Liver into a martial arts legend: starting with Embroidered Spring Blade

Chapter 141 Yagyu Tajima-no-kami, Zhu Wushi's Scheme! [Two-in-One]

Upon hearing the envoy from Wuhuan and Princess Lixiu's plea for help, the group of assassins in black became even more frenzied. Several of them surrounded Wuhuan and held him back tightly, while two of them quickly chased after Princess Lixiu, intending to kill her before attracting the attention of the Imperial Guards.

"Princess, run!"

Karasuma cried out in alarm, extremely anxious. His mind went blank, and he was accidentally struck by another blade from a black-clad assassin, which slowed him down even further.

It was clear that his martial arts skills were not weak, but these men in black were all well-trained professional assassins who knew how to cooperate to surround and trap each other. No matter how high Wuwan's martial arts skills were, he could not escape for a while and could only watch helplessly as the two assassins in black caught up with Princess Lixiu and raised their butcher knives.

“Princess…” Despair appeared in Karasuma’s eyes.

Whoosh, whoosh!

Just then, two cold beams of light pierced through the air and instantly pinned the two assassins to the ground. After a violent struggle, they quickly fell silent.

Karasuma breathed a sigh of relief and was overjoyed.

The dozen or so men in black who were attacking him changed their expressions. They looked back and were all incredulous.

In the distance, at least two hundred feet away, a figure in a yellow robe stood on a carriage among the Imperial Guards, bow drawn and arrow nocked. Clearly, this was the man who had just shot and killed the two assassins.

How can this be?

The dozen or so assassins in black were all shocked. Two arrows killed two Xiantian cultivators from a distance of nearly five hundred paces.

Who is that person?!
"careful!"

At that moment, the black-clad man at the head of the group suddenly changed his expression and hurriedly shouted a warning.

In the distance, the figure in the yellow robe drew his bow again, and in the blink of an eye, three arrows were fired simultaneously. Three sharp streaks of light, like thunderbolts, pierced through the void and shot toward the group of black-clad assassins.

The group of men in black felt their hair stand on end and sensed great danger. Three of them tried to dodge, but found themselves locked onto by a terrifying aura and unable to escape. They had no choice but to endure it!
The three gritted their teeth, immediately turned around, and swung their swords swiftly, attempting to deflect the incoming arrows.

shhhhhh!
In an instant, the three men's swords and knives shattered, and the three arrows pierced straight through their chests without any resistance.

The three men in black froze, their eyes widened, and they all fell to the ground.

The remaining few were horrified. They looked at each other and immediately lost the will to continue fighting.

"withdraw!"

A man in black shouted, and the group immediately turned and fled in all directions.

shhhhhh!
The arrow pierced the air, and three more people fell to the ground, struck by it.

Then, the arrows followed the same pattern, as if they were locked onto an enemy in an unavoidable state. With each whistling arrow, a man in black fell to the ground.

In a short while, all of the dozen or so assassins in black were shot dead. Only the last two were fast enough to disappear into the jungle and escape in two different directions.

call out!
Another arrow pierced the air, producing a piercing sonic boom, aimed at the black-clad assassin on the left.

As the arrow was about to reach them, a fierce glint flashed in the black-clad man's eyes. He suddenly turned around, drew his sword, and slashed, unleashing a murderous aura that collided and struck the arrow.

boom!
The powerful sword energy and arrow intent erupted, instantly tearing apart the vegetation within several feet.

The man in black let out a muffled groan, coughed up blood, and flew backward several feet away. He then quickly got up, forcing himself to endure his injuries, leaned against a large tree, and disappeared into thin air as puffs of white smoke enveloped him, leaving not even a trace of his presence.

"Japanese ninjutsu?"

A surprised exclamation rang out from the carriage.

Jiang Xuan's eyes flickered, and without thinking much, he drew his bow again, aimed at another man in black, and said calmly, "If you run one more step, I'll let you taste the feeling of flesh and blood flying everywhere. My range is still fifty steps. You can try it if you don't believe me."

