Chapter 350: Battle at Chunhua Tower
Chapter 350: Battle at Chunhua Tower
When Su Shaoying made this remark, not only did Li Yanbei's expression change, but even Lu Xiaofeng was surprised. "You could tell he was poisoned?"
"I'm not blind," Su Shaoying chuckled. "His lips have turned blue. If it's not poison, then did he catch a chill? Even a bear like Li Yanbei can't be that susceptible to the cold."
At this point in the story, Lu Xiaofeng had already rescued Li Yanbei, and the two had gone for a scrub. However, Du Tongxuan had bribed someone close to Li Yanbei to lace his bath towel with poison, but he also sent a man in black to notify him of the impending rescue.
Du Tongxuan was expected to arrive at any moment, not only to provide Li Yanbei with the antidote but also to raise the stakes even further.
Why was he doing this?
Li Yanbei sat down at the table next to Su Shaoying and coldly harrumphed, refusing to back down. "Even if it's the ninth of the ninth month and I go winter swimming in the Yongding River, I won't catch a chill!"
Lu Xiaofeng sighed and sat down next to Li Yanbei. Turning to Su Shaoying, he explained, "Someone from the south of the city, Old Du, bribed his men and poisoned him. But someone else suddenly appeared and warned him, telling him to come to Chunhua Tower for the antidote."
"So, you came here?" Su Shaoying asked.
"We had no choice," Lu Xiaofeng nodded.
At that moment, a tall and slender figure slowly made his way upstairs, attracting everyone's attention.
Li Yanbei's face contorted in anger when he saw the visitor. "Du Tongxuan?"
The visitor was none other than the renowned Du Tongxuan, the 'Old Du' of the south side of the city, who was known alongside Li Yanbei of the north side as the 'Twin Heroes of the Capital'.
In stark contrast to Li Yanbei's rough and robust build, Du Tongxuan was dressed elegantly in a dark blue robe, adorned with a white jade ring, and even a piece of jade hung from his silk sash. His well-maintained pale hands gave him the appearance of a learned scholar, hardly resembling the overlord of the south side of the city.
The arrival of Du Tongxuan, the south side's overlord, to the north side was a significant event. Li Yanbei stood up straight and engaged in a verbal spar with Du Tongxuan, only to discover that the person who had informed him about the antidote at Chunhua Tower was Du Tongxuan himself, and the black-clad martial arts expert who had sneaked into the bathhouse to notify him was Du Tongxuan's personal bodyguard.
Du Tongxuan had plotted against Li Yanbei twice that day, but now he was offering the antidote, intending to raise the stakes even higher.
Li Yanbei took the antidote, and the two men increased their wager. Li Yanbei added eight hundred thousand taels of silver, while Du Tongxuan added one million two hundred thousand. This bet was so enormous that it would decide the future course of the underground world of the capital.
However, Lu Xiaofeng paid no attention to their wager. His focus was entirely on Du Tongxuan's bodyguard.
Having just witnessed the bodyguard's exceptional martial arts skills, Lu Xiaofeng couldn't fathom why someone of such caliber would be content to serve as a bodyguard to a crude overlord like Du Tongxuan.
Zhang Yingfeng, listening by their side, couldn't help but whistle in astonishment. "Wow, a total of two million taels of silver. That would be enough to sustain our Emei Sect for decades, wouldn't it?"
Su Shaoying turned to Zhang Yingfeng, "Are you thinking of robbing them? Have you developed a taste for it after the last time?"
Zhang Yingfeng was speechless. "Am I that kind of person?"
Even Ma Xiuzhen didn't believe him this time.
Just then, a strange floral fragrance wafted up to the second floor, and six girls with black hair cascading over their shoulders and dressed in snow-white garments appeared. They carried flower baskets and scattered yellow chrysanthemums from their baskets as they made their way upstairs.
Then, a figure stepped on the flowers and slowly ascended.
Dressed in snow-white clothes and with a face as fair as jade, his eyes were dark as stars and his hair as black as ink.
This person's aura blended the qualities of a monarch and a celestial being—both majestic and solemn, yet ethereal and distant.
There was only one person under the heavens who could exude such a unique quality, and it wasn't Ximen Chuixue.
Ye Gucheng!
At this moment, Ye Gucheng was the epitome of nobility, coldness, dazzle, and brilliance. There was no hint of the deadly poison that had afflicted him the day before when he faced Gongsun Daniang.
