Jing Yue was quite upset.
He was one of the Seven Heroes of Sword Sect, and this was already the second time he had run off without thinking.
It's not like he wanted to leave them and escape. If the other Heroes had come in time, then he definitely would have stayed to fight, but…they hadn't come in time!
If it's true that one's courage and resolve is sharpened by swordsmanship, then his courage had long since eroded, and his resolve had long since weakened.
But he didn't regret it.
Wasn't being alive… a good thing?
He stepped down hard, and his Qi and blood exploded as he ran like crazy along the roof top, carrying his wooden sword box on his back. He was going to run far away from that Chen Manor, which was a highly controversial place.
As a Sixth Resonance Grandmaster swordsman, he was going to easily make his escape, unless Lu Fan decided to stop him... But he didn't think he would.
And he'd bet right. Lu Fan let him go, just like the last time.
He had flown past at least seven or eight rooftops when suddenly...
Jing Yue's heart jolted with surprise. As one of the Seven Heroes of Sword Sect, he was highly skilled. He quickly spun around on the spot, and his black robe flew about him.
His body spun sideways three times, and then his feet landed hard but steadily on the roof, and broke a black tile.
In front of him...
a beautiful figure was blocking his way.
The setting sun's rays shined on her fluttering long, white dress like blood. She looked like a deity.
Her hair was flying in the wind, and her eyes were as pretty as a picture.
She was incredibly beautiful. She looked as if she had walked right out of a painting.
Qi flowed around her and made her look even more like an immortal, as if she had fallen from the heavens.
Ning Zhao looked sternly at Jing Yue, and started activating her Spirit Qi.
She didn't have a sword in her hands, since her Cicada Wing Sword was inside the armrests of Lu Fan's wheelchair.
"Young Master is at Chen Manor, while you have left Chen Manor…"
Ning Zhao's long eyelashes seemed to glow in the setting sun.
She had finished settling everything at Beiluo Lake Island. When she came back to the main part of the city, she heard that Lu Fan was on a killing spree, and quickly hurried over.
And happened to run into Jing Yue as he was escaping.
"Since you're carrying a wooden sword box, you must be from Sword Sect. Young Master wants to make sure Sword Sect is eliminated from Beiluo City… so you cannot leave."
Ning Zhao's red lips parted slightly as she calmly said these words.
"You're Young Master Lu's maid?"
Jing Yue knew who Ning Zhao was, and his expression turned grim.
"You're no match for me, so hurry along… Otherwise, I won't show you any mercy," Jing Yue said.
He didn't want to have anything to do with Ning Zhao, mostly because she was Lu Fan's maid.
He had escaped twice, and Lu Fan didn't touch him. But if he hurt this maid or even killed her…
Then Young Master Lu might hunt him down to the ends of the earth.
After all, he'd heard all about how Young Master Lu of Beiluo City was very petty…
Ning Zhao laughed. She lifted her hand, and two wisps of light blue Qi started flowing through her palm. Her dress started billowing in the wind, and there was determination in her eyes.
This time… she wasn't going to let Young Master down.
She was going to fight!
Ning Zhao placed her small feet on a black tile as her Qi and blood resounded. There was the sound of one blast. Her body looked ghostly under the glow of the setting sun.
Jing Yue's eyes narrowed as six blasts rang out within his body, and he mercilessly drew his sword.
It made sense for him to be afraid of Nie Changqing.
But why would he be afraid of Ning Zhao, a mere First Resonance Grandmaster?
...
Outside Beiluo City, dust billowed across the vast plains.
Horses were galloping.
Four men wearing conical hats and carrying wooden sword boxes on their backs were on horseback and swiftly making their way toward Beiluo City.
The Ironblood soldiers guarding the front of the city, who were on the lookout, immediately discovered them and spread the message through the entire front of the city.
The Ironblood troops made their move. Many of them were waiting at the city wall with drawn bows, and the moment the enemy came near enough, they were going to shoot them down.
But the sound of horses galloping didn't stop, and continued to loudly reverberate as the horses kicked up a lot of dust.
Finally, the soldiers at Beiluo City's wall released their bowstrings, and their arrows shot forward at the same time. The angle of their bows made the arrows fall down like rain and fill the sky.
The four men slid off their horses and stood behind them as the arrows rained down.
The four horses instantly became a mess of arrows.
The sound of swords could be heard as Qi and blood blasted loudly.
The four figures quickly rushed out from beneath the fallen horses and came to the bottom of the battered wall of Beiluo City.
There was a loud clanging sound, and sparks flew everywhere.
They stuck the blades of the swords into the small gaps in the city wall, and could bend and spring back up. Taking advantage of this, they could climb up the wall and fly right over it.
The four of them joined forces to make their way up the wall.
The bulky top-tier generals under Lu Changkong roared angrily and wielded large and heavy knives to attack them.
But these four men in conical hats didn't seem to want to fight, nor did they dare to. If they were surrounded, their martial arts skills wouldn't be of any use, regardless of how high their level, since the random swinging of the large knives might kill them.
The clashing of swords continued.
The four men flew over the heads of all the Ironblood soldiers that had gathered at the front of the city.
Their feet lightly touched the soldiers' shoulders, and they floated in the air for quite a distance.
