"Do you plan on standing in our way?" one of them hissed.
"That's not up to me to decide," the hooded person replied sharply.
The Humming Swordsmen hesitated. A Perception Realm Master archer holding their rears was the worst possible outcome. If they tried pursuing Chang and Tai again, who knows what might happen? Although both sides were Perception Realms, the one with the stronger senses would prevail! It was that simple. But the inverse was also a problem. If they decided to retaliate against this master first, that would be putting the carriage before the horse. They would lose sight of their targets and become embroiled in a potentially dangerous or hopeless situation. It was an excellent stalemate.
"If you're here, then that means the Imperial Council is planning to make a move?" the other swordsman narrowed his eyes. "Why are you helping the Imperial Princesses' Protectors?"
"I'm not obligated to answer your questions."
"…You're right. No matter the reason, we're enemies now. Just know that the Humming Swordsmen aren't to be taken lightly, Cardinal Hui Wai-Wing!"
Surprisingly, the hooded figure standing before them was Cardinal Hui Wai-Wing, the Captain of the Imperial Sentinels and the Four Cardinals! As the former leader of the emperor's personal guard, he was a genuine Perception Realm Master monster, standing near the peak of human potential! His individual prowess was so immense and formidable that people frequently called him the empire's strongest sentinel! People compared him to the kingdom's strongest knight, Sir Winstin Mormont, but the opinions were divided on who was stronger. Blessed with unparalleled senses, especially eyesight, he could see further and clearer than anyone else, and armed with his excellent marksmanship, he was regarded as the world's greatest archer. Cardinal Hui was a walking, breathing legend! In truth, both Cardinal Hui and Sir Winstin were grazing the level of Half-Instinct Realm, close to the great divide of Rank 3 King! If they were properly trained in Martial Energy, then they absolutely had the potential of charging for Rank 3 King!
Cardinal Hui's brow wrinkled at having his identity exposed, but he remained stoic and calm. As he expected, the Humming Swordsmen decided to attack him! The larger man started humming a strange song and synergized his motions with the dwarf. The two aimed to close the gap between them as soon as possible! Because once they entered close range, Cardinal Hui would lose! Their movements were swift as lightning as they sprinted from rooftop to rooftop. By alternating their speeds, weaving in and out of cover, and protecting each other's blind spots, it made it difficult for Cardinal Hui to find an opening. In the blind of an eye, they were almost upon the cardinal. However, the man snorted. His vast ocean of experience was not something that the Humming Swordsmen could compare to.
Raising his longbow at lightning speed while rushing backwards at the same time, he nocked an arrow. Perception Realm! He fully unleashed his aura and senses to their maximum, stifling the two swordsmen. It was like his aura was a razor-sharp blade that cut into their faces. It felt like there were no secrets in front of this man. He could see everything! They could tell he was ridiculously strong since their innate instincts were screaming for them to flee from this man. To incite this sort of reaction from their battle-hardened bodies showed how incredible Cardinal Hui was! They might be fast, but Cardinal Hui was even faster. With a mere blur of his hands, he let loose a slew of arrows in their direction.
Cardinal Hui sent two arrows, precisely when the tiniest window of opportunity appeared. It lasted for the briefest of moments before vanishing, but he captured it perfectly. Not even that, but he anticipated it ahead of time and timed his arrows to arrive exactly as the opening came! His level of combat awareness and sensory power was so unbelievable, such that the Humming Swordsmen were also caught off-guard. They hastily raised their swords to guard. When the arrows finally arrived though, they were shocked. It was too heavy! Their swords were pushed back as they resisted the unexpected force, which interrupted their momentum. Their attack was forcibly stopped by one move!
This made the Humming Swordsmen gloomy. They lived a free and unfettered life. They walked wherever they wanted, they ate whatever they wanted, and they slept with whoever they wanted. Naturally, everyone wanted to knock them down a peg and show them the true enormity of heaven and earth, but at the end of the day, no one could stop their rampant behavior. With few Perception Realm Experts in the world, their lawlessness was backed by their superior strength! No one was willing to stand in front of a Perception Realm, especially one from the Loon Family! Without challenge, their ego swelled out of control, and they greatly overestimated themselves.
