Chapter 517: The Overwhelming Aura of King Miao
Chapter 517: The Overwhelming Aura of King Miao
The masked assassins, who were supposed to unleash their crossbows, suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure, as if a mountain were pressing down on them. Their knees buckled, and the crossbows in their hands felt too heavy to aim.
Though there was only King Miao, it was as if an entire army stood behind him.
Several assassins could hardly even hold their crossbows steady.
A few of the braver ones dared to lock eyes with King Miao.
A single glance, and they fell to their knees with a thud!
If they were compared to the vanguard of a charging army, their morale had been shattered by King Miao's presence.
The man, his head still hidden under his hood, stared intently at King Miao. His eyes, hidden beneath the brim, flashed with shock and panic, a mix of complexity and ambition, which ultimately turned to calm.
He spoke coldly, "Fire the arrows!"
Still, no one dared to pull the trigger.
When the man ordered them to fire for the third time, one of the assassins finally moved.
He shot an arrow at King Miao.
King Miao leaped down, catching the arrow mid-air, and with a quick twist, he plunged it into the assassin's head as he landed.
The valley fell silent.
Crack!
Crack, crack, crack...
Behind King Miao, every crossbow he passed broke.
No one could see how he did it, nor could they understand why the iron and wood of the crossbows were so easily shattered.
The masked assassins, now without their crossbows, instinctively took a step back, cold sweat trickling down their faces!
Even those who still had their crossbows were no better off.
Who would dare to fire the first arrow?
Standing next to him was a death sentence, wasn't it?
Meng Qianqian's eyes sparkled. "What was that move? It was amazing!"
Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow. "The old man has some skills."
King Miao stood in front of the two youngsters, his broad frame forming a wall of protection. "I will count to three. Those who surrender will not be killed!"
"One."
He took a step forward, his gaze piercing as he stared at the man in front, his eyes filled with a warning and a deadly intent.
Whoosh!
An assassin dropped his crossbow.
With the first one leading the way, the rest followed easily.
More and more assassins discarded their crossbows.
"Two—"
King Miao moved closer to the man.
The distance between them grew shorter.
Just as King Miao was about to say "three", the man raised his hand and began channeling his energy.
It was then that Meng Qianqian noticed the gloves on his hands, made of metal, exuding a chilling aura.
"Frost Palm", Lu Yuan said.
During their time in Wushan, he had read many of Liu Mushan's books, which included records of the Frost Palm.
It was an extremely powerful martial art that could destroy a person's internal organs with its icy internal energy.
Unless a practitioner had mastered the ultimate yang power, no matter how strong they were, they would be injured by the Frost Palm's force.
Meng Qianqian, understanding the implications, asked, "No wonder Mother was injured. Did Grandfather practice the ultimate yang power?"
Lu Yuan replied, "No."
Meng Qianqian's face paled. "Isn't Grandfather in danger?"
The man channeled all his energy into his palm, and a layer of frost formed on the gloves.
King Miao, with his hands behind his back, turned and walked away, as if he were taking a leisurely stroll.
"King Miao, do you dare to take my palm?"
The man said coldly, leaping forward and striking at King Miao with his palm!
Meng Qianqian gasped, "Grand—"
King Miao spun around and kicked the man in the chest, sending him flying without mercy.
"You think I'll take your palm just because you tell me to? Who do you think you are?"
The man landed clumsily, his ribs broken, and spat out a mouthful of blood.
Meng Qianqian muttered, "…That's a good move."
King Miao scratched his ear and said to Meng Qianqian, "Girl, it's your turn!"
Meng Qianqian's expression turned serious. "Yes!"
She lowered her palm and put on the silver thread gloves.
Lu Yuan frowned at King Miao. "Old man."
King Miao waved his hand and sat down on a rock. "Don't worry, I've sealed three-tenths of his internal energy."
Lu Yuan's face darkened. "Only three-tenths? Do you want to get her killed?"
"Hey, you noticed."
Although King Miao had only used one kick to deal with the man, his opponent was indeed very strong.
King Miao said, "Relax, if she can't win, she can always run."
Boom!
Meng Qianqian dodged the man's palm strike, and the tree beside her was split, its roots torn from the ground.
King Miao, holding a blade of grass in his mouth, crossed his legs and said, "Girl, I've taught you the ultimate move. Whether you win or not is up to you."
Meng Qianqian blocked the man's palm with her heavy mace. "What ultimate move? Using your feet?"
King Miao: "Use your hands."
Meng Qianqian: "…"
King Miao suddenly said, "Take his palm!"
The man's Frost Palm was right in front of her, and she couldn't dodge. Her lower body was also tightly guarded by the man.
In a flash, she took the blow.
