A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 407 Stormy Scenes in the City
Inside Sword Forging City, Jianxiong personally led sixteen men to the east of the city. The civilians had already been evacuated, and most of those remaining were people who knew some martial arts. Jianxiong ordered his men to search house to house. Half an hour later, all the men returned. The leader summarized the results of the search and came to Jianxiong's side.

"Young City Lord, these dozens of households have been thoroughly searched, and no suspicious persons have been found."

Upon hearing this, Jianxiong nodded. Since they hadn't found anything here, they decided to try another location. The other two teams went to the southeast, leaving only the north location.

"Go to the north of the city."

"Yes!"

The leader immediately responded and came down.

The seventeen men rode away from the east of the city. They were not slow, and after a short while, they arrived at the north of the city. Looking at the desolate scene, Jianxiong frowned. Although he knew that the north of the city was not as prosperous as the other three places, he did not expect it to be so dilapidated. Although the houses were neatly arranged in a line, there were hardly any people in the streets.

"Young City Lord, let us go. You rest here for now."

Seeing Jianxiong's silent demeanor, the leader felt a chill and immediately tried to persuade him.

"No need, I'll go in with you." Jianxiong rejected the suggestion, pulled on the reins, and rode forward.

Seeing this, the others hurriedly followed.

Just as Jianxiong and his group arrived at this place, in a house in the northern corner of the city, four people were sitting together, discussing something.

"Second Brother Wu, Sword Forging City is conducting a large-scale search. What should we do now?"

A middle-aged man with a thick beard lowered his voice and spoke to a lean man.

The four of them, along with Guo Yue who had left the city, were people planted in Sword Forging City by Eagle Fortress. They had always been law-abiding, and apart from collecting intelligence in the city, they had not taken any other actions. However, seven days ago, Guo Yue received a secret message instructing them to cooperate with White Bear and others to take action against Sword Hero, Yan Cangfeng, and Xiaoyao Lang.

"If things go wrong, it will inevitably attract the attention of the Sword Master. However, we don't need to be too nervous. Each of us has a public identity in the city. As long as we stay calm, we will be safe. Brother Guo has already gone out of the city to see some officials. We will discuss how to proceed when he returns. Remember, don't panic. It's not that bad yet."

Wu Lao Er glanced at the three of them and gave them some serious instructions. The other three nodded in response. Just as they were about to leave, a rhythmic knocking sound came from outside the door, consisting of two long and two short knocks.

Upon hearing this voice, Wu Lao Er made a gesture, nodded to the three of them, and then went behind the door. He quietly opened the door and saw Guo Yue, who had left the city, standing in the outer room.

Guo Yue glanced around and found nothing unusual. He gave Wu Lao Er a look, then stepped aside and slipped into the room. After peeking out once more, he closed the door again.

"Brother Guo, how was it? Did you meet those important officials?"

Wu Lao Er led Guo Yue to the table. When the others saw Guo Yue return, they hurriedly stood up and stared at him.

"I've seen it. But let's not talk about that for now. When I came back through the secret passage just now, I heard the sound of horses' hooves coming from above. If I'm not mistaken, it should be the search team in the city. I'm afraid it won't be long before they find this place."

Guo Yue put down his teacup, exhaled, and slowly calmed his mind. Wu Lao Er's expression changed upon hearing this, but then returned to normal. He said to the other three, "Just in case, you should not return to your places for the time being. If the people from Sword Casting City come, I will go and deal with them."

After Wu Lao Er finished speaking, the other three had no objections.

After giving a few more instructions, Wu Lao Er told them to go and rest. After they left, Wu Lao Er sat down next to Guo Yue, stared at him, and asked in a deep voice, "What exactly does the higher-ups mean?"

Wu Lao Er came to Sword Forging City as an inside agent for two reasons: first, he wanted to avoid internal strife and trouble; second, he wanted to accumulate merits to meet the criteria for leaving Eagle Fortress and living a simple life.

He had already met the requirements for retirement based on his achievements over the years, but unexpectedly, at this critical juncture, an order was issued from above. In order to appease him, the order promised that if he could help the outsiders complete their mission this time, in addition to the due reward, he would also receive a thousand taels of silver and a martial arts manual as compensation.

“Brother Wu, since it’s just the two of us here, I won’t beat around the bush. This time, the two lords, White Bear and Black Hawk, will be carrying out the mission.”

Upon hearing this, Wu Lao Er was startled. Both Bai Xiong and Hei Ying were high-ranking personnel, yet they would personally carry out the mission. It seemed that the higher-ups attached great importance to this mission.

"Brother Guo, it's not that I'm discouraged, but the young master of Sword Forging City, the disciple of the Wine Immortal, and Yan Zangfeng, who has an extraordinary background, are all formidable opponents. To try and deal with all three of them at the same time is simply a pipe dream."

