The moment they were attacked, Chief Constable Tie had intended to intervene, but seeing that the two were unharmed, he immediately turned and rushed out of the yamen's courtyard walls.
Other government soldiers also drew their sabers and charged out, the sounds of clashing weapons and pained cries rising and falling.
Yang Shifei's heart sank slightly; he hadn't expected such chaos to truly erupt in East City.
Which enemy nation's spies were so audacious as to strike right under the noses of the East City government?
"That volley of arrows just now wasn't aimed at any specific person."
Tanxiang glanced at the wound on his arm, scraped by a sharp arrow. "Without a doubt, it was an attack on the government."
Yang Shifei pondered for a moment, then went to the weapon rack by the training ground, drew a long saber, and looking back, said, "It might be dangerous here. Let me escort you back to the Luo Residence first."
"No need… Hmm?"
In the next moment, Yang Shifei and Tanxiang simultaneously looked towards the yamen's inner courtyard, vaguely spotting a figure darting swiftly through a corridor.
A spy!
The two subconsciously exchanged a glance.
The sneak arrows earlier were indeed a diversion!
"Young Master, go quickly! I'll follow immediately."
Tanxiang's gaze suddenly sharpened, and she too ran to grab a broadsaber.
Yang Shifei decisively gave chase at full speed in the direction the dark figure had disappeared.
A distance of over a dozen zhang was covered in mere moments. He vaulted over a railing into the corridor, winding his way through. Before long, he saw a room door in the distance just closing.
Quietly infiltrating the yamen's inner courtyard, what is this spy trying to do?
Yang Shifei's mind raced, and at the same time, he lightened his steps as he approached the door.
Through the crack in the door, he could vaguely see a figure moving back and forth inside the room, seemingly searching for something.
He scanned his surroundings, confirmed there were no other accomplices, and immediately pushed open the door, slashing with his saber.
The figure inside whirled around abruptly and, with a casual palm strike, slapped the saber away, the force of the impact kicking up a gust of wind!
"—A master!"
Yang Shifei felt a sudden numbness in his wrist, his heart jolting.
He had no time to think further and quickly withdrew his saber for a horizontal sweep, but the black-clothed person caught the blade between two fingers, and with a flick of their arm, a cracking sound was heard as the long saber snapped in half.
Holy crap!
Yang Shifei watched, his heart pounding with alarm.
At the same time, he felt an even more intense sense of mortal danger as a right palm strike instantly filled his vision.
The palm hadn't yet arrived, but the force of its wind already stung his face, causing the cold energy within his body to surge and flow wildly.
Yang Shifei's pupils constricted, but under the life-and-death crisis, he instead planted his feet firmly. Power gathered from his legs, twisting through his waist and back. In that instant, all the flesh, blood, muscles, and bones in his body seemed to turn into solid ice. Surging qi and blood rushed to his left arm. He swung his shoulder and arm, unleashing a heavy punch imbued with the Triple Layer Internal Jin!
—Thump!
Fist and palm collided, jin exploding outwards. Yang Shifei was instantly blasted out of the room.
The black-clothed person also retreated several steps, only stopping when their lower back hit a table, letting out a surprised grunt from beneath their ghost-faced mask.
"This power…"
"Stealing imperial court secret documents is a grave crime, difficult to escape."
A cool female voice suddenly sounded, causing the black-clothed person's eyes to turn cold.
They turned their head to the side and saw the aloofly beautiful servant girl push open the door from the other side of the room, her saber pointed directly at them.
"Heh, a servant girl from the Luo Residence."
The black-clothed person let out a hoarse, indistinct sneer. "Instead of threatening me, why don't you go check on your family's fiancé? That palm strike just now was enough to shatter half the meridians in his body; even his heart meridian would have been damaged."
Tanxiang's expression changed slightly, her gaze subconsciously turning towards the outside of the room.
But the black-clothed person seized this opportunity, abruptly snatching up two registers from the table and crashing through the window in an attempt to flee.
Tanxiang inwardly cursed, Not good! She was about to give chase with her saber, but surprise quickly flashed in her eyes.
The black-clothed person's eyes widened even further as they saw Yang Shifei, who had somehow grabbed the eaves, swing his body around in mid-air and deliver a downward arcing kick straight at their face!
This kid, when did he get onto the roof?!
The black-clothed person was inwardly astonished and raised an arm to block the kick. Though uninjured, they were forcefully kicked back into the room.
The moment they landed, the sound of wind whistled by their ear.
Their peripheral vision caught a glimpse of the broadsaber, thrown by the servant girl with unbelievable speed!
The black-clothed person tried to sidestep the blade.
Yang Shifei seized the opportunity to re-enter the room, kicked off the wall with all his might, and leaped forward, gripping the broken saber and stabbing fiercely!
The pincer attack happened in the blink of an eye. The black-clothed person's steps shifted, and they instantly retreated out of the room, leaving behind a trail of blood and torn book pages.
"Luo Residence… very good, indeed!"
The black-clothed person gave a sinister, cold laugh, just about to raise a fist to strike.
