Nightwatcher

# 249. Court Assembly

The arrow transformed into a fleeting shadow in the darkness, too swift for Xu Qi'an's eyes to follow. However, his powerful spiritual sense locked onto the faintly cyan arrow.

Refining Spirit was considered a minor peak in a martial artist's strength—a statement that’s not made lightly. Martial artists at this stage possessed a hypersensitive intuition when it came to danger.

Upon reaching the Refining Spirit stage, one typically bade farewell to the fate of being ambushed, taken by surprise, or attacked unawares.

A military crossbow from the Sitianjian — a lethal weapon that could even kill Refining Spirits!

Xu Qi'an immediately identified the origin of the weapon, as he had once possessed such an artefact.

Instinctively, he thought to leap off his horse to dodge the arrow.

"No, my little mare can't die here…"

This thought flashed through his mind, and he changed his plan. Reaching to his lower back, he unsheathed his blade with a clear, sharp sound and, with a reverse slash, precisely cut the arrow in half.

In the faint sound of sliding tiles, two men in black leaped from the rooftop, attacking Xu Qi'an from both sides.

They wielded standard-issue long sabres, their overwhelming force distorting the air as they aimed to cut down both Xu Qi'an and his horse.

"Hyah!"

Sensing the danger, Xu Qi'an squeezed his legs against his horse’s belly, urging his beloved mare into a mad dash forward, narrowly avoiding the pincer attack.

At the same time, he vaulted off the horse, landing lightly on the roof of a tavern.

"Boom!"

The two black-clad men’s sabre auras struck empty ground, carving deep grooves into the earth.

Refining Spirit... Xu Qi'an glanced down, making a mental assessment.

What concerned him even more was the man in black hiding in the alley ahead—someone likely even stronger than a Refining Spirit martial artist.

A Strategic retreat!

This was the Inner City, patrolled by the Nightwatchers and the Five Guards of the Imperial City in shifts. These three assassins couldn't linger long; the time they had was even less than what the Chinese national football team had left on the clock.

As long as he didn’t engage them in prolonged combat, they wouldn’t be able to take him down quickly, and they would retreat on their own. Then, he could immediately use the Qi-watching technique, join forces with the Nightwatchers, and turn the tables on them.

At that moment, another image flashed through Xu Qi'an’s mind: the tall man in black had mysteriously appeared behind him, throwing a punch at the back of his head.

*Damn, when did he get behind me...?* Xu Qi'an's body reacted faster than his mind, instinctively diving off the rooftop.

Simultaneously, the sound of a fist breaking through the air echoed like a thunderclap behind him.

Boom!

The punch, wrapped in powerful qi, exploded into rippling shockwaves in mid-air.

Having missed the strike, the expert seemed surprised, not expecting this newly advanced Refining Spirit martial artist to be so keenly perceptive.

As Xu Qi'an landed, he was immediately met with attacks from the two Refining Spirit fighters.

_Clang, clang..._ He parried their slashing sabres, and as soon as he touched down, he quickly fled.

Moving across rooftops was too dangerous; skillfully using narrow alleys, buildings, and other obstacles was a more prudent approach.

But before he had run far, the sound of something breaking through the air rapidly closed in from behind. His mind instinctively presented an image of the black-clad man attacking.

Xu Qi'an gritted his teeth, twisted his waist, and turned to slash back.

_Clang!_

His black-gold long saber clashed against a fist, sparks erupting from the contact. The force caused the skin of Xu Qi'an's right hand to crack, and his legs skidded along the ground, sliding back over a dozen metres. The thick soles of his shoes were torn from its body with a sharp screeching sound.

A Sixth-rank martial artist — Bronze Skin and Iron Bones.

Though he had anticipated it, Xu Qi'an's heart still sank.

*The mastermind behind this attack knew his capabilities, sending assassins that could almost guarantee his defeat...* They also knew his usual route, ambushing him on the inevitable path.

*Who wants to kill me?*

Now wasn’t the time to ponder this, as the two Refining Spirit experts were already closing in. The trio was clearly a well-coordinated team, with the Bronze Skin and Iron Bones expert leading the charge, supported by the two Refining Spirit martial artists. Their attacks were seamless and relentless.

*Within fifty moves, I’ll be dead...* This terrifying realization flashed through Xu Qi'an’s mind.

