Just as Jun Beiyue’s sword was about to pierce Madam Situ’s back, the head of Nangong City could no longer hold himself in check. He drew his own sword and leapt forward, unleashing the full ten-tenths of his strength to knock Jun Beiyue’s blade aside and save his daughter’s life.
Madam Situ landed, drawing a sharp breath of cold air — she’d never once seen her father use his full strength against anyone, not since she was old enough to remember at five years old.
Was it that every opponent her father had faced before had simply been too weak? Or had they all underestimated Jun Beiyue?
“Head of Nangong City, bullying the young with the strength of your age — truly the most venerable elder the martial world has to offer,” Jun Beiyue said with a mocking laugh.
“You — you’re the despicable one! What right do you have to speak of my father that way!” Madam Situ choked with fury.
Jun Beiyue ignored Madam Situ entirely, his cold demeanor making it clear she had no right to interrupt a conversation between him and the head of Nangong City.
The head of Nangong City studied Jun Beiyue, drawing a deep, quiet breath. He had to admit — he’d just fallen straight into Jun Beiyue’s trap, provoked into acting rashly.
This young man was formidable indeed — no wonder Lord Situ had brought up the name “Jun Beiyue” so often in his presence.
But capable or not, now that he’d drawn his sword, he would absolutely not allow Jun Beiyue to run wild in front of him.
“Young man, in the martial world, there’s never been a distinction between old and young — only strong and weak. If you came here today to measure yourself against my age, then get out,” the head of Nangong City said, his gaze steady, each word deliberate.
“Of course not — otherwise, this prince wouldn’t have held back just now,” Jun Beiyue said with a cold snort.
Hearing this, the head of Nangong City nearly choked. Held back? What was he talking about?
It was blatantly obvious the head of Nangong City had been the one to knock his sword aside just now — was Jun Beiyue seriously claiming he’d let him do it on purpose?
How was that even possible?
“Such shameless boasting — take this!” the head of Nangong City roared, swinging his sword forward, his footwork strange and constantly shifting, his figure seeming to blur and multiply around Jun Beiyue with each change of stance.
Jun Beiyue’s sharp, cold eyes tracked every movement around him.
Suddenly, a burst of sword energy struck from behind. Jun Beiyue swung his blade behind his back without even turning, blocking it perfectly.
But it turned out that strike had been nothing but a feint — the real sword came from the right.
Jun Beiyue snorted coldly, unfazed, angling his blade just in time to block it, the two swords meeting with a sharp clang!
Jun Beiyue thought he’d deflected it cleanly — but at that very moment, another burst of sword energy struck from the left!
And on his left was Ziqing, still in his arms.
If Jun Beiyue had been alone, handling such shifting phantom figures and sword-energy would have been more than manageable. But he was carrying a hazily conscious Ziqing.
He had no choice but to turn aside, dodging — but the moment he did, Madam Situ, who had been standing aside watching the fight without pursuing down the cliff, suddenly drew her sword and struck as well.
One from the left, one from the right — two blades of light, two sharp edges, leaving Jun Beiyue with nowhere to retreat.
“Die, you insufferable brat!” Madam Situ shrieked, while the head of Nangong City said nothing, channeling all his strength into his sword hilt, driving it straight into the blade — sword-light erupted violently on all sides!
There was no escaping now. Jun Beiyue could only defend — and with Ziqing to protect, he could only fend off one side at a time.
Naturally, he chose to shield Ziqing, wrapping himself protectively around her and leaving his right side completely exposed to Madam Situ’s blade, gripping his sword tightly, gritting his teeth as he braced against the full, unleashed force of the head of Nangong City’s inner power.
In an instant!
Sword-light exploded from both sides, nearly swallowing Jun Beiyue and Ziqing whole. A deafening clang rang out — and one thing was certain: Jun Beiyue had blocked the head of Nangong City’s blade.
Judging by that sound alone, had the sword not been flawlessly forged, it surely would have shattered under such a burden.
