Chapter 20

Zhuang Wudao looked ahead and realized that they had unknowingly arrived at the Songjiang Riverbank. Yuecheng was originally built along the river, and whether it was the minerals mined or the food consumed daily in the city, everything had to be transported via waterways. This Songjiang River was also the only safe channel for Yuecheng to connect with the outside world. As the city expanded, it naturally encompassed this section of the Songjiang River, dividing the city into northern and southern parts. There were also hundreds of ferry docks throughout the city.

Where Ma Yuan was looking, there was one of the widest and busiest docks. At that moment, a group of people stood by the shore. Judging from their attire, they were all of high status, either wealthy or noble, but their expressions were all solemn and respectful.

Among them, the one leading the group was none other than the red-clothed girl whom Zhuang Wudao had met a few days ago. The others were all slightly bowed, but this girl stood with her head held high, her hands behind her back, looking proud.

"Who is this woman? I've never seen her before. She's not among the top ten beauties of Yuecheng!"

Lin Han's eyes were also fixed, and he muttered, "Look at her demeanor. She clearly comes from a distinguished family and is used to giving orders. Her personality is likely to be haughty and proud, yet she gives off a sense of purity and otherworldliness. Truly incredible! Compared to her, the beauties we've seen before are just ordinary and vulgar."

Zhuang Wudao, however, felt a sudden relief. From the looks of it, this group was likely waiting to welcome some important person. In other words, the red-clothed girl would not be participating in today's academy competition. Without this strong opponent, he only needed to deal with Zhuang Tong. The most pressing matter now was to cross the river and return to the academy before the competition started.

At that moment, a giant ship, eight zhang tall and with five decks, was gradually approaching the shore.

Zhuang Wudao had already turned his gaze away. The movements of these powerful figures in Yuecheng were temporarily irrelevant to him, and he had no interest in them. Ma Yuan, however, was reluctant to leave and had to be dragged away by the two of them, looking back every few steps.

Even Lin Han finally showed an exasperated expression: "A lecher like you will eventually be destroyed by a woman!"

"What's the problem? If a woman can destroy me, I, Ma Yuan, will do so willingly. Such a beauty that can topple a city is rare to see. If I miss this chance, who knows when I'll encounter such a beauty again? I truly regret not being born into a wealthy and powerful family, so I could have a chance to be close to her!"

Ma Yuan was sighing when he suddenly exclaimed, "Hmm? Something's wrong!"

Without Ma Yuan's reminder, Zhuang Wudao had already sensed the sudden surge of danger and the sound of weapons. Turning around, he saw a middle-aged man in purple robes, surrounded by numerous attendants, descending the ship's ladder.

What truly alarmed him were the two black figures that suddenly emerged from the water. Their silver-white blades pointed directly at the middle-aged man in purple.

At the same time, several people from the crowd on the shore also broke out, rushing towards the ship's ladder with the speed of lightning.

It was only when the four water-splitting spears were about to strike that the attendants and guards finally reacted. They drew their weapons and formed a human wall around the middle-aged man in purple.

However, when the water-splitting spears struck, blood splattered. These guards could not even block the four blades for a moment. In the blink of an eye, several of them were either pierced through or decapitated, and the human wall was breached.

On the shore, the few people who had rushed out were like mad tigers. Their blades moved with such force that anyone in their path was either injured or killed, effectively blocking the ship's ladder.

Dozens of iron balls were thrown into the air, exploding mid-air, and countless steel needles shot out in all directions, completely blocking the ship's ladder.

Just as the life of the middle-aged man in purple was in grave danger, a cold laugh echoed from inside the giant ship.

"Boldly attempting to assassinate the city lord, you are courting death! As my lord predicted, you would cause trouble at this time. Fortunately! Fortunately! If I, Beiting Cangjue, had returned a few days later, Yuecheng might have been turned upside down—"

As he spoke, vines suddenly sprouted from the ground on the ship's ladder, coiling and wrapping around the middle-aged man in purple, protecting him.

The four water-splitting spears struck the vines but could not penetrate them, only causing wood chips to fly.

Zhuang Wudao also noticed that the two black-clothed figures' momentum had clearly been halted, and their fierce killing intent had vanished.

After their failed attack, they immediately retreated, using the force to leap back into the water. The people on the shore also quickly scattered in all directions.

Cangjue's voice echoed again, "Scoundrels! Can you escape from me, Cangjue?"

In an instant, dozens of wind arrows shot out from the giant ship, continuously slicing into the water, causing huge waves.

Blood could be seen rising from the water, but the two black-clothed assassins were nowhere to be seen, dead or alive, and no bodies floated to the surface.

