Trump cards

"Hurry, hurry, they're just ahead."

Several groups of people, carrying torches, moved through the dense forest, their weapons in hand, running like the wind.

Among them were spies of the Prince of Huai, heretical Daoists from the Earth Sect, and martial arts practitioners who took advantage of the chaos in the streets, hoping for Law Artifact as rewards. Of course, there were also members of the Martial Alliance like Young Master Liu and Rongrong.

And some chivalrous individuals who were only there to join in the fun, but actually intended to support Xu Yinluo.

Li Miaozhen and the others managed to hold off the fourth-rank experts, but they were unable to stop all of their subordinates and disciples.

A battle broke out in the town. Upon learning of the situation, all parties instinctively left the town to search for Xu Qi'an and the mysterious young master.

"Hurry up and follow! If you're too late, Xu Qi'an will be killed by that person himself. Do you still want the Law Artifact?"

Would killing Xu Yinluo be a grave taboo?

"What's there to be afraid of? I've already disguised myself. Nobody gets rich without some kind of windfall. If you want to get ahead, you always have to take an unconventional approach."

"That's right. The only problem now is that Xu Yinluo has most likely been killed. Tsk, those two experts beside that young master are extremely skilled."

"Master, the sect leader of the Divine Fist Sect and the sect leader of the Ink Pavilion have both stepped forward. You'll be helping Xu Yinluo later, won't you?"

Rongrong tried her best to keep up with her host and didn't fall behind. Although her host could slow down, she was still struggling.

Xiao Yuenu moved with agility, leaping continuously, her voice clear and cold. "Our martial arts alliance desires the Nine-Colored Lotus. Treasures belong to the capable. However, obtaining heavenly materials and earthly treasures is my fortune, losing it is my fate, and Xu Yinluo..."

"Hmm?" Rongrong looked at the poster.

Xiao Yuenu smiled sweetly, "And there is only one Xu Yinluo. How many years has the Great Feng produced only one Xu Qi'an? It would be too boring to lose him here."

"So hurry up and catch up, or Xu Yinluo will be in danger."

On one side is a mysterious young man with two peak fourth-rank attendants and a wealth of Law Artifact; on the other side is Xu Qi'an, whose companions have all stayed in the town to delay, leaving him with at most one helper.

It's easy to imagine which way the scales of victory would tip.

Rongrong laughed and nodded vigorously.

Following the fluctuations in the air, the deafening explosions, and the twang of ballistae, these groups of people quickly arrived at the battlefield.

Rongrong suddenly noticed that the young master Xiao in front of her had stopped. The stunning beauty's body stiffened visibly, and she stood there stunned, as if she had seen something unbelievable.

Surprisingly, the elders of Wan Hua Lou, including Rongrong's master, all reacted in the same way.

Rongrong's gaze swept past them and looked towards the arena.

She immediately understood why. Under the deep darkness of night, a young man dressed in black, with his hair tied in a high ponytail, held a slightly curved, narrow-bladed knife in one hand and a blood-soaked head in the other.

He was an arrogant and extravagant young man during the day.

He's dead?!

Rongrong's pupils contracted, and her rosy lips parted slightly. This was different from what she had expected, and different from what the poster and most people had thought.

People kept rushing out of the woods and onto the hillside, only to find that the battle had already ended.

The head of that mysterious, high-profile young man, whose background must be incredibly powerful, was held in Xu Yinluo's hand, bringing a huge shock to everyone.

Xu Qi'an saw a group of people emerging from the dense forest, about a hundred people, belonging to different factions.

He gestured in that direction, his gaze sharp as a knife. "Who else wants to kill me?"

The assembled heroes fell silent; no one dared to answer.

This included Daoist priests from the Earth Sect and spies of the Prince of Huai.

They harbored intense murderous intent towards Xu Qi'an, but dared not step forward to court death.

Xu Qi'an chuckled and ignored it, squinting as he examined the battle on both sides.

"He... he actually died at Xu Yinluo's hands."

"I thought he was so strong, issuing such a high-profile bounty. I had already decided to risk everything to kill Xu Yinluo."

"Pah, useless thing."

Those Rogue Person decided to take the risk had extremely complex expressions.

Those who were worried about Xu Qi'an, including the Rogue Person and members of the martial arts alliance, breathed a sigh of relief, followed by gasps of amazement.

