Young Master, run first!

Returning to the capital from the outer fortification city, Li Yi and his entourage, escorting Kazuo Yamana and Boss Hong, passed through the gates of Zhuque Avenue in Chang'an, preparing to enter the palace for an audience with the Emperor.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, the Japanese spies who had been lurking in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to gather intelligence, turned as pale as frost when they saw Li Yi returning safe and sound.

"What do we do now? That bastard Li Yi didn't even die!" one of the Japanese muttered with heavy breaths.

The other Japanese stared in response at the man who led them.

Seeing this, the leader furrowed his brow in deep thought for a moment before turning around, gritting his teeth, and whispering instructions: "You few, go and find a chance to stall him. Kill him if you can; if you can't, you must stall him at all costs. I am going back immediately to report this to the two ambassadors!"

"Understood!" Several of the Japanese nodded repeatedly and immediately trailed behind Li Yi's group.

Meanwhile, the leader hurried back to the Foreign Envoys' Quarters.

Completely unaware of the impending danger, Li Yi led his entourage slowly forward. In the blink of an eye, they crossed Zhuque Avenue and arrived at a street corner.

Since this place belonged to the entrance of the official highway, passing pedestrians were scarce, and humble dwellings were few and far between.

Seeing this, the shadowing Japanese exchanged glances, nodded solemnly, and instantly drew their Tang sabers from beneath their garments.

"Kill!"

One of them lowered his brow and gave the order, and the rest of the Japanese sprinted like flying towards the group.

"Thud!" "Thud!" "Thud!"

The sound of slashing immediately echoed through the air, throwing the caravan attendants into utter panic and disarray.

However, these Japanese had their sights set on none other than Li Yi. As they surged through the caravan personnel, they swung their blades and charged directly at him.

"Young master, watch out!" Seeing someone charging toward them, Yue'er shouted loudly to warn Li Yi.

At the same time, Yue'er took a nimble step forward, shielding Li Yi with her own delicate body. Wielding a long sword, she scanned her surroundings with vigilant eyes.

This time, having learned from her previous mistake, Yue'er did not rashly charge into the fray to fight them, but instead remained steadfast by Li Yi's side.

Upon seeing this, Cheng Chumo sneered and shouted, "In broad daylight, you dare to commit murder in the streets and assassinate a court official! You're courting death!"

In the next instant, Cheng Chumo hoisted a Tang saber from nearby and lunged forward like the wind, engaging the group in fierce combat.

The entire scene descended into utter chaos, with the sounds of battle ringing continuously. Many of the caravan guards suffered casualties on the spot.

A panicked Zheng An also scurried over to hide beside Li Yi.

...

Inside the Foreign Envoys' Quarters.

Inouye Oritaka and Hini were kneeling in solemn silence, drinking tea as they awaited news of the successful assassination of Li Yi, when suddenly a knock sounded outside the door.

"Come in!" Inouye Oritaka said in a calm voice.

Following that, both he and Hini set down their teacups, raised their eyes toward the door with grim expressions, and the air grew exceptionally heavy.

"Yes, Your Excellency!" At the response, a Japanese rushed into the room.

Once inside, he quickly closed the door.

Bowing halfway, the messenger cupped his fists with a bitter expression on his face before speaking solemnly to Hini and the other: "Two Excellencies, this is terrible! Li Bo'an is not dead. He has already entered the capital and is on his way to the imperial palace!"

"What?!"

Almost simultaneously, Inouye Oritaka and Hini leaped to their feet, their brows locked in a fierce glare as they stared at the Japanese messenger.

"What did you say? ... That bastard Li Bo'an didn't die, and right now, he's on his way to the palace?" Inouye Oritaka asked in a deep voice.

"Yes, Ambassador Inouye," the messenger answered honestly.

"Useless trash, you're all a bunch of useless trash!" Enraged, Inouye Oritaka arched his brows in fury and roared at the messenger, "You couldn't even kill a single unarmed man! What use do I have for the likes of you?!"

With a sudden kick, Inouye Oritaka overturned the tea table, sending the tea sets crashing and clattering to the floor.

The messenger trembled violently, bowing his head deeply and not daring to make a single move.

"Inouye, do not be hasty." Seeing this, Hini paused in deep thought for a moment before suddenly asking the messenger, "Tell me, did you send people to stall him?"

"Yes!" The trembling messenger nodded earnestly upon hearing Hini's question.

Keeping his head lowered and his voice shaking, he said, "This subordinate already sent the twelve accompanying men to intercept him first, and hurried over specifically to report to the two Excellencies."

Hini remained silent. After pondering a moment longer, he turned his gaze to Inouye Oritaka and said with a stern expression, "Inouye, it seems you must make a personal trip today!"

"Fine! Today, I shall go myself!" Inouye Oritaka nodded with gritted teeth, immediately snatched up a Tang saber from the room, and turned to head out.

"Inouye, wait!" Hini called out, stopping him hurriedly.

Inouye Oritaka paused slightly, turned his head to glare at Hini, and asked with furrowed brows and rising anger, "Hini, is there something else you wish to say?"

"Take this with you, lest your identity be exposed!" With that, Hini retrieved a mask from a drawer and tossed it to Inouye Oritaka.

Inouye Oritaka caught it smoothly, held the mask in his hand, and said, "Wait for my good news!"

With those words, Inouye Oritaka strode out immediately, accompanied by the messenger.

Seeing this, Hini still felt uneasy in his heart.

He took a deep breath, paused in silence for another moment, then hurried back to his own room, opened his medicine chest, took out a box of pre-prepared poison, and followed him out.

