130: Is the Tang Sect...very powerful?

Just as Tang Li's black palm, imbued with potent venom, was about to strike Han Zhen's skull, a faint blue shadow flickered.

Lu Jiuyuan, at some unknown moment, had appeared beside Han Zhen. He did not draw his sword, but merely flicked a finger.

"Ding—"

A soft, almost imperceptible sound, like the gentle chime of a jade chime stone.

Tang Li's determined palm felt as if it had been struck by a pebble. A strange, bone-chilling force, solid as steel, surged directly through his palm.

It instantly nullified the poisonous achievement in his palm and, moreover, left his entire arm numb with excruciating pain, his Qi and blood churning. He stumbled back seven or eight steps, each step leaving a deep imprint on the ground, his face pale with shock.

The other two Tang Sect Elders, seeing this, involuntarily paused their attacks and looked at Lu Jiuyuan with surprise and uncertainty.

They hadn't even seen how he made his move!

Lu Jiuyuan did not look at them. His gaze fell on Han Zhen's blackened wound, and he frowned slightly: "Troublesome."

He pointed his fingers like a sword and quickly tapped several times around Han Zhen's arm wound. A faint chill emanated from his fingertips, and the spreading blackness was instantly suppressed.

Han Zhen felt a cool sensation alleviate the burning pain and asked in surprise, "Is this the method for expelling poison from the Treasury of Lianhua? Thank you, my Lord, for saving my life."

"Retreat and heal your injuries." Lu Jiuyuan's tone was calm as he gently pushed him towards Yun Chang and the others behind. "Yun Chang, keep an eye on him."

"Yes!" Yun Chang quickly stepped forward to support Han Zhen. Han Zhen took out several porcelain bottles from his embrace, poured out several kinds of pills, and took them in combination.

Tang Li stabilized his body, forcefully suppressed the churning Qi and blood within him, and stared intently at Lu Jiuyuan, his eyes filled with apprehension:

"Who exactly is Your Excellency? Must you interfere in my Tang Sect's internal affairs? This is a great blood feud, one that will not end until death!"

Lu Jiuyuan then slowly turned around, his azure cloud-patterned robes fluttering without a breeze, his gaze clear and cold: "You come to my house, at my doorstep, and harm my people.

And you ask me who I am?"

He slightly raised his gaze, sweeping it over the three Tang Sect Elders: "The Tang Sect... is it very powerful?"

Tang Li and the other two instantly turned extremely ugly. In the Shu region, they held esteemed positions and were a well-known force throughout the Jianghu. How had they ever been so disdained by anyone?

"Good! Good! Good!" Tang Li laughed in extreme anger,

"Since Your Excellency insists on shielding a traitor, then do not blame my Tang Sect for its ruthless methods! Kill!"

The three figures split, forming a triangle with Lu Jiuyuan at its center, their hands simultaneously reaching for the deerskin pouches at their waists.

However, their movements were fast, but someone was faster!

A Fei, who had been standing silently behind Lu Jiuyuan like a shadow, transformed into a grey lightning bolt that tore through the twilight the moment Tang Li shouted "Kill!" and charged directly towards Tang Ze on the left!

His sword, that crude piece of iron, once again emitted a hungry hum, carrying a pure will of going forward, born only for slaughter!

Tang Ze was greatly alarmed. He ignored taking out poison, clasped his palms together, and the palm wind, carrying a foul odor, struck towards A Fei, attempting to hinder him.

But A Fei's sword completely ignored his palm wind, finding a sliver of a gap where it seemed impossible, and thrust straight through!

"Puff!"

The sword tip precisely pierced Tang Ze's throat, bringing forth a spray of blood.

Tang Ze's eyes bulged suddenly, all his movements ceased abruptly, and his body softly fell to the ground.

The formation had not yet been completed, but a corner of it was already broken!

Almost simultaneously with A Fei's movement, Lu Jiuyuan also moved.

He did not step forward, but rather to the right, perfectly dodging a handful of green-glowing hair-thin needles scattered by Tang Meng.

At the same time, he finally drew his sword!

There was no dazzling sword light, only an extremely faint, extremely cold silver arc that streaked across the night sky, as if cutting a gash in the twilight itself.

Tang Meng only felt a chill at his neck, and blood gushed out!

In a flash of lightning, two of the three Tang Sect Elders were instantly dead!

The sole remaining Tang Li was Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, where would he still dare to have any Battle Intent? He let out a strange cry, his body retreating rapidly, while simultaneously raising his hand to throw three black pellets. They were not aimed at Lu Jiuyuan, but rather at the ground.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The pellets exploded, instantly releasing a vast expanse of incredibly dense, pitch-black smoke that obscured vision, carrying a pungent sulfurous and spicy odor. It rapidly filled the entire courtyard, attempting to use this as a means to escape.

"Smoke escape?" Lu Jiuyuan's eyebrow raised slightly. He did not pursue, but merely exhaled softly.

