Chapter 1310: Wuxin Repels the Enemy

There was another reason.

Wuxin did not want to watch a pair of devoted lovers torn apart by life and death. The scene before him stirred old grief of his own.

He was still silent, and Ximen Qingkong was still kowtowing, when figures suddenly began flashing through the air.

A group landed atop the walls surrounding the courtyard. Xiaoyue Pavilion's people had arrived after all, Dugu Jing among them, but none dared enter the residence without permission.

Ximen Qingkong looked around, drew his sword, and struggled to his feet. He watched every direction warily, doing his best to keep his movements crisp and steady.

In truth, he was already a spent force.

The people in the courtyard were no fools. One look at the situation was enough for them to understand that those who had injured Ximen Qingkong and Xuan Wei had caught up.

Another group of cultivators soon arrived.

Word had spread that Prince Hao Cheng had been killed, drawing people from Qi's three great sects as well. They too landed on the surrounding buildings. Until orders came from above, no one dared force their way into this residence.

Dugu Jing ultimately did not climb over the wall.

He jumped down outside instead and brought several men through the front gate, observing at least that much basic courtesy.

They were entering uninvited, but Ximen Qingkong had already kicked the gate open, and no one had closed it afterward.

Wuxin stepped forward and placed himself in front of Ximen Qingkong. Facing the newcomers, he said coldly, "Who are you, and what do you want?"

Dugu Jing raised a hand to stop the men behind him. Then he smiled and cupped his hands. "Dugu Jing of Xiaoyue Pavilion greets Mr. Wuxin."

Wuxin said, "You're not welcome here. Get out immediately!"

How could Dugu Jing give up so easily? If he did, he would have no way to answer when he returned.

"Mr. Wuxin, they killed Prince Hao Cheng. You cannot shelter them like this."

"Killed the Prince?" Wuxin looked back.

At a time like this, Ximen Qingkong naturally could not afford to be pedantic. He said in a deep voice, "Why would we kill Prince Hao Cheng for no reason? They were the ones who ambushed the estate and killed everyone they saw. Hao Cheng died at Xiaoyue Pavilion's hands!"

The disciples of the three great sects on the surrounding walls exchanged looks.

Each side was accusing the other, and for a moment they could not tell what had actually happened.

Then again, judging from the basic circumstances, no matter how much Xuan Wei's side hated Hao Cheng, they should not have killed him lightly. They had come to the Qi capital to live under another's roof. Killing Hao Cheng there would have been courting death.

And why were Xiaoyue Pavilion's people in such a hurry to avenge Prince Hao Cheng in the first place?

They had already found the situation suspicious. Hearing Ximen Qingkong's version now, the people from the three great sects were more inclined to believe Xiaoyue Pavilion had been responsible.

But there was no evidence, and Qin and Qi were allies. No one dared draw a conclusion.

Matters decided by those above—especially disgraceful ones—would never be proclaimed everywhere. The people below naturally knew nothing of the truth.

Seeing the reactions around him, Dugu Jing immediately shouted in anger, "Ximen Qingkong, you're supposed to be the number-one expert on the Golden Core Ranking. I never imagined you would be such a shameless man that you could lie through your teeth!"

Ximen Qingkong said, "Wasn't Hao Cheng driven to his death by Xiaoyue Pavilion?"

Dugu Jing was about to argue again when Wuxin cut him off.

"I don't care about your rights and wrongs. If you want to fight or kill one another, get out of here and do whatever you please. My home is not a place for you to brawl and settle grudges. Get out, now!"

Dugu Jing's voice sank. "Mr. Wuxin, are you determined to make an enemy of Xiaoyue Pavilion?"

Wuxin said, "You come into my home to make trouble, then accuse me of making an enemy of you? It seems to me you're simply relying on your power to bully others." He tilted his head slightly. "Yan Baoru, see the guests out!"

Yan Baoru, who had been standing guard nearby, immediately stepped forward with a smile. "Dugu Jing, Mr. Wuxin has no grievance with Xiaoyue Pavilion. If you insist on manufacturing trouble where none exists, you'd better weigh the consequences carefully. I doubt Yucang wants to provoke the Ghost Doctor either. Mr. Wuxin has already made himself perfectly clear. Settle your grudges outside. He won't interfere, but you're not permitted to cause trouble here. Leave at once."

