Chapter 1668: Chapter 1668: FATAL STRIKE
Bang.
A blast sounded like thunder roaring, the sword blade hit the ground, sand and stone flying...
The You Xi Sword was the sword of Qin General Bai Qi, obtained from the ruins in Chang’an. Ye Shikai never expected he could truly return to the Qin Dynasty. Within the You Xi Sword, there were fierce evil spirits and vengeful souls, heavily charged with killing intent. Mi Wen, standing nearby, gazed at this "Divine Artifact," fear faintly flickering on her face.
As the sword fell, dirt and rocks splattered into the air, obscuring the view for everyone. With Ye Shikai wielding the You Xi Sword, even his movement technique became several times faster. The people could only see afterimages.
"What happened?"
"What occurred?"
The dust in the air cleared. The group moved forward slowly. The figure of the black-clad assassin lay on the ground, bleeding from seven orifices, disfigured upon closer inspection.
Ye Shikai supported himself with the sword, breathing heavily. This was a FATAL STRIKE, consuming a large amount of his Inner Strength. Calculating it carefully, if he could only wield the sword against enemies, he might not last even ten minutes. As such, this heavily charged "Divine Artifact" isn’t something every cultivator can wield. Ye Shikai is considered a top-tier cultivator, yet still finds it hard to manage, which shows how powerful Bai Qi was back then.
"Are you okay?" Mi Wen quickly sheathed the Xuanjian Sword and hurried forward to support him.
"Don’t worry, it’s just that the Inner Strength is heavily consumed, resting for a while will suffice." Ye Shikai took several deep breaths, slightly recovering some Inner Strength. Ultimately, it’s not that he’s too weak. It’s just that this weapon isn’t meant for anyone other than "masters." Such a top-tier treasure can turn gods into devils, but regardless of good or evil, gods or demons, it belongs only to the "strongest."
"There might still be assassins in the woods, be very careful." Ye Shikai warned as the remaining guards shielded Mi Wen, slowly leaving. These people were clearly well-prepared, waiting here with such fierce assassins. Failing one assassination attempt, there might be a second wave.
Hyah, hyah, hyah...
At this moment, a cavalry squad came rushing over from the distance. Everyone was startled, thinking they might be assassins’ cavalry. But then, everyone saw the large "Chu" character on the flag.
"Commander of the Linxiang City garrison cavalry, reporting to the Lord." The leading General hurriedly dismounted, kneeling on one knee before Mi Wen. Seeing it was their own troops, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"We were attacked in the woods. Dispatch some soldiers to escort us back to the city. The rest chase after them." Mi Wen commanded.
"Yes, I will do so immediately." The commanding General ordered several hundred cavalrymen to escort the guards into the city while the rest plunged into the woods, chasing the assassins.
Rather than saying Ye Shikai escorted Mi Wen, it’s better to say she "escorted" Ye Shikai into the city. During the fierce battle just now, Mi Wen remained unscathed, while Ye Shikai exhausted a significant amount of Inner Strength.
"Are you okay?"
"Don’t worry, I said I just need to rest." Ye Shikai took out several pills from the Storage Ring and swallowed them in one gulp. These were treasures he had saved over time, but they too diminished with every use, forcing him to be sparing.
"These assassins’ deadly techniques are identical, likely from the same sect or organization. Therefore, I suspect these cultivators are an assassin group, not just randomly gathered. As for that expert... he and those other assassins are not together, possibly hired by the mastermind intending to deal with you." Ye Shikai analyzed.
"Indeed, I noticed too. Such domineering and bizarre techniques are exceptional. If we two joined forces, it wouldn’t be a problem, but fighting him one-on-one might really be tough." Mi Wen said lightly, then raised her head with a heavy gaze, "Who do you think might have orchestrated it?"
"I don’t know either. They didn’t speak during combat, so it’s impossible to deduce their origin from accents." Ye Shikai shook his head.
"You’re restoring the kingdom in Chu Territory, defeating government forces several times, thus inevitably becoming a thorn in the regime’s side. But with the arrows shot today, it looks like they were targeting you." Ye Shikai analyzed, if the mastermind wanted to kill both of them, probably more than one expert would have been sent.
"Earlier, you said it’s a professional assassin group; could they have been sent by the government in Xianyang?" Mi Wen questioned.
"Unlikely, Xianyang is thousands of miles from Linxian. Dozens of assassins crossing mountains and rivers to infiltrate here, avoid various garrisons, it’s simply impossible."
"Could it be... an assassin group from Chu Territory?" Mi Wen coldly stated, "The time and place for our hunting wouldn’t be known by many, yet these assassins were already ambushed here, indicating someone from inside wants to assassinate me." Her tone was icy; if what she said is true, then there’s a traitor inside, daring even to attempt murder on Mi Wen herself.
"Even if it’s a local assassin group, it might not be internally devised. Perhaps the regime spent heavily to hire local assassin groups, this possibility cannot be excluded. This way, they wouldn’t need to send assassins over from Xianyang through long distances." Ye Shikai continued speaking.
...
Returning to the city, everyone went straight back to the government office, heavily guarded. Ye Shikai worried those assassins might strike on the road, remained cautious until entering the office, finally relaxing.
"Quick, call the doctor."
"Yes."
"Are you alright? I’ll have the doctor come." Mi Wen said with concern.
"Just internal injuries, some recuperation will do. Have the doctor treat those heavily wounded brothers first; their injuries are severe." Ye Shikai waved his hand, dismissing the doctors.
"By the way, Lord, don’t let Ling’er know about the attack incident." Ye Shikai suddenly said.
"Are you worried Miss He will be concerned about you because of this?" Mi Wen teased with a mischievous smile.
"After all, she’s a woman, particularly sensitive to fighting and killing. If you tell her, I’ll have to spend much effort comforting her." Ye Shikai sighed lightly, speaking calmly.
"Fine, but you must promise me one condition." Mi Wen raised one finger.
"What, another condition? I still owe you two conditions. Besides, keeping this from Ling’er is just a favor." Ye Shikai rolled his eyes, always feeling Mi Wen is taking advantage of him "this way."
"Rest assured, it’s really just doing you a favor, nothing difficult." Mi Wen continued, "Tell me about the origin of your sword."
"Ahem, that... I’m afraid not. I promised that senior to keep it secret and not disclose it."