An incredible thing happened—the man suddenly retreated over ten steps, clutching his right hand and letting out a pained groan.
Meng Qianqian blinked. "What's going on?"
King Miao said, "That thing on your hand is the nemesis of Frost Palm."
Lu Yuan's lips twitched. "...Why didn't you say so earlier?"
King Miao: "I just remembered."
The man shot a cold glance at the group, then suddenly unleashed a wave of hidden weapons and dashed into the thick fog.
King Miao said to the masked assassins around him, "What are you standing around for? Go after them!"
The assassins exchanged glances.
Lu Yuan said coolly, "Disobedient captives are useless. Might as well kill them."
One of the masked assassins stepped forward and ordered, "Search the mountain!"
Once the group left, Meng Qianqian asked King Miao, "Grandpa, will they find anything?"
"They won't", King Miao replied without hesitation. "I just needed an excuse to get rid of them."
If the brat had asked, he might have been too lazy to explain, but with his beloved granddaughter-in-law, his patience was endless.
"I came alone. If they take advantage of our lowered guard and decide to kill, things could get tricky."
As he spoke, he squatted down and removed the mask from the assassin he had impaled. Then he tore open the assassin's clothes and found a fiery tattoo on the chest. "Looks like I was right. They're not from the Miao Borderlands."
Meng Qianqian sucked in a breath. "They're not from the Miao Borderlands... Good thing we got rid of them."
She looked at King Miao with admiration. "Grandpa, you're amazing!"
King Miao loved hearing such honest praise!
He puffed out his chest. "If I weren't so amazing, how could I have won Xiao Xian's heart?"
Lu Yuan chuckled. "You were the one who chased after her."
King Miao placed his hands on his hips. "Brat, if I hadn't chased after her, would there even be you?"
Meng Qianqian, seeing the two bickering, gently reminded them, "Grandpa, Mother is still in the mountains. Let's go find her."
King Miao said nonchalantly, "Oh, I ran into her on the way. There's a young man from the Seven Heroes Sect with her, and he's fighting his master."
Meng Qianqian was puzzled. "Seven Heroes Sect?"
Lu Yuan explained, "Jifeng."
"You even know that?" Meng Qianqian was amazed, then remembered something. "Right, I forgot what you used to do."
As the leader of the Imperial Guards who handled intelligence and assassinations, how could he not have investigated the background of the Crown Prince's Mansion guards?
Meng Qianqian continued, "Grandpa, you said Jifeng was fighting his master."
King Miao sighed. "Yes, the kid is getting beaten up pretty badly."
Lu Yuan said, "We should go help him, then."
King Miao stroked his chin. "I only said he was getting beaten up, not that he would definitely lose."
---
Jifeng and Yi Xiefeng had exchanged over a hundred moves, and Jifeng had taken at least ninety-nine of them.
Yi Xiefeng, looking at Jifeng who had fallen and was struggling to stand again with his sword, said, "Give it up. Every move you make, I taught you. You're no match for me."
Jifeng, trembling, steadied himself and pointed his sword. "Master, please make your move."
Yi Xiefeng gritted his teeth. "Stubborn fool!"
He knocked Jifeng's weapon away with a single strike, causing Jifeng to stumble and fall.
Yi Xiefeng looked down at him from above. "Look at you, without your sword, how can you fight me?"
Jifeng's eyes were filled with blood.
His vision was blurry, but his resolve remained unshaken.
Yi Xiefeng stepped on his wrist. "Are you still not listening to me? Is it worth it to sell your life for the Liang Emperor?"
"...It is."
Jifeng spoke weakly, then suddenly raised his other hand, grabbed Yi Xiefeng's ankle, and twisted, dislocating his joints and bringing him to the ground.
Then, like a lion pouncing, he struck Yi Xiefeng's vital point with a punch.
He knew he was no match for his master, but the first hundred blows were to set up the final strike.
He punched Yi Xiefeng's major pressure points repeatedly.
When Yi Xiefeng finally lost the strength to resist, Jifeng picked up the sword from the ground and pointed it at Yi Xiefeng's heart.
After a moment, he retracted the sword. "Master taught me much. Today, I will not kill you."
He dragged his exhausted body to Liu Qingyun, knelt on one knee, and held the sword above his head with both hands. "I let the assassin go. Please, Lady, decide my fate."
"Please, Lady, decide my fate!"
"Please, Lady..."
Liu Qingyun was asleep.
---
As night fell, the entire mountain was shrouded in thick fog.
Jifeng had regained some strength and had the white horse carry Liu Qingyun as they went to find Meng Qianqian.
"Where are you going?"
A figure, agile like a monkey, attacked Jifeng from behind.
Jifeng sidestepped and grabbed his wrist. "Cui Hu, it's me."
