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This short sword was not meant to take Jialing's life. It flew hilt-first, so with a flick of her wrist, Jialing easily caught it and turned to attack Ren Ruyi once more. Ren Ruyi was, of course, well-prepared, and this sneak attack did not harm her in the slightest.
The two women clashed weapons again, but seeing her surprise attack fail, Jialing leapt high into the air. Immediately, over a dozen throwing darts shot out from the grass behind her, aimed directly at Ren Ruyi's face!
Sure enough, there were more hidden attackers!
Ren Ruyi's brow furrowed. With a beautiful display of sword-work, a series of crisp clangs rang out as she deflected every single dart.
But courtesy demanded a return! With a flick of her wrist, Ren Ruyi sent a dozen of her unique Venom Tail Needles flying towards the newly landed Jialing! Jialing, being a Crimson Robe Guard Right Envoy, was no simple foe. With a few elegant sword flourishes, her short blade deflected all of Ren Ruyi's needles as well.
At that very moment, a Crimson Robe Guard assassin leapt from the grass, his sword aimed straight for Ren Ruyi! However, the disparity in their martial arts was far too vast. Ren Ruyi merely glanced at the assassin, her sword unleashing a wave of sword qi that sliced him in two at the waist mid-air. Their weapons had not even met, yet the man was already two halves of a corpse!
Jialing was astonished. She now realized Ren Ruyi had been holding back during their fight, not using her full strength. Her heart seized with panic, and she waved her left hand. Suddenly, thirty more assassins burst from the surrounding grass, encircling Ren Ruyi.
At this sight, Jialing's heart calmed. The men she had brought were the elite of the Crimson Robe Guard. Even if Ren Ruyi's martial arts were far greater than she had anticipated, she was still outnumbered. With so many people attacking at once, even with her immense skill, Ren Ruyi could not possibly escape!
Jialing's plan was simple and cunning: let her subordinates attack first. Even if Ren Ruyi killed them all, she would be exhausted. Then, Jialing would step in to finish her off, ensuring a foolproof victory. As for the lives of her subordinates⊠Jialing didn't care about them in the least.
Ren Ruyi wiped a drop of blood from her faceâblood from the assassin she had just bisected. She let out a cold laugh, looking at Jialing. "You feigned taking another road, but this path is the only way to Nanda Temple, and the most suitable for an ambush!"
"You truly are as foolish as you were before!"
"Setting a trap with no originality whatsoever!"
Ren Ruyi had no fear of these assassins, for she had not yet unleashed her true ace-in-the-hole. She openly taunted her opponent. Jialing, however, unaware of Ren Ruyi's confidence, believed she was merely putting on a brave front. Jialing let out a sinister laugh. "There is one thing that's different about me now!"
"I am the Right Envoy! And you are just one person!"
Jialing grew more arrogant, the devious smile on her face impossible to hide. "Even if you are the greatest assassin in the history of the Crimson Robe Guard, capable of taking on ten men at once, today I will wear you down to nothing!"
"Listen well, everyone! Twenty gold taels to the one who injures her! One hundred gold to the one who kills her!"
The moment Jialing's words fell, the assassins' eyes all shone with greed. Under the control of this ambitious Right Envoy, the Crimson Robe Guard had become just like the former Six Doorsâa haven for greedy and treacherous individuals. The truly principled ones were either sent to their deaths or deliberately marginalized.
Seeing the expressions of her subordinates, Jialing grew even more pleased, for she knew her heavy reward had worked. What's more, these assassins weren't her only trump card! Hidden in the dense bushes behind her were another dozen or so assassins, awaiting her signal. These were her final hand, to be unleashed once Ren Ruyi was exhausted and distracted, delivering a fatal blow. In Jialing's mind, her plan was not only well-conceived but utterly flawless. Today, she could finally be rid of the nightmare that was Ren Ruyi. From this day forth, she, the Right Envoy, could rest easy and freely pursue her grand ambitions!
Just as her mind raced with crazy excitement, she was surprised to see that Ren Ruyi, standing in the middle of the encirclement, was not flustered in the slightest. Her gaze was slightly lowered, and a look of pure disdain formed on her lips. She even let out a soft snort through her nose.
Though the sound was faint, it hit Jialing's ears like a heavy slap to the face!