After they leapt over the Ironblood soldiers and the city wall, they went along the inner city wall. They dragged their swords along it, creating more sparks, and eventually landed within the city.
...
Several miles away from Beiluo City...
Three hundred armored horsemen were unhurriedly making their way along.
Among the three hundred horsemen, a carriage drawn by five horses was swiftly speeding along, its wheels spinning and kicking up fine sand and dust.
These five horses were pulling the Imperial Advisor's carriage.
Lu Changkong was on horseback and in full armor. He was unsmiling.
The carriage's curtain was pulled back, and the messy-haired Confucianist, whose chest was exposed, held onto a wine flask and sat next to the coachman in the driver's seat.
Mo Tianyu drank a mouthful of wine, and said loudly to Lu Changkong, who was on his own horse, "City Master Lu, I feel the urge to draw some divination lots. You want to have a go?"
Lu Changkong's eyes blazed like fire from beneath his helmet, and he glanced at Mo Tianyu.
"Sir, you're a disciple of the Imperial Advisor. Why do you like to practice divination? Isn't divination something only those superstitious types like the Astrology Sect like to do?"
The messy-haired Mo Tianyu laughed and rubbed his exposed chest as he took another swig and said, "There's an order to it. I learned divination first, then the Imperial Advisor took me away to study Confucianism. The past is a difficult thing to talk about…"
Lu Changkong nodded. "It's a long and lonely road. I'll listen to the lot you draw me," he replied.
Mo Tianyu's eyes lit up, and he took out three shiny copper coins and placed them in his hand. He took a mouthful of wine and sprayed it over the coins.
The coins actually started rolling around in the wine Mo Tianyu had sprayed, and finally landed back on Mo Tianyu's palm.
"Oh my… how interesting…
"This lot is one of tremendous misfortune. City Master Lu, this trip out of the city will harm your son. Sword Sect will take control of Beiluo City, and blood will flow through the city like a river… tsk tsk tsk, this is a real bloody disaster," Mo Tianyu finally said after hesitating and deciding to say it anyway.
Lu Changkong frowned deeply, and displeasure flashed in his eyes.
But…
Before he could get angry...
The sound of a horse galloping from afar could be heard. Someone on horseback was riding toward him from the direction of Beiluo City.
On the back of the horse was a soldier wearing the Beiluo City army armor.
After he was stopped, he slid off his horse and knelt on one knee in front of Lu Changkong, stirring up dust.
"Reporting to the City Master!"
"Speak."
"News from Beiluo City. The three major aristocratic families have gathered hundreds of Confucianists and a highly skilled fighter from Sword Sect on Beiluo Lake Island. They have accused Young Master, and have joined hands with the Beiluo City merchants to hire hooligans to protest and cause trouble.
"Also, four Grandmasters from Sword Sect have climbed the city wall with their swords and have entered the city!"
The soldier kept his head bowed and spoke quickly.
After Lu Changkong heard this, the Qi and blood within him rushed violently, and his eyes flashed with a murderous gleam.
"How dare Sword Sect do this?!"
Lu Changkong didn't get angry at the three major aristocratic families. Instead, he directed his anger at Sword Sect. Even if the head of the three aristocratic families died, it was no cause for him to worry. Sword Sect was the one who could cause serious trouble.
He knew that Sword Sect would cause him trouble, but he didn't expect them to move so fast!
On the other side...
Mo Tianyu laughed.
He let out a long, low whistle at the sky and went back inside the carriage.
"This time, my divination was correct.
"A word and a lot tells you whether you will live or die, and the heavens and earth will decide your reincarnation…"
Mo Tianyu laughed loudly as he climbed back into the horse carriage.
Lu Changkong had a cold expression on his face as he glanced at Mo Tianyu. He pulled on the horse's reins and it neighed and reared its front legs.
The three hundred armored horsemen started moving more quickly along the road, and hastened back to Beiluo City as the sun's rays grew shorter and shorter.
...
At Chen Manor...
It was completely silent. Blood covered the ground, and it had even turned the water in the pond red.
And whenever the wind blew, it brought with it the stench of blood.
Lu Fan was in a white robe. He hadn't gotten a single drop of blood on himself. He was playing with a chess piece in his hand, and his face was as cool as a piece of jade.
Since he had founded White Jade City, which was based in Beiluo City, he wasn't going to allow any other powers to exist inside the city besides for his own power base.
And if there were any, he would get rid of them.
Suddenly...
Lu Fan's eyebrow twitched.
He turned to look at the main street outside the manor.
Nie Changqing put away his butcher knife and stood erect next to Lu Fan, a grim expression on his face.
"Young Master… there are highly skilled fighters coming," he said.
Lu Fan nodded. He had 13 points of Soul Strength, so he could feel the four's murderous intentions as they blew toward him like a black cloud down the street outside the manor.
He seemed to have thought of something, because his lips twitched a little.
"Is this Sword Sect's last stand…"
Then he threw the chess piece he had been playing with back into its box.
"Yi Yue, let's go," he said.
"Got it." Her attractive face was a little stern as she pushed the wheelchair out of Chen Manor, with Ni Yu following close behind them.
Nie Changqing held his butcher knife in his hand and used his sleeve to wipe the blood off the blade, his eyes flashing as he followed after them.