In his desperation, he abruptly halted, ignoring the attack from the left, and feigned a reckless strike of mutual destruction with the one on the right. Strangely, the man on the right met his strike head-on without hesitation, while the one on the left, who could have attacked, withdrew his sabre defensively.

Xu Qi'an swiftly turned and slashed at the black-clad man on the left, striking precisely on the edge of the man's saber.

_Thunk..._ The man on the right stabbed Xu Qi'an in the left shoulder with his long blade.

"Damn it!"

Xu Qi'an cursed under his breath.

His true target had been the man on the left, with the reckless strike against the man on the right being a mere feint. Unfortunately, the opponent, also at the Refining Spirit stage, had sensed the danger in advance.

Trying to steal a chicken, only to lose the bait.

Xu Qi'an kicked the man on the right away.

At that moment, the Bronze Skin and Iron Bones expert had already charged forward in an instant, gathering qi in his fist and smashing it into Xu Qi'an's chest with ferocious force.

_Bang!_

Xu Qi'an felt something shatter in his chest. The next moment, he was sent flying as if hit by a heavy truck.

_Cough, cough, cough..._

Steadying himself, Xu Qi'an coughed up blood. The shattering sound in his chest came from the Nightwatcher-issued bronze gong and Song Qing’s protective heart mirror.

With the dual-layered defence, he barely survived the full-force strike of the Bronze Skin and Iron Bones expert.

"Standard weapons, the Sitianjian’s military crossbow, and daring to kill in broad daylight in the Inner City—you must be suicide warriors of some high-up figure."

As he spoke, Xu Qi'an discreetly scanned the surroundings.

The three black-clad men ignored Xu Qi'an's words, showing no awareness of being typical villains, and continued their relentless pursuit.

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

The three black-clad men chased him into the alley, only to find Xu Qi'an standing at the far end, his razor-sharp long saber already sheathed.

"Why aren’t you running?" the Bronze Skin and Iron Bones assassin asked, his voice hoarse, clearly disguised.

"No point in running, so I’ve decided to kill you here," Xu Qi'an said, squinting his eyes in satisfaction at the alley’s narrow width, which could only accommodate one person at a time.

One strike—he had only one chance.

The Bronze Skin and Iron Bones expert frowned, concentrating to sense his surroundings, but detected no sign of the Nightwatchers or patrolling soldiers.

Yet Xu Qi'an's confidence made him instinctively wary.

Is he bluffing?

At this moment, he saw the newly advanced Refining Spirit martial artist, the Bronze Gong, slowly place his right hand on the hilt of his sabre.

Focusing on a single point, reaching his peak.

All emotions receded, all qi dampened, like the sea retreating before a tsunami.

At that moment, the three black-clad men felt a premonition of danger. Their Refining Spirit instincts screamed: Danger, danger, danger...

Without hesitation, they followed their warrior instincts and began to retreat from the alley. But just then, a roar pierced their eardrums and shook their spirits, causing their consciousness to lapse into a brief chaos, losing control over their bodies.

Immediately after, they heard the sharp sound of a blade being drawn from its sheath, like a dragon’s cry.

The Bronze Skin and Iron Bones assassin was the first to break free from the Lion’s Roar’s effects, only to see a thin line of blade light slashing towards him. He barely had time to cross his arms, summoning his qi and muscles to rely on his indestructible body to take the blow head-on.

...

“Patapata...”

A Bronze Gong at the Refining Qi level was sprinting across the rooftops, following the trail of destruction until he reached the alley. He leaned over to look into the alley and saw four figures in a standoff. The three black-clad men stood motionless, while across from them, Xu Qi’an was leaning on his blade, gasping for breath, drenched in sweat, with wisps of steam rising from the back of his head.

“Over here!”

The Bronze Gong shouted, holding a sword in one hand and a military crossbow in the other as he jumped into the alley, standing beside Xu Qi’an. Two more Bronze Gongs arrived on the adjacent rooftops and entered the alley.

“Sir Xu, are you alright?”

The patrolling trio expressed their concern. They attuned their senses and, not hearing any heartbeat from the black-clad men, concluded that the assassins were already dead.

“Just a little hurt, nothing serious.”

Xu Qi’an panted. Before his comrades arrived, he had already taken a Strength Pill, and his strength was gradually recovering. However, it would take at least another quarter of an hour before he could walk properly again.

