Chapter 33

As the petals of cherry blossoms danced in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

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The exciting performance on the open-air stage had captured the attention of most of the audience, and the small commotion backstage did not receive enough attention from the relevant people. It wasn't until a group of black-clothed, masked men suddenly rushed onto the stage, firing crossbows at the front-row audience, causing a wave of panic and chaos among the audience.

"Ah, ah, ah, save me, save me, I've been hit by an arrow!"

"Run, run, don't block my way!"

"Get down, get down quickly, all of you, get down!"

"..."

Various noises instantly rose to a crescendo, with screams, cries, and reprimands blending together, turning the entire open-air stage into a chaotic mess.

"Master, be careful!"

Lin Sha, sensing something was wrong, instantly darted forward, drawing out the double-sectioned staff from his waist and swinging it in front of him, creating a tight, impenetrable defense. In just a breath, he deflected several arrows that were flying towards him.

"Asha, I'll handle it, you protect Aunt Thirteen!"

Huang Feihong stepped forward, moving with the Kirin Step, swiftly approaching the open-air stage. He picked up a long wooden pole from the ground and threw it spinning.

The masked men on the stage clearly lacked proficiency with their crossbows. Out of a volley of nearly ten arrows, most missed and hit other audience members. Only two or three arrows accurately aimed at Huang Feihong, all of which were deflected by Lin Sha.

Seeing Huang Feihong charge over, the masked men panicked and fumbled. Their crossbows hadn't been reloaded, and the few unfortunate ones standing at the front of the stage were hit by the spinning long pole, screaming as they fell to the ground.

Huang Feihong leaped into the air, flying towards the open-air stage like a large bird. However, more masked men rushed out from behind the stage, armed with short bows, and fired a volley of arrows into the air.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

In mid-air, Huang Feihong had no place to gain leverage. As several arrows shot towards him, he remained calm, forcefully throwing off his long robe. With a flourish, he swung the robe like a flag in the wind, catching the incoming arrows at the last moment. Using the momentum from the robe, he performed a backward flip and landed safely. But just then, another volley of arrows came flying.

"Master, catch the staff!"

Huang Feihong's robe was now riddled with holes, making it useless against the incoming arrows. In a critical moment, Ling Yunkai rushed out from the backstage, throwing a long staff used in the performance to Huang Feihong.

"You bastards, I'll send you all down!"

Rou Zhirong roared in anger, lifting a long table from the stage and pushing it forward like a bulldozer.

"Ouch, ouch, my leg is broken!"

"Bastards, get off me!"

"Kill Rou Zhirong, you bastard! Are you all dead?"

"..."

The masked men on the open-air stage were pushed or knocked off like dumplings, with some jumping off on their own. The stage was a chaotic mess of screams and curses.

By this time, Huang Feihong had caught the long staff thrown by Ling Yunkai. He swung it in a tight, impenetrable pattern, deflecting all the incoming arrows. He then moved swiftly, his staff creating a whirlwind as he charged into the panicked group of masked men.

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On one side, Master Huang Feihong was displaying his prowess, while on the other, Lin Sha was also performing admirably.

He pulled the frightened Aunt Thirteen behind him, ignoring the cries and pleas of the injured audience members. He pushed through the chaotic crowd and, in a few steps, reached the Foshan General, who was being closely guarded by his personal guards.

Thanks to Lin Sha's early warning, although they were caught off guard, the General's personal guards quickly reacted, protecting the Foshan General while trying to calm the panicked crowd.

Unfortunately, their efforts were in vain. At this moment, everyone was focused on escaping.

"General, quickly disperse the crowd, or a stampede will occur, causing even more trouble!" Seeing the poor performance of the General's guards, Lin Sha mentally cursed them as fools and loudly reminded the General.

"Yes, yes, disperse the crowd first, then deal with the assassins!"

The Foshan General had clearly identified the masked men as assassins, as one of the crossbow bolts had been aimed at him. If not for the quick reaction of his guards, he might have been injured.

"Sir, we also need to secure the entrance and control the audience who have escaped, as there might be assassins among them trying to take advantage of the chaos!" Lin Sha continued to remind him.

"Follow this boy's advice!"

The Foshan General's face was slightly embarrassed, but this was not the time to worry about his dignity. He immediately ordered his guards to follow the instructions.

"Sir..."

"Boy, have you said everything you need to say?"

The Foshan General glared at Lin Sha, almost spitting blood in anger.

"Those Americans..."

Lin Sha rolled his eyes and stopped speaking.

"Yes, yes, and the Americans. Send another group to protect them and ensure their safe departure from the performance!" Despite his reservations, the Foshan General still had to consider the safety of the Americans, as any incident under his watch would be a serious matter.

"Sir, what if they open fire on the panicked audience?"

Lin Sha, seizing the moment, rapidly voiced his concerns.

"Do they have the nerve?"

The Foshan General's face darkened with suspicion.

"Better safe than sorry!"

Lin Sha, without the General's reservations, urgently reminded him.

"Men, immediately escort the Americans away, and ensure no incidents occur along the way!"

The Foshan General's expression changed, and he immediately gave the order, recognizing the urgency of the situation.

"Aunt Thirteen, stay with the General, I'll go help Master!"

Relieved, Lin Sha immediately told Aunt Thirteen, who had calmed down. Ignoring her protests, he pulled a steel knife from the waist of a nearby guard, stepped with the Kirin Step, and disappeared into the crowd in a few swift movements.

"Shit, shit..."

From a distance, Lin Sha heard a string of curses in a foreign language. As he pushed through the chaotic crowd, he turned back and saw that the nearly ten guards accompanying the American merchant Sassoon had formed a line, holding muskets, and were aiming at Master Huang Feihong, who was beating the masked men into the ground.

"Damn, these Americans are up to no good!"

Lin Sha's anger surged, and he roared, disregarding any consequences. He forcefully threw the double-sectioned staff at the line of American guards...

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