The Woman in Red

Xu Yuan has disappeared. The ancient zither in the Perching Phoenix Pavilion still plays, and celestial music fills the air, but the main hall is now completely silent.

As dawn broke, many were still lost in their own world of pleasure, but many others had already dressed and gone downstairs to enjoy breakfast. The lobby was not only occupied by Xu Yuan and Li Yunqing, but also by some wealthy young men and their guards.

Most of the experienced people had already seen through the situation, but none of them stepped forward to stop the conflict; they all silently retreated and watched coldly from the sidelines.

Feuds and conflicts are common in this world.

No one wants to be the peacemaker in such an uncertain situation, especially when both sides are of unfathomable strength.

Some sharp-eyed individuals have already disregarded their image and escaped by climbing out of windows and jumping off cliffs.

But if the guests don't make a move, the guards hired by the Perching Phoenix Pavilion itself will naturally have to step in.

Because of the Perching Phoenix Pavilion's ability to attract money, the patron here is of a very high rank; she is a charming woman with a fourth-grade cultivation level, and also the madam of the place.

With her alluring curves and flowing sleeves, the woman leaped from the upper floor, landing between the six men in brocade robes and Li Yunqing. She glanced around and said with a smile:

"Oh dear, gentlemen, is there some misunderstanding? My little shop can't withstand your disturbance. Please give our Imperial Music Bureau some face. If you have a conflict, go outside."

Before the words were finished, the blade arrived.

The fighting, or rather the assassination, has begun.

The six men in brocade robes had strange auras, perhaps due to their different cultivation methods, but their strength was only similar to that of the fourth-grade Body Fusion set by the Great Yan.

One of them hurled a short blade through the air, tearing through the void with lightning speed towards Li Yunqing!

"Bite--"

It was only halfway through its flight when it was struck by a red ribbon, which then embedded itself deeply into a nearby pillar, emitting a buzzing sound.

It was that alluring madam.

Her alluring expression instantly turned cold:

"Although I don't know who your master is, the Imperial Music Bureau is not a place where you can run wild!"

The six men in brocade robes remained silent, exchanging glances. Simultaneously, their hands moved swiftly, flashes of silver light appearing, and countless tiny flying blades instantly filled the entire hall. If one were observant, one could see that these flying blades were connected by fine lines that were almost invisible to the naked eye.

It was densely packed throughout the entire hall.

The alluring madam tried to stop them, but the red arrow she shot out was instantly shredded by the thin threads.

At this moment, one of the men in the brocade robes spoke in fluent Great Yan dialect:

"No offense intended. Just stay quiet. Our only goal is to find that Young Master Wang and get my master's money back."

Before the words were finished,

Eunuch Hou suddenly appeared beside the man in the brocade robe who had spoken, and unleashed a palm strike.

Its speed was as fast as a ghost, but the man in the brocade robe seemed to be able to keep up with its speed and barely managed to draw the short knife from his waist.

Their palms clashed, producing a metallic clang.

"Bang!"

The man in the brocade robe coughed up blood and flew backward, nearly smashing through the special brick wall inside the Perching Phoenix Pavilion.

Perching Phoenix Pavilion has nine floors. The upper four floors are private rooms, while the lower five floors are shaped like a deep well, offering views of the elegant main hall.

Xu Yuan stood by the railing on the fifth floor, watching the battle in the lobby with an air of indifference, looking somewhat weary.

The Void-Stepping Slash is powerful, but it also consumes a huge amount of energy.

To avoid exposing the Saint's Remnant Soul, he used his own Source Qi, achieving an effect almost identical to that of Qin Mo back then, at the sixth-grade cultivation level.

That is, a distance of about ten zhang (approximately 33 meters).

In other words, the people below actually knew he was there, but they just didn't have time to pay attention to him.

However, there's really no need to pay him any attention, since he's just a guide.

Just as they were thinking this, their eyes suddenly met in mid-air.

Li Yunqing, who was in the lobby, looked up at him.

Xu Yuan smiled and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards him:

Thank you, brother, for your concern.

Li Jun also cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to him, and judging from his mouth movements, it seemed as if he was saying:

It's so good to hear that you're alright, Brother Zhou.

Xu Yuan didn't reply further; he watched the show.

The Saint's Remnant Soul echoed in his heart with a slightly mocking voice:

"To attempt to assassinate the current prince right under the emperor's nose—these people are incredibly audacious."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan casually replied:

"Nobody knew this kid was a prince. He probably used that Young Master Wang's identity to do something shameful."

The Saint's Remnant Soul paused for a moment, then asked with a smile:

"Since that's the case, aren't you going to help me, kid?"

"Shall I help?"

Xu Yuan rolled his eyes upon hearing this, staring at the battle below. "Six fourth-grade Body Fusion fighting a third-grade Grandmaster, what help would I offer? You can't reveal yourself yet."

The battle below is in full swing, with a third- Grandmaster facing off against a Body Fusion expert; the difference in skill level between them is truly vast.