"Good riddance! We underestimated Xu Yinluo. Since he dared to come to our door, he must have something to rely on!" a man laughed loudly.

"I thought his companions had all stayed in the town. Xu Yinluo is truly something else; I worried for nothing. Hmm, who is that white-robed Warlock? And who is that beauty? She's actually fighting a fourth-rank martial artist to a standstill."

"Don't be too happy yet. Those two are peak fourth-rank experts. As long as we can keep them occupied and wait for our Earth Sect elders to arrive, the outcome is still uncertain," a young Earth Sect disciple said in a deep voice.

His eyes were cold and filled with malice.

A secret agent shrouded in black robes slowly said, "Actually, it's better that he's dead. It doesn't affect the overall situation; on the contrary, it will likely provoke those two experts to seek revenge at all costs."

Xu Qi'an watched the battle with a cold eye, his thoughts racing.

A quarter of an hour passed. In another quarter of an hour, the fatigue from the Heaven and Earth Slash would be doubled by the backlash from the Confucian School Law Technique. Meanwhile, in the town, only Li Miaozhen and Chu Yuanzhen possessed fourth-grade combat power; Lina and Master Hengyuan were somewhat lacking. I couldn't afford to delay any longer; I had to finish this quickly.

However, a peak fourth-rank martial artist is too difficult to kill; it's possible that a battle might continue until dawn without a clear victor.

Xu Qi'an's eyes flashed, and he quickly came up with an idea. He raised Qiu Qian's head high and loudly mocked him:

"The saying goes, 'A subject dies for his master.' You two, your master's head has been severed by me. How can you still have the face to live in this world? Quickly commit suicide to atone for your sins. Or, you want revenge? Then come on, if you have the guts, kill me."

The best way to provoke them is to mercilessly mock them by hitting their sore spots.

To amplify the effect and incite hatred, he deliberately adopted a smug and conceited demeanor.

As expected, the two giants were enraged. They also understood that defeating a Golden Gong and a fourth-rank Warlock would be extremely difficult, while killing Xu Qi'an would be much easier.

It can also avenge the young master.

At that moment, one ignored the bombardment, and the other ignored Jinluo Nangong Qianrou's frantic counterattack, even sacrificing injury to gain a chance to escape. Together, they tacitly attacked Xu Qi'an from the left and right.

"I'm caught between two men," Xu Qi'an said solemnly and calmly. When the two high-ranking martial artists closed the distance to within a foot of him at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, he murmured:

"I am behind the Left Envoy, imprisoned."

He quickly spouted two plausible boasts, then vanished. The two burly men froze slightly, but that was all; the binding effect was not achieved.

But for Xu Qi'an, this fleeting opportunity was a chance he absolutely had to seize.

In the brief moment when the two envoys froze, Xu Qi'an appeared behind the left envoy and flung out a yellow sword talisman.

A flash of light appeared and vanished in the blink of an eye.

The bodies of the left and right envoys suddenly separated; their lower bodies were still running wildly, while their upper bodies collapsed, their organs spilling out onto the ground.

Their lower bodies collided, and they fell to the ground together, their legs kicking weakly.

A few seconds later, a deafening roar of a mountain collapsing echoed from the far distance. The power of the Human Sect Leader's sword strike was terrifying indeed.

"You, you"

Even though he had been cut in half at the waist, the Left Envoy was still alive, his eyes wide open, staring at Xu Qi'an with hatred.

Xu Qi'an wisely retreated, not giving the two a chance to retaliate.

A fourth-rank martial artist possesses extremely strong vitality; as long as he is not dead, he may be able to kill him in return. Xu Qi'an would not make the elementary mistake of becoming complacent.

"I have the Supervisor as my backer, a powerful figure within me, and a talisman sword given to me by my kind aunt. Who have I ever feared when it comes to backing up?" Xu Qi'an glanced mockingly at the Left Envoy, and right in front of him, smashed Qiu Qian's head into a pulp with a single palm strike.

You fool, even if you were the Great Feng of Dafeng, you wouldn't stand a chance against me.

The left envoy's eyes were bulging as if they were about to burst.

Nangong Qianrou appeared before the Left Envoy, kicking his head until it exploded, severing his last chance of life. Then, she spun around, raised her leg high, and stomped down, crushing the Right Envoy's head as well.

Phew, not bad at getting the kills. Xu Qi'an was completely relieved and smiled at him.

