Chapter 104: Bloody Hands, Boiling Cauldron

The Yi Prince's Mansion.

The scale of this residence was, in fact, somewhat smaller than that of Zheng Hui's mansion.

This was because Zheng Hui's mansion had been built for him by order of the monarch after Nanzhao moved its capital.

As for this Yi Prince's Mansion, it had already been the Duan family's residence long before Nanzhao moved its capital.

Originally, the one in Taihe City was the Yi Prince's Mansion, while this place was merely the Duan Mansion.

After the capital was moved, the one in Taihe City became the Duan Mansion, and this place was renamed the Yi Prince's Mansion.

Zhong Jinqiu did not care for luxury; he only had the plaque changed and did not continue to expand it, so naturally, it was far from being as imposing or magnificent as the prince's mansion in Taihe City.

Duan Rusu lived in a side courtyard of this mansion.

He had not worn armor that night, but was dressed in a long white robe, sitting cross-legged in a pavilion, wiping his long sword.

By the rockery to the southwest, three mansion guests with refined appearances, long beards, and wide sleeves had arranged to admire the moon; they noticed the figure in the pavilion and nodded secretly.

"The General is still quite impressive. The Prince is always dissatisfied with him and wants us to advise and assist him more; it seems the Prince is inevitably too harsh."

As the three spoke, they looked toward the horizon.

When the moon rose, the sun had not yet set, and the pale crescent moon was not conspicuous.

Once the sun went down behind the mountains, the solitary moon in the sky revealed an aura of "I alone am supreme."

In the evening, Zhong Jinqiu had been urgently summoned to the palace by the monarch. Relying on his martial arts, he did not believe the monarch would turn against him at this time, and even if he did, he could easily escape, so he went calmly.

Once he left, Duan Rusu became the person of highest status in the mansion.

But these three guests were no ordinary people; known as the "Three Swords of Diancang," they had sharp eyes and were highly valued by Zhong Jinqiu, who had asked them to advise Duan Rusu to not be impetuous in his actions.

"The Prince is well-versed in both literature and martial arts, and among the clan descendants, he painstakingly chose the General as his successor; naturally, he hopes the General will advance in both literary and martial paths and not neglect either."

"We should still explain more military strategies and tactical schemes to him."

In the pavilion, Duan Rusu's hand wiping the sword did not stop, but his ears moved slightly, and he sneered in his heart.

He had always felt that his uncle was someone who, being full, did not know the hunger of the starving!

In his prime, his uncle had already entered the ranks of the world's top experts.

Using conventional methods to practice martial arts would not yield much progress, and not practicing would not cause a decline.

Such an uncle naturally had time to look at strategy and military books to improve his insight into schemes.

But the martial arts of the rest of the Duan family had not yet reached that level.

For a family of generals, martial arts were the foundation.

If a military general studied schemes, even if he barely touched the threshold of a first-class strategist, he would delay his martial arts.

When the time came to be in a military tent and suddenly be stabbed to death by an assassin, what use would schemes be?

Duan Rusu had known since childhood that he had great talent for martial arts, and he was determined to reach the top level of martial arts in his prime.

As for other things, they could wait until his martial arts were supreme.

Therefore, his uncle only thought he was a bit impetuous when handling schemes, not knowing that Duan Rusu was deliberately seeking danger to hone his martial arts.

There had been no war for ten years, and none of the experts in the mansion had any real murderous intent toward him.

The slaves captured in secret did have murderous intent, but their strength was insufficient.

That day at the Wen family restaurant, the sword and the saber were clearly excellent targets for practice.

*Zeng!! *

The silk in Duan Rusu's hand wiped across the blade with slightly heavy force; recalling the two people from that day, he still felt a fire in his heart.

Their strength was good, and their temperaments were clearly unyielding; if he could capture them, he would surely be able to practice with them many times.

It was hateful that the old man Zheng had interfered.

Duan Rusu's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a dull, loud noise from afar.

*Dong!!!! *

Listening to the sound, it seemed to be at the main gate of the mansion.

The next moment, the startled and angry shouts and roars of the mansion guards all erupted.

Guards from all over the mansion surged toward the main gate, footsteps hurried, blades and spears held high, lanterns chaotic.

However, those startled and angry shouts began from the courtyard closest to the main gate.

One after another, the voices changed pitch.

The roars and scolding voices either stopped abruptly or turned into screams.

The Three Elders of Diancang leaped up, each stepping on the rockery, and swept toward the top of the pavilion.

Three figures, like wild geese flying in formation, all landed on the roof of the pavilion.

Their eyes were agile, like the most alert hunting hawks, gazing toward the main gate of the mansion.

The thick red-lacquered solid wood gate had disappeared, leaving only scattered fragments on the ground.

A stone lion that should have been in front of the mansion gate had smashed into the screen wall in the courtyard.

