The clamor did nothing to slow their movements.
The two grandmasters called Jian Gu and Si Ming seemed to be expert swordsmen. Together with the unnamed grandmaster beside them, they formed a triangle around the grandmaster who had pledged allegiance to Prince Jing, while guards from the Prince's Residence surged up behind them without end.
The rule that a flurry of wild punches could kill an old master did not apply when the gap in strength was this enormous. As easily as slicing melons and chopping vegetables, they halted every movement of the men behind them with a single stroke, while flawlessly meeting the powerful attacks of the man in their midst. They looked as relaxed as if they were strolling through their own back gardens.
Jiang Yi'an had already stationed ample guards at this Manor. With the two little ones recently confined here as well, the number of experts housed on the grounds had risen by an entire tier.
Once the initial small fry had been dealt with, the commotion finally drew the attention of the entire Prince's Residence. In the blink of an eye, more than ten black-clad men came flying over rooftops and walls, landing at the very heart of the fiercest fighting.
The burden on Ke Ren's shoulders eased, and his expression finally lost its tension. He even began thinking of winning them over.
"You may not know this, but the man I now serve is Prince Jing, the one most likely to ascend the Imperial Throne. Whatever Zhou Qichuan can give you, Prince Jing can offer twice as much!"
Jian Gu raised his sword and easily parried the lethal strike coming at him, then used its momentum to guide his opponent's blade behind him, straight into a residence guard's shoulder blade. The instant a muffled