Chapter 62

Xueyan Sect

The day before the group left Xizhou was exceptionally sunny.

The spring sunlight was very bright, so much so that it vividly illuminated Jeong Yeonshin's thick eyebrows.

They had just visited the government office to inform several seniors of the news.

He had informed the seniors of Qingming and others, who were spread across the southern and northern regions, about the progress. It was something he could do as a member of the Royal Guard.

Ji Hyun showed reluctance, saying it would take time for the message to reach them.

They also wanted to send a messenger to Shandong Province, where the main force was, but with the distance of a whole province, they couldn't expect it to be quick.

‘There’s no other way.’

Leaving the government office behind, Jeong Yeonshin returned to the inn. He had another matter to ponder: Xian Yuanchang's mobility was limited.

He was injured internally. It wasn't easy to decide whether to put him in a rough carriage or on a horse.

‘How can I take him along?’

Jeong Yeonshin repeatedly agonized over this as he returned to the inn. On the bed lay Xian Yuanchang, his eyes half-closed.

Even before Jeong Yeonshin closed the door, Xian Yuanchang turned his body slightly. When their eyes met, he smiled and spoke.

"Really feels like I'm about to die."

"I'm worried about your health, Senior Xian."

Jeong Yeonshin replied with a jest.

Xian Yuanchang's smile widened. It seemed he never tired of hearing his nickname.

Many commoners lingered around the inn, hoping to catch a glimpse of Xian Yuanchang, the Royal Guard.

"I've become a burden."

"Jianlong is waiting for you."

"Hmm? Wei Zhi, the female knight?"

Jeong Yeonshin recounted the conversation he had with her.

Xian Yuanchang's face contorted, almost painfully.

"Jeong Xiaoxia's heart is as vast as the sea. Very touching! However, don't do it. The Xueyan Sect is at war with the Eight Great Families? They must have sent assassins. Didn't you see the failure of the Seven Assassins last time?"

"The eyes in my hands have flown away."

Jeong Yeonshin answered calmly and leaned against the wall.

He stroked the sword techniques of the Northern Bright Sword and the Royal Guard Sword in turn, then continued slowly.

"Just a little help will be enough. The Nan Gong Family's experts won't be idle."

They exchanged a few more words.

‘There’s no reason not to.’

Jeong Yeonshin had already made up his mind. It was a matter of establishing merit while protecting his comrade's martial arts.

Xian Yuanchang couldn't overcome his stubbornness.

Xian Yuanchang, the Royal Guard, was a renowned expert.

Though he looked careless, his sense of battle was excellent.

He realized that the longer they argued, the less relaxed Jeong Yeonshin became.

"You have done me a great favor, first by saving my life, and now as a martial artist."

Xian Yuanchang rarely showed a serious face, but now he closed his eyes slightly and then opened them.

"So, this is what you're worried about. How to bring me, a walking corpse, to Huizhou."

"······We have about a month, but if we have to return from Huizhou to Xizhou, time won't be on our side."

"Don't worry about that!"

Despite his severe internal injuries, his voice didn't waver. Xian Yuanchang chuckled and said,

"An expert who has fallen into the trap of inner energy circulation is weak to shock. This is due to the rigid mindset formed by long-term practice. Adjusting the inner energy as usual can be harmful. I don't even know my body is a mess."

"Is that so?"

"I have a secret technique called Gui Xi Da Fa (Turtle Breath Great Technique) in my family. It's not an ordinary method. It solidifies the flow of inner energy and protects the internal meridians, so even after a long time, the stability remains."

He mentioned the secret technique of his family, which was used by assassins.

‘Turtle Breath Great Technique, huh?’

A martial art that uses inner energy to slow down breathing and heart rate, and even hide the inner energy, used for stealth attacks.

It was also a type of hidden technique in the martial arts world of Huizhou.

Assassin's secret technique. Jeong Yeonshin repeated it in his mind.

The idea of a family of assassins was absurd.

But it was plausible that assassins who had washed their hands and left the martial world might exist.

