The cold moon was like a hook, and the small streets by the riverbank were devoid of lights and fires.
Yejingtang frowned and looked towards the pitch-black alleyway. He felt that something was lurking in the dark, spying on them, yet he couldn't figure out where that feeling was coming from.
Niaoniao, which was perched on Dongfang Liren's shoulder, spread its wings and took off into the sky without waiting for an order, starting to scout the riverbank.
Dongfang Liren, dressed in a silver python robe, walked forward with her hands behind her back. She was still waiting for Yejingtang to speak. Sensing the strange movement, she looked up at Niaoniao, which disappeared into the sky, and asked, "What's wrong with it?"
Yejingtang slightly raised his hand and blocked in front of Dongfang Liren. He pressed his left hand on the handle of his saber and carefully sensed every slight movement in the night.
Having been attacked several times before, Dongfang Liren realized that something was amiss when she saw this scene. They had just been competing in lightness kungfu and suddenly ran out without notifying the villa.
If there were rebels secretly keeping an eye on her movements, this short gap was undoubtedly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them!
Dongfang Liren didn't think that this half-baked Yejingtang could protect her. But she herself had never experienced actual combat. When facing an assassin who dared to assassinate a prince, she would definitely not be a match. Her heart sank to the bottom.
Dongfang Liren immediately gripped the handle of her saber, intending to stand back to back with Yejingtang and hold out until the guards came to their rescue.
But...
Ding!
Under the silver moonlight, a streak of saber light and sparks burst out without any warning!
Dongfang Liren didn't even sense the approaching danger when she found that Yejingtang in front of her had drawn his saber with lightning speed and blocked it in front of her forehead.
Sparks burst out from the blade and kept trembling, obviously hit by an unknown hidden weapon.
The hidden weapon was aimed at her forehead. It was deflected by the blade and shot towards the stone pier where horses were tied by the roadside. The remaining force still made a dent in the white stone, and the impact was truly terrifying!
And what was even more诡异 (strange) was that from beginning to end, Dongfang Liren didn't hear the sound of the hidden weapon breaking through the air!
Dongfang Liren's eyes were filled with shock. She didn't understand what kind of hidden weapon was so overbearing, and she couldn't figure out how Yejingtang, who had mediocre martial arts skills, managed to block the hidden weapon without hearing any sound.
Although she was惊疑ied (surprised and puzzled) in her heart, Dongfang Liren's experience of "being protected by others all year round" still made her understand the current situation. She gave up the idea of fighting the enemy on her own, took a step forward, and hid behind Yejingtang.
Yejingtang had a well-proportioned figure. He didn't look particularly strong, but he was actually very tall and blocked Prince Jing completely.
After the single strike, the street fell into a deathly silence, as if what had just happened was just an illusion.
Niaoniao, which was circling in the sky, even with its astonishing night vision, still couldn't find any trace of the opponent.
"Retreat."
Yejingtang held the saber in his right hand. His eyes didn't look at any specific place. Instead, he sensed the possible surprise attacks through the slightest changes in the environment and started to retreat.
Dongfang Liren maintained the same pace. Her somewhat obstructive chest pressed directly against Yejingtang's back. After calming down a bit, she said in disbelief, "Is this the Tianhe Saber Technique?"
Ding—
Just as she spoke, another spark burst out from the blade of Yejingtang's saber.
Dongfang Liren didn't even see the movement clearly when she found that Yejingtang's Chi Dragon Ringed Saber blocked beside her face.
Weng weng weng~~
The blade vibrated and emitted a humming sound.
Cold sweat broke out on Dongfang Liren's forehead. She quickly hid herself. Realizing that her words had caused interference and allowed the opponent to seize the opportunity to attack, she immediately held her breath and remained silent.
Based on the impact force of the hidden weapon, Yejingtang turned to face an alleyway more than ten zhang away and shifted his steps towards the street.
But they didn't know where the enemy was hiding, so the two of them didn't dare to run around randomly. At most, they could only retreat to the street and block the opponent's attack angle.
Under Yejingtang's protection, Dongfang Liren came to the outside of a bookstore on the street. She used a dagger to cut open the copper lock and retreated inside, saying, "Come in quickly."
But just as Yejingtang was about to enter the room, he sensed something was wrong and drew his long saber again.
Shua—
This time, there was the sound of a hidden weapon breaking through the air, and the force was obviously greater.
Ding!
The saber light flashed. The hidden weapon hit the blade and bounced upwards. It still pierced through the wooden wall, grazed past Dongfang Liren's hairpin, and directly shattered the jade hairpin.
Pa—
Pieces of broken jade flew around.
Dongfang Liren's long hair immediately fell down. Her eyes were filled with horror. She quickly rolled forward and hid behind the counter of the bookstore.
