Separated by less than 10 feet, the speed of the 30 poisoned crossbow bolts was terrifying. The power attached to them was also shocking. No one could imagine that someone could dodge such a concentrated and sudden attack.
Even if the person sitting at the table was a god, he would not be able to dodge.
Thus, he did not dodge at all. Without seeing how he moved, a pair of chopsticks disappeared from the bamboo container on the table. He caught this pair of chopsticks firmly in his hands and then waved them freely in the air. It was as if he was catching a few delicacies from nothingness to eat.
The tips of the weak bamboo chopsticks whistled through the air. It was as if it was not a pair of chopsticks but an ancient divine weapon imbued with endless zhenqi.
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, it was like rain hitting a banana leaf.
…
…
A series of densely packed sounds rang out. All of the crossbow bolts in the process of quickly shooting were gently pinched and pulled by the pair of chopsticks. In an impossible situation, all of them were pulled off by a few strands. They deviated from the imagined shooting trajectory by a few strands. They brushed past the bodies of the two people by the table and shot into the wooden boards of the Baoyue Brothel, into the walls of the carriage!
The crossbow bolts shot into the wood. Only the tails of the bolts trembled slightly. In an instant, the 30 crossbow bolts made it seem as if wild grass had grown on the floor, but they could not harm the person at all.
The swordsmen of the Sixth Bureau of the Overwatch Council looked at the scene in front of them and felt a chill surge into their hearts and take over their entire bodies.
To be able to use only a pair of chopsticks to pull out such a fast crossbow bolt at such a short distance, this kind of speed, this kind of vision, this kind of power, this kind of …
The other party was not human.
The other party was certainly not human.
…
…
The Overwatch Council was the strongest organization in the Qing court. The officials of the Overwatch Council were the most determined people in the Qing Kingdom. But, in the end, they were still human. When they discovered that the enemy they faced seemed to have left the realm of human, they still felt fear and a kind of helplessness.
The crossbow bolts of the Third Bureau only fired three times in a row. It was already too late to reload. Furthermore, the hands of all the swordsmen of the Sixth Bureau were trembling. They looked incredulously at the table and the person beside it. It was as if they had forgotten their next step.
As the group of crossbow bolts flew over, the seven Tiger Guards were like seven fierce tigers coming down the mountain. Under the cover of the crossbow bolts, they held long knives in their hands and turned into seven streaks of snow-white light as they chopped toward the table.
The light of the knife was still in the air when Fan Xian, who was behind the Tiger Guards, shouted, "Retreat!"
With this shout, he stood up and leaped into the air!
…
…
With the order to retreat, the other six Tiger Guards, with the exception of Gao Da, forcefully reversed their zhenqi. In the air, they held their sabers horizontally across their chests in an extremely awkward manner. Four feet above the table, they forcefully steadied their bodies. With the tip of their toes, they retreated as ordered.
Gao Da's kung fu was the strongest, and his reaction was the fastest. As the sharp edge of the mountain, he had already reached the table. Facing the mysterious person wearing the bamboo hat, he felt a slight chill in his heart, but he could no longer retreat. He could only let out a roar and circulate the zhenqi in his body to its peak. He crossed his hands and slashed down with his saber!
Gao Da suddenly felt something tighten around his ankle, and his body was being pulled back by a vast amount of zhenqi.
However, the saber had already slashed down.
The light of the knife sliced across the table. Because it was being dragged by the person behind him, it didn't cut the man in the bamboo hat. Instead, it cut the floor in front of the table.
With a sharp sound, the thick solid wood floor was like thin paper. A large hole was cut open by the long knife in Gao Da's hand. Dust rose slightly and wood splinters flew everywhere. Through the hole, one could see the table on the second floor of the Baoyue Brothel.
Just as Gao Da struck, the man in the bamboo hat gently placed the pair of chopsticks in his hands on the table.
It was only then that everyone noticed there was a sword beside the leg of the table.
It was a very plain sword that did not give off a sharp light. It was wrapped in a thick coarse cloth.
Then, the pair of chopsticks landed on the table. The ordinary sword suddenly gave off a bright light. With a clang, the hilt of the sword trembled without any wind. It jumped up excitedly and tore through the coarse cloth binding the scabbard. It forcefully pulled out half of the snow-white blade.
A cold, murderous sword intent that did not seem to belong to the mortal world seeped out through that half of the sword.
The sword intent entered the floorboards. The moment Gao Da's long knife touched the floorboards, it passed over. At the same time the long knife broke open the large hole in the floorboards, countless fine lines appeared along the knife's opening and quickly spread through it.
