Chapter 228: Blade and Sword

With a resounding clang, the sword and blade clashed fiercely in midair. This was their first direct collision.

At that moment, Lei Yin noticed the man’s eyes had lost their earlier fear, replaced by an odd, almost frenzied excitement.

Taking a slight step back, the man suddenly lunged forward, thrusting his blade straight toward Lei Yin’s chest.

Lei Yin deflected the strike with his sword, then slid the blade along the edge of the man’s weapon, aiming for his wrist.

The man deftly twisted his blade, using the sword as a pivot to counter with a slash toward Lei Yin’s neck.

Reacting instantly, Lei Yin lifted his leg and aimed a kick at the man’s abdomen, forcing him to abandon the attack and retreat a step.

Staring intently at his opponent, the corner of Lei Yin’s mouth twitched faintly. “Interesting.” Without another word, he dashed forward with unbelievable speed, met by the man’s unyielding counterattack.

The ensuing exchange was even more intense and perilous. Within mere seconds, they had traded dozens of lightning-fast blows. Each strike targeted vital areas with deadly precision, leaving no room for error. A single misstep or delayed reaction would mean immediate death or serious injury.

The exaggerated tales of martial arts masters trading thousands of moves in novels were nonsense. In a true fight to the death, victory or defeat was often decided within a few dozen or at most a few hundred moves. Such battles relied not only on martial skill but also on adaptability and reaction speed. The outcome was often determined by one party’s slight lapse in focus, allowing the other to exploit the opening.

This duel was entirely different from Lei Yin’s previous battle with Yebin, the experimental subject. While the experiment had an extraordinarily strong body and inhuman strength, it lacked combat techniques. Moreover, Lei Yin had only engaged in unarmed combat during that fight, making it far less dangerous.

This opponent, however, was completely different. He was nearly on par with Lei Yin—a master of blade and sword combat. Even with Lei Yin’s vast experience across lifetimes, such formidable adversaries were exceedingly rare. It was almost unthinkable to encounter such a skilled opponent in this era, where martial arts had long declined.

Lei Yin felt a thrill he hadn’t experienced in ages, the kind that came from teetering on the edge of life and death. The more they fought, the more exhilarated he became. Fully immersed in the duel, his focus narrowed to the man’s every movement. Likewise, his opponent was equally engrossed.

The duel was a spectacle beyond imagination. In the silent forest, the sound of metal striking metal echoed intermittently. The two combatants moved at speeds far surpassing normal human limits, constantly shifting positions. Their sword and blade seemed to transform into ghostly apparitions, flickering in and out of existence as they relentlessly targeted each other’s vital points.

The techniques were simple and direct, yet every move was lethally effective. The black blade and sword streaked through the air, leaving strange, visible trails as they moved. These trails intertwined their figures tightly, disappearing only to reappear again like unending waves crashing onto a shore.

It was unclear how long the duel lasted. Finally, Lei Yin brought his short sword to the man’s throat, halting everything.

Gazing deeply at his opponent, Lei Yin slowly moved the sword away from the man’s neck and stepped back.

The man did not resume his attack. Instead, he stood in place, breathing heavily as he stared at Lei Yin. Lei Yin, his own breathing labored, calmly returned the gaze.

For a moment, the forest was silent, save for the sound of their uneven breaths.

Although they exchanged fewer than a hundred moves, this life-or-death duel was far beyond an ordinary sparring match. The intensity of concentration and physical exertion required was immense. However, compared to his opponent, Lei Yin, who rigorously trained daily and practiced internal martial arts, had a clear advantage in stamina and focus.

“You’re injured. Let’s call it a draw this time,” Lei Yin suddenly said in Chinese after a brief pause.

“Don’t patronize me, damn it! A loss is a loss. Do you think I can’t handle losing?” the man shouted back in Chinese.

“Crazy Blade(Kuang Dao), your temper is as foul as ever,” Lei Yin replied calmly.

“You’re really Lei Yin? How did you end up like this?” The man stared at him with disbelief. He couldn’t reconcile the unfamiliar, youthful face of a man in his twenties with the image of the person he remembered. However, the sword techniques and movements left no doubt in his mind—it had to be him.

Lei Yin shrugged. “Aren’t you in the same boat? Take a look in the mirror sometime and see your own reflection. But seriously, I’d love to know how you ended up in that body. And why are you in Japan?”

For a fighter of Crazy Blade’s caliber, his style was unforgettable after just one encounter. Lei Yin had fought him over twenty times in the past, so even with his drastically different appearance, Lei Yin immediately recognized him. Likewise, Crazy Blade identified Lei Yin by his fighting techniques.

“Japan? Isn’t this Dongying?” Crazy Blade’s face lit up with sudden realization. Pointing at Lei Yin, he burst into laughter. “So, you’re the same as me, huh? Figures—good people die young, while scoundrels like us live forever. Well, at least I’ve got company now.”

