A company of around one hundred individuals journeyed north through the Southern Ridge Mountains. Yu Shenzi, amidst the procession, couldn’t shake off a nagging feeling of unease. Had he truly been so easily swayed by Fan Li’s words, lured away from his secluded mountain? To collect payment from a city under construction, combined with a sightseeing tour—the excuse seemed flimsy at best.
"Why do I feel like I've been kidnapped?"
He stroked his beard then glanced around, noticing the excited expressions on the faces of his fellow Azure Cloud Sect elders and disciples. Yu Shenzi realized that their prolonged isolation had left them starved for adventure.
“Hey, Fan Li,” Lu Fubao whispered. “How are you planning to trick them?”
Fan Li glared at her. “Trick them? Do you think so little of me?”
“The Azure Cloud Sect is wasting their talents, stuck in this remote wilderness. Wouldn't it be better for them to go out into the world, use their skills to heal the sick and save lives?”
Lu Fubao stuck out her tongue playfully. “You're a liar, Fan Li. I’ve seen through your schemes.”
Despite her playful demeanor, she couldn’t suppress her sadness. Leaving the Azure Cloud Sect meant the end of their “marriage.” They walked side by side now, but couldn’t hold hands as they had before.
Several times, she "accidentally" brushed her hand against his, but he didn’t respond. Her disappointment was evident on her youthful face.
“Your Majesty, we have a situation,” Jing Wudi announced, appearing at Fan Li’s side as silently as a ghost. Having mastered both Wind’s Lament and Yi River’s Chill, the two assassination techniques passed down from his ancestor, he was a changed man.
"What is it?" Fan Li halted his steps.
“Three miles ahead, we have an ambush,” Jing Wudi replied.
Fan Li’s first thought was Crown Prince Wanli, but he quickly dismissed the idea. He had been at the Azure Cloud Sect for several days. His departure date and route had been kept secret. How could news have leaked out?
It seemed this ambush was a coincidence.
“What’s the enemy’s strength?” he inquired.
“Thirty-two men, equipped with old Han Dynasty weaponry. One at the second rank of the Unity realm, three at the sixth rank of the Divine Transformation realm, and twenty-eight at the Nascent Soul realm.”
Old Han Dynasty weaponry?
Fan Li was surprised. After Emperor Liu Xie’s death, the Han Dynasty had been divided among the three kingdoms: Wei, Shu, and Wu. He hadn't expected to encounter a Han army in the Southern Ridge Mountains. Where had they come from?
He pondered the possibilities.
“What’s wrong?” Yu Shenzi asked, noticing the halt in their progress.
“There’s an ambush ahead,” Fan Li replied, sharing the details.
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Yu Shenzi’s face paled. "A second-rank Unity realm cultivator? This is troublesome!"
He was acutely aware of their limitations. Although their group numbered over a hundred, most were Azure Cloud Sect disciples, skilled in medicine, not combat. Even he, at the first rank of the Unity realm, was no exception.
In a one-on-one fight, he wouldn't stand a chance against a second-rank Unity realm opponent. At best, he could hold off one of the sixth-rank Divine Transformation realm cultivators. But what about the rest? Could they entrust everything to Jing Wudi?
No. He had to protect Fan Li. A first-rank Golden Core cultivator wouldn't last a second in a battle of this level.
"Perhaps…" he began, suggesting they either take a detour or return to the Azure Cloud Sect.
“Your Majesty,” Jing Wudi interrupted. “Should we take them alive, or leave them dead?”
His tone implied he could handle the entire enemy force single-handedly.
Yu Shenzi was about to refute Jing Wudi’s arrogance when Fan Li spoke, his voice cold and resolute, “No survivors. Kill them all.”
His ruthlessness shocked both Yu Shenzi and Lu Fubao.
“As you command, Your Majesty.”
Without hesitation, Jing Wudi vanished into the forest.
“Continue forward. Don't linger,” Fan Li’s tone suggested absolute confidence in Jing Wudi.
Yu Shenzi hesitated, but couldn’t bring himself to object. He sighed and instructed his disciples to move on.
They hadn't traveled far when they encountered the first sign of trouble.
“Ah!” Lu Fubao cried out. She had spotted a dead man lying on the ground, his posture as if he were merely asleep. Upon closer inspection, however, they saw that his neck was twisted at an unnatural angle.
A clean kill. Fan Li suspected this was a scout. Eliminating him silently prevented them from alerting the others.
As they pressed onward, they encountered more bodies. Each kill was swift and precise, including one of the Divine Transformation realm cultivators.
Yu Shenzi swallowed nervously. He had to admit, Jing Wudi, the descendant of Jing Ke, lived up to his ancestor's reputation as the greatest assassin in history.
They found the second Divine Transformation realm cultivator’s body in a tree. He was crouched behind a thick trunk, caught mid-ambush. Jing Wudi, it seemed, had ambushed the ambusher.
They continued, discovering one or two bodies every few hundred yards. Yu Shenzi was horrified, but Fan Li remained calm and composed.
"How can he be so unfazed?" Yu Shenzi wondered.
Then, it dawned on him. "Of course! I’m being slow! Judging by the location of the bodies, the enemy has clearly been routed. They're fleeing!"
He was amazed by Fan Li’s judgment in choosing such a capable subordinate. Jing Wudi’s skill was beyond anything he had imagined. He had single-handedly routed thirty-two men?
Yu Shenzi’s mouth went dry. He suddenly realized that he could no longer consider himself Jing Wudi’s equal. The man could now kill him with a single strike.
They encountered another body. The thirty-first, and the last of the Divine Transformation realm cultivators.
So, the remaining enemy was the second-rank Unity realm expert?
As this thought crossed Yu Shenzi’s mind, he spotted a heavily armored warrior with a broadsword, his back turned towards them.
“That’s him! The strongest of the ambushers!”
Yu Shenzi noticed that Jing Wudi was standing a few yards away from the warrior.
“An assassin exposed in broad daylight? He’s lost the element of surprise! Facing a second-rank Unity realm opponent head-on, he has no chance!”
He clenched his fists. Even if it meant risking injury, he had to join the fight. Together, they might be able to defeat this warrior.
He was about to step forward when Jing Wudi walked towards the armored warrior.
“Fool! Have you forgotten you’re an assassin? How can you attack from the front? You’re walking into a death trap!”
As he watched, horrified, Jing Wudi brushed past the warrior’s right side. The powerful general didn't react. It wasn't until Jing Wudi returned to their side and knelt before Fan Li that the truth was revealed.
“Your Majesty, the thirty-two ambushers have been eliminated.”
As Jing Wudi spoke, a thud echoed behind them. The armored warrior, it seemed, had been dead all along.
“Well done, my subject,” Fan Li said with a smile, personally helping Jing Wudi to his feet. “I knew those Xiliang Army scoundrels were no match for you.”
Fan Li had deduced the ambushers' origins. The Xiliang Army of the Han Dynasty. Although the old Han Dynasty had been divided among the three kingdoms, its land and people remained valuable assets. There was one group that none of them wanted, a force they had all agreed to eliminate: Dong Zhuo’s former Xiliang troops.
“Senior, let us continue,” Fan Li said, clapping a hand on Yu Shenzi’s shoulder. The old Daoist priest was still reeling from the spectacle.