But their steps suddenly halted. They shot a hateful glance towards one end of the corridor, then turned and fled wildly, using their lightness skill to fly out of the yamen.
This left Yang Shifei, who was about to give chase, momentarily stunned.
Damn it, that's way too fast!
Immediately, he saw a familiar figure leap through the air from the other side, pursuing the fugitive.
"That's…"
"It's Chief Constable Tie."
Tanxiang quickly moved to his side and said in a low voice, "He probably heard the commotion inside the yamen, returned, and discovered that person."
"Alright."
Yang Shifei breathed a sigh of relief.
Chief Constable Tie's martial skills far surpassed his own; there was no need for him to interfere.
Tanxiang's delicate brows furrowed, and she carefully supported his arm. "Are you alright?"
"Half of my body feels quite weak."
Yang Shifei waved his hand and smiled. "But it probably doesn't count as much of an injury."
He walked over to the bloodstains and picked up a few book pages torn by a blade. "'Lingering Wind Sect'… What's this?"
"Perhaps it's a register of the various sects."
Tanxiang also took a careful look and mused, "With the Taiwu Haoshi about to arrive, all the sects are gathering in East City. If the government wants to maintain stability, these major sects must be carefully managed and arranged for."
Yang Shifei looked thoughtful.
Simply put, it's the 'security route' for escorting the Taiwu Haoshi?
"The plan is quite meticulous, but why strike in broad daylight?"
Yang Shifei didn't quite understand.
Since they were wearing night-traveling clothes, wouldn't it be more appropriate to sneak in at night?
"Perhaps the security within the yamen is tighter at night, and also…"
Tanxiang looked outside the yamen and murmured, "The streets outside might be in chaos right now."
Yang Shifei looked pensive.
He was about to stand up but clutched his chest and took a sharp breath. "It really is a bit numb."
Tanxiang pressed her thin lips together and supported his body again. "For you to take a strike from an Insightful Spirit realm expert and still be alive and kicking is already astonishing enough."
"Uh, what level is that Li Xiaolin then?"
"Internal cultivators are divided into Condensing Elixir, Essence Condensation, Meaning Comprehension, and Insightful Spirit. Li Xiaolin is only at the Essence Condensation level."
"That's quite a gap… Huh?"
Yang Shifei looked closely and noticed some scattered jade fragments on the corridor floor.
A thought struck him. He quickly recalled the clash just now; when he had swept his broken saber across the opponent's right hand holding the book, it seemed he had also broken something else.
"A jade thumb ring?"
Not long after, Chief Constable Tie returned to the yamen.
He looked at Yang Shifei, who was sitting on the railing with a slightly pale face, and said in a solemn voice, "Young Master was alarmed. It was our negligence that allowed the villain an opportunity."
"No need to say such things. Was that person caught?"
"…This person's lightness skill is formidable; I could only barely keep up. But the opponent also had accomplices for extraction, so it wasn't advisable to pursue rashly. The matter has now been reported to the Prefect, and patrols will be reinforced."
"The group that shot the arrows, were any of them caught?"
"They were a band of mountain bandits roaming outside East City. They disguised themselves as commoners to infiltrate the city, then used hand crossbows to shoot arrows into the government compound." Tie Hanyang's tone was grave. "They were merely bait. After drawing our attention, they dispersed into the street crowds. They are currently being rounded up and brought to justice."
Yang Shifei nodded slightly.
Just then, Tanxiang walked out from the room, her expression as cool as ever. "Chief Constable Tie, we've found some clues and have likely deduced that person's identity."
"Who is it?"
"The Ninefold Gate Sect's Leader, East City's number one figure, Xiang Tianlin."
Upon hearing this, Tie Hanyang's pupils instantly contracted. "Do you… have evidence?"
Yang Shifei extended his right hand, revealing a few jade fragments in his palm.
Tie Hanyang frowned upon seeing them. "This is…"
"The thumb ring dropped by that person earlier."
"Can you determine his identity just from these jade fragments?" Tie Hanyang was somewhat incredulous.
"That's right." Yang Shifei nodded solemnly. "Chief Constable Tie, take a close look at these fragments. Can you discern any fine patterns?"
Tie Hanyang carefully took them and examined them closely in the sunlight for a moment. "Indeed, there are. But many jade thumb rings also have such patterns carved on them. As evidence, this is perhaps too presumptive."
"Chief Constable Tie hasn't considered one point." Tanxiang said with a calm expression, "These patterns were personally designed by my Miss two years ago. It was presented as a birthday gift to the wife of the Ninefold Gate Sect's leader and was ultimately worn by Xiang Tianlin himself until now."
Tie Hanyang looked utterly astonished. "When did Eldest Miss Luo design these?"
"Chief Constable Tie may not be aware."
Tanxiang pressed her lips together. "At that time, Miss had nothing to do and bought a jade shop. She had a few thumb rings and jade pendants made to use as gifts when visiting local prominent families. But after tinkering for a few days, she lost interest. Those jade items are still piled up in the shop."
Tie Hanyang: "…"