No one could tell what state Jun Beiyue was in, because Madam Situ’s blade carried no small force either — even without striking a vital point, that kind of impact would surely inflict serious injury.
Jun Beiyue was in danger!
Atop the cliff, a wall of white light filled the air. Yingzi and the shadow guards had all gone down below — there was no one left above to lend support.
The white light was gradually fading, and slowly the head of Nangong City’s face came into view — grim, every muscle in his face taut, veins bulging visibly at his temples.
This was, unmistakably, the look of a man exerting himself to the utmost.
But that shouldn’t have been possible.
Jun Beiyue must have been struck by Madam Situ’s blade — where would he have found the strength to hold off the head of Nangong City for this long?
And to force him into such visible strain, no less!
As the white light continued to fade, a sudden, anguished scream tore out from within it — “Ahh—!”
That voice!
Wasn’t that voice… Madam Situ’s?
What had happened?
The head of Nangong City was struck with shock, his focus slipping for just an instant — and in that instant, Jun Beiyue seized the advantage. A flash of silver as his blade turned, sending the head of Nangong City’s sword flying from his grip, the man himself sent stumbling back several steps, sword and all.
And in that same moment, the sword-light vanished completely.
There! There it was!
Ziqing stood back-to-back with Jun Beiyue, a dagger gripped in her hand, plunged straight into Madam Situ’s chest. Madam Situ’s face had gone deathly pale, her expression frozen in disbelief, her mouth still open — but after that single anguished cry, no further sound came from her.
How could this be!
Wasn’t this woman unconscious? How had she suddenly—
“You! You’re despicable! Shameless! Let go of my daughter!”
The head of Nangong City erupted in fury, charging straight at Ziqing.
A disdainful smile curved at Ziqing’s lips. She yanked the dagger free in a flash of light and shoved Madam Situ away. Who said she’d been unconscious? She’d merely been resting against Jun Beiyue’s shoulder — she’d been fully aware of everything happening around her the entire time.
If anyone was being despicable, it was Madam Situ, striking while others were distracted, taking advantage of the moment to attack Jun Beiyue — two against one from the very start.
Whatever came of it, she’d brought it entirely on herself.
“Madam Situ, if it weren’t for Haonan’s sake, that blade wouldn’t have missed,” Ziqing said coldly.
Though her body hadn’t fully recovered, with Jun Beiyue in danger, she would never allow anyone to strike at him from the shadows, even if it meant burning through a lifetime’s worth of strength.
“You! So you’re Han Ziqing, are you! If you dare harm my daughter even one bit, this old man will make you pay tenfold!” the head of Nangong City roared with fury.
“So your daughter’s allowed to harm others, but no one’s allowed to harm your daughter? No wonder she raised a granddaughter like that,” Ziqing said with a cold snort. She had to admit, her dislike of Situ Xin’er had extended into a general distaste for this entire family — Situ Haonan being the sole exception, of course.
Hearing this, Madam Situ, teetering on the edge of unconsciousness, naturally showed no reaction. But the head of Nangong City looked ready to breathe fire from sheer rage. He set Madam Situ down, gripped his sword with both hands, settled into a low stance, and glared coldly at Ziqing.
Judging by his posture, he clearly had no intention of letting Ziqing off the hook.
But at that moment, Jun Beiyue spoke, his voice cold. “Woman, now that you’re awake, go find our target. No need to waste your temper on an old man like this.”
“I wasn’t planning to bother with him much anyway. He’s all yours!” Ziqing said with a smile, pressing herself firmly against Jun Beiyue’s back for just a moment before pulling away, leaping straight down off the cliff.
The head of Nangong City, so furious his internal organs felt ready to burst, naturally moved to give chase — but Jun Beiyue’s fallen sword erupted with a burst of wind-blade energy, shooting straight in front of the head of Nangong City to block his path.
It had been a long time since he’d faced a truly worthy opponent. With Ziqing no longer needing protection, he was more than happy to enjoy a proper fight.