Number One launched himself at the swordsman, fury turning into raw violence as he tried to crush the man with sheer force.
"YAAARGH—!"
But just as his massive body closed the distance, stepping into the range of the twin blades his head flew off.
In that brief instant…
That single blink when his eyes registered the death of Number Two…
His guard had faltered.
And that tiny lapse…
Was fatal.
In a duel of life and death, even the smallest distraction was an invitation to die.
What made it worse was simple—the enemy swordsman was not only faster, but stronger.
"Thud…"
Number One's head, eyes wide in shock, hit the ground and rolled away.
"Thump…"
His now headless body stood for half a breath, blood spraying like a fountain from his neck then crumpled.
"Hoo… hoo… weee… weee…"
The deadly duel may have ended, but the wind did not stop.
In fact, it howled louder, whipping around like a beast unchained.
The storm grew, fierce and wild, as if the night itself was mourning the fallen.
"Wuuu… wuuu… woooo…"
The gale became so violent that it was impossible to stand still without bracing.
Everyone had to anchor themselves with inner strength, lest they be blown away.
The flames in the lanterns had all died out. Darkness consumed the compound.
Inside the house, the black-clad figure who had waited patiently for an opportunity, had already slipped through the chaos and entered the building.
The home was completely dark, but for him, it was no obstacle.
He moved like a shadow within shadows, gliding silently from room to room, searching.
He opened doors. He scanned the halls.
But not a single soul appeared.
Then he paused.
He stood perfectly still
Thinking.
Moments later, his eyes lit up.
He had found it.
A hidden chamber.
"Found it."
He pulled at the concealed door, but it wouldn't budge.
It was locked from the inside.
He could have forced it open…
But noise was not an option.
So instead, he knocked lightly his voice low, urgent.
"Knock knock…"
"Are you inside, Lady Li? I'm here to help. Please open the door."
Silence.
No response.
He knocked again softly.
"Knock… knock…"
"Don't be afraid. The assassins are outside. We have to move now. You're not safe here."
Finally, a soft voice came from behind the door.
"Who are you?"
"No time to explain," he replied. "Just open the door. We have to leave now."
"Click—"
The hidden door opened.
A faint light spilled out from within, revealing two frightened women.
They clung to each other, eyes wide, faces pale, staring at the black-clad stranger.
He stepped forward, reaching out.
"I'll get you both to safety. Come quickly."
Without another word, he grabbed their hands and guided them outside.
Once they reached the courtyard, he halted and scanned the surroundings.
The wind howled louder than ever, and the night remained cloaked in thick darkness.
Yet his eyes could pierce it.
The black-clad man gauged the situation carefully, then whispered to the women:
"There are still men outside. But the storm's working in our favor. If we move now, we have a chance. The wind's only going to get worse. Stay calm. And keep silent."
One of the young women whispered back:
"What about the back exit… through the rear courtyard?"
He paused then shook his head.
"No. That path's already compromised. The others are probably watching it. Facing enemies we can see is better than walking into an ambush."
She fell silent, nodding.
He quickly loosened his waist sash, then tied the two women together, securing them close behind him.
Dragging two people separately would slow him down too much.
But tied together, he could pull both with one hand, leaving the other free to fight.
Neither of the women protested.
They understood clearly their only chance of survival was to run.
If they were caught inside once the killers breached the home. There would be no escape.
He noted the direction of the wind blowing straight from the house toward the outer gate.
His eyes scanned the ground.
There is a broken ceramic pot.
Without hesitation, he crouched and grabbed a sharp shard.
"Don't be afraid. Stay completely silent."
With a firm warning to the two women, the black-clad figure hurled the broken shards of the flower vase outside the house.
Whizz... Whizz...
The wind howled violently, and the sharp hiss of the vase shards was drowned beneath the roaring storm.
Carried by the gales, the spinning fragments of porcelain shot toward the crowd outside like an enraged swarm of wasps.
In the blink of an eye, the black-clad figure yanked the two women by the waist cords binding them together and leapt out of the house in a swift arc.
Despite carrying two people, the figure moved with astonishing speed.
Those outside quickly noticed the movement.
"There! They've come out! Stay sharp!"
The bearded man shouted a warning and moved to intercept, but the flying shards forced him to duck and dodge instead. The others, too, found themselves unable to block the black-clad figure, focusing instead on avoiding the flying debris.
As the group scrambled to evade the shrapnel, the black-clad figure had already dashed past them and was making for the outer perimeter.
"Trying to escape?! Think again!"
"Don't let them get away! Kill them!"
"Hyah!"
With angry shouts, the crowd gave chase and quickly surrounded their target. As soon as they closed in, they launched a coordinated attack.
Wooo... Hooo... Hooo...
But the storm was wild and merciless, making it difficult for anyone to move freely. Each person had to restrain their movements and stay balanced against the buffeting winds.
