Diligent Governance Tower.
After Ye Xingge finished his match and received praise from the Emperor of Yan and the other officials, he changed into a clean robe with his servants because his clothes were torn, and then returned to his seat.
The dignitaries and nobles along the way greeted him, and three beautiful women among the female guests in the distance waved excitedly at him.
Especially the Great Beauty Luo, who was kissing her lips vigorously with the jade pendant. He could even feel the touch of her lips touching his and smell her fragrance. He also imagined the scene of eating melons.
As a result, Great Beauty Luo, blushed and quickly tossed the sign to the Baby Bunny.
"Hehe..."
Ye Xingge chuckled lightly, not wanting to rush over to ask for a reward. He sat down in front of his seat, intending to observe the talents of the young man. However, when he glanced at the small table in front of him, he sensed something was amiss.
The fruit platter and wine on the small table had clearly been changed, which seemed to be a normal act by the servants. However, there were some wine stains on the black lacquered table that were not yet dry, which looked like wine had been accidentally spilled. It was not obvious, but such a basic mistake should not have been made by the eunuchs of the imperial city.
Moreover, upon closer inspection, the wine stain even resembles an arrowhead.
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Ye Xingge noticed the anomaly and immediately realized—it must be a spy from the Mountains and Rivers Association alerting him!
He was personally selected by the Emperor of Yan to sit at the very front of the many noble families, near the Diligent Governance Tower. Moreover, Duke Zhang, Cao Xiong, and other top-ranking old devils were watching his every move intently, so the secret agents of the Mountains and Rivers Association had no chance to make contact with him.
His departure from his seat to compete had drawn everyone's attention.
An informant could tamper with the seat, and if there were an assassin, that would be the time to infiltrate.
Thinking of this, Ye Xingge calmly swept across the table to wipe away the wine stains, then followed the arrow to check, only to find that it pointed to Chen Xiaobao's seat, but Chen Xiaobao was nowhere to be seen.
Could Chen Xiaobao be an assassin...?
Surely not...
Ye Xingge frowned slightly and scanned the area behind the guest seats. He quickly spotted Chen Xiaobao in the back corridor, with his hands behind his back, strolling towards the end of the corridor. Halfway there, he slightly turned his body, as if trying to check the activity in a room.
Ye Xingge carefully observed Chen Xiaobao's movements, then quickly got up, passed through the seats, and strode towards the west corridor.
"Lord Ye... eh?"
The scions of prominent families around them, who were eager to curry favor with him, were all bewildered when they saw Ye Grand Duke Jupiter walk past them without a word.
And Diligent Governance Tower.
The officials in the corridor were all whispering and chatting, while Emperor of Yan had returned to his throne and was watching the remaining talents compete.
Because Ye Xingge's performance was so explosive, the current chaotic punches seemed to have no appeal to Emperor of Yan, and his attention was focused on Ye Xingge.
As Ye Xingge rose from his seat, the Emperor of Yan naturally noticed.
Murong Xie glanced over as well, initially assuming he was going to relieve himself or something.
But looking further ahead, they saw a young man sneaking around in the corridor on the west side of the square, his movements resembling a cat catching a mouse.
Seeing this, the Emperor of Yan inquired:
"Is that Chen Baihe's grandson, Chen Xiaobao?"
"Indeed, I'm currently working in the Inspection Bureau, and I even accomplished something a few days ago...?"
Before he could finish speaking, a commotion arose in the distance...
"Hmm hmm hmm~..."
Chen Xiaobao pretended to be taking a walk, tilting his head back and looking around as if surveying the room.
As you get closer, you can see that the room is filled with spare tables and seats, and the lights are on inside, but you can't see anyone.
Seeing this, Chen Xiaobao pressed himself against the wall and tiptoed to the outside of the room, intending to peek inside.
But as soon as he peeked out from the doorway, he saw a hand reach out like a ghost from the side of the door, grabbing directly at his throat. The movement was extremely subtle, causing only a barely audible sound.
Whew~
Caught off guard, Chen Xiaobao felt a chill run down his spine, but before he could even react, the claw was already upon him!
In that instant, a series of images flashed through Chen Xiaobao's mind.
But to his utter surprise, when the hand was still more than a foot away, an arm shot out from the side of his head, its five fingers like iron claws, directly gripping the man's wrist.
Bang!
With a slight thud, Chen Xiaobao instinctively stepped back, only to crash into a chest as solid as a city wall!
Looking back, he saw a brocade robe with cloud patterns right behind him, just inches away. The person raised one hand and grabbed the assassin's arm, the arm exuding the strength of a horse that could run across it. Above that was a face with sword-like eyebrows as black as ink!
Because the other person was half a head taller, with a majestic figure and impressive arm span, coupled with a calm and composed expression and a rock-solid demeanor.
He looks just like his long-lost godfather!
But Chen Xiaobao clearly didn't have time to acknowledge his father at that moment.
Thud--
The moment Chen Xiaobao collided with the figure, he was thrown two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) away by the immense force, landing in a daze.
The next instant, the doorway exploded open.
Ye Xingge grabbed the hand, trying to pull the figure out, but the three-inch green light pierced through the wooden door and headed straight for the heart!
