Chapter Ten: An Unprepared Lu Xiaofeng Faces Five Master Finger Mystics Blocking the Door?

The private room fell into a suffocating silence.

Only the heavy sound of a few breaths remained.

"Although you guessed everything correctly, you still missed a few," Lu Xiaofeng wiped his nose and forced a bitter smile. "Besides the Six Doors, the Eastern Depot, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the evidence I obtained also involves the Western Depot, the Hulong Manor, and the Baolong clan."

Hua Manlou remained silent for a long time after hearing this.

Ximen Chuixue and Sikong Zhaixing also fell into silence.

The Eastern Depot, Western Depot, Embroidered Uniform Guard, Hulong Manor, Six Doors, and Baolong clan were all official organizations directly under the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, responsible for investigating wrongdoing within the empire, with the authority to inspect and arrest.

All of them had received evidence and clues implicating Prince Su in treason, collusion with foreign powers, and plotting rebellion.

No matter how unbelievable, the Emperor would undoubtedly launch a thorough investigation.

Hua Manlou did not ask who had commissioned Lu Xiaofeng to investigate this earth-shattering case, nor did he need to. He only sighed, "No wonder you insisted on us accompanying you this time. Indeed, this is an extremely thorny and troublesome matter. Even though my sight has dimmed, I still seem to perceive a terrifying game of chess unfolding."

Sikong Zhaixing's eyes flickered. "Is it still possible to run now?"

He had long suspected this matter would be troublesome, but never imagined it would be this dire—entangling the Prince Su's mansion and the court was one thing, but directly involving all the Ming Dynasty’s secret agencies was another.

This whirlpool was far beyond what his frail body could withstand.

Sikong Zhaixing felt he might soon be shattered beyond repair.

"Running is definitely impossible."

"The one who entrusted me to investigate this matter certainly won't allow us to escape."

Lu Xiaofeng shook his head helplessly.

Ximen Chuixue snorted coldly, noncommittal. "If I wanted to leave, no one could stop my sword unless all those forces you mentioned acted together."

"I have complete faith in Little Xi’s sword."

"But this time is different."

Lu Xiaofeng shook his head and revealed even more astonishing news. "This matter directly concerns the foundation of the Ming Dynasty. The person who commissioned me said that if necessary, the Eastern and Western Depots, Hulong Manor, Embroidered Uniform Guard, Six Doors, and the Ministry of War would all cooperate fully."

"Little Xi, no matter how formidable your sword is, you might at most fend off a Grandmaster of Heavenly Phenomena, but can you withstand the combined forces of several great powers and the court’s political strife?"

Ximen Chuixue was a sword god who shook the martial world, a grandmaster of swordsmanship at the pinnacle of the Mystic Point.

Yet, he was still not a Grandmaster of Heavenly Phenomena.

His sword’s killing power, abundant as it was, would be no match against the unfathomable Iron-Bold Divine Marquis, or the Eastern Depot’s overseer Cao Zhengchun, or the Six Doors’ Guo Juxia.

"That's easy for you to say," Sikong Zhaixing sighed and shook his head repeatedly. "I'm not afraid of the court. If I wanted to escape, with my skills in disguise and lightness, there’s nowhere in the world I couldn’t hide. At worst, I’d leave the Ming Dynasty. Could their swords possibly reach me in another country?"

"But once you provoke the Prince Su's mansion, there's truly nowhere to escape, neither in heaven nor on earth."

"Hmm?"

Lu Xiaofeng looked at him intently. "Old Monkey, do you know some inside information?"

Ximen Chuixue’s sharp gaze immediately fixed on Sikong Zhaixing, while Hua Manlou leaned in to listen.

"Don’t concern yourself with what information I have. I can only tell you this: if I had to choose between offending the court or offending the Prince Su’s mansion, I would undoubtedly choose to offend the court," Sikong Zhaixing said, with a flash of darkness and fear in his eyes, which Lu Xiaofeng and Ximen Chuixue both noticed.

