In Longyan City, the streets were interconnected and bustling. Though not a major metropolis, its main avenues were quite wide. With so many martial artists around, most of whom were hot-headed, minor disputes could easily escalate into fights. Wider streets served as makeshift training grounds, preventing disruptions to pedestrians going about their daily business.
It was said that in the imperial capital, the royal avenue stretched eighteen miles long and was thirty-three zhang wide—equivalent to the length of streets in a small town. Despite the usual crowds, people appeared sparse, leaving a wide central passage for officials and bounty hunters to ride through in carriages in grand fashion, and for young aristocrats to spar and show off.
Of course, streets this wide were rare even in the imperial capital, with perhaps only three or four such streets in other major cities. Yuqiao Street in Yedu was of typical width.
The eastern market was lively, filled with vendors selling cattle, sheep, pigs, dogs, and horses, nearly occupying half the street. Cui Hao, along with his friends like Jiang Qing, stepped through slush from melting snow as they strolled through the market, searching for a fine horse.
“This stinks!” he exclaimed, covering his nose.
Jiang Qing chuckled. “I told you to just take one from my house instead of enduring this filth here. You, Cui Shier, insisted on coming personally to pick one. Do you really think you’ll encounter a hidden gem like the legendary steeds that heroes and heroines find in the tales? Pah! Those tales exist only because some succeeded. Countless others left disappointed and dejected!”
“I’ve just never been to a horse market before. Since I’m in this world, I should at least see it,” Cui Hao replied, resisting the urge to turn back, mindful of his friends’ mockery.
After a while, the stench became bearable. As they squeezed closer to the street, it even felt better.
Ah, what a refreshing feeling!
Only now did he have the leisure to observe his surroundings.
This was a horse trading area. The dealers were skilled, each horse well-fed and glossy-coated, prompting nods of approval. However, their stalls occupied nearly half the street, forcing many pedestrians to detour.
The horse dealer wore a woolen cap, his chest bare despite the cold, covered in thick black hair, steaming in the chill, with a horsewhip in hand.
Not far behind him was a stall selling sweetened tea, its aroma sweetening the air and neutralizing some of the stench. The vendor was a young woman in plain white robes, her smile attracting many customers to stop and taste.
“After visiting here, having a bowl of sweet tea to warm up and cleanse the stench sounds great,” Jiang Qing gazed at the tea vendor, his intentions unclear.
Cui Hao laughed. “With all this stench, who would want to drink tea here, except for laborers?”
Nonetheless, the tea stall was doing brisk business. Perhaps the sweetness came not just from the tea, but from the vendor herself, like honey drawing bees, enticing them to come at any cost.
“Maybe she’d make a fortune doing something else…” Cui Hao mused.
Jiang Qing chuckled. “Cui Shier, you’re right. She’d make my fortune as my concubine!”
Before his words faded, a crow-like voice interrupted, “Gentlemen, would you like a fortune-telling? Ah, sir, I see darkness on your forehead—you’ll face bloodshed today!”
Jiang Qing glared at the one-eyed old fortune-teller, his sparse whiskers and yellowed face grave, holding a long bamboo cane with a “Iron Mouth Straight Prediction” sign.
“Say that again about my bloodshed, and I’ll make sure your other eye goes blind!” Jiang Qing threatened.
The fortune-teller shivered and turned to another passerby.
Suddenly, Cui Hao spoke, “That swordsman is impressive.”
“Hmm?” Following his gaze, Jiang Qing saw a plain young man intently selecting a horse, his right hand tightly gripping a drawn sword.
His hand was slender and clean, yet his grip was steady, as if forged through hundreds of battles, having slain hundreds, unwavering in his swordsmanship.
“Heh, Cui Shier, want to spar with him? You were grounded for two years and haven’t made a name in the martial world yet!” Jiang Qing egged him on.
Cui Hao smiled and shook his head. “Fighting here would get us covered in horse dung and pig filth.”
Clatter, clatter, clatter—the sound of hooves echoed from the street entrance. Instinctively, Cui Hao and others turned, seeing a man in a green robe galloping toward them.
His features were ordinary, but upon closer look, he exuded charm, his face tight and emotionless, as if in urgent business, focused only on his journey.
Cui Hao had seen many such travelers, stepping back to avoid being trampled.