Wu Lao Er considered himself to be quite skilled in martial arts, but he knew he would be defeated by any one of the three of them. If he were to cooperate with Bai Xiong and the others, he would only be throwing his life away. He was still thinking about retiring and living a quiet life, so he was naturally unwilling to give up his life here.

"The mission has changed. Lord White Bear has said that as long as we gather information about Jianxiong, we don't need to worry about the other two. Also, we don't need to fight them head-on; we just need to work from the shadows."

After Guo Yue finished speaking, Wu Lao Er's solemn expression eased. If it were only targeting one person, it would be fine. However, Jian Xiong is the young master of Sword Casting City, a person of noble status, and is rarely seen. It would be very difficult to collect useful information from him.

"It seems the mission is much easier now, but what about Jianxiong..."

Wu Lao Er shook his head. With his skills, he would probably be captured by Jian Xiong's guards before he even got close to him.

Guo Yue also frowned. Jianxiong was indeed difficult to contact, and they needed to think of a way to deal with him.

Just as the two were pondering, Wu Lao Er's ears suddenly twitched. He heard increasingly clear footsteps coming from outside the courtyard gate. Wu Lao Er gave Guo Yue a wink, and the latter immediately understood. He quietly left the room and led the other three into the secret passage.

After cleaning up the traces, Wu Lao Er adjusted his expression. Not long after, the outer courtyard door was knocked, and a rough voice came from outside.

"Open the door, open the door!"

Upon hearing the sound, Wu Lao Er hurriedly got up and ran outside, shouting as he ran, "Coming, coming!"

Wu Lao Er deftly opened the door bolt. Seeing the three men in military uniforms outside, Wu Lao Er's heart skipped a beat, but he smiled and bowed, saying, "My lords, I am Wu Lu. May I ask what brings you here?"

The leader had a resolute face, with eyebrows that reached his temples and bright, piercing eyes. His name was Zhong Ting, one of the Nine Sword Guards by Jian Xiong's side. As Wu Lao Er came out, he glanced at him from head to toe, placed his right hand on the hilt of his sword, and said in a deep voice, "A group of thieves has recently come to the city. The city lord has ordered a house-to-house search. Please forgive any offense caused."

Upon hearing this, Uru immediately replied, "No, no, I wouldn't dare."

As he spoke, Ulu opened the courtyard gate and gestured for Zhong Ting and the other two to come in.

After Zhong Ting and the other two entered the courtyard, Zhong Ting nodded to the other two, who then went off to search the rooms, while he questioned Uru.

"Have any unfamiliar faces been seen coming here recently?" Zhong Ting asked, looking at the various bamboo products displayed in the courtyard.

"No, sir. I've been weaving bamboo baskets at home these past few days and haven't met anyone I don't know."

Uru had already spoken his prepared words. Zhong Ting simply nodded after hearing them. Looking at the pile of bamboo baskets, Zhong Ting walked over, turned to Uru, and asked, "Can we move these?" "Yes, yes."

Zhong Ting used his sword sheath to pry open the bamboo baskets one by one. After opening them, he found that there was nothing hidden inside. Zhong Ting sheathed his sword and swept the bamboo baskets back into place with a palm.

When Uru saw Zhong Ting make his move, his expression hardened. But when he realized that Zhong Ting didn't make any further moves, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sir, nothing was found."

The other two finished their search and returned to report to Zhong Ting. The latter nodded slightly, waved for them to leave, and then bowed to Uru, saying "I've disturbed you," before departing without further ado.

Seeing this, Uru hurriedly saw them off, escorting them to the gate. After watching the three leave, he closed the gate, leaned against it, and wiped a bead of sweat from his face. He finally felt relieved.

On the other side, Zhong Ting steadily walked out of Uru's sight. When the other two were about to go up and say hello, they were stopped by a look from him. The two immediately understood and followed Zhong Ting to a secluded corner after he walked closer.

"Sir, have you made any discoveries?" one of them asked, seeing the excitement on Zhong Ting's face.

“Indeed, there was something strange about that person just now.”

The other two were startled upon hearing this, but they wisely refrained from asking further questions, instead inquiring, "Sir, what exactly is wrong?"

Zhong Ting glanced at them and explained, "That Uru said he didn't find any unfamiliar faces, but his tone was very calm and he didn't hesitate at all. It was obviously a prepared statement. Besides, how have the other people treated us along the way? Compared to this person, didn't you notice anything strange?"

Upon hearing Zhong Ting's explanation, the two immediately sensed that something was amiss. Putting aside other matters, anyone else would be terrified to see the people from Sword Casting City searching, but Uru remained remarkably calm. Furthermore, the search seemed to proceed too smoothly, as if everything presented on the surface had been prepared in advance.

"It seems you've already thought of that. Let's not talk about it for now. Xiao Xiao, go and inform the young city lord immediately. Liu Feng and I will keep an eye on things here."

