Stone Man's Single Eye

"What happened? What's going on here?"

"Someone else died?"

"What's been going on lately? There's no peace at all in Lieyang City."

"Honestly, that scared me to death!"

Not long after leaving the Pitying Lord Pavilion, Xia Yi saw a crowd gathered ahead. Looking through the gaps, he spotted some familiar officers. Some were dispersing the crowd, while several others ran over with small buckets and splashed water over the bloodstains on the ground.

Searching among them, he found a familiar face wearing a miserable expression. Xia Yi walked over, and the crowd unwittingly opened a path for him.

"Prison Warden, what happened?"

Cui Prison Warden turned at the sound of his voice. Seeing Xia Yi, his dejected face practically sagged to the ground, but he forced himself to speak respectfully. "Oh, it's you, Senior. There was a killing here earlier. Some rich young gentleman from who knows where ran into an assassin wielding a powerful bow. Look, the arrow's still over there."

Xia Yi glanced over, his gaze lingering on the slash mark in the middle of the arrow, then surveyed the surroundings. Combining the bloodstains that had yet to be washed away with some other marks, he gradually reconstructed what had happened in his mind.

"What incisive swordsmanship."

"Ah, Senior, what did you say?"

"I said the killer was an expert swordsman, with surging Saint Soul power-at least five-star Jade Balance," Xia Yi said. "Where is he? Where did he go?"

The prison warden was stunned. F-five-star Jade Balance? Were five-star Jade Balance experts so commonplace now?

Excluding the Holy Academy, Lieyang City had only six. Oh, no, only four remained now.

Where had another one sprung from?

Privately relieved that he had not stopped the man earlier, he said, "That young gentleman had a token belonging to Prefect Sun Sheng. I didn't dare stop him, so I let him leave. He only just left. Huh, I remember now! I was wondering why the boy with him looked so familiar. Wasn't he with you at Wangjiang Tower a few days ago?"

Wangjiang Tower? With me? Shi Lai?!

"The one with the delicate features who looks a little dim-witted?"

I was too embarrassed to describe him that way... The prison warden fell speechless for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

Shi Lai was still here. Would he know about that female Player who had sold herself into a brothel? If he did not... Xia Yi asked, "Where did they go?"

Near the Xiyuan Marquis Residence.

"Little Brother Shi Lai, let me tell you, Master Tian has always been cold on the outside but warm at heart. If you hadn't been able to block that arrow just now, he would've blocked it for you."

If Shi Lai had not already died once, he might have believed that. "Oh, it's fine, it's fine. I can block a little trick like that without even trying."

"Speaking of which, who are you? Why would someone try to assassinate you?"

"Ah, a misfortune in the family. I have a few brothers who want me dead. It's fine. Assassination attempts like this aren't frequent, so don't worry, Little Brother Shi Lai." As the young gentleman spoke, he looked ahead and abruptly froze!

His gaze suddenly became transfixed by the two stone guard statues outside the Xiyuan Marquis Residence.

Someone had deliberately damaged the once-valiant, imposing guard statues, smashing one eye on each. Only their single remaining eyes gazed this way.

The longer he looked, the eerier they seemed. The young gentleman felt his mind being sucked into them. The world before his eyes twisted and turned upside down, and his head swam. Alarmed, he desperately summoned his Saint Soul power to struggle free.

"Hm?" Tian Qi was the first to notice something wrong with him. Looking into the distance, his expression changed. He immediately placed a hand on the young gentleman's shoulder and was about to jolt him awake with Saint Soul power when he suddenly felt himself being targeted. His mind jolted, and he returned his hand to his sword hilt, saying in a low voice,

"That old woman actually came herself. Hu Er, Hu Si, don't look at the stone guards. Find a way to wake the young master!"

No sooner had he warned them than his heart lurched. Hu Si looked straight over in curiosity and froze the next instant, just like the young gentleman. Tian Qi silently cursed the fool.

Shi Lai did exactly the same thing.

[You have been affected by the five-star Saint Soul, Stone Man's Single Eye, and have lost the ability to move.][Your level is too low to recover on your own. Without external assistance, your soul will leave your body and you will die in 10 minutes.]

"Fuck, what the hell! Do I have to reload a save again? My score's going to be gone!"

