xiong Wu, the Black Bear King, had hoped to slip away. He growled, "Girl, even if you won't return to my fortress as my bride, must you push matters to the brink? Don't force a tiger to maul. Let today's business end here."
Li Qian answered, "If I let you go, you'll return another day in greater force. I'm not so easily fooled. Leave you unchecked, and the scourge will spread."
His face darkened. "Do not press me too far! I am not to be bullied. Enough talk—fight!"Li Qian nodded. "Very well. I have no wish to kill, but for Master Liu and his wife, I must abolish your martial arts so you can harm no one again."
Before her sentence ended, the Black Bear King lunged, right palm whipping forward in a burst of thunder. He meant to slay her with one overwhelming strike. Whatever fantasies he had cherished about a spring night with this woman were gone; what he could not have, he would destroy.
Li Qian turned with blinding speed; her sleeves danced, and her returning palm loosed an invisible shockwave. Xiong Wu's face changed. He barked, "Must you truly make this absolute? Don't force a tiger to the wall—let today's matter end!"
"I do not wish to kill," Li Qian said evenly, "but today I must cripple your skill, so you bring no further evil to the rivers and lakes."
As they spoke, she gathered her full strength into both palms. The two traded a dozen blistering exchanges. Xiong Wu's face went ashen; sweat sprang at his temples. He knew there would be no clean escape. With a sudden feint he struck like lightning—whoom—but Li Qian was faster, fiercer. His complexion blanched; sweat poured like rain.
In that instant, Li Qian unleashed techniques from the Xuanwu True Canon. Her sleeves sang as her palm speared for his centerline. He countered with a roar, but she split her force—left palm diverted his strike, right palm drove in. Her hand flipped and fell; Xiong Wu failed to meet it—smack!—her palm thudded into his chest. He staggered, reeling. Li Qian's right hand clamped his wrist and gate of vitality; a flurry of chopping blows followed—bones snapped in both his arms. Xiong Wu shrieked, collapsed to his knees; the torn tendons sent pain like knives through his body.
Li Qian's voice rang stern: "Heaven cherishes life. I spare yours—but your days of evil end here. Go."
Both arms shattered in many places, teeth bared in agony, the Black Bear King could no longer strut or boast. Wordless, broken, he fled in disgrace.
A verse:
Bear-heart, leopard-gall—his fearsome fame once thundered;Cunning matched by courage—his wiles and valor lauded.Yet when due guilt returns, retribution finds its mark;A righteous gale of qi—one palm, and tendons sundered.