Nangong Qianrou gave her a cold look and responded with a sneer.

If Yang Qianhuan's involvement was a sudden, accidental inspiration, then Nangong Qianrou was one of Xu Qi'an's trump cards and the key figure in his entire plan tonight.

With a score of 3 to 2, Qiu Qian would inevitably be confident that victory was assured.

Qiu Qian's suggestion to go it alone is the best proof of this.

Of course, if Qiu Qian doesn't choose to fight alone, then Xu Qi'an will have Nangong Qianrou launch a sneak attack on the Right Envoy, while he and Yang Qianhuan will work together to kill the Right Envoy first.

Having a trump card up one's sleeve allows for flexible and varied tactics.

"Quite a few Law Artifact."

Nangong Qianrou took the leather pouches hanging from the waists of the two envoys, unfolded them, glanced at them, and her beautiful eyes lit up.

One serving per person, don't be greedy, give one serving to Yang Qianhuan.

Xu Qi'an also bent down and picked up Qiu Qian's leather bag and the Moon Shadow Sword.

After the three finished dividing the spoils, Yang Qianhuan put away all the cannons and ballistae on the scene, placed his hands on the shoulders of the two men, and gently stomped his foot.

They disappeared from everyone's sight.

After a long while, several powerful auras arrived, namely the Secret Agents Tianji and Tianshu, and six Daoists in the colors of "red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, and blue".

When they saw the three dismembered and beheaded bodies, they knew the outcome was irreversible.

Suppressing his anger, Tianji demanded, "Why hasn't the leader of the Earth Sect made a move?"

The eldest Daoist, Crimson Lotus, said in a low voice, "Have you forgotten that mysterious expert who appeared in Chu Prefecture? What if the Daoist Master makes a move, and that mysterious expert follows suit? The Daoist Master's clone will be used to compete for the lotus seeds."

Tianji's expression froze.

The female spy, Tian Shu, said angrily, "What have you three been doing?"

Upon hearing this, Daoist Chilian became even more enraged, gritting his teeth. "The Pavilion Master of the Ink Pavilion and the leader of the Divine Fist Gang have blocked our way. These crude martial artists are tough and difficult to deal with."

Tian Shu stopped speaking, glanced at the group of people at the edge of the dense forest, and sighed, "After tonight, these wandering Rogue Person will never dare to be enemies with Xu Qi'an again."

"Many factions within the Martial Arts Alliance will also be divided as a result, with a large portion withdrawing; the situation is not good."

The Lotus Daoists of the Earth Sect felt a chill in their hearts.

Yuezhi Mountain Villa.

The array patterns engraved on the ground lit up one by one, and the clear light condensed, revealing three figures within the array.

Master Jinlian, Daoist Bailian, and thirty-four disciples of the Heaven and Earth Society silently guarded the formation. Upon seeing this, they immediately surrounded them.

Qiu Chanyi rushed to the front, her beautiful eyes gazing at him tenderly. "Young Master Xu, how is it?"

After asking the question, she held her breath, looking very nervous.

The other disciples also watched Xu Qi'an nervously, awaiting his reply.

"Kill them!" Xu Qi'an nodded.

Cheers erupted instantly, and the disciples of the Heaven and Earth Society beamed with smiles, but tears welled in their eyes.

Qiu Chanyi looked at him with joy, her eyes filled with admiration.

Master Jinlian asked, "What about those two fourth-rank cultivators?"

Xu Qi'an nodded.

"That's good then." The Daoist priest smiled.

"It's not good."

Xu Qi'an pushed past his disciples and ordered, "Prepare healing pills, food, hot water, and clean clothes. Daoist Master, prepare to save me."

He stumbled and fell to the ground.

Everyone was shocked. The cheers stopped abruptly as they were astonished to find that Xu Yinluo's face had turned pale, his eyes were cloudy, his skin had become dry and dull, and his limbs were convulsing violently.

His breathing dropped drastically, and his heartbeat and breathing nearly stopped.

This is a sign of dying from exhaustion.

The backlash from Confucian School and Law Technique caused the draining of energy in "Heaven and Earth Slash" to escalate into death from exhaustion.

Qiu Chanyi screamed and rushed to Xu Qi'an's side, her face pale with fright.

