245: The anti-Japanese hero Duan Tianya!

His relationship with the Shinkage School was extremely complex; he was sent by Lord Protector to Dongying, where he apprenticed at the Iga School.

He was dispatched to the Shinkage School for exchange and study.

He and Yagyu Tajima-no-kami’s daughter, Yukihime, fell in love. Yukihime was cut down by Yagyu Tajima-no-kami while protecting him.

He then cut down Yagyu Tajima-no-kami’s son, Yagyu Jubei, and also won the heart of Yagyu Tajima-no-kami’s younger daughter, Yagyu Piaoxu.

If one were to count what happened later, Yagyu Piaoxu stabbed her father Yagyu Tajima-no-kami to death, married Duan Tianya, and then Yagyu Piaoxu committed suicide.

It could be said that he, with his own strength, completely devastated the entire Shinkage School, leaving no core members alive.

He was called the "Anti-Japanese Hero" by many!

“The Yagyu Shinkage School is a Righteous Path sect of the Dongying Martial Forest, invited to the Central Plains. Why did Mr. Lu resort to such a cruel hand?”

“Why?” Lu Jiuyuan seemed to have heard a joke, and a cold, sharp arc appeared at the corner of his mouth,

“They infiltrated the Central Plains this time, intending to control the Giant Whale Gang and disrupt the maritime transport in the southeast.

Their intentions are punishable, their actions are eradicable!

As an imperial secret agent, is Great Hero Duan perhaps going to defend these treacherous Wokou?”

Duan Tianya’s mind reeled; what Lu Jiuyuan said went straight to the core.

But he was more concerned about Piaoxu’s safety at this moment.

“Even if they are guilty, they should be judged by the imperial law, not privately slaughtered!”

Duan Tianya took a step forward, his hand on the hilt of his saber, but a chilling Saber Intent had already locked onto Lu Jiuyuan. “Piaoxu… Imperial Uncle, where is Yagyu Piaoxu?”

Lu Jiuyuan looked at his anxious expression, his gaze growing increasingly indifferent.

He raised his hand and pointed at the slightly fresher patch of dirt beneath Duan Tianya’s feet, his tone terrifyingly calm: “The fresher patch you’re standing on, that’s her.

The patch next to it is Yagyu Tajima-no-kami.”

“You… what did you say?”

Duan Tianya felt as if struck by lightning, abruptly lowering his head to look at the still-damp stain beneath his feet. A chill shot from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head, and his vision blurred.

Piaoxu… that little girl who used to relay messages between him and Yukihime… she actually… she actually became part of this muddy filth on the ground?

Not even a corpse left?

With Killing Intent in his eyes, which were red: “Imperial Uncle!”

“Don’t get agitated, don’t draw your sword; draw your sword and you die!”

Lu Jiuyuan walked away, his hands clasped behind his back, leisurely turning his back to him.

“They’re just a bunch of Dongying imps. Since they dare to covet the Divine Land, they must be prepared to leave their lives behind.

Duan Tianya, first you must clarify your identity.

This is a chance given to you because of your anti-Japanese efforts.”

Duan Tianya’s hand was pressed tightly on the hilt of his saber, his knuckles white from the force, trembling slightly.

He watched Lu Jiuyuan leisurely turn and walk away, his back undefended. Killing Intent boiled in his chest, almost breaking through the dam of his reason.

His father-in-law deserved to die,

But Yagyu Piaoxu… that little girl who was cool and a bit shy in his memories, the one who came to assassinate him a few days ago but couldn’t bring herself to do it, the woman who resembled Yukihime by seven or eight parts… now, not even a complete corpse remained, transformed into the stained dirt beneath his feet!

Not even a corpse left!

“Agh—!”

A suppressed growl, mixed with pain and fury, erupted from the depths of Duan Tianya’s throat.

“Clang—!”

The strangely shaped long saber at his waist slid three inches from its sheath with a clang!

The saber light was as clear and cold as autumn water, and a fierce Saber Qi instantly spread, silently carving fine marks into the dust beneath his feet.