The blade gifted by the Jianzheng was a perfect match for the *One Blade from Heaven and Earth* technique.

The three Bronze Gongs nodded slowly, looking at the black-clad men. The fact that they had forced Xu Qi’an, who had just entered the Refining Spirit realm, into such a dire situation suggested that at least one of them was at the Refining Spirit level.

At that moment, the sound of heavy footsteps approached as a fifty-man squad of the Imperial Guards arrived.

“Sir Xu, please return to the constabulary for treatment. We’ll handle these three.”

One of the Bronze Gongs stepped out of the alley and instructed the Imperial Guards who had just arrived, "Escort Sir Xu back to the Nightwatcher constabulary. Leave ten men here to assist me with the bodies."

The squad leader cupped his fist and responded, "Understood."

After Xu Qi’an left, the three Bronze Gongs returned to the alley. When they touched the bodies, the motionless black-clad men suddenly split in half, their upper and lower bodies separating with a diagonal cut at the waist, leaving a mess of organs and blood on the ground.

The Bronze Gongs frowned, feeling both disgust and surprise.

“I recall that Xu Ningyan’s signature move is a powerful blade technique. He once injured Silver Gong Zhu with a single strike.”

“Yeah. Judging by the scene, his technique has grown even more formidable. He killed three men with one slash, and among them was surely someone at the Refining Spirit level.”

The three simultaneously looked at the foremost black-clad man. It was clear that he was the strongest of the three.

“Wait, where’s his weapon?”

The other two black-clad men were equipped with standard long sabres and military crossbows, but this man’s hands were empty, with no weapon in sight.

Did Xu Ningyan take it?

With doubts in their minds, they inspected the body separately. When they touched the remains, they felt a metallic texture under their fingers.

The corpse had retained its tension from when the man had gathered his strength just before death.

“Huh?”

Simultaneously, a series of question marks popped into their minds. It took them a few seconds to process, and when they did, they were overwhelmed by a mix of disbelief and shock.

“Bronze… Bronze Skin and Iron Bones….” One of the Bronze Gongs murmured.

...

An hour later, at the Nightwatcher constabulary.

The Divine Sword Hall.

Zhang Kaitai, who was on duty tonight, had gathered all the Silver Gongs to discuss the assassination attempt on Xu Qi’an.

The Silver Gong who had just returned from inspecting the scene reported, “From the time of the attack to the moment the enemies were killed, the entire incident lasted no more than eight minutes. It seems the assassins knew Xu Ningyan’s route in advance and ambushed him on a path he had to take.

“After a brief skirmish, they chased Xu Ningyan into an alley, where they were all killed by a single slash. The execution was swift and clean.”

Zhang Kaitai nodded and looked at another Silver Gong, who was in charge of examining the bodies.

The Silver Gong spoke in a deep voice, “The assassins used the most common standard long swords. These are used by the Three Great Imperial Armies and the Five Royal Guard Divisions. Even some household guards of the nobles and ministers use such swords. We can't trace anything specific from the weapons.

“Additionally, we found a magical artefact — a military crossbow on one of the assassins, powerful enough to threaten someone at the Refining Spirit level. But this too doesn’t offer any leads.

“Corruption is rampant in both the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of War, and it’s common for nobles and officials to privately trade military supplies. Over the years, the amount of leaked artefacts and weapons is countless. It’s impossible to trace.

“If we attempt to investigate, it could implicate half the officials in the capital. Even if His Majesty personally orders it, we might end up with nothing.”

Zhang Kaitai nodded, as if he had expected this, and asked, “What about the cultivation levels of the three assassins?”

“Two were at the Refining Spirit level, and one was at the Bronze Skin and Iron Bones level.”

*To kill both Refining Spirit and Bronze Skin and Iron Bones experts with a single slash...* The hall fell into a deathly silence.

After what felt like an eternity, Zhang Kaitai spoke, “Where is Xu Ningyan?”

“He passed out after we treated his wounds.”

Zhang Kaitai nodded, then glanced around at the Silver Gongs, coughing to clear his throat, “You don’t need to focus too much on certain details. As Silver Gongs, you are all top talents of Great Feng, second to none. Occasionally… occasionally, there are one or two freaks among us, but you shouldn't measure yourselves against them.”