Around the wood and stone fragments were the corpses of the Duan family guards.

The focus of the three elders' gaze immediately swept from the main gate along the central axis toward the back.

In one courtyard after another, corpses lay scattered, and lanterns flew about in chaos.

A bright red cloak stretched straight in the night wind.

The red-clothed person held the necks of two guards in his hands, crashing into the central hall of the mansion.

The Three Elders of Diancang were deeply shocked.

From the time they arrived on the pavilion to when they swept their eyes and saw the situation clearly.

In just that short time, the intruder had actually killed his way from the main gate to the central hall.

What kind of skill, what kind of style was this? Could this even be considered an assassin?!

"That red clothing..."

The Three Elders of Diancang blurted out, "It's Hai Donglai!!"

Experts who wore red in this world were not necessarily Haidong Lai.

However, a red-clothed expert with such brutal methods, who had the reason and ability to directly assault the Nanzhao Yi Prince's Mansion.

The first reaction in their minds was only one: Haidong Lai.

Just as they spoke this name.

The roof of the central hall shook violently!

The red-clothed figure soared into the sky, and a large hole was smashed into the roof.

Broken wooden rafters and heavy roof tiles scattered outward amidst the loud noise.

As the red-clothed person swayed, he stepped on the side of the large hole, his head already turned toward the pavilion in the side courtyard.

In that instant, the Three Elders of Diancang saw a face that was excessively young beneath the red cloak.

It seemed to be only in his early twenties, different from the rumors about Haidong Lai.

But they had no time to think further.

Because that young man's gaze locked onto them, and he moved from the roof of the central hall, as if it only took two large strides of force.

The sound of wind suddenly drew near, and the person had already flown onto the pavilion in the side courtyard.

That red cloak was like a flame tail tearing through the air.

The Three Elders of Diancang's eyes changed sharply, and they attacked almost simultaneously.

Silvery-white sword light slashed out from their sleeves, the bright glare flashing across their old faces.

Three sword blades had already killed toward that mass of red shadow.

Seeing Chu Tianshu's right hand lifted suddenly, bringing out a sound of air explosion.

His arm shook like a spearhead, and three afterimages smashed onto the sword bodies.

Each sword was struck by a fingernail on the spine, and they were deflected in an instant.

Three sounds merged into one *Dang*!!

These three swords were all long swords with semi-rigid spines, not soft swords.

The Three Elders of Diancang could store such swords between their wide robes and sleeves, and in walking, sitting, or lying down, one could not see a single clue.

From this hand alone, one could see the depth of their sword control.

The three people's sword art had reached the level where they could use the sword tip to carve characters on a person's skin, leaving only white marks without breaking the skin.

Such sword art, if used to kill, might result in the head and body separating before the person even felt pain.

Moreover, their soldier spirit power was quite similar, and the three of them named it "Sword Eye."

A person's eyes were a part that was difficult to train with endurance methods; the mortal eye had a limit to the speed at which it could capture things.

Beyond this limit, even if the opponent made a move right in front, the eyes could not capture it.

And the sharpness of the "Sword Eye" far exceeded the three elders' own eyes.

Their long swords were like objects that would automatically capture high-speed movement, even sensing the enemy's next move, actively showing a sign of stabbing toward the flaw.

All the three elders had to do was feel the sign on the sword and subconsciously add their own force to the direction the long sword guided.

When those three swords were deflected by Seeing Chu Tianshu's single arm.

The three swordsmen shook in unison, stabbing toward the low position together.

These three swords came from different directions, but the tips overlapped in one place.

All their power was aimed exactly at Seeing Chu Tianshu's belt.

This position was not only where Seeing Chu Tianshu's divine sword was located, but also a central point for his entire body's force.

However, Seeing Chu Tianshu's head suddenly lowered forward, while his feet kicked up rapidly toward the back.

His entire body seemed to be lying prone in mid-air at this moment, with all three swords beneath him.

The Three Elders of Diancang did not need time to think; the swords in their hands automatically had a sign of upward flicking, ready to exert force.

But Seeing Chu Tianshu's two palms had already retracted with a *bang* from the sides.

As the Three Elders of Diancang's sword-wielding arms were retracted rapidly by those two large hands, they were directly squeezed together.

The three thin, powerful arms hidden by sleeves were like three gnarled, skin-covered tree trunks, lined up together and colliding.

The sound of bones shattering and teeth-aching grinding was clearly transmitted.

All three swords were dropped simultaneously.

Under the intense pain, the faces of the Three Elders of Diancang all had a brief blankness.

Seeing Chu Tianshu loosened his hands and unleashed three palms in an instant.

The three of them were all struck in the face, their skulls caved in, and their bodies flung violently backward.

*Zeng!!! *

Just at this moment, a sword blade suddenly stabbed up from beneath the pavilion.

Seeing Chu Tianshu and those three swords had not yet landed.