There was no pattern to the lines, but they appeared so beautiful. There was not a shred of vitality in them.
…
…
The patterns quickly invaded Gao Da's long saber. The Tiger Guard's long saber began to tremble uncontrollably. It was as though a pair of invisible hands were holding a diamond and carving it on the sharp and solid surface of the saber. Countless deep marks appeared on the surface of the saber!
Gao Da's hands also began to tremble. Shocked and helpless, he pulled back his knife.
The long knife blade split open like a weathered stone surface.
The terrifying sword intent only reached the hilt of the knife, but the ripple went up. Gao Da gave a muffled grunt. His chest felt heavy and he spat out a mouthful of blood. At the same time, there was a crack sound in his right wrist. The joint had been broken.
— — —
It was only a matter of three breaths. For the man in the bamboo hat, the crossbow bolts and seven Tiger Guard knives were as simple as raising and putting down a pair of chopsticks.
The moment they met, the Overwatch Council suffered a crushing defeat.
At this moment, the people protecting Fan Xian knew that what he had said earlier was not empty words. Given this extraordinary and divine realm, if the man in the bamboo hat wanted to kill the imperial envoy, even if they all died, they would not be able to stop him.
Extraordinary and divine!
Other than the four Great Grandmasters, who else in the world had such a realm?
Blood seeped out of the corner of Gao Da's mouth. His eyes were filled with shock. Half kneeling on the ground, he stared at the man in the bamboo hat not far away and said each word clearly, "Sigu Jian!"
As an internal servant of the Qing court, when had the Tiger Guards ever feared anyone? Gao Da's three words were said so weakly and hopelessly.
In the hearts of the people, the four Great Grandmasters were no longer in the category of normal humans. All of the legends had almost become fairy tales. The feelings people had toward the four Great Grandmasters were only respect.
Respect and fear. Other than that, there was nothing else.
No one dared to attack the four Great Grandmasters. Even if it was someone who wanted to commit suicide, no one would choose this path.
Gao Da stared at the man in the bamboo hat with wide eyes. He didn't understand why Sigu Jian, who should be far away in Dongyi, would come to Jiangnan.
It was only then that he felt his ankle being gently released.
Earlier, if that person had not used a powerful force to grab his ankle and pull him back, Gao Da's knife would have chopped down and the man in the bamboo hat's sword intent rippled out. At this moment, what would have been shredded like cloth would not only be the long knife but also his body.
Only now did Gao Da feel a boundless fear. Unconsciously, he turned his head to look and saw Fan Xian's trembling right hand gently wiping it on his long robe.
…
…
Fan Xian's hand was completely covered in cold sweat. It was a wet mess. He knew that if he had not seen the opportunity quickly and shouted quickly, these seven Tiger Guards would have all died at the hands of the man in the bamboo hat.
However, his expression remained calm. Although his pupils constricted slightly and his right hand, hidden behind his back, trembled slowly, he remained calm. Facing such an extraordinary and divine warrior, he had to be calm.
The other party was a Great Grandmaster.
Fan Xian was not an ordinary person. Ever since he was young, he had lived with a Great Grandmaster who was not ranked among the Great Grandmasters. He had been taught by Uncle Wu Zhu hand in hand. Thus, facing the man in the bamboo hat, he was not like everyone else in the building, so shocked that they couldn't even speak.
However, he was still shocked. He even began to feel a bitterness in his mouth.
Wu Zhu had once talked about power. Without a sliver of zhenqi, Wu Zhu had extraordinary power, but he was, after all, Fan Xian's closest family. When Fan Xian faced a Great Grandmaster for the first time today, he realized that under the other party's power, he didn't even have a sliver of a chance to retaliate.
Fan Xian was a meticulous person who knew himself and others. He knew that given his ninth-level strength, even 10 of him could not defeat Uncle Wu Zhu.
Using the same logic, 10 of him could not defeat the old man wearing the bamboo hat.
What he had seen and felt earlier made Fan Xian believe even more in what Uncle Wu Zhu had once said.
"A first-level can kill a ninth-level as long as one's luck is good enough. But, if you are facing those guys … don't talk about luck."
The martial artists of the world were ranked from low to high, and those who reached the ninth-level were the most powerful. The difference between each level was not insurmountable. Otherwise, Fan Xian would not have been able to slaughter everyone on Niulan Street, and he would not have been able to toy with Lang Tiao and Friar He in Shangjing, Northern Qi.
