Chapter 65: The Savior Arrives!

Moonlight fell like water upon a courtyard heavy with the stench of blood, shrouded in a chilling, murderous atmosphere.

The man in blue had believed that, in his panicked shove, he would push Yan Ziyu into a corner once guarded by the feathered arrows, never imagining that his action would play right into Mo Yunqing’s hands. As Yan Ziyu was tossed into the air, an arrow already nocked had been pre-aimed at the exact spot where she would fall.

A fierce arrow whistled through the air with a sharp shriek. The man in blue narrowly dodged a fatal blow and hurriedly turned his gaze toward Yan Ziyu, only to see that the unexpected cold flash was already hurtling straight at her, far too late for him to block.

"Xiao Yu—!"

Overwhelmed with panic, the man in blue disregarded the arrow closely pursuing his own back, frantically circulating his inner energy as he vaulted toward Yan Ziyu. Although he knew in his heart that at such a distance he could never reach her in time, he still clung to a sliver of desperate hope.

"Clang—!"

"Puff—!"

Two sounds rang out simultaneously. One was the echo of the fierce arrow being deflected, and the other was the dull thud of flesh and bone being pierced by a sharp weapon.

The man in blue staggered back and forth before finally supporting himself with his sword, collapsing onto one knee, utterly spent. A vicious arrow had pierced straight through the right side of his chest, the cold, sharp arrowhead protruding from his back by an inch. Dripping with dazzling, crimson blood, it emitted an eerie glow beneath the moonlight.

Upon his pale, handsome face hung a contented and fulfilled smile. When he had rushed forward only to realize he could not block that chilling blade, the despair in his heart had been unprecedented. Even the impact of the arrow piercing his body felt detached, numbing the pain entirely.

"Who goes there?" Mo Yunqing ground his teeth, sweeping his gaze across the surroundings as he demanded harshly.

He had expected this arrow to inflict severe harm upon Yan Ziyu, yet just as victory was within his grasp, the arrow had been deflected off-course by a swiftly approaching hidden weapon, failing to scratch Yan Ziyu at all. Instead, the man in blue had impaled his own chest on a stray arrow in his rush to save her.

Recalling that hidden weapon, Mo Yunqing remembered how it had shattered an arrow a mere fraction of a hair's breadth away from its target in the blink of an eye. If it had been aimed at his own throat, would he still be alive?

A chill rose involuntarily in his heart. With such a formidable expert present, tonight's outcome might not be as simple as killing the two of them. Though apprehensive in his heart, he refused to show weakness as he shouted, "Who is it? Hiding head and tail, you cowardly scoundrel!"

Sensing Mo Yunqing's unease, the bow-wielding assassins in black also slowed their movements, granting the man in blue and the others a moment to catch their breath. The man in blue hastily dragged his injured body to Yan Ziyu's side with a tense expression, while Yan Ziyu crouched sideways beside him, sealing his acupuncture points with silver needles and feeding him life-saving pills to stanch his bleeding and sustain his life.

Seeing Yan Ziyu's actions, a trace of malicious venom flashed through Mo Yunqing's eyes, yet he did not voice a command to stop her. Instead, he simply waved his hand, ordering the archers to unleash a continuous, torrential volley of arrows with greater fervor.

"Awooo—!" With the distinct howl of a wolf cub, a white shadow suddenly shot into the courtyard from outside, swiftly and nimbly dodging Mo Yunqing and his men's obstructions to leap straight into Yan Ziyu's arms, nuzzling back and forth.

It was none of other than Little Li, the wolf cub Yan Ziyu and A Li had inadvertently saved!

Sensing the murderous intent behind it, Little Li immediately twisted its head around, its bean-like black eyes glaring fiercely at Mo Yunqing. Its small mouth parted slightly to reveal sharp teeth and claws on either side, completely stripping away its cute appearance.

Following Little Li's sudden emergence, a cold, slightly mocking voice trailed from behind:

"Speaking of cowardice, compared to Young Master Mo's actions, this tower's conduct appears far more honorable."

Hearing this, everyone turned toward the source of the voice. Sitting atop the courtyard wall a few meters away was a man in blue scholarly robes, his left hand propped against the top of the wall, leaning back slightly in a semi-reclined posture, his legs crossed before him in a thoroughly leisurely manner.

Mo Yunqing frowned, his face a mask of vigilance. Yan Ziyu, however, remained expressionless; this time, her crouching posture simply shifted to turn her back entirely to Mo Yunqing, pouring her heart and soul into treating the man in blue's wounds.

"Who are you?" Seeing that his subordinates had involuntarily halted their attacks upon the man's arrival, Mo Yunqing suppressed his anger and asked in a deep voice. Though his expression remained unchanged, the confidence and arrogance that had previously filled his eyes had diminished considerably.

