Chapter 16: The Bat's Sudden Intrusion

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Seeing the guards and two servants of the Ling household lose their lives in the blink of an eye, Yuan Ye could not help but feel shocked at the assassin’s ruthlessness.

Though his own martial skills were not weak, his experience was limited to sparring with his fellow disciples and master. To suddenly be thrust into a life-and-death struggle, Yuan Ye instinctively raised his guard to its utmost.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...!

On the distant rooftop, shadowy figures flickered, followed by the sharp sound of projectiles slicing through the air—the assassin’s hidden weapons were coming again!

This time, Yuan Ye was ready, unlike before when he’d been caught off guard. Placing a hand gently on Master Ling’s back, he gave a soft push with the soft palm technique of Wudang, sending Master Ling drifting into the ancestral hall.

He deftly swept his sleeve, closing the hall door behind him.

With no more concerns for what lay behind, Yuan Ye turned to face the enemy. In a flash, the assassin’s hidden weapons were upon him.

Hundreds of steel needles, as fine as strands of hair, formed a dense curtain, blotting out the sky as they swept toward Yuan Ye.

Any ordinary martial artist confronted with such a peril would be forced to defend with their sword, and only those with consummate skill might hope to escape unscathed; otherwise, some would surely slip through. Worse still, these needles were laced with a deadly poison—one scratch would be fatal.

The assassin on the rooftop seemed supremely confident. After releasing the needles, instead of fleeing, he unfurled his cloak and leapt down, intent on killing Master Ling while Yuan Ye was distracted.

But the assassin had not anticipated that Yuan Ye, though he appeared to be a boy of barely ten and some years, possessed martial skills to rival the greatest masters of the age.

After their first exchange, Yuan Ye had steadied himself. After all, in his previous life, the only fights he’d had were with other children in the orphanage; it took a moment to adapt to true combat.

Once his mind was calm, his practiced techniques emerged as if by instinct. With a single step, his sword flashed thirteen times, creating a curtain of steel before him.

Clink, clink...!

A series of crisp metallic sounds—every needle before him was swept away. The remaining needles thudded harmlessly into the door behind him, startling Master Ling, who dove under the table in terror.

Having scattered the needles with the Thirteen Swords of Shenmen, Yuan Ye launched himself into the air, sword aimed at the airborne assassin.

The assassin could not have foreseen that Yuan Ye’s swordplay would be so exquisite, or that he could sever hundreds of hair-thin needles in a heartbeat.

From his vantage on the roof, the assassin had already witnessed Yuan Ye’s superior agility. Realizing he could not win in close combat, he had chosen to attack from a distance. Now, with his hidden weapons neutralized and himself exposed mid-air, he faced a killing thrust from Yuan Ye and was seized by despair.

Just as Yuan Ye’s sword tip was about to pierce the assassin’s throat, a figure vaulted over the courtyard wall.

“Stop! Or I’ll kill the boy!”

A shrill cry rang out. Yuan Ye hesitated, and his sword only grazed the skin of the assassin’s neck.

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Though it was clearly a woman’s voice, it was as chilling as the call of a crow in the night, enough to freeze the blood.

In a flash, Yuan Ye glimpsed the intruder—a woman clutching a girl of about ten.

The little girl’s eyes were dull, her expression vacant, as if witless. Whether she had always been so, or was stupefied by terror, Yuan Ye could not guess.

There was no time to ponder. Yuan Ye struck three swift palms to the assassin’s body, sealing his vital points, then dragged him to the doorway of the ancestral hall.

“Who are you people, and why are you so ruthless?”

With his sword pressed to the man’s throat, Yuan Ye demanded coldly.

He was beginning to realize that this was no simple matter. These two possessed considerable skill—not the work of mere bandits.

If not robbery, then it must be a vendetta.

Yet the Ling family was only a moderately wealthy household in the countryside. What grudge could have provoked such formidable foes?

“Boy, if you want to save the little girl, let him go at once,” the woman barked, pressing her dagger so hard against the child’s throat that a thin line of blood appeared.

“Stop!” Yuan Ye shouted.

He did not know who the girl was, but he could not bear to see her die before his eyes.

He released his sword. At that instant, blood spurted from the assassin’s neck, and the woman’s eyes widened in fury.

“Unseal his vital points!” the woman commanded.

Though desperate, she did not lose her composure, confirming to Yuan Ye that these two were no ordinary criminals.

Deciding that saving the girl came first, Yuan Ye swiftly tapped several points on the man’s body, unsealing his channels.

But though he released the man, his palm remained poised at the man’s back; should the woman attempt anything, Yuan Ye would shatter the man’s heart in an instant.

The moment the man was freed, he shouted, “Xiao’e, run! Kill the brat and leave me!”

He had realized from their brief struggle that Yuan Ye’s skills surpassed any he had ever witnessed. Against such a master, even together, they stood no chance.

Resolved to die, he urged the woman to escape as soon as he was able to speak.

Tears streamed from the woman’s eyes, but she shook her head stubbornly.

Just then, Master Ling burst from the ancestral hall.

“You villain, let go of Jiao’er—!”

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Seeing him charge at the woman like a mad tiger, Yuan Ye grabbed him and demanded in a low voice, “Master Ling, who is this child?”

“She’s my granddaughter! These fiends—they killed my son, and now they want to kill my only grandchild. Heaven damn these murderers...”

Master Ling broke down in tears.

“So she is the Ling family’s sole heir. She must be saved,” Yuan Ye thought.

He pushed the man in front of him and called out loudly, “Throw the child over. I’ll count to three, and we’ll exchange hostages.”

“Agreed!”

The woman’s face brightened. She lifted the little girl into the air.

“One!”

“Two!”

“Three!”

At Yuan Ye’s command, the woman tossed the girl into the air. In that instant, Yuan Ye’s attention flickered, and the man immediately darted forward three feet.

But Yuan Ye no longer cared about him. Seeing the girl falling, he leapt up, catching her in his arms.

At the moment he landed, Yuan Ye’s expression changed. He felt a blast of force at his back.

Sure enough, the freed man appeared behind him, both palms radiating icy chill, striking fiercely at Yuan Ye’s back.

Bang!

A resounding impact—Yuan Ye stood unmoving, but the man was sent flying as if struck by a mountain.

Though his body seemed untouched, Yuan Ye’s face flushed red. In the instant he was struck, he felt a torrent of venomous cold energy invade his body.

The man’s strength itself was not great, but the poisonous cold was insidious.

Fortunately, Yuan Ye’s Pure Yang Infinity Technique was already perfected. At the touch of that evil energy, his internal power reacted instinctively, rebounding and gravely injuring the assailant.

After several breaths, Yuan Ye’s complexion returned to normal—he had neutralized the invading poison.

Glancing at the now seemingly mindless girl in his arms, Yuan Ye set her down. Master Ling rushed to embrace her.

Turning at last to the two assassins, Yuan Ye asked in a deep voice, “Who are you really? And what is your connection to the Azure-winged Bat King, Wei Yixiao?”