Chapter 445: Knocking

Bei Di Yi Guan was already shrouded in night, and earlier it had been somewhat chaotic.

After all, Princess Yuanqing was to be married out of Bei Di Yi Guan, and these days Tuo Ba Yu only felt throbbing headaches.

Had I known Princess Yuanqing was this troublesome, I should have killed her before she left Bei Di for Southern Qi.

At the desk in the study, Tuo Ba Yu focused on the poems and verses favored by the Central Plains folk, but his brows knit tightly.

Lately his plan has been proceeding smoothly.

Within Bei Di, the Crown Prince and his emperor have reached an irreconcilable standoff.

The emperor is unwilling to age, still wants to firmly grasp his authority, and his health is excellent; if the Crown Prince hopes to bide time until he ends his own life, it will be difficult.

Thus the Crown Prince is somewhat anxious; now his emperor has just been poisoned. Though the poison has manifested, it hasn't threatened his life, and a divine doctor of Bei Di rescued him.

The emperor now doubts the Crown Prince.

Even though the emperor of Bei Di was saved with the Tiger-Wolf Elixir, he deteriorates at a visibly rapid pace.

He feels unwilling, yet at this moment falls into a predicament both internal and external.

The various steppe tribes are not sincerely submitting; each has its own scheme.

And the envoys Southern Qi sent to negotiate seem like fools.

Now Bei Di is truly in a desperate situation, needing a powerful figure to emerge.

At this time, the aging emperor of Bei Di and the indiscriminately brutal Crown Prince can no longer satisfy the needs of the various Bei Di tribes.

Tuo Ba Yu focused on the Han statutes before him.

He grew up in Southern Qi, absorbing its Han culture; these days he has been gathering Southern Qi's advanced systems and classics, studying governance strategies all day.

He murmured to himself, "Just a bit short, still a little short, not chaotic enough."

"Indeed, not chaotic enough. Let this Prince help make it even messier, how about that?"

Suddenly a grim voice came from outside the window, and Tuo Ba Yu sprang to his feet.

Hearing that voice was literally Tuo Ba Yu's nightmare; he hurried to the window and flung it open, only to see Xiao Yin crouching at the sill, dressed in night gear, resembling a giant macaque.

Tuo Ba Yu's complexion darkened instantly, his gaze fixed on the man before him—this scoundrel had ruined his happiness.

"Xiao Yin, what are you doing here?"

Tuo Ba Yu's voice was icy, his face so grim it seemed you could squeeze water from it, his heart suddenly leapt.

His defenses at Bei Di Yi Guan were as solid as iron, especially after Princess Yuanqing married away, taking her retinue with her.

Now the entire Bei Di Yi Guan is staffed by Tuo Ba Yu's men, and Tuo Ba Yu has secretly formed a jianghu gang—the Red Scorpion Gang.

The assassins it produces rank among the best in the jianghu.

He never imagined that, despite so many masters guarding his study, Xiao Yin could still tear through that protection and burst in.

At this moment Tuo Ba Yu felt a chill; it meant Xiao Yin wasn't holding back—if he truly intended to kill, his murderous intent would be evident.

Unwittingly, Xiao Yin stepped outside the window; not a sound accompanied his movement—he must have already met Yama.

"What are you doing?" Tuo Ba Yu slowly raised his hand, grasped the sword at his waist, stepped back, and assumed a fighting stance.

Xiao Yin vaulted over the window, leapt into Tuo Ba Yu's study, and sauntered as if strolling in a courtyard, pacing back and forth.

"Look at what's hanging on the wall. Are you a martial artist? These weapons are of such low grade."

"Even a ten‑cash wooden sword is far more useful than these."

Xiao Yin stood at the desk where Tuo Ba Yu had just been, eyeing the Southern Qi regulations Tuo Ba Yu had written.

A mocking grin deepened on his face: "Is this the writing you produced? Hideously ugly!"

"When you first came to Southern Qi as a worthless wretch, we didn't mind your status and even hired a teacher for you, and this is what you produced? Disgusting!"

Tuo Ba Yu could no longer endure; though he found the fellow odd, Xiao Yin had broken into his home, and was his most despised person, pointing out his life—Tuo Ba Yu could not tolerate this.

With a swish, the sword at his waist sprang out, pointing at Xiao Yin's face.

Xiao Yin's sword remained sheathed; instead he raised his palm and slashed straight at the tip of Tuo Ba Yu's blade.

Tuo Ba Yu startled; after all, it was a flesh-and-blood body, and he wielded a sword that could cut iron like mud.

If the two collided, Xiao Yin's hand could be sliced off.

Realizing this, Tuo Ba Yu dared not advance another inch.

After all, cutting off his hand would allow him to tear apart him and his organization.

By now Tuo Ba Yu has recognized Xiao Yin's strength; this person is not human, truly a devil from hell.

Yet at this moment Xiao Yin collided his flesh with the sword that cuts iron like mud.

Previously, Tuo Ba Yu had been enraged to the brink of death by Xiao Yin, even tormented on a foreign ship to a living death; recalling this, his hand did not cease, still thrust toward Xiao Yin's face.

But Xiao Yin's palm wind suddenly jolted, Tuo Ba Yu's wrist ached, and with a clang his sword was ripped from his hand by Xiao Yin's internal force.

That moment aside, the guards watching outside were stunned.

"My God, what technique is that? It's unbelievably powerful."

"I wonder how Xiao Yin acquired such great ability?"

"You probably don't know, this time Prince Rui intervened to quell the Duan family army's rebellion; Prince Rui exerted great effort. With a single palm he flung the Third Prince away, and many saw it."

The men guarding outside Tuo Ba Yu's study, watching the two masters spar, felt excited.

At this moment, Tuo Ba Yu incredulously lifted his head to look at Xiao Yin.

In an instant his sword clattered to the ground, and a faint sense of weakness spread through his body.

He had painstakingly honed his swordsmanship for over a decade, yet Xiao Yin's single move left them unrecognizable, even to their mothers.

Tuo Ba Yu dared not further anger Xiao Yin: "I have never provoked you again; now you come barging in, it's pointless. If there is anything, let's settle it face to face."

Xiao Yin's heart stirred; he had intended to question him—after having already severed ties with his Princess Consort on the sea ship, why now meddle in his Princess Consort's affairs? This kid truly wants death?

But this matter was not appropriate to inquire about; asking too directly, the fellow would go to his beloved Gu Jiu Ling to vent, and the back‑and‑forth could cause his feelings for Gu Jiu Ling to wane.

Upon this, Xiao Yin glared coldly at Tuo Ba Yu: "Keep your distance from my Princess Consort in the future; next time I will show no mercy!"

Tuo Ba Yu stared dumbfounded; he had somehow provoked someone.