Fourteen men closed in step by step from three directions.
The fierce horse neighed loudly. Under Chen Yi's reins, it actually lowered its head and charged forward heedlessly.
Its charge looked ready to punch through a battle line-how could they not fear it? Though every member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard knew martial arts, they were still flesh and blood. Those blocking the way stepped aside, then swung their sabers at Chen Yi.
Chen Yi suddenly exerted force through his saber hand, tracing an arc through the air. A line of blood had already appeared across the throat of the nearest guard on his right.
A blade came slashing from behind, whistling through the air. It struck his back, instantly splitting his official robes, yet his back was like iron, leaving only a faint bloody mark.
Chen Yi abruptly twisted sideways and reached out with his left hand. The other man could not dodge in time. Chen Yi clamped down hard on the guard's head, shoved it outward, then delivered a punch with astonishing force. The bridge of the man's nose snapped instantly, and blood drenched his features.
"He's on horseback! Cut the horse's legs!"
Wang Gu roared.
Several guards surrounded him, all slashing at the fierce horse's four legs. Chen Yi slapped the horse with his saber. The horse surged forward, and every blade missed.
A guard with a tiger's back and a wasp's waist immediately vaulted onto a horse and charged at Chen Yi with a roar.
Chen Yi turned his horse and stopped sharply, its four legs skidding in a circle across the ground. He raised his saber to block. The two blades collided with a thunderous crash, and Chen Yi lifted his hand and drove a fist into the guard's chest.
It was like a mighty mountain shaking.
The guard's expression froze, and then he fell limply from his horse.
Chen Yi took the man's saber with one hand and hurled it backhanded at another guard attacking him.
The man clearly had not anticipated this blow. After a flurry of confusion, Chen Yi took his head.
In a short span of time, several guards had lost their lives.
The others could not help trembling with fear.
Wang Gu mounted with his saber in hand. Not daring to be overconfident, he let out an angry roar.
He charged straight at Chen Yi. Chen Yi was about to raise his saber to slash when Wang Gu leaped from his horse and hurtled straight into him.
The solid impact knocked Chen Yi off his horse. He rolled across the ground as the guards pressed in with their long sabers.
Chen Yi braced a hand against the ground behind him, his eyes cold and murderous, and raised his saber to block. But though he blocked one man, several others brought their blades down.
Their blades struck him, sending waves of searing pain through him and leaving bloody marks. His entire official uniform was shredded beyond recognition, yet their attacks still struggled to wound his flesh.
Chen Yi twisted his saber backhanded and abruptly swept it in a circle, a fierce blade shadow flashing past. The guards retreated one after another. Seizing the opening, he lunged at one of them and drove a fist toward his heart at point-blank range.
Crack, crack.
The sound of a breastbone shattering rang out.
Raising his saber and turning, Chen Yi delivered another slash at a guard attacking from behind.
Blood sprayed out, staining the front of Chen Yi's robes red.
Wang Gu stared at the scene with wide eyes. He had never imagined that fourteen guards could die so easily, one after another.
Was he... really just a Thousand Household?
How was he only a Thousand Household?!
Amid the scuffing of sand and stones and the faint sound of wind, the Infant Tower stood, accompanied by a few weak cries.
Chen Yi broke out of the encirclement and charged straight at Wang Gu.
There was no longer any room to turn things around. Wang Gu lifted his head and met him blade to blade.
Their weapons collided, driving Chen Yi half a step back, but he kept attacking. His blade moved like a dragon, tracing fierce shadows through the air.
Wang Gu attacked with tremendous force, using every skill he possessed and aiming straight for vulnerable places such as the throat and head. Chen Yi retreated step by step, seemingly avoiding the edge of his onslaught.
Suddenly, as one of Wang Gu's slashes missed, Chen Yi surged forward and planted a foot on the spine of his blade, leaving neither of them room to swing freely.
Wang Gu heaved upward with all his strength, but the Embroidered Spring Saber only trembled slightly and remained pinned. Chen Yi abruptly closed the distance. With a savage grin, he drove a fist into Wang Gu's face.
