Chapter 68: Half a Stanza

Chapter 68: Chapter 68: Half a Stanza

It had to be said.

The father and son duo really had some skill. The Armored Warriors could hardly take a single step forward while blocked by Uncle Qi and Dachun.

"Hmph!" Xu Tong scoffed coldly.

The Armored Warriors behind him immediately cleared a path.

TAP, TAP, TAP. He stepped into the courtyard, one pace at a time.

"Trash!"

He approached, casting a mild glance at the Armored Warriors beside him before looking up at Uncle Qi and Dachun. Without another word, he drew the sword at his waist.

SHING!

The sound was incredibly crisp.

"If the two of you repent now and step aside, I can spare your lives," Xu Tong said indifferently, holding his sword with a reverse grip.

The scent of blood on his armor drifted through the courtyard. At the same time, faint scales slowly surfaced on his wrist.

"Cut the crap!" Uncle Qi and Dachun leaped forward almost simultaneously.

The father and son’s eyes blazed with fury, looking as though they wanted to swallow Xu Tong whole.

CRACK!

CLANG!

A whip and a blade launched toward Xu Tong at the same time.

BANG!

The clash happened in a flash of lightning! No one could even see how Xu Tong drew his blade. They only saw Uncle Qi and Dachun fly backward, spewing blood. They collapsed on the ground, their fate unknown.

In an instant, the entire courtyard fell into a dead silence.

GULP.

Someone swallowed hard. No one dared to speak. Wherever Xu Tong’s gaze swept past, people lowered their heads in silence.

Qi Xiande now slowly entered the courtyard. He looked at the gathered officials and spoke earnestly, "I stake my reputation on this: we have conclusive evidence of the traitor Zeng’s rebellion. My fellow colleagues, you absolutely must not harbor him!"

With that, he threw the sharp knife in his hand onto the ground.

CLATTER.

He narrowed his eyes at Uncle Qi and Qi Dachun, who lay unconscious on the ground. "Please, gentlemen, pick up this blade and kill the rebels to prove your innocence!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the squad of Armored Warriors behind him drew their weapons in unison with a loud SHING! The cold glint of the blades reflected on everyone’s faces.

"This..." The officials in the courtyard shuddered, looking up at Qi Xiande in disbelief.

Qi Xiande remained expressionless. "You have three breaths. Anyone who doesn’t act will be treated as an accomplice."

Meanwhile, Xu Tong leisurely wiped the blood from his palms, watching the scene with cool detachment.

"You dog!!" Qin Shoucheng cursed loudly. Standing in the courtyard, he glared fiercely at Qi Xiande. "That bastard Zeng Shilin might be arrogant, but his schemes are never flawed. Do you really think he doesn’t have a backup plan? That he’d just let you barge into the Observation Department??"

"So noisy." Qi Xiande sneered. "A backup plan? I’d like to see what kind of trick that old fool has up his sleeve!"

After speaking, he shifted his gaze to the stunned officials in the courtyard. "One breath."

TAP, TAP.

At this moment, a trembling official stepped forward. Taking a deep breath as he looked at Qi Xiande, he pointed at the room inside. "Prefect Qi, the traitor Zeng’s family is still in that room."

"Oh?" A smile flashed across Qi Xiande’s face upon hearing this. He gently patted the official’s shoulder and nodded. "I believe you are certainly not a rebel!!"

Inside the room.

Zeng Shilin’s expression had turned exceedingly grim. Hearing the word "family," he could no longer hold back and moved to storm outside.

Suddenly, he froze. Turning to Zeng Anmin with reddened eyes, he said urgently, "Leave through the back door, quickly! I’ll buy you some time."

As he spoke, he pulled several silver notes from his robes and shoved them into Zeng Anmin’s hands without brooking any argument. "Return to our ancestral home in Feng Commandery. If I die today, change your name and flee to Jiang Country!"

Zeng Anmin abruptly stood still. He hardly dared to look into his father’s eyes. The few feather-light silver notes in his hands felt as heavy as a mountain.

"Dad." He reached out a pale hand and gently gripped Zeng Shilin’s arm.

"Don’t be stupid! Go, quickly!" his father urged.