The sound was calm, but with the support of true energy, it resounded like thunder through the forest.

The man in black froze, as if he had been frozen in place, not daring to move an inch, his hands raised high, cold sweat pouring down his body.

Looking at his companions dying one after another around him, he was terrified. His legs trembled uncontrollably, and he was filled with extreme fear.

Karasuma and Princess Toshihide were also horrified. They stared blankly at the approaching Imperial Guards in the distance, their gazes fixed on the yellow-robed figure standing on the carriage in the center of the procession. Both of them showed shock and fear in their eyes.

Gulu gulu——

The wheels rolled over the yellow earth, gradually approaching.

The thousand Imperial Guards, without changing their formation, marched with firm and steady steps, their faces displaying expressions of pride and reverence.

Inside the carriage, Jiang Xuan slowly lowered his bow, his expression calm.

[Skill: Archery (Stance)]

[Progress: 12%]

With the Dragon Bow, his archery skills improved significantly, and he was very satisfied.

But at that moment, he didn't think much of it. He was also staring at Karasuma and Princess Toshihide in the distance, a strange look flashing in his eyes.

Before leaving Beijing last time, Cao Zhengchun and Zhu Youjian informed them in advance that an envoy from Izumo Kingdom was about to travel to the Ming Dynasty to establish a marriage alliance.

Just in case, Cao Zhengchun even sought his help to protect the envoy from Izumo Kingdom together with the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Unexpectedly, we happened to run into each other.

Moreover, there really was an assassination attempt on Karasuma and Princess Toshihide...

Soon, the procession reached the front of Karasuma and Princess Toshihide. The more than a thousand iron cavalrymen stopped in unison, and layers of fierce aura swept over them, causing Karasuma and Princess Toshihide to change color once again.

The two exchanged a glance and couldn't help but swallow hard.

Immediately, Karasuma composed himself, stepped forward, and bowed, saying, "Karasuma, envoy of Izumo Province, greets the Imperial Guard of the Great Ming Dynasty!"

"Princess Toshihide of Izumo Province greets Lord Kamishira!"

Princess Lixiu realized what was happening and quickly followed behind, curtsying and saying, "Thank you for saving me, Lord Lixiu!"

As soon as the two finished speaking, the Imperial Guards parted to make way for them.

A carriage slowly pulled out from behind. In front of the carriage, besides a young swordsman driving the carriage, sat a distinguished-looking, handsome young man who was calmly watching them.

"Are you envoys from Izumo? Do you have any credentials?" the young man asked in a calm tone.

Princess Rishu recognized the young man as the one who had just saved them by drawing his bow and arrow. A look of gratitude appeared in her eyes as she respectfully said, "Your subject is Princess Rishu of Izumo. I have come on behalf of Izumo to offer tribute and marriage alliance with the Ming Dynasty. This is my Izumo's letter of state. Please take a look, Your Excellency."

Princess Lixiu took out the letter of credence from the blood-stained bundle on her body and respectfully held it above her head.

A member of the Imperial Guard immediately stepped forward, took the letter of state, and handed it to Jiang Xuan.

Jiang Xuan opened the letter and examined it carefully. He then returned the letter to Princess Lixiu, nodding slightly to confirm its authenticity.

"So you are envoys from Izumo. May I ask how you two came to be assassinated?" Jiang Xuan asked.

"Get over here!" At this moment, An Jianqing and the others also brought the last black-clad assassin to the carriage and forced him to kneel on the ground.

Jiang Xuan glanced at the assassin but didn't pay him any attention.

His skill is quite good, having reached the perfect level of the Innate Realm, but that's all.

Compared to the Japanese master who escaped using ninjutsu, he was clearly much weaker; otherwise, he wouldn't have been so frightened by a single sentence that he wouldn't have been able to move.

