With the Blade-Chapter 64 - 57: The Strong Grow Stronger (3

He Xiqing never took him seriously. That man, like a War God, had grander ambitions. Indeed, they might have a deep-seated enmity between them, but He Xiqing had never considered him as anything significant.

"Perhaps this is the mentality of the strong..."

With a long sigh, Du Chengfeng instinctively tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword.

"Killing is easy, just like now. Slitting your throat would be effortless for me, but I choose not to kill you because I believe you pose no threat to me."

"You!"

Even though Cui Yuan had just conceded and surrendered, he couldn’t help but be angered by these words.

"What if I continue to practice Swordsmanship? One day, surely..."

"That day will never come, because I will always be stronger."

Du Chengfeng raised his scabbard and patted Cui Yuan’s shoulder.

"You might become strong, but I will always be stronger than you. You will never catch up to me in your lifetime."

"..."

Cui Yuan was stunned for a moment, speechless.

In the end, this Swordsman lowered his head.

"I see... I see... Indeed, indeed, it is like this. This is indeed part of the cultivation journey!"

"...Wait a moment?"

Seeing Cui Yuan suddenly taken with insight, Du Chengfeng was instead bewildered.

"No, first tell me, what have you understood?"

"I have come to understand everything! Sir, your talent is immense!"

Hearing Du Chengfeng’s question, Cui Yuan, who was sitting on the ground, performed a deep bow on the spot.

"Killing them would only mean I’m afraid of them, afraid they’ll grow and kill me... but letting them live, they’d strive upward from this humiliation, challenging me again and again, ensuring I never lack opponents to refine my Swordsmanship!"

With that, Cui Yuan picked up the broken sword from the ground and left the bandit stronghold in a few swift leaps.

"I’m off to cultivate! Looking forward to our next meeting, Sir!"

"...Next time, I might really cut you down."

Watching Cui Yuan’s figure swiftly departing, an impulse arose in Du Chengfeng’s heart for the first time to put an end to this lunatic.

A lunatic who always inexplicably gains insight and acts with absurd determination; he never wanted to meet such a person again.

"But... is this fear?"

Du Chengfeng suddenly had an epiphany.

Indeed, fear—he wanted no dealings with lunatics, hence the killing intent that arose just now.

And back in Ji Town, He Xiqing had tried several times to chase and kill him while on horseback. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Which means..."

Having an inkling, Du Chengfeng’s eyes shone ever brighter.

"At that time, he wanted to kill me! It means he feared me!"

In that moment, the invincible image of that War God-like figure in Du Chengfeng’s mind crumbled loudly.

It turned out that the man claimed to be all-powerful was not as invulnerable as he appeared; he, too, would fear, get angry, and worry about the enemy’s growth.

He, too, considered an unambitious ordinary person like himself to be significant.

"So this is the real you..."

Following this trace of previously revealed killing intent and the faint hint of fear, Du Chengfeng finally perceived He Xiqing’s true nature.

For the first time, in a true sense, he began to understand his enemy.

"This is true knowing oneself and knowing the enemy."

In great spirits, Du Chengfeng sheathed his sword and mounted his horse.

Although the battle with Cui Yuan was wholly unexpected, it completely dispelled the awe he once held for He Xiqing.

At the same time, it conveniently disrupted He Xiqing’s killing channel.

"I can kill your soldiers, but who can you kill?"

This time, Du Chengfeng was finally confident that he could win.

However, before that, there was one last thing he had to do.

"Hopefully it won’t delay too long..."

Leaving the bandit stronghold, Du Chengfeng rode back to Yang’s Fort without stopping.

This was the final piece of the plan; once everyone at Yang’s Fort was dispersed and relocated, only he himself would remain in Ji Prefecture besides those from the grasslands.

Facing the entire grassland army alone, others might consider it madness if they heard of it.

But Du Chengfeng knew he could do it.

Because these steppe barbarians had hindered his plans.

"Once I finish this final task, I can finally sleep..."

Just as he was about to arrive back at Yang’s Fort, Du Chengfeng suddenly frowned deeply.

Only because thick smoke was already rising from the village in the distance.