"Fetch the sect leader at once. Order extra guards, this weather is not good," the man commanded. For some reason, he felt uneasy. As an elder of the Mad Saber Sect, he had to manage risks.
The boy stood still. The man frowned, "I told you to deliver a message, what are you hesitating for?"
"Yes, sir." The boy quickly replied, and as he turned, he suddenly lunged at the man. Even though the man reacted in time, he was still wounded in the abdomen by the assailant.
"Who are you?" The man clutched his injured abdomen, his killing intent sharp as he looked at the boy who had attacked him.
The attacker raised his head. His face was incredibly handsome. The man had seen this face before: "You're Xiao Qin!"
Xiao Man played with the dagger in his hand. "I heard people from the Mad Saber Sect were looking for me, vowing to cut me into a thousand pieces and scatter my ashes. So, I've come personally."
The man sneered. "Indeed, you are an arrogant fool, daring to trespass into the Mad Saber Sect alone. Do you think there are no other experts in the Mad Saber Sect besides Mad Saber?"
Xiao Man's eyes were filled with a playful smile. "Did Mad Saber not tell you that I'm a rather despicable person, skilled in using poison?"
The man was startled. He looked at the wound on his abdomen. A strange blue color was spreading from the wound. The blade was poisoned. The man paused for a moment, then immediately attacked Xiao Man. He had to capture this person as quickly as possible and find an antidote!
Seeing the man attack first, Xiao Man's smile deepened. However, the man's attack stopped right before Xiao Man, his hand unable to advance any further!
The man desperately tried to choke Xiao Man, but his body was stiff and he couldn't move. In his frustration, he coughed up a mouthful of black blood.
Seeing the black blood, the man immediately understood. The poison took effect rapidly, and it had reached his heart. He was beyond saving. He couldn't believe that after a lifetime of being astute, he would die so ignominiously.
Xiao Man watched the man fall, then stepped forward and stripped him of his belongings. Their purpose today was not just to destroy the Mad Saber Sect, but more importantly, to plunder the Mad Saber Sect's treasures!
Mad Saber, leading his men to intercept Xiao Qin, let out a long roar when he saw Xiao Qin: "Boy, why aren't you hiding anymore?"
"I'm bored, so I don't want to hide anymore," Xiang Jian said faintly. His beloved sword had been destroyed by Xiao Man, and his collection of treasured swords had turned to garbage. Now, he was using an ordinary sword.
"It's fine. After today, you won't have to hide anymore. Grandpa will send you to hell!" Mad Saber roared, swinging his battle axe towards Xiang Jian. Xiang Jian's movements were agile, his techniques sharp, like a swooping eagle. After several exchanges, Mad Saber's brow furrowed. The more he looked, the more familiar Xiao Qin's fighting style seemed.
A moment later, Mad Saber retreated. "Xiang Jian, damn it, you dared to trick me!"
Xiang Jian removed the disguise from his face, revealing a fair complexion. "Mad Saber, you're as crude and foolish as ever. It's truly remarkable you've lived this long, but it ends here."
"Xiang Jian, my Mad Saber Sect and your Eight Directions Sword Sect have always minded our own business. Why are you attacking me?" Mad Saber shouted angrily. He only wanted to kill Xiao Qin, but Xiang Jian had intervened. If it weren't for the impending assessment, where he couldn't act rashly to avoid losing his chance to enter the city, he would have already fought Xiang Jian with his men. But he endured, and Xiang Jian had come to fight him!
"Minded our own business?" Xiang Jian sneered. "You relied on your martial arts, murdered countless people, plundered civilians from the Upper Eight Provinces, and defiled those weak girls. Didn't you think of minding your own business then?"
"Xiang Jian, what madness is this? What does my plundering those people have to do with you, or with your Eight Directions Sword Sect?" Mad Saber spat fiercely. "Even if I plundered and defiled them, what could you do to me?"
Xiang Jian clenched his sword. "Take your life!"
Mad Saber was not one to be trifled with. The only reason he tolerated Xiang Jian was to conserve his strength. But Xiang Jian was clearly here to cause trouble. Mad Saber's gaze swept towards two people standing not far away. He knew them; they were Xiao Qin's followers!
"You hid Xiao Qin in the Eight Directions Sword Sect!"
Xiang Jian sneered. "It's too late to realize that."
"You bastard, I'm irreconcilably opposed to you!" Mad Saber was furious. He had explicitly forbidden anyone from harboring Xiao Qin, yet Xiang Jian dared to defy him. Fine, he would kill Xiang Jian first, and then return to flatten the Eight Directions Sword Sect!
If it were the Xiang Jian of the past, he would certainly not be Mad Saber's match. However, with Xiao Man's help, Xiang Jian's hidden injuries had healed, and his severed meridians had been reopened. Now, he could deal with Mad Saber with relative ease.
Mad Saber also noticed the change in Xiang Jian. He had fought Xiang Jian before. They were evenly matched, and he even had a slight advantage. What he hadn't expected was Xiang Jian's martial arts improving so dramatically in such a short time. Was he undergoing special training to enter Wuji City?
"Xiang Jian, how about we negotiate? You hand Xiao Qin over to me, and you can choose any treasure from my Mad Saber Sect, how about it?" Although Mad Saber was volatile and quick-tempered, he was not foolish. When he realized he might not be Xiang Jian's match, he decisively chose to negotiate.
"I refuse!"
"Just one Xiao Qin. Is he worth you sacrificing the entire Eight Directions Sword Sect?"
Xiang Jian's lips curled. "Mad Saber, Xiao Qin is the sect leader of my Eight Directions Sword Sect. Do you expect us to hand over our sect leader to you? Is that possible?"
"Xiao Qin is the sect leader of the Eight Directions Sword Sect? Don't lie to me..." Mad Saber instantly realized. Xiao Qin becoming the sect leader of the Eight Directions Sword Sect meant that everything today was premeditated. Unease rippled through Mad Saber's heart, and he turned to flee.
"You can't escape!" Xiang Jian blocked Mad Saber's path and lunged with his sword. His mission today was to take Mad Saber's head back. If he couldn't bring it back... The mere thought of Xiao Qin made Xiang Jian's face hurt. That brat was too shameless. Knowing he valued his face, Xiao Qin specifically targeted it!
Mad Saber grew anxious. He shouldn't have rushed out. Xiao Qin had hidden for so long without showing himself, yet he suddenly revealed his whereabouts. He hadn't been suspicious at all. His mind was in chaos, and his martial arts technique became disorganized. He was no match for Xiang Jian and was quickly wounded. Meanwhile, Shan Yun and Qi Hong took the opportunity to eliminate all of Mad Saber's subordinates.
Mad Saber's heart tightened. "Xiang Jian, Xiao Qin stole your position as sect leader. Don't you hate her?"
"Stole?" Xiang Jian's attack did not falter. "It wasn't stolen; I willingly gave it to her. Being sect leader is such troublesome work, I'm happy someone took it off my hands. How could I possibly hate her!"