The arrows turned into shadows in the darkness, and Xu Qi'an's eyes couldn't catch them, but his powerful spiritual power locked onto the faint blue arrow.

The Refining Qi Realm is the small peak of a warrior's combat power. This is not just a saying. Warriors at this level have a super keen intuition for danger.

Once they reach the Refining Qi Realm, they basically bid farewell to being ambushed, attacked, or assassinated.

The Bureau of Heavenly Masters' weapon, the Crossbow of the Law, can kill those in the Refining Qi Realm... Xu Qi'an immediately judged the origin of the opponent's weapon because he also had such a weapon.

Subconsciously, he wanted to jump off the horse to avoid the arrows.

"No, my little mare can't die here..."

The thought flashed through his mind, and he immediately changed his mind. He placed his right hand on his lower back, and with the clear sound of a sharp blade being unsheathed, he swung his hand back and accurately cut the arrow in half.

Clatter... In the faint sound of sliding tiles, two black-clothed individuals leaped from the roof, one on the left and one on the right, attacking Xu Qi'an from both sides.

They held standard long knives in their hands, and the rolling knife energy distorted the air, intending to cut Xu Qi'an and his horse in half.

"Go!"

Sensing the danger, Xu Qi'an squeezed the horse's belly, urging his beloved mare to gallop forward and avoid the two attackers.

At the same time, he leaped off the horse's back and landed lightly on the roof of a tavern.

"Bang!"

The knife energy of the two black-clothed individuals slashed through the air, leaving deep knife marks on the ground.

Refining Qi Realm... Xu Qi'an lowered his head and made a judgment in his heart.

But what concerned him more was the black-clothed individual hiding in the alley ahead, who was probably even stronger than the Refining Qi Realm.

Strategic retreat!

This is the inner city, where Nightwatchers patrol and the Imperial Guards take turns patrolling. These three assassins cannot stay for too long. The time they have is even more limited than the time given to the national football team.

As long as I don't engage in combat, they won't be able to take me down in a short time. They will retreat on their own. At that time, I can immediately use my Qi Observation Technique to hunt down the three of them and turn the situation around.

At this moment, another scene appeared in Xu Qi'an's mind. The tall black-clothed individual appeared mysteriously behind him and punched him in the back of the head.

Damn it, when did he appear behind me... Xu Qi'an's body reacted faster than his mind, instinctively diving and leaping off the roof.

At the same time, the sound of a fist breaking through the air came from behind his ears, like the explosion of muffled thunder.

Bang!

The fist's aura created ripples in the air like a ripple in a pond.

Missing the strike, the expert seemed surprised. He didn't expect this bronze gong, who had just entered the Refining Qi Realm, to be so sensitive.

As soon as Xu Qi'an landed, he was greeted by two Refining Qi Realm knives.

Ding ding... He swung his knife to block the two incoming strikes, then landed and quickly fled.

Moving on the rooftops was too dangerous. It was safer to cleverly use obstacles such as alleys and buildings.

But before he could run a few steps, the sound of something breaking through the air quickly approached from behind. The image of the black-clothed person attacking him flashed in his mind.

Gritting his teeth, Xu Qi'an twisted his waist and turned around to strike.

Ding!

The black-gold long knife struck his fist, creating dazzling sparks. Xu Qi'an's right hand's tiger's mouth cracked, and he slid back more than ten meters, his thick soles separating from his shoes with a tearing sound.

A sixth-grade warrior, with bronze skin and iron bones.

Although he had expected it, Xu Qi'an's heart still sank.

The mastermind behind me knows my level, so the assassins they sent can almost predict my moves... They also know my route, so they ambushed me on the necessary path.

Who wants to kill me?

There's no time to think about it now because the attacks of the two Refining Qi Realm experts are quickly approaching. The three of them clearly form a small team with perfect coordination. The bronze skin and iron bones expert takes the lead, while the two Refining Qi Realm experts assist, with their attacks seamlessly connected.

Within fifty moves, I will die... Xu Qi'an's mind flashed with this terrifying realization.

He abruptly stopped his figure, ignoring the strike from the person on his left, and made a gesture as if he wanted to die together with the person on his right. However, strangely, the person on the right calmly chose to die together with him, while the person on the left, who could have attacked, withdrew his knife to defend.

