Lanshiju Road, this is not an official na, but the nearby residents all refer to this alley as such. The origin of the na is untraceable, but perhaps it was because a lot of sour persimmons and oranges used to fall and rot on this road. Since it is not an official road, there are naturally no ever-burning street lamps transplanted from the Secret Realm here, and not even watchn would pass by. Even if nearby residents heard strange noises on Lanshiju Road, they would only assu it was wild dogs fighting, never imagining this place would beco the center of the vortex in Jiangnan City.
Even the three people inside did not realize that this secluded alley actually gathered the Chancellor of Daliang, the County Duke of Qi Kingdom, and the Commander of Zhou Kingdom. In this place known to no one, on this seemingly ordinary night, they tore off the masks of etiquette, and their only ans of communication was sheer violence!
In the instant of clash, Shang Xuanwen imdiately sensed sothing unusual. Though neither flesh nor weapons were ignited, and the other party showed no characteristics of a Self-Burner, the attack could penetrate his Heart-Protecting Mirror defense. Moreover, the black wolf mask and white fox mask were identical to those on the warrant...
He originally thought these two were the second wave of ambush from the Taihu Rebel Bandits, but now it seems they are the second cruel joke played by fate.
Two different forces attacked him simultaneously tonight.
Shang Xuanwen believed they were not conspiring, otherwise, he would not have been able to escape from the alley just now. Probably one side acted on a whim, leveraging the chaos in Jiangnan City to achieve their plot. But this conclusion was even harder to accept than them conspiring—it was an unavoidable coincidence that cornered him.
"Thief’s House." Amidst the clashing of blades, Shang Xuanwen asked coldly, "What do you intend to steal from ?"
However, his question was t only with the cold laughter of Pharmacist’s Wish and the silence of Ying Rushi. Shang Xuanwen felt a chill in his heart—they knew him very well, even aware that he could listen to their inner thoughts through conversation. Therefore, they ceased any dialogue at the start of the battle, fearing he would hear their tactical plans.
From the ambush on this road to the vigilance in the battle, everything indicated that they were well prepared. While he was secretly observing others, soone else was secretly observing him—it wasn’t just him playing the ga.
Refusing negotiation indicated they only wanted to kill and plunder. Either they believed Shang Xuanwen would never obediently hand over what they wanted, or... his life was also one of their targets.
He guessed correctly.
After dividing into teams, Pharmacist’s Wish and Ying Rushi reached a consensus: Shang Xuanwen must die. Completing the mission was one reason, but more importantly, this Chancellor of Da Liang posed too great a threat to the Qi and Zhou Kingdoms.
After thirteen years in office, Shang Xuanwen governed with clarity, opened channels for speaking out, suppressed the powerful, and gave benefits to the people. Though the developnt periods of the Three Central Plains Kingdoms had passed, Zhou Kingdom faced deepening contradictions due to Yao Shi Moke’s purging of dissidents, and Qi Kingdom recklessly plunged downward because of Empress Ying Le’s misrule. Only Liang Kingdom remained barely manageable under Shang Xuanwen’s governance—of course, this was the view of Pharmacist’s Wish and Ying Rushi, while the Liang Court’s official stance was ’prospering’ and ’rejuvenation at its zenith.’
When everyone else was on a downward path, Liang Kingdom’s slower descent made it stand out glaringly.
One considered Zhou Kingdom in her pocket, the other was loyal to Qi Kingdom, so upon discovering the theft target was Shang Xuanwen’s Heaven-Swaying Sword, Pharmacist’s Wish and Ying Rushi secretly plotted to assassinate this Chancellor of Da Liang. However, in etings, with Shang Xinlei devising plans and Yan Qing using internal counterasures, they had to hide their intentions, prioritizing the mission.
Tonight was full of unexpected events. Although the opportunity to easily complete the mission was lost, it also gave them a chance to satisfy their personal desires openly. When Ying Rushi cast out the bait ’kill Shang Xuanwen first to prevent his escape,’ Pharmacist’s Wish imdiately took the bait ’precisely as needed.’