Dugu Jing pointed at her. "Yan Baoru, are you tired of living?"

Yan Baoru laughed. "What, you want to fight? You're not qualified to fight me. If you don't accept that, have your master Yucang come test himself against me. If you still refuse to leave and this matter gets out of hand, it won't be amusing anymore."

Dugu Jing's jaw tightened.

He genuinely had some fear of Yan Baoru's strength. Looking down on her was one thing, but she was still the second-ranked expert on the Golden Core Ranking.

Then he looked at Ximen Qingkong, who was staring at them like a tiger ready to pounce and still seemed capable of one desperate battle.

The first and second experts on the Golden Core Ranking were both present. Dugu Jing did not dare act rashly.

And there was Wuxin's connection to the Ghost Doctor on top of that.

Without instructions from his master, Dugu Jing truly could not afford to create chaos here.

At last he ground his teeth, turned, and said, "We're leaving!"

But after leaving the courtyard, he did not withdraw everyone. He left men hidden nearby to watch the place and prevent Xuan Wei from slipping away.

The logic was obvious.

Even his master did not dare offend the Ghost Doctor, but Yucang certainly would not want Xuan Wei escaping.

She could not hide here for the rest of her life.

Wuxin looked around at the disciples of the three great sects still standing atop the courtyard walls. "What? Did your three sects send you here to monitor my every movement?"

The men exchanged glances.

Without orders from above, they did not dare act recklessly either.

The representatives of the three sects cupped their hands in farewell, then called their people down from the walls.

The courtyard seemed to regain its tranquility in an instant.

Guo Man flashed to the entrance and shut the gate. The bolt had been broken, so she dropped a heavy bar across it instead.

Wuxin turned around.

As he passed Ximen Qingkong, he remarked, "If you can't hold on anymore, stop pretending you can."

His eye for patients was good. He had already seen that Ximen Qingkong was at the end of his strength.

Ximen Qingkong slid his sword back into the sheath behind him and pleaded again, "Sir, please save her. If you wait any longer, it'll be too late."

"Carry her inside."

Leaving those words behind, Wuxin headed toward the medical room in the inner courtyard.

Not only had Wuxin helped drive away their pursuers, he had agreed to save Xuan Wei.

Ximen Qingkong was overjoyed. "Thank you, sir! I will not break my word!"

The moment he said it, the tension inside him seemed to release.

He could no longer hold himself upright. His knees buckled and he collapsed.

Yan Baoru reacted quickly and caught him by the arm.

"Ah." She shook her head helplessly.

She was a woman herself, but to see the mighty number-one expert on the Golden Core Ranking reduced to this over a woman, after allowing Xuan Wei to marry someone else and then ending up in such a state together...

She did not even know what to say about Ximen Qingkong.

...

In the medical room, Guo Man carried Xuan Wei into the inner chamber.

Ximen Qingkong remained in the outer room. His spiritual power was exhausted and he had fallen unconscious. Yan Baoru was using her own power to help suppress the poison in his body.

One examination was enough to show that Xuan Wei had already reached a life-threatening stage.

They had to prioritize her and pull her back from the brink first. Ximen Qingkong's condition was slightly better and could wait.

Wuxin stood before a row of medicine jars, washing his hands with a medicinal solution.

Inside, Guo Man was adjusting the lighting when she suddenly heard a faint call behind her.

"Ximen... Ximen..."

Guo Man turned and discovered that Xuan Wei had actually awakened.

She hurried over. Seeing that Xuan Wei was worried about Ximen Qingkong, she immediately reassured her, "Don't worry. Mr. Ximen is fine. Once you're better, you'll be able to see him."

Hearing that he was all right, Xuan Wei relaxed.

A faint smile appeared on her face.

She did not know who the woman before her was, but she could sense Guo Man's goodwill.

Xuan Wei could feel that she was dying.

She could feel that there was no time left.

One hand tried weakly to rise but could not.

"Bracelet... the bracelet..."

