Half of Zhao Douan’s body peered out from an upper-story window.
A multitude of expectant gazes from the surroundings gathered toward him.
However, when he casually dropped that statement, those eyes shifted to astonishment and confusion.
"Didn’t hear me?" Zhao Douan glanced dissatisfiedly at the armored imperial guards nearby, his tone unfriendly.
Rebel... arrest...
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Wasn’t it a challenge? Why suddenly bring up rebels?
Not only the onlookers were stunned, even Eunuch Hai, who was leisurely sipping tea and watching the drama, gave him a surprised look.
Amidst the fine autumn rain.
In the center of the spacious and empty street, the man wearing arm guards was also stunned, frowning and subconsciously spoke in a deep voice:
"Who are you calling a rebel?!"
In the Capital, such an accusation could not be taken lightly.
Zhao Douan’s manner was lazy, half-leaning against the windowsill, as he stared down and pressed:
"If you’re not a rebel, why then, would you publicly attempt to assassinate me?"
The knife-wielding man’s face surged with anger:
"It has always been a tradition in Jianghu for people to challenge the court’s masters. You are well-known; I sought you out to make a name for myself and learn from a master. What’s wrong with that?"
Zhao Douan sneered:
"Since you’re aware of my reputation, you should know I have slain countless traitorous rebels, repeatedly facing assassination attempts, a thorn in the rebels’ side.
You challenge me under the guise of a duel, is it not harboring ill-intentions, aiming to assassinate a courtier?
So vicious, yet you claim you’re not a traitor?
Officers, take this man’s weapons and escort him to the Imperial prison, I will send someone for interrogation!"
The knife-wielding man was stunned, choked by the forceful logic and momentarily lost for words.
The imperial guards around recovered, expressionless, and drew their swords, converging on the man from all sides.
Seeing this, the nearby Jianghu people were the first to explode.
Unexpectedly, Lord Zhao, whose name carries great weight, would act in such a manner.
"Indeed, ’Yama Zhao’—without any evidence, you wrongfully accuse innocent people. If you fear a duel, you can simply decline, yet you still abuse your power to oppress. This is truly an eye-opener! Is there no justice in the Capital?"
In the crowd, a sword-wielding female warrior in her early thirties scolded angrily.
She was plain in appearance, but athletic from training in martial arts, attracting much attention from those nearby.
Her leading the outcry immediately rallied many Jianghu people.
Zhao Douan squinted at her, suddenly revealing a radiant smile, then his gaze turned chillingly cold:
"Well well, there are accomplices too. Capture all these noisy traitors for me! Anyone who dares to resist, execute them on the spot!"
The female warrior’s face changed, and the surrounding agitated Jianghu martial artists were also horrified, not expecting such audacity from this corrupt official.
They had not been in the Capital for long, simply regarding the man above as a henchman of the court.
"Seize them! Didn’t you hear what Mr. Zhao said? Take them all!"
A government officer barked like a lackey, worried his performance wouldn’t suffice and offend Mr. Zhao.
A group of imperial guards tore through the crowd, splitting into two teams diving towards the man and the female warrior.
The two instinctively wanted to resist—with their martial arts skills, regular imperial guards wouldn’t pose a problem—but under the shadows of the Imperial City, how could they dare draw their swords against the guards?
They could only retreat in defeat, caught between advancing and retreating, and were about to be captured.
"Dare to resist—break their legs," Zhao Douan commanded coldly from his high vantage point.
The imperial guards, intimidated by the menace of Yama Zhao and trembling, their eyes fierce, several steel swords whistled down, slashing at the man!
...
"Commandery Princess, this..."
Inside the teahouse across, the maid Lv Shui couldn’t help but anxiously look at the young lady next to her.
Xu Junling’s embroidered eyebrows also furrowed, slightly surprised by the turn of events.
"Master Lv." She turned her head to the elderly man in plain robes.
He understood and rose, leaping forward, his palm wind blowing open half of a window shutter.
The Royal Mansion’s expert walked out from the upper floor, in mid-air his sleeves swept, blowing out two streaks of clean wind.
Whoo!!
The fierce sound of the wind.
In the crowd, the steel-knife-wielding man’s eyes also reflected a fierce light, and the knife he held radiated a flame-like red ferocity.
The raindrops hitting the blade sizzled as if they touched a scalding-hot branding iron, turning into white vapor.
Just as he was about to counterattack with his blade, two strong breezes brushed past his ears, scattering the rain.
Those iron-clad soldiers wielding steel knives simultaneously groaned.
Feeling a gentle yet enormous force hitting their chests, they were plowed backward, forcefully thrown off, stepping back repeatedly.
Like wheat waves blown down by a storm.
"Eh?"
In the teahouse, Eunuch Hai finally showed some interest, slightly surprised as he looked at this scene.
Zhao Douan also raised his eyes, looking toward the figure emerging from the broken window across, stepping on the dark roof tiles, like a withered leaf floating down to the Martial Arts Arena.
His sight quickly moved past this person, toward the half-opened window behind him, vaguely catching a glimpse of a figure inside.
"Ah! There’s another expert!"
"Could it be that a martial arts senior couldn’t stand it anymore and decided to intervene justly?"
"There’s a spectacle to watch."
The crowd boiled over, unafraid of escalating matters, each face chasing the floating elder, excitement in their expressions.
"Who is it? Daring to cause trouble in the Capital?!"
The imperial guards who captured the heroine were also momentarily stunned, allowing the cunning woman to break through the encirclement. However, this woman did not run far but simply stood by leisurely to watch.