However, the coordination between the six Body Fusion was superb, and the sharp, blade-like lines that covered the hall clearly limited Eunuch Hou's performance.

It's a pity that this stalemate is only temporary. At this level of combat, it's estimated that the foundation of the Perching Phoenix Pavilion will be completely demolished in no time.

Once the terrain advantage is lost, those Body Fusion below will be lambs to the slaughter.

The Daoist essence is no joke.

The Saint's Remnant Soul chuckled:

"Young Xu, you don't actually think that only those six Body Fusion are here to assassinate him, do you?"

Xu Yuan's gaze remained fixed on the lobby below, without glancing around.

"You mean besides the six Body Fusion below, there's another Grandmaster hidden away?"

The Saint's Remnant Soul did not conceal anything:

"Most likely, yes. I sensed her once before, but only once. Without alerting her, I'm not sure where she is."

Xu Yuan shrugged upon hearing this:

"Whatever, I'll run away."

"If you're going to run away, what are you still doing here?" the Saint's Remnant Soul said sarcastically.

"."

Xu Yuan stared down, his eyes flashing with a bloodthirsty light, and did not speak immediately.

Seeing Li Yunqing outside the battle, he pulled out a crossbow-like device and aimed it at one of the Body Fusion.

A sharp shout rang out instantly.

"Hey bro, watch out!"

"." Li Yunqing.

"..." The Saint's Remnant Soul.

The crossbow bolt veered through the air, narrowly avoiding the suddenly Body Fusion assassin.

Clenching his fist, Li Yunqing put away his crossbow, raised his eyes, and grinned through gritted teeth:

"Ah, thank you so much, Brother Zhou."

"You're welcome, it's nothing." Xu Yuan smiled slightly.

The Saint's Remnant Soul seemed to understand Xu Yuan's meaning:

"You want to kill him?"

Xu Yuan replied casually:

"Isn't he also trying to use someone else to kill me?"

As he spoke, he chuckled inwardly, "Ha, I was forced to bring this guy over earlier, and I deliberately called him Young Master Wang to remind him, but this kid actually tried to trick me."

With the sects facing their current situation, the royal family and the Prime Minister's Estate should indeed avoid internal strife.

He understood this, and so did the Third Prince.

Therefore, they will not deliberately take action to eliminate them.

But things are not a binary opposition.

Now that the opportunity has been laid out in our hands, it would be truly inexcusable not to take it.

"."

The Saint's Remnant Soul remained silent, but rolled its eyes.

The battle below continued for quite some time when the Saint's Remnant Soul suddenly reminded him:

"I suggest you leave now. It seems that the third-rank assassin lurking in the shadows has made his move, and it appears to be that top courtesan named Chu Jingyi."

Xu Yuan was taken aback upon hearing this.

The top courtesan of the Perching Phoenix Pavilion, Chu Jingyi, is actually an assassin?

But he quickly came to terms with it, realizing that there are many things in this world that can conceal one's cultivation level.

It now seems that this assassination was not accidental; those young men in brocade robes were probably accomplices recruited by Chu Jingyi through a message she sent.

Having thought this through, Xu Yuan spoke without hesitation:

"Junqing, since you're already so confident, I, Zhou, will not interfere. See you in the Imperial Capital!"

As he spoke, without waiting for Li Yunqing's reply, Xu Yuan rushed towards the window on the fourth floor of the Perching Phoenix Pavilion, preparing to jump off the cliff and escape.

Unfortunately, things always change faster than planned.

Just as Xu Yuan ran to the window frame, the ceiling behind him collapsed with a loud crash!

"."

Amidst the flying sawdust and brick fragments, Xu Yuan glanced back and saw two figures among the debris.

Using some of the power of the Saint's Remnant Soul, Xu Yuan was able to see the situation behind him clearly.

Under the vision enhanced by the Saint's Remnant Soul, time seemed to stand still for a moment.

One of the two figures was an acquaintance.

I had just seen Chu Jingyi, the top courtesan of the Perching Phoenix Pavilion, who was being harassed by Young Master Wang, before I went downstairs.

The other one was someone I didn't recognize.

He had an effeminate appearance and was a man, or rather, a eunuch.

Upon seeing this scene, Xu Yuan immediately reacted.

There was even a hidden eunuch beside this small coin.

Damn it, this guy surnamed Li has always been confident of victory; let's just put on an act with him.

Time continues,

The two people who broke through the roof were one above and one below.

The stunningly beautiful Chu Jingyi must have been ambushed. She was trampled underfoot by that cold-faced eunuch, and the powerful impact smashed through floor after floor, causing her to plummet downwards!

final,

The two men, being of low status, crashed into the lobby with a loud "boom," creating a crater about two meters deep.

Xu Yuan stood beside the hole that had been smashed open, looked down, and sighed.

Well, these assassins are really useless.

Below, Chu Jingyi was pinned to the ground by two short knives piercing her shoulder blades.

