Chapter 692: You River Two Elders (Part 2)

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As soon as the two elders appeared, Huo Shengnan's expression turned grave; she knitted her brows and whispered, "Oh no! The You River Two Elders!"

The female aide beside her whispered, "General, should we take action?"

Huo Shengnan shook her head and said in a low voice, "Stay hidden here; do not act rashly. Without my order, you must not reveal yourselves." She then looked toward the distance.

Yet Huo Tian kept falling back under the short, thin old man's pressure, when the black mastiff silently slipped behind him and lunged. Huo Shengnan swiftly drew her bow; the arrow whistled like a shooting star chasing the moon, aimed at the mastiff.

The short, thin old man's brow twitched; he curled his left hand, then with a pop, his extended middle finger snapped straight, hurling an iron caltrop that struck the arrow and sent it off course.

At the same time, the mastiff reached Huo Tian's rear and lunged for his ankle. Though Huo Tian faced away, his keen perception sensed the beast behind him; he anticipated its movement and shifted his steps. The 'Eighteen Steps to Dodge Dogs,' originally devised against canines, came in handy. The mastiff expected to bite Huo Tian's ankle, but Huo Tian's shadow vanished, leaving the mastiff to snap at empty air; its sharp teeth clashed, producing a grating squeak.

Huo Tian then lifted his left hand and flung a black pellet to the ground; it landed soundlessly, then detonated, releasing a cloud of blue smoke that instantly spread.

The short, thin old man's expression shifted; he hastily held his breath. He shook his hand, sending three iron caltrops in a triangular formation flying toward Huo Tian's chest.

While Huo Tian tossed the pellet, he began to retreat, but his backward speed couldn't match the iron caltrops' velocity. Earlier he could split an arrowhead fired by a Black Hu warrior with a single slash, yet this short, thin old man's internal power dwarfed theirs. The caltrops flew several times faster than the previous arrow—even outpacing a strong bow—screaming through the air like wailing ghosts and wolves.

Huo Tian could track the three caltrops' paths perfectly, but he wasn't sure of his reaction speed; he swept his black-gold blade sideways in midair while leaning his body back, almost flat on the ground, thereby evading the caltrops' killing zone.

The three caltrops whizzed just above his body; the short, thin old man bent then extended his right arm, launching another caltrop toward Huo Tian's groin—dodge the first, but not the fifteenth. Huo Tian thought 'Oh no,' raised his black-gold blade vertically, placing the blade between his legs to protect his vitals, hoping to block the caltrop.

With a whistling sound, a white feathered arrow flew diagonally and struck the caltrop dead-on, relieving Huo Tian's predicament. It was Huo Shengnan stepping out of the forest, wearing a bronze mask, striding rapidly toward the short, thin old man; as she ran she drew a spear shaft from her back, joining the two steel sections into a spear about 11 feet long, its foot-long spearhead gleaming in the sun, its crimson tassel blazing like fire.

Huo Shengnan gripped the spear with one hand, her right arm and the spear forming a straight line; she shook the spear, the red tassel flaring, striking the air with a pop, the sharp tip shooting like lightning toward the old man's throat—she had achieved unity of person and spear.

The short, thin old man swept his left sleeve, brushing away the nearby blue poisonous mist; the surge of air from his cuff carried the mist toward Huo Tian.

Huo Tian's breath-holding technique was second nature; he ignored the poisonous mist, lunged forward with his blade, intending to take advantage of Huo Shengnan's engagement with the old man to eliminate the vicious mastiff.

The mastiff had inhaled much of the poisonous mist, feeling dizzy and nauseous; seeing a figure rush at it, its first reaction was to turn and flee, but Huo Tian wouldn't let it escape—he darted forward in a single stride, thrusting his black-gold blade forward and piercing the mastiff's hindquarters; the beast yelped in pain, tail tucked, fleeing into the woods.

Hearing his beloved hound wounded, the short, thin old man wanted to focus entirely on Huo Shengnan and couldn't withdraw; he gritted his teeth, his feral expression fully exposed, fixed his gaze on the incoming spear tip, and lunged with his right hand to seize it—indeed he grabbed the spearhead.

Huo Shengnan had anticipated this move; she shook the spear shaft with her right arm, causing the spear to vibrate like a living snake, making the old man unable to hold on; he released the spearhead and stumbled backward.

At that moment Huo Tian thrust his black-gold blade toward the old man's back; in a life‑or‑death struggle, tactics don't matter—only victory does. Huo Tian had no qualms about ambush or even poisoning; he would do whatever it took.

The short, thin old man's head inexplicably turned around; he did not dodge or evade, but lunged head‑first onto the blade.

Huo Tian drove his blade with full force into the old man's back; with a clang, the tip could not penetrate even a fraction, leaving Huo Tian astonished. At the same instant, the old man's right hand clamped onto Huo Tian's sword‑holding arm, attempting to immobilize him.

