Chapter 200: The Man Behind Bai Yixue

Chapter 200: The Man Behind Bai Yixue

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Bai Yixue was filled with regret. He should have just started off brutally, killing one or two of them the moment he appeared or perhaps wound them heavily. If he had done so, he wouldn't have been in the situation he was in now.

With the tacit cooperation of these eight fighters, he might only have been able to incapacitate one or two of them after a long fight even if he was in superb fighting condition; fleeing at the earliest opportunity. It would have been impossible to kill all eight of them.

It was slowly turning into a disaster and he was slowly losing the upper hand.

While most of the eight were wounded, their coordination was so impeccable that he could not find a weak link in their chain.

"F*ck, I've been tricked again…" Bai Yixue grumbled in his heart resentfully as he countered a devastating attack. "That bastard said it was a simple mission, just kill an old, useless scholar…"

Yet this place was obviously more hazardous than all the dragon's lairs and tiger's dens he had ever seen – much more so!

The sense of danger began to heighten dramatically.

With a roar, Bai Yixue’s sword issued eight separate shards of crystal light, diving straight at the eight individual fighters. When he turned to look, he saw an elderly with white hair staring back at him, standing in the courtyard with arms behind his back.

The elder exuded a grand aura that was solid and deep like the depthless oceans.

It was at about this point that Bai Yixue was truly shocked, as he could already tell that the elder’s cultivation base was stronger than his own when he was in his prime.

Who was this individual?

He then heard the elder speak softly, "This old, useless one is He Hanqing himself. However, I don't understand what brings Bai Yixue, Great Swordsman Bai, to my residence to kill me."

Bai Yixue’s heart went cold as his words sunk in.

F*ck!

He had been misled!

That fair rapscallion was a piece of bad news – all these pretty boys were evil indeed!

He had sent me to assassinate an extraordinarily powerful individual who far exceeds my limits, and has eight extremely capable guards with him. All by myself, at that.

He f*cking obviously intends to send your father to his death…

At this point, Bai Yixue had no choice but to leave immediately; a painful death was all too possible here.

Bai Yixue roared as his entire body spun rapidly like a speedily spinning top; the sword-light around him emanated a chilling glow, the radiance growing increasingly violent.

At the same time, an unexpectedly cold wind billowed through the courtyard, as if it had come from the icy mountains.

Bai Yixue howled loudly into the sky, "Die, those who dare block my way!"

Bai Yixue, like the light that emanated from his sword, shot into the sky before he catapulted towards the three people who were situated at the top of the wall.

His life was dependent on this singular attempt at escape.

If he could not break through the barrier, he had no doubt that he would meet his end here.

The five remaining fighters around him growled before they struck out with a saber, a spear, a sword, a hammer, and a staff against the violently churning sword-light – they intended to block his path, to further corrode Bai Yixue’s beaming sword aura.

Bai Yixue did not even attempt to avoid the five incoming attacks nor did he change his direction. He shot out like a soaring dragon. All the weapons that collided against the sword-light made ripples that threatened to entirely dim it but did not manage to stop his leap forward.

"Get out of the way, let him leave!" He Hanqing hollered, frowning deeply.

His cultivation base was much higher than Bai Yixue’s; of course, he could see clearly that Bai Yixue was risking his very life by being here.

If his three subordinates atop the wall had stopped him forcefully, they would definitely slow down Bai Yixue's progress but he would undoubtedly lose all three of them. In addition, a few among those who were about to leap into the fray would have succumbed to the same fate too. Currently, he could not afford such a loss.

Besides, he still bore the grievous injuries from being wounded heavily by Ling Xiaozui; he could only intimidate with his oppressing aura but he could not physically take part in the fight.

With a low grunt, the three men on the wall move aside but they still tried their luck by hurling their weapons into the path of the sword light, in a last-ditch attempt to bring Bai Yixue down.

The ray of light wobbled uncertainly as Bai Yixue spat out a mouthful of blood. In spite of it, the sword-light grew faster, like a meteor tearing across the sky, before disappearing entirely.

In the blink of an eye, the sky regained its silent serenity.

At the last moment, Bai Yixue had turned for a peek and was at ease after seeing He Hanqing standing still. As long as the old man himself did not intervene, he had much more confidence of escaping alive.

Bai Yixue had vanished into the ether, his speed swift like a meteorite chasing the moon. All eight men knew that they could never catch up with him. Furthermore, his cultivation base was much more superior than theirs. Even if one or two among them caught up with him, they would ultimately be defeated by Bai Yixue.

"There's no need to give chase."

He Hanqing sighed, his frown locking into place.

"Bai Yixue has sustained severe injuries… his retreat was the telltale sign that he has lost his judgment." A guard said, "Even if he survives, I believe he won’t be able to do much for some time to come."

"Why did he come? He was aiming directly for Old He."

Another guard looked at He Hanqing with a face full of doubt.

"I heard that Bai Yixue is currently Han Sanhe’s bodyguard, specifically ensuring Han Sanhe’s safety in Yutang. Whatever Han Sanhe does, he has never left his side… But why does Han Sanhe’s guard wish to assassinate you, my lord?" another guard asked.

