Even as the elderly coachman desperately tried to stop them, members of the Xu family continued to step down from the carriage—one young man and three women. The boy was only fifteen or sixteen, while the eldest of the women had the appearance of a matron, cradling a delicate, doll-like child in her arms. Beside her stood a timid maidservant in coarse clothing, her skin slightly darkened by the sun.
Marquis Gaoting’s heart jolted. He spurred his horse forward, smashing the carriage with his lance, only to find it empty. Turning, he rested the tip of his lance lightly on the matron’s shoulder, narrowing his eyes as he demanded, “Where is Xu Baozao?!”
The woman, feeling the icy chill of the blade against her slender shoulder, paled and trembled, clutching her child tighter. Yet she mustered the courage to lift her head and reply, “I presume the general is well-versed in military strategy. Have you heard of the tactic called ‘luring the tiger away from the mountain’?”
Marquis Gaoting withdrew his lance with a cold laugh. “Oh?”
In a flash, his lance struck out, piercing the arm of the delicate-looking youth. The boy collapsed to the ground, clutching the bloody wound as he writhed in agony, his cries tearing through the air.
Closing his eyes, Marquis Gaoting reviewed the night’s arrangements in his mind—there should have been no oversight. Opening them again, he pointed his lance at the child in the woman’s arms and said impassively, “I advise you to speak the truth. A woman of modest beauty, alone in these desolate wilds, is in no favorable position. Even if you care nothing for your chastity or life, and even if you disregard the last remaining scholar of the Guanhai Xu clan lying there, how old is the daughter in your arms?”
The maidservant tried to step forward, but the woman tightened her grip on the girl’s arm. With a bitter smile, the woman declared, “In the Guanhai Xu clan, whether man or woman, young or old, none shall disgrace our family’s honor in life or death!”
Marquis Gaoting’s sharp eyes flicked to the woman’s grip on the maidservant, and he burst into laughter. “So that’s it! A petty trick!”
His laughter fading, he sneered, “The Xu family’s honor? Even the mighty northwestern Xu clan, with its three hundred thousand cavalry, is no more. What right does your insignificant Guanhai Xu have to speak of honor?”
He tapped his lance toward a disciple of the Great Sword Hall nearby, his expression mocking. “You’re a clever one. I’ve suddenly taken a liking to talent. Once I’ve dealt with your master, you shall take his place as the hall’s leader. How does that sound?”
Liu Guanshan’s face darkened with uncertainty. Marquis Gaoting clicked his tongue. “The outcome is already decided. Why cling to such trivial pride? That’s hardly wise.”
Just then, a voice rang out from behind the crowd. “Madam, you’re also surnamed Xu? What a coincidence! We must have been family five hundred years ago!”
Marquis Gaoting turned, his face twisted with fury, only to see the two strangers—one tall, one short—who had inexplicably been roasting game in the fields earlier.
Before he could issue an order, the sound of blades being drawn filled the air.
What followed was beyond belief. The two strangers moved through the gaps between the warhorses as if strolling through a garden, effortlessly dodging every slash and thrust of the elite cavalry’s blades with slight bends and steps.
In moments, they had passed through the encirclement and stood mere paces from Marquis Gaoting and his steed.
Gripping his lance tightly, Marquis Gaoting sneered. “So, we have a pair of sturdy little grandmasters here.”
The man in the blue robe appeared to be in his early thirties, exuding a gentle demeanor. His attire was neat and clean, devoid of the arrogance typical of noble scions, more resembling a mild-mannered tutor.
Behind him followed a young swordswoman, a sword strapped to her back.
At that moment, two more figures arrived with a flourish, their presence overwhelming. One, a man, carried a sword on his back, his aura resonating faintly with the blade in its sheath—a sign of a grandmaster’s prowess. They stood side by side amidst the wreckage of the carriage, a man and a woman, both young. The woman wore a violet dress, while the man, likely in his early twenties, had a face as fair as jade. True to his aura, his sword trembled in its sheath, emitting a continuous hum.
Marquis Gaoting’s heart clenched. Compared to the enigmatic man in blue and the swordswoman, this young swordsman, already capable of spiritual resonance with his blade, posed a far greater threat. Even if this prodigy had yet to reach the second-tier realm, a swordsman who could commune with his weapon defied all conventional understanding. Liu Guanshan of the Great Sword Hall, regardless of his current strength, paled in comparison—ten of him combined wouldn’t match this youth’s potential.
Ignoring the mounted Marquis Gaoting, the swordsman bowed respectfully to the woman. “I am Lü Situ, entrusted by Brother Liu to escort you safely to the capital.”