Xu Qi'an swiftly turned around and struck the black-clothed person on the left, precisely hitting the blade he was blocking.

Puff... The long spear of the black-clothed person on the right pierced Xu Qi'an's left shoulder.

"Tch!"

Xu Qi'an cursed inwardly.

His real target was the black-clothed person on the left. Dying together with the person on the right was just a pretense. Unfortunately, the opponent was also in the Refining Qi Realm and had sensed the danger in advance.

Attempting to steal a chicken only to lose the rice.

Xu Qi'an kicked the black-clothed person on the right away.

At this moment, the expert with bronze skin and iron bones had already swiftly attacked, his fist gathering Qi energy, fiercely hitting Xu Qi'an's chest.

Bang!

There was a sound of something exploding in Xu Qi'an's chest. In the next moment, he was sent flying as if hit by a heavy truck.

"Cough cough cough..."

Stabilizing his figure, Xu Qi'an coughed up blood foam. The item that exploded in his chest was the copper gong given to him by the Nightwatcher's yamen, as well as Song Qing's heart-protecting mirror.

With double defense, he managed to withstand the full force of the bronze skin and iron bones expert's attack and saved his life."Standard weapons, the Bureau of Heavenly Masters' magical crossbows. You dare to kill someone in the inner city, are you assassins hired by some important figure?"

As he spoke, he calmly scanned his surroundings.

The three men in black did not respond to Xu Qi'an's words. They showed no awareness of their role as antagonists and continued to attack relentlessly.

Xu Qi'an turned and ran, darting into a narrow alley on the right.

The three men in black chased after him and saw Xu Qi'an standing at the end of the alley, his exceptionally sharp long knife already sheathed.

"Why aren't you running?" asked the killer with the bronze skin and iron bones.

His voice was hoarse, disguised.

"I can't escape, so I plan to kill you here," Xu Qi'an squinted his eyes, satisfied with the narrowness of the alley, which only allowed one person to pass through.

He only had one chance with his knife.

The expert with the bronze skin and iron bones furrowed his brow and concentrated, sensing his surroundings. He did not detect the footsteps of the Nightwatcher or the patrolling officers.

But Xu Qi'an's confidence made him instinctively vigilant.

Is it a bluff?

At that moment, he saw the bronze gong, who had just entered the Qi Refining stage, slowly placing his right hand on the hilt of his knife.

Concentrate a little, reach the peak.

All emotions receded, all aura restrained, like the receding tide before a tsunami.

At this moment, the three men in black felt a sense of danger. Their intuition, coming from someone in the Divine Refinement stage, told them: danger, danger, danger...

Without hesitation, they followed their warrior instincts and planned to retreat from the alley. But just then, a piercing and thunderous roar shook their spirits.

Their consciousness fell into a momentary chaos, losing control of their bodies.

Then, they heard a clear and melodious sound, like the roar of a dragon unsheathing its sword.

The killer with the bronze skin and iron bones was the first to break free from the shock of the lion's roar. He immediately saw a thin line of sword light coming towards him.

He only had time to cross his arms, channeling his aura and muscles, relying on his indestructible physical body to withstand the attack.

...

"Crack."

A Nightwatcher in the Qi Refining stage swiftly ran across the rooftops, following the trail of destruction until he reached the alley.

He leaned over to look into the alley and saw the four people confronting each other. The three men in black stood motionless, while Xu Qi'an, holding his knife, gasped heavily, sweat streaming down his back, and steam rising from the back of his head.

"Over here!"

The Nightwatcher shouted loudly, holding a knife in one hand and a military crossbow in the other, leaping into the alley and standing beside Xu Qi'an.

Two other Nightwatchers on the adjacent rooftops quickly arrived and entered the alley.

"Lord Xu, are you alright?"

The three-person patrol team of Nightwatchers asked with concern. They sensed it and did not hear the heartbeat of the three men in black, concluding that the assassins had perished.

"I'm slightly injured, but it's nothing serious."

Xu Qi'an gasped for breath. Before his three colleagues arrived, he had already taken a powerful pill and his stamina was slowly recovering. However, he still needed to rest for another quarter of an hour before he could resume walking.