This sword passed through the gaps of those powerless long swords, the tip aiming straight at Seeing Chu Tianshu's heart.

The person in the pavilion had not seen the battle scene above with their eyes, yet this sword was so precise.

Moreover, the sword blade passed through the pavilion tiles, and those tiles did not shatter.

It was as if these tiles had returned to the state of mud before they were fired.

One sword passed through, power concentrated, as if unobstructed!!

Seeing Chu Tianshu's pupils shrank slightly, but there was not a hint of shock.

When he fought the Three Elders of Diancang, his seemingly dangerous movements actually never forgot to observe the surroundings.

He had heard the movement of the person in the pavilion kneeling and holding the sword, ready to strike.

This sword, although well-executed, was also within his expectations.

The remaining force in Seeing Chu Tianshu's waist and back twisted urgently, his right shoulder dropping.

That sword stabbing at his heart brushed past his chest, slightly tearing his outer robe.

Seeing Chu Tianshu's right hand had already swept out.

The force of this palm was as swift as thunder, allowing no buffer, no evasion.

That expensive long sword, which treated tiles like mud, snapped with a *bang* right at the tiles.

Seeing Chu Tianshu twisted his body again, facing the pavilion, his left palm carrying a sound of air explosion, striking down toward the top of the pavilion.

*Boom!!!! *

The top of this pavilion was not as spacious or sturdy as the central hall.

With this palm from Seeing Chu Tianshu, the power of the Palm-Heart Thunder instantly rippled along the wood.

Half of the pavilion's roof collapsed directly, with broken tiles and dust pouring down all at once.

Duan Rusu had not expected the Three Elders of Diancang to die so quickly, and his own full-force sneak attack had no effect.

As the pavilion collapsed, he hurriedly lunged forward and rolled, his palm grabbing a leaf of a banana tree, and he swept back violently.

*Peng!! *

The wide, soft banana leaf was shattered by a force shaken out from his hand.

The fragments of the leaf, however, were each like steel, shooting out.

Duan Rusu's soldier spirit was not on the sword, but on a ring, named "Asura Path."

An ordinary iron sword, urged by his soldier spirit power, could cut through iron like mud.

The strength of the sword body would also become extraordinary, able to withstand a thousand jin of side pressure without bending.

These banana leaf fragments, utilized by his soldier spirit power, had a lethality comparable to the bolts of dozens of arm-mounted crossbows.

But as soon as Seeing Chu Tianshu landed, his left hand grabbed the cloak behind him, turning and sweeping forward.

Entering Shaolin fist stance, Kasaya Subduing Demons!

Ordinary Immortal Force could also bind cloth into a staff, but it would make the cloth fibers denser in one direction and looser in another, forming a flaw.

And the "Kasaya Subduing Demons" technique that monks specifically explored, when the force was transmitted, would not so obviously change the arrangement of the cloth fibers.

Relying only on a spinning, shaking force, it made the cloth, in this moment, like a swaying iron plate.

The shattered banana leaf fragments, just as they struck, were all deflected by this turn and sweep of the cloak.

The process was so short, it seemed like just a back-and-forth of Seeing Chu Tianshu's arm.

Duan Rusu had originally wanted to seize an opportunity to escape with this move.

Who knew that with a shake of Seeing Chu Tianshu's cloak, the shattered leaves were all gone, and with a sudden advance of his feet, he could still chase in a straight line.

Duan Rusu crossed his arms to block, but was pressed by that face suddenly drawing near, his mind trembling.

"You are not Hai..."

*Dong!! *

Seeing Chu Tianshu's palm smashed onto his blocking arms, shaking his chest.

Duan Rusu's entire face turned red suddenly, as if painted with cinnabar, and tiny blood water sprayed from both his ears.

Seeing Chu Tianshu switched to his left hand, also slapping the same position.

A series of *ka-ka-ka-ka* sounds of joints shifting and trembling came from within Duan Rusu's body.

One move of Palm-Heart Thunder shattered all the subcutaneous capillaries throughout his body, turning him blood-red.

One move of Entering Shaolin, using his own tendons and bones to exert force, shook the opponent's joints into misalignment, raising the temperature of his whole body.

"The life you picked up last time, I've come to collect this time!"

Seeing Chu Tianshu whispered, rose to his full height, and leaped onto the wall.

"Yi Prince Zhong Jinqiu, Haidong Lai of Chang'an, specifically came to Nanzhao to seek a battle with you!"

The resonant voice echoed in the ears of everyone remaining in the mansion.

The surviving guards also saw that red shadow fly away, leaving them behind.

"March 15th, Emerald Cliff in the south of the city, a life-and-death invitation, do not fail to appear!!!"

Duan Rusu still stood in place, his face flushed and full of shock.

A moment later, armored soldiers rushed over, their footsteps shaking, and they saw that corpse tremble and fall down.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 105 =====