The flames roared and danced in the night wind, casting wild and intense light. As Cheng Lie effortlessly knocked Xi Junyu to the ground and strode away with his blade, most of the Hundred Blade Alliance members in the courtyard already knew, influenced by Ou Peng's earlier attitude, that this Jiangning overlord, who had held sway for so long, had finally been truly provoked.

Though, truth be told, whether he was truly provoked or not, the result was likely the same.

A group of people had already rushed out to chase down the foolhardy Ou Peng, the sounds of shouting and screams spreading throughout the woods. In the courtyard, someone roared and charged towards Ma Lin, already half-covered in blood, only to be forced back by Ma Lin's blade amidst the sparks. Su Tan'er, guarded by two servants, moved closer to her father and Geng the bodyguard.

"Are you alright, Miss?"

"I'm fine." Su Tan'er shook her head. "Speaking of which… Uncle Geng, it seems like the bigger the blade, the more powerful they are."

Bloodstains dotted the courtyard. Ma Lin, surrounded, seemed to have no way out. He parried the surrounding attackers with his blade, his body spraying blood in a terrifying display. Su Tan'er was pinching the hem of her dress, but since their side had the upper hand, she felt like making a joke to ease the tension in her heart. That’s when she said those words. In the courtyard, the one with the dagger was no match for Ma Lin with the broadsword. Although Ma Lin's blade was formidable, it was still inferior to Cheng Lie's ancient and heavy broadsword.

Over on the other side of the yard, Ma Lin roared, "Aya! Ya! Ya! Ya!" and clashed several times with Cheng Lie. Geng, the bodyguard, himself a swordsman, looked at the nine-ring broadsword in his hand and chuckled.

"Normally, one can't really distinguish the weapons people use. But when they get to a certain size, it's really as the Miss says. Ma Lin's swordsmanship is fierce and strange. Earlier, he came in so suddenly that I almost fell for his tricks. But Alliance Leader Cheng's blade is so heavy, yet he wields it with such ease, each strike measured and controlled, not taking any risks. Just by the way he held the blade with one hand, you can tell that Ma Lin will be defeated in at most three more moves..."

Su Tan'er naturally didn't understand these things, but she listened attentively, mainly because Ning Yi would occasionally talk about such matters at home. Thinking of Ning Yi, she turned her head to look at Xi Junyu, who had been knocked to the ground.

He should be killed…

As for how to deal with Xi Junyu, since she had only found out about it this afternoon, there wasn't a concrete plan yet. When to kill him tonight, how to kill him—after all, she had never faced such a drastic decision before. She figured her father should be the one to make the call.

After all, people weren't plants or trees. She still had some feelings for Xi Junyu, like those for a teacher or friend. She was certain he would die tonight, but since someone else was making the decision, Su Tan'er didn't dwell on it. Originally, she didn't want Xi Junyu to know about her husband, because if he didn't die, he would pose a threat to Ning Yi. Now that he knew, he should be killed sooner rather than later—this was the first time she started considering it this evening.

In the center of the courtyard, the flames blazed fiercely. Ma Lin was forced back step by step amidst his hysterical shouts. Cheng Lie's blade was steady, and with a series of blows, Ma Lin could only block them head-on, retreating with a series of resounding thuds. Sparks and blood splattered in the air, and dust rose from the ground. His forced retreat almost plowed several grooves in the ground. The air was dry, and yellow dust flew everywhere.

When Cheng Lie raised his blade and roared, "Ha!" Ma Lin was finally sent flying, man and blade together, crashing heavily against the wall at the back of the courtyard, spitting out blood. At that moment, the sounds of fighting on the other side of the wall intensified. A figure borrowed strength from the wall and soared into the air, wielding a spear in the air. It was Ou Peng, who had been running and fighting along the outside wall of the small courtyard, and leaped directly inside.

"Old dog!"

"Hell has no door…"

With a deafening roar, the spear came crashing down. Cheng Lie's hair stood on end, and he roared as he raised his blade to parry. The two men were locked in a stalemate in the air for a moment, before being pushed apart amidst the sparks.

"You barged in!"

Cheng Lie took a step back. Ou Peng's strike had been a descending blow from the air, and his legs had been forced back to the wall before they could land. He pushed off with his legs and lunged straight at Cheng Lie. Cheng Lie swung his blade to deflect him to the side. As soon as he landed, the blade, almost solid gold in the flickering firelight, came down like lightning.

With a crash, another shower of iron sparks flew. Ou Peng's feet slid three or four meters on the ground before he stopped. Dust billowed, and the Hundred Blade Alliance disciples were all around the courtyard. Before he could steady himself, he wielded his spear and began to push back the surrounding enemies. He turned his head, and Cheng Lie's blade had already turned into lightning and come again.

Due to Cheng Lie's intervention, the Hundred Blade Alliance disciples didn't attack together, but retreated backwards, moving with the fighting circle. Cheng Lie's blade was fierce, and Ou Peng was also a tall and strong man. One used a spear, and the other used a knife. In the center of the courtyard, it looked like a huge storm, and the battle was breathtaking.