The knife given to him by the Bureau's supervisor was a perfect match for the Divine Refinement stage.

The three Nightwatchers nodded slowly. Like the men in black, they were amazed and disgusted that Xu Qi'an, who had just entered the Divine Refinement stage, had been pushed to such a miserable state. It was clear that one of the three men was in the Divine Refinement stage.

At this moment, the sound of noisy and heavy footsteps approached as a fifty-man Imperial Guard rushed over.

"Lord Xu, please return to the Nightwatcher's office to treat your injuries. We will take care of these three."

The Nightwatcher with the bronze gong spoke as he left the alley, instructing the arriving Imperial Guard, "Escort Lord Xu back to the Nightwatcher's office and leave ten men to assist me in handling the bodies."

The leader of the Imperial Guard bowed and said, "Yes."

After Xu Qi'an left, the three Nightwatchers returned to the alley. When they touched the bodies, the motionless men in black suddenly split in half, separating their upper and lower bodies. A diagonal wound appeared at their waists, cutting them cleanly.

Various organs mixed with blood flowed onto the ground.

The Nightwatchers frowned, feeling a bit disgusted and surprised.

"I remember Xu Ningyan's ultimate skill is a tremendously powerful knife technique. He injured Zhu Yinluo with just one strike in the past."

"Yes, now it seems even more powerful. This one strike killed three people, and among the three, there must be one in the Divine Refinement stage."

The three simultaneously looked at the man in black at the front. It was obvious that he was the strongest among the three.

"Huh, why doesn't he have a weapon?"

The other two men in black were equipped with standard long knives and military crossbows, but this man in black had empty hands, without any weapons.

Did Xu Ningyan take it?

With doubts, they individually inspected the body of the man in black. When their fingers touched the corpse, they felt a steel-like texture.

The body still retained the state of exerting force before death.

"Hmm?"

A series of question marks simultaneously appeared in the minds of the three.

After a few seconds, they reacted and felt absurd and shocked.

"Bronze, bronze skin and iron bones..." one of the Nightwatchers murmured.

...

Half an hour later, at the Nightwatcher's office.

Hall of the Divine Sword.

Zhang Kaitai, who was on duty tonight, received the news and gathered all the Nightwatchers to discuss the assassination attempt on Xu Qi'an.

The Nightwatcher who had just finished investigating the scene reported, "From the assassination attempt to killing the enemies, the whole process took less than half a quarter of an hour. The three assassins seemed to have known Xu Ningyan's route in advance and ambushed him on the necessary path.""After a brief confrontation, they chased Xu Ningyan into an alley and were then killed cleanly with a single slash."

Zhang Kaitai nodded and looked at another Nightwatcher, who was responsible for examining the body.

The Nightwatcher said in a deep voice, "The assassin used a common standard long knife, the same kind used by the three major forbidden army camps and the five major imperial city guards. Even some guards in the mansions of royal ministers use this knife. We cannot find any clues from the weapon."

"In addition, we found a military crossbow on one of the assassins, a crossbow that is powerful enough to threaten the Nascent Soul realm. But this still cannot be a breakthrough."

"The situation of embezzlement in the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War is very serious. The phenomenon of royal ministers privately trading military supplies is also frequent. Over the years, countless magical weapons and military equipment have flowed out. It is impossible to trace them."

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"If we want to investigate, it will involve most of the officials in the capital, and there will be heavy resistance. Even if His Majesty personally orders it, it is likely to have no results."

Zhang Kaitai nodded, as if he had already anticipated it, and asked again, "What about the cultivation levels of the three assassins?"

"Two are in the Nascent Soul realm, and one is in the Copper Skin and Iron Bone realm."

Killing cultivators in the Nascent Soul realm and the Copper Skin and Iron Bone realm... the hall fell into a deathly silence.

After a while, Zhang Kaitai said, "What about Xu Ningyan?"

"He fell asleep after dealing with his injuries."

Zhang Kaitai nodded, looked at the Nightwatchers, coughed, and said, "Don't pay too much attention to some trivial details. As Nightwatchers, you are all talented individuals of The Great Feng, no worse than anyone else. It's just that occasionally... occasionally there will be one or two anomalies, which should not be taken as the norm."

