The second string was plucked and snapped in an instant. The taut wire recoiled, carving a thin crimson line across her pale palm before dripping onto the ancient Jiaowei qin. As the blood droplet fell, the long-awaited rain poured down in torrents.
Only ten paces away, Xu Fengnian extended his arm, and the trembling spring thunder sword embedded in the wall was about to leave its sheath. However, as soon as the blade emerged by an inch, Xu Fengnian lost control of its momentum. Instead, the blindfolded zither player slightly curved his middle finger, sending the spring thunder sword flying back into its scabbard, fully embedded into the wall. Xu Fengnian, his energy channels ruptured, was enveloped in a crimson mist. Upon landing, he popped into his mouth the two Chan golden pill gifted by the monk Longshu. With a flick of his foot, he stumbled forward, sleeves flaring. Nine flying swords surged forth simultaneously. The female zither player snorted coldly, her left thumb and index finger hooking a string and pulling upward. In an instant, each of the nine swords was entangled and twisted by over a dozen silver threads, sparking with crackling energy. With an unusual left-handed technique, her right hand flicked outward. Xu Fengnian felt as though struck in the abdomen by a heavy object, like a wooden post crashing through a door. His entire body flew backward, landing heavily on the stone pavement.
At this critical moment, a black-clothed figure leapt over the wall like a night-hunting cat, wielding a simple saber. In the blink of an eye, he reached Xu Fengnian’s side and swung his blade down fiercely toward his head.
The blade came down, but weakly, failing to sever Xu Fengnian’s head. Xu Fengnian, with both hands braced against the ground, twisted his body low and rotated across the cold stone in a wide arc. From his sleeve, the golden thread meant for the zither player shot forth, piercing the assassin’s skull through the eye sockets. The intruder died instantly.
Killing and being killed often occurs in the span of a finger snap.
Before Xu Fengnian’s body even landed, the alley wall exploded outward. A second, more robust black-clothed figure emerged effortlessly through the breach, swinging an axe at Xu Fengnian’s waist.
Xu Fengnian twisted his body sideways without touching the ground. The axe swung with full force, missing its mark and shattering a stone slab. As Xu Fengnian rose, he leaned his shoulder into the attacker, more clinging than colliding, unwilling to allow the immensely strong man to recover and gather strength. He then placed a palm against the assassin’s temple, stepping forward with small, quick strides. During this movement, he rapidly gathered the chaotic Great Yellow Court energy, unleashing it all at once. The two men’s forces clashed—his rising, the assassin’s waning. With a single push, he drove the axe-wielding brute into the wall, smashing his head into the mud, creating a large crater. Xu Fengnian gave him no chance to retaliate. His left fist struck the assassin’s waist with precise inch-force, while his right hand pressed against the man’s head, dragging it across the wall, leaving behind a horrifying smear of blood. When he let go, the assassin’s face was a bloodied mess embedded in the yellow earth—undoubtedly dead.
Xu Fengnian had slain two men in the span of six or seven heartbeats.
This time, he was truly drained of strength and energy. The blind zither player hooked another string with her finger, ready to snap it. Xu Fengnian was doomed.
As her fingertip touched the string, her expression shifted slightly. Instead of snapping it, she flicked it upward. The Jiaowei zither, leaving her lap, flew backward.
Crack!
The zither shattered midair.
Xu Fengnian sighed, leaning against the wall with regret. Such a golden opportunity would not come again.
Before the rain fell…
At that time, Xu Fengnian had risen from the fortune-teller’s stall beneath the old willow tree. He saw a sturdy boy of fifteen or sixteen blocking the street’s center, clad in tattered clothes, holding out a cracked porcelain bowl, like a beggar determined to hound him for coins. The boy grinned, revealing a row of white teeth, and softly said in Beiliang dialect, “Dog, Earth.”