Princess Lixiu then looked at the assassin, a hint of hatred and resentment in her eyes, and said, "My lord, you are unaware that our assassination attempt was caused by this person. This person was sent by your dynasty to pick us up, yet he ambushed us in collusion with those assassins!"

Everyone was taken aback. People from the imperial court?

"How dare you! You falsely accuse our dynasty of plotting to ambush and kill you!" An Jianqing coldly shouted.

"Your humble servant would not dare to lie!"

Princess Lixiu gritted her teeth and said, "This man claimed to be the head of the Eastern Depot of your dynasty. After we boarded the ship and went ashore, he greeted us on the shore. He said he was ordered to protect us on our way to the capital."

"Who knew that on the way here, we were suddenly attacked by assassins. These assassins were extremely skilled in martial arts, and all of our protectors were killed. Originally, I had the protection of Minister Karasuma and was safe, but at the critical moment, he suddenly turned against us and injured Minister Karasuma, which led to our predicament."

"If it weren't for your timely arrival, sir, we would probably not have made it to your capital alive!"

Princess Lixiu's face was filled with sorrow as she glared at the black-clad assassin, her eyes filled with resentment.

The head of the Eastern Depot?
Jiang Xuan frowned and looked at the black-clad assassin, vaguely guessing his identity: "Iron Claw Flying Eagle?"

The assassin in black trembled, looked up at Jiang Xuan with a complicated expression, and finally sighed, bowing his head: "Iron Claw Flying Eagle, the head of the Eastern Depot, pays respects to Governor Jiang!"

The crowd was in an uproar. Could it really be someone from the Eastern Depot?
Jiang Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "Who was the one who escaped?"

"I was unaware," Iron Claw Eagle sighed.

Jiang Xuan's gaze turned cold: "You colluded with them from the inside to ambush the people from Chuyun Kingdom, and you didn't know his identity?"

Iron Claw Eagle said in a low voice, "I was just following orders and I really don't know the man's background. I only know that he is a Japanese samurai."

"Your Honor!"

At this moment, Karasuma stepped forward, his face pale, and cupped his hands, saying, "I recognize the martial arts that man used. He used the Koga school of martial arts, and the last move, 'The God of Slaughter's One-Slash Slash,' is the ultimate technique of the Yagyu family of the Koga school!"

Yagyu family?

Jiang Xuan's eyes flashed, and he immediately guessed the man's origin.

The head of the Yagyu family, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami?
"Speak, who sent you to intercept and kill the envoy from Izumo?!" An Jianqing looked at Iron Claw Flying Eagle and interrogated him coldly.

Iron Claw Eagle was pale, but he kept his head down and remained silent.

"It seems you are unaware of the methods of our Embroidered Uniform Guard!" An Jianqing sneered, about to order the execution and interrogation, when Jiang Xuan waved his hand to interrupt him: "Enough."

"If he doesn't want to talk about it, then so be it."

Jiang Xuan glanced at the Iron Claw Flying Eagle and waved his hand, saying, "Capture it first and take it back to the capital to be handed over to the Eastern Depot for disposal."

He naturally knew that Iron Claw Eagle was a spy planted by 'Iron-Blooded Marquis' Zhu Wushi next to Cao Zhengchun.

The Yagyu family, in particular, had long been secretly colluding with Zhu Wushi, intending to use him to become the overlord of the Japanese martial arts world.

So, this ambush of the Izumo envoy was undoubtedly ordered by Zhu Wushi.

However, Jiang Xuan was not interested in this matter.

He was too lazy to confront Zhu Wushi again over this matter.

Since this matter is Cao Zhengchun's responsibility, let's take it back and let him handle it. Let him deal with Zhu Wushi slowly.

In matters of political maneuvering, Chief Supervisor Cao is quite talented.

Soon, the team finished packing and continued their journey.