The Nightwatchers forced a smile and echoed a few words.

Zhang Kaitai changed the topic, "Who do you think sent the assassins?"

One of the Nightwatchers frowned and said, "We don't know who Xu Ningyan has recently offended. Based on the information we know, if we exclude personal grudges, it is highly likely to be related to the Empress Dowager's case."

..........

The next day, at the hour of Mao.

Zhang Kaitai first went to visit Xu Qi'an. Seeing that he was still sleeping, he didn't disturb him and took the case file of "Xu Qi'an's Assassination" written by the clerks last night and went to the Haoyi Tower.

After being informed, he entered the Haoyi Tower and saw Wei Yuan in the tea room on the seventh floor.

This high-ranking eunuch's activities were limited to two places: the palace and the Haoyi Tower.

Thanks to the intelligence network set up by the Nightwatcher's office outside, he could know everything without leaving his house.

"Wei Gong, Xu Ningyan was assassinated yesterday after leaving the palace." Zhang Kaitai handed over the case file.

Wei Yuan took the case file but didn't open it immediately. He asked, "How is he?"

"He was injured but not seriously. He just exhausted a lot of energy and is still sleeping." Zhang Kaitai said.

Wei Yuan nodded and then opened the case file. After quickly reading it, he looked up and stared at Zhang Kaitai. "Two in the Nascent Soul realm and one in the Copper Skin and Iron Bone realm?"

He seemed to be seeking confirmation.

Even someone as wise as Wei Gong would often be astonished by that kid... Zhang Kaitai responded with a sound of "Hmm."

Wei Yuan remained silent for a long time, then suddenly chuckled, "Not bad, not bad."

Taking advantage of the situation, Zhang Kaitai said, "Could it be related to the Empress Dowager's case?"

"The Empress Dowager's case is a family matter of His Majesty. It is not appropriate for an outsider to intervene. However, I will report this matter." Wei Yuan closed the case file and frowned.

He didn't have many spies in the palace. After all, the palace was Emperor Yuan Jing's territory. If he placed too many spies, it would completely anger Emperor Yuan Jing. Since the last time three pawns were removed, Wei Yuan temporarily gave up paying attention to the palace.

But after experiencing Xu Ningyan's assassination case, Wei Yuan was a little angry. He wanted to reactivate the spies in the palace and personally pay attention to this case.

Footsteps came from outside the stairs. Wei Yuan looked up and Zhang Kaitai turned his head.

A black-clad clerk entered the tea room with his head lowered and respectfully said, "Wei Gong, there is an order from the palace. The morning court will begin at the hour of Chen."

"Understood." Wei Yuan nodded.

"Perhaps something big is happening..." Zhang Kaitai tactfully stood up. "Then I'll take my leave."

The morning court was not held every day. Generally speaking, a diligent monarch would hold a grand court every three days, and the time was fixed.

A negligent monarch would hold it every five to ten days.

In Emperor Yuan Jing's case, he rarely attended the morning court. If he was in a good mood and felt the need to handle government affairs, he would send someone to inform the officials a day in advance.

For today's sudden morning court, it meant that something major had happened.

After finishing his tea, Wei Yuan called Nangong Qianrou and entered the palace together.

They arrived at the Meridian Gate at the hour of Mao, and the square was filled with court officials who were whispering and discussing the reason why Emperor Yuan Jing suddenly called for a morning court.

Most of them speculated whether it was related to the Empress Dowager's case, the recent major event.

This case was related to the Crown Prince and the foundation of the country. Only such a matter would make Emperor Yuan Jing, who had been negligent for a long time, suddenly call for a morning court and gather the ministers to discuss it.

"Wei Gong."The Right Imperial Censor of the Inspectorate came forward, cautiously looking around and whispered, "News from the palace, His Majesty visited the Phoenix Perch Palace last night, and then stormed out in a rage."

Wei Yuan's expression paused slightly, and he slowly nodded, "Hmm."

.......

PS: Oh dear, just after posting the announcement, I was proven wrong on the same day. There's a fight in this chapter, and fights are always particularly difficult to write. My apologies.

Today's update is still ten thousand words, I'll post first and revise later.