Chapter 1398: Ideas Are Thorny

Chapter 1383: A Tricky Problem

The deafening explosion also masked another subtle sound of something slicing through the air:

The moment the bodyguards were thrown back and Xue Zongwu closed his eyes, someone burst out from the nearby woods, rushing straight towards him.

The person's running speed was strange; their center of gravity leaned forward as if they might stumble at any moment, yet they were incredibly fast and stable. A large tree lay fallen directly ahead, which the manor servants hadn't moved for days. As this person vaulted over the fallen trunk, they used both hands and feet, placing their hands on the wood and pushing off with their feet, as agile as a leopard.

The broken tree actually helped them accelerate, covering a distance of five zhang in a flash. The split-water daggers in their hand glinted with a faint, eerie light, aiming directly for Xue Zongwu's throat!

The explosion, the shockwave, the intense light, the stealthy attack—everything was perfectly coordinated.

The attacker put their entire effort into the strike, with half a chi of protective aura emanating from the dagger's tip, intent on achieving victory with this one blow.

However, they had still underestimated Xue Zongwu.

Xue Zongwu hadn't even opened his eyes, on the verge of losing his life, yet the attacker's thrust was like striking a solid, soft ball—

Suddenly, an invisible barrier appeared between Xue Zongwu and the attacker. It felt substantial and highly elastic; the attacker's full force blow was like hitting a ball with a stick, actually pushing Xue Zongwu away!

Unbeknownst to the attacker, a special magical artifact on Xue Zongwu, called "Smooth Sailing," had automatically activated. It was actually a sail-shaped talisman designed to deflect external forces and protect its owner at critical moments, combining protection and escape capabilities.

However, each use required a fifteen-minute cooldown period.

The force of Weng Xing's strike propelled Xue Zongwu a considerable distance.

Weng Xing had truly struck with lethal intent; Xue Zongwu flew two zhang through the air. Upon landing, he opened his eyes and saw the attacker.

It was clearly another person in black, also wearing a mask.

As expected, such an act required accomplices.

At this moment, the first masked attacker also burst from the woods, silently advancing to attack.

Time was precious; the window of opportunity to assassinate Xue Zongwu was only a few breaths.

The good news, however, was that the soft-ball-like barrier around Xue Zongwu had vanished. Both attackers guessed it was either a magical artifact or a divine ability that couldn't be active at all times.

Their combined attack was perfectly seamless, creating an effect far greater than the sum of their individual strengths. Despite Xue Zongwu's formidable strength, he initially failed to seize the initiative and, several breaths later, remained on the defensive.

These two might have worn cheap clothes and shouted ridiculous slogans, but their combat skills were genuinely powerful. Even with Xue Zongwu's years of battlefield experience, he was initially overwhelmed by their explosive and fierce assault!

He even suspected they were deliberately feigning weakness to make him underestimate them.

But with a thought, a pale blue light emanated from his body.

Elemental energy!

As a renowned general of the Yao Kingdom, standing on Yao soil, he could still harness a considerable amount of elemental energy, even without his one hundred thousand troops by his side.

It sharpened Xue Zongwu's senses, enhancing his reactions, combat skills, and even his resistance to divine abilities.

To him, the two masked attackers' movements suddenly seemed to slow by a fraction.

In a contest between masters, even a hair's breadth difference matters. This fraction of a delay gave Xue Zongwu ample advantage. A phantom image flickered behind him, and a cold light flashed through the darkness, striking towards Weng Xing's waist.

The strike was sudden; Weng Xing's move was spent, and he couldn't defend in time. Weng Su was forced to parry with his dagger, deflecting the blow for him.

The continuous assault, which had been like a surging mountain flood, suddenly opened a gap.

Half a breath, just half a breath of misalignment.

Although Weng Su's other split-water dagger moved to cover, Xue Zongwu seized this half-breath to recover and counterattack powerfully!

Only then did the two opponents clearly see that another "Xue Zongwu" had appeared in place!

Its height, build, attire, and expression were identical to the original, wielding a pair of hand axes and displaying equally fierce combat skills.

Cloning technique!

One Xue Zongwu was already difficult to handle; now another had emerged.

The Weng brothers felt their scalps tingle.

Their initial two stealthy strikes represented the peak of their concentrated essence, energy, and spirit, aiming for a world-shaking effect.

Yet, despite being caught off guard and fighting two against one, Xue Zongwu showed no panic. Once he utilized his elemental energy and regained the initiative, he subtly began to overwhelm them.

That scoundrel was truly detestable, but his cultivation and combat skills were undeniably strong!

Furthermore, although Xue Zongwu's guards were disrupted by the explosion, they had withstood the initial shockwave and were about to get up to aid their master, leaving the Weng brothers with little time.

Fortunately, they were no easy targets either.

After such a violent explosion, thick smoke was bound to follow. Had it been broad daylight, observers would have noticed that the smoke and dust raised by the blast were not only black and gray but also an eerie pale green.

Along with the thick smoke, the entire area was filled not only with the pungent smell of gunpowder but also an indescribable foul stench!

This stench was like the horror unleashed when a sealed room, filled with rotting fish and prawns baked for five days under the scorching midsummer sun, was suddenly opened.

It was unspeakable, making people want to vomit.

The guards on the ground had just gotten back up, but upon smelling such a unique and startling odor, they all bent over and vomited profusely.