Huo Tian raised his left arm, releasing another burst of blue mist

The short, thin old man, fearing poison, lowered his arm and leapt backward several times to escape the fight.

Zhou Mo and the brown‑clad old man traded three punches and two palms. The brown‑clad old man sensed the tide turning, letting out a strange throaty cry, while the short, thin old man in the distance also shouted oddly. Neither wanted to keep fighting, and they both fled.

A vulture swooped in; the brown‑clad old man leapt onto its back while the short, thin old man joined the wounded mastiff, climbed aboard, and both disappeared instantly into the far‑off woods.

The short, thin old man ripped Hu Xiaotian's sleeve to shreds, leaving five bruised claw marks on his bare arm. He felt a lingering dread—if not for the poisonous smoke Xi Yan had given him, he might have been killed by that old man.

Huo Shengnan approached him, concerned, and asked, "Are you injured?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head.

In the distance, Xiong Tianba and Lahen had already settled the match—Xiong Tianba hit Lahen three times with his hammer, making him cough up blood and collapse. A few men gathered around; Lahen knew he was bound to be taken prisoner, yet he remained haughty: "I am a Black Hu envoy. How dare you treat me with disrespect?"

Huo Shengnan frowned; she really couldn't get involved, but seeing Hu Xiaotian in danger, she had no choice but to step in—though she kept her mask on to avoid being recognized by these Black Hu folks.

Hu Xiaotian signaled Xiong Tianba, who struck Lahen on the back of the neck with a palm‑blade, knocking him out.

Zhou Mo returned, lamenting, "Too bad—we let that Black Hu merchant get away."

Hu Xiaotian chuckled, "Getting away isn't a big deal—having Lahen in hand gives us a bargaining chip to trade with Wanyan Chixiong." He then turned to Huo Shengnan and said, "Thanks!"

Huo Shengnan said, "Actually, even if I hadn't shown up, you could still have controlled the situation." She gave Zhou Mo another look; from his technique she could tell he was a first‑rate master, and hardly anyone in the great Yong could rival him.

Zhou Mo said, "Those two old men just now were very strong."

Huo Shengnan nodded, "They're the You River Two Elders, famed Black Hu assassins—I don't know how they wound up in Yongdu. Earlier they didn't reveal their full strength; their real power lies in teamwork. If you cross them, you'd better watch your step."

Zhou Mo smiled, clearly not regarding the You River Two Elders as a threat.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Since they're strong together, we'll look for an opportunity to take them out one by one."

Huo Shengnan looked at the unconscious Lahen on the ground and asked, "What are you going to do with him?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled, "We'll trade him for Tang Tietian; for Wanyan Chixiong it's not a losing deal."

Wanyan Chixiong never imagined that dispatching the You River Two Elders would still end in defeat. They didn't get the Baojun Qilu, lost one of their own, several were wounded, and even Lahen was captured—a total rout. Looking at Zhan's bruised, swollen face, Wanyan Chixiong flared with anger, glaring and snapping, "Worthless! You've let a few southern barbarians reduce you to this!"

Zhan hung his head in shame, "Your Highness, it's not that we're inept; those southern barbarians are simply too strong—they even beat the You River Two Elders, let alone us."

Wanyan Chixiong took two slow steps, his face grim: "I never thought I'd underestimated them so much."

Zhan said, "I hope Your Highness will avenge us."

Wanyan Chixiong replied coldly, "This is Yongdu; if I openly acted against them, it would be tantamount to admitting I'm involved, and besides, the Great Yong wouldn't approve."

Zhan said, "That Baojun Qilu…"

Wanyan Chixiong snapped, "Don't mention the Baojun Qilu—maybe that book doesn't even exist. Tang Tietian's bones couldn't be that hard; if he really had it he'd have confessed by now. His silence shows it was just drunken talk, and only a fool like you would believe it."

Zhan dared not speak further, fearing to anger the fourth prince, and lowered his head.

Wanyan Chixiong said, "I've lost so many of my men because of you!" He paced back and forth two steps, then whispered, "Our purpose in coming to Yongdu isn't the Baojun Qilu at all—finding the National Teacher's remains is what truly matters."

Zhan said, "It's been so many years; even if we found the National Teacher's remains, they'd probably have turned to dust by now."

Wanyan Chixiong said, "Some things don't rot."

At that moment a guard stepped forward to report, "Your Highness the Fourth Prince, the Dakang marriage envoy Hu Xiaotian has come to request an audience."

"What?" Wanyan Chixiong and Zhan exclaimed together.

Zhan snapped, "How dare this southern barbarian show up at our door—I'll go kill him!"

Wanyan Chixiong gave Zhan a cold stare, and Zhan lowered his head under the prince's intimidating gaze.

Wanyan Chixiong said mockingly, "In the inn where I'm staying, you want to kill someone—and moreover, you want to kill a Dakang envoy—are you trying to help me or harm me?"