This was the starting move of his self-created “Phantom Sword,” a technique he learned from the secret teachings of the Dongying Iga School and fused with Central Plains swordplay.

Under the pull of Qi, the next moment would be an earth-shattering killing blow.

However, just as it was about to fully unsheathe, Duan Tianya’s movement suddenly froze.

Lu Jiuyuan still had his back to him, his pace unchanged, as if he hadn’t even noticed the deadly threat behind him.

But, an invisible, intangible, yet bone-chilling sense of crisis, like countless fine steel needles, suddenly pierced through Duan Tianya’s entire body!

His intuition, his instinct honed countless times on the edge of life and death, was sending him the sharpest warning!

Do not draw the saber!

Draw the saber, and you will die!

This feeling was so clear, so strong.

He stared intently at Lu Jiuyuan’s back. That blue robe, seemingly ordinary under the scorching sun, now seemed to transform into an abyss that swallowed everything.

He remembered the corpses he had just seen on the ground, he remembered those two shocking red and white stains.

Piaoxu’s strength was even above his, and even with Yagyu Tajima-no-kami, they hadn’t harmed him in the slightest.

Just by looking at the Sword Qi marks on the ground, one could imagine the terrifying strength of Lu Jiuyuan, who could unleash Sword Qi with a flick of his finger and annihilate powerful enemies while laughing.

This Imperial Uncle’s martial arts were unfathomable!

He was the Empress Dowager’s sworn brother; merely attacking him would be breaking the law and would bring immense trouble to his sworn father.

“Creak…”

That was the sound of Duan Tianya clenching his teeth tightly, a trace of blood even seeping from the corner of his mouth.

Veins bulged on his forehead, sweat trickled down his temples, mixing with the bloodshot eyes that appeared due to pain and struggle.

Finally, the three-inch unsheathed samurai saber, with a reluctant whimper, was slowly pushed back into its sheath.

The condensed Saber Qi suddenly dissipated.

He felt as if all his strength had been drained, his tall body slightly hunched, only his eyes remained bloodshot, fiercely fixed on Lu Jiuyuan’s gradually receding back.

“Thank you for your guidance, Imperial Uncle, Duan Tianya has learned his lesson!”

Lu Jiuyuan’s figure had already disappeared around the bend in the official road, only his calm yet unquestionable words seemed to still echo in Duan Tianya’s ears:

“First you must clarify your identity.”

Identity… Yes, he was the Dragon Guard Manor’s top secret agent, a Han Chinese, a subject of the Great Ming.

And the Yagyu Shinkage School were Dongying people, infiltrating the Central Plains with ill intentions.

Publicly, he had no standing to avenge these “Wokou,” nor could he openly question it.

Privately… the past, entangled with the death of his beloved, the hatred for his kin, and a complex guilt, tore at his heart.

“Pfft—”

Overwhelmed by anger, Duan Tianya suddenly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, staining the ground in front of him. It mixed with the red and white stains, appearing particularly tragic.

He stumbled a few steps, leaning against a overturned carriage shaft, gasping for breath.

His gaze swept across this scene of carnage, looking at the familiar faces of the Shinkage School Disciples, looking at the two patches that symbolized the ultimate end of Yagyu Tajima-no-kami and Yagyu Piaoxu.

He slowly squatted down, extending a trembling hand, seemingly wanting to touch the patch of dirt that belonged to Piaoxu, but his fingertips abruptly recoiled just as they were about to make contact.

Silence stretched for a long, long time.

The scorching sun stretched his shadow long, casting it among the silent piles of corpses.

Finally, he struggled to stand straight, fiercely wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve.

He did not try to bury the bodies; it was meaningless and would easily leave evidence.

He only took one last deep look in the direction where Lu Jiuyuan had disappeared, then turned, used his Qinggong, and sped off in the opposite direction from Lu Jiuyuan, towards the Dragon Guard Manor.

He had to report this matter to his sworn father immediately.

The wind whistled in his ears, but Duan Tianya’s heart was colder than the wind.