Clash

Aided by the Blood Yuan Heart Calamity Art, the Heavenly Yan divine soul, and his spiritual vision, Xu Yuan's eyesight could barely keep pace with their exchange of blows. Xu Mengxi had lost. Regrettable though it was, her defeat was not unjust. Even Bai Muxi had failed to notice the middle-aged coachman activating his Dao charm, while Xu Yuan himself had only detected something amiss through his spiritual vision just as the lethal strike was taking shape. It was a terrifying realization. After all, his spiritual vision could even probe Lou Ji—albeit when her guard was completely down. The fluctuations of this middle-aged coachman's Dao charm were virtually indistinguishable from the qi dynamic dispersed by ordinary spells. Relying on this trick alone, practically no one in the same realm could evade an ambush from him. After all, who among those who had reached the level of Grandmaster hadn't been a prodigy in their youth? A miss by an inch was a loss by a mile; the scales of victory and defeat could tip in an instant. Dao charms were just such unreasonable things. Without prior intelligence, a momentary lapse in vigilance could see you murdered before you even knew what hit you. Between Xu Mengxi trying her best to avoid wrecking the street and the middle-aged coachman focused on shielding the carriage, neither had unleashed their most devastating spells. Even so, the broad thoroughfare was left battered and scarred. Hundreds of saber gales and sword qi shredded the roadway to pieces. Fortunately, the shops along Huaijiu Lane had spared no expense on their defensive formations. The few unlucky storefronts struck by the stray blade-light cast off during the evasive maneuvers merely saw their glowing barrier screens dim without collapsing. The battle came swiftly and ended just as fast, over in barely a dozen breaths. Judging by the state of things, Xu Mengxi and the middle-aged coachman had essentially fought to a draw. Although Xu Mengxi had been ambushed by a Dao charm, Xu Yuan's spiritual vision revealed that her final kick had also carried Dao charm fluctuations. The middle-aged coachman had taken that blow squarely, meaning he certainly wouldn't be rising again anytime soon. Mutual ruin. The problem, however, was that Qin Weishu had two Grandmasters on his side. The moment Xu Mengxi's body began to collapse, a fair, slender arm abruptly thrust out from within the Jiugui carriage, driving straight for her heart! At the sight, Xu Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly. Going straight for the kill? Has Qin Weishu lost his mind? Although the two sides had brawled in the open street, up to this point it could still be regarded as nothing more than a farce. From what Xu Yuan knew of this female constable, her attempt to arrest Qin Weishu definitely lacked authorization from higher-ups. In other words, so long as Qin Weishu wasn't captured on the spot and hauled into the Imperial Prison, even if he injured Xu Mengxi, the matter would most likely blow over without consequence. As for Xu Mengxi's accusation that Qin Weishu had murdered an imperial court official? That might matter a great deal to Xu Mengxi, but the imperial court lacked the reach to do anything about it. The court's grip over Jiangnan was tenuous at best. Much like the Northern Border before it, imperial authority rarely reached down to the commanderies; if the sects refused to cooperate, imperial decrees were dead on arrival beyond the prefectural level. The officials parachuted in to govern the various commanderies and counties were either zealots determined to reform the region through blood and sweat, or discarded pawns exiled to the fringes after losing factional struggles. The former were prepared to die from the start, while the court couldn't care less whether the latter lived or died. So long as no officials above the fourth rank were touched and no atrocious incidents occurred that disgraced the imperial clan, the court generally turned a blind eye. Yet if Qin Weishu killed Xu Mengxi in broad daylight on the street, he would probably never walk out of Di'an City alive. With Xu Mengxi's uncompromising temper—too rigid to bend without breaking—if she hadn't had someone shielding her, she would have died countless times already. Her master was the Chief of the Secret Investigation Bureau, an official of the second lower rank who wielded absolute authority over