"Su Shaoying," Ye Gucheng fixed his gaze on Su Shaoying as soon as he appeared.
Su Shaoying blinked and played along. "City Lord Ye, we meet again."
Ye Gucheng's voice was cold. "You dare to show yourself before me again. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"
However, Su Shaoying wasn't afraid in the slightest, nor was he worried that Ye Gucheng would make a move.
He knew that Ye Gucheng wouldn't take action because they had already crossed swords the night before. With Ye Gucheng's insight, he would have realized that he was no longer capable of killing Su Shaoying.
So, Su Shaoying simply stared at Ye Gucheng, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "I merely ruined City Lord Ye's plans and discovered one of his little secrets."
"What secret?" Lu Xiaofeng asked involuntarily.
Su Shaoying shot Lu Xiaofeng a sidelong glance. "If you don't want to catch another 'Heavenly Strike,' it's best not to be so curious."
Ye Gucheng's voice turned cold. "I need no reason to kill Gongsun Daniang."
Lu Xiaofeng nearly jumped up at his words. "You want to kill Gongsun Daniang too?"
Ma Xiuzhen explained, "Last night, Ye Gucheng wanted to kill Gongsun Daniang, but my senior brother saved her."
Lu Xiaofeng looked at Ye Gucheng in disbelief. "Why?"
Ye Gucheng was the swordmaster of the Prince of Pingnan, and Gongsun Daniang's Red Shoes worked for the same prince. They should have been on the same side. Why would Ye Gucheng want to kill Gongsun Daniang?
Ye Gucheng didn't answer Lu Xiaofeng's question. Instead, he turned to Su Shaoying and said, "Tell Gongsun Daniang to leave the capital and not meddle in my battle with Ximen Chuixue. Otherwise, she will undoubtedly die, and it won't just be by my hand."
Lu Xiaofeng's eyes flickered, and he already had a guess. "Could it be that..."
However, Ye Gucheng didn't offer any further explanation to Lu Xiaofeng, nor did he pay any more attention to Su Shaoying. Instead, he turned towards the second-floor hall. "Which one of you is Tang Tianrong?"
Following Ye Gucheng's gaze, everyone looked over to a young man sitting in the corner.
Lu Xiaofeng didn't recognize him, but Su Shaoying had met him once before. It was Tang Tianrong, one of the four top newcomers of the Tang Clan.
Feeling the weight of everyone's stares, Tang Tianrong stood up abruptly, his handsome features stiff. However, he managed to maintain his composure and replied, "I am Tang Tianrong!"
The guests sitting between Ye Gucheng and Tang Tianrong quickly scattered, creating space between them.
Tang Tianrong glared at Ye Gucheng and asked in a harsh voice, "Who cured your poison?"
Ye Gucheng's response was the same as what he had told Su Shaoying the previous day in Zhangjiakou. "It was just a speck of dust, originally non-toxic. Why would I need an antidote?"
There was no need to continue the conversation any further.
Tang Tianrong put on his fish-skin gloves and took out the leopard-skin bag.
Ye Gucheng took a black-sheathed longsword from the attendant.
In the next moment, just as Tang Tianrong was about to make his move, Ye Gucheng's sword light flashed once again.
And when the sword light faded and returned to its sheath, Tang Tianrong's hands hadn't moved, but blood was flowing from his shoulders.
Ye Gucheng hadn't killed Tang Tianrong, but he had crippled his arms!
Lu Xiaofeng exclaimed in admiration, "What a remarkable 'Heavenly Strike'!"
Ye Gucheng turned to Su Shaoying, "Can you still dodge this move?"
Lu Xiaofeng was shocked again by his words. He felt that he had been more surprised in the past month than ever before. "Did Su Shaoying receive your 'Heavenly Strike' as well?"
"No, I dodged it," Su Shaoying emphasized.
However, he had also realized that Ye Gucheng's move was slightly different from the 'Heavenly Strike' he had used the day before. It looked the same, but the subtle details were completely distinct.
Of course, if all the subtle changes were identical, others might figure out how to counter it after observing it a few times.
But with Ye Gucheng's sword technique, it appeared to be a single move, yet each time he executed it, there were slight variations. Others could watch it a thousand times and still be unable to counter it.
However, being unable to counter it didn't mean it couldn't be blocked, especially since...
Su Shaoying smiled indifferently. "If you want to see me face the 'Heavenly Strike' head-on, then forget about your duel with Ximen Chuixue in three days."
(End of Chapter)
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