The Reversal of Heaven Begins with The Smiling, Proud Wanderer

Fan Ruoruo stood on the stone steps, her delicate brows furrowed, her eyes filled with deep worry.

She tugged at Fan Xian's sleeve, her voice trembling slightly: "Brother, today's appointment is very strange. Why don't I go with you?"

Fan Xian chuckled upon hearing this, and reached out to ruffle his sister's hair: "Silly girl, the Second Prince has made an appointment with the pleasure boat at Zuixianju. How can a young lady like you, who is not yet married, go to such a place?"

Fan Ruoruo couldn't laugh. She said urgently, "The Second Prince's intention in making this appointment is all too obvious. He simply wants to win over my brother in order to seize control of the Imperial Treasury."

"I know."

Fan Xian nodded, his expression calm.

With the Crown Prince and the Second Prince vying for power, he, who was about to gain control of the Imperial Treasury, naturally became the target of their fierce competition.

Whichever side you lean towards, it means a complete break with the other.

Meanwhile, the "father" sitting high on the dragon throne watched coldly, even pleased with the outcome, using this method of raising a treacherous person to train his successor. His ruthlessness was chilling.

Fan Ruoruo pressed further, "So what are your plans, brother?"

"The struggle for the throne is the center of a vortex. Once you get involved, it's a matter of life and death, and it may even implicate your family."

Fan Xian said firmly, "Naturally, we should avoid them if possible, and keep our distance. Alright, it's getting late, I should get going."

Fan Ruoruo bit her lower lip lightly, her unease growing stronger: "Brother, please be careful on the road. Ever since the court hearing, the Crown Prince has been holding back, and I have a feeling something bad is going to happen."

Fan Xian chuckled lightly, his tone exaggerated, "Don't worry! This is the capital, right under the emperor's nose. Would he dare send assassins to kill me in broad daylight? Let's go back inside!"

After saying that, he nimbly flipped over and sat steadily on the carriage.

Teng Zijing flicked his whip, and the carriage rumbled into motion.

Fan Ruoruo stood there, watching the carriage gradually disappear into the distance and around the street corner, but the excitement in her heart did not diminish in the slightest.

She instinctively clutched the silk handkerchief in her hand, silently praying for her brother's safe return.

Inside the carriage, Fan Xian leaned against the wall, chatting casually with the driver, Teng Zijing.

The Second Prince's sudden invitation, to meet at the same romantic and secluded Drunken Immortal Abode, is quite intriguing.

The Second Prince stepped in to save the day during the last court hearing, and now he has taken the initiative to invite me again, making his intention to curry favor and win me over quite obvious.

A faint smile played on Fan Xian's lips. The game of chess in the capital, with its various forces entangled and vying for power, was indeed becoming increasingly interesting.

However, as the carriage reached Niulan Street, Fan Xian's smile gradually faded.

The streets were unusually quiet. At first, he didn't notice anything amiss, but the further he went, the more deserted it became. Eventually, there wasn't a single pedestrian in sight, and the shops on both sides had their doors and windows tightly shut.

"Teng Zijing".

Fan Xian's voice carried a hint of wariness: "Is Niulan Street usually this quiet?"

Teng Zijing, driving the carriage, replied, "Niulan Street is a lane exclusively for horse-drawn carriages, so there aren't many pedestrians. But it's quite rare to see it completely deserted, with all the shops closed, like today..."

Before he could finish speaking, a sense of foreboding suddenly arose in Fan Xian's heart.

Just then, two sharp whooshing sounds suddenly rang out from the walls on both sides.

The poisoned crossbow bolts, like venomous snakes emerging from the darkness, aimed straight at Fan Xian and Teng Zijing's vital points!

In the split second, Fan Xian instinctively dodged to the side, the arrow grazing his ribs before embedding itself deeply into the carriage wall with a sharp "thud".

Teng Zijing, a veteran of many battles, instantly hid in the stirrup upon hearing the sound, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow. At the same time, he flipped over and landed behind the carriage.

On the wall, two assassins dressed in blue, seeing their first attack miss, immediately raised their bows and aimed again...

The two exchanged a glance and instantly divided the tasks in perfect unison.

Teng Zijing roared, leaping up to dodge another wave of arrows while simultaneously flashing his sleeves, sending out several streaks of cold light.

It was a throwing knife hidden inside the clothing!

With a crisp clang, a throwing knife accurately deflected a crossbow bolt. Several other throwing knives, as if guided by eyes, instantly pierced the throat, heart, and other vital organs of the assassin in blue on the left. The assassin fell from the wall without uttering a sound.

