Chapter 149: The Dagger is Revealed

The news of Ning Yi being ambushed near the side gate did not spread widely. After a short while, several manservants and Jiang'er, who currently seemed the easiest to find, hurried over and immediately secured the courtyard.

The clan meeting had just concluded tonight, and right on its heels, such a sensitive incident occurred. The mastermind behind the assassination—or rather, the abduction—was still unclear. At a time like this, the matter could not be loudly publicized and had to be handled internally by the main household's forces. By the time Jiang'er arrived, Ning Yi had already led several manservants to search the surrounding area and promptly captured a suspicious newly hired carriage driver.

A steward in charge of this area had been drinking and presumably did not yet know what had happened at the clan meeting. Seeing Ning Yi leading a group of people over, he cluelessly tried to block them. Jiang'er happened to arrive at that moment, and upon seeing that Ning Yi was unhurt, she finally let out a sigh of relief. She bowed to Ning Yi, then furrowed her delicate brows and coldly told the steward that she was going to report him to the head steward. Hearing this, the steward instantly sobered up and began apologizing profusely.

Jiang'er was only seventeen years old and possessed a delicate appearance, but among the three maidservants, she had always acted as the eldest sister figure with a strong personality. When dealing with those she could afford to cross, she always imitated Su Tan'er's cold manner of speaking a few terse words. If it were someone from another branch of similar status whom she could not afford to cross, and they acted unreasonably, she would relentlessly argue with them for a long time. It was said that on a few occasions, she had almost faced clan punishment for standing up for the manservants and maids of the main household. Over time, others grew accustomed to this maid's stubbornness and tenacity. Ning Yi found it rather amusing to watch her display her anger today, but the pressing priority right now was naturally to consider matters related to the abduction.

"This matter is premeditated, and it's hard to say who is actually behind it. I'm fine for now, but do you know where Tan'er has gone?"

Whether it was the second or third branch, the Xue family, or the Wu family, whatever schemes they concocted were ultimately aimed at Su Tan'er. Ning Yi had originally thought everything was settled, but he had not expected such an unexpected twist at this moment, immediately causing him to worry about his wife's whereabouts. Hearing him bring this up, Jiang'er seemed to recall something.

"Miss... Miss should be fine, but I don't know where she is right now..."

"Hmm?" Ning Yi frowned. "What's going on?"

"Miss went to deal with the matter of the assassination of the First Master. Juan'er should know; I'll go fetch her."

With a peculiar expression on her face, Jiang'er stuck out her tongue and ran off. Confusion lingered in Ning Yi's heart. In the adjacent room, the manservants were still interrogating the four captured intruders. After a moment, Juan'er came running over, breathless. "Is the husband alright?" Evidently, she had also heard from Jiang'er about the assassination attempt. From the nearby room came the miserable screams of the assassins.

Tonight, Chan'er, Juan'er, and Jiang'er all had tasks. Ning Yi had initially thought that affairs of this nature tended to be violent and that Jiang'er might have a higher tolerance for them, but now he realized that upon hearing the screams from inside, Juan'er did not show much discomfort. She merely frowned, glanced into the room, and then anxiously asked whether Ning Yi had suffered any injuries. Ning Yi recounted the process and his concerns, and after a moment of hesitation, Juan'er shared what she knew.

"Miss went to Shibu Slope with the First Master and the others to handle the matter of the First Master's assassination. They plan to find those people and wipe them out in one sweep. They also enlisted League Master Cheng of the Hundred Blade League to take action. There are many people involved, so she should be fine... Miss only found out today that the mastermind behind the initial assassination of the First Master was... was Steward Xi Junyu, and he has someone backing him..."

When mentioning Xi Junyu, Juan'er, who had been keeping her head slightly lowered, secretly glanced at Ning Yi. Meeting his gaze, she quickly lowered her head and pressed her lips together. Comparatively speaking, Chan'er usually had a gentle temperament, Jiang'er a generous one, while Juan'er was the most quiet and reserved of the three sisters. Although she was quite capable when carrying out tasks, in daily life she sometimes gave the impression of being timid and shy. However, Jiang'er was unaware of these details, whereas Juan'er, unexpectedly, knew about them.

Ning Yi looked at her with the gaze one might reserve for an intelligence operative, then frowned and asked about the Hundred Blade League she had mentioned. As it turned out, the Hundred Blade League was considered a major faction in Jiangning City; though usually low-profile, they possessed considerable strength. League Master Cheng Lie shared a deep friendship with Su Boyong, making this arguably the most powerful force the Su family could mobilize in the underworld.

"This matter was actually planned jointly by the First Master and Miss. Miss hasn't dealt much with these things in the past, and Juan'er doesn't know very much either. We didn't tell you this time because we were afraid the husband would worry..."