The two short swords seemed to be surging with some kind of Source Qi fluctuations, constantly interfering with Chu Jingyi's ability to condense Source Qi.

Caught in a sneak attack, the battle between the two master concealment Grandmaster was decided in an instant.

At this time,

The celestial music and zither music echoing within the Perching Phoenix Pavilion became soothing.

Seeing the scene below, Xu Yuan thought to himself:

"Old Man Luo, what are you doing? Li Yunqing has such a powerful expert by his side, and you didn't even notice?"

The voice of the Saint's Remnant Soul was very innocent:

"You're telling me not to expose myself? I wouldn't dare release my soul power at all."

"If this person suddenly attacks me, can you react in time?" Xu Yuan asked.

The Saint's Remnant Soul seems perfectly reasonable and quite reliable.

"Of course I can. As long as I make a move, there will be fluctuations in Source Qi. At the speed of a third-grade cultivator, this old man can still react."

Xu Yuan said nothing more, turned around, put his feet on the windowsill, and prepared to jump off the cliff to escape.

However, at that moment, Li Yunqing's laughing voice came over:

"Brother, the matter is resolved, why are you in such a hurry to run away?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan also stopped moving.

Without revealing the Saint's Remnant Soul, he couldn't possibly escape from two Grandmaster.

Reluctantly, he walked back to the railing, looked down and met Li Yunqing's smiling gaze, and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect:

"Your Highness is so shrewd; how could you possibly recognize that Chu Jingyi is someone else's spy?"

As he spoke, Xu Yuan flipped over and leaped, using a few quick maneuvers to propel himself back into the main hall.

The hall was in complete disarray. As Chu Jingyi was subdued, the several fourth-rank assassins in Body Fusion robes scattered like birds and beasts, fleeing in all directions.

The mission failed, and they needed to save their lives to deliver the message.

The newly arrived Grandmaster went after him, while Eunuch Hou returned to stand quietly behind Li Yunqing.

The piano music in the hall gradually came to an end.

Li Yunqing looked at Xu Yuan and chuckled:

"You flatter me, I didn't notice that before."

As he spoke, his eyes turned slightly cold, and he changed the subject:

"However, these Eastern Isles Wokou actually managed to infiltrate my Imperial Music Bureau. It seems some people really don't care about their heads."

"Eastern Isles Wokou?"

Xu Yuan's eyes were somewhat strange as he glanced sideways at Chu Jingyi, who was pinned to the pit by a short knife. "Why did they assassinate His Highness?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yunqing walked up to Xu Yuan, put his arm around Xu Yuan's shoulder, and said with a smile:

"Hey, Zhou Chen, you're being too polite. I still prefer you calling me 'little brother' or 'Junqing '."

"." Xu Yuan.

"As for why they wanted to assassinate me, it was just because they borrowed a small amount of money from their Daimyo. Let's not talk about that now, let's go check on that Eastern Isles female thief."

While speaking,

Li Yunqing walked arm in arm with Xu Yuan to the edge of the pit, then released Xu Yuan, bent down, and stroked the woman's fair cheek with the back of his hand. He turned back to Xu Yuan and smiled, saying:

"Zhou Chen, now I have some time to properly train this wild horse. Interested in joining me?"

Chu Jingyi was lying on the ground, with blood overflowing from the corners of her red lips. She glanced at the two dudes next to her, then closed her eyes and stopped talking.

Xu Yuan coughed lightly and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture:

"Ahem, I don't have that kind of interest right now. Since Your Highness is safe, I'll take my leave."

Li Yunqing didn't stop him upon hearing this, but simply stood up and smiled:

"After this assassination attempt, Zhou Chen and I became sworn brothers. I will never forget this kindness."

As we spoke of this halfway point, the music playing in the attic became as serene and tranquil as clear water.

Hearing the change in the music, Li Yunqing shook his head:

"The musician in the Perching Phoenix Pavilion is still playing. He must be deaf, but his musical talent is exceptional. I really want to take him back with me."

As he spoke, Li Yunqing turned around and looked in the direction from which the voice came.

Then,

His narrow eyes widened slightly.

Xu Yuan, who was standing nearby, saw this and followed the other person's gaze.

There, on the side of the messy hall, sat a woman in a red robe sitting quietly at a table.

The woman's face was veiled in red gauze, her two slender, jade-like legs were propped up on the table, and she held a pipa and a guqin in her arms. Her sleeves fluttered, untouched by dust, and her jade-like fingers played, from which the celestial music that had been echoing was emanating.

I saw a scene,

Xu Yuan subconsciously glanced at Li Yunqing, who was in a daze, only to find that the kid was also looking at him.

Almost simultaneously, the two began to move backward:

"Hehe, it seems you have quite a few enemies, Young Master Wang."

"Brother, you're joking. I don't know her at all."

"You know the assassin?"

"..." The Third Prince.

The two were talking,

The woman in red slowly stood up.

Then,

He slowly drew a sword.