Tianhe Blade

The cold moon hung like a hook. Not a lamp or flame lit the little riverside street.

Ye Jingtang frowned deeply, looking toward the pitch-black alley. He felt something watching from the shadows, but could not pinpoint where the feeling came from.

Perched on Dongfang Liren's shoulder, Niao Niao spread its wings without waiting for an order and soared into the sky to scout the riverbank.

Dongfang Liren, dressed in a silver python robe, walked with her hands behind her back, still waiting for Ye Jingtang to speak. Noticing the movement, she looked up at Niao Niao disappearing into the sky.

"What's wrong with it?"

Ye Jingtang raised his hand slightly to block Dongfang Liren's path. His left hand settled on his saber's hilt as he carefully sensed every stir of wind and grass beneath the night sky.

Dongfang Liren had suffered several assassination attempts. Seeing this, she thought, This is bad-we suddenly ran out to compete in Lightness Skill without notifying the manor.

If rebels had been secretly watching her movements, this brief gap was undoubtedly an opportunity that came once in a thousand years!

Dongfang Liren did not believe a half-trained amateur like Ye Jingtang could protect her. But she had never experienced real combat, and she would certainly be no match for an assassin bold enough to attack a prince. Her heart sank to rock bottom.

Dongfang Liren immediately gripped her saber's hilt, intending to stand back-to-back with Ye Jingtang and hold out until her guards arrived.

But...

Clang!

Under the silver moonlight, a streak of saber light and sparks burst forth without warning!

Dongfang Liren had not even sensed the danger approaching before Ye Jingtang's blade flashed from its sheath with thunderous speed, blocking the space before her brow.

Sparks burst from the blade as it shuddered continuously, clearly struck by some unknown hidden weapon.

The hidden weapon had been aimed at her brow. Deflected by the blade, it shot toward a horse-tethering stone beside a shop. Even its remaining force gouged a crater into the white stone-its impact was terrifying!

Stranger still, Dongfang Liren had never heard the hidden weapon cutting through the air!

Her eyes filled with shock. She could not understand what kind of hidden weapon possessed such overwhelming power, much less how Ye Jingtang, whose martial skills were supposedly mediocre, had blocked it without hearing a sound.

Despite her bewilderment, Dongfang Liren's years of experience being protected helped her understand the situation. She abandoned the idea of fighting the enemy herself, stepped forward, and hid behind Ye Jingtang.

Ye Jingtang was well-proportioned and did not look particularly muscular, but he was actually tall and powerfully built, shielding Prince Jing completely.

After that single strike, deathly silence settled over the street, as though what had just happened had been an illusion.

Despite its extraordinary night vision, Niao Niao circling overhead still could not find any trace of their opponent.

"Back."

Holding his saber in his right hand, Ye Jingtang did not focus his eyes anywhere in particular. He sensed possible ambushes through minute changes in his surroundings as he backed away.

Dongfang Liren matched his steps, her somewhat cumbersome bust pressed directly against his back. After steadying herself slightly, she spoke in disbelief.

"Is that the Tianhe Blade?"

Clang-

The moment she spoke, another spark burst from Ye Jingtang's blade.

Dongfang Liren did not even see him move before the Chi Dragon Ring-Pommel Saber appeared beside her face.

Buzzzz~~

The blade trembled, humming.

Cold sweat broke out on Dongfang Liren. She quickly tucked herself safely behind him, realizing that her voice had distracted him and given their opponent an opening. She immediately held her breath and said nothing more.

Judging by the force of the hidden weapon's impact, Ye Jingtang turned toward an alley entrance more than a dozen zhang away and sidestepped toward the edge of the street.

But with the enemy's hiding place unknown, neither dared run recklessly. At most, they could retreat to the street's edge and restrict their opponent's angles of attack.

Under Ye Jingtang's cover, Dongfang Liren reached a bookshop beside the street. She cut through its brass lock with a dagger and retreated inside.

"Get in, quick."

But just as Ye Jingtang was about to enter, he sensed something wrong and swung his saber again.

Whoosh-

This time, the hidden weapon audibly tore through the air, and its force was clearly greater.

Clang!

Saber light flashed. The hidden weapon struck the blade and ricocheted upward, yet still pierced the wooden wall. It grazed Dongfang Liren's hair crown and shattered her jade hairpin.

Crack-

Fragments of jade scattered.

Dongfang Liren's long hair immediately spilled loose. Terror in her eyes, she swiftly somersaulted forward and rolled behind the bookshop's counter.