Once one broke past the ninth-level and entered the realm of the celestial, like Ku He, that baldy, or the old man in front of him, it was already a completely different realm. The difference in strength was like a bottomless ravine. It was impossible for any scheme to fill it.
The top floor of Baoyue Brothel was completely silent, but the noise below had already begun. Although Gao Da's strike had struck the air, it had startled countless people. The noise was unbearable. After a short pause, it quieted down. The guards and Shi Sang guarding downstairs were probably taking care of it.
The man in the bamboo hat by the table was still silent. It was as if he was waiting for Fan Xian to make a decision.
There was no light on his body, but in everyone's eyes, his thin clothes seemed to be plated with the splendor of the sky, making it hard for people to look directly at him.
In comparison, Mr. Zhou, whom Fan Xian had always wanted to capture, sat timidly by the man in the bamboo hat. No one would notice him.
A simple person, yet he covered up all the splendor between heaven and earth.
…
…
Fan Xian's left hand still held the fan tightly. He looked at the man in the bamboo hat by the table and didn't speak for a moment.
The top floor of Baoyue Brothel was completely silent. It was deathly silent. The atmosphere was oppressive.
The man in the bamboo hat looked at the calm Fan Xian and smiled slightly. "Your reaction, your strength … seems to be a bit stronger than the rumors say."
This was referring to when Gao Da's strike had come down, Fan Xian had reacted quickly and called back the six people. In a flash, he had shot up and used the Coffin-Breaker to expand his right arm. He then used a small trick to forcefully grab Gao Da's ankle and drag Gao Da back, saving his life.
For Fan Xian to be able to do all this in such a short moment could already be considered perfect. It was so much so that the man in the bamboo hat revealed a glimmer of admiration.
Fan Xian did not reply to this question. Contrary to everyone's expectations, he slowly walked to the side of the railing and didn't look at the man in the bamboo hat again.
All of the guards, including Gao Da, were stunned. The commissioner was very daring! Facing a Great Grandmaster that tens of thousands of people revered, he could be so natural and not look at him.
Fan Xian walked to the side of the railing and faced the bustling Suzhou. The sparse air above Suzhou and the lingering smell of firecrackers lingered in the air. He took a deep breath. His expression changed slightly and immediately returned to normal. No one knew what he was thinking about.
The sound of footsteps came from the stairs.
Shi Chanli, whose face was full of shock, and Sang Wen, who had her mouth wide open and revealed worry in her gentleness, glanced at the table surrounded by the people of the Overwatch Council. They immediately turned their questioning gazes toward Fan Xian by the railing.
"Everyone, go down."
Fan Xian leaned against the railing and didn't turn his head as he gave the order in a cold voice. His hand gripped the fan tighter and tighter. The paper of the fan had warped slightly. He had probably made up his mind.
Earlier, when the Tiger Guards had attacked, Fan Xian's shout had been able to make everyone retreat without regard for their lives. From this, it could be seen that none of the guards had any objections to his orders. They had carried them out very thoroughly. Now, when he gave the order for everyone to go down, everyone, including the Tiger Guards, used silence to express their opposition.
A Great Grandmaster wanted to kill someone. At a time like this, no one dared to leave Fan Xian alone in the building.
Fan Xian turned around and gazed at Gao Da with a slight smile. "Perhaps my orders are no longer effective?"
…
…
Gao Da's heart skipped a beat. Looking at the familiar warm smile on the commissioner's face and the encouragement in it, his mind was a mess for a moment. He understood Fan Xian. Every time Fan Xian revealed that mesmerizing smile, it was often when he was truly angry. It was also when he had a card up his sleeve.
Fan Xian continued, "Without my orders, no one is allowed to take one step into this building. Also, immediately evacuate the neighboring streets to prevent accidental injuries."
Gao Da let out a murky breath and wiped away the blood at the side of his lips. With a muffled grunt, he led everyone down the stairs. Along the way, he also pushed down Shi Chanli, who was standing at the top of the stairs and unwilling to go down.
When Fan Xian's personal guards came down the stairs, they saw a scene that they would remember deeply. It was a scene that made them incomparably terrified at the time.
Step by step, Fan Xian slowly walked toward the table.
He wore that strange smile on his face as the deformed fan in his hand opened again. As he fanned himself, he walked toward the table.
His walk was very steady and free.
…
…
In reality, walking from that table to this table was only a distance of 10 steps. However, these 10 steps made Fan Xian feel as if he had walked through the gates of hell.
Strangely, the closer he got to the table the man in the bamboo hat was at, the calmer Fan Xian's heart became.