The sounds of fighting in the woods were still intense. In a short time, the people in the courtyard were all drawn to the battle. The Hundred Blade Alliance disciples,

focused on surrounding Ou Peng and the heavily wounded Ma Lin, didn't notice that the security circle had been drawn a few meters in a certain direction. At that moment, an intense sound came rumbling from the side of the courtyard, approaching in an instant.

Boom—

Countless clods of earth, bricks, and stones flew into the sky. A large cart crashed head-on into the earthen brick wall on one side of the courtyard. Two Hundred Blade Alliance disciples were almost blown away on the spot, and dust rose in the air. The breach happened to be near where Xi Junyu was. A burly figure, covered in blood, suddenly rushed out of the dust, knocking away a nearby Hundred Blade Alliance member. He grabbed Xi Junyu from the ground, and then two more figures rushed in. Outside the breach, the Hundred Blade Alliance disciples surrounded the people pushing the cart and were fighting fiercely. At this moment, the Hundred Blade Alliance had the upper hand, and the breach was almost blocked, but at least for a moment, a team of less than ten people had temporarily rescued Xi Junyu.

Cheng Lie turned his head and glanced at the scene. Everyone in the courtyard was looking over there. The hulking, blood-covered giant wiped the blood from his mouth, chuckled, and slammed a heavy iron shovel into the ground.

"Come on! Who dares to come!"

Two seconds later, everyone in the courtyard surged towards that side.

******************

The battle raged on. At one point, the center of the fighting began to move towards the small courtyard, and then extended towards the small market and fish stalls of Shibu Slope.

On a small hill not far away, two carriages were parked by the side of the road. A man held a long cylinder and looked towards Shibu Slope.

"Wow, how did it turn into such a mess..."

It seemed that this battle had gathered a force of hundreds of people. Fighting to this extent was enough to prove the astonishing power behind Xi Junyu. Originally, it was thought that with the power that a force like the Su family could mobilize, crushing the small gang behind a person like Xi Junyu would be as easy as crushing a grasshopper. But now it seemed that this grasshopper was not so easy to crush, and things had definitely blown up.

The night was quiet. The roars and shouts of fighting could be heard from over there, and even over here, Ning Yi would frown at the occasional chaotic noises… On the other hand, Cheng Lie and the others from the Hundred Blade Alliance were actually surprised at this point, amazed by the tenacity of these outsiders.

In the courtyard just now, they had surrounded those people, but in the end, they were still forcibly broken through. Among these people, Ou Peng was very skilled, and could actually hold his own against Cheng Lie for a time. Perhaps they also had someone who knew how to arrange troops, because when these people were surrounded in the center, the people who were originally fighting fiercely in the small woods had already begun to charge towards the small courtyard. In the end, they mixed together. The Hundred Blade Alliance had the upper hand in numbers, but a portion of the people were finally broken through.

However, even if they were truly considered strong dragons crossing the river, these people suffered heavy losses after rescuing Xi Junyu, and lost many more people as they charged towards the small market on Shibu Slope. At this time, in a group of only twenty or so people, Ou Peng led the way, a giant with an iron shovel brought up the rear, and Ma Lin, who had already suffered serious injuries, was in the middle, fighting with the surrounding Hundred Blade Alliance members. Next to Ma Lin, Xi Junyu had also been slashed once, and was talking to a thin-looking man.

"...Brother Jiang, this time it's my fault, and I've implicated everyone..."

"We act with gratitude and revenge. You have been kind to us, and we were willing to help you in the beginning. It's just a pity that this plan was originally flawless, but now we know that it was overturned from the very beginning. That Ning Yi is powerful..."

"He's in the dark, and I'm in the light. Now that I know about this person, even if I lose this time, I'll get it back next time..."

Mentioning the name Ning Yi, Xi Junyu gritted his teeth, but in fact, he still felt somewhat unreal at this point. However, the person next to him was named Jiang Jing, and was also good at scheming. He had also participated in the entire layout and arrangement of the assassination. At this time, he only smiled coldly.

"Lose? That's not necessarily true..."

"Hmm?"

"In the end, things can always be solved by force! But this matter is not settled. Let's break out first. Everyone, charge south!"

"Kill!"

At the rear of the group, the giant with the shovel slammed a person into the sky. In front, Ou Peng's spear danced like the wind, forcing back four or five Hundred Blade Alliance members at once. Not far away, Cheng Lie appeared in sight again with the Su family father and daughter, and was about to charge over with his blade. Ou Peng raised one hand and a hidden weapon flew towards the Su family father and daughter. Cheng Lie swung his blade to block it. Ou Peng laughed loudly.

"Su family, listen up! If we escape today, we will definitely bring our brothers here one day and slaughter your entire Su family! To comfort the spirits of the brothers who died today!"

"Haha." Ma Lin blocked an attack in the middle of the group. "Count me in! Su family bitch, remember your Ma family brother, haha!"

During the fighting, mutual scolding and provocation were also a tactic. Similar words had been shouted more than once. These people were all desperate outlaws. Dozens of brothers had died at the moment, and they had long given up. They were just relying on their quick mouths and weren't afraid of provoking anyone to be irrational. For a moment, there were many curses.