Zeng Anmin slowly raised his head, pressing his lips together as he gathered his thoughts. Finding that he truly didn’t know how to say anything deeply moving, he simply offered a soft smile. "Actually, there’s one thing I haven’t told you yet."

His father looked stunned. "What is it?"

"The Dragon Inspection Map—I awakened it the very day we found it."

Zeng Anmin’s words made his father freeze in shock.

"Even when I had absolutely no Cultivation, it helped me directly open my Purple Mansion, turning me into a unique anomaly unseen since ancient times." Zeng Anmin pulled Zeng Shilin over and slowly guided him to sit down in a chair.

His father instinctively resisted, only to find that the strength coming from his son’s pale arm made it impossible for him to fight back.

"I can practice Confucian and Martial Cultivation simultaneously without any drawbacks."

His father’s expression turned utterly blank...

"So, I am the one who has recently been rising to fame in Liangjiang Commandery..." By now, Zeng Anmin had already walked to the door, his voice drifting back to his father’s ears. "...the Black Cat Martial Artist!!"

His father’s mouth fell slightly open as he stared blankly at Zeng Anmin’s retreating figure. In his daze, he heard his son’s gentle, emotional sigh. "Dad, you’ve always thought of my well-being in every possible way. Let me handle things today."

CREAK.

Zeng Anmin pulled open the wooden door of the room. As soon as it opened, he saw Aunt Lin cowering in a corner by the doorway, her face pale with despair as she tightly hugged Hu Zi. Beside her, Qin Wanyue pressed her lips firmly together, her beautiful face drained of color, her pale hands clenched into tight fists.

He didn’t offer any words of comfort to Aunt Lin, nor did he have time to tend to the pale-faced Qin Wanyue. He simply looked at Hu Zi in Aunt Lin’s arms.

"Dad." Seeing Zeng Anmin, a smile blossomed on Hu Zi’s face. He babbled and reached out his little hands, acting spoiled. "Daddy, hug."

"Hehe." A natural smile appeared on Zeng Anmin’s face as he spoke softly. "Be a good boy, Hu Zi. If Daddy can come back in a bit, I’ll give you a big hug."

Hu Zi blinked, clearly not understanding Zeng Anmin’s words.

"Quan Fu, don’t!" Aunt Lin looked stricken, fully grasping the meaning behind his words. She whipped her head toward him, her eyes filled with pleading. "Run, just run if you can..."

Zeng Anmin didn’t answer. He merely turned around with quiet resolve, fixing his gaze on the squad of Armored Warriors outside and the apathetic face of Xu Tong.

He walked forward, one step at a time. A Seventh Grade Cultivator like Xu Tong. Dozens of Armored Warriors.

Zeng Anmin didn’t know if his current strength was enough to win. But by stepping out there, he wasn’t letting his father down. Nor was he failing himself, or his past life. As for death... in the face of certain things, it wasn’t even worth mentioning.

Qin Wanyue instinctively looked toward him. However, with him stepping into the light, she couldn’t see his back clearly. She strained her stunning eyes, trying her best to focus, only to hear him recite a half-stanza of a poem in an incredibly magnetic voice:

"Laugh not if I lie drunk on the battlefield,

Since ancient times, how many have returned from war?"

Throughout the entire Observation Department, the only sound was the steady TAP, TAP of his footsteps against the ground.

Zeng Anmin’s gaze remained calm as he looked at Xu Tong in the courtyard. Xu Tong also fixed his eyes on him, a hint of mockery at the corners of his eyes.

Just as Zeng Anmin was about to speak, a sudden SLASH echoed through the air.

Xu Tong’s eyes widened in disbelief as blood gurgled out from a slit in his neck. Everyone froze at this sudden turn of events.

"It seems I arrived right on time."

A striking figure dressed in bright white had suddenly appeared atop the courtyard wall near the entrance. Standing against the wind, his white robes fluttered elegantly, making him look like a Banished Immortal.

Zeng Anmin blinked as he looked at the man. He knew this person. Was this that eccentric youth? When did he get here?!

No, wait! He must be the backup plan President Qin had mentioned, the one his father had left behind!