Master Jinlian strode forward, first checking Xu Qi'an's breathing, then taking his pulse, and found that all of Xu Qi'an's internal organs were showing signs of failure.

Life was rapidly slipping away.

"Go and fetch the potent tonic pills, and go and retrieve the blood ginseng I've been hoarding." Master Jinlian issued a series of orders.

Nangong Qianrou bent down, took Xu Qi'an's other hand, and gently channeled her energy into him to nourish his body.

The disciples of the Heaven and Earth Society immediately sprang into action, their expressions filled with fear and anxiety. The female disciples wiped away their tears in fear, lest something happen to Xu Yinluo.

When Xu Qi'an woke up, it was late at night.

The night was quiet, with the sharp chirping of insects coming from outside the gauze window. An oil lamp sat on a small wooden table, its dim light casting an orange glow on the room.

He saw a beautiful woman in a white dress sitting at the table, her chin resting on her hand, looking at him listlessly.

"Hey, you're awake!"

The woman in the white dress said.

Her voice wasn't the sweet, crisp tone of a young girl; it carried a hint of languor and coquettishness.

Xu Qi'an closed his eyes, opened them again, and closed them again, repeating this several times.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Perhaps I opened my eyes wrong, but the person who was by my side while I was unconscious was you."

Even if you open your eyes a thousand times, you'll still see me.

Su Su said coquettishly, "You don't like me here, do you? Or would you rather have that little girl who's always crying and wants to stay and take care of you? Hmm, her name is Qiu Chanyi, right?"

"Xu Qi'an, you're really something, wherever you go, you attract all sorts of romantic entanglements. Are you some kind of stud horse from the countryside, meant for breeding?"

"In fact, the number of women I've had deep and meaningful conversations with, and who have achieved a friendly, platonic relationship with, is very small." Xu Qi'an, supporting his weary body, sat up and said irritably:

"What are you sitting there for? Get me a glass of water, I'm thirsty."

Although Su Su verbally criticized him, she behaved very obediently and immediately poured him a glass of water.

"You can't assume the problem lies with me just because I'm charming and girls always like me. That's a classic case of victim-blaming."

Xu Qi'an relieved his parched throat, handed the teacup back to Su Su, and asked, "Why are you the one watching over me?"

Su Su sat on the edge of the bed, holding a teacup, and rolled her eyes coquettishly. "Master said I am your concubine. My husband is injured, so of course a concubine should take off her clothes and take care of him by the bedside."

So they sent that cicada-feathered girl away and left me here to take care of you.

Sending away a beautiful young girl and leaving behind a paper doll to take care of me. Xu Qi'an felt that Li Miaozhen had malicious intentions and asked:

How long was I unconscious?

He clenched his fist, feeling somewhat weak, knowing this was a side effect of his body being completely drained.

However, the fact that he was able to make up for the loss and wake up within an hour indicates that he had used a lot of miraculous medicines.

"Please thank Master Jinlian for me. You must have spent quite a bit of good stuff," Xu Qi'an said with a smile.

Su Su tilted her head and pouted, "This Heaven and Earth Society is dirt poor. If you let them treat you, you won't wake up tomorrow. It was that mentally unstable Warlock who saved you."

"Senior Brother Yang?"

Xu Qi'an was taken aback, then remembered that in the practice of healing and saving lives, even a Daoist priest couldn't compare to Warlock, so he nodded.

"However, the Heaven and Earth Society did its best, obtaining the best elixirs and blood ginseng to save you, but that mentally ill Warlock said: 'A Daoist is just a Daoist, so poor that he deserves pity.'"

"Then, I took out a pill and fed it to you. I heard it's a top-grade pill as precious as the Blood Embryo Pill," Su Su said.

Warlock are really rich, just like the Human Sect, they're all big spenders. Xu Qi'an imagined the scene and thought to himself that Senior Brother Yang really enjoyed showing off this time.

One link after another.

"Susu, I'm fine now. You can go out now. Okay, stay outside and don't let anyone disturb me," Xu Qi'an instructed.

"I'm not even your concubine yet, and you're already ordering me around like this," Su Su said unhappily.

"Go quickly!"

Xu Qi'an slapped her paper-thin bottom.

After Su Su closed the door and left, Xu Qi'an took off the sachet from his waist, untied the knot, and released Qiu Qian's soul.

P. S.: Double monthly votes start after midnight, please give me some. Thank you everyone.