His features twisted, and a faint sound of cracking skull bones rang out.
Wang Gu's long saber flew from his hand, and his whole body hurtled backward. A seventh-rank martial artist, he was instantly left dizzy and reeling. Though he had not died, he had suffered a grievous injury.
With their leader down, the remaining guards shook with fear, while Chen Yi smiled.
He was grinning savagely.
When Min Ning hurried over with a group of Eastern Depot Agents, she found blood covering the ground in the dust-filled village. More than a dozen corpses lay there, while the few who had survived groaned in pain.
Leaning on his saber, Chen Yi looked down at the Eastern Depot Thousand Household on the ground with a broad smile.
He planted a foot on Wang Gu's chest, looked down, and said with a smile:
"The Lin faction bringing calamity upon the realm is no excuse for you to follow suit."
"I didn't care about the Ding'an faction before. Now you've made me pay it a little more attention."
Wang Gu's face stiffened, and he shouted:
"Make it quick!"
The words had barely left his mouth when Wang Gu screamed again.
Chen Yi had cut off his left arm outright. Blood flowed without stopping, while one hand remained pressed against his head, steadily drawing out true qi.
Wang Gu was terrified, but Chen Yi's face remained expressionless and unmoved.
"I'll have someone stop the bleeding in a moment, then apply wound medicine and send you safely back to Capital City."
"I've cut off your arm and spared your life. When you return to Capital City, tell the Ding'an faction, tell Prince Jing-tell them properly what happened today."
Wang Gu's face contorted as he stared fixedly at Chen Yi, his gaze seeming both unwilling to yield and afraid.
"Thousand Household Chen of the Western Depot... you can kill me, but you can't kill Prince Jing. You can deal with me, but you can't deal with the entire Ding'an faction!"
"Not just you-even if you commanded the entire Eastern Depot, you couldn't!"
Chen Yi did not answer. He only asked:
"Can you hear the crying in the Infant Tower?"
After a moment of bewilderment, Wang Gu shook his head.
"You can't? Then listen carefully. I'll kill those the Eastern Depot doesn't dare kill! I'll handle what the Eastern Depot doesn't dare handle!"
After speaking, Chen Yi casually tore off a strip of cloth, wiped the blood from his saber, and sheathed it.
Turning around, he saw the dumbstruck Min Ning and the group of Eastern Depot Agents.
Min Ning slowly dismounted. Looking at the corpses scattered across the ground, she seemed to recall that rainy night, and lingering fear kept stirring in her heart.
Why... had he killed so many Eastern Depot men?
What exactly was he plotting?
Min Ning could not stop shivering.
"Min Ning, you heard that, didn't you?"
Chen Yi said with a playful grin:
"Collect the bodies of our Eastern Depot brothers, then have someone take Wang Gu back."
After killing so many people... how could he still be smiling?!
Min Ning felt a wave of dread, her hair standing on end.
Following Min Ning's reaction.
[Grudge Yin-Yang Art: beginner proficiency. One hundred and twenty years of foreign true qi; thirty percent can be absorbed, yielding forty years of true qi. Reward for Min Ning's negative emotions: three years of true qi.]
After the true qi was converted, Chen Yi put away his playful grin and explained gently:
"It's a long story. They attacked first.
And the Infant Tower here was also the result of Wang Gu and the others deliberately allowing it."
Min Ning calmed down. She raised her head and saw the wooden Infant Tower.
Hearing the faint crying, her breath caught.
Chen Yi barked orders at the Eastern Depot Agents:
"If you recognize me as Acting Depot Lord, take every child out of that tower and bring them to the Foundling Hall. Be careful with each one. Don't hurt the children. I'll settle accounts with anyone who does.
"And drag out whoever took the lead in building the tower, along with their accomplices. Don't let a single one off. You'll be rewarded with silver when we return."
Min Ning was slightly taken aback, as though this was the first time she had seen Chen Yi like this.
Was he actually not that bad?
There will be another update at midnight tonight.
Before you continue