Almost simultaneously, Fan Xian used the swaying carriage to maneuver and swiftly pulled out two crossbow bolts nailed to the carriage wall. Taking advantage of the brief moment when the assassin on the right was changing arrows, he suddenly swung his arm.

The two crossbow bolts flew back at an even faster speed than they had come, piercing the assassin's throat and heart with perfect accuracy.

"Hissing sound!"

The frightened horses, left uncontrolled, continued to gallop forward, pulling the carriage along.

Teng Zijing didn't bother to verify the assassin's identity. He sprinted after the carriage, trying to control the runaway horse.

Just as Fan Xian leaned out of the carriage to grab the reins, he caught a glimpse of a tripwire in front of him out of the corner of his eye.

"not good!"

Alarm bells rang in Fan Xian's mind. Without thinking, he unleashed his inner energy and leaped backward.

Just as his body was lifted off the carriage.

"Shhhhhhh!"

Several crossbow bolts, as thick as a child's arm and powerful enough to pierce the city walls, shot out from the dark alleyway beside the street with terrifying whistles that tore through the air, instantly piercing through two tall horses and the sturdy carriage.

The immense impact even lifted the entire carriage off the ground, slamming it hard against the brick wall on the right.

Wood chips flew everywhere, and blood splattered!

Fan Xian staggered a few steps after landing, barely managing to steady himself. When he turned around and saw the horrific scene, his pupils suddenly contracted, and his back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.

[Siege crossbows! They actually used military equipment; that's quite a move!]

If Fan Xian had reacted even a fraction slower, he would have been strung up like a human candied hawthorn by now.

However, before he could catch his breath...

"Boom!"

The brick wall beside him suddenly exploded.

Amidst the flying debris and dust, a colossal figure, resembling an iron tower, crashed through the wall and surged forth.

This man was bald with a bushy beard, and his muscles were as tough as cast iron. He was none other than Cheng Jushu, a famous master of external martial arts from the Northern Qi Dynasty!

Cheng Jushu let out a deep roar, his thick, pillar-like arm whipping out a fierce wind as he swiftly grabbed at Fan Xian.

Fan Xian hurriedly tried to block, but felt an overwhelming force surge towards him. He was forcibly lifted up and slammed into the courtyard next to him like a sandbag.

"Fan Xian!"

Teng Zijing's eyes widened in horror as he rushed over, recognized the giant man, and exclaimed in shock, "Cheng Jushu!"

Taking advantage of the moment when Cheng Jushu turned around to chase after Fan Xian, Teng Zijing unleashed his full power, and several poisoned throwing knives shot out again.

However, although the throwing knife hit its target, it only pierced the skin and was then stuck in the muscle, failing to kill instantly.

Cheng Jushu cried out in pain, pulled out the throwing knife from his body, and his huge, bell-like eyes flashed with a fierce light. He immediately abandoned Fan Xian and strode towards Teng Zijing!

Teng Zijing felt a suffocating sense of oppression coming towards him, and hurriedly dodged, his face becoming extremely solemn.

Fan Xian got up from the ground, feeling his blood surging. He stood side by side with Teng Zijing and asked urgently, "Who is this big guy?!"

"Cheng Jushu! An eighth-rank master of external martial arts from Northern Qi, with immense strength, impervious to swords and spears! Even the two of us combined are probably no match for him!"

Teng Zijing said urgently, "I'll try to keep him occupied for a while, you find a chance to leave quickly!"

Fan Xian asked anxiously, "Isn't your knife coated with deadly poison?"

He clearly saw the throwing knife hit the other person.

Teng Zijing gave a wry smile: "Young Master, this is Cheng Jushu! His eighth-grade external martial arts are nearing completion. My poison might not be enough to take him down!"

Just then, Cheng Jushu let out a deafening roar, suddenly lifted a stone vat weighing several hundred kilograms from the courtyard, and smashed it down on Fan Xian and Teng Zijing.

The stone vat descended with a terrifying howl, and shadows instantly enveloped the two of them.

Just now.

The sky suddenly darkened, the wind swirled and the clouds surged, and a blinding crimson lightning bolt tore through the sky, its majestic power awe-inspiring and terrifying.

Upon recognizing the stone vat, Cheng Jushu, who had been charging forward fiercely, suddenly froze, as if sensing a deadly threat stemming from his very life instincts. He abruptly looked up at the sky.

A dazzling bolt of lightning streaked down from the clouds, and within it, a figure could be vaguely seen, wielding a domineering halberd, his body wreathed in electric snakes, like a thunder god descending to earth!

A clear yet chilling poem, accompanied by rolling thunder, resounded throughout the entire capital:

"A brisk wind blows, the road is cold; who will share a drink with me? Who dares to stand guard at the pass? The swallow's halberd has returned, but the man has not come back!"

