Chapter 12: Immortal Lightning Sword Technique
The black-clad martial artist, also possessing ninth-rank strength, slashed down with his saber, the force of the blow like a fierce tiger.
This attack left him wide open, but his saber was unstoppable, channeling all his power into the blow, determined to cleave Shi Hao in two.
Although Shi Hao possessed an eighth-rank foundation, far surpassing his opponent’s, he only held a branch in his hand, unable to block the attack directly.
Despite this, Shi Hao showed no fear. He tapped the branch, drawing a straight line that struck the attacker’s right shoulder joint with a swish, neutralizing the force in his arm and weakening the saber’s momentum.
In the next instant, he retracted the branch and, with uncanny precision, tapped the side of the saber blade.
The saber veered off course, slicing through the air beside him.
Shi Hao leaped into the air and, with a powerful kick to the man’s chest, sent him flying.
Channeling the Immortal Ice Technique, Shi Hao moved like a shuttle, unstoppable.
On the other side, County Mistress Li Tong’s situation had become extremely perilous.
Although she possessed a ninth-rank foundation and had learned Daoist swordsmanship, with her status, she had never truly faced an opponent in battle.
Wu Yan Kui and Tu Dan Xiong Cai, despite their skills, couldn’t protect everyone. The other young masters were mostly useless, and the cobblestones were stained with blood.
Why were these attackers here? When had the surrounding guards been eliminated?
She knew she shouldn’t be thinking about these things, but she couldn’t suppress her racing thoughts.
With a thud, Tu Dan Xiong Cai was struck in the waist, blood spurting out. He staggered, and then a flash of blade light sliced across his throat.
Tu Dan Xiong Cai’s body fell at Li Tong’s feet, making her panic even more. Her soft sword wavered like a willow branch in the wind, her movements erratic.
Two masked figures charged towards her.
“Run, County Mistress!” Wu Yan Kui, worthy of being the son of a military commander, protected her with his saber.
However, there were too many attackers, and soon, he was struck down.
Li Tong cried out and ran, along with Deng Liang, Wusu Ya Nu, and the other girls, towards a pavilion at the side.
But that was just a dead end.
As Li Tong ran, she heard screams and the clang of weapons hitting the cobblestones behind her.
“That kid is skilled! Let’s take him down together!” someone shouted angrily.
Li Tong looked back and saw a figure moving like lightning amidst the swirling black shadows.
Sword shadows erupted around him, almost every strike drawing blood, followed by the clatter of falling weapons.
Li Tong was surprised, “Who is that…?” She paused.
She vaguely remembered seeing him at the banquet.
But she had been surrounded by the other young masters most of the time and couldn’t recall who he was.
Since no one had specifically introduced him to her, he must not be an important person, despite being qualified to attend the Red Tong Banquet.
These masked figures in black, although their origins were unknown, were all ranked martial artists.
This ambush had been carefully planned, and they had sent their elite, aiming for a swift victory.
Yet now, the young man was moving through them like a fish in water.
He held only a branch in his hand, a thin branch about three feet long, with a green leaf still attached to the tip.
The attackers tried to surround him, their swords and sabers flashing, their killing moves unleashed, but they couldn’t even touch his clothes.
As they hesitated, someone leaped down from above, a sword aimed at County Mistress Li Tong.
Deng Liang and the others had already reached the pavilion, but Li Tong, having looked back, was a step behind.
She cried out, unable to react.
A figure flashed before her eyes, sword shadows exploding. She was swept into a strong embrace and spun around.
The attacker who had jumped down from above was sent flying.
The young man had appeared beside Li Tong, his left arm around her, moving through the attackers.
The thin branch was his sword, a sword that seemed to be everywhere.
Li Tong felt like she was being carried by a torrent, the surrounding shadows trying to stop its flow, but failing.
Weapons continued to clatter to the ground.
Inside the pavilion, Deng Liang, Wusu Ya Nu, and the others watched the fight in stunned silence.
To them, Shi Hao moved through the flashing blades with effortless grace, the County Mistress spinning in his arms like a butterfly.
If not for the bloodstained bodies of Wu Yan Kui, Tu Dan Xiong Cai, and the others lying in the distance, they would have thought it was a performance, a skilled artist showcasing the art of butterfly movements amidst flowers.
Wusu Ya Nu’s eyes widened, “He… he…”
“Don’t even think about it!” Deng Liang said disdainfully beside her, “He’s way out of your league.”