More than twenty people from Izumo Kingdom came this time. Except for Princess Toshihide and Karasuma, all the others were killed. However, the assassins' only purpose was to kill, and the tribute they brought was not lost. This time, the tribute was personally escorted by the Imperial Guards, so there would naturally be no more accidents.

Two days later, the team arrived in Beijing safely.

Jiang Xuan instructed An Jianqing to take his men back to the yamen to report, while he took Wuhuan and Princess Lixiu to the palace to meet the emperor and explain the assassination of the Plum Blossom Thief and the envoy from Izumo.

Unsurprisingly, Zhu Youjian was furious upon learning of these two matters.

Izumo came to the Ming Dynasty to pay tribute and form a marriage alliance. Once the two countries formed a marriage alliance, Izumo would become like a junior brother of the Ming Dynasty.

However, my brother was ambushed on his way here. This was not only a slap in the face to Zhu Youjian, but also a slap in the face to the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Youjian immediately summoned Cao Zhengchun and, in front of Princess Lixiu and the Wuhuan, gave him a stern reprimand, criticizing Cao Zhengchun for his incompetence.

Cao Zhengchun was so scolded that he didn't dare to lift his head. He felt both aggrieved and angry.

He had clearly made many preparations, sending hundreds of guards to welcome and escort them, and mobilizing officers and soldiers from various garrisons along the way to assist. Logically speaking, there should have been no way anything should have happened.

But no matter how much he planned, he never expected that there would be a traitor among his own men.

The one who betrayed them was still the leader, Iron Claw Flying Eagle, the head of the Eastern Depot, whose top henchman was personally selected from the agents.

Cao Zhengchun harbored deep resentment and vowed to tear this traitor to pieces upon his return to vent his anger.

But at this moment, being scolded by Zhu Youjian, he could only suppress his other thoughts and bow his head to endure it.

Fortunately, the resolution of the Plum Blossom Thief case led to the recovery of over a thousand hectares of land belonging to the Shaolin Temple in Baoding, which brought some comfort to Zhu Youjian.

Finally, after comforting Princess Lixiu and Wuwan and assuring them that the mastermind would be found and given an explanation, Cao Zhengchun ordered that the two be taken to the state guesthouse to rest, and that a formal audience would be held on a suitable day to discuss the marriage alliance between the two countries.

Then, Zhu Youjian looked at Jiang Xuan, his expression softening slightly, and said, "You did a good job in the matter of the Plum Blossom Thief. The Shaolin Temple acted as an accomplice to the wicked and provoked the majesty of the court. They should be severely punished."

"However, I never expected that a mere Shaolin Temple would possess so much land. It seems that these martial arts sects are no different from those bloodsucking aristocratic families!"

Zhu Youjian's expression was somewhat cold.

Jiang Xuan's heart skipped a beat, fearing that this guy was having some inappropriate thoughts, so he quickly stepped forward to dissuade him: "Your Majesty, martial arts sects are different from ordinary aristocratic families, and should not be acted upon lightly."

Zhu Youjian took a deep breath and nodded, saying, "I naturally understand. Over the years, the court and the martial arts world have not interfered with each other. It is certainly not easy to deal with these martial arts figures."

"It's good that Your Majesty understands." Jiang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief, afraid that this guy might be foolish enough to try and snatch food from the mouths of the martial arts sects.

But Zhu Youjian's next words made him anxious again.

"But these treacherous officials have invaded the land of my Great Ming. They are clearly within the territory of my Great Ming, yet they refuse to be governed. I will not let them go sooner or later!"

Zhu Youjian coldly said, "Once I've resolved the issue of the aristocratic families, the next step will be to deal with these Jianghu rebels!"

Jiang Xuan's lips twitched, thinking to himself, "You really have a big face."

You think you can just solve the problems of these powerful families that have remained unresolved for so many years?

They even want to take action against the martial arts sects. Are they really afraid that the Ming Dynasty won't fall fast enough?