Seeing the two men's expressions of sudden realization, Zhong Ting gave them an instruction.

"Yes."

Xiao Xiao said yes and hurriedly ran in one direction. Zhong Ting gave Liu Feng an order to guard the front door, while he went around the street and quietly came to the back door.

In the courtyard, after calming himself down, Uru came to the stone mill and gently tapped the millstone three times. After a while, the millstone turned three times on its own, revealing a hidden passage in the ground. Guo Yue and the other three walked out from inside.

"This place is no longer safe; we must leave immediately."

Ever since Zhong Ting left, for some reason, Uru felt uneasy. Before the four could ask him anything, he immediately made a decision.

Guo Yue and the other three felt a chill in their hearts upon hearing this. Ulu's intuition was always very accurate, and it was precisely because of this intuition that they were able to escape from danger many times. Therefore, after hearing this, the four of them did not hesitate any longer. After tidying up a bit, they returned to the secret passage. Just as they were about to leave, a figure suddenly rushed in. Ulu looked closely and saw that it was Zhong Ting, who had returned.

"You go first!"

Guo Yue reached out to stop Wu Lu and the other three. He knew Zhong Ting was not someone to be trifled with. He was the most skilled martial artist here. If they didn't stay behind to cover their retreat, they would all be unable to escape once they were entangled with him.

"Go quickly!"

Uru warned Guo Yue to be careful, and then immediately led the other three into the secret passage. Zhong Ting watched them leave without any panic. He untied the long sword from his waist, slowly drew it out, and under the reflected sunlight, a cold glint shot towards Guo Yue.

When Guo Yue saw that the other party attacked without saying a word, his heart tightened. A flash of green light appeared on his sleeve, and a thin blade about half an arm's length long appeared in his hand. With a slash, a flash of green light appeared, and with a clang, the soft blade and the long sword clashed together. A powerful force traveled from the soft blade to Guo Yue's arm, and the latter felt a tingling numbness. He hurriedly retreated, and the two weapons separated. Guo Yue looked at Zhong Ting with a look of fear.

"Even an unknown nobody has such skill; Sword Forging City truly deserves to be called a major sect of this era."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Ting snorted coldly and did not respond. His long sword hummed and vibrated, and he stretched his long arm forward. A dazzling white light enveloped Guo Yue. Upon seeing this, the latter's soft knife made a rustling sound and wove a green light screen in front of him. The white light sword light pierced it as if it were piercing a ball of cotton, without any force. The fierce sword momentum instantly vanished.

"Something capable."

Zhong Ting watched as the sword light was continuously swallowed up, his face showing disdain. With a flick of his wrist, he thrust forward, and a cold glint bloomed at the tip of the sword. With a hissing sound, like the sound of tearing cloth, the green light screen was neatly ripped open, revealing Guo Yue behind it.

"not good!"

Just as Guo Yue and Zhong Ting were fighting, Jian Xiong had already completed his formation, sealing off the courtyard. Just as the sounds of fighting broke out in the courtyard, one of Jian Xiong's guards twitched his ears and said to Jian Xiong, "Young City Lord, there seems to be movement underground."

Upon hearing this, Jianxiong looked in the direction he was pointing, his eyes flashed, and he leaped into the air. The Bloodstained Sword flashed with a red light and was unsheathed with a clang. He threw the scabbard downwards, and the ground was instantly pierced by the scabbard. The four people, including Wulu, who were sneaking in the secret passage, felt a bright light before their eyes. A scabbard was stuck in front of them, and a fist-sized hole appeared above them.

"Oh no, we've been spotted! Run!"

Uru exclaimed in surprise and tried to go around it, but at that moment, the hole grew larger and larger. Before the four of them could move, a figure jumped down from above. Uru looked closely and saw that the person was Jianxiong.

"Do it!"

Knowing that only by capturing Jianxiong could they have a chance of survival, Wulu drew his weapon first, unleashing a cloud of black mist as he attacked Jianxiong. The other three also joined in, but before they could rush forward, several figures descended from above. They glanced at Jianxiong, then turned their gazes away, their eyes cold as they attacked with their swords.

Inside the inner city, the Sword Master's expression changed upon receiving the news. It turned out to be in the north of the city; these people were truly well hidden.

"These people are just small fry. The city lord can just send some over. The real threat is those who are outside."

Gu Xu looked at the Sword Master and said.

If these internal agents can be activated, there must be people outside. Only by eliminating both insiders and outsiders can the mission be considered a complete success.

"I was too hasty. According to the information, those people are nothing special. Xiong'er and the others can handle them."

Upon hearing this, Gu Xu remained noncommittal. With a thought, he said to the Sword Master, "There are fourteen people entering the city from outside. Two of them are quite powerful, roughly equivalent to the Four Sword Masters."

"Dragon Sword Master, proceed according to plan and make sure to annihilate them all."

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)