Ten Directions Sword Master

Chapter 83 Two Ambushes

Several streaks of light chased each other, moving at breakneck speed, carving out several deep ravines from the dense forests of the mountains.

The once lush forest was now a scene of devastation, resembling a place ravaged by a storm, with countless broken branches and shredded wood.

A streak of black light took the lead, while the other lights and shadows were pulled hundreds of feet behind, chasing in a fan shape.

Suddenly, water columns shot into the sky from the river ahead, huge waves rolled, and the river split open to both sides, like two vicious dragons that had been gathering their strength for a long time, pouncing fiercely.

An old man with angry eyes and a bristling beard stood in the water, blending into his surroundings so that his presence was undetectable.

At this moment, he slammed his palms out, drawing the entire river to his disposal.

The black light abruptly stopped, and a bronze sword was thrust out, sent into the towering waves, its killing intent soaring to the heavens.

Without drawing its sheath, the sword tore through the raging waves and struck the old man's palm.

A perfectly timed attack, honed over several days, was easily neutralized.

The old man groaned, swallowed a mouthful of blood, and was forced out of his state of oneness with nature.

Looking down, I saw a hole piercing through the back of my hand. I lost all feeling of pain, and wisps of black energy were spreading outwards.

He quickly circulated his true energy to suppress the invading killing intent. At the same time, he was shocked to find that he had been injured in a single move by an ambush attack from a mid-stage Refining Spirit cultivator.

If he were to face it alone, wouldn't he risk losing his life in just a few moves?

However, the old man's obstruction caused the black light to stop, allowing the people behind it to surround it again.

"Zhai Baishi, surrender and you will receive even more resources from Northern Zhou than from Great Chu—His Majesty is benevolent. As long as you submit to our dynasty, we will reward you with a dukedom, and the innate Qi will naturally still be yours."

The person leading the arrow was none other than Yuan Guanyu, the Southeast Divine Eagle.

For many days, he had been working tirelessly, and the few brief encounters he had had left with a weathered look on the face of this magistrate of the thief-catching office.

The group consisted of four people at the start, but along the way, an elder from the Langya Wang clan and a manager from the northern branch joined them.

Both of them were in the early stage of Spirit Refinement and could not directly confront Zhai Baishi, but they could provide support and interference from the sidelines to enhance their own momentum.

If an opportunity arises, local experts in the Refinement Realm along the way will not mind joining in and sharing in this tremendous achievement.

Unexpectedly, Zhai Baishi suddenly turned around and unleashed only three sword strikes.

With one sword, he forced Yuan Guanyu to retreat; with another, he subdued Daoist Qingming; and with yet another, he severely injured the head of the northern quarters.

Master Qingming's meridians were invaded by murderous intent, and he needs to recuperate for several days, otherwise it will damage his very foundation.

The person in charge of the north room fainted immediately, and it's uncertain whether he can be saved.

One counterattack reduced the newly grown team back to four members.

Yuan Guanyu was secretly shocked; the gap between himself and the top three on the Earth Ranking was so vast.

This was while he was still injured, and he wasn't at his peak condition.

No wonder the Vice Privy Councilor neither agreed nor disagreed with his plan after hearing it; he simply said, "Go ahead."

It seems that he didn't think he could keep Zhai Baishi within the territory of Da Chu.

The conditions Yuan Guanyu mentioned were not deceptive; even the high-ranking officials in the imperial court would agree to them.

Even the most hardline officials would not hesitate to grant a dukedom to a Northern Dynasty official who had reached the pinnacle of spiritual cultivation.

He is still on the path to becoming a Grandmaster, and there is hope that he will reach the pinnacle of spiritual refinement and condense his Dharma body!

"Hahaha, Yuan Guanyu, listen to what you're saying! Fame and fortune are within my grasp; they're hardly what I desire!"

A smile crept across Zhai Baishi's lips, a far cry from his usual charming and mature middle-aged man appearance. Instead, he exuded a fierce aura and was filled with murderous intent.