As a result, the black-clad figure couldn't make a clean escape either. They had to carefully read the wind's rhythm and adjust accordingly.
Hyaah… Huhh…
Trapped amid the seven attackers, the black-clad figure deftly dodged and observed. The four Crimson Crows struck with hooked sabers in chaotic tandem. The two mercenary swordsmen attacked from either side with disciplined aggression. Meanwhile, the bearded man, Gu Wei, stalked the perimeter, waiting for an opening to strike with deadly precision.
Making a snap decision, the black-clad figure hurled the remaining shards in hand directly toward the Crimson Crows and the two sword-wielders.
Shing... Shing... Shing...
At such close range, the shards whistled through the air like razor-sharp darts, flying toward their marks.
"Watch out!"
Gu Wei shouted from the side.
The Crimson Crows and the swordsmen broke their formations to defend themselves, swinging their blades wildly to deflect the incoming shards as they stumbled backward.
Whiiing... Clang... Clang...
Steel met porcelain, and the sharp clash echoed amid the storm.
In that very moment, the black-clad figure burst forward, darting toward Gu Wei with sudden ferocity and swinging a palm strike.
WHOOOSH!
Even within the raging storm, the force of the blow could be felt like a crashing wave.
Gu Wei didn't take it lightly. Realizing the strength behind the strike, he braced himself, gathering all his inner energy and leaping with both legs to block it.
But the palm strike was more cunning than expected. Just before impact, it suddenly shifted direction from a frontal attack to a sweeping strike that curved behind Ko Wei's back.
"Hah—!"
Startled, Gu Wei dropped to the ground in a desperate roll, barely dodging the blow as it whistled past.
The strike missed and the black-clad figure used that opening to dash away at full speed.
"Damn it! I got played again!"
Gu Wei roared in frustration, seething with rage, but there was nothing he could do. The enemy had already escaped.
"After them! Don't let them get away!"
Even as the storm raged and howled, the seven pursuers took off in relentless pursuit.
The black-clad figure fled like a shadow in the storm, pulling the two women along. Now was not the time to stand and fight protecting the two women in this chaos was far more difficult than facing enemies head-on.
A single misstep, and the women could be killed not just by blades, but by the violent storm itself.
Thus, escape was the only option.
WHOOOSH... WHOOOSH... WHOA... WHOA...
The fleeing shadow, the chasing pack, and the wild tempest all became one with the chaos of the night.
Though the one in black moved swiftly, the weight of dragging two others made it difficult to fly freely through the storm winds. Every step had to be taken with utmost care to avoid being swept away. As a result, he could not shake off the bearded Ko Way and his pursuers.
Within the storm, moving alone was a tremendous advantage.
"Escaping like this won't be easy."
The figure in black understood his situation. Instead of continuing down the main path, he veered sharply into a dense bamboo forest.
The bearded Gu Wei was quick to catch on to his plan. While pursuing from behind, the Twin Blades and the Crimson Crows began launching concealed weapons from both sides.
Swish, swish, swish...
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
With the storm winds amplifying their speed, the flying weapons were even faster than usual.
As if he had eyes in the back of his head, the man in black weaved and twisted through the bamboo, narrowly dodging the oncoming projectiles.
Hup!
He twisted, turned, and leapt forward, agile like a wild beast.
Before long, they reached the edge of the bamboo forest.
Woooo... CRACK—WHOOSH!
The trees within the forest were swaying violently under the force of the storm. Some snapped and cracked with thunderous noise, their branches splintering like dry twigs. The bamboo grove had become a deadly trap.
"Don't be afraid,"
He told the two women with him, offering a brief word of reassurance as he forced his way deeper into the chaos.
The assassins chasing them were veterans of the underworld. They adapted quickly, using the environment to their advantage. More throwing blades and spinning disks flew through the air in a storm of steel.
Whoosh, whoosh, shhhk!
Swish, swish, swish!
The hidden weapons spun toward the man in black, whizzing past him or embedding themselves into bamboo trunks along his path.
From behind, the Crimson Crows joined the assault, launching a volley of sharpened darts.
Swish, swish, swish...!
Although the man in black avoided the deadly blades, the trees were not so fortunate.
CRACK! SNAP! THOOM!
The storm-ravaged forest groaned and shattered. Projectiles struck tree trunks and bamboo stalks, causing them to snap in half and go flying with the wind.
WHOOOOSH... THUMP...
The flying splinters, branches, and bamboo chunks, hurled by both the wind and the barrage of weapons, became nearly impossible to evade.
Zzzht...!
The man twisted mid-air, body undulating like a dragon swimming through the wind.
Falling branches and bamboo smashed into nearby trees, triggering a chain reaction.
CRASH! CRASH! WHAM!
One after another, trees and bamboo collapsed in a sweeping wave of destruction.
Even the man in black could no longer dodge everything. With one arm still pulling the two women along, his movement was restricted.
