Time: 2013-03-27 17:46 Source: Story China Author: Li Zhongyuan\ The flying knife has been the Li family's unique skill since ancient times, and Li Feidao is the founder of the Flying Knife sect.\ Li Feidao was born into a poor family. Seeing that their child was growing up without any proper livelihood, his parents sent him to the village blacksmith to learn a trade. There was an old blacksmith in the shop, with a long white beard and hair, full of vigor. According to secret legends, he was a swordsman who had come to the village to live incognito. The old blacksmith was reclusive and eccentric, rarely interacting with others. Because he got along well with the Li family, he reluctantly accepted Li Feidao as his apprentice.\ However, when Li Feidao first began learning, he was quite slow-witted, knowing nothing about the eighteen martial arts, and he didn't like the common hidden weapons. He was especially fond of throwing tiles and iron pieces. The old blacksmith, having no other choice, tailored a unique hidden weapon specifically for him—the flying knife.\ Unexpectedly, Li Feidao became extremely attached to the flying knife, treating it like a treasured possession. He practiced unusually diligently, often staying up all night, neglecting sleep and food, which impressed the old blacksmith.\ With guidance from the old blacksmith, Li Feidao's flying knife skills made great progress.\ The villagers' speculation was not unfounded. That day, sand and rocks swirled through the small village, people shouted and horses neighed—a squad of men arrived, each one fierce, holding ghastly knives, and they surrounded the old blacksmith tightly. The leader, a scar-faced man, reined in his horse and shouted mockingly: "Li Da, I never expected that the invincible No. 1 swordsman in the world would become a scaredy-cat here, hiding his name and pretending to be an old blacksmith. Ha ha, what a shame in the martial world!"\ The old blacksmith stood firm like Mount Tai. Hearing the scar-faced man's words, he smiled disdainfully and said: "I have washed my hands of the past and have left the martial world for many years. I do not concern myself with worldly matters. You should leave quickly and not bother me!"\ But the scar-faced man was relentless. "Li Da, do you think the grudges from the old martial world and our boss's death can just be avoided and forgotten?"\ The old blacksmith asked, "What do you want?"\ The scar-faced man said, "Three days from now, we duel at Eagle Rock on the back mountain. If you win, I will never trouble you again, but if you lose, you must obey me!" Saying this, he didn't allow the old blacksmith to respond, and the squad spurred their horses and rode off, leaving a cloud of dust behind.Watching the scar-faced man disappear into the distance, the old blacksmith Li Da was momentarily lost in memories of the past. Back then, he was a wandering swordsman, often escorting caravans to earn some hard money. One day, a burly man with a face full of scars came to him, asking him to escort a caravan alone away from Fenghua Mountain. Since it was business for money, Li Da agreed. Along the way, despite eating rough meals and sleeping under the open sky, everything went smoothly. But when Li Da returned home, his wife Xiao Yan was nowhere to be found. After making inquiries, he learned that a gang of bandits had recently arrived at Fenghua Mountain, bullying men and women without mercy. On the day of the temple fair, the bandit leader—a man called "Big Old Hei," the burly man—encountered Li Da's wife and was immediately struck by desire. When he found out that Xiao Yan's husband was a renowned swordsman, his subordinate, the scar-faced man, suggested that Big Old Hei figure out a way to draw Li Da away and seize Xiao Yan. Unexpectedly, after Li Da was sent away, Xiao Yan was also deceived into going up the mountain, but the woman refused to submit, ultimately dying after crashing into an ancient pine tree on Fenghua Mountain. Later, Li Da exerted tremendous effort and eventually, while Big Old Hei was visiting a brothel, secretly killed him to avenge his beloved wife. However, this gang of bandits was no ordinary group; they were well-connected both inside and outside, with significant power, and they searched everywhere for Li Da, leaving him no peace. After his wife's death, Li Da was extremely despondent, having grown weary of the constant fighting and killing. He therefore considered giving up his violent life and living in seclusion. But it was easier said than done. Less than a year into his retirement, the scar-faced men came for him,狂心病地来找麻烦, demanding answers.