After Juan'er offered her explanation, Ning Yi more or less understood the situation. Su Boyong was not a man without a temper; since he had been left bedridden by the assassination attempt, revenge was certain. Furthermore, as Su Tan'er took charge of the household, she had to begin engaging with these aspects of the world. As for Juan'er's subtle tone when mentioning Xi Junyu, he could roughly guess the reasons behind it. However, the fact that the assassination had been instigated by a steward within the family was something he genuinely had not anticipated earlier.

"No one is around," Ning Yi nodded. "Who is it?"

"Uh, it's still unclear..."

"Uncle Cheng, who on earth are these people?" In the courtyard at Shibu Slope, Su Tan'er was also questioning the man beside her.

Outside the courtyard, the fighting was still ongoing, but the number of participants was small, and the overall situation of the battle remained unclear. A moment ago, a disciple of the Hundred Blade League had broken through the front gate, covered in blood, but the two sides were still in the probing stage. Several casualties already lay bleeding and groaning in the courtyard—a sight that would undoubtedly appear extremely grisly to a woman. Su Tan'er stood there with an unchanged expression, though one hand secretly clutched the hem of her garment. This was not her first time witnessing such scenes; years ago, when she left Jiangning, they had encountered bandits along the way whose passage could not be bought, leading to a clash where she had seen rivers of blood. Yet, no matter the circumstances, one could never truly grow accustomed to such sights.

Standing beside her was the middle-aged man who had been speaking with her father earlier. He was tall and robust, in his early fifties, with his beard half-white and a visage resembling that of a lion or tiger, exuding a steady and imposing aura. A heavy broadsword rested beside him. This was League Master Cheng Lie of the Hundred Blade League. At the moment, he turned his head to listen to the sounds echoing from outside.

"It's hard to say yet. There are quite a few of them. We failed to ambush them at the start, so now we have no choice but to fight it out. Hmph, they aren't locals from Jiangning."

"Not locals?"

"Unfamiliar faces, bold and ruthless. Judging by their moves, they came from elsewhere. They're likely one of those desperate gangs that arrived in Jiangning during the recent floods."

Jiangning was wealthy, so naturally, there was no shortage of people dabbling in illicit trades and walking the underworld, and every year outsiders came to carve out territory or struggle for a living. During times of natural disasters and man-made calamities, the number of desperate individuals who lost everything and descended upon Jiangning with the momentum of fierce dragons crossing a river multiplied. To various gangs and factions, such people often posed a huge threat; those driven to the brink of starvation could be extremely destructive when pushed to desperation. However, for a power like the Hundred Blade League, the impact was minimal, so Cheng Lie merely tilted his head.

"Niexian, rest assured. A fierce dragon does not suppress the local snake. There's no need to worry about these wild operators. They think they have some numbers, but tonight we'll ensure they die thoroughly. We keep track of all the outsiders who come to Jiangning to beg for a living. Once we figure out which faction they belong to, I guarantee that those who didn't show up tonight won't be leaving Jiangning alive either. This matter... hmm..."

Cheng Lie's words were steady, imposing, and full of confidence—and indeed, he possessed the strength to back them up. However, midway through, he remembered that the person he was speaking to was his niece. Hesitating slightly, he simply waved a hand. "Stop toying with them. Make your move!"

At that moment, figures stood beneath the eaves and in the shadows throughout the courtyard. Invisible from the outside, the inner courtyard resembled a heavily guarded fortress. At the wave of his hand, a man beside him immediately uncapped a bamboo tube. The moment the signal flare shot into the sky and burst, a shout suddenly erupted from outside: "Kill—"

In that split second, answering cries surged forth like a tidal wave, shaking the night sky: "Kill—"

"Charge and kill—"

Members of the Hundred Blade League who had been stationed at various points around Shibu Slope moved simultaneously, sweeping like an angry tide toward the woods surrounding the courtyard. Short blades clashed, and the outsiders who had gathered nearby were truly forced out into the open. The sounds of combat instantly grew intense. Inside the courtyard, six or seven people also rushed out through the gate. Amidst the deafening roar, Su Tan'er recalled something and turned to ask Cheng Lie a question.

"What?" Cheng Lie didn't hear clearly and asked loudly.

"Uncle Cheng! I want to ask! Among these outsiders, are there any from Ezhou?" Su Tan'er raised her voice.

"Ezhou?"

"Yes! I remember now—the person who framed Father back then was from Ezhou!"

"There are people from all over, but Ezhou... there is a faction. Many of them are from around Ezhou, led by someone named Ou Peng... Ah! The rooftop!"

Before Cheng Lie finished speaking, he let out a sudden roar, spun around, grabbed his broadsword with his left hand, and snatched an iron ring of unknown utility from beside him with his right, hurling it with a whistling sound toward the rooftop of the room where Xi Junyu was being detained. A human figure had appeared on that rooftop at some unknown moment. The iron ring smashed violently through the thatch on the roof. The figure reacted instantly, reaching behind to draw a broadsword of their own and hacking down hard against the incoming iron ring.