This was the first time Xian Yuanchang had mentioned his family, so Jeong Yeonshin nodded without showing any reaction.

A hint of relief appeared in Xian Yuanchang's eyes. He continued slowly.

"Whether buried in the ground or not, as long as there's a breathing hole, it's fine. The shaking of a carriage is nothing. There's no need to worry about me. Jeong Xiaoxia, focus on your mission."

"Having an injured person safely hidden away... If there are no issues with the escort, it would indeed be reassuring."

"Of course! I, the Royal Guard, will not be a burden!"

Xian Yuanchang laughed heartily, but then coughed up blood.

Shaking his head, Jeong Yeonshin pushed off the wall and left the room again.

He visited the government office to borrow a fine horse and a carriage, then explained the situation to Wei Zhimiao.

Her expression darkened at the mention of the Turtle Breath Great Technique. She was the successor of one of the Nine Schools, at the pinnacle of the orthodox martial world.

She wouldn't welcome an assassin's technique.

"······You two are knights. I will cover the rear."

Fortunately, Wei Zhimiao had a broad mind. She was a knight who didn't judge people by their martial arts.

Jeong Yeonshin expressed his gratitude with a bow.

Thus, the two of them and a coffin set off on their journey.

* * *

The distance from Xizhou to Huizhou wasn't short. They were in the northern and southern regions of the Southern Ritual.

This time, they encountered many bandits.

They weren't the usual bandits of the martial world. They were commoners who had turned to banditry due to a poor harvest, using farming tools to harm others.

Moreover, the disasters weren't limited to poor harvests.

As they got closer to Huizhou, the number of bandits increased, seemingly due to the uprising of the Xueyan Sect.

"What do the evil sects eat to survive? They just gnaw on the backs of the common people."

Surprisingly, it was Wei Zhimiao who said this. Her eyes sharpened when talking about the Xueyan Sect.

Their relationship had grown closer during the long journey.

They repeatedly intimidated the bandits who didn't try to kill them, and soon they reached their destination.

"We've arrived."

Wei Zhimiao said. They had just buried Xian Yuanchang nearby.

They anticipated a fierce battle.

Jeong Yeonshin gazed beyond the people guarding the entrance of the gorge.

It was the border between Xizhou and Huizhou, known as Qingya Gorge.

Occasionally, the clash of inner energy could be felt from a distance. It seemed to be a battle of considerable scale.

"You."

The distant figures approached. Five of them had red hair.

Their identities were clear even from a distance.

One of them stepped forward. A bald man with a square jaw.

His aura was strong enough to reach Jeong Yeonshin's skin, suggesting he was a Pingjiao Daoist close to the Blood Demon Sword technique.

His skill was easily mistaken for the Blood Demon Sword technique.

The man spoke.

"Your appearance is not ordinary. And you even have such a fine horse and carriage. Leave everything you have here and go back."

A carriage of such quality was a luxury item.

Anyone would assume they had plenty of money. The bandits they met during the journey thought the same.

However, the Xueyan Sect members stopped ten paces away.

They didn't come any closer, maintaining a strict distance.

‘Indeed, the Thirteen Thousand of the evil sects.’

Jeong Yeonshin thought.

He was a perceptive man, sensing something from Jeong Yeonshin and Wei Zhimiao.

Some of the bandits they met earlier were different. They had recklessly approached Wei Zhimiao, only to be sent sprawling.

"Rough Yellow... Blue...?"

Another man muttered, stepping to the side. He had sharp eyes.

Their conversation suddenly became animated.

"Blue of the Royal Guard? At your age?"

"Must be from a prestigious family. Probably grew up swallowing elixirs. Be careful of his powerful strikes. His inner energy must be formidable. We might die."

"That's all. We can overwhelm him with our skills. He's a fine prey."

They started chattering among themselves.

The true nature of the Xueyan Sect. They valued the inner energy they could absorb more than their own lives.

They had even made assumptions about Jeong Yeonshin's appearance.

