Tap tap tap——
The two of them stared at each other coldly. The man with the straight knife on his back also came over from a distance and stood on the street, holding the knife with a cautious and even somewhat fearful look in his eyes.
The man's name was Cao Anning. His original identity was a eunuch in the imperial palace of the Great Wei Dynasty and a small leader of the imperial guards.
However, after the "Grand Eunuch Cao", known as the "Inner Palace Gatekeeper", fell from power along with the deposed emperor, this mysterious master of the imperial palace who was rarely seen became an exiled ronin.
Cao Anning had killed that minor official from the Ministry of Works on Zhujie Street last night. He had thought that he had covered his tracks perfectly. Unexpectedly, an undercover agent in the government informed him that a "Ye Jingtang" had suddenly emerged in the Black Yamen. This person had seen at a glance that he had used a straight knife and even noticed that there was something wrong with his palm technique.
Cao Anning's "Roaming Body Palm" was taught by Grand Eunuch Cao, and he believed there was nothing wrong with it. But for the sake of safety, he still went to the mortuary last night to destroy the body and eliminate the evidence.
However, what he didn't expect was that Ye Jingtang was so meticulous in his thinking that he seemed to be able to foresee the future. He had actually set an ambush directly in the mortuary, waiting for him to fall into the trap and directly beating him severely.
If it was just that, Cao Anning wouldn't have been so fearful. He would just think that he had been too careless and fallen into the calculations of an expert.
But what puzzled Cao Anning was that Ye Jingtang clearly hadn't pursued and killed him, and he had also confirmed that there was no one following him. After he escaped to his hiding place, a large number of Black Yamen constables still managed to find him.
After being surrounded, Cao Anning immediately understood that Ye Jingtang had let him go cleanly because he knew that he couldn't escape. Ye Jingtang had just regarded him as a panicked prey that had been injured and was running blindly, secretly watching his every move and waiting for him to return to his lair!
After this battle, one can imagine Ye Jingtang's image in Cao Anning's eyes – he was as observant as if he could see through everything, as resourceful as a prophet. In terms of martial arts, he couldn't defeat Ye Jingtang, and when he tried to run away, he couldn't escape. Ye Jingtang was like the living King of Hell in the Black Yamen. No matter what you did, where you went, or how deeply you hid, you couldn't escape those all-seeing eyes!
Now that he was "ambushed" by Ye Jingtang again, Cao Anning wasn't even the least bit surprised. He urgently reminded:
"This kid is very cunning and has a deep scheming. Don't be provoked by him. Let's go!"
Xu Bailin, after all, was a powerful figure in the martial arts world. Suddenly being attacked and seriously injured, he was extremely angry.
But the heroes of the Black Yamen would soon catch up, and this kid was indeed not simple. He wasn't so easy to deal with. So he could only say angrily:
"I'll remember this sword strike, boy!"
Then he hopped on one leg over the houses and fled towards the east city wall.
Ye Jingtang wanted to catch the thief for Benben, so naturally, he couldn't let these thieves escape. He pointed his knife at Xu Bailin:
"A real man doesn't leave his revenge for the next day. With such courage, how can you have the face to compete for a seat among the Eight Great Heroes?"
Boom——
As soon as the words were out, Xu Bailin, who had hopped out on one leg, stepped on the wall of a tall building and turned back. Holding the Green Steel Cudgel in one hand, his eyes were wide open like a fierce killing god:
"Die for me!"
Although Ye Jingtang was bold, he wouldn't do something as stupid as directly blocking the heavy cudgel with his sword. He immediately sheathed his sword, grabbed the long stick in Luo Ning's hand, and his figure flashed under the eaves.
Boom——
The Green Steel Cudgel landed on the stone lion outside the restaurant. The head of the stone lion immediately exploded and shattered, and pieces of stone flew everywhere.
Ye Jingtang seized the weakness of the opponent's unsteady movement on one leg. He blocked the pillar and swept with the stick in both hands!
Slap——
There was a loud explosion!
The tip of the stick swept across Xu Bailin's left leg.
Xu Bailin had just landed, and his whole body was whipped and rolled horizontally. But before he fell, his left hand slapped the ground hard and he bounced up. The long cudgel in his hand swept towards Ye Jingtang again.
Crack——
Ye Jingtang held the stick to block it, using the thick red-painted pillar for support. However, even so, under the heavy blow of the cudgel, the wooden stick in his hand was instantly smashed to pieces. The pillar cracked, and even the roof beam swayed a few times.
"Die!"
Xu Bailin seemed to be really enraged. After smashing the weapon with one blow of the cudgel, he raised his hand and stabbed fiercely, directly at the pillar.
