Advance together, retreat together
Gu Yi suddenly whispered in A Qiu's ear, "Go!"
At the same time, countless points of white light passed through the window in front of A Qiu's eyes and rushed towards her, aiming for her eyes.
A Qiu immediately drew the Crescent Moon Knot from his waist, knocking down all the incoming hidden weapons in one strike, and then flew backward.
She didn't know when the clan leader inside the hall discovered her spying from the side, but it shouldn't have been long, otherwise he wouldn't have allowed her to overhear so much.
Gu Yi was right behind her; she could feel him. His body temperature and breath were so close.
A Qiu immediately made a decision, handing Louyue behind her back and whispering, "Master, you should take the sword and leave first. We can't let them find out you're here."
The dignified Young Master of the Great Yan Sect was secretly spying on the Hidden Moon Clan at Luoyu Workshop. In these turbulent times, rumors are rampant, and if they get out, they will be embellished into something completely unbelievable. Gu Yi doesn't have the time to explain to each and every one of them.
As soon as A Qiu finished speaking, she immediately felt Gu Yi's hand around her waist. He said softly but firmly, "We'll advance and retreat together."
A Qiu's mind raced, and she immediately understood why Gu Yi was reacting this way. Last time, outside Luoyufang, she was alone and surrounded by the thirteen shadow warriors of the Divine Weapon Hall, but was fortunately rescued by Shangguan Yuqi, who was patrolling the city at the time.
But when Gu Yi arrived, she was covered in blood. The scene must have shocked Gu Yi so much that he was willing to risk his identity being exposed rather than leave her behind.
A Qiu wanted to say that she had fully recovered her strength and should have no problem dealing with the Hidden Moon Clan assassins and escaping, but it was too late.
A white shadow flashed before her eyes, and she was completely locked in by an incomparably sharp aura.
A Qiu could no longer care about anything else. She flipped her palm and disarmed Gu Yi, swaying as she broke free from his embrace. She whispered, "I'll be fine, Master, go quickly." At the same time, she focused all her attention on gathering her inner strength into her palms to meet the clan leader's ghostly attack.
Gu Yi had no choice but to retreat into the shadows. He was usually decisive, but at this moment he hesitated, which was unusual for him. Indeed, the sight of her kneeling in the street, covered in blood, after he left her last time had been too much of a shock to him.
Just then, a calm and determined young voice entered his ears.
"I will be here to protect Lord Dian Le. You may retreat first. Go over the wall and head southeast for twenty feet. There is a small boat under the willow tree on the inner city riverbank. You may wait for us there."
Gu Yi was startled by the sound and looked in the direction of the sound. He saw a man in black lying on the top of the stone hall like a gecko, ready to strike. When he saw Gu Yi looking over, the man immediately took off the black veil covering his face, revealing his true face and gesturing to him, before putting it back on.
Although the man's face was only revealed for a fleeting moment, his sincerity was evident. Gu Yi could see clearly that the young man was none other than Chu Huaiming, the son of Hu Miaorong, who had been poisoned to death by the Qi-Trapping Powder.
He and Gu Yi and A Qiu were probably on opposite sides of the stone hall, secretly spying on each other, which is why neither of them noticed the other.
The last time they met at the Beining Pavilion, it coincided with the tragic news of his mother's death, so Chu Huaiming was not friendly. However, before parting, A Qiu subtly hinted that Chu Huaiming and Chu Maoru felt isolated and helpless in the capital and could come to them for help.
Chu Huaiming had clearly made up his mind. After saying those words, he didn't move again, focusing intently on the battle in hopes of finding a weakness in the enemy.
A Qiu was already locked in battle with the clan leader, the two figures intertwined, neither gaining the upper hand.
Gu Yi was still hesitant, because he was not entirely at ease leaving A Qiu in the care of Chu Huaiming, with whom he had no connection.
Another voice rang leisurely in his ear: "Don't worry, Master. If this brat dares to talk nonsense and not go all out, I will definitely knock one of his teeth out."