"The pseudo-dynasty possesses seventeen prefectures, rich in resources, but it cannot control the power of aristocratic families and can only watch as clans divide their territories; it cannot eliminate the pirates in the South China Sea, and its maritime trade is controlled by others, with several coastal prefectures suffering from pirate raids year after year."

"Is this kind of court worthy of one's service?"

Ignoring Yuan Guanyu's increasingly worsening expression, Zhai Baishi gave his answer.

"But in our Great Zhou, we do not distinguish between lineage and bloodline. Even royal sons who wish to rise to high positions must undergo training in the border armies—survival of the fittest, natural selection!"

"If it weren't for the unfortunate appearance of foreign demons, the Great Zhou cavalry would have already marched south and restored the Central Plains to one rule!"

Yuan Guanyu's face turned red with suppressed anger. He came from humble beginnings in the martial arts world and had risen to this position entirely through his own abilities and loyalty to the emperor.

In terms of eloquence, who can rival the Dean of Yingtian Academy?

"Old Man Iron, join forces with us and hold this man off for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn! The Jiujiang Inspector is on his way, and two elders from the Lushan Sword Alliance are also on their way!"

Taking a deep breath, Yuan Guanyu abandoned any verbal sparring, his fingers crackling with lightning, exuding a dangerous aura.

"I have given the orders I promised. After this battle, you will be able to return to Wu County and retire to your hometown—the mansion that was confiscated will be returned, all your relatives who were accused of crimes will be exonerated, and you will no longer need to hide in Shicheng!"

The old man who had been bandaging his wounds gave a wry smile upon hearing the promise: "Alright, if I can be buried back in my homeland, this old man will risk my life for you, Lord Yuan!"

The Jiujiang Inspector was a high-ranking official of the third rank in the imperial court, responsible for overseeing river vessels and grain transport.

Because they inevitably had to deal with the canal gangs, the officials who held these positions were usually quite capable themselves.

This inspector was the martial arts champion appointed by the emperor when he first ascended the throne, and now he has reached the mid-stage of the Refining Spirit realm.

The key is loyalty to the king; if he says he'll arrive within an incense stick's time, he will definitely arrive within that time.

Yuan Guanyu then looked at the person beside him and said, "Yu Ziqi, you, a disciple of Bailu Academy who came from the secret realm, killed one of my Silver Fish Envoys—I want to see your true abilities, otherwise the arrest warrant from the Bureau of Bandit Control will follow you for life!"

"Is it possible that a disciple like this will never leave Yuzhang?"

Even while pursuing Zhai Baishi, Yuan Guanyu did not lose control of the thief-catching station.

Every day, several specially trained pigeons would come to his side, with the latest intelligence contained in the iron rings on their feet.

It includes both reports on the responses of the powerful figures along the way and summaries of major events that occurred in the rear.

He valued this taciturn vice-principal of Bailu Academy highly, and the martial arts department's top-secret files gave him a very high evaluation.

When Yu Ziqi first left Louguan and began his journey in the martial world, he ranked fifteenth on the list of outstanding individuals.

However, due to a lack of subsequent achievements, its ranking quickly declined until it was removed from the list due to age.

Later, he joined the White Deer Academy and abandoned the Louguan martial arts to practice the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Technique.

On the surface, he is just an ordinary mid-stage Refinement God, but there is a speculation in the file that his actual combat strength can reach the bottom of the Earth Ranking.

Yuan Guanyu needs a helper who can hold his own against Zhai Baishi for several rounds without needing to provide support.

This is something that the old man Tie, who came all the way from Shicheng, could not do.

His subordinate Gu Jingyi couldn't do it, and neither could this elder from a collateral branch sent by the Langya Wang clan.

Lu Li killed a Silver Fish Envoy! How did he do that?

Yu Ziqi's gaze sharpened, and he immediately thought of this disciple.

Although killing the silver fish sounds bizarre, we must find someone to do it, and among the disciples of White Deer Academy, only Lu Li is the only one.

From the moment I met him, he kept creating surprises, and my strength improved rapidly as if I had suddenly gained enlightenment.

