It felt as though darkness was rushing toward him.
"Who goes there!" In that instant of shouting, the glint of a sword flashed with the figure darting through the shadows. But it was only a brief light; he couldn't clearly see where the sword had passed. All he heard was three rapid sounds, each crossing paths with him. The figure seemed to brush past a galloping horse, momentarily using it for leverage, then leaped onto the carriage shaft and swerved past him. The horse ahead then soared, its hooves leaving the ground as the carriage tilted, and with a third sound, the figure landed on the tilted carriage before darting away.
The horse neighed loudly—
Song Xian hastily pulled aside the carriage curtain, the firelight illuminating his eyes, revealing the scene ahead. In that moment, the axle of the carriage ahead flew wildly, already tilted in mid-air, with one of the horses rearing on its hind legs. The sword light sliced through the animal's side, extending toward the soldier driving the carriage. Blood erupted skyward, and under the high-speed gallop, it seemed to surge toward him, while at the forefront was that dark figure leveraging off the tilting carriage. The figure grew larger in the air, gripping the sword with both hands, already preparing to strike down with all its might, leaping over twenty meters, closing the distance in an instant amidst the thundering carriage.
The coachman beside Song Xian had drawn his sword with all his strength, but he hadn't yet assumed a suitable blocking stance. Metal clashed, sparks flew, and in an instant, the force pushed back against his chest.
With a deafening roar, the figure shot through the carriage like a cannonball, shattering half of it as debris scattered across the street. Two figures tumbled to the ground, quickly distancing themselves from the carriage. One woman rolled several times before springing to her feet, weapon in hand, while the other body was so severely impacted that it was rendered unrecognizable—bones shattered, flesh mangled—left behind on the road, thick blood spreading outward.
The two carriages continued their chaotic course, but the horses were spooked. One horse from the foremost carriage was cleaved in half, while another was affected, crashing and rolling over. With immense inertia, the downed carriage continued to push forward along the street, toppling over various stalls, wooden racks, and leftover debris from vendors who had been doing business during the day. The carriage's axle splintered, sending a wooden wheel flying backward, colliding violently with the shaft, while the carriage sped on under the force, breaking apart even further. When the chaos of the two carriages finally ceased, what remained was a scene of devastation spanning nearly a hundred meters along the street.
Dismantled carriage parts—body, axles, wheels—along with affected wooden racks and debris already cluttered on the street, bloodstains dragged across the ground, vegetables and other refuse, the dead horses, entrails, and the injured people, some attempting to rise from the ground.
A wind swept down the long street, and a woman dressed in black strolled forward, sword hanging low. It was summer, and the night breeze stirred her clothing, giving her a slender, graceful appearance that resembled an ordinary woman, showing none of the fierce power that had just shattered two carriages in a single blow. Now, with a black veil obscuring her face, her gaze at Song Xian was cold and indifferent. After a moment, she lightly flicked her finger against the blade, causing it to emit a sharp, resonant hum as it trembled slightly.
Ahead, Song Xian stood up, long knife in hand. He was skilled, and despite the chaos, he wasn't seriously injured, merely tilting his head to observe the cold figure.
"Song Xian, I told you last time." In the night, her voice was icy, and nearby, an injured personal guard who had lost his weapon rushed forward wielding a wooden stick. The sword danced, slicing through the air with a sound like tearing fabric, bloodlines intertwining and flying into the night. The woman continued to approach.
"I will kill you!"
"Lu! Hong! Ti—"
On the long street, Song Xian bellowed in a deep voice, and then, sparks erupted as the violent clash of metal began to illuminate the street…
As they hurried back, the time spent wasn't much. When Ning Yi stepped out of the carriage at Su Family's side entrance, Xiao Chan looked confused. "Young Master, what's going on?"
"Xiao Chan, you go back first. I have some things to take care of."
"Uh…"
After saying this, Ning Yi turned to leave, but Xiao Chan suddenly grabbed his sleeve. "Young… Young Master, what's the matter…"
Xiao Chan was clearly flustered at Ning Yi wanting to dismiss her. Ning Yi hesitated for a moment, then gently patted her shoulder. "Don't worry, it's nothing… Just be good and I'll be back soon…"
"But… but…"
Ning Yi walked toward the carriage, and Xiao Chan anxiously paced a few steps, unsure of what to say. Frustrated, she stepped toward the entrance, and just as she crossed the threshold, the doorman came out. "Ah, Miss Xiao Chan, you're back with the Young Master… uh, where's the Young Master?"
The doorman looked outside; the carriage had already begun to move slowly away. "The Young Master… the Young Master… I don't know…" Her thoughts were a jumbled mess as she recalled some things the young lady had said a few days ago. The Young Master must have gone off to meet some flirtatious woman… but that was just a momentary chaotic thought she couldn't voice to the doorman.
"Young Master…"
Turning around, the girl dashed out again. Up ahead, the carriage had begun to speed up. Xiao Chan clenched her fists, lifted her skirts, and ran after it. At the intersection ahead, the carriage suddenly slowed down and came to a halt.
A group of people appeared from the T-shaped intersection, rushing past Ning Yi's carriage. These were more than a dozen personal guards from the Wu Lie Army, hurrying toward the other end.