Walking to the side of the table, Fan Xian stared into the eyes of the man in the bamboo hat. He looked directly at him rudely as if he was not at all afraid that the man could kill him with a casual raise of his hand.
The man in the bamboo hat also seemed to feel that the Jiangnan Road imperial envoy was rather daring and looked back at him with a slight smile.
… …
Gao Da went down the stairs and immediately rearranged the defenses. At the same time, he followed the commissioner's orders and evacuated the neighboring citizens. He also ordered his subordinates to quickly go to the governor's manor to mobilize troops. Although he knew these methods had no effect on the powerful warrior in the building, he had done his best.
Then, he went to the top floor of a building adjacent to Baoyue Brothel and flipped onto the eaves. Carefully hiding his figure, he watched every movement in Baoyue Brothel across the street. He was prepared to gamble his life at any moment.
Gao Da crouched behind the tile beast and looked at the top floor of Baoyue Brothel. He couldn't hear what the people inside were saying, but just looking at the contents was enough to shock him.
…
…
The building was empty. There was only Fan Xian and the man in the bamboo hat facing each other. One was sitting by the table, and the other was standing by the table.
As for Mr. Zhou, although he was not a person in Fan Xian's eyes, he was still an eyesore, so he waved his hand and indicated for Mr. Zhou to scram to the side.
In reality, the Junshang Conference's accountant, Mr. Zhou, was already quite frightened. He immediately left his seat obediently and squatted in the corner of the railing.
There was an empty chair.
Thus, Fan Xian lifted the front of his robe and sat down without a care in the world.
At this moment, he was less than half a body's distance from the man in the bamboo hat. It was intimate, dangerous, and terrifying to the extreme.
Gao Da, who was watching from a distance, was almost scared to death. Fan Xian, who was in the building, still wore a faint smile.
He put away the deformed paper fan in his left hand and slowly picked up the chopsticks the man in the bamboo hat had slammed on the table. He inserted them back into the bamboo tube. He did these three actions very carefully, slowly, and carefully. After the chopsticks were inserted, he sighed happily and clapped his hands as if he had completed a great task.
The man in the bamboo hat did not kill him. This meant that everything could be discussed.
"Courageous." The man in the bamboo hat looked at Fan Xian with a slight smile. "Among the younger generation, you are the most outstanding."
If the Great Grandmaster's words got out, it would certainly establish Fan Xian's unbreakable position. However, Fan Xian did not feel slightly gratified because of these words. He smiled warmly and said, "So what? If you want to kill me, isn't it a matter of time? "
The man in the bamboo hat calmly said, "What I said earlier still stands. You pull back the Black Knights and I won't kill you."
…
…
Fan Xian suddenly raised his head. A glimmer of mockery and disdain appeared in his eyes.
In this world, it had been many years since someone dared to use this kind of gaze to look at the man in the bamboo hat. Even though the man in the bamboo hat was a top figure in the world, he still couldn't help but feel a glimmer of anger.
"This is your request?"
"A proper Great Grandmaster has fallen to such a level?"
"You don't need this old face, but the Qing court still needs face."
Fan Xian suddenly opened his mouth. Once he opened his mouth, countless sharp words spouted out. It was as if the person in front of him was not an unfathomable Great Grandmaster but a subordinate he had pulled by the ear and lectured in the Overwatch Council.
The man in the bamboo hat froze. It was clear that no one had lectured him like this before. For a moment, he couldn't react.
Fan Xian suddenly slammed the table and stared at the man in the bamboo hat's strange face. Enunciating each word, he said, "Have you gone senile? This is a matter of the Junshang Conference. What does it have to do with you that I move the Black Knights to kill people … do you have any filial sons or grandsons in the manor? You just charged up like this and put a knife to my neck, and I have to listen to you? Even if I did listen to you, what would happen in the future? Would your filial sons and grandsons not die? I'm afraid … they will die even faster! "
Fan Xian's voice became sharp and mixed with boundless disdain and mockery. Pointing at the man in the bamboo hat's nose, he scolded, "Please, wake up. What year and year is it now? It has long since ceased to be the age where you can walk unhindered with a sword. Who do you think you are? Do you think you are a sword immortal? Isn't it a goddamn road to death? "
…
…
The man in the bamboo hat looked at Fan Xian like he was looking at an idiot. Suddenly, he felt that he was also an idiot. He traveled the world and received the respect of tens of thousands of people. Even the ruler of a country looked at him with respect. He couldn't even find someone who was disrespectful to him, much less someone like this beautiful young man in front of him who pointed at his nose and scolded him.