"As disciples of the White Deer Sect, we follow the teachings of the Sage and will not act without cause—but a battle is merely what we desire."

The ancient longsword leaped and landed in his hand. Yu Ziqi showed no fear, pointing the tip of the sword at Zhai Baishi.

Yuan Guanyu turned back with satisfaction; the remaining two needed no further explanation.

Gu Jingyi, a scion of a prominent family, joined the thief-catching unit despite opposition, all for this very day.

The Langya Wang clan migrated from the north to the southeast precisely because of irreconcilable conflicts with the high-ranking military officials in the north.

Most of those people became founding fathers of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

This is why the Langya Wang clan took the initiative to show goodwill and sent a Refining Spirit Elder.

But even with more support, there won't be any more.

Yuan Guanyu was filled with fighting spirit. Since becoming the clerk of the thief-catching office, it had been a long time since he had faced life and death so directly and fought against a true strongman.

How could you possibly come and go as you please within the territory of the Great Chu?

If he could keep the arrogant and conceited Zhai Baishi occupied for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and wait for more masters to arrive, his plan would be realized.

The Dean of Yingtian Academy will remain in the Great Chu forever!

"You've gathered a bunch of worthless bastards, and you think you can challenge me?"

Zhai Baishi did not take the opportunity to attack. Instead, he calmly watched the group communicate. The wound on his arm where the copper nail had been embedded had already healed.

"Then I'll kill you all and see how many people from Great Chu dare to continue the pursuit!"

Swords flashed, thunder roared, waves surged, wind and snow howled, and music soared.

A terrifying pressure swept over Zhai Baishi, causing changes in the celestial phenomena within a radius of several miles, with various strange sights unfolding one after another.

Zhai Baishi raised the bronze sword, his eyes turning completely black. Slaughter, bloodshed, and the will to die surged forth like a tide, engulfing him in darkness, leaving only an endless abyss.

The carriages of Chungu County Carriage Company have been improved as much as possible to make them more comfortable, but they still cannot compare with the carriage that Lu Li rode in when he set off from Yuzhang.

After all, it was a modification made by the merchant at great expense, specifically for the owner's travel.

Lu Li sat on it for two days and was jostled around. He regretted it a bit. He should have known that buying a good horse would have been a better means of transportation.

With a map for reference, even if you take the wrong road, the consequences should be limited.

The four young men and women, who hadn't experienced much hardship, turned pale and vomited several times during the stop.

"Apart from the few official roads near the capital that are smooth and wide and maintained year-round, the roads in other prefectures and counties are in terrible condition. Even if the local governments are wealthy, they only repair the roads within a few dozen miles of the city. The roads further away are full of potholes and are even completely abandoned, so you have to take a detour around the official roads."

Lu Li stood by the carriage, stretching his limbs, and just then saw the young mistress and maid get off.

The woman was dressed in a simple white dress, without any makeup, but her striking beauty attracted the attention of several merchants in the carriage.

Supported by her petite maid, they alighted from the carriage one after the other.

Just as a wealthy merchant, who appeared to be quite well-off, was about to approach him to curry favor, several dark figures suddenly sprang up from both sides of the road, their weapons aimed at the master and servant.

The wealthy businessman screamed, his legs went weak, and he fell to the ground, rolling twice.

The young woman turned pale and grabbed her maid's arm to back away, but the maid was very loyal and stood in front of her with her bare hands.

Lu Li was about to step in to save them when his eyes caught sight of the shoes under their skirts, and he stopped in his tracks, lost in thought.

A few flashes of cold light appeared, and the three men in black screamed and staggered back, their weapons shattered, each of them getting a bamboo skewer stuck in the back of their hand.

"If you want to hurt someone in front of me, you'd better ask my Seven Fortune Telling Tablets first!"

Qin Feng looked smug, still holding several sharp bamboo skewers in his hand.

Several companions reacted quickly and rushed over.

Seeing no opportunity, the three men in black hurriedly jumped off the official road and fled into the mountains and forests.