Puff——
The thick pillar was actually pierced through by this strike of the cudgel, and the tip of the cudgel stabbed towards Ye Jingtang's head.
But Ye Jingtang didn't use the pillar as a shield. He had already tilted his head to dodge. Seeing the iron cudgel penetrate the log, he immediately grabbed the eight-sided iron cudgel and pulled it with all his strength.
Ch——
The iron cudgel was stuck in the pillar until it reached the handguard.
The iron cudgel couldn't be used by someone without great strength. Xu Bailin originally didn't take this seriously, but when he pulled it hard, he realized something was wrong – the iron cudgel seemed to be welded in Ye Jingtang's hand. The strength was incredibly great, and he couldn't pull it out at all.
"Ha——!"
Seeing that the situation was not good, Xu Bailin held the iron cudgel with both hands and pressed it hard to the side. Half of the pillar was instantly torn apart.
Crack——
The iron cudgel was pulled out, but it was still held tightly by Ye Jingtang with both hands.
At this moment, Luo Ning, who had seized the opportunity, suddenly leaped up and stabbed at the back of Xu Bailin's head with her sword.
Swish——
Xu Bailin sensed the danger. His robe immediately swelled up and the seams were torn. He burst out with all his strength, trying to pull out the cudgel and sweep it towards Luo Ning.
But the young man in black in front of him had incredibly great strength. When he pulled with all his might, he pulled Ye Jingtang forward, but he still couldn't pull the iron cudgel back.
Shock flashed in Xu Bailin's eyes. He couldn't ignore the approaching sword edge. He had to let go of the iron cudgel, turn around, and clamp the blade of the sword with his left two fingers. Then he punched out with his right hand, directly at Luo Ning's face.
Bang!
The fist wind suddenly rose!
But Luo Ning wasn't stupid either. She was on guard against the opponent's "backstab with the cudgel". Seeing the opponent exerting force, she had already retreated. She pulled the sword blade hard, leaving a bloody cut between Xu Bailin's two fingers.
Ye Jingtang snatched the iron cudgel, immediately turned it around, and smashed it forward; Luo Ning raised her sword to intercept, locking Xu Bailin's position.
Xu Bailin was unarmed. Facing the combined attack of the two, he could only retreat backwards. But at this moment, a furious shout came from behind:
"Ya——!"
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that the strong man in the distance had already rushed over with a broadsword. He rushed between Luo Ning and Ye Jingtang, swinging the knife wildly and shouting at the same time:
"Let's go!"
Dang——
Ye Jingtang swung the cudgel at the broadsword. At the same time, he drew his knife with his left hand and opened a bloody cut on the strong man's chest.
Xu Bailin realized that he had been careless. He had injured his right leg and there was nothing he could do. Under the desperate cover of the strong man, he hopped wildly on one leg on the street, caught the saber thrown by Cao Anning in the air, then grabbed the defenseless Cao Anning with one hand and fled towards the city wall.
Dang dang——
The commotion on the street continued, but the man with the broadsword was much weaker than Xu Bailin.
Ye Jingtang flipped the long knife in his left hand to hold it in a normal grip. Holding the iron cudgel in his right hand, he hacked alternately. In just a few strokes, he smashed the broadsword to pieces.
Several knife wounds appeared on the man with the broadsword. His eyes were as big as copper bells. He directly threw away the wooden handle and hugged Ye Jingtang's right arm, pushing forward like a wild ox:
"Ya——!"
Ye Jingtang raised the knife in his left hand. With just one strike, he could cut off the man's spine. But for the sake of getting a confession, he finally struck the man's back neck with his elbow.
Dong——
There was a dull sound.
The man with the broadsword immediately knelt down and fell on the street, and the commotion stopped abruptly.
"Huff... Huff..."
Ye Jingtang held the two weapons and chased after Xu Bailin for a few steps. Then Luo Ning reminded him:
"Be careful that Xu Bailin comes back to silence the witness."
Ye Jingtang stopped when he heard this. He stood guard in front of the captive, panting like an ox. His strong heartbeat could be heard even from a few steps away.
Luo Ning was still in shock, with fine sweat on her forehead. She leaned against Ye Jingtang's back and carefully watched the eaves around them.
Ye Jingtang waited for a while. When he didn't see Xu Bailin come back to silence the witness, he threw away the iron cudgel and sheathed his knife with his backhand:
"This Xu Bailin is really something. He's so fierce even with one leg. If he had three legs, he'd probably take off."
?
