Chapter 93: Thankfully, I

Inside the Golden Pavilion, noise never ceased; outside, silence reigned.

Zhang Chu, incense master of the Mingshenjiao , sword at his waist, silently leapt onto the eaves along the rear wall and crept soundlessly along its surface.

Though Zhang Chu believed He Can had been terrified into fearing Xie Jin like a demon, Xie Jin’s past deeds were well known—he was clearly a formidable and ruthless figure.

Thus, even though no one would expect him to come for an assassination, Zhang Chu remained utterly alert.

He first scanned the interior of the Golden Pavilion and found Xie Jin absent; then he quietly checked each guest room on the second floor.

But Zhang Chu never expected Xie Jin’s vigilance to be so extreme.

As he passed a window, he heard no sound—but after he moved past it, a faint whisper came from within:

Hss~

The blade slightly lifted, slicing the air with a thin hiss.

Though the sound was barely audible, the wall between them was thin—it rang crystal clear.

!!

Zhang Chu’s heart jolted; he flung himself away from the window, his body freezing in place!

Meanwhile, inside the room.

Han Jingchuan and the others concealed themselves with the Turtle Breathing Art, leaning against the wall in silent wait.

After roughly half a watch, they detected no movement outside—but then a dark shadow flashed past the window like a ghost.

??

One of Han Jingchuan’s Company Commanders, caught off guard, pupils constricted, his blade lifting slightly.

Han Jingchuan leaned against the wall, heart in his throat, trying to identify the figure outside—when suddenly, a chilling dread seized him!

And in the next instant, the wooden wall was pierced by a flash of cold light!

Tsch—

A three-foot blade pierced cleanly through the Company Commander’s nape from behind, leaving him no time to react—he hung impaled on the wall.

The two Company Commanders beside him, horrified, simultaneously thrust their blades into the wall.

Creak—creak—

Han Jingchuan, realizing the enemy had discovered the ambush, unleashed his full power; his steel blade carved a silver half-arc before him, instantly tearing through the entire wall as a terrifying gust of blade-wind erupted outward!

Boom—

Outside, cloaked in his cloak, Zhang Chu had never imagined that inside the room, four burly men had lain in wait—completely suppressing all traces of their qi!

This bastard is truly cunning!

Facing this unrestrained, full-force slash, Zhang Chu, though prepared, struggled to block it; he raised his blade to parry the killing strike—but two blades pierced his waist and abdomen!

Clang—

Puff—puff—

The twin blades sank two inches into his belly, like nails driven into ironwood—then locked tight against taut muscle.

Han Jingchuan unleashed his full slash, driving the opponent back outside, drawing a line of blood.

Seeing his foe grievously wounded, Han Jingchuan leapt forward, aiming for a killing blow.

But Zhang Chu saw three burly men leap from the room—none resembled Xie Jin—and instantly realized he’d fallen into a “lure-and-ambush” trap; without hesitation, he fled.

But Zhang Chu never imagined Xie Jin’s scheme ran far deeper than he’d guessed!

As he used his momentum to leap backward, stepping on the roof ridge to spring upward again, a thunderous roar erupted from below:

“I fuckin’ hate thunder!”

Boom—

The next instant, the roof of a building exploded!

Shattered tiles and debris, whipped by qi-force, surged like a storm-tide—amidst them, an eight-sided hammer hurtled forward, roaring like an unstoppable flying cannon, arriving in an instant!

Ssshh—!!

Zhang Chu had never expected Xie Jin to have another hidden master, even more explosive, behind him; the moment he saw the screaming hammer, he thought, “This is the end!”

But luckily, the hidden warrior’s aim seemed slightly off!

Seeing the hammer’s trajectory was wrong, Zhang Chu forced himself not to block—instead, he convulsed violently!

Boom—

Thick black mist erupted from his body, instantly obscuring a vast area!

Zhang Chu twisted sideways, barely skimming past the spinning hammer!

And in the next instant, behind him came:

Boom—

The dull crack of shattered bone and caved-in chest!

Han Jingchuan, blade in hand, sprinted after the fleeing figure—seeing someone intercept him, he assumed it was some unknown righteous warrior!

But before he could rejoice, he saw the black-cloaked swordsmaster’s body erupt with ghostly mist—he crashed into it, instantly dazed, blinded, losing all vision.

And the flying hammer, like a meteor, gave no time to react—striking precisely at his heart!

Han Jingchuan, Battalion Commander of the Crimson Lin Guard, dared to kill Xie Jin—he was no weakling.

But at this range, with his vision obscured by ghost mist, how could he withstand a desperate strike from a third-rank martial artist?

Han Jingchuan didn’t even register what struck him—his back and chest robes exploded into tatters, revealing a black soft armor.