Three days passed in a flash, and on Eagle Rock, the old blacksmith Li Da was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Li Feidao stood alone facing the scar-faced man.

Li Feidao clasped his fists and said, 'My master is ill today and cannot come. I will fight on his behalf!'

The scar-faced man looked at Li Feidao, sneered contemptuously, and said, 'Then you might as well send yourself to death!' Saying this, the scar-faced man executed a move called "Splitting Mount Hua with Force," swinging his weapon straight at Li Feidao's head. Knife rushing through the air, descending toward his face, but Li Feidao remained calm, neither dodging nor hiding, simply tapping outward lightly with his master's blade, 'Autumn Wind Sweeping Fallen Leaves,' causing the weapon to miss and theirs to clash…

And the old blacksmith?

That day, upon hearing that the master was going to fight, Li Feidao was very worried for him; those men looked fierce and dangerous, clearly not good people. Would the master suffer harm because of this?Thinking of this, the naive Li Feidao became more cautious. He eagerly cooked several good dishes for his master last night and urged him to drink a few more drinks. When he woke up this morning, Li Feidao saw his usually early riser still snoring loudly. Suppressing his excitement from success, Li Feidao ran all the way up the back mountain to meet Scarface.
Li Feidao had just started learning martial arts, and he practiced throwing knives. His skills with spears and clubs were already low, and after fighting Scarface for more than ten rounds, he was exhausted and exhausted. Trying to pull out throwing knives again was no easy task. Scarface fought with increasing determination, advancing step by step. He was about to push Li Feidao to the edge of the cliff. Li Feidao stole a glance at the cliff and felt a chill run down his spine. Just as he was lost in thought, Scarface's blade arrived with a whooshing force, and it was too late for Li Feidao to dodge. With a "puff," an arm fell to the ground covered in blood. Li Feidao was so frightened that he cried out "Ah!" as the knife had already fallen to the ground. Li Feidao quickly looked down and saw his own arm still intact. Li Feidao was even more confused. He hurriedly looked up and saw his master standing in front of him, standing firm and motionless. It turned out that the old blacksmith had drunk a bit too much and slept until late in the morning. When he woke up, he was nowhere to be seen, and remembered that today was the day he would duel with Scarface. Realizing it was the day of his duel with Scarface, the old blacksmith realized something was seriously wrong. He hurried to Eagle Rock, only to find Li Feidao already fighting Scarface in one place. Secretly, he worried for Li Feidao, and seeing the situation was dire, he leapt out to save Li Feidao from danger. Unexpectedly, in his desperate attempt to save someone, Scarface accidentally cut off his own arm. Realizing he had caused trouble, Li Feidao suddenly knelt at his master's feet, tears streaming down his face. The old blacksmith ignored Li Feidao and instead spoke coldly to Scarface, saying, "Scarface, my right arm is gone, which means my martial arts are ruined. The old and new grudges between us will be wiped clean. From now on, we will not interfere with our own business...... Scarface glanced at the severed old blacksmith Li Da, then shouted loudly to the sky, shouting, "Mount up!" Li Feidao hurriedly got up, carried his master on his back, and ran back to the blacksmith's shop, intending to bandage his wounds for treatment. But unexpectedly, Scarface had poisoned his knife, causing the poison to spread quickly. The old blacksmith passed away on his way home.On his deathbed, the old blacksmith's face turned ashen, and he said, 'Revenge only leads to endless reprisals.' He insisted that Li Feidao promise not to seek revenge before he would close his eyes.

In fact, Li Feidao did not need to seek vengeance. Even before the funeral on the next day, the scar-faced man appeared again. He walked straight to the mourning hall, grabbed a brother beside him, and with a swing of his knife, cut off the man's head. The scar-faced man then knelt before the old blacksmith, crying and sniffling, saying, 'I'm sorry, Li Da. It was my lack of vigilance that let the revenge-obsessed elder brother's son, Song Xuehui, feed poison to my magic knife. Using it to kill by proxy, he richly deserved his fate!'

