Chapter 279 - 275: Broken Water Blade Dong Yuan

Chapter 279: Chapter 275: Broken Water Blade Dong Yuan

The night was pitch-black. A cold wind howled, scattering the dark clouds across the sky in a ceaseless dance.

A crescent moon, like a silvery sickle, hung high in the sky, casting a cold, eerie glow. The moonlight fell upon the rooftops, making the tiles gleam as if coated in a layer of white frost, adding to the chill in the air.

Golden Scale Imperial City, the Imperial Capital of the Southern Tang Country, was a place of immense prosperity, home to countless great families. The Lieu Family was one of them.

「Late at night, inside Duke Lieu’s Mansion.」

"Sister-in-law, does this feel comfortable?"

"Mmm, a little higher... Ooh, yes, right there. Just a bit higher."

"Hehe, alright!"

A voluptuous noblewoman lounged on a large, gilded chair, her robes hanging loosely off her ample frame, revealing much of her skin.

Kneeling before the gilded chair was a pale, beardless man in his thirties. A fawning smile plastered on his face, he obsequiously massaged the noblewoman’s plump thighs. "Hehe, Sister-in-law, were you serious when you said you’d make me the Patriarch? After all, I’m not from the Lieu Family’s direct bloodline. What if..."

"Rest assured. If I say you can do it, you can," the noblewoman said, exhaling languidly.

"Haha, my deepest thanks, Sister-in-law. I’ll be sure to take very good care of you." The pale-faced man continued to gently massage her as he spoke. "By the way, Sister-in-law, I heard those two little brats are already on their way to the Imperial City. This isn’t good. We should get rid of them as soon as possible. Otherwise, it’ll be trouble if they make it to the Lieu Mansion. After all, that brother-and-sister pair is the direct bloodline. A few of the old die-hards in the clan are bound to support their succession."

Just then, a man in a dark blue robe with a long saber at his waist walked in. His entrance instantly filled the decadent room with a chilling, murderous air.

"Little sister, it’s so late. Why did you summon me?" the man in the dark blue robe asked the noblewoman.

"Lieu Qingteng, you may leave us. My elder brother and I have things to discuss," the noblewoman said with a dismissive wave.

"Of course, Sister-in-law. I’ll take my leave now."

The pale-faced man, Lieu Qingteng, bowed low, a constant smile on his face as he backed out of the room.

The man in the dark blue robe shot a contemptuous glance in the direction Lieu Qingteng had gone. "I really don’t understand, little sister, why you’d even consider propping up such a useless piece of trash."

"Trash is good. Trash is easy to control."

"I’m not so sure. If you want puppets, I think those two little kids would be far more suitable."

"Hehe, those two little bastards have no foundation in the Imperial City, so they would indeed be easy to control now. But I was the one who orchestrated their exile. They must hate me to the bone. If the boy were to become Patriarch, I fear he would become a terrible disaster once he’s grown and his wings are full," the noblewoman said grimly. "I summoned you tonight, Elder Brother, because I want you to act on my behalf and eliminate these two threats."

"Haha, little sister, isn’t this using a sledgehammer to crack a nut? We’re just talking about killing two small children. You could send anyone. Do you really need me, Broken Water Blade Dong Yuan, to personally make a move?" the man in the dark blue robe boomed with laughter.

"Ordinarily, two children wouldn’t require your personal attention, Elder Brother. But an expert is protecting those little bastards. I just received a message by carrier pigeon from the assassins I sent—both of their attempts have failed. Those incompetents will likely never succeed. I’m afraid you’re the only one who can handle this."

"Oh?" The man in the dark blue robe raised an eyebrow. "An expert? What’s their cultivation?"

"The Martial Arts Ninth Layer," the noblewoman said.

"Hmph. If they’re a Martial Artist of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer, then they are indeed worthy of my attention," the man in the dark blue robe said in a low voice. "However, the gap in strength can be enormous even among those at the same level. Little sister, do you know if this is an ordinary Ninth Layer master, or someone on the Wind and Cloud List?"

After all, there were hundreds, if not a thousand, Martial Artists at the Qi Condensation Stage’s Martial Arts Ninth Layer in the Southern Tang Country. Even among them, the disparity in individual strength could be immense. The Wind and Cloud List ranked the one hundred and eight most powerful of these masters, whose status was far more revered than that of their ordinary peers.

"He’s not on the Wind and Cloud List," the noblewoman replied.

"That simplifies things. I should have no problem cutting him down," the man in the dark blue robe declared arrogantly.

"You mustn’t be careless, Elder Brother. While he may not be a top expert from the Wind and Cloud List, his status is no less significant," the noblewoman said, her expression grave. "After I learned the assassinations had failed, I spent a fortune at the Wind and Cloud Inn for information. That’s how I discovered his identity."

"Oh? An ordinary Martial Artist of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer, yet his standing is greater than an expert on the Wind and Cloud List?" The man in the dark blue robe was intensely curious. "Who is he?"

"Lord White Cloud!" A faint smile touched the noblewoman’s lips.

"L-L-Lord White Cloud?"

The man in the dark blue robe was stunned for a moment, then burst into wild, uproarious laughter.

"Hahaha, Lord White Cloud! Hahaha! To think it’s him!" The man in the dark blue robe’s eyes lit up, like a starving wolf that had just spotted a plump lamb. He was ecstatic. "Haha, so it’s Lord White Cloud. The man is carrying over a million gold coins! Why would he leave the safety of White Cloud City? Is he asking to be killed? Hahaha! If we kill him, little sister, we’ll be set for life!"

"Indeed. A fortune of a million gold coins... even selling the entire Lieu Family wouldn’t fetch half that amount," the noblewoman chuckled. "But you mustn’t underestimate him, Elder Brother. Lord White Cloud is formidable. Even Ouyang Xu, an Innate Realm expert, died at White Cloud City—"

"Bah, Yanhong, you don’t get it. White Cloud City itself is an impenetrable fortress; I wouldn’t dare try to storm it. But what’s a mere Lord White Cloud? He’s just some young punk. No matter how talented he is, he’s likely just barely reached the Ninth Realm. His name is nowhere to be found on the Wind and Cloud List," the man in the dark blue robe said with contempt.

"Then how confident are you of killing Lord White Cloud and seizing the treasure, Elder Brother?" The noblewoman’s almond eyes burned with a feverish light. ’A million gold coins... that’s enough to buy a powerful Innate Realm Demon Beast. It’s a fortune large enough to drive a person mad.’

"Rest assured. Your brother is ranked thirty-third on the Wind and Cloud List. My title, the ’Broken Water Saber,’ isn’t just for show. Even against an Innate Realm expert, I could exchange twenty or thirty blows and still retreat completely unscathed!" the man in the dark blue robe declared proudly.

He paused, his brow furrowing slightly. "The only question is whether Gao Zhisong of the Seven-Snake Centipede Whip and Liu Liqun of the Scholarly Sword are with him. Although their rankings are lower, they are still experts on the Wind and Cloud List. If they team up to protect Lord White Cloud, killing him would be quite tricky, even for me."

"You can rest easy on that front, Elder Brother. According to the intelligence from the Wind and Cloud Inn and the message from the field, Lord White Cloud is traveling alone. He only has those two little bastards and a maidservant with him."

"Haha, that’s perfect! A heaven-sent opportunity! I’ll set off tonight to make sure no one else beats me to it." The man in the dark blue robe was visibly excited. Unable to wait, he left the Lieu Mansion and traveled through the night, rushing toward Central Cloud Province.