The physiological reaction triggered by the foul odor was almost beyond human control.

This time, even Xue Zongwu's lieutenants and personal guards fell victim. Their elemental energy could resist many divine abilities and even reduce explosion damage, but it offered little resistance to an olfactory attack.

Especially when facing danger, people's breathing involuntarily quickens, causing them to succumb even faster.

The Weng brothers gained a little more precious time.

The smell of this smoke bore a striking resemblance to He Lingchuan's scent pellets. The difference was that the green smoke's main components were the saliva and stomach acid of northern giant lizards. Both liquids had a pungent, foul odor, and the volatile stomach acid of the northern lizards was highly corrosive to the skin of ordinary creatures.

Xue Zongwu, however, fought as if unaffected, showing no discomfort. He even roared at his subordinates, "Hold your breath! All of you, hold your breath!"

He had held his breath from the very beginning of the explosion, regulating his internal energy to fight. Holding his breath first in the face of danger was a habit he had developed during his early cultivation on Mount Qingnie, and it had saved him countless times over the years.

Thick smoke began to spread across the entire area, and visibility rapidly decreased. The three fought at high speed; guards just three zhang away couldn't see clearly, only occasionally catching a glimpse of a spark or two indicating the clash of weapons.

The longer Xue Zongwu fought, the more surprised he became. These two imposters truly had skill; they were stronger than his two lieutenants he had brought with him, and with their seamless coordination, they could make five parts of skill perform like eight.

But now he had an even greater question:

He had originally thought these two were Qingyang's subordinates, kidnapping and killing Qian Yu and stealing the ledgers in Shuangxi to collect evidence of Xue Zongwu's crimes for Qingyang.

But these two had actually come to Little Peach Manor to assassinate him!

This was strange. What good would his death do Qingyang?

Exposing Xue Zongwu in court, thereby diminishing the Yao King's reputation and authority, was the old hag Qingyang's real objective.

Those who plan for the overall situation consider everything. The conflict between Xue Zongwu and her had not yet escalated to the point of lethal intent, so why would she do this?

So, these two aren't Qingyang's subordinates after all?

Which means Qingyang didn't steal the ledgers?

That's right, he had always felt something was off about the Shuangxi incident but couldn't put his finger on it. But now he finally realized!

If Qingyang wanted to accuse Xue Zongwu in court, in addition to physical evidence, she should have preserved important human witnesses. Why would she kill Qian Yu?

Kidnapping him would have been enough!

Qian Yu was an old subordinate Xue Zongwu had used for years; if he testified, others would surely believe him.

Therefore—

The conclusion was obvious: the people who killed Qian Yu and stole the ledgers had no connection to Qingyang!

Having figured this out, Xue Zongwu felt completely relieved.

What did it matter if those ledgers fell into others' hands? Even if the entire set of accounts were problematic, not just a few unclear entries, he wouldn't fear anyone reporting him to the Yao King—except Qingyang.

Among Xue Zongwu's personal guards were also spellcasters. Seeing that the thick mist refused to dissipate and the foul stench permeated the air, one of them formed a hand seal and roared:

"Wind, come!"

The Wind-Summoning Spell was effective; as soon as he formed the seal, a strong wind suddenly rose, making the small trees in the garden sway uniformly.

But the thick smoke persisted, refusing to disperse, and the foul stench would not be blown away by the wind.

They naturally didn't know that Weng Su possessed a treasure called "Smoke Pouch." The smoke produced by it could last fifty breaths in a fierce wind without dissipating.

It had only one drawback: storing smoke inside was laborious, requiring the owner to personally fill it.

In the blink of an eye, the thick smoke had expanded to an area of ten zhang, completely obscuring what was happening inside from anyone standing outside the cloud.

Xue Zongwu roared, forced the Weng brothers back twice, and then strode out of the smoke.

If the smoke wouldn't dissipate, he would simply leave.

He had legs, so why should he fight to the death with his opponents within the smoke cloud?

Moreover, he had also noticed that something was wrong with the thick smoke; in addition to the astonishing foul odor, his exposed skin and eyes felt a slight stinging sensation.

This smoke actually had a corrosive effect on the skin!

The guards of Little Peach Manor could no longer endure it and fled from the smoke's range.

They lacked elemental energy; even with a bit of internal force protecting their bodies, the smoke's corrosiveness was still very strong. Two of them ran out, covering their eyes with festering hands, not daring to open their mouths no matter how much pain they felt, fearing their tongues would also be affected.

Xue Zongwu's subordinates finally overcame the urge to vomit thoroughly and rushed to provide assistance. The thick smoke, which could obscure the sight of ordinary people, had little bewildering effect on them.

During this time, the Weng brothers launched their most ferocious attacks on Xue Zongwu, but he blocked every one of them.

As time passed, and as the opponent's personal guards joined the fight, the gap in advantage would only widen.

Furthermore, Xue Zongwu clearly knew that the optimal solution was to defend and stall until his personal guards swarmed them. Yet, even fighting two against one, he remained wide open and fearless.

This kind of confidence and demeanor could only be forged through life-and-death combat on the battlefield.

When the light emanating from Xue Zongwu grew even brighter, Weng Su knew their chances of victory were gone. He immediately shouted, "No more fighting! Retreat!"