It seems that the series of events—dealing with the eunuch faction, quelling the banditry in the Northwest and the internal strife of the White Lotus Rebellion, and stabilizing the situation in Liaodong—have made this guy arrogant again.

He really thinks he's some kind of emperor who will last forever, with all those abilities.

But Zhu Youjian was in high spirits and full of ambition at the moment, and Jiang Xuan was too lazy to spoil his mood. As long as he didn't rush to cause trouble right now, that was fine.

Jiang Xuan didn't want to keep going through all that trouble for him.

"I have already discussed the tax policy you proposed last time with the cabinet, and the cabinet ministers all think it is feasible. I wonder if you found a suitable place to implement the new tax policy during your recent inspection tour?"

After venting his emotions, Zhu Youjian finally got down to business, bringing up the policy that Jiang Xuan had proposed last time: acknowledging the legality of those powerful families' encroachment on land, but requiring an additional annual tax.

Jiang Xuan's departure from the capital this time was mainly to forge weapons in preparation for the third realm of intent; he had no time to investigate this matter.

However, he had already prepared for this matter and replied, "In my opinion, the Northwest region is the most suitable."

"The Northwest?" Zhu Youjian murmured.

Jiang Xuan nodded and gave his reasons: "In the Northwest, after the bandits plundered the land, there is a lot of vacant land and relatively fewer powerful families, so there is less resistance to implementing the new policies."

Zhu Youjian frowned slightly and said, "But the people there are already impoverished after the war, and there are many refugees. I just discussed with the cabinet a few days ago to reduce the grain tax there. Now we are implementing new policies there and increasing the grain tax. Will this cause unrest?"

Jiang Xuan shook his head: "Your Majesty, the grain tax to be added under the new policy is for the land that has been seized by powerful families. What does it have to do with ordinary people?"

"As long as they have not encroached on the land, taxes will still be reduced or exempted as they should be, and they will still pay the full amount due. This does not conflict with the new policy."

Zhu Youjian pondered for a moment, nodded slightly, and said, "Alright, let's start with a pilot program in the Northwest. When the time is right, we'll roll it out nationwide. I will send people to the Northwest to survey the land and implement the new policies."

"Your Majesty is wise." Jiang Xuan bowed.

After leaving Qianqing Palace, Jiang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief, finally feeling relaxed.

The implementation of the new policy is not something that happened overnight.

At least for the short term, as long as Zhu Youjian doesn't cause any more trouble and nothing else interferes, I can calm down and focus on practicing my skills.

With his current martial arts skills, he could barely be considered a master in the martial arts world, but he was still quite far from the top tier.

At the very least, one must break through to the Grandmaster level and enter the second step of the Intent Realm before one can be considered top-tier!
……

Hulong Villa.

Zhu Wushi stared at the man in black, his face extremely grim: "Failed?"

The man in black was none other than the assassin who had ambushed the envoy from the Kingdom of Izumo and was the only one to escape.

That is, the head of the Yagyu family in Japan, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Yagyu Tajima-no-kami was breathing heavily and his face was deathly pale, clearly indicating that he had suffered a serious injury.

He gritted his teeth and explained, "We were almost successful, but unexpectedly, we encountered the Imperial Guards who were returning to the capital from Baoding and rescued Princess Lixiu and Wuhuan."

"Jiang Xuan?!"

Zhu Wushi's gaze was gloomy. Of course, he had also heard about the actions Jiang Xuan had taken in Baoding City, cracking the Plum Blossom Bandit case, forcing the Baoding Shaolin Temple to bow its head and submit, closing the mountain for ten years, and surrendering the land under its jurisdiction, which further solidified Jiang Xuan's reputation as the "Overlord Blade".

Unexpectedly, on his way back to the capital, he happened to witness Yagyu Tajima-no-kami leading his men to intercept and kill the envoy from Izumo Province, thus ruining his plans.