How could they be so fast…
Ning Yi murmured as he sat in the carriage, then turned the horse around, heading in the direction the guards had gone.
Xiao Chan also spotted the rushing figures at the intersection, and when she saw the Young Master's carriage following them, she reached the corner with a complex and anxious expression, feeling an odd sensation rising in her heart. Yet, Ning Yi's carriage had already sped off, disappearing beyond the intersection.
"What's the Young Master doing…"
Thinking it over, she dismissed the idea that the Young Master was rushing to meet some courtesan; he wasn't that kind of person. Even if he had to meet someone, it wouldn't be this urgent. However, the sudden change was puzzling to her. Today, she had dressed up meticulously to see the performance, but now she returned to the gate feeling dejected, sitting on the steps with her knees hugged close, occasionally glancing toward the end of the road, hoping the Young Master's carriage would return. When the doorman called her from behind, she stood up again, just as a firework burst in the night sky.
The fireworks weren't too far away, but they didn't seem celebratory. She vaguely understood their significance, and instinctively stepped forward, looking up toward the direction. The doorman approached her. A few seconds later, the girl murmured, "Uncle Bing, what's… happening…"
"Oh, it looks like the military is using fireworks to signal they're chasing down some criminals. I fear some thieves are up to no good tonight…"
"Ahhhhhh—"
The sound of blades whooshing through the air echoed like rain on banana leaves, reverberating down the long street, chaotic and intense. That night, the surrounding area of the street was in disarray. Some shops had their doors smashed open by flying debris from the wrecked carriages, while in some homes, the occupants lit lamps only to extinguish them hastily. On the street below, figures chased and fought, their movements resembling a frenzied dance. Sparks flew as metal clashed, and occasionally a loud thud would signal a body being thrown into a pile of debris, rendered immobile, blood pooling around them. The road was already littered with corpses, and a ferocious man wielding a blade shouted in despair, his sword swinging wildly as he struggled to survive under the overwhelming pressure.
Despite being skilled in the martial world, he found himself outmatched by the woman's swordsmanship. Her strikes were swift yet powerful, akin to a summer storm crashing down. No matter how hard he fought, he was left struggling against the constant onslaught of sparks before his eyes. Sometimes, a particularly powerful strike would send his long knife flying from his grasp.
Her attacks weren't merely clumsy swordplay; she wielded her blade with a natural grace, switching between single-handed and two-handed swings, making it all the more dizzying. Just when his blade was knocked away, her left hand would swiftly push through the gap, striking at his face, targeting his eyes, or suddenly pressing toward his throat. Her white wrist moved as if dancing, each lethal strike catching him off guard. He barely managed to evade, but the blade struck again, and her foot deftly shattered a broken bamboo stick beneath her, silently stabbing at his side like a coiled snake. She utilized everything around her as a weapon, making it feel as though he faced not one opponent but three or four.
Among the guards in the two carriages, there were only a few left, and those who remained were either dead or wounded. Some lightly injured rushed in to intervene, only to be flung back like meat in a grinder. Song Xian fought and retreated, but the woman shadowed him closely, and he couldn't shake her off. Wounds began to appear on his body as she pushed him to his limits with alarming speed.
He could only continue to shout and swing his sword. In a desperate moment, he grabbed a broken wooden table nearby and swung it at her. The table shattered with a loud crash, sending splinters flying, but her blade silently pierced his arm before retracting.
Ignoring his injuries, Song Xian took advantage of the flying debris to retreat. The woman's dark figure effortlessly sliced through the airborne wood and pressed forward, refusing to relent. With a loud crash, Song Xian was sent flying, bloodied and battered, until he found himself cornered against a street corner, the thundering hooves of horses rolling in behind him, engulfing them both.
Bang, bang, bang—
The hooves thundered as they charged past, igniting sparks where the woman had been moments before. A horse neighed loudly, colliding with a nearby body, rearing up. With tremendous force, the woman's figure was sent airborne but appeared to stick to the neck of the warhorse for a fleeting moment, then gracefully seized the reins as the horse bolted away.
More than a dozen riders surged forward, carrying the woman with them. In the blink of an eye, they had covered considerable ground, and while it looked as though the woman had been thrown off, she landed skillfully onto the back of a nearby horse ridden by a Wu Lie Army guard. As the guard swung his long knife, the two figures collided and fell to the ground. Only the woman stood back up, her sword stained with blood, having transformed the rider into a corpse.
Another body lay behind on the road; it was the rider who had initially collided with her. While in midair, she had swung her sword twice, slicing his throat with one and cutting into his chest with the other.
Two riderless horses galloped down the long street, while the remaining guards encircled the woman, drawing their blades, a palpable killing intent filling the air. She stood there, her gaze fixed on Song Xian, who was now far down the street.
Despite being covered in numerous wounds, Song Xian still maintained his fighting spirit, showing no signs of severe or life-threatening injuries, but he looked forlorn, his long knife held out as he spread his arms wide.
"In the end, I still win, Lu Hongti," he laughed. "The martial world? You people will never understand how narrow-minded you truly are. A little cleverness, and you think you're invincible? I don't know if you intend to kill me… while you're wracking your brain to deal with my people, who knows how many are scheming against you behind your back…"
He paused, lifting his chin defiantly. "This is true power!"