The Silver Gongs forced out a few words of agreement, their smiles strained.

Zhang Kaitai shifted the topic, “Who do you think sent the assassins?”

A Silver Gong frowned and replied, “We don’t yet know who Xu Ningyan has recently made enemies with. Based on the information we have, if we rule out personal grudges, it’s highly likely related to the Consort Fu case.”

…

The next day, at six.

Zhang Kaitai first went to visit Xu Qi’an. Seeing that he was still asleep, Zhang Kaitai didn’t disturb him and instead retrieved the dossier on the “Xu Qi’an Assassination Attempt” that had been prepared by the clerks last night. He then headed to the Tower of Noble Spirit.

After being announced, he entered the tower and met Wei Yuan in the tea room on the seventh floor.

This high-ranking eunuch’s movements were limited to two places: the Imperial Palace and the Tower of Noble Spirit.

Thanks to the Nightwatchers’ intelligence network, Wei Yuan could learn about events across the empire without ever leaving his quarters.

“Duke Wei, Xu Ningyan was ambushed after leaving the Imperial Palace yesterday,” Zhang Kaitai said, handing over the dossier.

Wei Yuan took the dossier but didn’t open it immediately. Instead, he asked, “How is he?”

“He sustained some injuries, but nothing serious. His energy is severely depleted, so he’s still asleep,” Zhang Kaitai replied.

Wei Yuan nodded before finally opening the dossier. After quickly reading through it, he looked up at Zhang Kaitai, “Two at the Refining Spirit level, and one at the Bronze Skin and Iron Bones level?”

He seemed to be seeking confirmation.

*Even someone as wise as Duke Wei was often left surprised by that kid…* Zhang Kaitai gave a nod, “Bronze Skin and Iron Bones.”

Wei Yuan was silent for a long time before he suddenly chuckled, “Not bad, not bad at all.”

Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Kaitai asked, “Could this be related to the Consort Fu case?”

“The Consort Fu case is His Majesty’s private matter. It’s not appropriate for an outside official to interfere, but I will report this matter,” Wei Yuan replied as he closed the dossier and frowned slightly.

He had few spies in the palace; after all, the Imperial Palace was Emperor Yuanjing’s domain. Planting too many spies there would only provoke the emperor’s wrath. Ever since three of his informants were removed, Wei Yuan had temporarily ceased his surveillance of the palace.

There should always be a degree of tacit understanding between ruler and subject. Emperor Yuanjing had clearly signaled to him: “Stop prying into the palace affairs.”

However, after Xu Qi’an’s assassination attempt, Wei Yuan felt a surge of anger. He decided to reactivate his palace informants and personally oversee this case.

Footsteps echoed from the stairway outside, drawing Wei Yuan’s attention, and Zhang Kaitai turned to look as well.

A black-clad clerk entered the tea room with his head lowered and respectfully reported, “Duke Wei, there’s an order from the palace — court assembly, eight o’clock.”

“I understand,” Wei Yuan nodded.

“Seems like something major…” Zhang Kaitai tactfully stood up, “Then your servant will take his leave.”

Court assemblies weren’t held every day. Generally, a diligent monarch would hold a grand court assembly every three days at a fixed time.

A more negligent monarch might hold court every five to ten days.

Under Emperor Yuanjing, early morning court sessions had become rare. He would only call for one when in the mood to address state affairs, typically notifying officials a day in advance.

When a court assembly was called on such short notice, it usually signified something important.

After finishing his tea, Wei Yuan called for Nangong Qianrou and entered the palace with his adopted son.

By quarter to eight, they arrived at the Meridian Gate. The plaza was already filled with capital officials, who were whispering among themselves, speculating on the reason for Emperor Yuanjing’s sudden court assembly.

Most were guessing it had to do with the Consort Fu case. It was the most significant issue recently.

This case was tied to the Crown Prince and the stability of the state. Only such a matter could prompt Emperor Yuanjing, who had long neglected state affairs, to suddenly call a court assembly and summon his ministers for discussion.

“Duke Wei.”

The Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate approached cautiously, glancing around nervously before whispering, “There’s news from the palace. Last night, His Majesty went to the Fengqi Palace, but left in a furious rage.”

Wei Yuan’s expression subtly changed, and he nodded slowly, “I see.”