The silver blades ripped through the rain streaks. With an exploding sound, the Qi and blood turned the heavy droplets of rain into a cloud of mist.
Surprisingly, these assassins who were wearing bamboo hats and straw raincoats all had incredible strength.
They were all on the same level as the Grandmaster!
The frightening pressure instantly filled the entire long street of the capital city. Even the rain streaks were slanted by the released force.
Holding the silver spear, Jiang Li sensed the pressure, which made it difficult for him to breathe.
A figure of a person suddenly appeared and blocked his line of sight.
The person wore a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat that concealed his face.
His blade swept across Jiang Li with no intention to kill. Yet it still made Jiang Li’s hair stand on end.
Jiang Li thrust his spear forward and clashed with the person’s blade. He stamped on the ground and splashed the water several feet high.
The man in the bamboo hat and straw raincoat stood steadfast on his ground.
It was a diversionary attack that worked as a check on Jiang Li.
The assassins dashed toward Tang Xiansheng.
Like ghosts in the rain, they carried the scent of death with them.
Who on earth was this?!
Jiang Li’s eyes were fixed on his opponent. The long spear struck smoothly like a silver dragon and splashed the rain into blooming flowers.
Many people in the world wanted Tang Xiansheng dead.
The mayors, the Mohists, the Overlord, and Tantai Xuan all wanted to kill Tang Xiansheng because he was the Mayor of South County and an influential lord who controlled tremendous power. Tang Xiansheng was like a fierce tiger poised to attack.
The power amassed in South County would dissolve instantaneously if Tang Xiansheng were dead. South County would not be able to hold its position in the world unless another wise leader stepped up.
Nevertheless, Tang Xiansheng was mortally afraid of death.
Unlike the Overlord who dared to leave West County with only a hundred armored horsemen, Tang Xiansheng had never stepped out of South County.
He hid behind layers and layers of guards inside South County. Even the most lethal assassin might not be able to approach him.
Yet now, Tang Xiansheng left South County and came to the capital city.
It was indeed an excellent opportunity.
However….
Jiang Li’s spear swept from side to side and beat off the man in the bamboo hat.
His eyes gazed at the man in the bamboo hat. A familiar feeling rushed through him.
“This is impossible…. The power groups should not come to kill Tang Xiansheng the moment he stepped into the capital city. By assassinating him, they would be pushing Tang Xiansheng and the Great Zhou to the same side.”
“Neither West County nor North County is willing to see South County and the Great Zhou join hands,” Jiang Li muttered to himself.
The rain dribbled down his helmet, water dripping from his chin.
The assassins were exceptional as though they were well-trained crack troops.
Jiang Li could tell at once that these people didn’t come from the Mohists. Even though the Mohists were famous for their assassins, they were usually scattered around and couldn’t be such highly disciplined and coordinated.
Besides, the Mohists didn’t have any reason to carry out an assassination in the Imperial City at this time. Mo Beike wouldn’t make this kind of decision…
Because this decision had no room for error.
It would be great if they could succeed. If they couldn’t kill Tang Xiansheng, however, then they would only speed up the progress of South County and the Great Zhou’s collaboration.
Mo Beike definitely didn’t want to see such results.
Holding Tang Yimo’s arm, Tang Xiansheng was drenched in the rain.
There wasn’t much fear in his eyes. He might be afraid of death, but he had been in this type of situation for far too many times.
“Yimo, your father’s life is depending on you,” Tang Xiansheng said.
Tang Yimo’s hair stuck to his forehead because of the rainwater.
He glanced at Tang Xiansheng.
Then, he stepped forward. The puddle in front of him suddenly exploded with water spraying high.
Tang Yimo turned on the first meridian. The red light energy scampered inside his body. The rainstorm didn’t seem to be able to come near him.
“A cultivator!”
Jiang Li, blocked by the man in the bamboo hat, was surprised.
He didn’t expect a cultivator to be near Tang Xiansheng. Furthermore, it looked like this cultivator was quite a powerful one!
Tang Yimo’s piercing eyes swept the assassins around him.
The rain poured down while the roll of thunder rumbled.
The terrifying force and aura coming from him made people tremble in fear.
His knees bent slightly.
Tang Yimo’s body dashed forward like a cannonball.
He closed in on one of the assassins in a flash.
The blade in the assassin’s hand rose as Tang Yimo’s elbow pushed down. Suddenly the blade was crushed into pieces.
The assassin wearing the bamboo hat spat out a mouthful of blood and was thrown away several meters.
The other assassins were stunned at the sight of this.
The next moment, they pulled out their blades. The Spirit Qi was surging on each of their blades.
Tang Yimo was astonished.
Did these assassins all have Spirit Qi?
Even though it was not much….
Still, this was apparently a team of well-trained cultivators!
Tang Yimo retreated to Tang Xiansheng’s side.
His hands made a series of flowing movements in the air.
The raindrops from the sky formed a giant water shield in between his hands, which protected him from the front.
The assassins pulled out their knives.
Containing the Spirit Qi, the Qi of the knives were translucent and raised the water from the ground to the air like sharp arches.
They pressed on Tang Yimo and Tang Xiansheng from all directions.
Tang Yimo bellowed.
The blue veins on his neck bulged.
He threw a punch.
The water shield fell hard on the ground. The sharp, translucent arches smashed on the shield, rippled the water, and then vanished.
In the distance…
The assassin fighting against Jiang Li was surprised.