Luo Ning blinked her eyes. She felt that the effect of the medicine on Ye Jingtang hadn't worn off yet. She looked back at his purple and blue arms:
"Be serious! If something goes wrong in one strike, retreat quickly. Why are you still chasing after him and hacking at him..."
"I've driven him away, haven't I? And I've also caught an accomplice in the crime. It's a great achievement. Benben will probably admire me for a long time."
"You..."
Luo Ning didn't know who Benben was. She just thought Ye Jingtang was talking nonsense and said angrily:
"You've been fighting so fiercely from beginning to end, but you've been hitting the weapons. The only time you landed a strike was when I did it..."
"Yes, yes, Lady Luo is the most amazing... Huff..."
Ye Jingtang had burst out with all his strength and consumed a great deal of energy. After saying a few words, he sat down on the steps and wiped the sweat off his face.
Luo Ning squatted down in front of him and raised her hand to check his arm. Because she had also exercised vigorously just now, her cheeks were flushed, there was fragrant sweat on her forehead, her breath was as sweet as an orchid, and the "little watermelon" in front of her lapel was also heaving up and down...
Ye Jingtang blinked his eyes and couldn't help but lean towards Luo Ning's red lips.
啵～ (A kiss sound)
?!
Luo Ning was kissed on the red lips and was immediately stunned on the spot. But this time, she didn't draw her sword to hack at Ye Jingtang. Instead, she leaned back a little and said coldly:
"You heartless little rascal! I'm checking your injuries for you!"
Ye Jingtang raised his hand slightly: "This medicine is really powerful. It hasn't worn off even after a fight, and it's getting stronger. I feel like I can break the bed..."
Luo Ning was really annoyed by these lewd words:
"You just said you were joking with me and that your mind was okay..."
"I put the official business first. If I said my mind was not okay, would you have let me come and stop them?"
Luo Ning frowned and her eyes became serious. She was angry and anxious:
"In a fight between experts, a single thought can mean the difference between life and death. You knew your body wasn't right, yet you still came here to fight? What would happen if something happened to you?"
"This is the way of the martial arts world. Things don't always come when you're fully prepared. I'm also doing this to earn more merits and let Qiu Tianhe regain his freedom earlier."
Luo Ning said angrily: "I think you're trying to curry favor with the princess, that's why you're working so hard!"
"Two birds with one stone... Bah... Kill two birds with one stone. I can't keep my distance from the princess while trying to rescue someone..."
Just as they were talking, a sound came from the sky:
"Jiji ji..."
The bird first flew over the street like a white shell and then turned back.
And five or six figures following closely behind also landed on the street. In the lead were She Long and Shang Jianli.
She Long saw the broken walls and fallen buildings on the street and the strong man lying on the ground. There was a hint of shock in his eyes. When he turned around and saw Ye Jingtang, he quickly came over:
"Mr. Ye, you're really amazing... Are you okay?"
Ye Jingtang waved his hand slightly: "It's Xu Bailin. He went towards the east city wall. The one on the ground is an accomplice. Hurry up and chase after them."
Shang Jianli and the others knew that their official business was important. They bowed their hands in thanks. One person took away the fallen strong man, and the others chased towards the city wall.
Before She Long left, he reminded again:
"The princess is right behind. Seeing how heroic Mr. Ye is, she will surely praise you greatly."
As he spoke, he leaped onto the roof of the house and disappeared above the flying eaves.
Ye Jingtang turned back and looked at the street:
"The princess is also here. This is just right to..."
Luo Ning saw that Ye Jingtang was gradually turning into a lecherous person and thought something was wrong:
As soon as the princess comes, she will definitely pull Ye Jingtang away, and I don't dare to say anything...
If the princess finds out that Ye Jingtang has been drugged and is extremely eager, naturally...
Even if the little rascal hasn't been drugged, he will surely take the opportunity...
I'll probably have to wait outside the door...
...
Luo Ning's eyes moved slightly. After thinking for a while, she grabbed Ye Jingtang's left arm and put it on her shoulder. She carried Ye Jingtang and walked towards Ranfang Street:
"Little rascal, don't think you can take advantage of the princess on the pretext of being drugged. I'll take the medicine and show you later. I don't believe I can't suppress the effect of this medicine. If I find out that you're making an issue out of it... Your hand!"
Ye Jingtang leaned against Lady Luo, and his whole body wanted to lean down. Only then did he realize that there was a "little watermelon" in his hand. He quickly let go, stroked the lapel a few times gently, and said apologetically:
"Sorry, my mind is full of..."
"..."
Luo Ning stared at him, pretending not to hear these lewd words. She carried Ye Jingtang back with her head down...