*Bang!* Sparks lit up the night sky. The iron ring was batted away, and the figure stumbled several times across the rooftop, crushing the thatch before tumbling right into the room.

"Ah—"

"Go to hell!"

Amidst the sudden uproar, Su Tan'er had stepped outside earlier, and Su Boyong had instructed a guard to wheel his chair inside. It was unclear what he had said to Xi Junyu, but just then, he was heading out the door and glanced back. Beside Su Tan'er, Cheng Lie's figure had already flown rapidly toward the room. He smashed through half a window with a strike and crashed inside. The room contained only a single oil lamp, casting overlapping shadows as the sounds of *ping-pong, clang-clang* rang out! Blade light whirled, and sparks burst continuously amidst loud battle cries. Tables, chairs, and wooden racks were hacked to pieces, flying through the air and illuminated by sparks.

A figure flew out of the window with a loud crash. This person was tall and thin—the very member of the Hundred Blade League who had previously subdued Xi Junyu and remained stationed in the room. He could be considered a skilled martial artist, but he had clearly been blasted out this time. After rolling a few times on the ground and spitting out a mouthful of blood, he scrambled back up. Su Tan'er wanted to run toward her father, but Su Boyong waved his hand to signal her not to, as Guard Geng had already retreated with his blade drawn. Three people remained inside the room: Xi Junyu, Cheng Lie, and the intruder who had been knocked off the roof. The fight was still raging, sending up astonishing showers of sparks, and it was anyone's guess whether Xi Junyu, caught in the crossfire, had been hacked to death.

"Go to hell!" Inside the room, Cheng Lie let out a sudden roar, followed by a loud crash as another figure was blasted through the window. That person gripped a steel saber, half their body stained crimson with blood, their headscarf knocked off in a state of extreme disarray—clearly the intruder. Crawling up from the ground, he let out a wild roar and charged like a madman toward Su Tan'er's direction. The tall, thin member of the Hundred Blade League sidestepped a few steps and intercepted him with his sharp blade. Their weapons crossed, and the intruder let out a fierce shout, his saber dancing in his hands and spinning off countless sparks with a rapid *clack-clack-clack*. But this time, the tall, thin man had gained experience, and after two blows, he forced the intruder back.

Hundred Blade League members stationed beneath the nearby eaves and in the shadows closed in around them.

"Move!" Cheng Lie barked from inside the room. Xi Junyu was kicked out, stumbling forward. Before he could even steady himself, a heavy broadsword rested firmly against his neck. Cheng Lie stepped out of the doorway holding the sword in one hand, gazing at the surrounded man in the courtyard. "Who are you?"

The saber-wielding intruder, whose body was half-covered in blood, pushed aside his hair and gritted his teeth. "My name is Ma Lin!"

"Good. Kill him."

Without wasting words, Cheng Lie tilted his head. At the courtyard gate, the sounds of fighting suddenly intensified. Piercing sounds whistled through the air as two Hundred Blade League members were sent flying, while two others were forced back and scattered. Cheng Lie's blade shifted, deflecting a flying hidden weapon, and his broadsword settled steadily back against Xi Junyu's neck. Appearing at the courtyard gate was another tall man carrying an iron spear. He stepped across the threshold, stood there, and surveyed the situation in the courtyard—his comrades in the middle of the yard and... the courtyard full of enemies.

"I remember you. Ou Peng, it really is you lot." Cheng Lie shook his head. "You outsiders are having quite a fun time playing around in Jiangning, aren't you?"

"Just trying to earn a living," the tall man raised his spear. "Whoever blocks my rice bowl, I kill their entire family. I know your surname is Cheng. Are you going to let us pass or not?"

Cheng Lie frowned, then let out a rather ferocious laugh, speaking one word at a time: "I think... I'd rather not."

Every disciple of the Hundred Blade League in the courtyard understood that Cheng Lie had been genuinely angered this time. As he prepared to move in and kill Ou Peng, Ou Peng slowly backed out across the threshold of the courtyard gate, then suddenly spun around and sprinted away.

"Kill these lawless wretches!"

With a gloomy expression, Cheng Lie flicked his broadsword and struck Xi Junyu down with a slap, swelling nearly half of the man's face. Dragging his blade, he closed in on Ma Lin in the center of the courtyard. Several men had already begun chasing outward past the courtyard gate, joining their comrades who were already outside to hunt down Ou Peng. For a time, the sounds of brutal hand-to-hand combat near Shibu Slope grew almost deafeningly intense!

At that exact moment, two carriages rolled out from the Su family's side gate, heading all the way toward the city gates...