Battle with Courtesan Leng Ningxiang

Battalion Commander Gao and Battalion Commander He engaged two of the Eastern Ocean Samurai in battle, while the other two Eastern Ocean Samurai were surrounded and attacked by Prefectural Governor Luo's four highly skilled guards.

Battalion Commander Gao and Battalion Commander He were both experts above the Innate Fifth Level, yet each of them, facing an Eastern Ocean Samurai, could not gain the slightest upper hand.

Likewise, Prefectural Governor Luo's four guards found it difficult to defeat the other two Eastern Ocean ninjas.

One of Prefectural Governor Luo's personal experts leaped in with a sword in hand and attacked the two Eastern Ocean ninjas.

The Imperial Guard's six Company Commanders also joined the battle, attacking the other two Japanese warriors.

The tide of battle swiftly changed.

The two personal experts at Prefectural Governor Luo's side were both grandmasters. With just a few sword strokes, that grandmaster-level expert killed one of the Eastern Ocean ninjas.

He then chopped off the other ninja's limbs.

On the other side, with the six Company Commanders joining in, Battalion Commander He and Battalion Commander Gao also subdued the two Eastern Ocean Samurai one after another.

In the end, the limbless Eastern Ocean ninja was left for Prefectural Governor Luo to interrogate and deal with, while the Imperial Guard escorted the other two severely wounded Eastern Ocean Samurai back to the Imperial Guard headquarters.

As for the thirty-odd guards sent by Cao Renqi, they were all taken to the Imperial Guard headquarters for rigorous questioning and interrogation.

Huang Shaojie and Xiao Qiuyue led six Company Commanders and more than a hundred captains toward Fountain Pavilion.

As they neared Fountain Pavilion, Huang Shaojie said to Xiao Qiuyue:

"Battalion Commander Xiao, take your men and seal off the rear entrance to prevent the Japanese spy agents from escaping."

Xiao Qiuyue nodded and cupped her fists. "Then be careful."

With that, she led the several dozen Imperial Guards from the Ninth Guard Post around toward Fountain Pavilion's rear entrance.

Huang Shaojie led the several dozen Imperial Guards from the Third Guard Post to the main entrance of Fountain Pavilion.

It was just the hour of the Snake, around nine in the morning.

Fountain Pavilion had not yet opened for business, and its doors were shut.

Huang Shaojie stepped forward and kicked the doors open, then led the Imperial Guards charging inside.

"Impudent! Who dares—"

Hearing the doors being kicked open, several black-clad thugs rushed out from the front courtyard and shouted furiously. But halfway through their words, they saw that the intruders were murderous-looking Imperial Guards and abruptly swallowed the rest.

Yet these black-clad thugs showed no fear. Instead, a vicious killing intent lay hidden on their faces.

The leading black-clad thug forcefully suppressed his killing intent, cupped his fists, and humbly asked, "May I ask what brings you Imperial Guard lords to our Fountain Pavilion so early in the morning?"

Expressionless, Huang Shaojie raised a hand and barked coldly, "Arrest everyone in Fountain Pavilion!"

Three Company Commanders charged at the three black-clad thugs with sabers drawn.

The remaining several dozen captains all rushed into the various pavilions and rooms of Fountain Pavilion.

One black-clad thug let out a shrill whistle.

At once, more than a dozen black-clad thugs rushed out from every corner, all wielding Japanese Swords as they charged forward.

Several of the experts came directly at Huang Shaojie.

They too understood the principle of capturing the ringleader first to capture the gang.

So long as they dealt with this Imperial Guard Battalion Commander, the rest would be no problem.

These Eastern Ocean Samurai had long investigated matters clearly: the Imperial Guard Battalion Commander's martial arts were around the Innate Fifth Layer.

As for these Eastern Ocean Samurai, all of them had cultivation above the Xiantian Realm, with a few even reaching above the fifth level of the Xiantian Realm.

They believed they could finish this Imperial Guard Battalion Commander within three moves.

Unfortunately, they did not know that the Imperial Guard Battalion Commander before them possessed strength far beyond their imagination.

Huang Shaojie leaped into the air, thrust both palms out, and shouted:

"Flying Dragon in the Sky!"