Before the sound had even faded, the halberd had already arrived!

The halberd, crackling with lightning, crashed to the ground with unparalleled speed, landing squarely on the stone vat that Cheng Jushu had thrown out!

"boom--!!!"

Amidst a deafening explosion, lightning flashed, air surged, and debris and dust billowed into the sky.

Chapter 88: Blood Bodhi

"Boom——!!!"

A crimson bolt of lightning tore through the sky, carrying a devastating force as it crashed to the ground.

The deafening explosion nearly tore off eardrums. A long halberd crackling with lightning was driven deep into the bluestone slab. A violent shockwave swept outwards with overwhelming force, sending rubble and dust flying everywhere. Fan Xian and Teng Zijing were thrown off balance and could only cover their faces with their sleeves as their clothes fluttered in the strong wind.

Crimson lightning crackled and swirled wildly across the halberd's blade, buzzing incessantly as if it possessed a life of its own.

Before anyone could react, a highly condensed bolt of lightning, radiating a destructive aura, shot out from the tip of the halberd, heading straight for Cheng Jushu!

As an eighth-rank master of external martial arts, Cheng Jushu's perception of deadly danger far surpasses that of ordinary people.

Before the lightning even arrived, a terrifying sense of crisis, making his scalp tingle and his soul tremble, instantly poured over his entire body like ice water.

"Roar--!"

He let out a wild howl like a beast, no longer caring about killing Fan Xian in front of him. His muscles bulged and swelled wildly at a visible speed, and his vast pale yellow true energy burst out of his body without reservation, condensing in front of his arms as if it were a physical object, attempting to block this attack that was like divine punishment.

"Pfft——!"

There was no earth-shattering energy collision as expected, only a muffled yet extremely crisp tearing sound, as if a thick piece of brocade had been torn apart by supreme divine power in an instant.

Under the horrified gazes of Fan Xian and Teng Zijing, the destructive lightning bolt easily tore apart Cheng Jushu's proud protective aura. The process was as smooth as a red-hot blade cutting into solidified butter, without the slightest obstruction.

The lightning bolt passed smoothly through his body, splitting Cheng Jushu's majestic, mountain-like form in two!

The lightning bolt, undiminished in its momentum, swept across the ground, instantly slicing a huge and ferocious gap in the wall not far behind Cheng Jushu.

Then it cut a row of walls across the street in half, leaving charred cut surfaces, before slowly dissipating into the air, leaving only the pungent smell of ozone and a mess.

Only then did a figure descend gracefully like a falling leaf, landing lightly beside the halberd.

The newcomer, dressed in a blue robe, stood tall and handsome; he was none other than Lin Mu.

He casually grasped the halberd handle with one hand, and with a slight effort, pulled the halberd out of its deep embedding in the stone slab. He then casually twirled the halberd and slung it over his shoulder.

On the tip of the halberd, tiny arcs of electricity still flickered and crackled.

"This... is dead?"

Looking at the gruesome body of Cheng Jushu, neatly cut in half on the ground, Fan Xian's pupils dilated, his chest heaved violently, and he once again deeply felt the terror of this world's top combat power.

[Controlling lightning?! Is this even a level of martial arts that can be achieved? Lin Mu must be cultivating immortality!]

[We're all time travelers, so why is your art style superior to mine?! Your cheat codes are way too blatant!]

Fan Xian stood frozen in place, his gaze fixed on Lin Mu, who stood with his halberd wielded, his heart filled with turmoil.

Cheng Jushu's strength was something he had personally experienced. With an eighth-grade body tempered by external forces, he possessed immense strength and abundant true energy. Even against a martial artist below the ninth grade, he might not be quickly defeated.

Even when he and Teng Zijing, both seventh-rank officials, joined forces, they were both beaten so badly that they had no chance to fight back and were in grave danger.

But what about Lin Mu?

Entrance, fall of the halberd, release of electricity, kill the enemy, sheath of the halberd...

The whole process was smooth and effortless, even with a touch of leisurely languor.

It felt like... like they arrived just in time to save the day and incidentally showed off!

[Ding! Side quest: 'Assassination in Niulan Street' has been completed. Reward: Blood Bodhi +100!]

[Blood Bodhi: Originating from the world of "Storm Riders," it is a rare and extraordinary fruit born from the blood of the Fire Qilin, hailed by martial arts practitioners as a 'holy medicine for healing.' It possesses multiple miraculous effects, including detoxification, restoring vitality, healing severe injuries, and enhancing internal strength.]

【Do you want to receive it? 】

Hearing the crisp system notification in his mind, Lin Mu was quite satisfied.