In desperation, he channeled all his internal energy into his right palm and struck at the falling debris.
BOOM! CRACK!
The impact sent shattered branches and bamboo fragments flying outward. They collided with more trees, triggering another cascade of crashes and splinters.
Despite his efforts, he couldn't block them all. One sharp bamboo shard pierced through like a spear.
SHHK!
A deadly sliver of bamboo slipped through his defense and struck him squarely on the crown of his head.
He could have dodged had he been alone but doing so would have left the two women vulnerable. He stopped short, shifted back, and turned his body, trying to absorb the blow.
Shlick... THUD!
The bamboo shard drove into his chest and embedded itself in the earth.
The man in black ignored the pain and pushed forward with force. Behind him, the assassins came to a halt at the forest's edge, unwilling to follow into the collapsing chaos.
"He won't escape from there. This place is a deathtrap," Gu Wei shouted over the storm. "Let's go. The storm's getting worse—we can't stay out here any longer."
With that, he turned and ran. The others followed quickly, not wanting to be caught in the danger zone.
The storm intensified. Jagged bolts of lightning slashed across the sky. Thunder roared like a furious beast.
FZZZZT—BOOM!
RRRRMMBL—!!!
The man in black, upon realizing that Gu Wei and the others had stopped their pursuit, was left to battle only the wrath of nature. Clinging close to sturdy trees and large boulders that could withstand the wind's fury, he maneuvered from one precarious spot to another, slowly making his way through the chaotic forest.
×××××××××
"…And that was how it all happened," the elderly strategist concluded, Elder Zhou's voice calm but grave.
He then proceeded to introduce the still-shaken women to everyone present.
"This here is Madam Li, wife of Lord Li Guan, owner of the Guangzhou Restaurant. And this young lady is their daughter, Li Xinhua."
The two women, tears still clinging to their lashes, bowed repeatedly and offered deep words of gratitude first to the old strategist who had rescued them, and then to Xiao Baichuan, who had given them shelter.
"We are deeply grateful to you, Master… and to your family, for taking us in. You have saved our lives. No, you are the very saviors of the Li family. Thank you... thank you... from the bottom of our hearts."
Dao Master took a moment, then spoke, his tone thoughtful.
"At this rate, the Li family will need a safe place to stay. Guangzhou City is no longer safe not with Gu Wei involved, and the city commissioner himself potentially complicit. If they decide to scour the entire city, nowhere will be hidden for long."
Madam Li nodded solemnly.
"You're right, Grandmaster. We can no longer remain in Guangzhou. My husband and son are in Beijing… please, help us escape from the clutches of these assassins."
She fell to her knees, weeping and pleading. Her daughter followed, kneeling beside her mother and begging for aid.
The old strategist laughed heartily, waving his hand with exaggerated ease.
"Haha, please, there's no need for such formality! Get up, get up. We're already involved now it's only natural we help. Besides, if I don't help, I'm sure someone here will scold me for it. Hahaha…"
Elder Zhou's gaze flicked playfully toward Xiao Baichuan. Though spoken in jest, his words carried subtle meaning he was referring to the young man's earlier hesitation when he had declined to get involved in the Li family's plight.
Elder Zhou then turned his eyes toward the girl Shan Mei, who had once seemed on the brink of death, and now stood tall, vitality returning to her cheeks.
"Well now… this girl's looking much better, isn't she? How did this happen? That's quite miraculous! Hey, Mad Daoist! Just how did you manage to treat her? What kind of sorcery is this?"
Dao Master didn't answer immediately. Instead, he rose from where he was seated and walked a few paces, deep in thought. After a brief silence, he turned and addressed everyone.
"We can't stay here anymore. Within a day or two, we must find a way to leave Guangzhou."
"Grandmaster, you does that mean we'll be leaving too?" one of the younger disciples asked.
"Yes," Dao Master replied with certainty. "We'll go as well. Not only have things grown more dangerous here, but we are now entangled in this web. The longer we stay, the deeper the trouble. From what I've seen, this isn't just some dispute over business interests…"
Silence fell over the group.
Xiao Baichuan found his chest tightening. The thought of leaving Guangzhou filled him with unease. He looked toward his wife, who had only recently begun to recover, and struggled to come to a decision.
"Grandmaster, Shan Mei has just begun to get better. Will she really be able to handle travel?"
Dao Master gave him a knowing smile, understanding the emotions behind his concern.
"This journey is just as important for Shan Mei. In truth, it's because of her and the child that we must leave now. It's not just about this current danger. In time, you'll come to understand."
Upon hearing those words, a great weight lifted from Xiao Baichuan's heart. If it was for Shan Mei and the child's sake… then there was no choice but to go.
"In that case… we'll go together, my dear," he said softly.
"Yes, let's, dear brother" Shan Mei answered gently.
Looking into her eyes, he smiled and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
End of Chapter