This voice was also that of a young man, even clearer and more youthful than Chu Huaiming's, yet his tone was far more mature and sophisticated than his age suggested.
Upon hearing the voice, Gu Yi, without even checking where the person was, was completely at ease and immediately and silently fled from the place, heading straight for the small boat that Chu Huaiming had mentioned.
When the clan leader and A Qiu were fighting, the other women, including Princess Wansui, did not make a move. They simply watched from afar and formed a circle around her to prevent her from escaping.
Judging from the situation, it's clear they intend to capture her alive and keep her here. This is understandable. The Hidden Moon Clan is, after all, an outsider to Jianzhang. Faced with a sudden enemy encounter, they would naturally want to capture her first to ascertain her background, rather than inexplicably forging a deadly feud.
A Qiu was also very sensitive to Gu Yi's presence. Now that she knew Gu Yi was gone, she had no more worries. She unleashed a series of powerful strikes with her palms, aiming directly at the vital spot on the clan leader's chest.
Seeing the fierce attack, the clan leader retreated gracefully, while the remaining women swarmed forward, surrounding A Qiu and eyeing her menacingly.
Princess Wansui only saw Ah Qiu's face clearly at this moment, and immediately recognized him, exclaiming in surprise, "It's you! That Dian Le! You actually know martial arts too!"
He then said to the clan leader, "Clan leader, this woman is an official of the Southern Dynasty!"
The clan leader's expression returned to arrogance and indifference. He glanced at A Qiu indifferently and said, "Why is a female official from the Southern Dynasty trespassing into the back courtyard of my Luoyufang and eavesdropping on my clan's private affairs?"
A Qiu spread her hands apart in front of her, fully alert, and said with a forced smile, "Because Her Highness the Princess, who should have stayed at the post station, suddenly came to the brothel to perform, as the female official of the Music Bureau in charge of this matter, I should investigate."
Her words were pure fabrication, yet they were flawless. If she were to reveal the true purpose of her trip, neither the clan leader nor the princess would allow her to leave alive.
The clan leader's frighteningly calm gaze swept over A Qiu, and he parted his lips slightly, saying, "Little lady, do you know why I discovered you?"
A Qiu's heart tightened suddenly. She was always skilled at stealth and was renowned throughout the world for her ability to conceal herself. Theoretically, she should be even better at hiding than Gu Yi, but it was she, not Gu Yi, who was discovered.
This shows that she also has weaknesses and emotional fluctuations.
As the chief assassin, she understood the principle of not being led by the nose by the enemy. Even if she was very curious, she pretended to be calm and smiled, "Naturally, it is because the clan leader's skills are profound. My meager skills are not worth mentioning in front of the clan leader!"
As she spoke, she thrust out both palms, aiming them at the Princess Wansui who was in the lead.
Princess Wansui's arms, like snakes flicking their tongues, softly twisted around her arms as she shouted, "You're courting death!"
Taking advantage of the moment when she reached for his arms, A Qiu skillfully shifted his position and slipped away, instantly escaping the encirclement. He laughed and said, "Thank you, Princess. No need to see me off!"
She had interacted with Princess Wansui twice, and from her martial arts and dance, she could tell that her movements were predictable. Before the body moved, the mind moved first, and the body moved in a circular motion. When she twisted her arms out like this, her body must first make a circular motion. She only needed to follow her circular motion to seize the opportunity to cut in and then slide out, and she could escape with ease.
But while it's easy to say, it's actually quite difficult to do. Only a top-notch expert like A Qiu, who combines dance skills with martial arts and is also an assassin, can instantly discern the opponent's martial arts techniques and devise a breakout strategy against the encirclement.
Even if it were someone else, including Gu Yi, they probably wouldn't have been able to escape so easily.