The green-robed man’s horse was soaked, steaming from its nostrils, clearly exhausted. He reined in, pulling out a banknote and shouting at the horse dealer, “Change my horse!”
He was switching horses directly.
As his voice echoed, the white-robed tea vendor suddenly lifted the pot of sweet tea and hurled it at the green-robed man!
The golden tea turned black mid-air, emitting a foul stench, like ink spilled into water.
An assassin? She was an assassin! Cui Hao was stunned, having suspected nothing before!
Jiang Qing, still thinking of drinking tea, felt his stomach churn, nearly vomiting.
The black tea spread like a rainstorm, seeping everywhere, seemingly unstoppable!
Cui Hao could only roll beneath a horse, using its body for cover.
The green-robed man drew his saber in a flash, its arc complete and hollow, concealing a vortex that absorbed everything. The tea droplets were drawn in, coalescing into a water ball, losing their invasive nature.
What a skilled saber technique! As admiration rose in Cui Hao’s heart, a bamboo cane shot out like a venomous dragon, striking the green-robed man’s side neck as he defended against the tea—none other than the fortune-teller, the one-eyed old man!
A chill ran through Jiang Qing. He had never suspected the fortune-teller, thinking him a common swindler.
Combined with the tea vendor’s act, if they had targeted him, he would have died twice already!
As the fortune-teller struck, the sword-wielding man who had been selecting horses lunged forward, rolling beneath the horse, his right hand steady on the sword, thrusting upward, aiming to pierce through the horse and into the green-robed man’s lower abdomen!
This was the fatal blow!
A complete assassination plot… Cui Hao’s mind echoed only this thought.
At this moment, the green-robed man ducked, avoiding the neck strike, crashing his cheek into the bamboo cane. Then, defying logic without any buildup, he leaped, saber flicking, sending the gathered black tea toward the fortune-teller, drenching him completely, not a drop splashing elsewhere.
“Ahh!” The fortune-teller screamed, rolling on the ground before stiffening, his body corroded, yellowish fluid spreading.
After hurling the tea, the tea vendor, as if rehearsed, grabbed two short swords, leaping into the air, aiming for the green-robed man’s forehead.
But the green-robed man dropped suddenly, deviating by an inch.
That inch meant life or death.
He landed beside the horse, his saber flashing, the young swordsman still embedded in the horse, collapsing with it, blood pooling in a large puddle.
The tea vendor, mid-air, could no longer adjust, falling normally.
When no one could fly, whoever landed first survived, the last to land died!
The saber flashed again, cleaving the sweet face of the tea vendor in two, her body crashing down.
Cui Hao, Jiang Qing, and others had long lost words and thoughts. In their imagination, facing such a deadly plot, they would have died countless times, yet the green-robed man effortlessly killed the three assassins.
Without hesitation, the green-robed man rushed to the nearest horse, leaving banknotes behind, preparing to gallop away.
Suddenly, a dark, pure sword beam flashed, brimming with killing intent, swift, precise, and ruthless, aiming for the green-robed man’s forehead.
The attacker was none other than the chest-baring horse dealer!
The burly man wielded such a sword technique!
When was the most deadly moment in an assassination?
When one thought they had survived, when the assassins were all dead!
Relaxing, relieved, proud, unguarded!
Seeing this strike, Cui Hao and others felt they had already died, for they all relaxed instinctively!
A saber beam flashed, as fast as lightning, still lingering silver-white in their pupils when the horse dealer fell, struck.
Striking late but arriving first, speed overcoming speed!
Even the legendary “Lightning Flash Sword” Xiao Zhenhai might not surpass this… Cui Hao marveled.
Plop, the horse dealer fell. The green-robed man leaped onto a fine horse, hooves clattering again, shouting loudly, “These are the merciless assassins of the Benevolent Sage Emperor. Take them for the bounty!”
“If you want to kill the Benevolent Sage Emperor’s elite assassin, the red-tier killer, then secretly follow me! If you have the strength, you’ll gain enough wealth!”
Clatter, clatter, clatter, he vanished down the street, his bold words echoing far, as if the deadly assassination plot had been merely an illusion.
However, passersby who had drunk the tea, seeing the fortune-teller’s horrific death, began vomiting, proving its reality.
Cui Hao took a deep breath, exclaiming, “What an extraordinary man!”
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