Xu Fengnian continued walking. The boy stepped backward to keep up, smiling to onlookers, his eyes unusually clear. He whispered, “My master was Dog among the Twelve Earthly Branches, always secretly monitoring Su, Zhao, and Qi. I’m an orphan born and raised here, taken in by my master since childhood. Three years ago, my master passed away. Following his last wish, I went to Beiliang, hoping to inherit his role as Dog. But the General refused and instead appointed me as Earth among the Ten Heavenly Stems. Recently, I received word from another Earthly Branch assassin that the Young Master might come here, so I was told to be vigilant.”
Xu Fengnian pretended to pull out a silver coin, hesitating before tossing it into the bowl. To outsiders, it seemed he was reluctant to part with his money.
The boy quickly whispered, “Two groups of assassins have arrived in the city—one trio, not particularly skilled, and another, a woman with a zither, a demonic figure named Xue Songguan. She’s the fifth of the Ten Demons of Beiman and the runner-up on the assassin list. She’s formidable. I specialize in a six-stone bow, capable of injuring even a King Kong-body within three hundred paces, but such power can only be unleashed once a day. Your Highness, do we kill her or avoid her? I’ll follow your lead.”
Xu Fengnian tossed the silver coin into the bowl without hesitation, replying indifferently, “Kill.”
The ragged boy feigned greed, his face lighting up with a grin, “But Your Highness, she’s a Zhi Xuan master. She won’t be easy to kill.”
Xu Fengnian walked on, his tone indifferent, like someone impatiently shooing a fly, “I’ll draw her attention. If things go as expected, the trio will strike when I’m battling Xue Songguan. If I can’t kill her, I’ll definitely reserve strength to kill them. At that time, you just need to fire one arrow from beyond three hundred paces.”
The scruffy boy chuckled, “Your Highness, is the gamble this big worth it? If you die, I won’t survive either.”
Xu Fengnian smiled, “Gambling isn’t always about winning big with small stakes. Stingy gamblers usually lose nine times out of ten.”
The boy’s eyes lit up, clearly agreeing with this philosophy.
Xu Fengnian chuckled, acting like a capricious young noble, kicking the boy aside and retrieving the silver coin from the bowl.
The stunned assassin boy stared at the carefree back disappearing into the distance, swallowed hard, and muttered, “Stingy!”
Now, in the rain…
The woman, now without her Jiaowei zither, barely shifted forward, steadying herself from swaying. The blindfolded zither player spat a mouthful of blood and pulled out a black iron arrow from her back. The arrow had only pierced an inch, not seriously damaging her internal organs.
A long spear pierced through the wall, aiming at Xu Fengnian, but was mysteriously intercepted by the female demon’s arrow, which pierced the assassin’s head. Xu Fengnian easily dodged the spear tip, glancing curiously at the zither player who had killed then saved him, then waving his hand dismissively.
From over three hundred paces away, the archer boy released his arrow, aiming to remain hidden. Since he had been exposed, he leapt like a leopard from rooftop to rooftop, closing the distance to a hundred paces, drawing his bow like a full moon, aiming at the female demon.
With his master’s signal, the boy didn’t rush to fire. One arrow might not kill her, and a second might not guarantee a fatal blow. Besides the arrow on the string, he had only one left in his quiver.
She stood slowly, saying, “Xu Fengnian, or should I say, the Young Master of Beiliang? In Longyao Prefecture, someone first offered five hundred catties of gold for your death, then someone else offered six hundred for your survival.”
Xu Fengnian nodded, “Only eight or nine people in Beiliang knew my route. Most can be ruled out. It must be either Chu Lushan or Ye Xizhen. Five hundred catties of gold, Chu definitely has it, but Ye might not. But things are unpredictable—who knows the truth? As for the one offering to save me, it must be my master, Li Yishan. Why did you accept the second payment but still try to kill me?”
She replied naturally, “I always believe in first come, first served. I promised myself that if you survived after three strings snapped, I would stop trying to kill you.”
Without Xu Fengnian acting, the boy decisively shot and snapped one of the five strings lying quietly on the stone pavement.
The dual-role demoness and assassin, Xue Songguan, asked, “I’ve decided not to kill you. Will you kill me?”
Xu Fengnian, his energy channels churning painfully, his face contorted, replied, “If you don’t fight back, I’ll kill you!”
She slightly tugged her lips, perhaps a faint smile.