The clan leader had been standing aside, waiting for Princess Wansui and the others to capture her. She did not underestimate A Qiu. The dozen or so Hidden Moon Clan assassins led by Princess Wansui were a force to be reckoned with, even for her. However, she did not expect that A Qiu would break free of the encirclement in a single exchange.
Miscalculation struck her, and she moved swiftly, letting out a sharp cry as she pounced on A Qiu's back, pressing both palms down on her back simultaneously.
By this time, she was no longer entirely confident that she could keep A-Qiu, but since A-Qiu had listened to so much advice, she had to try her best no matter what.
Just then, a burst of sharp and ruthless blade light suddenly appeared from her left front, as if waiting for her to come and die, aiming precisely at her vital points.
Even with his profound skill and quick reflexes, the clan leader's expression changed instantly. He abruptly changed his movement to a downward descent, and at the same time, a three-foot-long, golden snake-shaped, gleaming curved blade emerged from his right sleeve, directly blocking the opponent's powerful attack.
Chu Huaiming lay in wait until he found the right opportunity to strike the clan leader, who was the most skilled among the group. However, the difference in their abilities was too great. Although he had prepared his attack, his opponent had changed his move hastily. Chu Huaiming was still seriously injured by the head-on collision, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He lost his footing and fell backward.
Although A Qiu didn't know what was happening behind her, she could tell from the sound of the wind that someone had taken a blow from behind for her. Instinctively, she immediately turned around to help the person who had helped her.
A familiar voice, which she hadn't heard in a long time, said lazily behind her: "Don't worry about him, sister. He won't die. I'm here for you."
Upon hearing the voice, A Qiu exclaimed in surprise and delight, "Xiao Xiao!"
Suddenly appearing between her and Chu Huaiming was Xiao Chang'an, who had returned to Jianzhang at some unknown time.
Xiao Chang'an grabbed Chu Huaiming by the back and channeled his inner energy into his heart meridian with a palm strike. At the same time, he casually sprinkled a handful of shimmering green bee needles behind him and said with a smile, "Dear sisters, aunts, and grandmothers, the Eastern Palace Flying Phoenix Guard 'Azure Hawk' is here. There's no need to see me off any further!"
As soon as the words "Eastern Palace Flying Phoenix Guard" were uttered, the women who were about to give chase immediately stopped in their tracks. They looked at each other, and even the clan leader stopped in his tracks with a solemn expression.
Seeing the three men disappear, she turned to the women and said in an icy voice, "Why are the Eastern Palace Flying Phoenix Guards here?"
A middle-aged Han Chinese madam hurriedly approached, her face covered in sweat, and said, "Reporting to Clan Chief Su, Young Master Xiao is a regular customer here. He was in a private room just now, but he probably saw the commotion in the backyard and rushed over. The girls don't know martial arts, so naturally they couldn't stop him."
She was none other than Yuan Si Niang, the manager of Luoyu Fang, and she was coming from the brightly lit banquet hall ahead.
The clan chief's face was ashen as he waved his hand and said, "From tonight onwards, Luoyufang will no longer receive any military officials from the Southern Dynasty!"
Yuan Si Niang was speechless, unable to find a reason to defend herself.
The clan leader coldly said, "Of the three who escaped, one was a female official from the Music Bureau, another was skilled in the 'Wild Sand Blade Technique' and must be from the Shuofang Army, and the third was a member of the Eastern Palace Flying Phoenix Guard. How did these three manage to escape together?"
Princess Wansui had not been in Jianzhang for long and was unfamiliar with the ways of the court and government officials, so she could only look to Yuan Si Niang for help.
Yuan Si Niang, covered in cold sweat, said, "They are all people from the imperial court, so they must be... colleagues or acquaintances."
Even though the officials of the Music Bureau and the Flying Phoenix Guard could occasionally meet in the palace, the Shuofang Army, apart from being nominally under the jurisdiction of the court, was stationed in the northern border year-round, making them quite distant colleagues.
Princess Wansui said, "Clan leader, they have heard so much about our affairs, what should we do now?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