Cui Hu stared in shock, "Jifeng? What happened to you? Hey, is this Lady? Is she alright?"
Jifeng knew his appearance was rather disheveled, but he didn't want to mention the fight to the death with his master. "Lady has internal injuries and is sleeping."
Cui Hu checked Liu Qingyun's pulse, "She's still breathing."
Jifeng: "..."
"Did you see the young lady?"
Cui Hu asked.
Jifeng asked curiously, "The young lady?"
Cui Hu, with a proud look, said, "Yes, the young lady, the girl from the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion, Yan! Let me tell you, from now on, I only recognize her as our young lady, no one else will do!"
Jifeng said, "I'm also looking for her."
Cui Hu excitedly said, "You admit she's our young lady now?"
Jifeng opened his mouth but didn't want to argue over a title, "Finding her is more important."
"Who's there?"
A familiar voice came from the thick fog ahead.
Cui Hu's eyes lit up, more excited than if he had seen his wife, "Young lady! It's us! Me! Cui Hu! Hu-zi!"
The fog was so thick that they could only see clearly when they were right in front of each other.
"Cui Hu, Jifeng."
"Yan."
Jifeng bowed.
Cui Hu nudged him with his shoulder, "Aren't you calling her young lady now?"
Meng Qianqian walked to the white horse, stroked its head, and began to check Liu Qingyun's pulse.
At the same time, Cui Hu and Jifeng saw Lu Yuan and King Miao following Meng Qianqian.
"Master!"
"Master."
The two bowed to Lu Yuan.
Jifeng looked at King Miao warily.
"Don't look at me, it's me."
King Miao admitted openly, "You and your master had a fight, and I happened to pass by. I didn't expect you to notice, but you have good instincts."
Lu Yuan said to the two, "My maternal grandfather."
King Miao said, "I'm surnamed Liu, just call me Lord Liu."
Cui Hu saluted, "Lord Liu!"
Jifeng's eyes flashed with suspicion, but he didn't say anything.
King Miao didn't care if Jifeng doubted his identity.
If he didn't acknowledge it, he wasn't King Miao.
He walked to Meng Qianqian's side and whispered, "Daughter-in-law, how is your mother?"
Meng Qianqian frowned, "Mother was hit by the Frost Palm. My medicine doesn't work on her, and her injuries are more severe. I need to perform acupuncture on her."
King Miao's playful expression turned serious, focusing his energy and being alert to any sounds around them, "Let's find a place to hide first."
They found a cave.
Cui Hu and Jifeng guarded the entrance.
Lu Yuan came out and said to Jifeng, "Go inside."
Jifeng said, "Master, I can guard."
"Go inside when I tell you to, why so many words?"
Cui Hu pushed him into the cave and turned to Lu Yuan, "Master, I can guard alone. You should go inside and rest."
Lu Yuan glanced at him.
Cui Hu added, "If you want to stay with your subordinate, that's fine too."
Meng Qianqian performed acupuncture on Liu Qingyun, guiding the cold energy out of her organs and into her meridians, then King Miao used his martial skills to expel the cold energy from her body.
The process was slow and meticulous, taking a full day and night.
Jifeng's injuries were almost fully healed.
He walked out of the cave and whispered to Lu Yuan, "Master, let Cui Hu escort you out of the mountains."
"Is Lady better?"
Cui Hu asked.
"Not yet", Jifeng said, "But the Qilin Enthronement Ceremony is at dawn. If Master doesn't appear, there might be trouble."
Cui Hu slapped his head, "Oh no! I forgot about this! I understand now... I understand everything! They lured us here to trap Master in the fog and prevent him from attending the Enthronement!"
Jifeng said, "Please, Master, return to the mansion for the Enthronement!"
Cui Hu also said, "Master, let's go back! If we hurry, we can—make... it... in... time..."
Mother of all, it's dawn... it's dawn!
When did it get light?
It was dark just a moment ago!
Lu Yuan looked at Jifeng calmly, "I have a question. If those masked people come back, can you hold them off?"
Jifeng knelt on one knee, "I will fight to the death!"
Lu Yuan said coolly, "They went through so much trouble to trap me here. If I just go back, wouldn't that be too boring? Right, old man?"
King Miao said without changing his expression, "Why are you looking at me? I don't know anything! I didn't arrange it!"
"Mother is awake!"
Meng Qianqian sighed in relief, "Finally, she's better!"
Lu Yuan's expression relaxed.
Meng Qianqian's lips curved slightly, not admitting it, but she was clearly relieved about her mother: "Prince Lu, we can set off now."
Lu Yuan said coldly, "Back to the city, for the Enthronement!"
Dudu: "Faster! Faster!"
White Horse: "...You're such a troublemaker."
(End of Chapter)
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