The spies from Xique Pavilion halted their arrows, and saw Xiao Ti Hu surging through the water like a cormorant, shooting forward with ferocious speed.

Meanwhile, the other spies prepared their boats at the shore, pushing off with poles to chase Chen Yi's small vessel. Chen Yi's Wind Control Technique affected not only himself, but also the movements around him.

The river surged with turbulence, white waves forming clusters one after another. Though Chen Yi wasn't skilled in navigating boats, steering downstream was simple enough. Seeing the arrows cease their pursuit, he turned his head and caught sight of Xiao Ti Hu's figure.

"Where do you think you're running?!"

Xiao Ti Hu unleashed his energy outward, springing from the waves with a short sword in hand, and leapt fiercely toward Chen Yi!

With a deafening crash, the blade struck the boat. The small vessel rocked violently in the water like a grass carp falling in, "plunging" amid swirling waves.

Chen Yi raised his blade to slash back, the edge slicing through the air as the cramped boat broke apart as if sliced through tofu, its pieces drifting away amid the whistling wind. Accompanied by the cleaving of waves, his strike drew a clean white line across the surface of the river.

Xiao Ti Hu's figure retreated abruptly; the blade missed him by a mere strand, and with a swift dive into the water, he used the current to carry himself far away.

Chen Yi looked down to see that the deck of his boat had been pierced through, water gushing in from the gaping hole as the vessel began to tremble precariously.

Almost instantaneously, Chen Yi made a decisive move. With a horizontal slash, he severed the side of the boat where the hole was, letting the broken segment drift away with the current. The remaining half of the small boat managed to float back up.

Like a fish in water, Xiao Ti Hu chased after Chen Yi along Beiyao River. His True Qi broke through the waves like a fin slicing through the currents, propelling him with each crest and trough. This was the result of his Inner Strength cultivation technique—the Water River Dragon Skill—designed specifically for underwater assassins.

Xiao Ti Hu was among the best; this was something he had mentioned to Chen Yi in their past conversations.

As the current grew fiercer downstream, Xiao Ti Hu leapt once more, the strike resembling a predator lunging through the air toward its prey, stabbing toward Chen Yi.

Though he appeared intent on capturing alive, any killer's true thought would always lean toward murder.

Chen Yi couldn't risk letting him sink the remaining half of his boat. Taking a step toward the fractured edge, he raised his blade to meet the attack.

The cutting edge tore through the air, grating the waves into pieces. But Xiao Ti Hu's figure twisted unnaturally, dodging past the blade in an eerie manner. The blade's aura merely grazed his cheek, drawing a streak of blood, yet he seemed indifferent to pain. Ducking under Chen Yi's arm, his short sword thrust toward Chen Yi's ribs!

Killing intent suffused the air, sleeves billowing under the force of the wind as Chen Yi slightly lifted his fingertips.

Xiao Ti Hu's expression changed instantly as he twisted his body. A strike from the old boatman's sword shot upward from beneath, nearly piercing through Xiao Ti Hu's back.

He twisted away, plunging back into the water.

From Xiao Ti Hu's reaction, Chen Yi grasped an unsettling truth—the palace already knew he practiced Taoist and Martial Dual Cultivation.

The once formidable ability of Qi Manipulation was now reduced to merely a part of ordinary killing techniques.

Beneath the water, Xiao Ti Hu resembled the most cunning predator. He not only kept pace with Chen Yi amidst the rushing streams but also distanced himself from the group of Xique Pavilion spies while continuously ambushing from the murky depths, aiming for a decisive blow each time.

Chen Yi's visage was stiff with concentration; it was no longer clear if his face was drenched with sweat or river water.

The duel raged on. The Xique Pavilion spies had long been left behind in the distance, yet Xiao Ti Hu refused to give up the pursuit. He could see that Chen Yi's small boat was becoming increasingly unstable and dilapidated.

It wouldn't be long before Chen Yi plunged into the water.

Plunged into the embrace of his "old flame," Beiyao River.

That was Xiao Ti Hu's domain.

Following the currents, Xiao Ti Hu launched numerous swift strikes, which Chen Yi managed to counter repeatedly. The distance between the two remained narrow—their fight centered upon the crumbling small boat, which, battered by the stream, seemed like prey unfit for escape.

Swish!

Once again, Xiao Ti Hu's sword narrowly collided with Chen Yi, yet the powerful force of a Fourth Rank martial artist carved an open gash on the boat!

The bow bent downward, sinking into the water.

Chen Yi leapt into the air as the boat was submerged beneath him, the old boatman's corpse vanishing into the depths. Xiao Ti Hu seized the opportunity, riding the current to deliver a strike aimed at Chen Yi, who was now stranded in midair.

Then, Xiao Ti Hu spotted a Thunder Talisman.

A burst of mighty thunderbolts struck forth, crashing directly into the drenched Xiao Ti Hu.