"What are you laughing at?!" Jialing frowned, glaring at Ren Ruyi. She couldn't understand why her enemy, instead of panicking, was filled with contempt, a blatant sign of looking down on her and the elaborate net she had cast. This was unacceptable for a woman who prided herself on her cunning schemes and traps.
"She laughs at your hubris!" A powerful, resonant voice boomed from the bushes where Jialing's hidden assassins were waiting. The voice, though seemingly casual, was imbued with a powerful internal force! It caused Jialing's eardrums to buzz, and some of the weaker assassins in the Crimson Robe Guard were forced to cover their ears in pain.
Jialing instinctively turned toward the source of the voice. A powerful wave of qi suddenly erupted from the calm bushes! The dozen or so assassins she had hidden there were immediately blasted into the air by this force, losing their balance and crashing heavily to the ground!
Jialing looked at her subordinates, their blades broken and their mouths spitting blood. Only then did she realize that the mysterious wave of qi was far more than a simple gust of wind! It was a surge of immense internal force that had shattered her subordinates' internal organs, causing them to bleed from every orifice and lose all ability to fight.
Could a person truly possess such powerful internal force? To cause such damage with an externalized wave of qi alone? And to think that these were the most elite of the assassins Jialing had saved for last!
Jialing understood the situation, and so did her assassins. Their faces were all filled with terror as they looked at the bushes.
Then, a young gentleman in black robes, wearing a Jade-Faced Fox Mask, leapt lightly from the bushes and landed gracefully in the center of the encirclement. He casually fanned himself with a folding fan as he slowly walked toward Ren Ruyi.
When Ren Ruyi saw him, a smile bloomed on her faceâa smile so breathtaking it was hard for Jialing to believe. She saw in Ren Ruyi's eyes an unmistakable look of admiration and affection! How could such emotions possibly exist in Ren Ruyi? Even more shockingly, with all of Jialing's assassins still surrounding them, Ren Ruyi simply watched the man walk toward her with joyful eyes, as if completely oblivious to her perilous surroundingsâŠ
The man was, of course, Wei Tingyu!
He slowly came before Ren Ruyi, then reached out and gently wiped away the single drop of blood from her cheek. Ren Ruyi cooperated fully, allowing his fingers to caress her face, a blush of shyness appearing on her cheeks.
"Such a mischievous one! Are you hurt?" Wei Tingyu paid no mind to the assassins or the flabbergasted Jialing. After wiping the blood, he spoke softly to Ren Ruyi. His tone was one of scolding, but his words were filled with doting affection!
Ren Ruyi did not speak, only shaking her head gently. The smile on her face was no different from that of a girl deeply in love.
Jialing now knew the newcomer was not to be trifled with. To wound her dozen elite assassins with a mere externalized wave of qi was a testament to his power. But now, she had no retreat. The arrow had been fired; she had no choice but to push on. She asked, "Who are you?"
"Marquis Jining, Wei Tingyu!" Wei Tingyu saw no reason to hide his identity. He had worn the Jade-Faced Fox Mask purely out of habit. Now that he had revealed himself, he simply took it off.
When Jialing and the assassins saw Wei Tingyu's face, they all froze. The face beneath the mask was far too youthful! They could not reconcile the image of this young man with the master who had just used a wave of internal force to injure a dozen elite assassins.
The quickest to react among the assassins was a man who seemed to be Jialing's lieutenant. His eyes sharpened, and he quickly pulled out a throwing blade, hoping to catch Wei Tingyu off guard while he was speaking. However, the man's arm had barely risen and the blade had yet to leave his hand when Wei Tingyu, moving like a phantom, left a trail of afterimages behind him and appeared directly in front of the lieutenant.
The man had no time to react. Wei Tingyu's left hand gripped his neck. With a slight squeeze, a loud crack echoed. Wei Tingyu's form then returned to Ren Ruyi's side just as swiftly.
It was only after he was standing still that the lieutenant's eyes rolled back and he collapsed to the ground. From the grotesque and twisted angle of his neck, everyone knew that Wei Tingyu had just snapped his neck in an instant!
Not only the other assassins, but Jialing too was in shock! If Wei Tingyu had aimed his attack at her, she would now be the one on the ground. She realized she hadn't even seen him move, nor had she had time to react, before her lieutenant was dead.