Could this guy really be my nemesis?!
Zhu gritted his teeth, extremely unwilling.

His original plan was to sabotage the marriage alliance between Izumo and the Ming Dynasty, and incidentally, to take this opportunity to clean up the Eastern Depot and see if he could suppress Cao Zhengchun and support his people to take over the Eastern Depot.

Liu Xi was clearly unwilling to give up after failing to become the head of the Eastern Depot last time.

Iron Claw Flying Eagle, who was promoted by Cao Zhengchun, is his new beneficiary.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Xuan has now ruined this matter again.

"You mean, Iron Claw Eagle was captured by the Embroidered Uniform Guard?!"

After listening to Yagyu Tajima-no-kami recount the details, Zhu Wushi's expression changed.

It doesn't matter whether Iron Claw Eagle escapes or dies, but if he is captured and reveals everything about him, then this matter will be quite detrimental to him.

He doesn't want to confront the imperial power directly at the moment.

"Yes, Your Highness, I witnessed this with my own eyes. He was taken away by the Embroidered Uniform Guard!" Yagyu Tajima-no-kami said in a deep voice.

"waste!"

Zhu Wushi's expression turned grim, and he quickly began to think about how to resolve this potential problem.

After pondering for a long time, a cold glint flashed in his eyes. He stood up and said, "Go and find out where the others are being held. I will go there myself. Iron Claw Flying Eagle must not live!"

"Yes." Yagyu Tajima-no-kami replied respectfully.

……

"Commander, you're back?"

"Meet the Governor!"

Jiang Xuan returned to the Commander's Office, where the various commanders came to pay their respects and bowed respectfully.

"Nothing major has happened recently, has anything?"

Jiang Xuan asked casually, then walked to the main seat and sat down. His gaze slowly swept over everyone, and he was very satisfied with the energetic Imperial Guards.

At this moment, the five core departments of the Embroidered Uniform Guard have all undergone a complete overhaul from top to bottom.

The five commanders are: Pei Xing of the Central Command, An Jianqing of the Front Command, Ding Xiu of the Rear Command, Lu Jianxing of the Left Command, and Xu Longqing of the Right Command.

Others, such as Jin Yichuan and Lin Pingzhi, have all been promoted to the rank of centurion and are all capable officers of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"Hmm? Where's Lin Pingzhi?" Jiang Xuan glanced around but didn't look at Lin Pingzhi, so he frowned and asked.

"Reporting to the Governor, there is a case in Huguang. Lin, a centurion, said that the anniversary of his parents' death is approaching, so he volunteered to handle it. He just left the capital three days ago," Luo Yangxing, the Southern Garrison Commander, stepped forward and answered respectfully.

Knowing the master-disciple relationship between Jiang Xuan and Lin Pingzhi, Luo Yangxing added, "Commander Yue brought a small team to accompany you personally, so you don't need to worry, sir."

"Huguang..." Jiang Xuan suddenly realized.

Lin Pingzhi's parents were indeed buried in Hengshan.

Before he knew it, Lin Pingzhi had been following him for a year.

"Hmm." Since they were going to pay respects to their parents, Jiang Xuan didn't ask any more questions.

Lin Pingzhi had been training with me for a year, so his martial arts skills were not weak. With Yue Mingke accompanying him, as long as they didn't encounter any masters above the grandmaster level, nothing would generally go wrong.

Masters of the highest level generally no longer engage in illegal or despicable activities.

"Let's call it a day, everything as usual."

Afterwards, Jiang Xuan casually gave everyone a few instructions, and mentioned that the envoy from the Kingdom of Izumo was coming to arrange a marriage alliance. He told everyone to be prepared and to assist the Eastern Depot in protecting the envoy from the Kingdom of Izumo to ensure the smooth progress of the marriage alliance.

After personally handling some documents that required his review, he left.

When he got back to his doorstep, Ah Fei was already waiting there with his sword.

(End of this chapter)