These two who couldn’t stand each other beca perfectly harmonious in their cooperation tonight.
As the battle progressed, their collaboration beca more and more skillful, showing none of the awkwardness of first-ti cooperation. This was due to their talent in combat, but more so because they were very familiar with each other’s moves—Pharmacist’s Wish used the Zhou Kingdom Mansion Soldiers’ "Infantry Battle Spear Technique," and Ying Rushi used the Qi Kingdom Baibao’s "One-Handed Swordsmanship." Both sets were practical techniques evolved from basic cultivation techniques, widely spread among the soldiers of the two countries, naturally allowing them to recognize each other’s cultivation technique routines at a glance.
Wide dissemination did not an they were cheap. On the contrary, in order to maximize soldiers’ combat power for capturing Secret Realms, the practical techniques of each country were finely honed treasures. To accommodate the illiterate folks, the nas of these techniques were very simple, either indicating the scenario of application or whether they were for one-handed or two-handed use.
But even such ordinary moves, in the hands of Pharmacist’s Wish and Ying Rushi, beca deadly strikes, with spear force like thunder and sword swift as the wind.
They were originally the most outstanding heroes of their ti and having a two-on-one advantage only increased their prowess; the longer the fight continued, the more their qi and blood invigorated, fully unleashing their artistry.
However, they felt no pride, only a heavy solemnity in their hearts.
Although Shang Xuanwen was being suppressed by their attacks, the Heart-Protecting Mirror on his body remained intact. He could even absorb the Spiritual Jade while fighting. His defense was watertight, and even when fighting two opponents, he could find opportunities to counterattack, repeatedly disrupting the flow of their weapons. Even when facing unavoidable situations, he could reduce the damage through swordsmanship to a minimum.
It was evident that Shang Xuanwen was in poor condition when he entered the alley, without any guards by his side, not even the internal collaborator that Yan Qing ntioned being present. Clearly, he had already experienced an incident before coming here. During the fight, he hadn’t used any powerful tokens, though that wasn’t surprising; ssengers rarely carried strong tokens outside of a frontline Secret Realm, especially Shang Xuanwen, who lived in the safest Jiangnan Main City. His token configuration was likely minimal.
Yet even a severely disadvantaged Chancellor of Da Liang couldn’t be easily defeated by them. If it were Shang Xuanwen in peak condition with his tokens complete, they would probably have to flee in disarray.
Ying Rushi had been relieved that the internal collaborator wasn’t present, as it ant there was no easy way to obtain the Heaven-Swaying Sword; after all, if Black Wolf proposed retreat after she seized the sword, she would have no rightful reason to violently kill Shang Xuanwen.
However, at this point in the battle, she began to worry about completing the theft mission. If her long-stored deadly strike failed to breach Shang Xuanwen’s defense, then all effort would be in vain.
The longer the ti dragged on, the greater the possibility of Daliang reinforcents arriving.
However, the ones growing increasingly shocked weren’t just the thieves; Shang Xuanwen wasn’t as calm as he appeared.
Fighting against an ordinary person and fighting against a Self-Burner are two entirely different concepts. Self-Burners abandon all defense, seeking mutual destruction at any cost. No matter how skilled Shang Xuanwen is, he can only avoid them; but ordinary people will defend, evade, and use weapons—this is the domain most familiar to Shang Xuanwen. His Art of Manipulating People shines not only in the Court but also as an undisclosed secret in his combat.
His third transformation as a Deceit ssenger is an extrely rare and precious profession. Its core trait, ’Chaos Weapon,’ allows him to easily alter the trajectory of enemy weapons during a clash. Coupled with the Secret Technique Sticky Sword from Nanyue, he can effectively restrain all weapon-wielding enemies below Foundation Establishnt, often fighting multiple foes at once, causing enemies—whether demonic or ssengers—to turn on themselves.
The Taihu Rebel Bandits are well aware of this, which is why their assassination attempts either aim for massive damage or employ exotic weapons, never giving Shang Xuanwen a chance to showcase his swordsmanship.
