Ryan Bennett could not possibly let go. If he did, she’d just start playing dirty and try to hack at him again. He glared and said:

　　“Are you going to admit defeat or not?”

　　The woman in black was so furious her face turned ashen. Unable to break free, she slapped backward with her left hand.

　　Even though she was lying down and using her left hand to strike behind her, with poor leverage and angle, the force of the slap was still considerable.

　　Ryan Bennett had both hands locking her down and couldn’t block in time, so he could only turn his head and take the blow on his shoulder. Pain shot through him, almost as if his bone had been cracked.

　　“Hiss—”

　　Ryan Bennett sucked in a cold breath. Seeing how unreasonable this woman was being, he grew angry as well. He let go with one hand, grabbed the sword scabbard at his waist like a ruler, and brought it down.

　　Smack—

　　The crisp sound was especially striking in the rainy night.

　　It wasn’t clear exactly where he hit, but the bounce was definitely impressive.

　　The woman in black, struggling with all her might, suddenly shuddered, her movements freezing. Her eyes widened in disbelief.

　　Taking advantage of her dazed state, Ryan Bennett twisted her left arm behind her back as well, pinning it down with his arm so she couldn’t move at all. Then, holding the scabbard like a ruler, he raised it threateningly:

　　“Are you going to admit defeat or not?”

　　Silence lingered in the rainy night.

　　The woman in black stared with wide, beautiful eyes, filled with shock. She was dazed for a long time before gradually coming to her senses, her gaze turning to one of utter shame and fury, then to uncontrollable rage.

　　“You… you… shameless thief, I’ll tear you to pieces…”

　　Smack—

　　The scabbard landed on the rain-soaked fabric, the taut black silk pants rippling, even sending up a bit of mist. It might not be appropriate to call it pleasing to the eye, but that was the truth.

　　Ryan Bennett paid no attention to these details, simply holding the scabbard like a teacher disciplining a disobedient student:

　　“Are you going to admit defeat or not?”

　　The woman in black abruptly stopped speaking. The pain made her body tremble, her brows knitting, but she quickly reacted, her eyes nearly spitting fire, her face alternating between red and ashen, screaming hysterically:

　　“Let me go! I’ll kill—”

　　Smack—

　　Just as she opened her mouth, Ryan Bennett struck again:

　　“Are you going to admit defeat or not?”

　　“I… I…”

　　The woman in black was so angry she was at a loss for words, struggling desperately to break free, but—

　　Smack—

　　“Are you going to admit defeat or not?”

Chapter 8: You’re Finished, I’m Telling You!

　　Again and again, the two of them remained locked in stalemate in the rain for a good fifteen minutes.

　　The woman in black was tough, never giving in for a moment. She cursed, threatened, and screamed, but never once uttered the word “defeat.”

　　Ryan Bennett was just as stubborn. He believed in rules and reason, but when faced with someone who couldn’t accept losing and acted unreasonably, he had to teach her what “martial virtue” meant. Otherwise, it would never end—he certainly wasn’t going to admit fault first.

　　Their tempers clashed, and neither would back down, but it couldn’t go on forever.

　　The woman in black, at a disadvantage, was eventually worn down by repeated punishment. She gradually stopped speaking or struggling, simply lying across Ryan Bennett’s lap, biting her silver teeth, her breathing ragged.

　　Ryan Bennett knew this couldn’t go on, and seeing that she was no longer resisting, he said softly:

　　“When you duel someone, you have to be able to win and to lose. Otherwise, if someone can beat you, they can kill you. You’re lucky it’s me you ran into—if you acted this way in the martial world, you wouldn’t last three days. Since you’re not struggling, I’ll take it as you admitting defeat and let you go. But if you keep this up, we’ll continue and see who gives in first.”

　　The woman in black lay across Ryan Bennett’s lap, giving no response, only taking a deep breath.

　　Seeing this, Ryan Bennett released her.

　　She sprang up like a startled rabbit, ignoring the burning pain on her back, and turned to snatch up her sword from the ground.

　　Ryan Bennett frowned and gripped his sword hilt.

　　But no matter how stubborn, no one would willingly offer themselves up for another beating. The woman in black, her eyes full of shame and humiliation, did not attack Ryan Bennett again. Instead, she gripped her sword and strode quickly out of the alley, tossing back coldly:

　　“Just you wait.”

　　Ryan Bennett stood up, sheathed his sword, and patted his robe:

　　“If you only remember grudges and not lessons, you might as well give up martial arts—you’ll die young. If you’re still not convinced, come challenge me anytime. If you want to reason, I’ll reason with you.”

　　“Pah—shameless.”

　　The woman in black was so angry she was grinding her teeth, not listening at all. She turned and kicked a broken brick at Ryan Bennett, then hurriedly ran off, as if afraid of being caught.

　　Ryan Bennett dodged the brick and couldn’t be bothered to argue further.

　　But as he watched her disappear into the distance, Ryan Bennett suddenly remembered something important and called out:

　　“By the way, you said if I lasted a cup of tea, you’d introduce me to Qihuang Valley. Does your word still count?”

　　The woman in black, already far away, suddenly stopped in her tracks, clearly wanting to turn back and curse him out.

　　But as someone in a position of authority, she couldn’t go back on her word, no matter how shameless he was.

　　After a moment’s hesitation, she reached to her waist, took out a jade pendant, and tossed it back to Ryan Bennett: