Chapter 84 Chapter 84 No...Princess, no...

"Your Majesty," Yanran called out, and Empress Lin, who was wearing a ceremonial robe for the first time in over a decade, was led out from the palanquin behind the crowd. "Please examine the handwriting."

The crowd parted abruptly, clearing a path for Empress Lin. Supported by her maid, Empress Lin walked step by step to the center of the crowd, her voice authoritative: "No need for identification."

She glanced around at the assembled officials and commoners who were staring intently at her, then suddenly knelt down slowly, pressing her head to the ground. "The matter of Ji Heng's collusion with the Japanese pirates is beyond doubt. This sinful subject, Lin, was aware of it."

With these words, Ji Heng's betrayal of the country became a foregone conclusion.

From the moment Empress Lin emerged, Ji Heng knew that he was doomed to defeat. Yet, he felt no remorse; his only regret was that he should have strangled that vile woman to death that Mid-Autumn Festival night!

"How is it, Your Majesty?" Yanran tossed the letter in her hand into the air, and those who were bold enough picked it up to read it.

"The one who truly deserves to be executed today is you!"

As soon as these words were spoken, countless imperial guards suddenly began to disperse the onlookers. In this struggle, they did not need to take sides; they only needed to ensure the safety of the people.

Hengbo drew his sword and slowly walked towards Ji Heng in the crowd. The hidden guards also revealed themselves and surrounded Ji Heng.

"You want to kill me?" Ji Heng asked sarcastically.

Hengbo shook her head, not because she intended to take his head today.

Without even needing to use a horizontal wave technique, Ji Heng's bodyguards were already caught off guard by more than ten masked men in black who had suddenly appeared.

"Grandma Jin Hua, you're here too?" The group of men in black recognized each other from their respective martial arts styles and even had the leisure to greet each other.

"Fortune favors the bold, and besides, I've long disliked this Emperor Xiao'er. But aren't you, Xu Sandao, always a coward?"

The burly man, who was called a coward, was not angry. He chuckled and said, "That Chu family brat is willing to tailor-make a divine weapon for me. If I can go back alive today, you should call me Xu Sidao from now on!"

Upon seeing the man in black suddenly appear, Shen Guitang's heart skipped a beat. However, before he could make a move, a sharp pain shot through his neck, and before his consciousness faded, he heard a muttered voice, "Don't blame me, Shen family boy. Yu'er said you're immune to all poisons, so this old man has no choice but to be a bit rough."

No...Princess, no...

Qingxuzi sighed and handed the person over to Zhuxi, saying, "Take good care of your young master."

Tears welled up in Zhu Xi's eyes. "I can go protect the princess too!"

Qingxuzi glared at her: "Your mediocre skills can't even beat ten-year-old Yu'er, so you'd better not go and cause trouble!"

Without waiting for her reaction, he rushed over, shouting, "Disciple, your master is here!"

At this moment, Jiang Chaosheng finally appeared. He ignored his panicked son and instead looked at Hengbo with a complicated expression, "Why do you insist on courting death?"

Hengbo, too lazy to waste words with this person, directly drew his sword and charged forward. Jiang Chaosheng glanced at the chaotic crowd around him, frowned slightly, and had no choice but to put his troublesome good-for-nothing son in his arms and prepare to settle him down first.

However, just as he was about to unleash his lightness skill, an unexpected event occurred.

He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. Looking down, he saw blood gushing out from a dagger, and the person holding the dagger was none other than Ji Heng, whom he had never been on guard against.

However, Ji Heng's current state was very strange. His body was trembling and his face was ferocious, as if he was fighting with something, but his eyes were very blank.

He nimbly dodged the sword thrusting straight at him, then used his internal energy to seal the meridians in his abdomen with two fingers together. In that instant, he only had time to protect Ji Heng's lifeline, which caused Ji Heng to inexplicably lose weight and appear utterly disheveled.

Noticing Yanran suddenly vomiting blood and her useless son starting to act up again, Jiang Chaosheng chopped Ji Heng unconscious with a single chop and threw him to the arriving guards. "Take him back to the palace!"

He kicked away Qingxuzi's heavy blade, and at the same time used the force to spin into the air and pass over the sword energy that was being swung by Hengbo.

Before anyone could react, he flashed in front of Qingxuzi in an instant. His movements were so fast that it was impossible to even catch him drawing his sword before the blade lunged at his throat.

Qingxuzi narrowly escaped the fatal blow; however, Jiang Chaosheng's real target this time was not Qingxuzi!

The immense internal force sent Yanran flying, and blood, mixed with pieces of torn flesh, gushed from her throat.

Hengbo suddenly turned around and, with swift steps, caught Yanran, who was already struggling to breathe.

Her eyes were filled with sorrow. She had clearly... clearly given her a solution that would allow her to have the best of both worlds, and she could have lived a good life.

“Princess,” Yanran opened her mouth, and blood gushed from her throat, “I did it voluntarily, and I have no regrets.”

Qingxuzi glanced over there, then resignedly provoked Jiang Chaosheng. Oh well, he was his own disciple; he couldn't hit him or scold him.

"I was wrong before," Yanran said, even though her whole body was screaming in pain, she still tried to put on a gentle smile. "I... don't ask... Your Highness to... forgive me."

“But,” she seemed to suddenly find the strength to grab Hengbo’s arm tightly, “Princess, you…must…remember, I am not…Hong Yanzhi, not Yanran. My father is Duan Qing, the Deputy General of Zhennan! My fiancé is…Xiao Huai’an, the Young General of Zhennan! And I am Duan Hongying!”

"Great, I didn't let them down!"

Hengbo felt a pang of pain in her heart. The woman in her arms nodded heavily, then finally closed her eyes. She was finally free…

Hengbo gently put Yanran down. Seeing that Qingxuzi was already struggling to stay upright, she decided not to let herself wallow in grief and got up to go.

Many people are destined to die today, and only those who survive will have the right to remember the dead.

A gentle, silent intrusion from Hengbo temporarily eased Jiang Chaosheng's fierce attack on Qingxuzi. Qingxuzi touched the broken hair at his temple, still shaken. This old man really went all out!

Hengbo frowned. Whether it was speed, strength, or proficiency in techniques, Jiang Chaosheng was far superior to them.

Even though there were two of them, Jiang Chaosheng's movements were too fast. Often, just as Hengbo deflected the oncoming sword energy, Qingxuzi would already be facing a ghostly slash. He could fight two opponents with ease.

The master and disciple's internal energy was being constantly depleted, yet Jiang Chaosheng, apart from the wound on his abdomen, still appeared to be in complete control. If this dragged on, they would undoubtedly be the ones to die.

This won't do. Hengbo and Qingxuzi exchanged a glance.

Taking advantage of a gap in their evasion, the two finally reunited. Qingxuzi said solemnly, "We can only try that move first."

Although their cultivation levels were far inferior to Jiang Chaosheng's, the advantage lay in the fact that they were two separate individuals. Furthermore, the division of the Jingchun lineage into sword and saber schools was not without reason.

Qingxuzi held his blade horizontally in front of him, his energy concentrated in his dantian. With a swift retraction and release, the blade light transformed into countless afterimages. To unleash the full power of this move, the wielder must have impeccable control over the blade's energy. It requires not only speed but also that all the blade lights ultimately converge on a single point.

Fortunately, Qingxuzi's years of sword practice had not been in vain. In the blink of an eye, Jiang Chaosheng was surrounded by the omnipresent cold light, making it impossible for him to move an inch.

He was about to offer some praise when, in the next moment, a thunderous sound like a booming bell rang out from above, and the sword's momentum transformed into a thunderbolt carrying horizontal waves as it crashed down on Jiang Chaosheng's head.

This is Jingchun's skill of combining swords and blades.

Jiang Chaosheng, whose aura was locked by the blade's light, had no choice but to withstand Hengbo's sword strike. The two cold weapons clashed, and Hengbo's tiger's mouth was cracked from the impact. In order to maximize the advantage of attacking from a high position, Hengbo poured almost all of his internal energy into the sword.

Suppressing the metallic taste rising in her throat, her sharp eyebrows seemed to crackle with lightning.

Jiang Chaosheng's feet sank half an inch into the ground, while the sword energy surrounding him continued to gather from all directions.

He had no choice but to circulate his inner strength to resist the powerful sword strike. However, because his movement was restricted and his swordsmanship was also limited, he had to expend almost twice as much inner strength as Hengbo to barely manage to block it.

"You two, master and disciple, have quite a good understanding."

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at the two who had retreated back to their original spot, his expression a mixture of praise and sarcasm.

"Unfortunately, trying to finish this quickly will only hasten your demise!"

He was clearly enraged; his previously nonchalant expression turned cold and fierce, and his aura gradually intensified. While the two men opposite him, Hengbo and his companion, appeared unharmed except for their disheveled appearance, they knew that their internal energy was likely running out of steam.

Qingxuzi hardened his heart, turned to Hengbo and said, "It seems we've come to this."

Hengbo thought he was referring to the current situation, which could almost be described as a dead end, and nodded solemnly.

Unexpectedly, Qingxuzi continued, "You still want to force this old man to unleash his ultimate move."

Hengbo struggled to react for a moment, then looked bewildered. This old man still had a powerful move up his sleeve? Knowing him as she did, that shouldn't be the case.

Before she could ask any questions, Qingxuzi shouted, "Old ghost Chen! Young Master Wen, lend me a hand!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Ping, who was hiding in the shadows waiting for an opportunity to plot against them, and Wen Jie, who was preventing the guards from getting close to Hengbo and his apprentice, both frowned.

Countless soft yet resilient golden threads rushed towards Jiang Chaosheng, and Wen Jie also turned to attack Jiang Chaosheng.

Perhaps Jiang Chaosheng was simply unfamiliar with the two men's methods. Chen Ping's methods were insidious and difficult to guard against. Jiang Chaosheng had faced countless opponents over the years, but he had never seen anyone so cunning as to always attack people's vulnerabilities.

Wen Jie, on the other hand, was skilled at using force against force. Fighting him was no different from hitting a ball of cotton. As long as you couldn't kill him with one blow, his sword could immediately entangle you.

Perhaps the attack from Hengbo and his disciple had indeed depleted a significant portion of his internal energy, causing Jiang Chaosheng to be momentarily hindered.

I wouldn't say I was injured, but I was really tied up.

As for Hengbo, who was eagerly awaiting Qingxuzi's ultimate move, he was picked up by Qingxuzi and swept past countless heads towards the outside of the chaotic crowd.

Hengbo scratched his head, puzzled. Then it dawned on him: Master, your ultimate move isn't about sneaking away, is it?

Sensing the struggle of his subordinates, Qingxuzi glared and said, "What do you take me for? Even if I'm incompetent, I won't desert my post."

Hengbo was docile for a moment, then launched into an even more vehement refusal. You won't run away at the last minute, but you'll always have a backup plan!

Having no other choice, Qingxuzi had to choose a nearby rooftop to put the person down.

He looked around, clapped his hands, and said, "That's fine, nobody's here."

After saying that, he sat down cross-legged and looked at Hengbo, who was still in a daze. "Yu'er, what's coming next may be very painful, but you must stay very clear-headed during this time. Bear it, or we, master and disciple, will both perish here today."

Hengbo was puzzled, but she saw Qingxuzi's fingers flying around so fast that it was dazzling. After a series of acupuncture points, she felt that her seven orifices were instantly clearer, but her body was stiff and she could not move at all.

He activated an unknown technique, his eyes wide open. Could this be Jiang Chaosheng's insidious technique?

Could it be that her master intends to emulate his ancestors and use their own methods against them?!

Hengbo was overwhelmed with mixed feelings. He had become stronger, but she was about to die! However, if she did nothing in the current situation, she would still die...

Well, it hasn't been easy for her master and mistress to raise her all these years. If her master can live a good life, it's not impossible for her to do the same...

Seeing the wonderfully changing expressions on her face, how could Qingxuzi not guess what she was thinking?

Unable to bear it any longer, Qingxuzi slapped her on the forehead. "Calm down, focus your energy. I'm transferring my inner strength to you, letting you experience the feeling of being beyond the heavens ahead of time. Aren't you happy about that?"

Sigh, if someone could let him experience that in his lifetime, he would immediately change masters. This little apprentice, he got the benefit and is still slandering him in his heart.

Hengbo then realized that he had misunderstood Qingxuzi. However, before the guilt in his heart could rise, an incomparably domineering and pure internal force rushed into Hengbo's limbs and bones through Qingxuzi's palm.

Pain! The meridians were forcibly widened, but this force only destroyed and did not repair. It had rushed into this path just now and was now impatiently looking for the next one.

However, the number of meridians in a person's body is limited, so they began to compete, collide, and devour each other.

Even so, Qingxuzi did not stop.

It hurts so much! Hengbo felt like he was no longer a person, but rather like a fish bladder that had been filled with too much gas, with only a skin struggling to maintain its shape.

Sweat and blood mixed together and rushed out of her pores. In the ebb and flow of consciousness, Hengbo seemed to see herself swollen into a ball and drifting slowly into the sky.

In endless agony, her body grew lighter and lighter, inch by inch off the ground...

"Ji Yu!" Qing Xuzi shouted sharply, and Hengbo broke free from the captivating lightness. She realized that she had almost lost her mind and had no choice but to actively feel and accept the pain instead of running away.

Finally, after countless attempts to give up and then forcing himself to endure, Qingxuzi collapsed on the spot, utterly exhausted.

Hengbo's acupoints had now been completely opened, and without Qingxuzi's instruction, she had already consciously begun to familiarize herself with and guide this internal force that did not belong to her.

After she finally settled him properly in various corners of her body, she opened her eyes to find Qingxuzi utterly exhausted, like a dead dog.

Hengbo was startled. Upon seeing this, Qingxuzi was overcome with grief. All the internal energy he had painstakingly cultivated for decades was gone in just this moment!

Although all his insights and foundational skills hadn't disappeared, and with enough diligence he could regain his inner strength in just a few years, it's difficult to go from luxury to frugality. Having grown accustomed to superior martial arts, the thought of suddenly becoming an ordinary old man is truly heartbreaking.

Hengbo quickly helped Qingxuzi up, who seemed to have been drained of all his energy. Qingxuzi waved to him, his voice hoarse: "Don't worry about me, go quickly, it's all up to you."

"Master's last piece of advice to you: 'The Spring Breeze can't kill Jiang Chaosheng; only a flurry of punches can kill the old master!'" And there was also the old master.

After saying that, he collapsed on the roof, panting heavily.

Hengbo pinched the gold in her palm with her fingertips. Now, asking more questions is indeed pointless; only by living can everything continue.

She had no choice but to stop thinking too much and, while adapting to her current "pseudo-celestial" body, rushed into the distance.

It has to be said that this surging power is truly mesmerizing. Hengbo felt a little tipsy. In addition to having clearer hearing and vision, his steps were lighter than ever before, and his power was more abundant than ever before. His internal energy was twice as strong as before.

Overall, everything was great except for the fact that it was a bit of a hassle for the master.

At this moment, seeing Hengbo's figure disappear, Qingxuzi suddenly sat up in shock. Oh no! It seems he transmitted his brain along with it, forgetting to tell this brat that the transmitted internal energy could only last for half an hour!