NOVEL NEXT Chapter 29: Chapter 28: Drawing the Sword and Slashing
Zhou Ping'an darted forward, quickly reaching the doorway of the little one's bedroom.
There, he could hear the whistling of the sharp wind and the clanging collision of swords.
The sound of furniture clattering to the ground.
Wood chips and shattered ceramics, the roaring noises exploding against the walls from all directions.
A man's voice, calm and unhurried, trying to persuade them to surrender.
"Miss Xue, you cannot stop me, so why throw your life away so carelessly?
Moreover, I, Tan Qing, am not so ruthless as to trouble a little girl like Ninth Miss...
Trust us, if you step back today and persuade your Third Miss not to act recklessly, we will certainly return the Ninth Miss to you, unharmed."
"You Black Mountain Bandits commit unspeakable atrocities, Life-Seizing Scholar, your hands are stained with the blood of the innocents and you delight most in killing, do you think I would believe you? When the Miss frees up her hands, that will be the end for you."
The woman gritted her teeth, and one could hear a suppressed groan as she spoke.
"You think you can even wait that long?"
The Life-Seizing Scholar no longer tried to persuade, his attack became more urgent amidst a cold laugh.
Although Zhou Ping'an moved quickly to the bedroom door, he slowed down once he was outside.
Standing to one side, his breathing suddenly stopped on the outside, switching to Internal Breath...
His five senses opened wide, and his ears became extremely sharp.
This was a small trick he learned after practicing the "Tidal Breathing Technique," once casually mentioned by Little Jiu as if telling a story.
Using the Inner Breathing Technique to circulate Qi-Blood allowed one to see farther, hear clearer, and enhanced the sensitivity of the nose.
However, it required entering into a peculiar state.
Zhou Ping'an did not know whether this was knowledge Little Jiu remembered herself, or if someone deliberately spoke this way for her to convey to him.
He had learned this small trick on the spot at that time.
Now, standing outside the room, he listened carefully...
Immediately, he discerned not only two slightly heavy breaths and heartbeats near the door,
but also a faint heartbeat, not far from the window on the right.
Without asking, it was clear Little Jiu was hiding there.
She even knew not to cry out loudly, to avoid distracting her Miss Xue, which could throw her into disarray...
She was indeed a smart child.
Zhou Ping'an pinpointed the location of several people, and without further thought, he leaped like a fish, breaking through the window.
His left arm reached out slightly and grabbed a small, tightly huddled body.
A gust of wind poured in, and the fire lit in the Central Hall also shone into the room.
The light from the flashing swords and blades paused slightly...
Through the glow of the fire, one could only faintly see a slender figure in moon-white clothing, stained with spots of blood.
Another figure, tall and thin, swung his long sword creating a scattering of starry light, pressing the attack urgently.
Zhou Ping'an did not join the battle of swords and blades within the room.
The lighting inside was not very good for joining the fight there.
Within a short time, if he failed to kill the robed swordsman,
a prolonged fight might create further complications.
Feeling the fierce struggles of the little one in his arms,
he softly exclaimed, "It's me."
He kicked off the ground.
Like a swift flying up through clouds, he went back the way he came, passing once again through the window and dashing towards the Central Hall.
The crucial aspect of this situation was not about killing many enemies or defending flawlessly.
The key point actually lay with the Little Jiu Girl.
Various signs proved that these attackers were extremely wary of Third Miss Lin of the Lin Family, Lin Huaiyu, and did not dare to confront her directly.
After all, she had an outstanding reputation on the battlefield, and Lin Huaiyu's martial abilities were second to none in Qingyang City.
No one dared to underestimate her.
Even the action of kidnapping Little Jiu had to wait until a major attack in the front courtyard...
After luring Lin Huaiyu away, they secretly made their move.
Therefore, breaking the situation was simple.
Just bringing Little Jiu to the front courtyard and placing her under Lin Huaiyu's watchful eyes,
would smoothly solve all their schemes.
...
"Can you get away?"
Zhou Ping'an had just leaped through the window, his body still airborne and had not yet landed,
when he heard a muffled grunt from behind.
