Chapter 1598

Time seemed to freeze momentarily; Qiu Mubai's body was like a straight sword, suddenly suspended in midair.

Hu Xiaotian stepped forward with his right foot, gripping the sword in one hand; the black veil on his face was blown apart by the shockwave from the impact, revealing an ugly visage. This face was completely unfamiliar to Qiu Mubai; Hu Xiaotian's skill at changing his appearance was enough to fool his eyes.

Where the blades met, a screeching sound rang out; Qiu Mubai's long sword actually cut into the iron sword's edge, tearing it open by more than half an inch, yet his internal energy had also reached its peak at this moment, ultimately unable to deliver the fatal blow of breaking sword with sword. The reason he could damage Hu Xiaotian's iron sword was entirely due to the sharpness of his precious sword.

Hu Xiaotian's internal energy, however, surged like the Yangtze River, wave after wave, pressing forward against his opponent.

Qiu Mubai's body, frozen in midair, suddenly shot up like a startled wild goose from beyond the heavens, leaping to a place about three zhang in the air, his legs curled up against the rear pine trunk, he pushed off strongly; the heavy snow on the treetops rustled down, and Qiu Mubai, together with the falling snow, **** downward, his long sword trembling rapidly, blossoming in the air into nine flowers of icy cold sword light, rushing toward Hu Xiaotian's body like a soul‑seizing, life‑taking strike.

Hu Xiaotian stomped his right foot heavily on the ground; the snow on the ground blew up with a peng! sound, rolling over him like a wave.

The nine sword lights burst nine large holes through the snow wall, yet Hu Xiaotian's figure vanished within them without a trace.

Before Qiu Mubai could make sense of what had happened, a flash of cold light shot up from the snow—it was Hu Xiaotian lying on the ground, dodging his fiercest killing move.

Qiu Mubai raised his long sword to block the incoming blade; the swords clashed with a dang! loud bang, numbing his arms. Only then did he realize the opponent had not used his full strength earlier; Hu Xiaotian had already decided to end the fight quickly, striking out with one sword and immediately following with another, giving Qiu Mubai no chance to catch his breath.

In his haste, Qiu Mubai could not choose to dodge; he could only raise his sword again to meet the attack head‑on. This time Hu Xiaotian's force was greater than before; under his powerful chop, Qiu Mubai's precious sword bent into an arc. Although it blocked the blade, it could not withstand the tremendous force transmitted from the opponent's sword, striking his chest like a heavy hammer. Qiu Mubai felt intense pain in his chest; his throat heated up and he spat out a mouthful of blood with a pu! sound.

Seizing the moment when Qiu Mubai's defense left an opening, Hu Xiaotian raised his left fist and slammed it hard into his abdomen, making Qiu Mubai grunt as his body flew backward, his back slamming hard against the tree trunk. Then he slid down the trunk and collapsed limp in the snow.

The two Sword Palace disciples accompanying him saw the situation turning bad and rushed forward to rescue him, but Hu Xiaotian would hardly spare them a glance. He swung his iron sword back and forth, striking them with the blade and sending them flying. He grabbed the collapsed Qiu Mubai, hoisted him onto his shoulder, and said coldly, "Tell Qiu Xian Guang to exchange the Slay Heaven Seven Swords technique for his son's life!"

The news of Qiu Mubai's abduction shook the entire Sword Palace; Sword Palace Sect Master Qiu Xian Guang jumped to his feet upon hearing the bad news: "What? Mubai was kidnapped? Do you know who did it?" His shock was indescribable. His son's swordsmanship was already unrivaled among the younger generation of the Sword Palace; whoever could abduct him must be a top‑tier master.

The two disciples were still shaken, but in fact Hu Xiaotian had deliberately left them alive to carry a message; otherwise taking their lives would have been easy. One of them, gasping for breath, said, "He calls himself Shangguan Yun Chong and demands that we Sword Palace hand over the Slay Heaven Seven Swords in exchange for the young sect master's life."

The name Shangguan Yun Chong is known throughout the world; before Long Xi Yue became chief of the Beggar's Sect, Shangguan Yun Chong had been regarded as the sect's most promising successor, and he is widely acknowledged as a once‑in‑a‑century martial arts genius of the Beggar's Sect.

The Sword Palace and the Beggar's Sect indeed have grudges; Yang Daoyuan, the governor of Xiezhou, was originally a member of the Sword Palace and, speaking of it, was also Qiu Xian Guang's senior apprentice brother. Yang Daoyuan dispatched Feng Xianlin at the head of the Seven Kill to eliminate Zhang Ziqian and Yan Hu Cheng, but the Beggar's Sect thwarted the plan. Although Yang Daoyuan and Feng Xianlin later died at Hu Xiaotian's hands, outsiders generally believe their deaths are linked to the Beggar's Sect, and the fact that many core members of the Northern Beggar's Sect were stabbed is also one of the Sword Palace's retaliatory moves. Yet since the Northern Beggar's Sect split, the Sword Palace and the Northern Beggar's Sect have laid down their arms and ceased hostilities—so why would Shangguan Yun Chong target his own son?

Qiu Xian Guang considered the matter unusual; the supposed Shangguan Yun Chong who abducted his son was most likely an impostor, intending to deliberately provoke a conflict between the Sword Palace and the Beggar's Sect.