"You...

Su family, remember me..."

"Mainly if I don't die today..."

"If you dare..."

Jiang Jing also shouted with a smile: "Tell that Ning Liheng, I'll come back another day, he won't be so lucky then..."

"That Su family little bitch, remember, when I mess with you one day, I want your husband to watch from the side..."

A little further away, Su Boyong's hands gripped the armrests of the wheelchair, making a creaking sound. Geng the bodyguard had already turned towards these people with a gloomy face. Su Tan'er knew they were doing this on purpose, but she was also blushing with anger. But in any case, this was a Jianghu-style battle, and it was difficult to have a military-like encirclement effect. The Hundred Blade Alliance's defense line probably wouldn't be able to intercept these people's escape route in time.

At that moment, a carriage came galloping from a distance on the road on the side of Shibu Slope, recklessly rushing into the loose defense line of the Hundred Blade Alliance disciples.

A figure was pushed out, and a voice shouted, "Stop, who dares to move—"

The lights flickered on the carriage, and the one pushed out of the curtain was a man tied up with ropes, wearing a scholar's robe. Behind him, several men dressed as Su family servants held steel knives to this man's neck.

The Hundred Blade Alliance members around, seeing the Su family servants' clothing, were confused for a moment as to which side they were on. Then, the lantern on the car was also extinguished. But this moment was enough for some attentive people to see the appearance of the scholar over there. Jiang Jing took a look and suddenly laughed: "Ha, succeeded! Succeeded! Brothers, kill over there!"

Xi Junyu thought he was seeing things. The person tied up in the distance was clearly Ning Yi: "Brother Jiang, that's..."

"Ning Yi, haha, that's the backup plan I arranged. When the results of the clan conference came out, I guessed you were being tricked, so I took a two-pronged approach... anyway, it was arranged earlier, and it's playing a big role now. Grab a hostage and force them to make way!"

The Hundred Blade Alliance had a strong force. Even if they managed to break through at this time, they would have to face a series of pursuits. What better role could a hostage play? The crowd turned in one direction and killed towards the end of the encirclement. Ma Lin, who had already been injured, laughed and killed in the front: "That Su family little bitch, today I'll let you know what pain is..."

On this side, Cheng Lie was asking Su Boyong and Su Tan'er what had happened. Only Su Boyong answered a few words. The Hundred Blade Alliance disciples who were coming from a distance were also confused, not quite understanding how to define the Su family servants on the carriage. Seeing these people killing over there, everyone maintained the formation of encirclement. For a time, the sounds of fighting near Shibu Slope calmed down slightly.

Su Tan'er stood there, her whole heart sinking.

According to her previous training, as a merchant, she should remain calm, and in any situation, she should remain calm and find a way to deal with it. Because even if you panic, it won't help. If there is a problem, you have to solve the problem. But at this moment, she almost stopped breathing temporarily.

Her head went blank all of a sudden, and her body was like falling into an ice cellar, freezing her thoughts.

The carriage was blocked and stopped on the slope. The sound of weapons clashing continued. Ma Lin rushed straight to the carriage like a sharp knife, preparing to join the four brothers on the car. Finally, a heavy knife chopped off the last road blocker. He walked to the dark carriage, tilted his head, looked at Ning Yi sitting tied to the shaft of the car, and tilted his head again, raising his knife downwards: "Stop, who dares to come over and try!"

Cheng Lie had already learned from Su Boyong about the importance of Ning Yi, far from being a son-in-law. At his signal, the disciples who continued to surround him gradually stopped. Jiang Jing spread his arms and stood on the hillside: "Haha, what can you do! I told you, we'll get it back!"

"It won't work if this goes on, the losses will only be greater." In the distance, Cheng Lie turned his head and said to Su Boyong. After a moment, Su Tan'er suddenly shook her head: "No! No way!"

Panting for a moment, Ou Peng dragged his spear and walked uphill. Everyone also began to turn around and walk over there. The distance was only four or five zhang, but because there was not much light, the people above looked like silhouettes. Ma Lin stood by the carriage, the hostage sitting on the shaft.

Then, they saw the hostage stand up.

This action was understated, but it also had enough shocking impact to be mistaken. How could the hostage stand up like that? In the dark outline, the figure faced the crowd, raised his hand towards Ma Lin next to him, and a little red light flashed in the darkness.

Bang—

At a distance of no more than half a meter, a fire bloomed in the darkness, like a flower blooming, covering Ma Lin's entire head. Flesh and blood spread out into the distance in a form continuing this fire.

The figure didn't even have time to shake, and after the fire converged, it fell straight to one side.

Everyone stopped.

The dark figure put down his hand and bent down to pull the rope off his body.

The huge explosion was still spreading, echoing, and lingering in the entire night sky.

"I heard you talking about me over here, and you sounded so happy..." He threw the rope to the side, opened his arms, and said enthusiastically: "So I came!"

****

*******

Haha, the feeling is back, surprise^_^

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