For the first time though, they realized the vast difference between themselves and the truly strong! The 'two' arrows Cardinal Hui let loose were really half a dozen, loosed so quickly that they blurred together mid-flight into one. The technique was so sublime and perfect that Perception Realm Experts such as the Humming Swordsmen could not distinguish them. It had fooled Sir Winstin many times too during their fight! To trick Perception Realms to that extent revealed just how great Cardinal Hui's skills were! It was not something that the Humming Swordsmen could hope to match. As they say, after every mountain was an even bigger mountain. The pursuit of strength was endless! The swordsmen had no choice but to accept Cardinal Hui's legendary status. However, at the same time, their fighting spirit exploded! They wanted to scale this mountain and propel themselves to new heights!
Before the fight could restart again, the cardinal said, "I'm taking my leave here. It was neither my purpose nor my goal to fight you two."
"Wait!"
Sending them a piercing gaze, he continued, "I can roughly guess your plans. You want to lure me into a trap so the Loon Family can surround me, but I'm afraid that your hopes are too poorly placed."
"Are you suggesting that we can't beat you?" the dwarf snarled.
"Why hasn't the Loon Family arrived then?"
The other swordsman felt an ominous feeling and decided to investigate his surroundings more thoroughly. Since they were too focused on chasing Chang and Tai, and later Cardinal Hui, they had no idea what was happening around them. As his perception extended beyond, his expression rapidly turned ugly. He sensed multiple fights breaking out across the city, engaging with the Loon Family! And powerful auras swept through the night landscape, signifying that their opponents were not just the normal riffraff, but powerful Perception Realms! To mobilize that many strong combatants, there was only one culprit in mind: the Imperial Council! But why? Why were they striking now? What was the point in helping Chang and Tai?
"…He got away," the dwarf scoffed at Cardinal Hui slipping away, before sheathing his butterfly swords in a single smooth motion. "Should we pursue the Imperial Princesses' Protectors?"
Opening his eyes, his partner shook his head. "We have more important things to worry about than them. We need to fend off the Imperial Council's attack. Let's go!" The two then rushed to the closest battlefield.
At the forefront was Chang and Tai who were constantly focused on their surroundings, but no one was pursuing them anymore. Neither the Humming Swordsmen, the Blind Snake, nor the Spider Seven. No other Perception Realms stood in their way! Although the occasional patrol of guards would appear, they were Fundamental Realms at most. They might notice something awry, but at their strength, there was little they could offer to stop Chang and Tai. This made the two's journey almost carefree, which served to spike their concerns. The mysterious helper from before… It would be impossible not to recognize him, having served as the Imperial Princesses' Protectors for this long. They instantly knew it was Cardinal Hui Wai-Wing!
How could that man appear here? After Emperor Lianghu's death, the Four Cardinals sided with the Imperial Council and declared the Imperial Princesses traitors. According to their claims, the princesses conspired with the Alzar Kingdom in a plot to usurp the throne and kill their father! Both Cardinal Yongyu and Loujin were serving as the Prime Minister's Protectors now, whereas Cardinal Hui's whereabouts remained unknown. The Li Family thought he was on a top-secret mission, so who have thought he would emerge here to help Chang and Tai, nonetheless? As far as they knew, Cardinal Hui should be their enemy, but he helped fend off the Humming Swordsmen for them. What did that mean? What was happening?
Chang and Tai could also tell that there were dozens of powerful Perception Realms battling the Loon Family right now. However, this was neither their idea, nor the Imperial Princesses'. This went beyond their capability to do even if they wanted to! The two wavered. If the Imperial Council was behind this, then their goal must be either Imperian Qiang or the Imperial Princesses. Forget the letter, the princesses' safety was Chang and Tai's top priority! Their hesitation lasted for a fraction of a second before they decisively gave up and rushed back as fast as possible. They absolutely must not endanger the princesses! But holding the letter in his hands and remembering their firm resolve, Tai gritted his teeth in anger.