Ignoring his antics, Lei Yin sheathed his short sword and said, “To make it brief: yes, I’ve taken over this body, but my situation’s a little different from yours. We can discuss the details later. Just so you know, this era is about 500 years removed from the time you lived in. Now, it’s your turn to explain—how did you end up in this man’s body?”

Crazy Blade froze, muttering to himself, “Damn, 500 years… What a long nap.” He slowly leaned back against the trunk of a tree.

As soon as he sat down, a sharp pain surged through his chest and abdomen. Checking himself, he realized he had two broken ribs—thankfully, they hadn’t shifted. Remembering that this was Lei Yin’s doing, he immediately began cursing him.

Lei Yin knew the only way to shut him up was to fight him again, but seeing Crazy Blade’s injuries, he couldn’t be bothered. He simply tuned out his tirade.

After a while, Crazy Blade stopped cursing and began to explain, “Back then, the bastards from the Eastern Depot put a kill order on me. No matter where I went, assassins came after me. Sure, I took out a lot of them, but I knew I couldn’t keep that up forever. Around that time, a friend told me about Dongying, a small island country near the East Sea—where the Wokou pirates were from. So, I took a ship there to lay low and kill some Wokou for fun.

“I stayed in Dongying for over five years. The place was in chaos, with wars breaking out everywhere. I was in my element—killing whoever I wanted, cutting down anyone who annoyed me. But one day, for some reason, a group of ninja started targeting me. They pissed me off, so I stormed their hideout and slaughtered them all. Then I set the place on fire—it was so satisfying. 

“Unfortunately, good times don’t last. One day, I foolishly saved a woman, not knowing she was a ninja. She ambushed me later. Instead of killing me, they took me to a temple…”

Later, I found out that those ninja were commissioned by the Ikko sect of Ishiyama Honganji to capture me. Those damned monks of the Ikko sect wanted to use me as a sacrifice, claiming I was a demon. They planned to forge a legendary cursed blade to kill Oda Nobunaga, who was then believed to be possessed by gods and demons. What utter nonsense. If I had wanted to kill that man, he would have been a ghost long ago.

In the end, they threw me into their smelting furnace. My body perished, but surprisingly, my spirit did not dissipate and instead attached itself to this blade.

After countless years, I gradually discovered that I could possess the body of anyone willing to relinquish themselves to this blade. Unfortunately, over the centuries, no one ever did. Most wielders of this blade were driven mad by its deathly aura and ended up going on murderous rampages before dying tragic deaths.

But this body is unique. When this man was a teenager, he once killed someone with this blade. However, it seems he was locked away afterward. Many years later, when he wielded it again, perhaps because he had used it before, he did not immediately lose his sanity like the others. This gave me the chance to negotiate with him. And the rest, as you know, is history.”

“No wonder I couldn’t find any trace of you back then. So you went to Japan. Serves you right. If I’d known you were attached to this blade, I would’ve used it to unclog toilets. Oh, right, you probably don’t know what toilets are, do you? Let me tell you, a toilet is basically a latrine,” Lei Yin laughed heartily.

Furious, Crazy Blade cursed, “You bastard! Once I recover, I’m going to shove this blade right up your ass!”

Lei Yin, uninterested in pointless arguments, continued questioning him. “Do you know anything about this man’s background?”

After glaring at him, Crazy Blade replied, “This blade somehow ended up in his family and was treated as a family heirloom. When he was a teenager, he curiously played around with it and ended up being controlled by it, accidentally killing his uncle. He was locked away for several years after that.

Later, he married a woman, but his wife caught the eye of some spoiled rich kid from a gang. She ended up being killed by that bastard. Seeking revenge, this man stole this blade. Strange… how do I know so much about him?” Crazy Blade suddenly looked puzzled.

With his experience of multiple reincarnations, Lei Yin explained, “Your spirit has already merged with this body, so you’re gradually absorbing this man’s memories and knowledge. Time is running out. Let me get you out of here.”

“No need. I want to rest here for a while,” Crazy Blade replied.

Lei Yin didn’t push him. After thinking for a moment, he took out a bank card and a business card, handing them to Crazy Blade. “Here’s my phone number and address. Come find me after you’ve recovered. This card is for withdrawing money from ATMs, and the PIN is 324342. Just go to an ATM, and it should come back to you. If not, ask someone for help. Also, you’d better keep this blade hidden; it’ll cause trouble if anyone sees it. I’m leaving now.”

Crazy Blade casually accepted them without hesitation. As Lei Yin turned to leave, Crazy Blade called out, “Hey, you haven’t told me how you ended up in that kid’s body.”

“I’ll tell you next time.” Without looking back, Lei Yin replied while hastening out of the forest, worried about Naoko.

Watching Lei Yin disappear in the blink of an eye, Crazy Blade couldn’t help but curse again.