‘They don't know me.’

Jeong Yeonshin's eyes sparkled. He seemed to have found a weakness of the Xueyan Sect.

The men were Pingjiao Daoists, not Blood Demon Sword practitioners. They were like fire ants, far more numerous than the Blood Demon Sword practitioners.

The evil sects, especially those of fanatics, were known for their strict hierarchy.

Orders from above were followed without question. There was no freedom, and information didn't flow easily.

The men started to approach, some even using light body techniques to sprint.

It seemed the first to grab him would be the winner.

Wei Zhimiao stepped forward. The moment her palm struck the chest of the leading man, a wave of inner energy surged.

Bang!

Dust scattered in all directions. The shockwave from her palm technique even scratched the rocks.

The men who had rushed in with her fell miserably.

The aftermath of the Southern Peak School's Biyun Tian Gang Hand technique was immediate. Jeong Yeonshin dashed forward, creating a gale with his light body technique, and drew his sword.

The sunlight reflected off the sword, creating a shimmering silver pattern.

It was a fleeting moment before he entered the battlefield. The bottom of the gorge was as wide as a plain.

Hundreds of people were bustling about, displaying their martial prowess.

The grand display of martial arts created a battlefield atmosphere akin to a war involving thousands.

He didn't care. Jeong Yeonshin leaped down and threw the man he was holding.

Bang!

"What, what is this?"

"Who are you?"

It was a protective aura unique to the Mingzu, like a wind surrounding him. Jeong Yeonshin's blue robe fluttered like a celestial robe.

Whoosh!

At that moment, the Northern Bright Sword was already humming.

The Xueyan Sect members who had relentlessly tormented him started to fall, spewing blood.

Bang!

He deliberately stomped hard on the ground. The dust that spread was immediately torn apart by the shockwave.

He didn't stop after landing, but continued to dash. The flow of the battlefield was instantly twisted by Jeong Yeonshin's Northern Bright Sword.

An invisible typhoon seemed to form around him, with people falling in all directions.

Most of them died instantly. It was a power that couldn't be explained by Jeong Yeonshin's level of martial arts.

The techniques he had previously adjusted prevented any casualties among the Nan Gong Family.

He pierced through the battlefield in a straight line, reaching the leaders of the Nan Gong Family in an instant.

Various emotions spread across the faces of the handsome man with a kind face, the vibrant woman with a coppery complexion, and the middle-aged man with overwhelming aura, among others.

Then,

"Ma Guangyi, you've returned."

"Your face looks better, but you've brought a strange martial art."

Behind him, familiar figures were laughing. They knew Jeong Yeonshin's identity.

The Blood Demon Sword practitioners with flowing black and red hair.

The aura they emitted together was extraordinary.

Jeong Yeonshin silently looked at them. A vivid scene appeared before his eyes.

He wouldn't forget it. It was the moment he had fled for the first time in his life.

He understood why they were smirking.

They were the ones who had thrown the explosive pills at Jeong Yeonshin during the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering.

Each of them was filled with madness. They didn't seem to care how many Pingjiao Daoists died.

"Did you think you could achieve something by joining the Nan Gong Family?"

One of them said, holding an explosive pill in his hand, which he had silently taken out.

The surrounding martial artists were visibly startled.

During the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering, when everything fell apart, Jeong Yeonshin in Huizhou's Lianhua Hall was no different from them.

Thud.

This time, it was different. Jeong Yeonshin didn't stop.

He knew without looking back that the top experts of the Nan Gong Family were watching him.

He slowly opened his lips.

"You guys. You need to understand something clearly."

He sheathed the Northern Bright Sword and drew the Royal Guard Sword, which he was familiar with. The transition between the two swords was smooth.

It was the demeanor of a master anyone could recognize. The blade of the Royal Guard Sword naturally revealed itself, beginning to absorb the sunlight.

He gripped the sword technique once more. The cold touch instantly turned hot.

"You are the rebels who strike first. I am not guilty."

Jeong Yeonshin said calmly.