Wusu Ya Nu opened her mouth, as if something was stuck in her throat, unable to speak.
Shi Hao, channeling the Immortal Ice Technique, was using the Six Immortal Lightning Strikes.
Of the Six Immortal Lightning Strikes, he had only truly mastered the first three: “Ice Crystal Phantom Sword,” “Mysterious Firefly Flying Sword,” and “Ephemeral Sword Radiance.”
Even so, these three strikes flowed seamlessly from his hand, constantly evolving.
No wonder the Enchanting Fire Witch, after learning that the Holy Jade Immortal had taught him the Six Immortal Lightning Strikes, had said, “Since she taught you even that, I can’t be stingy either.”
Shi Hao hadn’t wanted to display his martial arts skills here; it would only bring him unnecessary trouble.
But firstly, these masked figures, seeing him as a lapdog of the barbarian court, showed no mercy, and he couldn’t just let himself be killed.
Secondly, whether County Mistress Li Tong was killed or captured, it would be extremely troublesome for him and Deng Liang, who happened to be present.
If they died too, it wouldn’t be a problem. But if something happened to the County Mistress while they survived, Small Han Mountain City and the Yuan Rong Merchant Guild would likely face serious repercussions.
The branch danced, sword shadows shifting, the shhhing sounds of cutting air filling the air.
Soon, the masked figures, clutching their bleeding wrists, retreated.
They stared at the whirling young man in disbelief, as if a whirlwind surrounded him, the chilling sword intent carrying the power of shifting stars.
Despite their best efforts, they couldn’t break through.
At the same time, rapid footsteps approached from the path down the mountain. Reinforcements from the Marquis’ residence were arriving.
“Retreat!” one of the masked figures shouted.
They didn’t dare to continue fighting. Wounded, they charged towards the opposite slope and disappeared over the mountain.
Shi Hao looked down at County Mistress Li Tong in his arms and said gently, “Are you alright, County Mistress?”
Like a startled bird, Li Tong blushed in his arms before shaking her head.
Only then did a large number of guards from the Marquis’ residence arrive, staring at the corpses and blood in shock.
Red Mountain was surrounded by soldiers. When Marquis Wusu Baoteng arrived and saw the neatly arranged corpses, his face darkened.
Except for County Mistress Li Tong, Deng Liang (who had been protected by Shi Hao), Wusu Ya Nu (who had luckily been behind Shi Hao), and a few other girls, everyone else had been killed.
“My lord!” a man bowed respectfully before Wusu Baoteng, “There must be a traitor within the Marquis’ residence. The attackers’ timing and location were carefully chosen. A tunnel was dug into the back mountain at some point, allowing them to infiltrate undetected and escape through it.”
He glanced to the side and whispered, “Fortunately, the young master of Small Han Mountain City repelled the attackers and protected the County Mistress. Their main target seems to have been the County Mistress.”
Wusu Baoteng glanced at the young man in the distance and frowned, “Shi Hao knows martial arts?”
The man replied, “Not only does he know martial arts, but he possesses at least an eighth-rank foundation, and even among eighth-rank martial artists, he’s definitely exceptional. Wu Yan Kui, Tu Dan Xiong Cai, and the others, despite their skills, were all killed. These attackers were definitely not ordinary people.
“But Lady Ya and the other girls said the young master repelled all the attackers with just a branch, protecting the County Mistress and themselves.
“Even an ordinary eighth-rank martial artist couldn’t achieve such a feat. Besides an eighth-rank foundation, he must also possess superior martial arts skills. This young master’s swordsmanship is extraordinary, truly remarkable!”
Wusu Baoteng asked, “Which sect does he belong to?”
The man looked up and said, “No bodies of the attackers were left at the scene, so it’s difficult to judge. Based on the residual energy, his sword intent carries the aura of profound ice, but the rest is unknown.”
Wusu Baoteng frowned even deeper, “Not a single body left behind?”
The man said, “They might have been taken away. By the time our men arrived, all the attackers had escaped. They were all masked, perhaps to conceal their identities. It’s possible they took their own dead with them.”
Wusu Baoteng lowered his voice, “Secretly send men to Small Han Mountain City and thoroughly investigate Shi Hao’s background.”
The man accepted the order and hurried off.
After giving his instructions, Wusu Baoteng paced back and forth. Two women in Daoist robes hurried in. Both were attractive.