The sword radiance intensified, and the shrill sound broke through the tension.
A glint of cold light had already crossed several meters and likewise burst through the window.
A woman in a moon-white robe stumbled sideways, her body splattered with blood, shouting urgently behind her, "Hurry, I'll hold her back."
"Sister Xue."
The little girl who had been quiet in her arms couldn't help but let out a whimper of discomfort and quickly realized she shouldn't scream at this moment and hurriedly closed her mouth.
They all moved quickly, chasing one closely after another.
Zhou Ping'an mainly carried a person, breaking through doors and windows, which delayed them momentarily.
The Life-Seizing Scholar behind them, with Xiao Xue hanging on, fearlessly entangled in a life-or-death struggle.
This always made them miss by just a bit, unable to catch up.
As for Xiao Xue, she exhausted all her energy at the forefront blocking the Black Mountain Bandits' Fifth Householder and Life-Seizing Scholar Tan Qing, having sustained several sword wounds herself.
If not for her meticulously defensive sword technique, she couldn't have held on any longer.
Now, without defending and only attacking, she could only distract the Life-Seizing Scholar a bit and couldn't help Zhou Ping'an any further.
"Indeed, if Little Jiu is safe, everyone else is actually safe."
Zhou Ping'an's mind was clear as a mirror, and without looking back, he dashed to the central courtyard in two or three bounds.
In the far distance ahead, Lin Huaiyu's sword force was like thunder, making two of the Black Mountain Bandits, Third Householder Qing Jiao and Fourth Householder Du Long, sweat profusely as he clearly had the upper hand.
Closer by, several Protectors had almost slaughtered all the invading men in black, with several others hurrying forward to assist.
Lin Ziqi, holding a Broad Blade, ran somewhat staggeringly, clearly wounded and a bit slow.
One person ahead moved swiftly, sprinting with tiptoe touches, leaning forward with a long staff slanting towards the ground, like an arrow leaving a bow…
It was Wang Jizu, the Strength-Training Martial Master who had entered the Lin Residence with him that day.
This man, not carrying a little girl on his back, moved not with his usual sluggishness but with a murderous air.
"Guardian Zhou, go quickly. I'll stop him," Wang Jizu shouted lightly, his figure flashing as he sped towards Zhou Ping'an and they brushed past each other.
The long staff twirled, buzzing resonantly against the eardrums.
A Phoenix Nodding technique.
The staff was raised high only to fall backhand.
The target was precisely the back of Zhou Ping'an's head.
"Be careful."
Xiao Xue was facing this way, seeing Wang Jizu running up to assist, swinging the long staff with great might, and thinking he was about to block the Life-Seizing Scholar's pursuit, she was relieved.
But unexpectedly, as this man brought the staff down, he turned and struck at Zhou Ping'an instead.
Sinister and ruthlessly.
This man was actually a spy.
And Zhou Ping'an, carrying Little Jiu and charging forward, was completely unprepared for Wang Jizu's betrayal.
[It's over.]
This changed everything.
Even the Life-Seizing Scholar showed a surprised expression, slowing his sword hand and pausing his chase.
The long staff had just reached the back of Zhou Ping'an's head.
It seemed as though blood was about to spray.
Sheesh...
Suddenly a flash of lightning illuminated everything in front of their eyes.
The sound of fabric tearing filled their ears.
Sword light, like a crescent moon…
Appeared from the side of Zhou Ping'an's ribs, slicing through the air and tearing the night apart.
Wang Jizu's staff strike hadn't landed yet.
It was already split by this wind-breaking slash.
As the staff-wielding right arm soared into the air, half of his neck was also grazed by the sharp blade light.
Blood sprayed like a fountain...
His eyes filled with disbelief.
"You…"
It wasn't that he couldn't understand the swiftness of Zhou Ping'an's blade.
What he couldn't understand was why the other had readied his blade stance before he even struck with his staff.
The staff descended, but the blade light had already reached his body.
How could this be a spontaneous response?
No matter how he saw it, it seemed premeditated…
The other had neither turned his head nor communicated with Xiao Xue, and certainly couldn't have seen him make his move.
But he knew.