Not only was his internal force immense, but his qinggong and footwork were also incredible! Jialing's heart began to tremble with fear. She had never imagined that the ambush she had so painstakingly set would not only trap Ren Ruyi, but also a great whale!
This whale was far too large; her net would not be able to hold it, and might even be destroyed along with her ship. Turning and running was out of the question. Given Wei Tingyu's skills, Jialing knew that if she even attempted to turn, he would strike her down with a palm strike from behind before she had taken two steps.
However, her ruthless and steady nature took hold. Her eyes flickered, and she looked back at Ren Ruyi.
"You sought help from a Marquis of the Central Plains?!" Jialing stared fixedly at Ren Ruyi. "Ren Xin! Haven't you always been a lone wolf, unwilling to trust anyone?"
"People change!" Ren Ruyi replied with a faint smile, completely unfazed by Jialing's provocation. Instead, she looked at Wei Tingyu's profile with a soft, affectionate expression. "You are different now! Naturally, I am different too!"
"Marquis Wei! This matter has nothing to do with you, must you get involved?" Jialing could only turn to Wei Tingyu. "This is an internal affair of our State of An! Are you not afraid of causing trouble for your own kingdom with such actions?"
"This Marquis has no interest in your nation's affairs," Wei Tingyu replied with a smile, looking at Jialing. "But you have set a trap to kill my woman! How can this Marquis stand by and do nothing?"
At his words, Jialing froze. She looked at Ren Ruyi again, and her mind finally understood. She had felt something was amiss during her earlier fight with Ren Ruyi, and now she knew why! Her enemy was no longer a maiden but a married woman! To think that Ren Ruyi would resort to such a scheme, using her beauty to find a powerful backer!
"He used qinggong to follow our galloping horses, he must be exhausted!" Jialing suddenly shouted to her assassins. "The moves he just used must have been the last of his strength! Everyone, charge together! We will surely kill him!"
"One thousand gold for the one who kills him! Those who flee will have their entire clans exterminated!"
"Attack!" Jialing knew it was impossible to keep Wei Tingyu out of it now, so she gritted her teeth and gave the command. The reward of a thousand gold was a matter for later, but for now, fleeing meant certain death. Their only chance of survival was to fight Wei Tingyu to the bitter end! The other assassins understood this, and Jialing's words ignited a last spark of hope within them. The threat of their clans being wiped out left them with no choice but to charge.
So, with gritted teeth and their swords drawn, they rushed Wei Tingyu!
Wei Tingyu had no regard for these men. Any assassin who came within four or five paces of him was met with a single palm strike and was instantly killed. His overbearing internal force slammed into them like a slipper crushing a cockroach, shattering their internal organs and causing them to bleed from every orifice. Their deaths were gruesome!
Meanwhile, Ren Ruyi leapt out of the encirclement and went straight for Jialing. This time, she held nothing back, fighting with her full power! Jialing was only able to parry for a few moves before she began to falter, forced onto the defensive. It was then that she realized Ren Ruyi's martial arts were no longer on the same level as her own! Her heart was filled with growing dread!
In just a dozen breaths, Wei Tingyu had killed all twenty-something assassins. He turned to look at Ren Ruyi, and saw her sword pierce through Jialing's chest!
With the sword still in her body, Jialing's eyes were vacant. As Ren Ruyi pulled the blade out, all the strength in her body seemed to vanish in an instant, and she collapsed onto the shallow bank.
Wei Tingyu walked slowly toward her, seeing that Jialing was still breathing, her eyes filled with bitter unwillingness!
"Marquis!" Ren Ruyi looked at Wei Tingyu and spoke softly. "This person..."
By all rights, Jialing was her archenemy and a main accomplice in the death of the Empress Zhaojie, her mentor and mother figure. Ren Ruyi had long wanted to end her with a single strike! But she still had to ask for Wei Tingyu's opinion. Without his help today, she would never have been able to kill Jialing on her own.
"Since she is your enemy, you shall decide her fate!" Wei Tingyu glanced at the dying Jialing. Though the woman was not without beauty, she had clawed her way up from the lowest rank of White Sparrow assassins, and who knew how many men's beds she had graced along the way! Coupled with her vicious and treacherous mind, she was a person of no loyalty or integrity. Keeping such a person alive would be a grave danger.