Hearing the words and noticing the gesture, Guo Man saw the bracelet around her wrist. She lifted Xuan Wei's hand for her and asked, "This one?"

Xuan Wei whispered faintly, "Give it to Ximen. Tell him... if someone comes demanding it, hand it over. It can save his life."

Inside the bracelet was the last foundation left to the State of Wei. Under any other circumstances, Xuan Wei would never have willingly surrendered it.

But she knew that after her death, outsiders would inevitably suspect that the contents were in Ximen Qingkong's hands. He would probably face pursuit because of it.

Her meaning was clear.

If Ximen Qingkong ever found himself trapped in endless trouble over the thing, he should hand it over. With his strength, once the object itself was gone, the various factions would naturally have no reason to keep making things difficult for him.

Guo Man removed the bracelet and waved it before Xuan Wei's eyes. "Don't worry..."

Then she suddenly saw a brilliant rosy flush bloom across Xuan Wei's cheeks.

Guo Man's expression changed.

She knew the sign. It was the final flare before death.

"Sir! Sir...!" she shouted at once.

The curtain flew aside and Wuxin strode quickly inside.

One look at Xuan Wei's complexion told him everything.

He turned, snatched up a leather roll, unfurled it, and plucked out several silver needles.

Moving to Xuan Wei's head, he let more than a dozen silver needles rise into the air, controlling them with qi.

His qigong had reached a respectable level, but because of an innate deficiency, strengthening the body was as far as he could go.

He thrust out his palm.

More than a dozen silver needles simultaneously pierced Xuan Wei's head.

Xuan Wei's eyes opened slightly. The whites rolled weakly upward, and she fell unconscious again.

Wuxin's hands moved at once, swift and precise as he began fighting death for her life.

At his side, Guo Man casually slipped Xuan Wei's bracelet onto her own wrist, then let her sleeve fall over it...

...

Inside the imperial palace, Bu Xun stood in a pavilion with a dark expression.

He had already received word of Hao Cheng's death.

Before long, a eunuch was dragged over and thrown down in front of him.

The man hit the ground with a cry of pain.

Bu Xun said grimly, "You were told to lure the Prince away. Why did you neglect your duty?"

The eunuch scrambled onto his knees at Bu Xun's feet, weeping bitterly. "This lowly one did as ordered, but His Highness refused to leave!"

Bu Xun said, "Didn't you tell him I was the one summoning him?"

"I did! I specifically told him it was the Old Ancestor's order, but His Highness wouldn't listen! He even kicked me aside..."

The eunuch hurriedly recounted the whole scene of Hao Cheng carrying Xuan Wei away. By the time he finished, he was sobbing uncontrollably.

Bu Xun's face was overcast.

He truly could not understand what madness had seized Hao Cheng.

Bu Xun still had some confidence in his own ability to command respect. Which prince in the palace would dare deny him face?

He distinctly remembered that Hao Cheng had always been polite whenever he saw him.

But...

Was one Xuan Wei truly so irresistible that Hao Cheng could not bear even a brief delay?

Lust had clouded his mind!

Bu Xun genuinely did not know what else to say.

Some of the day's arrangements had been made by him.

He had not told Hao Cheng the truth. He had only known what Xuan Wei urgently wanted and instructed Hao Cheng to lure her out of the city.

Otherwise, Xiaoyue Pavilion would be killing the Emperor's daughter-in-law inside the capital while the city's defensive forces simply stood by. That would look far too ugly.

The eunuch who accompanied Hao Cheng naturally had no idea what was really happening.

Not only him—even many of the retainer cultivators at the estate who had been transferred away beforehand had not known what would happen afterward.

Certain matters were not announced in advance.

Who could have expected things to turn out like this, with Hao Cheng losing his life in the process?

Bu Xun did not know how he was supposed to explain this to Hao Yuntu.

"Take him away. Keep him under guard. He'll be buried with the Prince. Once you're down there, apologize to His Highness yourself."

Bu Xun flung down the words, turned, and left.

The eunuch immediately panicked. "Old Ancestor! Old Ancestor...!"

He crawled and wailed on his knees, only to be seized and dragged away.

[End of Chapter 1310]