Yet, facing these two unfamiliar thieves, his proud Chaos Weapon tactic proved mostly ineffective.
He repeatedly initiated the Sticky Sword, but the opponents were able to retreat or evade in ti, even turning these maneuvers to their advantage and continuing their attack from astonishing angles. Shang Xuanwen has faced opponents like this before; such individuals rarely use any secret manuals but rely on their own comprehension of basic techniques, advanced techniques, and even secret techniques. Their skill levels far exceed those of their peers, able to innovate and adapt in battle, wielding weapons as extensions of their bodies.
Few among the Third-Turn ssengers reach such a realm; it requires genuine talent and giftedness. These individuals often quickly ascend to the Third Transformation Limit, forcibly establishing a foundation without needing a Foundation Establishnt Pill, unlike most Third-Turn ssengers who languish their entire lives and remain unable to attain the glory beyond the fourth turn.
Even when the Divine Marquis Mansion famously announced to the world, Shang Xuanwen did not place great importance on the Thief’s House. After all, all these years, no one has truly won control of the Thief’s House. But witnessing these two imnsely talented thieves, Shang Xuanwen realized he needed to reevaluate the strength of the Thief’s House.
If he could survive this.
Sword Thief White Fox only used her right hand with the Brave General Sword against him, while her left hand remained tightly gripping the sword hilt, exuding such a killing intent that it stung Shang Xuanwen’s eyes, clearly preparing for an earth-shattering strike.
Gun Thief Black Wolf fought until now without any defense, enduring all the damage Shang Xuanwen inflicted, yet her montum grew ever fiercer, like a volcano ready to erupt. When she exploded, it would be more raging than thunder or wildfire.
As the clash grew more tense and the atmosphere more charged, suddenly a whistle pierced the air from afar. It might have been a military officer’s whistle, a pavilion chief’s call, or even a child’s mischievous whistle at night, but regardless of its origin, this whistle beca the rallying cry for the battle.
"White Fox!"
"Mm."
No need to worry about Shang Xuanwen decoding their tactics, for their intentions were already more evident than the moon!
Pharmacist’s Wish raised the long spear overhead, spinning it, her legs firmly planted on the ground, completely abandoning defense. Shang Xuanwen found himself being pushed toward Pharmacist’s Wish by the airflow; she had beco the vortex center, capturing all who tried to flee!
Secret Technique: Rotating Lamp!
The long weapon’s charge-up secret technique, with increased rotations, significantly boosts the ssenger’s next damage (including damage caused by tokens). During the rotation, vortex airflow pulls all around toward the self!
Logically, when a ssenger uses Rotating Lamp, it’s the pri ti to attack; however, Pharmacist’s Wish clearly had damage-increasing tokens based on the damage she endured. Shang Xuanwen would naturally not comply with her wishes but instead quickly retreated to escape the airflow, forcing Pharmacist’s Wish to abandon her charge-up!
Pharmacist’s Wish obliged, as Shang Xuanwen was about to leave her attack range, but right at the optimal attack distance for the long spear, she shouted, like the howl of a wolf and the roar of a tiger, startling children within a mile into tears. The long spear left only a shadow in the air, as she poured her entire essence into this one strike, utterly committing without reserve!
Chaos Weapon initiation.
Inside, Shang Xuanwen felt no fear nor concern; he accurately assessed that although this move had the damage level of the Third Transformation, his Chaos Weapon and Sticky Sword were sufficient to redirect the long spear’s flow. Even if he couldn’t redirect it towards White Fox, he could aim it at the ground; his only worry now was the inactive Secret Sword White Fox wielded...
No! Wrong!
At the instant the long spear was about to strike, and Shang Xuanwen had already swung his sword, Pharmacist’s Wish stopped entirely, as if soone had frozen her in ti. Beneath the Black Wolf Mask, she revealed a smile of success, then moved again, stepped forward, turning the spear around, sweeping its tail toward Shang Xuanwen—it was Dragon Tail Sweep.
Moreover, faster, stronger!
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