One was around thirty years old, holding a horsetail whisk and carrying a sword on her back. The other, following beside her, was around sixteen or seventeen, beautiful but with a cold expression.
Shi Hao, sitting on a rock in the distance, also saw the two women hurrying towards County Mistress Li Tong.
The older Daoist nun, holding the whisk, asked, “Li Tong, are you alright?”
County Mistress Li Tong stood up and said, “Master, Senior Sister, I’m fine!”
The beautiful Daoist nun, taking her hand, sighed in relief, “I’m glad you’re safe.”
The other beautiful but cold girl also nodded slightly at Li Tong.
Deng Liang, beside Shi Hao, said in surprise, “So it’s them?”
Shi Hao turned to him and whispered, “You know them?”
Deng Liang whispered, “That’s Zhuo Mulan, the Recluse Zhuo, from the Ming Kun Monastery of the Chongxian Sect. The one beside her is her disciple, Du Yue Jiao. My family deals in silk, and we have business dealings with the Ming Kun Monastery. Recluse Zhuo once brought her disciple to our shop to buy fine brocade.
“How could my father neglect guests from the Chongxian Sect? He naturally had me attend to them, so I’ve met them a few times.”
Shi Hao nodded slightly, thinking that it made sense that County Mistress Li Tong practiced Daoist internal arts; she was also a disciple of the Chongxian Sect.
Deng Liang lowered his voice even further, afraid of being overheard, “Don’t underestimate Du Yue Jiao. Although she’s young, she’s been cultivating in the Chongxian Sect since childhood and possesses eighth-rank strength. Although she’s beautiful, she’s incredibly arrogant, like a celestial being, and her words are incredibly sharp.”
Deng Liang had clearly been on the receiving end of her sharp tongue. Shaking his head, he whispered, “In my opinion, whoever marries that girl must have committed terrible sins in a past life, and this is their karmic retribution.”
As he spoke, Du Yue Jiao glanced in their direction.
Deng Liang shuddered and fell silent.
However, Du Yue Jiao wasn’t looking at Deng Liang. Her cold gaze landed on Shi Hao.
After she looked away, Deng Liang whispered, “You’re in trouble this time, Brother Hao. Although you saved the County Mistress, these people from the ‘royal’ clan and the Chongxian Sect… Be careful, Brother Hao.”
Shi Hao nodded slightly. He had originally intended to keep a low profile and find a way to extricate himself from all this, but he had been inexplicably dragged into it.
He remembered the masked figure’s angry roar as he slashed at his head.
—”Barbarian lapdog, die!”
Deep within the Marquis’ residence, Shi Hao stood alone before the main hall.
Two stone beasts flanked the steps leading up to the hall, and soldiers in the watchtower behind him were staring at him.
After a long time, the steward emerged and said, “Young Master Shi, please come in.”
Shi Hao entered the hall. Wusu Baoteng sat on the main chair, with Zhuo Mulan, the recluse from the Chongxian Sect’s Ming Kun Monastery, and her disciple, Du Yue Jiao, on his left.
On his right sat a middle-aged man with a broad face and high forehead, dressed in black, his eyes sharp and piercing.
There were a few other people present whom Shi Hao didn’t recognize.
Shi Hao bowed, “Greetings, Marquis.”
Wusu Baoteng nodded, “We are fortunate to have you here. You protected Li Tong. You are my daughter’s savior. There’s no need for formalities.”
Shi Hao said, “I was simply in the right place at the right time. Serving the Marquis is my duty.”
The middle-aged man with the broad face and high forehead suddenly said, “Young Master Shi’s skills are truly impressive. May I ask which sect you belong to, how long you’ve been practicing martial arts, and who your master is?”
Shi Hao looked at the man. He continued, “Don’t misunderstand, Young Master Shi. I am Qiu Jiangping, chief constable of the local Six Gates. I’m not suspecting you, just curious.”
Qiu Jiangping’s gaze was sharp, “Or is there something you’re hiding, Young Master Shi?”
Shi Hao said calmly, “I wouldn’t dare deceive the Chief Constable. Last year, in the mountains, I encountered an old man who taught me internal energy cultivation and swordsmanship. It’s been exactly one year since I began my training. As for the old man, I don’t know his name.
“He was like a wandering dragon in the clouds. He taught me for a few nights and then left without a word.”
He figured they wouldn’t believe him if he said he had only started practicing a few days ago, so he stretched the truth and said one year.
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