...

"Thud! Thud! Thud!"

As successive sounds of falling echoed through the air, Zheng An's caravan guards suffered further casualties, leaving only a handful who had completely lost their ability to fight.

Four martial-arts-proficient Japanese utilized a "beast-trapping" formation to encircle Cheng Chumo, successfully pinning him down.

Seeing this, the remaining Japanese ignored the fallen caravan personnel, brandished their blades instead, and charged straight toward Yue'er with ferocious glares in their eyes.

"Yue'er, finish them off quickly!" Li Yi said coldly as he stared at the incoming figures.

"Yes, young master!" Acknowledging the command, Yue'er darted forward with a nimble step, immediately deploying the Tai Chi sword technique as she engaged the seven or eight Japanese in combat.

However, these Japanese were no fools. They split into groups of four and, leveraging the advantages of their trapping formation, surrounded Yue'er in the center, launching surprise attacks from the flanks at irregular intervals.

Even though Yue'er had already deployed the Tai Chi sword technique, the two sides remained locked in a fierce, even stalemate.

Realizing the situation was turning perilous, Li Yi did not hesitate any longer. He abruptly drew his saber and charged into the fray as well.

"Young master, be careful! Their formation is very bizarre; they are much stronger than the previous batch of assassins!" Yue'er warned, her brow furrowed as she parried and maneuvered against them.

Li Yi nodded with a solemn expression, not daring to let down his guard in the slightest.

Yet, after exchanging blows with them for a moment, Li Yi suddenly spoke with urgency: "Yue'er, let's join forces to kill one of them first! Once we do, their formation will collapse on its own!"

"Yes, young master!" Yue'er nodded.

With Li Yi joining the fight, the power of the Tai Chi sword technique used by the two of them instantly surged, and they coordinated to strike down a specific target.

"Yue'er, kill that one!" Li Yi commanded coldly, deliberately raising the volume of his voice.

"Yes, young master!" Yue'er nodded with a resolute face.

Growing anxious, the targeted Japanese shifted his formation and instantly leaped aside, attempting to evade the combined strike of Li Yi and Yue'er.

Unexpectedly, at that exact moment, the offensive momentum of Li Yi and Yue'er abruptly shifted in unison, turning around to instantly strike down another one of them instead.

With a muffled "splat" cutting through the clash of steel, that Japanese failed to dodge in time; caught in the feint executed by Li Yi and Yue'er, he was killed on the spot.

With one person missing from the formation, its power was far inferior to before, and the remaining attackers instantly lost their previous offensive prowess.

Seizing the opportunity, Li Yi and Yue'er pressed their joint attack with the force of a bamboo splitting, striking down all the remaining Japanese.

Some died, some were wounded, and none retained any fighting capability.

"Come, let's go help Cheng Chumo!" Li Yi instructed Yue'er. As the two rushed over to aid Cheng Chumo, the three of them easily dispatched the remaining four adversaries.

"Brother Bo'an, your Tai Chi sword technique is truly formidable!" Cheng Chumo panted heavily, patting Li Yi's shoulder and sighing in heartfelt admiration.

At this very moment, he finally understood his father's painstaking efforts.

"It seems that from now on, I must get up early every day and practice this Tai Chi sword technique along with Brother Bo'an!" Cheng Chumo muttered to himself inwardly.

Li Yi smiled grimly without speaking, instead stepping forward to deliver a finishing blow to any Japanese who were still breathing, before finally stopping.

Yet right at that moment, a man wearing a samurai mask suddenly leaped down from a rooftop, hurtling through the air to deliver a fierce, downward slash directly toward Li Yi.

"Young master, watch behind you!" Yue'er shouted loudly in warning as she lunged forward with her sword raised to intercept the blow.

However, the force behind this descending strike was immense.

Moreover, Inouye Oritaka, wearing the samurai mask, had jumped down from the roof; carried by the momentum of that massive strength, Yue'er was simply unable to block it.

On the spot, Yue'er was blasted several meters away by the sheer impact of Inouye Oritaka's blade.

"Pfft..." Landing heavily on the ground, Yue'er immediately spat out a mouthful of blood, instantly staining her dress crimson.

"Yue'er, are you alright?" Regaining his senses, Li Yi rushed over like a gust of wind to lift Yue'er up, asking with a face full of anxious worry.

"Yue'er is fine, young master, run!" Yue'er gritted her teeth, attempting to push Li Yi away.

However, having already sustained severe injuries, her strength was virtually negligible.

Seeing this, Li Yi's expression suddenly turned grave. While hurriedly taking Yue'er's pulse, he shouted urgently, "Brother Chumo, hurry and help block him!"

"Alright!" Witnessing this scene, Cheng Chumo flew into a rage, his brows locking as he roared furiously at the masked Inouye Oritaka, "Damn it, you dogs of Japanese wretches! Taste your Grandpa Cheng's blade!"

With that resounding shout, Cheng Chumo charged straight at Inouye Oritaka.

Yet after trading barely a dozen blows, Cheng Chumo was already at a disadvantage. He had sustained several cuts on his body before Inouye Oritaka kicked him flying several meters away, sending him crashing heavily to the ground with a loud thud.

"Cough, cough..." Cheng Chumo coughed incessantly as bright red blood spilled from his mouth.

Meanwhile, Inouye Oritaka gripped his saber and walked step by step toward Li Yi.

"Go to hell, Li Bo'an!" Uttering those cold words, Inouye Oritaka closed the distance in two strides, lunged straight at Li Yi, and brought his Tang saber down in a ruthless slash.