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The few imperial guards yelled alertly.
"Mr. Lv..." The big man holding a knife felt ashamed and started to speak but was intimidated by the old man’s look.
The old man in plain robes ignored the imperial guards and looked with his hands behind his back at Mr. Zhao upstairs and said calmly, "Lord Zhao, why must you be so aggressive? In the Capital, the foremost place of virtue, during a clash of Buddhist Tao, one should have the grace to be accommodating."
Who are you to come out and play mediator... Zhao Douan remained silent, his eyes slowly narrowing.
He turned his head, glanced at Eunuch Hai, and cast a look of inquiry.
Eunuch Hai smiled a little. His lips did not move, yet the voice of this powerful and inscrutable old eunuch suddenly appeared in Zhao Douan’s ears.
He heard him secretly transmit, "Two sleeves a clean breeze... Tsk tsk, I haven’t seen this signature martial arts move in many years, heh, youngster, don’t look at me. I haven’t roamed Jianghu in many years, I’m not Mr. Know-It-All.
However, if I’m not mistaken, the technique of this junior outside, hard to track with the eyes, should be a martial arts move from the Lv family of Jianghu.
Well, the ancestors of the Lv family were also formidable and famous, but that was nearly a thousand years ago. By now, I’d wager that their line is almost extinct."
A Lv? Zhao Douan suddenly remembered the documents he had received about the princess from Prince Huaian.
Recorded within, among the Royal Mansion’s experts, was an old man named Lv Qingfeng.
Eunuch Hai transmitted very quickly.
Thus, to outsiders, it merely looked as though Yama Zhao upstairs was slightly distracted.
"Ha," the next second, Zhao Douan’s voice, neither warm nor strict, resounded through the arena:
"Has this official stirred up a hornet’s nest today, where dealing with the small leads to facing the old? First someone teaches me what royal law is, now someone wants me to show generosity."
In the tense atmosphere, Zhao Douan looked down at the old man with a smile that was both sly and tough. He said mockingly:
"According to the court’s laws, cultivators who surpass the divine decrees and enter the Capital must report to the government office and obtain an identity token before they can move freely within the city. Since you wish to preside over justice and disrupt the case handling, you might as well present your identity token first, verify your identity, and then speak."
Lv Qingfeng frowned.
He had followed the princess into the city with full privileges; there was no need for him to report to any government office.
Seeing that he did not respond, Zhao Douan sneered:
"Why so silent? Could it be you’re a stowaway? An unregistered master without identity?"
Lv Qingfeng, the man in plain robes, was unwilling to engage in a verbal dispute and replied calmly:
"Mr. Lv’s identity can be investigated by Lord Zhao’s authority. As for today’s farce, let it end here."
By now, he did not mind revealing the identity of the princess behind him.
He also believed that, given Zhao Douan’s intelligence capabilities, once he revealed his surname, the other party would surely guess his background.
And according to the covert rules of the officialdom elite, they were just a few people from Jianghu.
Representing the princess of Prince Huaian, Zhao Douan had no reason to pursue this matter further.
However, Zhao Douan acted as if he hadn’t understood at all and stood up expressionlessly saying:
"Caused trouble and yet you wish to leave?"
Lv Qingfeng did not expect that this man was even more difficult to deal with than rumored.
It seemed as if he didn’t understand the situation at all, which also sparked anger in him.
His brow furrowed unhappily, and his tone grew colder:
"What, does Mr. Zhao intend to label even me a rebel and take me into custody? Then you’d have to see if you have the ability."
Zhao Douan’s look was mocking:
"To be old and not die is the mark of a thief; all kinds of cats and dogs are jumping around in front of this official. Come, take this man down. I want to see who dares to defy the state laws of the court."
The surrounding imperial soldiers felt bitter inside.
Faced with the choice between confronting a mysterious master and offending the awe-inspiring Yama Zhao, they made the prudent choice.
"Kill!"
With a low shout, the soldiers donned in black armor moved in unison, their blood energy surging, forming a military formation and charging fiercely.
Their dark boots stepped into the puddles on the ground, splashing mud and water everywhere.
Lv Qingfeng, angered, still dared not truly kill anyone, using only his palm wind to push back, intending to break out with his companions. However, they were stopped by another group of imperial guards who arrived to support.
For a moment, one side did not dare to kill outright.
The other side, relying on their formation, managed to briefly entangle them together.
On the upper floor, Eunuch Hai held his tea cup, his eyelids drooping, and said helplessly:
"What are you doing this time."
Zhao Douan’s face was all smiles:
"This is our turf; surely we can’t let outsiders come and go as they please, right? If they do, that wouldn’t be giving my face, it would be hitting Eunuch Hai’s face."
Eunuch Hai squinted at him, not taking the bait:
"Then why don’t you go down and have a fight with him?"
Zhao Douan’s eyes gleamed with mirth, and he indeed made a gesture as if he was about to leap down and join the fray.
Seeing this, Eunuch Hai said reluctantly:
"Just this once."
With that, this top tributor, a master from within the Imperial Palace who had silenced Jianghu decades ago with his prowess, exerted slight pressure with two fingers.
With a "pop", the porcelain teacup in his hands shattered!
Hot tea splashed.
Mr. Hai flicked his finger.
Pop!
A droplet of tea was flicked and drifted out.
It flew languidly out of the teahouse.
Zhao Douan’s gaze followed the droplet as it hovered over the long street.
Suddenly, the autumn rain suspended in mid-air ceased to fall.