Chapter Forty-Nine: Unexpected

“You’ve finally come. I thought you’d lost your nerve,” said the shorter of the two men in black.

“Don’t try to provoke me with words. Don’t forget, this matter was set in motion by both of us. The Feng family is not as idle as yours, Fan. As head of the house, I still have many affairs to manage before I can slip away,” replied the taller man in black. Judging by his tone, he was none other than Feng Lixuan, the patriarch of the Feng family, and facing him was Fan Yongnian, the head of the Fan family.

“Hmph. There hasn’t been any leak about tonight’s business, has there?” Fan Yongnian asked in a low voice.

“Of course not. Apart from you and me, no third party must know of this. If word got out, the consequences would be dire. You haven’t been foolish enough to tell anyone, have you?” Feng Lixuan’s tone grew stern as he shot back a question of his own.

“Patriarch Feng, mind your words. Lest you forget, you were the one who orchestrated this plan. If anything goes wrong, the blame will fall on your head. Are you trying to pin this on me already?” Fan Yongnian retorted sharply.

“Are you mad? From this moment, neither of us can say anything that might expose our identities. This opportunity wasn’t easily arranged. Tonight, Yang Ze’s guard detail is the lightest it’s been in some time. If we strike now, our chances of success are highest. Don’t ruin it,” Feng Lixuan warned, genuine concern in his voice. After all, Yang Ze was the foremost martial artist on Xiangyun Street. While killing Yang Ze would not be difficult for them, that was not their real objective—they needed to capture him alive.

Capturing Yang Ze alive was a much harder task, bound to cause commotion, which was why they’d waited so long for the perfect moment.

“Enough talk. Time is short—let’s move,” Fan Yongnian cut the conversation off, flipped over a wall, and vanished from sight, with Feng Lixuan following close behind.

In the small courtyard, Yang Ze was cultivating the Heart of the Sea technique. In just ten days, he could feel his cultivation advancing swiftly.

With the aid of the black stone, his training had been smooth and unimpeded by bottlenecks.

But midway through his practice, his heart suddenly raced, breaking his meditative state.

He opened his eyes abruptly, a look of confusion in his gaze. “Is something about to happen? Why do I suddenly feel so uneasy?” he murmured to himself.

Yang Ze trusted his instincts. Even in his previous life as an ordinary man, he’d sometimes had ominous premonitions before disaster struck.

Now, as a martial artist, his senses should be even sharper, making his intuition more reliable.

“Wait, Old Xie reported this afternoon that several warehouses on the street had issues and needed a lot of manpower to resolve. Could the problem be there?”

Someone must have orchestrated things to draw his people away, planning to strike while he was left vulnerable. “It’s the Feng and Fan families!”

He quickly realized the truth. It wasn’t just cleverness—those two families were his greatest enemies, and he’d become a thorn in their side, threatening their interests.

Hadn’t he himself been plotting against various forces on Xiangyun Street? It was only natural that others would plot against him in turn.

“Moving so many of my people—what are they up to? Are they planning to ambush me tonight?” Yang Ze rose from his meditation cushion, unable to piece together the full picture, but decided he should leave at once.

But just as he took up his blade and reached the center of the courtyard, two figures vaulted over the wall, landing inside and hemming him in.

Yang Ze’s eyes narrowed as the two masked men in black surrounded him, each wielding a sword—hostility unmistakable.

“What brings you two to my humble courtyard so late?” Yang Ze asked, feigning ignorance even though he’d guessed their identities.

“Save your breath. We’ve come for your life. Prepare to die!” Fan Yongnian hissed, and with that, he lunged forward, instantly appearing behind Yang Ze.

As Fan Yongnian thrust his sword, Yang Ze wasted no time. He drew his blade and unleashed Tiger’s Kill without hesitation.

The blade swept out with immense force. Fan Yongnian parried with his sword, deflecting the blow, but his own attack was blocked as well. He immediately struck with his left palm. Yang Ze did not retreat, but met the palm with his fist—a shock ran through him, but he held his ground.

A flash of astonishment flickered in Fan Yongnian’s eyes. This was not how he’d imagined things would go. Yang Ze had managed to block his attack, and though he hadn’t used any martial arts, it was still impressive.

In that fleeting exchange, Feng Lixuan made his move, thrusting his sword at Yang Ze’s back.