Moved by this, Li Feidao was also touched.

After his master passed away, Li Feidao did not wish to stay in the small village. He tearfully said goodbye to his parents and neighbors and set off alone to wander the martial world. He deeply remembered his master's final instructions, trained diligently, visited renowned masters for guidance, and through his own understanding, he developed a complete set of flying knife techniques. Gradually, he honed his knives to be unpredictable and miraculous, eventually capable of handling matters on his own.

Do not underestimate these small flying knives; in Li Feidao's hands, they could change in a thousand ways. Techniques like feint attacks, White Rainbow Piercing the Sun, and Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers emerged endlessly, truly taking his martial skill to the utmost.

Li Feidao always felt something strange: wherever he went, it seemed like a pair of eyes were always watching him.

Li Feidao's specialty was the flying knife, and he was confident in his martial skills, fully aware of any rustle of wind or movement of grass.

Finally, one day, those eyes revealed themselves. The person was the scar-faced man. Scar-Face said, 'Li Feidao, you have been training so hard. Do you have another intent?'

Li Feidao said, 'Scar-Face, listen to me carefully. Although my master forbade me from seeking revenge, every wrong has its cause and every debt has its debtor. I still must find out who was truly responsible for poisoning my master!'

The scar-faced man said, 'On your master's memorial day, I repented and already killed the true culprit who harmed your master. What more do you want?'

Li Feidao sneered, 'That is your one-sided claim. I have visited numerous experts; only two people possess the Seven-Step Heartbreaking Powder. One is Master Xiao Hun Gu, whose martial arts are unrivaled. But he is virtuous and ascetic; he possesses the poison but neither uses it nor spreads it to others.'The other person was the sinister Wu Er, and only his poison could have leaked out. The day before, I went to him for guidance, but I found that he had already been silenced; he was injured by the Ghost Head Knife. Even in death, there was still a piece of sleeve torn from your robe clutched in his hand. If you don't believe me, look at your sleeve…

Scarface lowered his head and noticed he had exposed a flaw, leaving him at a loss for words. He raised his knife and lunged at Li Feidao.

Li Feidao quickly dodged. At that moment, unexpectedly, two reinforcements emerged from the side, both wielding Ghost Head Knives, secretly attacking Li Feidao. Li Feidao remained calm, hiding in a stance, ducking just in time to avoid the knife blade, and with a single motion, two flying knives shot out. Both assailants were instantly killed.

Scarface raised his knife again, aiming at Li Feidao, who ducked and, taking careful aim, released a flying knife which landed firmly on Scarface's wrist. With a cry of “Ah!” the Ghost Head Knife fell into Li Feidao's hand. He weighed the knife and, seeing Scarface dashing behind a rock, flung the Ghost Head Knife with a move called 'Hitting the Ox Across the Mountain.' The blade flashed, and just before reaching the rock, it swerved gently, embedding itself in Scarface's back. Scarface tried to run, but after seven steps, he collapsed and died!

Li Feidao used Scarface's own poisoned knife to kill him, using their method against them, and accomplished a perfect act of borrowed-blade vengeance, avenging his master!

But the words Scarface shouted at the moment of death left Li Feidao deeply unsettled. He decided to travel overnight back to the small mountain village he had long left behind to explore his origins.

Back home, Li Feidao knelt before his parents without a word and asked, 'Who is my father? Please tell me!'

Li Feidao's parents were surprised. 'Why? You…'

'Who exactly is my father? I just want to know who they really are…' Li Feidao sobbed.

'The old blacksmith Li Da is your father.' Li Feidao's adoptive father's lips trembled as if speaking of something extremely painful; his voice choked. 'You were still a child back then. Your father knew he had many enemies. To protect your life, he sent you to us to be raised as our son. Later, he secluded himself in the village to teach you martial arts!'

But… that… Scarface said… said he was my dad!…… Oh? Did you bury him? Yes! Silly child, you were used by the dead!