Han Sanhe was quiet for a while before he said, "Asan, take my signed card to invite Han Sanhe here for a talk."

Asan smiled humorlessly and said, "My lord, I am afraid this isn't possible. If this was the doing of Han Sanhe, how dare he come here? If he had nothing to do with this, he wouldn't come either!"

He Hanqing said faintly, "Incorrect. Whether he is involved or not, he will still come."

A speck of black floated across his eyes then – a precursor to the murderous thoughts he entertained.

He continued slowly, "Even if this was not done by Han Sanhe, he has to know what is going on."

He Hanqing’s voice was cold, like the eerie cries of ghosts that had surfaced from the deepest hell.

…

Han Sanhe had just lied down for a nap but as he teetered on the edge of drowsiness before falling into slumber, the Tower To Heaven Inn’s door was kicked wide open.

A loud voice rang out, "Where is the Empire of Dongxuan’s Han Sanhe?"

Eight of Han Sanhe’s guards got up immediately and headed towards the voice. They stared daggers at the two men who had entered the inn.

"Who are you? How dare you holler like an uncouth peasant?"

The strangers had just called out Marshal Han’s name, without the slightest inkling of protocol or manners.

The man at the door said coldly, "Upon Sir Old He’s orders, we are to invite Han Sanhe, Great Marshal Han, over to the Residence of He."

As he spoke, he held out a calling card.

Looking at the card that had been sent in, Han Sanhe was dumbfounded.

He Hanqing?

Why would the Empire of Yutang’s leader of literature and sage of scholars be looking for him?

The manner in which the invitation was delivered was undoubtedly rude as well.

Not only was the invitation unexpected, it was unusual.

Faced with He Hanqing’s invitation, Han Sanhe had no choice but to make the trip.

Despite the boorish subordinates who had sent the invitation, Han Sanhe was committed to going since the host was a significant figure in the literary world and among the scholars. Besides, He Hanqing had taken the initiative to invite him; he would be committing a faux pas by not going – one that was not only represented by him but the whole of the Empire of Dongxuan. After all, Han Sanhe’s official identity right now was the Empire of Dongxuan’s military representative to congratulate Tie Zheng on his wedding.

Yet when Han Sanhe came before He Hanqing, he realized right away that he had committed a grave mistake by attending.

No matter how big a faux pas it would have been, it was still better than to step into the lion’s den and stare at his own death!

The conversation began amicably enough, but He Hanqing was not one to beat around the bush. Once they had exchanged pleasantries, he cut right into the main topic.

"As embarrassing as it is to admit, this old and useless one was ambushed here earlier. I guess Marshal Han doesn’t know about this yet?" He Hanqing said unhurriedly as he made tea.

Han Sanhe was taken aback. "Ambushed?"

It had just happened and He Hanqing’s men had just reached the inn. Han Sanhe was in Yutang after all, how could his news travel so fast?

Of course, he would not have known.

Why did Old He ask such a question?

"Someone actually dared to make an assassination attempt on Old He? How brave! Has the assassin been captured?" Han Sanhe earnestly.

With the experience and knowledge he had, how could Han Sanhe not fathom He Hanqing’s meaningful words? He could also see that He Hanqing’s expression was dangerously mild. Unfortunately, Han Sanhe would never have expected this to be related to him.

"Catch him? How will we be able to do that?"

He Hanqing sighed shaking his head, "That assassin didn't bother to hide his ‘ambush’, based on his high cultivation base, and walked into the residence publicly. If it weren’t for these men of justice who risked their lives protecting this old and useless one, barely ensuring our safety, this muddled head of mine would have been taken clean off!"

"A public assassination? This hitman must be incredibly daring. Is the identity known? Old He should report it to the officials so the assassin can be listed as a wanted man…" Han Sanhe was the very soul of nobility as he shook his head, unable to believe the audacity of the assassin.

He clearly did not understand the purpose of He Hanqing inviting him over. What was the relevance between him provoking an assassin and Han Sanhe as a foreign general? Could it be that the assassin had been sent by Han Sanhe?

"Wanted? I wish it was that easy. This old and useless one is a feeble man of civil literature, my knowledge of martial cultivation is extremely shallow. I only remember the assassin declaring his name, called himself Bai Yixue; that his operation has nothing to do with anyone else and he only wanted to kill me alone. The men of justice who protected me earlier, though, told me that this man is one of the top swordsmen in the world, ranked highly in the ranking of the world’s swordsmen. They were lucky that they could counter his attacks…" Old He explained slowly.

His pair of seemingly bleary eyes was gleaming with a cold icy glint, his gaze directed at Han Sanhe’s face to detect any signs of recognition or deceit.

"Bai Yixue? Are you sure it was him?" Han Sanhe was bewildered by the revelation.

"Is Marshal Han surprised by this? Truly, it was this man, who bears the existence of top-notch swordsmanship, as rumored." He Hanqing said gently, "This old and useless one just doesn’t know how I managed to offend such an expert!"

Click.

As the cogs in Han Sanhe’s head turned and things finally fell into place, he broke out in a cold sweat.