The man gave a low chuckle, ignoring the question directly. Instead, he leaped down from the wall, landing squarely in front of Yan Ziyu and the man in blue. His gaze swept over Yan Ziyu, who was bandaging the man in blue with her back turned to him, and a fleeting trace of helpless resignation crossed his eyes, vanishing instantly.

Under the moonlight, the man stood tall and graceful, the hem of his robe fluttering in the wind as he slowly reached toward his waist with his right hand, drawing a long sword and holding it horizontally before him. To everyone's astonishment, when the sword cleared its scabbard, it flashed with a dazzling white light, and within a single moment, the blade was enveloped in a ball of cyan radiance!

"The Azure Mystery Sword..." The man in blue, still conscious as he lay on the ground, witnessed this and filled his eyes with shock, murmuring the words under his breath.

Ranked sixth on the weapons ranking of the pugilistic world, the Azure Mystery Sword was rumored to conceal a monumental secret, though no one had ever unraveled it. Every master of the Azure Mystery Sword had been an immensely powerful figure; the current wielder of the Azure Mystery Sword was named Bai Feng, who had once dominated the martial arts world in his youth, rarely encountering an opponent.

"The Azure Mystery Sword?" Hearing this, Mo Yunqing lost all color in his face, blurting out, "You are Bai Feng?"

Impossible! The moment the words left his mouth, he refuted them himself. The Sickly Scholar Bai Feng, naturally frail, had gained renown across the martial arts world a decade ago. Not only was his swordsmanship superb and his cultivation profound, but what made him unforgettable was his unvarying, sickly, sallow complexion.

Yet the man before him, though scholarly, showed not the slightest trace of illness.

Could he truly be Bai Feng, the successor of the Azure Mystery Sword techniques? Just now, he referred to himself as "this tower master"—could the "tower" he spoke of be the First Tower, a name that struck terror throughout the martial arts world?

Bai Feng and Leng Ye had vanished together five years ago; rumors claimed the two had long since retired from the pugilistic world, and the First Tower had long changed hands. Mo Yunqing had thought it merely empty gossip, but seeing it today seemed to confirm every word.

However, none of this was the most important matter at present. Upon confirming that the weapon wielded by his opponent was indeed the Azure Mystery Sword technique, Mo Yunqing already harbored thoughts of retreat. The legendary Azure Mystery Sword derived its lethality not from its physical blade, but from its sword qi. Until intent to kill stirred, the sword remained ordinary; the moment murderous intent was channeled into the blade, it would be wreathed in cyan radiance.

Though this man had exuded a leisurely aura from the moment he appeared, the cyan sword qi in his hand betrayed his current state of mind—he had already resolved to kill!

How many people in this world could possibly evade the Azure Mystery Sword?

Thinking of this, Mo Yunqing tightened his grip on the hand hidden within his sleeve, his peripheral vision falling upon Yan Ziyu, who still had her back turned to them. A sharp gleam suddenly flashed in his eyes, and he opened his mouth to issue a renewed command, ordering a heavy barrage of arrows.

With the man in blue standing guard before Yan Ziyu, radiating complete composure, his cyan-glowing blade deflected the incoming feathered arrows one by one. With an indescribable laziness, he effortlessly neutralized every wave of attack, turning a blind eye to the puzzled and probing gaze cast by the injured man in blue beside him.

Mo Yunqing understood instantly. Judging by the man's absolute murderous intent coupled with his calm guardianship of that girl, this successor of the Azure Mystery Sword techniques was, much like the man in blue, a protector of the girl.

The terror in his eyes lessened considerably. The mythos surrounding the Azure and Purple twin swords was formidable, but once their weakness was correctly identified, that mythicized reverence and omnipotence would shatter into dust in an instant.

Holding a bow in one hand, Mo Yunqing nocked three arrows at once. Exchanging a brief glance with the two nearest guards, five arrows immediately shot toward Yan Ziyu from three different directions. Without pausing, he continuously fired three-arrow volleys in a cycle, harassing the man in blue's movements.

Noticing Mo Yunqing's intentions, the man in blue suddenly let out a cold snort, a biting chill instantly appearing in his eyes. Channeling his internal energy into his right hand, a blinding flash of sword light erupted. Before anyone could track his movements, the fierce feathered arrows were brutally shredded by the sword qi, leaving only an inch of the sharp arrowheads flying forward purely by momentum toward him. The long sword swept horizontally across his chest, and with several crisp clangs, multiple beams of cold light rebounded directly toward their attackers' throats. Following a chorus of muffled thuds, nearly half of the black-clad assassins were killed instantly.

While the man in blue engaged in slaughter, Mo Yunqing took advantage of the chaos to continue shooting arrows from afar while retreating step by step. When he reached the courtyard gate, he suddenly exerted force through his soles, swiftly vaulting outward.

Yet, the moment Mo Yunqing's body was about to leap beyond the courtyard gate, his movement abruptly stalled, and he plunged straight back to the ground. His body staggered slightly from the momentum of the forced descent, and his gaze locked onto the courtyard gate, bottomless and dark.