The armor’s protection was formidable—but Han Jingchuan hadn’t accounted for Xie Jin’s defenses; Xie Jin had accounted for the Crimson Lin Guard Battalion Commander’s armor.

The armor could not withstand such blunt force; under the unimaginable impact of the hammer, Han Jingchuan’s chest cavity instantly caved into a bloody crater, his spine shattered, his entire back arching upward.

Boom!

In a muffled explosion, blood shot from Han Jingchuan’s nose and mouth; his body launched backward like a cannonball, piercing through the ghost mist, leaving a dark trail, smashing through the Golden Pavilion’s rear wall, and crashing into the main hall!

Boom—

Clatter—clatter—

From behind, Lu Qian and the others saw Han Jingchuan struck—thinking he’d been accidentally hit, they stared in horror, shouting:

“Are you blind?!”

Xie Jin was clearly not blind—he knew exactly who the four assassins were, and this blow was aimed squarely at Han Jingchuan’s chest.

After the strike, Xie Jin saw the swirling ghost mist in midair and instantly realized the second assassin was a Mingshenjiao demon bandit!

The Mingshenjiao ’s escape technique was too fast; without a weapon, he couldn’t gain advantage—so he used “listen to sound, discern position,” and charged straight at the masked black-cloaked Lu Wu, shouting midair:

“Demon bandit, die!”

Lu Wu’s eyes widened—he tried to reveal his identity and make an excuse to save himself!

But offering himself to Xie Jin’s blade, Xie Jin struck mercilessly; unarmed, he moved like a thunderbolt, his right hand sweeping like a dragon’s claw through the air—before Lu Wu could speak, it struck his head.

Boom—

Lu Wu barely raised his blade—his cervical spine snapped; his head, ripped from his shoulders by brute force, flew sideways and slammed into the last remaining Crimson Lin Guard!

As commotion erupted outside, the revelers inside the Golden Pavilion had already burst from their rooms.

Swish—swish—swish—

Wei Lu and Zhang Huaiyu had been inside, waiting for Xie Jin to rest and come down to socialize.

Now both leapt from their windows at once—seeing a demon bandit fleeing amid thick ghost mist, and Xie Jin, unarmed, fighting three men—they immediately paled.

“Xie Brother, catch your blade!”

Wei Lu drew his single blade and hurled it toward Xie Jin, his body turning into a thunderclap as he chased the fleeing demon bandit!

Zhang Huaiyu leapt forward, trying to relieve Xie Jin’s pressure.

But this was clearly overestimating things!

Xie Jin seized the chance to slap Lu Wu dead—his head smashed into the last Crimson Lin Guard, sending him stumbling.

As the single blade flew toward him, Xie Jin stomped the ground with both feet, leapt midair, caught the hilt, and brought down a mighty downward slash!

Swish—

A terrifying blade-wind tore through the air; the last Crimson Lin Guard hadn’t even steadied himself—his limbs exploded apart, spraying a fan-shaped mist of blood behind him.

Xie Jin didn’t pause—he charged straight through the corpses, pursuing the Mingshenjiao demon bandit!

But Zhang Chu, having crashed into the “encirclement,” was already terrified beyond reason; he had no intention of fighting—he’d been sprinting nonstop toward empty ground, vanishing into the dark night in an instant!

Even Wei Lu, barehanded, couldn’t catch him; losing sight, he landed on the roof, frowning tightly:

“This ghostly, shadowy technique… seems like the Mingshenjiao ’s ‘Mysterious Darkness Turning Crow.’ Xie Brother, what’s going on?”

Xie Jin landed before him, casually spun his blade, flicking blood from the edge, then slid the sword into Wei Lu’s waist sheath:

Swish—swish—swish—

Tsch!

“Don’t know. Probably because I solved the case too fast last night—scared these demons into trying to kill me.”

His fluid sheathing motion, paired with his calm demeanor, radiated real presence—Wei Lu couldn’t help but glance sideways, muttering under his breath:

Fuck, that’s slick…

I wanna learn that…

…

Because Xie Jin’s heroic aura was so strong, Wei Lu instinctively straightened his back, adopting his grandfather Wei Wuyi’s stance, his voice deepening as he roared:

“Xie Brother just arrived last night, and today assassins come for him? These demons are truly insane! Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

Xie Jin also thought these people were insane—but he couldn’t shake a lingering doubt.

The four assassins hidden in the house were surely Han Jingchuan and the others who had gone missing.

But he had never expected that the Cult of the Ming God would also interfere, intending to eliminate him as a major threat.

Are all the guilds in Jingcheng this ruthless?

Fortunately, I’m the same!

……

(End of Chapter)