Within the smoke, Tang Li's figure was seen escaping to the base of the courtyard wall, about to leap up.

A grey shadow, like a cheetah that had already calculated all his escape routes, silently appeared on the top of the wall directly in front of him.

It was A Fei!

He seemed to have been waiting there all along, waiting for Tang Li to deliver his own throat.

Tang Li's pupils suddenly constricted to the size of needle points, filled with terror.

He was mid-air, his old strength exhausted, new strength not yet born, completely unable to make any effective dodge!

He hadn't even seen how A Fei drew his sword.

He only felt a slight chill at his throat, as if it had been gently touched by ice, and then all his strength, along with his consciousness, rapidly drained away from that single point.

The world in his eyes rapidly dimmed and swirled. Finally, what came into view was the figure standing with his hands behind his back, his blue robes fluttering, in the courtyard below, and those eyes, indifferent as snow, as if looking down upon all living beings.

"Ugh..." Tang Li's body fell from the top of the wall, crashing heavily onto the ground with a dull thud.

In the courtyard, the pitch-black smoke gradually dispersed with the evening breeze, revealing the scene within.

Lu Jiuyuan remained standing in his original spot, his Startling Swan Sword already sheathed at some unknown point, as if it had never been drawn.

Upon his blue robes, not a speck of dust remained.

A Fei's figure drifted down from the wall, like a withered leaf, silently standing three steps behind Lu Jiuyuan.

He had once again resumed the posture of that silent, lone wolf, only from the tip of the iron sword in his hand, a drop of blood slowly slid down, seeping into the soil.

Han Zhen, supported by Yun Chang, watched everything that transpired in a flash of lightning, especially the scene of Tang Li being precisely stabbed to death on the wall, cold sweat trickling down his back.

Seeing A Fei, he felt as if he was seeing that grey-eyed Jing Wuming; looking at Lu Jiuyuan, he felt as if he was seeing a rising Shangguan Jinhong.

The two could not be said to be similar; they were simply identical.

Yun Chang and the four women, Plum Orchid Bamboo Chrysanthemum, were even more silent than cicadas in winter, their gazes towards Lu Jiuyuan and A Fei filled with awe. All five of them were as docile as quails.

"Clean it up."

Lu Jiuyuan's voice broke the silence, still calm, showing no signs of joy or sorrow.

"Yes! My Lord!"

Han Zhen endured the itching and stinging of his wound, quickly bowed in response, and struggled to go and dispose of the bodies.

"You heal your injuries first."

Lu Jiuyuan glanced at him, "Yun Chang, you all go."

"Yes!" Yun Chang and the four women quickly responded, suppressing their fear of the corpses, and began to skillfully clean up the scene.

In these past few days, they had disposed of more corpses than in the past decade.

Han Zhen glanced at Lu Jiuyuan gratefully, then walked to a stone bench and sat down, concentrating on circulating his Qi to expel the poison. Soon, fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead, and the blackness at his arm wound gradually faded.

Lu Jiuyuan walked out of the door and stood on a large tree, looking at the sky.

A Fei silently followed, standing on a branch in his shadow beside him, also silently gazing at the sky, lost in thought.

"Your sword is born only for killing." Lu Jiuyuan suddenly spoke, not looking at A Fei.

A Fei was silent for a moment, then said, "A sword is inherently for killing."

"Indeed, a sword is inherently for killing!" Lu Jiuyuan said lightly.

At this moment, Han Zhen let out a long breath, spitting out a small mouthful of blackened clotted blood, and his complexion improved significantly.

He stood up and walked to below Lu Jiuyuan, kneeling down again:

"My Lord, your subordinate once again thanks you for saving his life! The trouble caused this time is all due to your subordinate's fault. Please punish me severely, young master!"

Lu Jiuyuan withdrew his gaze and rested it on Han Zhen: "I will credit this sword strike to your name. If there is a next time, I will not speak to you further."

Han Zhen's body stiffened, knowing that this was the final warning, and that if there was a next time, he would undoubtedly die. He immediately cupped his fists and nodded: "Your subordinate will never dare to offend again!"

"Get up." Lu Jiuyuan waved his hand, his figure drifting down, and walked towards the small house. A Fei followed closely behind him, also entering.

In the courtyard, only Han Zhen and the busy Yun Chang and the other women remained.

Yun Chang walked over, glared coldly at Han Zhen, and whispered, "Brother Han, next time you're 'distracted,' can you give us a heads-up?

Our sisters were almost killed by you!"

Han Zhen glanced at her, his eyes a little strange, then chuckled, lowering his voice: "Next time for sure, next time for sure..."

"Oh, and next time you transmit intelligence, be careful. You're too amateurish! It's exhausting for the Lord and me to pretend we didn't see it when we did!"

Yun Chang instantly felt a chill run through her body, from head to toe!

...