Hua Ming

He flipped over the wall and entered the courtyard.

Dodging the patrolling guards, he made his way to the outer perimeter of the Marquis Jing'an Estate's rear courtyard.

Just as Old Man Xiang was about to enter, the Venerable Soul Banner in his arms trembled slightly.

"You're here again."

From the shadows, a large man holding a long saber blocked Old Man Xiang's path.

"You've actually broken through from the Bone Forging Realm to the Viscera Refining Realm." The large man's voice held surprise and admiration.

The large man looked at the Black-Clothed Figure.

His physique and eyes revealed that this person was no longer young.

Deep wrinkles were etched around his eyes.

However, where his eyes once seemed cloudy, they now burned like raging flames.

To break through to the Viscera Refining Realm in an aged body, when his vital energy was declining, was a miracle for any martial artist.

It was worthy of respect.

But if this person intended to enter the Marquis's Estate to cause trouble, Xue Yi would absolutely not allow it.

Old Man Xiang pressed a hand to his waist knife, facing the large man directly.

He recognized this person: Xue Yi, the Guard Commander of the Marquis Jing'an's Wen family.

Even the Heir Apparent held him in high regard.

For some unknown reason, he had joined the Marquis's Estate and become an Estate Guard.

Old Man Xiang hadn't thought much of it before, but now that he had broken through to the Viscera Refining Realm, he realized this man's aura was incredibly steady, truly rare.

Old Man Xiang remained silent.

He had spoken to Xue Yi before. If he spoke again, the other party might recognize his true identity from his voice.

"Retreat quickly, and I can pretend nothing happened. But if you insist on forcing your way in."

"Today, you will leave your life here."

Xue Yi held his long saber, staring directly at Old Man Xiang.

A hint of ferocity appeared on Old Man Xiang's face, hidden beneath the black mask.

Retreat?

He had come with the determination to die; how could he retreat?

The bluestone beneath his feet cracked.

Old Man Xiang drew his waist knife and charged straight at Xue Yi.

Xue Yi frowned, gripping his long saber tightly as he moved to meet him.

"Bang."

With a flash, their blades collided.

The waist knife and long saber struck each other, sending a shower of sparks.

As their Internal Qi surged,

Swish, two blades sliced past.

Old Man Xiang's waist knife aimed for vital points with every strike.

The Hundred Battles Saber Technique was flawless.

But after all, he was wielding the saber with his left arm, and his strength was insufficient. He was ultimately at a disadvantage.

He could hold his own at first, but over time, he would definitely be at a disadvantage.

With his vital energy declining, he was also gradually losing ground in the contest of strength.

Old Man Xiang's saber technique emphasized speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness. Xue Yi, however, was different. His strikes were powerful and heavy, as if they could split mountains and crack the earth.

His saber was three fingers wide and about six feet long, used with broad, sweeping movements.

He was like a fierce general on the battlefield.

Tu Shan Jun inside the banner shook his head slightly. Old Man Xiang was destined to lose.

Xue Yi's saber technique was straightforward, a battlefield saber style.

But he couldn't match the other man's youth; he had entered the Viscera Refining Realm earlier.

At the age of thirty or forty, his vital energy was at its peak, unlike Old Man Xiang, who was around fifty, with his vital energy already beginning to decline.

Old Man Xiang, using his left hand for the saber, would lose before long.

"Embroidered Uniform Hundred Battles Saber."

"You're from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, aren't you?"

"Could it be that they can't sit still any longer and want to harm the Heir Apparent?" Xue Yi rotated his neck. The warm-up was fine, it was about time to finish.

Old Man Xiang's wrist trembled slightly. He suddenly let out a tragic laugh.

So powerless.

So weak!

Even though he had reached the Viscera Refining Realm, it seemed he still couldn't get revenge.

Tu Shan Jun felt that Old Man Xiang was too impatient.

If he could cultivate the Nether Spirit Cultivation Method and become a Qi Cultivator, using Magic Power to summon him, no one here would be able to withstand even a single blow.

Even the so-called Immortal Masters in the Hall of Offerings were nothing but weaklings.

However, Tu Shan Jun knew he couldn't be persuaded.

Just as he couldn't persuade Li Qing Feng back then, he couldn't persuade Old Man Xiang now either.

Bang.

The flat of the saber struck heavily against Old Man Xiang's body.

He flew backward, landing on the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood, his face instantly turning pale.

The black cloth covering his face was knocked off by the spray of blood, revealing his true appearance.

Although the moonlight was faint, Xue Yi still saw Old Man Xiang's face.

"Centurion Xiang?"

Xue Yi was surprised, and his voice carried a hint of pleasant surprise.

"It's you!"

Old Man Xiang struggled to his feet, gripping the waist knife in his hand.

"You're here to see the Heir Apparent, aren't you? I heard you came before."

"I didn't expect you to have broken through to Viscera Refining." The tension that had been present moments before instantly vanished. Xue Yi seemed genuinely pleased by Old Man Xiang's arrival.