The last guard, Hu Er, was somewhat more reliable. He hurriedly lowered his gaze and called to the young gentleman.

A hundred meters away, on a rooftop, a gray-haired old woman held an enormous bow. With a wall between them, she aimed at Tian Qi with her eyes closed, her expression intent.

She was also the reason Tian Qi dared not act rashly.

The situation reached a temporary stalemate. The next moment, the old woman suddenly sensed someone watching her from the side, and her attention wavered slightly. An instant later, she twisted aside in alarm as a blade of sword energy cut through the wall, sliced off a lock of her hair, and burst in the sky!

Behind the wall, Tian Qi attacked with his sword. She gave an irritated grunt and swiftly retreated, casually drawing her bow and shooting at the person who had distracted her!

The arrow spun, cracking with an explosive report. Its initial speed almost broke the sound barrier, and in an instant, it was about to skim past Xia Yi's shoulder.

Clearly, she had deliberately aimed wide, intending only to scare Xia Yi and vent her anger at being disturbed. Xia Yi frowned slightly. His right hand blurred as he tapped the middle of the arrow. An illusory track formed, and he spun, guiding the arrow through more than half a circle before sending it back at the old woman!

Likewise, he deliberately aimed a little wide.

"Railroad Speed?!"

The old woman exclaimed softly in surprise. Her longbow swayed, and the returning arrow struck its string with a snap, flipped over, and bounced straight back into the quiver on her back. Then she rolled aside somewhat awkwardly, dodging another streak of sword energy. Moving nimbly, she swiftly disappeared into the streets and alleys.

[Name: Yang Xi]

[Age: 195]

[Level: 312 (six-star Kaiyang)]

[Faction: Human Race]

[Saint Soul: Bow Scripture (two-star)

Mastery: sixth tier, level 188]

[???]

[Threat level: High]

Xia Yi lowered his bamboo hat and withdrew his gaze, then looked toward the middle-aged-looking man, who hesitated, abandoned the pursuit, glanced at him, and hurried back.

[Name: Tian Qi]

[Age: 132]

[Level: 321 (six-star Kaiyang)]

[Saint Soul: Sword Scripture (two-star)

Mastery: sixth tier, level 200 (max)]

[???]

[Threat level: High]

"Where did these two come from? The swordsman should be the one who killed someone earlier. As for the archer, her bowstring seems to be made from the sinew of a great dragon demon. In this era, something like that should be very rare..."

Murmuring in surprise, Xia Yi followed the middle-aged man toward the Xiyuan Marquis Residence.

Outside the Xiyuan Marquis Residence, Tian Qi placed a hand on the young gentleman's shoulder, his expression serious, and poured all his Saint Soul power into him. A few seconds later, he shouted in a low voice.

"Young master, wake up!!"

"Urgh!" The young gentleman swayed and shook his head hard, slowly recovering his senses, still shaken. "I fell for it in a moment of carelessness. What Saint Soul is this?"

"Oh, Little Brother Shi Lai fell for it too. Master Tian, help him quickly!"

Tian Qi said nothing. Holding his sword sheath, he watched the approaching Xia Yi warily. "Young master, he should be Yi Xia, the unknown six-star Kaiyang who killed Lieyang City's Jiedushi, Feng Shuhu."

"Ah?" The young gentleman immediately turned toward Xia Yi and said respectfully, "I sensed something earlier. If you hadn't distracted Senior Yang Xi, Master Tian would've been held up by her, and I really might have been in trouble... Thank you for getting us out of that predicament, Senior!"

"You're welcome. Where are you from?" Xia Yi asked. Curling his index finger slightly, he approached and flicked the back of Shi Lai's head with a thwack.

"What are you spacing out for, kid?"

"He's been affected by..."

"Ow, that hurts, that hurts!" Shi Lai clutched his head and hopped about, interrupting Tian Qi.

Tian Qi paused, surprise flashing in his eyes.

He had undone the effects of the Stone Man's Single Eye Saint Soul with a single flick of his finger? Was he so confident that he would not accidentally harm the boy's brain, making such a difficult feat look effortless?

Compared with how Tian Qi had exerted himself fully just now... the difference was immediately clear!