Jiang Li had been using the spear. He focused his eyes on the assassin and placed his hand on the knife girded on his belt. He pondered for a moment and then chose to stick with the spear and jabbed it upward.
A slashing sound…
The black fabric on the bamboo hat was torn in half.
With a brief glance…
Jiang Li vaguely saw the face under the bamboo hat.
He was put in a daze.
“Retreat!”
An order was given with a lowered voice. The assassins withdrew and jumped on the roof and then disappeared in the misty rain.
Tang Yimo didn’t chase after them. Worrying that they might only be luring him away, he stood still in the rain.
Jiang Li stared at the receding figures of the assassins. His face turned expressionless.
No wonder he had such a familiar feeling.
Jiang Li turned his head to looked at the direction of the Zijin Palace and inhaled a deep breath.
Tang Xiansheng wiped off the rain on his face. He cracked a mysterious smile.
Soon, Jiang Li ordered soldiers to clean up the scene and led Tang Xiansheng into the Imperial City.
******
The Book Pavilion.
It was rainy and misty outside.
Kong Xiu, the Imperial Advisor, stood in front of the window and quietly gazed at the rain outside.
The plantain bent in the rain, and the water dribbled down the leaves.
Mo Tianyu entered the room and put a crane cloak on the Imperial Advisor’s shoulders.
“Master, it’s chilly when it’s raining,” Mo Tianyu said.
The Master coughed slightly and said, “The capital city is filled with the scent of blood. Good thing that this timely rain can wash off the smell of death.
“However, it may also be the accomplice in covering up the murder.”
Mo Tianyu didn’t fully understand.
He poured a cup of hot tea. The dregs of tea leaves swirled in the water.
He handed the tea to the Master.
“Master, Tang Xiansheng encountered assassins on the long street outside of the Imperial City.
“Those assassins… also had Spirit Qi,” Mo Tianyu said.
“The eight Dragon Gates opened and altered the landscape of the world. Cultivators who have Spirit Qi may not be the majority, but they’re also not as rare as before.
The Imperial Advisor blew off the steam above the tea and asked, “Tianyu, who do you think is behind this attempted assassination of Tang Xiansheng?”
Mo Tianyu was stupefied. “How about… I perform divination first?”
The Master’s face became sullen.
“What divination? Just talk about your thoughts and guess.”
“I can’t make a proper guess. After all, anyone could be a suspect in the assassination attempt. But in the meantime, no one is a possible suspect either,” Mo Tianyu said.
“However, if I have to say it…”
The Master looked at Mo Tianyu. He sipped some tea and motioned him to continue speaking.
“I think it’s very likely to be the someone from Zijin Palace,” Mo Tianyu said slowly with fingers crossed.
His voice seemed low and calm compared with the loud thundering rain outside.
After drinking tea, the Master’s movement became rigid. His eyes fixed on Mo Tianyu.
******
Beiluo Lake Island.
Lu Fan leaned on the back of his wheelchair.
He indistinctly sensed the things that happened in the capital city yet didn’t pay much attention.
It was not his business whether Tang Xiansheng survived or not.
The morning wind blew the thick clouds over. A storm was brewing.
Finally…
The first drop of the cold rain rushed down from the clouds and splashed onto the ground.
The surface of the Beiluo Lake tinkled, and ripples formed right away.
The rain fell in torrents.
Ning Zhao held an umbrella and shielded Lu Fan from the rain. She pushed the wheelchair into the White Jade City Pavilion.
She lit a stick of sandalwood incense, filling the room with fragrance.
Ning Zhao furled the umbrella and boiled some wine for Lu Fan with a pot. She put a plum in the wine as the warm smell wafted out from the pot.
Lu Fan sat upright in the Thousand Blades Chair with the Spirit Pressure Chessboard placed on the chair in front of him.
Lu Fan held the chess piece and arranged the game.
He folded the chessboard after one game. Ning Zhao handed him a bronze cup full of wine.
“Young Master, it’s humid on a rainy day. Drink some wine and warm yourself up,” Ning Zhao said with a smile.
Lu Fan didn’t turn it down. He took the bronze wine cup and drank from it.
The warm wine flowed into his body through his throat. The depressing feeling caused by the rain dissipated.
Lu Fan held the bronze wine cup, leaned on the back of his new wheelchair, and closed his eyes.
After Lu Fan close his eyes, Ning Zhao didn’t disturb him.
She carefully exited the room on the pavillion.
The aroma permeated the air while the young man rested in the chair. It was a tranquil and peaceful scene.
However…
The fact is…
Lu Fan wasn’t resting.
His consciousness was surging and sensing the range for the Spirit Qi Deployment.
It crossed mountains and rivers in a moment.
The span of the Spirit Qi Deployment widened. It even moved past the Tianhan Gate at the far north territory of Great Zhou.
Before now, Tianhan Gate was the limit of Lu Fan’s consciousness. He couldn’t sense anything beyond that.
Outside of Tianhan Gate…
In Lu Fan’s consciousness, it was an endless desert with old bones scattered all over.
Lu Fan retrieved his consciousness out of boredom.
He still didn’t open his eyes since he saw the system page popped up. The Dao Impartment Platform in the Access tab was blinking.
It caught Lu Fan’s attention.
His finger gently tapped on the Phoenix Feather Arm of the Thousand Blades Chair.
His consciousness flew into the Dao Impartment Platform in the next second.
Buzz…
Suddenly, a familiar feeling rushed through him.
The system messages popped and rolled in front of his eyes line by line.