Instead, over a hundred iron-armored warriors suddenly rushed out from the surrounding warehouses, blocking all possible escape routes from the dock.

One of the assassins, seeing the situation was dire, decided to make a last-ditch effort and lunged towards the red-clothed girl.

Before he could get close, a woman in a green dress flashed in front of the girl. A black whip lashed out, entangling with the assassin's blade. The green-dressed woman casually pulled and twisted, causing the long blade to fly out of the assassin's hand and into the air, while the tip of the whip pierced through the assassin's throat like a venomous snake.

The red-clothed girl remained calm and composed throughout, standing still with a faint smile, not even a hint of surprise on her face.

It seemed that everything happening before her was within her control and did not surprise her.

Half a li away, Ma Yuan drew a sharp breath.

"Cangjue, could it be Cangjue of the Beiting family? The one who is at the eleventh level of Qi cultivation and is known as the second strongest in Yuecheng?"

Lin Han's face also turned pale. "Most likely! Those people are probably at the Qi cultivation level, and the two assassins in the water are at least at the sixth level. Who else but Cangjue of the Beiting family could have such a presence? He hasn't even shown himself, but just a few words made them abandon the assassination. The vine shield technique is a second-level spirit technique, which only late-stage Qi cultivators can perform."

"Who has the audacity and courage to attempt to assassinate the city lord of Yuecheng?"

Ma Yuan had already thought of more and his eyes showed shock. "Yuecheng might be in chaos again. Wudao, do you remember six years ago?"

Zhuang Wudao's expression was also grim. How could he forget the turmoil six years ago?

Several major forces in the city fought each other, causing rivers of blood to flow in Yuecheng, and countless people died in the chaos.

The small gangs that controlled the streets and docks were mostly drawn into the conflict. Most were destroyed, and the survivors were severely weakened. Otherwise, there would have been no opportunity for him and Qin Feng to rise.

At the time, the cause was unknown, but later it was revealed that the sudden death of the King of Dongwu had led to a struggle for the throne. Without the government's control, the situation in Yuecheng completely spiraled out of control.

The struggle among the princes was also a factor. The annual mining taxes from Yuecheng alone accounted for one-third of Dongwu's national tax revenue. Capturing this city would mean a significant advantage. Therefore, the turmoil was particularly brutal.

Not only the lower ranks, but even some of the centuries-old noble families were completely destroyed, with their entire clans wiped out.

The Beiting family rose to power during this time and became the first family in the city.

As far as he knew, the city lord of Yuecheng was always personally selected and appointed by the king. However, their power was minimal and had been largely marginalized by the various forces in the city. Nevertheless, they were still highly respected because they represented the Dongwu court and were trusted by the king.

Someone daring to attempt an assassination in the city must mean that something significant and unknown had happened in the upper echelons of the Dongwu government.

Frowning, Zhuang Wudao did not respond but suddenly quickened his pace.

"Why think so much? We need to leave now, or we might not be able to leave at all!"

Ma Yuan and the others finally snapped out of their daze. The two black-clothed assassins in the water were still unknown, and the assassination of the city lord was a major event. Given the Beiting family's dominance, they would likely temporarily seal the river and search for suspicious individuals. They needed to leave before the river was sealed to avoid trouble.

The three of them were clean and had a solid background in Yuecheng, so they were not afraid of being searched. However, missing the academy competition would be a pity.

Without another word, they followed Zhuang Wudao, and Ma Yuan dared not even glance at the red-clothed girl again.

Given the power of the Beiting family, the girl was out of his reach. If they knew he had lecherous thoughts, he, Ma Yuan, would likely face a tragic end with no place to appeal. No matter how beautiful she was, his life was more important.

Not far away, a large ferry was already leaving the shore. Fortunately, the three of them had good lightness skills and leaped directly from the shore, covering a distance of three zhang and landing on the boat.

Once they were seated on the boat, Ma Yuan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "I never expected that woman to be the young princess of the Beiting family? She should be called Beiting Wan'er. I heard she went to the East Sea to seek a master when she was young. I wonder when she returned? I heard that the head of the Beiting family is known for his fierce appearance. How can his daughter be like a fairy—"

Zhuang Wudao and Lin Han remained silent, showing no reaction. Ma Yuan found this strange. The former was always like an old man, the most boring, but the latter usually liked to chat with him. Why was he silent now?

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw two figures standing at the bow of the boat. One of them was the red-clothed girl, and the woman in the green dress behind her was scanning the cabin with a stern expression.

Ma Yuan's heart skipped a beat, and his voice trailed off. He could not say another word.