That year, that month, that day.

When the three thousand troops of the Prince Su’s mansion swept through the martial world, Sikong Zhaixing was fortunate enough to witness their operation firsthand.

His proud lightness skill was nothing but a ridiculous child's play in the face of those three thousand soldiers who could move with the power to shake heaven and earth, flying as far as a hundred miles in one breath.

Lu Xiaofeng was his best friend, and Sikong Zhaixing never wanted to see him in trouble.

"The King of Thieves who fears neither heaven nor earth is actually afraid of Prince Su’s mansion?"

Lu Xiaofeng smiled meaningfully, growing even more curious. "Could it be that Prince Su’s mansion is a dragon’s den and tiger’s lair, so formidable that even you, the slippery old monkey, dare not offend it?"

"Little Lu, as a friend, what I can tell you is this: if there ever comes a time when you must pick a side, remember, never hesitate to choose Prince Su’s mansion."

Those words changed the expressions of everyone present.

"Alas!"

Lu Xiaofeng couldn’t help but sigh deeply. He understood what Sikong Zhaixing meant. "Let me guess. To make you, the King of Thieves, so wary, to have you know secrets that outsiders can never fathom, and based on what you just said, can I be certain that you have already joined Prince Su’s mansion?"

"I..."

Sikong Zhaixing lowered his head in shame at Lu Xiaofeng’s disappointed gaze.

At that moment, the answer was clear.

"Clap! Clap! Clap!"

Before anyone could say more, the sound of applause came from outside the door. Then the door was pushed open, revealing several men clad in dark armor, holding strange sabers and black shields.

"Truly worthy of being cunning as a demon and brilliantly intelligent, Lu Xiaofeng."

"To detect Sikong Zhaixing’s oddity from just a few words—impressive, impressive."

Ximen Chuixue’s expression shifted slightly as he instinctively tightened his grip on his sword.

But this seemingly insignificant gesture immediately invited the harshest suppression. Several razor-sharp saber lights flashed simultaneously as the men who had just stood outside now entered the room, sabers crossed, pointing directly at the three of them.

The atmosphere instantly turned deadly.

"The Azure Cloud Dark Armor, each soldier has fought a hundred battles."

"One unit of fifteen, invincible in the face of ten thousand enemies."

Lu Xiaofeng’s hand holding his teacup trembled, but he quickly regained composure and shook his head with a bitter smile. "I once thought this was an exaggeration, but after seeing you all with my own eyes, I know it’s no lie."

"Five Mystic Point masters won’t hold us back."

Ximen Chuixue’s expression was grave.

Five Mystic Point masters?

Hua Manlou, who had been about to stand, immediately sat back down as if nothing had happened and continued sipping his tea. The Mystic Point realm was known as the grandmaster level in the martial world. Those who reached this level could dominate a region, establish their own sect, or become warlords. On the battlefield, they were top generals before whom thousands of troops would retreat.

And now there were five of them?

Five Mystic Point masters blocking the door, in such a confined space.

No matter how confident Hua Manlou was, he dared not act recklessly.

"Not just five, but fifty, or even more," Lu Xiaofeng’s face twitched slightly. He saw further. The commotion they caused was considerable, yet the entire tavern remained peaceful, proving that aside from these Azure Cloud troops outside the door, the so-called guests and waiters in the tavern were likely all members of Prince Su’s mansion as well.

If the Azure Cloud troops were all as formidable as those before them—

If Lu Xiaofeng's perception of the other presences in the tavern was correct.

At his guess, not only Hua Manlou was stunned, but even Ximen Chuixue, who had planned to break through the siege, abandoned the idea. He was a sword god, not a deity.

He could fight five Mystic Point masters with a fair chance of breaking out.

But fifty Mystic Point masters?

Even given ten years, Ximen Chuixue would not be confident in breaking through a siege by fifty Mystic Point grandmasters.