Sigh~
Although he used a dagger, his moves were clearly those of the Northern ' Pure Yang Nine Palaces Sword,' exactly the same style as the swordsman he encountered in Tangchi.
Upon seeing this, Ye Xingge immediately leaned back and turned to the Ye Xingge's throat.
Swallows Flying Together?
Even though Ye Xingge dodged extremely quickly, the flying dagger still tore through the shoulder of his robe. As he pressed down, he swept his leg and smashed the door panel, pulling the assassin out from behind the door. At the same time, he delivered a powerful elbow strike to the back of the head with his left hand.
Thump~
The assassin, dressed in a eunuch's robe, was not particularly skilled in martial arts. He almost immediately lost his strength and was pinned to death in the corridor.
Sasa sasa~
The next instant, a spinning dagger came from behind. Ye Xingge dodged it, and the dagger swept across his head and embedded itself in a vermilion pillar.
Thump!
The commotion under the corridor immediately caused a stir in the square. Countless guests turned around, the fighting on the stage stopped, and the imperial guards outside the corridor turned around to investigate.
Several whooshing sounds also rang out from the surrounding area.
rustling sound--
Mei Wuchang, Ruan Jinyu, and Gongsun Yanwu moved with incredible speed, almost disappearing from their seats and reappearing in front of the corridor.
In addition, dozens of imperial guards emerged from various places and surrounded the area.
Near the Diligent Governance Tower, countless imperial guards also swarmed out, guarding the steps of the high building and protecting important court officials Chancellor Li.
There was even an imperial bodyguard, holding a knife as if facing a formidable enemy, protecting Zhang Zhiqing, who ranked among the three masters!
While his professionalism is commendable, it did indeed leave Old Master Yan shrug and displaying a speechless expression.
And in the long corridor.
Ye Xingge pinned the assassin down and disarmed him of his right-hand dagger. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed another figure standing just inches away.
The figure was dressed in a dark blue Qilin robe, with Qilin double maces hanging horizontally at his waist. His figure was extremely heroic, like an iron tower standing beside him.
Because the appearance was so sudden and without any warning, Ye Xingge was startled. However, upon seeing the Qilin double maces at his waist, he recognized the newcomer. Seeing the assassin stunned, he stood up and bowed.
General Cao.
Cao Xiong's hands hung naturally at his sides as he looked down at the assassin lying on the ground and the two daggers scattered on either side. His face was as black as coal.
The assassin, struck in the back of the head, struggled weakly, and blood appeared under his head.
But it was clearly not Ye Xingge who killed it. Rather, it was poisoned and killed itself as soon as it realized it had been exposed, without uttering a sound from beginning to end.
Even without Cao Xiong, Ye Xingge could tell that these were elite assassins trained from childhood, not just some random wandering warriors.
Tap tap...
After Ye Xingge bowed, before Cao Xiong could speak, a flurry of footsteps could be heard in the distance.
The imperial guards cordoned off the area around the long corridor, and a hundred dancers returned to the stage to continue playing music and dancing, in order to prevent foreign envoys, officials, and guests from becoming flustered.
The Emperor of Yan, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, Chancellor Li, in a round-necked purple robe, passed through the Imperial Guards and approached.
Also present were senior officials such as Zhang Zhiqing, the Heaven-Observing Decree; Cui Fo, the Grand Secretary; Wang Jinzhong, the Duke Who Protects the State; Yan Tong, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy; and Xiao Bieli, the Prince of the County.
At this moment, the Emperor of Yan remained silent, only frowning as he observed the scene.
Li Yuntu asked first:
" Duke Cao, what's going on?"
Cao Xiong knew exactly what was going on—he knew someone was plotting against him, and he had personally been keeping watch today, yet the assassin still managed to enter the palace and was only a hundred paces away from the Diligent Governance Tower where the Emperor of Yan was located.
This isn't a matter of being framed, but a matter of ability. If he weren't First Rank and the emperor's father-in-law, he would have lost his head on the spot.
Cao Xiong paused for a moment, then sighed softly:
"It was Cao's oversight."
Old Master Yan stroked his beard, pondering for a moment:
" Duke Cao will probably have to explain these two daggers."
Ye Xingge stood to the side, facing this group of older folks, who belonged to the group of people who were nineteen years old that year, standing there like lackeys.
However, he understood the meaning behind Old Master Yan's question.
The so-called " Swallows Flying Together " is just a nickname given haphazardly by people in the martial arts world to the famous soldier of the River-Spanning Pavilion; it's also known as "mother and daughter doing that..."
However, the official name for this type of famous soldier is ' Green Water Beetle Twin Stingers '.
The green caterpillar is an aquatic insect. Legend has it that the mother and child are of one mind. If the eggs are taken away, the mother caterpillar will come to see them no matter how far away they are.
The advantage of such renowned soldiers is that they can pull back any dagger that flies out, making them top-tier soldiers skilled in both close and long-range combat.
Just now, the assassin used his right-hand dagger to pull the blade out of his sleeve, then used inertia to slash it over his head before pulling it back again.
But the problem with this famous weapon is not its function, but its origin.
There's more than one weapon with the same miraculous power. The one at the River-Spanning Pavilion is truly called " Swallows Flying Together," with two daggers of different colors—the larger one is a darker shade, and the smaller one a lighter shade...