Roar~

The True Essence Qi from Huang Shaojie's palms condensed into an illusory divine dragon. With a soul-shaking dragon's roar, it blasted toward the Eastern Ocean Samurai.

Terror filled the eyes of those Eastern Ocean Samurai.

What kind of martial art was this?

Boom!

With a thunderous explosion, the terrifying power of the Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms struck three Eastern Ocean Samurai, instantly shattering their organs and sending them flying more than ten zhang away to die on the spot!

The remaining two Eastern Ocean Samurai were swept by the lingering force of the Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms as well. They staggered back several steps, swaying as though about to fall.

"Strong Grass in the Wind!"

Huang Shaojie kicked off with both legs and shot into the air, his legs moving like the wind as they struck at the two Eastern Ocean Samurai.

Bang! Bang!

The power of the Wind God Leg was not the slightest bit inferior to the Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms. The chests of both Eastern Ocean Samurai caved in two inches; their ribs and organs shattered as their corpses shot into a pavilion, smashing through its wall.

Several screams rang out from within the pavilion. A man wearing only a fur cloak, with no clothes underneath, ran out of the pavilion in fright.

Another brothel woman, naked beneath a fox-fur coat, also fled in panic.

But two Imperial Guard captains rushed forward together and captured her.

Clearly, this brothel woman did not know martial arts.

But she had to be an Eastern Ocean spy as well. If she were an ordinary brothel woman, she would never have fled wrapped in clothing.

At this moment, women from every room and pavilion came running out and scattered in all directions.

Several of the brothel women possessed considerable martial arts skill. After knocking down several captains, they leaped over the walls and fled toward the rear entrance.

However, what awaited them was an even fiercer woman.

Xiao Qiuyue and the Imperial Guards of the Ninth Guard Post stood watch at the rear entrance and on both sides. When she saw several brothel women leap out, she sprang up to intercept one of them, knocking her to the ground with a palm strike before sealing several of her acupoints.

The other brothel women were also intercepted by three Company Commanders respectively, and fierce fighting immediately broke out.

Hearing the whistle blown by the thugs, the beautiful expression on Leng Ningxiang's face changed as she sensed something was wrong.

She grabbed a short sword from beneath her pillow and leaped from the pavilion window.

Several Imperial Guard captains happened to be charging over below the pavilion, sabers raised as they rushed at her.

Killing intent flashed in Leng Ningxiang's eyes. Her figure flickered as she charged into the midst of those captains. Cold light flashed from her hand, and sprays of blood flew.

In the span of a single breath, all four Imperial Guard captains had their throats slit.

She raised her eyes and saw Huang Shaojie use the Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms to kill three experts of Fountain Pavilion.

It's him!

Leng Ningxiang was utterly shocked!

She recognized at once that the young man wearing the official uniform of an Imperial Guard Battalion Commander was none other than Young Master Huang, who had sought her out yesterday to drink and listen to music.

She had never imagined that this seemingly lecherous young dandy was actually an Imperial Guard Battalion Commander—and that he possessed a Peerless Divine Skill!

Leng Ningxiang knew she was no match for Battalion Commander Huang. Without the slightest hesitation, she tapped off with both feet, shot into the air, leaped over the wall, and fled to the rear.

"Trying to run!"

A clear shout rang out as Xiao Qiuyue stepped through the air in pursuit, swinging her sword to intercept Leng Ningxiang.

Leng Ningxiang twisted her delicate body in midair, thrusting the short sword in her hand toward Xiao Qiuyue's snow-white throat.

Xiao Qiuyue tilted her jade-like neck aside, and the short sword skimmed past her throat. She was secretly startled. This woman's martial arts are truly formidable!

The two great beauties exchanged over a dozen rapid moves in midair before each drifting down to the ground.

Leng Ningxiang had no desire to fight and tried to flee, but Xiao Qiuyue clung to her relentlessly.

One wielded a long sword, the other a short sword.

There was a saying: an inch longer, an inch stronger.

There was also a saying: an inch shorter, an inch more dangerous.

The key lay not in the weapon, but in the person who wielded it.