Hua la la...
There was the sound of beads rolling on the ground.
Out of the corner of her eye, Dongfang Liren saw a red bead rolling on the floor tiles of the bookstore. It was shaped like a water drop. She didn't know what material it was made of, but it was clearly the hidden weapon that had just flown in.
Dongfang Liren's heart sank, and she quickly reminded, "It's a Blood Bodhi. He was a killer who was active in the southern part of the country more than ten years ago and assassinated a grandmaster of the Seven Profound Gates..."
"Shh!"
Yejingtang held the saber in one hand and raised his left hand, signaling Dongfang Liren to be quiet.
The street fell into silence again, and they still couldn't figure out where the opponent was.
If they entered the room, it would be inconvenient to move around in the bookstore, and the opponent could penetrate the walls. It would be very easy for them not to be able to come to the rescue in time.
Behind the bookstore was a bluestone river embankment, which couldn't be penetrated. There were houses on both sides. The only positions where the opponent could attack were from the front and from the air.
Yejingtang didn't think the opponent could snipe from the sky. As long as he defended against the front, he could protect Prince Jing completely. So he stood guard in front of the door with his saber.
Ding, ding—
But in an instant, two more sparks burst out on the street.
Yejingtang struck twice in a row and accurately blocked the incoming hidden weapons. Then he held the saber with both hands in front of his body and taunted the darkness, "Is that all you've got? The Six Fiends will be here soon. If you still want to do something useless, I can accompany you for a whole day."
This was to force the assassin to give up.
Since it was an assassination, if the first strike failed, the assassin should immediately flee.
But Dongfang Liren's protection was usually too strict, and there was simply no possibility of a frontal assassination. Tonight's opportunity was a once-in-a-lifetime one.
As soon as Yejingtang finished speaking, there came the sound from the sky:
"Jiji ji..."
And in an alleyway diagonally in front, a figure gradually emerged.
The figure was dressed in a gray robe, hunched over, with a low-hanging hat, so his face couldn't be seen. He leaned on a black iron staff, with one hand behind his back, walking unhurriedly.
Dong, dong...
The slight sound of the iron staff hitting the ground was like knocking on people's hearts, making them feel stuffy.
A hoarse voice also came from the front, "What a wonderful Tianhe Saber Technique. Chou Tianhe can be considered a heroic figure in the martial world. As his successor, why are you a lackey of the court?"
Dongfang Liren confirmed that Yejingtang was using the "Tianhe Saber Technique" and became even more惊疑ied (surprised and puzzled) in her heart. But at this moment, she didn't have time to ask. Afraid that Yejingtang might not be able to deal with the opponent, she quickly repeated the information collected by the yamen, "Blood Bodhi is good at using hidden weapons for long-range attacks. In close combat, he uses the 'Dragon-Subduing Staff'. He mainly attacks the upper body. Protect the central line and attack his lower body..."
Peng—
Before she could finish speaking, a loud explosion sounded on the street.
The old man wasn't stupid. How could he let Dongfang Liren clearly explain the key points of life and death before taking action?
When they were still five or six zhang apart, the old man suddenly accelerated. He slammed the iron staff on the bluestone, directly shattering the blue bricks on the ground.
Yejingtang felt the ground under his feet shaking. It seemed that what was rushing towards him was a three-legged giant beast weighing a thousand jun, exuding an overwhelming pressure like Mount Tai bearing down.
He held the saber vertically in front of his body with both hands to protect the central line and firmly locked onto the figure of the old man with the iron staff, trying to judge the opponent's move and counter it with the "Tianhe Saber Technique".
But when the old man with the iron staff stepped closer, his feet, shoulders, and the iron staff were all moving. It felt as if his whole body was a weapon, and any part of him seemed ready to erupt violently. With his proficiency in the "Tianhe Saber Technique", he simply couldn't capture the opponent's exact intention.
Dong dong dong...
In the blink of an eye, the old man had crossed the seven-step boundary. His body suddenly leaned forward, and the iron staff in his hand stabbed out like a poisonous snake spitting out its tongue.
The old man had seen through the depth of Yejingtang's "Tianhe Saber Technique", so he showed himself for close combat.
At a distance of seven steps, with Yejingtang's proficiency in the Tianhe Saber Technique, it was absolutely impossible for him to parry the move and counterattack. But the old man was 100% sure that he could kill with one strike.
Seeing Yejingtang's face showing "horror" and still hastily judging the authenticity of his move, a sneer flashed in the old man's eyes. In his heart, he had already started to guard against the possibility that Prince Jing might break through the window and escape after he stabbed through Yejingtang's chest.
But it was in this moment of distraction.
Sa—
Under the silver moon, the saber wind suddenly rose, like a black dragon descending into the world and a fierce flood dragon raising its head!