an intelligence network spanning all of Great Yan. The thought flashed across Xu Yuan's mind, and an urge to watch the drama unfold rose within him. He wanted to see whether Qin Weishu was truly that braindead. Unfortunately, he was denied the chance to be a mere spectator, for Xiao Bai had already followed his instruction and arrived before the Jiugui carriage. A Gengjin profound shield blazing with the fierce might of Li fire condensed in an instant before Xu Mengxi's flat chest. The thrusting palm emerging from behind the carriage curtain collided with it, sending a visible shockwave tearing through several surrounding street blocks! The outcome of that instantaneous clash came as a slight surprise to Xu Yuan. Before the frozen Jiugui carriage, the Gengjin Li Fire Shield held for less than a breath before the woman inside punched straight through it with her piercing palm. Yet that fraction of a moment was more than enough for Bai Muxi to carry out Xu Yuan's order. Snatching the back of Xu Mengxi's collar, Xiao Bai glanced at the naked woman within and leapt backward. Seeing this, the woman disregarded her bare body and moved to pursue, only to find the pierced Gengjin Li Fire Shield suddenly melting and warping. The naked woman's pupils shrank, and she instantly enveloped her skin in Source Qi as an endless sizzling hiss filled the air. No sooner had she countered the move than a new variation followed. Bai Muxi pressed her slender fingers downward. The molten gold of the Gengjin Li Fire Shield instantly condensed into a massive lump weighing thousands of jin, encasing the woman's arm and dragging her downward! After a brief loss of balance, the naked woman forcefully adjusted to the weight and rose to pursue once more, only to discover several tendrils of molten gold trailing from the heavy mass, anchoring it firmly into the carriage beneath her. She could break free, but doing so would reduce her young master's carriage to splinters. That momentary hesitation cost her any chance of pursuit. Bai Muxi had already carried the agonized Xu Mengxi back to the Xuanping carriage, coming to a halt before it and fixing her cold gaze on the vehicle ahead. She had actually wanted to slaughter these people for ruining her good moment. Unfortunately, her young master had only told her to save the person and gave no further instructions, making it improper for her to press the attack. *Clap, clap... clap... clap.* On the desolate street, only the two carriages remained in a distant standoff as crisp applause drifted softly from within the Jiugui carriage. It was applause. The proper kind. Having torn free of her restraints, the woman drew back the curtain for her master. Qin Weishu stepped out and stood atop the carriage steps. Wearing only trousers and draped in a white fur robe that left his chest bare, he clapped while smiling at the carriage resting quietly over a hundred feet away. "Marvelous skill. But might I ask what your esteemed self means by this intervention?" "..." Quite the spectacle, and quite the presence. Xu Yuan's gaze swept past Qin Weishu and settled on the woman standing beside him. The naked woman was likely a deathsworn raised by the Qin family from childhood, exuding an aloof, dispassionate demeanor not unlike Ying'er's. The thought sparked a sudden sense of injustice in Xu Yuan's chest. The Qin family's deathsworn provided full-service companionship, while his own family's deathsworn gave him nothing of the sort and would even lock onto him with their qi dynamics. The aloof woman made no effort to cover her exposed body. Drawing a thin garment from the carriage with her qi, she slipped it on directly before them without even putting on an undergarment. The fabric clung to her skin, revealing faint silhouettes beneath. Could this Qin Weishu be the reincarnation of that Mister Qin? Amused by the thought, a faint smile played upon Xu Yuan's lips as he slowly rose from the soft couch inside the carriage. Sensing his movement from outside, Bai Muxi tossed Xu Mengxi carelessly onto the ground, flickered over to the carriage frame, and bowed slightly to open the door for him. *Tap.* *Tap.* *Tap.* Stepping down, he stood firmly on the ground. Dusting off imaginary dirt from his robes, Xu Yuan looked toward the disheveled playboy across from him and chuckled softly. "Second Young Master Qin, I'm saving your life here. What do you think I mean?"