Ning Chen kept his eyes warily on Tantai Qingyue.

The woman was hurt, but she was still frightening.

"You're coughing blood. Aren't you going to take the veil off?"

Tantai Qingyue said quietly, "A man about to die, and he still has attention to spare for that?"

"Are you so sure you can kill me?"

Tantai Qingyue did not answer. She answered with what she did instead.

Quick as lightning, she came skimming at Ning Chen.

Ning Chen forced down the pain of the sword cuts all over him and flicked the rebar out at her.

Tantai Qingyue struck the rebar with her palm and knocked it aside, then closed on Ning Chen and drove that palm at his chest.

Ning Chen met it with his fist.

Bang!!!

Fist met palm.

Ning Chen felt a raw, overbearing force come through Tantai Qingyue's palm.

Ning Chen was thrown like a kite with its string cut, came down several yards away, and opened his mouth on a gout of blood.

Fuck!!!

The woman could send that breath inside her out of her body.

Ning Chen felt as though his arm were broken. The web of his hand had split, and the pain brought the sweat out on his forehead.

He had been careless!

Tantai Qingyue without a sword seemed to be more frightening still.

Ning Chen did not hesitate for an instant. He pulled out a hand grenade and threw it.

Before the hand grenade could land, Tantai Qingyue kicked it away.

But Ning Chen was already up and running, off as fast as his legs would carry him. (TL Note: 逃之夭夭, "off and away" — a set phrase for a swift, undignified escape.)

He could not begin to beat her.

Of the thirty-six stratagems, running is the best! (TL Note: 三十六計走為上計 — a proverb from an old list of thirty-six military stratagems: when nothing else will serve, getting away is the finest move of the lot.)

When they saw Ning Chen knocked flying by Tantai Qingyue's palm, Pan Yucheng and Lei An brought men charging over.

And on the other side,…