Old Man Xiang was also somewhat taken aback.

He wasn't here to see the Heir Apparent; he was here for revenge and to kill.

But since things had reached this point, he could only bite the bullet and go along with it.

He had originally thought that Xue Yi and the Heir Apparent were merely acquaintances.

Now it seemed the situation was different; Xue Yi appeared to be very concerned about the Heir Apparent's safety.

"That's right, the Marquis Estate is sealed off, so I had no other choice," Old Man Xiang replied.

"I thought Commander Xue..." Old Man Xiang didn't finish his sentence, but the expression on his face clearly indicated that he had been worried Xue Yi, being just a guard, would remain neutral in these matters and might prevent him from entering the Marquis Estate.

Xue Yi laughed heartily, "I am the Heir Apparent's Saber Technique Instructor."

The teacher-student relationship was indeed extraordinary, although the status of an instructor in a noble family was not as high as that of a master.

But Xue Yi was different; he was a First-Rate Expert in the Viscera Refining Realm.

"Let's go, I'll take you to the Heir Apparent."

Xue Yi casually put away his saber and turned around, leading the way for Old Man Xiang.

His entire back was exposed to Old Man Xiang's view.

If Old Man Xiang were to launch a sneak attack, Xue Yi would undoubtedly be killed or severely injured.

As long as Xue Yi died, no one in the entire estate could stop him, a First-Rate Expert in the Viscera Refining Realm.

Old Man Xiang gripped his waist knife but ultimately did not strike.

The Heir Apparent had once saved his life. If he killed Xue Yi, the Heir Apparent would truly have no one to rely on in the future.

With a broken leg and no one to rely on, he would die.

In fact, ever since that person's leg was broken and there was no possibility of recovery, he was no longer truly the Heir Apparent.

With healthy brothers, the Old Marquis would definitely consider them.

This was also why the second branch had suddenly become so emboldened.

Xue Yi constantly observed Old Man Xiang.

Turning his back to him was, in itself, a test.

If Old Man Xiang made a move, he definitely wouldn't take him to see the Heir Apparent; instead, he would kill him.

Fortunately, Old Man Xiang did not attack.

"Truly, when mountains and rivers seem to block the way, a willow's shade and a flower's bloom reveal a new village," Tu Shan Jun chuckled to himself.

He hadn't expected that in such a disadvantageous situation, a way out would appear.

The two twisted and turned, arriving in front of a small house.

There were no guards here, and the courtyard was dilapidated and remote.

Pushing open the door, Old Man Xiang smelled a strong medicinal odor. Only the Heir Apparent's attendant was busy inside.

"Has the Heir Apparent rested?"

"Not yet."

The attendant quickly closed the courtyard gate and invited the two inside.

"Heir Apparent, look who I've brought," Xue Yi said in a low voice.

"Master Xue."

The young man lying on the bed struggled to sit up.

As the two approached the bed, the young man also saw Old Man Xiang beside Xue Yi.

"Centurion Xiang?"

"Your subordinate, Xiang Hu, greets the Heir Apparent," Old Man Xiang bowed.

His eyes held disbelief.

He had expected the injuries to be severe, but he hadn't expected them to be this severe.

His entire leg was practically immobile.

"I... I'm no longer the Heir Apparent," Wen Yue said, his expression downcast.

When he learned his entire leg was crippled, he had almost gone mad.

Not only was his hereditary title stripped, and his position as Deputy Commander of the Military Affairs Bureau taken away, but everything around him seemed to be drifting far away.

Only his saber technique instructor remained by his side.

Because of this, the others in his family had not yet made a move against him.

But it was hard to guarantee that those he had offended in the past wouldn't kick him while he was down.

The people from the palace no longer visited, and everything he controlled had been transferred out. There was still a risk of it being used against him.

He was crippled, but not dead.

The fact that they hadn't acted yet was simply because they were waiting and observing.

Wen Yue asked, "How are you all?"

His voice held concern.

With his downfall, many others would fall with him, some perhaps even losing their heads.

Old Man Xiang opened his mouth.

Not just him, but everyone in Wen Yue's faction had met a bad end.

The stubborn ones were found a reason and executed, while the gentle ones chose to protect themselves, stepping down and yielding their positions.

Others had defected to the new Deputy Commander.

Their former glory had withered like a yellow flower.

Even without Old Man Xiang saying anything, Wen Yue understood that without his support, everyone in his faction would be purged.

When you're an official, who doesn't form cliques?

Even the Emperor has his loyalists.

The final outcome is always a purge.

Since he had become an official, he had to consider not just himself, but also his followers.

Tu Shan Jun felt quite emotional. When he used to watch TV dramas,

Those people with countless followers would bluntly declare they wouldn't be emperor or fight for the throne.

It made Tu Shan Jun furious.

They would become absentee managers, either living in seclusion or riding in fine clothes and on swift horses.

But their followers didn't have such capabilities. All they could await was a purge.

It was simply irresponsible with human lives.

The bloody reality told him that if you don't fight to the end, there's only a dead end.

Just like now.