Xu Fengnian sat cross-legged, finally finding time to absorb the essence of the two Chan golden pill.
The boy Wu leapt from rooftop to rooftop, cautiously approaching Xu Fengnian’s side, warily eyeing the female demon whose zither he had destroyed.
She merely carefully picked up the zither fragments and strings, cradling them in her arms, then sat on the stone steps, lost in thought.
The rain gradually ceased.
Old scholar Zhao Dingsiu stepped out of the courtyard gate with the blacksmith, the latter going to collect the corpses. The old man glanced at the rising zither player, then at the young man meditating by the wall and the archer boy, sighing, “I heard everything you said. Guests, come in.”
The blind zither player entered the courtyard first, not forgetting to pick up the small umbrella leaning against the threshold.
An incense stick later, Xu Fengnian stood, pulled the Spring Thunder sword from the wall, and walked into the courtyard with boy Wu.
Inside this house, besides the unconscious Su Su in a chair, there was the Beiliang Young Master, the assassin Wu, the former Shu minister Zhao Dingsiu, and the female demoness Xue Songguan. It was absurdly chaotic.
The old scholar glanced at Xu Fengnian, “Every family has its own troubles. I never imagined that Beiliang, once united with thirty thousand iron cavalry, would fall into such disarray.”
Xu Fengnian removed his outer robe, laughing, “Small wealth brings peace, but when you’re wealthy and powerful, especially after settling down, the Zhao emperor couldn’t touch Beiliang, and Beiman couldn’t do much against thirty thousand cavalry either. With nothing better to do, internal conflicts inevitably arise.”
The old scholar sneered, “The Young Master indeed has a broad mind.”
Xu Fengnian sat on the threshold, leaning against the doorframe, “I nearly lost my life delivering this message. Is this how Shu exiles treat guests?”
The former Spring and Autumn scholar coldly replied, “Don’t forget that Shu was destroyed by your Beiliang army.”
Xu Fengnian waved his hand, “If Beiliang hadn’t destroyed Shu, Nanliang or Xiliang would have done it anyway. But they wouldn’t have spared your Shu crown prince. I’m in pain just speaking. Can we skip the theatrics?”
The old scholar narrowed his eyes, “Do you think I won’t have someone behead you?”
Xu Fengnian pointed at the blind zither player. The woman, with her back to him, intuitively spoke, “Xue Songguan has accepted six hundred catties of gold. If Qi the swordsman tries to kill him, I will intervene.”
Xu Fengnian smiled, “What do you think, Master Zhao?”
The old scholar snorted coldly.
Xu Fengnian continued, “Shu’s revival won’t be in the old lands. Travel eight hundred miles south, to the eighteen tribes of Nanzhao. If you unify them, we can talk about revival. Beiliang has hidden agents there you can use.”
The old scholar’s eyes sharpened.
Xu Fengnian spoke plainly, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch. I want a deposit first. I’ve heard that Master Qi has secretly been forging swords for twenty years. Whether the sword is completed or not, even if it’s only a blade core, it must be given to me.”
The old scholar flew into a rage, shouting, “Get out!”
Xu Fengnian rolled his eyes, “Zhao Dingsiu, don’t act like you’re wronged after gaining benefits. Don’t think I don’t know—if you had a granddaughter, you’d offer her up willingly if it meant revival.”
The old scholar’s lips turned blue with fury. Fortunately, he wasn’t a martial artist, or he might have grabbed a weapon to fight this little brat.
The blacksmith, returning to the courtyard, calmly said, “Take the Spring and Autumn sword.”
Xu Fengnian was momentarily stunned.
The blacksmith looked at him, smiling unusually warmly, “That alley fight was impressive. I’ve been listening to you speak. During battle, you didn’t utter more than ten words. I know you’re a man of action, like our former master, the Sword Emperor of Shu. He killed without unnecessary words. I believe the Spring and Autumn sword won’t be disgraced in your hands.”
Having said this, the blacksmith acted decisively, stomping his foot. A sword case rose from the earth in the courtyard.
Even without leaving its case, the sword’s aura pierced the heavens!
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