However, he was, after all, a Great Grandmaster. After a moment of shock, he recovered his calm. On the contrary, he looked at Fan Xian and chuckled. His laughter was very joyous.
"How many years has it been since someone has dared to speak to me like this?"
As he spoke, the man in the bamboo hat's tone became heavy and he coldly said, "I will count to three. If you don't give the order to retreat, I can only kill you."
That pair of steady hands slowly rested on the table.
Fan Xian's gaze lowered slightly. He looked at the pair of hands that should have been old but didn't have a single wrinkle.
…
…
The sword under the table was pulled by a powerful aura and gave off the cry of a dragon. Amidst the buzzing sound, the hilt of the sword slowly rose. The half of the snow-white sword body illuminated the entire building.
"Three."
The man in the bamboo hat began to count down coldly.
Fan Xian narrowed his eyes and glanced at him. Straightforwardly, he said, "One."
After saying this, he smashed his fist down beside him.
This punch was mixed with his nearly 20 years of day and night meditation and the Tyrannical zhenqi of the Nameless Martial Secret. It was mixed with the Ye family's Coffin-Breaker technique and the supreme Heart of Tianyi Dao he had learned from Haitang. The qi flowed at will. In an instant, the will broke through tens of thousands of barriers. The killing came out of the meridians and moved to the body of the fist. It smashed down viciously.
The fist smashed onto the hilt of the sword.
The air in the building rippled without reason. The air outside the railing seemed to tremble, making the scenery outside change shape slightly.
With a clang, the normal sword was smashed back by Fan Xian's fist. The dragon's cry immediately disappeared.
By the railing, Mr. Zhou had long fainted from this shocking shock and fell wretchedly to the side of the railing.
…
…
Fan Xian swallowed back the mouthful of fresh blood that had rushed up from his chest and stared fiercely and stubbornly into the eyes of the man in the bamboo hat. Suddenly, he opened his mouth and shouted, "Deng Zi Yue, listen to my order!"
This shout carried zhenqi and spread out. In an instant, it spread through the entire Chang Street. Gao Da, who was hiding across the street, was startled and unconsciously stood up. Deng Zi Yue, who had been standing guard in the middle of the street, didn't know what had happened. He replied in a trembling voice, "I am here."
Fan Xian continued to stare into the man's eyes and said viciously, "Send out the signal. The Black Knights are to enter the garden. If they resist, kill without mercy!"
Kill without mercy!
…
…
After an indeterminable amount of time, the man in the bamboo hat's complicated sigh rang out in the quiet top floor of Baoyue Brothel. "You are right. I should not have entered the world again. However, the people you want to kill and the people you want to capture are people I care about. What about that?"
The man in the bamboo hat gently gripped the hilt of the sword by the table and flipped his hand to lift it. In a quiet voice, he said, "I will take the sword and leave Dong Mountain …"
The power of the sword gradually increased.
It would be a lie to say that Fan Xian was not afraid. It would be even more false to say that he was not nervous. However, he used his valiant state of mind to control every muscle on his face. He stared fixedly at the man in the bamboo hat's face and said one thing.
"You don't dare to kill me."
…
…
A moment of silence.
"Why wouldn't I dare to kill you?"
"Because you are not that idiot Sigu Jian."
Fan Xian gripped the broken fan on the table tightly again and said, "Of the four Great Grandmasters, as long as it is not that heartless idiot Sigu Jian, no one dares to kill me."
The man in the bamboo hat's hand continued to hold the hilt of the sword steadily.
Fan Xian believed that as long as the man pulled out this sword, his head would certainly be separated from his body.
Thus, he forcefully suppressed the glimmer of fear in the depths of his heart and said, word by word, "That is why I do not understand why you would appear here. In my heart, you should be that noble man who rides half a broken boat and lightly sings to the world, free and at ease, his sleeves not stained by the drifting clouds."
"Not a martial man whose heart has been disturbed by matters and made such a stupid move."
There was a strange light in the man's eyes. Fan Xian didn't know if his eyes were playing tricks on him, but he saw a glimmer of admiration in the man's eyes.
…
…
"The waves only bloom for a moment, but compared to a millennial stone, it is not much different … Sir is the same." Fan Xian stared fiercely at the man and said, "If you were Ye Liuyun, how would you dare to kill me?"
(To be continued, if you want to know what happened afterwards, please log on to WWW. CMFU. COM. More chapters. Support the author. Support original reading!)
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