Overnight, many flyers appeared in Yongdu City; these flyers detailed the inside story of this palace coup, especially focusing on the relationship between Li Shen Zhou and Princess Xue Lingjun. Although after the incident Li Shen Zhou ordered a city‑wide crackdown, the rumors continued to spread, their influence growing ever larger.

Li Shen Zhou gazed at the flyer he had just obtained; its description of the palace coup was exceedingly detailed, even the particulars of what happened that night in Cien Garden were crystal clear— the person who wrote it was almost certainly an eyewitness. Although he had successfully seized control of Da Yong's authority, his power was not secure; not only the whole of Da Yong, but even present‑day Yongdu was seething with undercurrents.

Gold Scale Guard Commander Shi Kuan carefully observed Li Shen Zhou's complexion; from the gloom in his brows he could infer his mood. The privacy of him and Princess Xue Lingjun had been exposed to the light of day—a huge scandal, especially the passage accusing Li Shen Zhou of driving away his wife and plotting against his father‑in‑law, which painted him as a complete villain. Shi Kuan said, "Grand Commander, rest assured; I have already ordered my subordinates to investigate this thoroughly, and we will uncover the truth as soon as possible."

Li Shen Zhou scoffed, "Truth? It's just a rumor—where would any truth come from?" He paced slowly a few steps and said, "The innocent need no clearing; rumors stop at the wise. There's no need for a thorough investigation."

Shi Kuan said respectfully, "Grand Commander, this is clearly aimed at you; if left unchecked, the rumors will only grow worse."

Li Shen Zhou asked, "According to you, who is behind this?"

Shi Kuan replied, "It should be Xue Shengjing."

Li Shen Zhou said, "Many of the things written here happened after Xue Shengjing fled; how could he know them so clearly?"

Shi Kuan seemed to realize something, and whispered, "Could there be accomplices of Xue Shengjing among those present that night?"

Li Shen Zhou nodded and said, "Shi Kuan, you make perfect sense." He sighed and said, "As long as the wicked father lives, the troubles of Lu will not cease; if Xue Daoming does not die a single day, he will never stop causing chaos—we must find a way to root him out."

Hearing the word "dig", Shi Kuan's heart stirred; he lowered his voice and said, "The secret passage in Cien Garden has already been partially dug open, and the Grand Empress Dowager's remains have also been found—should we…?"

Li Shen Zhou shook his head and said, "We've already agreed to pretend this never happened."

Shi Kuan said, "It seems Xue Shengjing has already left; he didn't even bother with the Grand Empress Dowager's remains—he must have fled in haste."

Li Shen Zhou said, "Royal family ties are as thin as paper; Xue Shengjing took the Grand Empress Dowager's corpse not out of filial piety but perhaps because her body hid some unknown secret." He paused and added, "Even if Xue Shengjing escaped, his close retainers are still around; a strict interrogation will surely make them tell the truth."

Not long after Shi Kuan left, Sword Palace Sect Master Qiu Xian Guang came to see him, seeking aid regarding his son's abduction.

Upon hearing this, Li Shen Zhou was also startled; the enemy had actually targeted the Sword Palace and claimed to be Shangguan Yun Chong—such a blatant yet clumsy frame‑up is laughable, yet he could not deny that the scheme caused him trouble, or more precisely, trouble for the Sword Palace.

Qiu Xian Guang had only one precious son; Qiu Mubai was regarded as the Sword Palace's future hope, and his disappearance dealt a huge blow to the sect.

Li Shen Zhou's first thought was that the other side intended to disrupt his camp; he reassured Qiu Xian Guang, "Sect Master Qiu, don't panic—I can state with certainty that this is not the work of Shangguan Yun Chong, but someone deliberately stirring up trouble to provoke a conflict between the Sword Palace and the Beggar's Sect." Li Shen Zhou can say this so definitively because Shangguan Tianhuo and his son are now in Da Yong, serving their own interests just as the Sword Palace does; compared with the Sword Palace, they rely on him even more, needing his aid to stand firm in Da Yong before they can make a comeback, and under the present circumstances they have no reason to oppose the Sword Palace.

Qiu Xian Guang said, "Grand Commander, I also know there must be something fishy, but the monster who abducted my son has superb martial arts, and he keeps demanding that I hand over the Slay Heaven Seven Swords." Qiu Xian Guang's mind was in turmoil; truly, only a father worries about his son's life or death—if the son suffered any misfortune, who else would care? Qiu Xian Guang could almost conclude that the impostor calling himself Shangguan Yun Chong and demanding the Slay Heaven Seven Swords was merely a pretext; this affair was likely not aimed at the Sword Palace, and the real target was almost certainly Li Shen Zhou—that's why he came to see him.

Li Shen Zhou said, "I think Mubai will be safe for now; the kidnappers took him for a purpose, otherwise they would have left no witnesses."

Qiu Xian Guang said, "Please, Grand Commander, go to any trouble! If possible, arrange a meeting between me and Shangguan Yun Chong; perhaps we could find some clues." His meaning was clear: even if the incident wasn't actually Shangguan Yun Chong's doing, the kidnapper's use of his name surely indicates a grudge against him, and Shangguan Yun Chong might be able to guess who is trying to frame him.

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