Marquis Gaoting’s eyes widened in realization. No wonder—this was the grandson of Lü Dantian, once the greatest swordsman of Chu. No wonder his skill was so extraordinary.
The violet-clad woman, no slouch in cultivation herself, rested one hand on her sword hilt while idly playing with an exquisite jade pendant at her waist. Smirking, she said, “Oh? Are we hunting fugitives here? I don’t recall my uncle mentioning any remnants of Western Chu still lurking in Guangling.”
Suppressing his mounting frustration, Marquis Gaoting forced a smile. “Young lady, does your uncle’s word carry weight?”
She widened her eyes in feigned innocence. “Hmm? Would the words of a provincial military commissioner count for nothing?”
“May I ask your relation to Lord Xu?” Marquis Gaoting pressed.
Tilting her head playfully, she replied, “Guess.”
Marquis Gaoting burst into laughter, then raised his arm and barked, “Withdraw!”
The 150 elite cavalrymen galloped away—though whether they would return with 1,500 more remained to be seen, depending on how bold a gamble Marquis Gaoting was willing to take.
Without needing prompting from the Xu family matron, Lü Situ strode forward and knelt beside the unconscious youth. With swift precision, he sealed the boy’s acupoints to stem the bleeding, applied medicine, and bandaged the wound. Hoisting the boy into his arms, he said decisively, “We must ride from this place at once. There’s no time to tend to the fallen heroes. Select the uninjured horses—those who cannot ride will share mounts. We won’t be safe until we reach Hezhou’s borders. The trouble is, heading north through Jianzhou, we’ll face two of Marquis Gaoting’s allies overseeing border defenses. They’ll be a problem.”
Liu Guanshan, a direct disciple of the Great Sword Hall’s He Jiangwu, sighed. “Once in Hezhou, I can mobilize some of our hall’s resources to cover our tracks.”
Suddenly, he turned to the violet-clad woman. “Miss, you mentioned the military commissioner of Guangling, Lord Xu…?”
She rolled her eyes. “You actually believed that?”
Liu Guanshan chuckled awkwardly.
Lü Situ whistled, and two fine horses emerged from the woods. He and the violet-clad woman mounted one each. The Xu family’s loyal old coachman was an experienced rider, as was Liu Guanshan, making four in total. The Xu youth, the matron, the little girl, and the maidservant—also four—could not ride, complicating the arrangements. The noble-born matron and maidservant could hardly share mounts with men. Convention dictated the matron ride behind the violet-clad swordswoman, but instead, she directed the plain-looking maidservant to do so. Handing her tear-streaked daughter to Lü Situ, the matron flushed crimson with shame and indignation. As she turned to Liu Guanshan, about to speak, the man in blue, who had been ignored until now, interjected calmly, “If you insist on heading north, you’ll never escape. Though the cavalry appears to have withdrawn, they’ve left scouts behind—likely to lull you into complacency. That general is either waiting on the main road or rallying more troops to hunt you down.”
Lü Situ had been discreetly observing the two strangers, unable to gauge their depths.
The violet-clad woman grinned carelessly. “So what do we do?”
The man in blue mirrored her smile. “Ah? Dressed in violet, aren’t you the alliance leader of Huishan? Dealing with these petty foes should be child’s play, no?”
She burst into laughter, giving him a thumbs-up. “Sharp eyes!”
Liu Guanshan frowned, an inexplicable hostility rising toward the odd man in blue. Their brief, accidental eye contact earlier had sent an unwarranted chill down his spine.
The maidservant, who had been quietly seated behind the swordswoman, took a deep breath and suddenly addressed the man in blue. “Sir, I’ll go west with you! The rest can continue north.”
The matron’s expression twisted with unspoken conflict.
Lü Situ and the swordswoman exchanged baffled glances.
“No!” Liu Guanshan blurted.
Stranger still, the man in blue shook his head. “If I take anyone, it’ll be the injured boy.”
The seemingly frail old coachman’s demeanor shifted abruptly, his gaze sharpening as he halted his task of securing the youth to his own body. He stared intently at the uninvited guest, sensing deeper implications.
Silence fell over the rice fields.
The man in blue sighed. “If I meant harm, things would look very different now.”
Neither the secretive old coachman nor Liu Guanshan seemed convinced, despite the duo’s earlier feat of slipping through the cavalry.
Softly, the man said, “Wang Sheng, open the case.”
The young swordswoman nodded. Without any visible movement, the top panel of the purple case on her back slid open.
In that instant, the case brimmed with the hum of swords, its aura oppressive.
Lü Situ tensed, aghast. “Impossible!”
The old coachman’s eyes widened in undisguised terror. “A natural-born sword vessel?!”
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