Sensing danger behind him, Yang Ze twisted his wrist, channeling power through his arm to dissipate the force lingering on his blade. In a blink, he spun and unleashed another Tiger’s Kill.

Feng Lixuan, having witnessed the power of Yang Ze’s blade earlier, deftly flicked his sword three times, matching the force of Yang Ze’s attack. The three strokes shattered the momentum of Tiger’s Kill, neutralizing it.

A cold smile curled beneath Feng Lixuan’s mask. His sword flashed again, stabbing forward with renewed savagery.

Fan Yongnian seized the opening, thrusting his sword at Yang Ze’s right foot.

In that perilous moment, Yang Ze reacted swiftly. He channeled his strength, neutralizing the residual force on his blade, and in an instant, executed Tiger’s Roar Slash.

Tiger’s Roar Slash swept out, catching both assailants off guard. They hadn’t expected Yang Ze, even with disrupted energy, to unleash another technique so quickly—something even they would find difficult.

But with no way out, both pressed the attack. Swords stabbed forward as Yang Ze, drawing on the force of Tiger’s Roar, repeatedly unleashed Tiger’s Kill. Blade and sword clashed violently.

Within less than thirty breaths from the moment the assailants entered the courtyard, the three had already exchanged dozens of blows, yet Yang Ze showed no sign of faltering against their combined assault.

“Is this all you’re capable of as peak Qi-Channeling experts?” Yang Ze taunted.

The words ignited murderous intent in Feng Lixuan’s gaze. His sword blurred, splitting into seven or eight shadows that all thrust at Yang Ze simultaneously.

Fan Yongnian, too, struck again—the speed of his sword far surpassing before, closing to within a mere foot of Yang Ze in the blink of an eye.

The two unleashed the full might of their peak Qi-Channeling cultivation. Though their goal was to capture Yang Ze alive, it didn’t matter if he was gravely wounded or crippled, so long as he survived.

Yang Ze knew his taunt would provoke them into going all-out. He had long been preparing his Tiger Descends the Mountain, and now was the perfect moment to unleash it.

“Black Tiger Blade Technique—Tiger Descends the Mountain!” announced Feng Lixuan, affecting a disguised voice. He’d been waiting for this move.

Blade and swords collided, three different forces clashing with explosive sound, the weapons locked in a stalemate.

But Feng Lixuan and Fan Yongnian followed with simultaneous palm strikes, aiming for Yang Ze’s exposed front.

At that instant, a cold smile flickered at Yang Ze’s lips. With a fierce roar, the blade energy he’d been concealing finally erupted from his blade.

Feng Lixuan and Fan Yongnian blanched in horror, looking as if they’d seen a ghost.

“Blade energy! You’ve been hiding your true level!” Fan Yongnian cried out, forgetting to disguise his voice.

The blade energy descended. The two men instantly channeled their inner power to the limit, raising their swords in defense as the force crashed down.

But in the blink of an eye, their swords shattered under the onslaught. Blood appeared on their palms as they hastily struck out to meet the now-weakened blade energy head-on.

Though the force was diminished, it still left their hands bloodied, sending both men staggering back. In their retreat, they hurled their broken blades at Yang Ze.

With a cold snort, Yang Ze stepped forward, unleashing Tiger Descends the Mountain once more. Another arc of blade energy shattered the broken swords midair.

He kicked off from the ground, great blade whirling, turning defense into offense as he charged at his foes.

Feng Lixuan flicked his wrist, sending a dart flying at Yang Ze, but Yang Ze twisted his blade, knocking it aside.

In that instant, Feng Lixuan and Fan Yongnian vaulted over the wall, fleeing into the night.

Yang Ze did not give chase. Just then, the courtyard’s main gate was kicked open and Meng Yitian, leading a dozen lower-level guards, rushed in.

Seeing the broken swords and fresh blood, Meng Yitian’s face changed. He hurried to Yang Ze’s side.

“Steward, were there assassins?”

“It’s nothing. They’ve already escaped. Don’t pursue them—you’re no match for them,” Yang Ze replied, holding them back. For these men to give chase would be suicide.

Meng Yitian knew better. Against foes bold enough to attack Yang Ze, they stood no chance—it would be throwing their lives away.

Meanwhile, Feng Lixuan and Fan Yongnian ran for over ten miles before stopping. Only after finding an abandoned, deserted house did they dare to enter.