Chen Yi had nowhere steady to land midair, yet Xiao Ti Hu suffered the same dilemma as he moved through the current. With a splashing thud, Xiao Ti Hu fell back into the water, his body convulsing unnaturally.

The Thunder Law of the Taoist sects was known to exterminate spirits and demons, but its true power lay in targeting those burdened with excessive evil and killing karma. Being a force of ultimate yang and righteousness, it rarely proved fatal, as most ordinary mortals carried little to no trace of yin energy. This was why the Jianghu believed Taoists seldom excelled in combat.

But for someone like Chen Yi, who practiced Taoist and Martial Dual Cultivation, the Thunder Law served as an exceptional utility in confrontation.

Xiao Ti Hu's figure twitched in the water, paralyzed by the electrical surge, granting Chen Yi the opening he needed. He dove into the water, slapping his blade with a palm to drive his strike straight forward.

The blade's tip cleaved through the water, aiming directly for Xiao Ti Hu's heart. Xiao Ti Hu's survival instinct kicked in; he raised his short sword abruptly to deflect the attack.

Blade and sword clashed, sending ripples surging through the river in all directions!

The rushing currents buffeted Chen Yi's body as he struggled to remain steady, channeling his True Qi. If Xiao Ti Hu wasn't slain at this moment, the odds of victory would vanish completely.

Xiao Ti Hu saw Chen Yi's murderous approach and twisted his stiffened frame, slashing a fresh line through the water with his short sword.

Chen Yi tilted his body to evade, countering with another slash aimed at Xiao Ti Hu's neck.

In a split-second, Xiao Ti Hu's blade shifted into a reverse grip, parrying the long blade at midpoint. The colossal force exchanged between the two Fourth Rank experts sent shudders outward—Xiao Ti Hu, already weakened by the electrifying strike, heard the snap of bone breaking. His arm fractured instantly, and the short sword slipped from his grasp. Chen Yi's long blade spun away, carving out a massive wave.

The distance between them had nearly vanished. Chen Yi had no time for another blade strike, and fighting barehanded in water posed even greater limitations. Twisting his body in desperation, he locked both hands tightly around Xiao Ti Hu's neck, intent on strangling the Fourth Rank martial artist to death.

Continuous waves battered them as Xiao Ti Hu kicked and thrashed vehemently, breaking the water's surface temporarily before plunging back down repeatedly. Yet Chen Yi's hands tightened with relentless force.

"Release… release me… ugh, cough… release…"

Xiao Ti Hu gasped for breath, his desperate slaps and punches resonating through the water, even as blood trickled from Chen Yi's throat.

But Chen Yi's grip remained unyielding, his arms straining against the slender, pale neck of Xiao Ti Hu as it compressed tighter under pressure.

The rushing currents pounded against Chen Yi's back, sweeping him who-knows-where. All he knew was that he could not let go now.

Xiao Ti Hu's survival instinct refused to fade; he slapped at Chen Yi with every ounce of strength, his choked voice rasping incoherently, begging:

"Don't kill me… Don't kill me… We've… talked before…"

Chen Yi remained silent, whether due to blood clogging his throat or an unwillingness to respond.

"We talked, didn't we? Talked so well, didn't we, those nights… wasn't it wonderful?"

Xiao Ti Hu's voice grew hoarser, his breaths fainter and slower, his throat steadily filling with river water.

"I am… your 'White Stripe in the Wave'…"

His struggles intensified, his desire to live shining clear, but his cries softened, turning to weak groans. Waves lapped against his prone body, his complexion drained pale as his strength waned.

His hands eventually lost all power, unable to even part the river water. He merely shook his head desolately, seemingly pleading for clemency.

Chen Yi's face floated above and below the water, disfigured by the merciless battering of the surging Beiyao River. Yet his hands never eased their grip on Xiao Ti Hu.

With a loud crash, their entwined figures slammed into a massive rock at the river's edge, the impact jolting Chen Yi into releasing his hold involuntarily.

Realizing his lapse, his reflexes acted immediately—and he swung his blade.

The sword cleaved through the still body.

Xiao Ti Hu's face had turned deathly pale, his hollow eyes staring blankly ahead, dead yet unyielding, no trace of his signature smile remaining.

Chen Yi regained his composure, spitting out a mouthful of water before kicking Xiao Ti Hu's corpse into the river, obscuring his trail.

Only then, catching his breath, did Chen Yi mutter as he wiped his face:

"All that talk was nice, but if you don't die, it'll be me—and that'd be worse."

He remembered how, in the training academy courtyard, Xiao Ti Hu was always the most enthusiastic conversationalist, bragging about his skills and cheerfully proclaiming himself the "White Stripe in the Wave."

As Chen Yi reminisced, Xiao Ti Hu's body had already become lost to his "old flame," consumed by the northern torrent of the Beiyao River...

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