Rattle, rattle...

A bead rolled across the floor.

Dongfang Liren glanced over and saw a red bead rolling across the bookshop's floor tiles. Shaped like a teardrop and made of some unknown material, it was clearly the hidden weapon that had just flown inside.

Dongfang Liren's heart sank, and she quickly warned him.

"It's Blood Bodhi, the assassin who rampaged across Southern Heaven over a decade ago. He assassinated a Grandmaster of the Seven Profound Sect..."

"Shh!"

Holding his saber in one hand, Ye Jingtang raised his left hand, signaling Dongfang Liren to stay silent.

The street sank into deathly silence again. There was no telling where their opponent was.

If he entered the shop, there would be little room to maneuver, while their opponent could shoot through the walls. He could easily fail to reach her in time.

Behind the bookshop stood the bluestone river embankment, which could not be penetrated. Buildings flanked both sides, leaving only the front and the air above as possible angles of attack.

Ye Jingtang did not believe their opponent could snipe from high in the sky. As long as he guarded the front, Prince Jing would be perfectly safe. Saber in hand, he stood guard before the doorway.

Clang, clang-

Barely a moment later, two more sparks burst across the street.

With two consecutive strokes, Ye Jingtang intercepted the incoming hidden weapons with flawless precision. Then he held his saber before him with both hands and taunted the darkness.

"Is that all you've got? The Six Fiends will be here any moment. If you insist on wasting your effort, I can keep you company all day."

He was trying to make the assassin recognize the odds and retreat.

An assassin should flee immediately after a failed strike.

But Dongfang Liren was normally guarded so tightly that a direct assassination was impossible. Tonight's opportunity came once in a thousand years.

As soon as Ye Jingtang finished speaking, a sound came from the sky.

"Chirp, chirp, chirp..."

A figure gradually emerged from an alley diagonally ahead.

Dressed in gray robes, the figure stooped at the waist, his face hidden beneath a lowered bamboo hat. One hand rested behind his back while the other held a black iron crutch. He walked at an unhurried pace.

Thud, thud...

The soft knocks of the iron crutch against the ground seemed to strike straight against their hearts, weighing on their chests.

A hoarse voice sounded from ahead.

"A fine display of the Tianhe Blade. Qiu Tianhe could be called a gallant hero of the martial world. As his successor, why have you become the court's running dog?"

With confirmation that Ye Jingtang was using the Tianhe Blade, Dongfang Liren grew even more bewildered. But there was no time to ask. Afraid he could not handle the enemy, she quickly recited the intelligence gathered by the authorities.

"Blood Bodhi specializes in hidden weapons at range and uses the Dragon-Subduing Staff in close combat. He mainly attacks the upper body. Guard your centerline and attack his lower body..."

Boom-

Before she finished, an explosive crack rang out across the street.

The old man was no fool. Why would he wait for Dongfang Liren to explain his fatal weaknesses before attacking?

Still five or six zhang away, he suddenly accelerated and planted his iron crutch on the bluestone, shattering the paving beneath it.

Ye Jingtang felt the ground tremble beneath his feet. It was as though an immensely heavy, three-legged beast was charging at him, bearing down with the crushing pressure of Mount Tai.

He held his saber upright before him with both hands, guarding his centerline. His gaze locked onto the old man with the iron crutch as he tried to read the incoming move and counter it with the Tianhe Blade.

But as the old man strode closer, his feet, shoulders, and iron crutch all moved. His entire body seemed to be a weapon, every part poised to erupt violently. With Ye Jingtang's level of mastery over the Tianhe Blade, he could not discern his opponent's exact intent.

Thud, thud, thud...

In the blink of an eye, the old man crossed the seven-step boundary. He suddenly leaned forward, thrusting his iron crutch like a venomous snake flicking its tongue.

The old man had gauged the depth of Ye Jingtang's Tianhe Blade mastery. That was why he had shown himself to fight at close quarters.

At seven steps, Ye Jingtang's mastery of the Tianhe Blade gave him no chance of parrying and counterattacking. The old man, however, was utterly certain he could kill him with one strike.

Seeing the "terror" on Ye Jingtang's face as he hurriedly tried to judge whether the attack was real or a feint, a cold sneer flashed in the old man's eyes. He was already preparing for Prince Jing to smash through a window and flee once he pierced Ye Jingtang's chest.

And it was precisely in that instant of distraction.

Swish-

Beneath the silver moon, the saber's wind suddenly rose, like an azure dragon descending into the world, a vicious flood dragon raising its head!