Young hero, stay put and don't be reckless.

Chapter 133 Kill them

The study was quiet for a while.

Moonlight shone through the crack in the door, casting blurry shadows of two people.

One was curled up in the chair, like a piece of dry wood;

One of them was leaning against the wall, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, but his back was still straight.

"What exactly do you want?" Helian Bo finally spoke, his voice devoid of the murderous intent from before, only filled with weariness.

"I said, let's make a deal." Jiang Xun smiled, took out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket, and placed it on the table. "This junior has something here that might be useful to you, senior."

"What?"

"The Heaven-Seizing Pill," Jiang Xun said. "Left behind by the Sword God. Although it can't make you young again, it should be enough to last a few more years."

Helian Bo's pupils suddenly contracted, and a glint of light flashed in his cloudy old eyes, like a drowning man grabbing onto the last piece of driftwood.

He had shamelessly begged Lu Qingfeng for a Heaven-Seizing Pill back then, and he still remembered the warmth that almost overflowed from his body.

What do you want?

Jiang Xun was overjoyed. After spending so much time talking and even taking three slaps, he had finally gained the upper hand.

He didn't rush to answer, but pulled up a chair and sat down like an old man.

"Senior, please answer one question for me first—where do treasure maps come from?"

Helian Bo remained silent.

He lowered his head, looking at his withered hands, and remained silent for a long time, so long that Jiang Xun thought he wasn't going to say anything.

"The treasure map," he finally spoke, his voice sounding several years older, "was obtained from a petty thief."

Jiang Xun's heart stirred.

"What petty thief?"

"A disciple of Liu Qing, the 'Master Thief'," Helian Bo said. "His name is Ge Bin."

Jiang Xun frowned slightly.

The disciple of the Thief Saint?

Isn't that my senior brother?

"He came to Shuofeng City with a treasure map, wanting to make a deal with Helian Quan," Helian Bo continued, his tone tinged with disdain. "That kid is far inferior to you; Helian Quan easily snatched the map."

"How did Ge Bin get the drawings?"

Why are you asking this?

"Senior, you don't need to worry about it." Jiang Xun became unusually serious. "Just tell me."

Helian Bo stared at him for a long time, his cloudy eyes darting around, and then he suddenly smiled.

The laughter was hoarse and short, like two pieces of sandpaper grinding against each other.

"It's alright to tell you," he said. "Helian Quan inquired and found out that this map was originally stolen by Liu Qing. Liu Qing gave the map to Ge Bin and told him to hide in Yunzhou. Later, Ge Bin heard that Liu Qing had been captured by the Golden Feather Guard, so he took the map and ran to Shuofeng City himself."

He paused, as if recalling something.

Helian Quan guessed that it was Ge Bin who leaked Liu Qing's whereabouts, allowing the Golden Feather Guards to arrest him so that he could keep the treasure map for himself.

Jiang Xun clenched his fists, his knuckles turned white, veins bulged, and his nails almost dug into his flesh.

Did the senior brother betray the master?

Where is Ge Bin?

"He got away." Helian Bo rarely showed a hint of admiration. "That kid has good lightness skills and knows how to disguise himself. Although Helian Quan had deployed men, he still managed to slip away."

"Where did you go?"

"Da Yong".

Jiang Xun remained silent, his mind racing as he weighed whether Helian Bo's words were true or false.

After a long while, he took a deep breath, suppressed his surging emotions, and asked the most important question.

"I heard the treasure map was originally Prince Jing's keepsake, and he perished on the cliff with it. Where did the Thief Saint steal it from? Could it be that Prince Jing didn't die back then?"

"How would I know about these old scores?" Helian Bo sneered a few times, his laughter dry and grating. "However, that crown prince of the fallen kingdom is a coward who might hand over the map to save his own life."

"Impossible!" Jiang Xun blurted out, his tone full of disbelief. "Crown Prince Jing has a reputation for virtue; how could he be a coward who clings to life?"

"Does having a reputation for virtue mean you're not afraid of death?" Helian Bo retorted, a hint of sarcasm flashing in his cloudy eyes. "Back when the capital fell and the Dayong army stormed into the imperial city, he abandoned his family and fled alone. What else could that be but being afraid of death?"

Jiang Xun was jolted, as if he had been struck by something.

"Do you have any evidence to support your claims?"

"I'm just saying a few words, what evidence do I need?" Helian Bo ignored him, closed his eyes, and said, "Believe it or not, it's up to you."

Jiang Xun remained silent for a long time.

"Give me the treasure map, and this Heaven-Seizing Pill is yours."

"You think you can trade a single Heaven-Seizing Pill for—"

"And then there's Shuofeng City." Jiang Xun seemed to have lost interest in continuing the conversation and interrupted abruptly.

Helian Bo's pupils contracted: "Can you guarantee Helian Quan's survival?"

"What Lord Helian has done has crossed the bottom line for both Da Yong and Da Han." Jiang Xun didn't say much, but his meaning was clear. "However, I can find a way to maintain the Helian family's control over Shuofeng City."

Helian Bo frowned but did not respond.

After a long while, he sighed.

A very soft but very long sigh.

…………

The atmosphere in the hall had reached a tense peak.

Helian Quan stood before the main seat, his face grim.

"Young Master Xiao, indeed, impressive skills." His voice was deep, like rumbling thunder before a storm. "But I've been planning this for so many years, how could I be intimidated by your few words?"

Xiao Rui stood with his hands behind his back, his expression calm: "If the city lord does not believe me, he is welcome to try."

Helian Quan stared at him for a while, then suddenly laughed.

The laughter was loud, somewhat manic, echoing in the empty hall, making everyone's eardrums buzz.

"Okay, okay, okay." He said "okay" three times, then his laughter abruptly stopped, his face turning ashen. "Then let's give it a try!"

He grabbed the wine glass on the table and smashed it on the ground.

"Snapped!"

Porcelain shards scattered everywhere.

Hurried footsteps came from outside the hall. Helian Jun led dozens of guards from the city lord's mansion into the hall. They were all dressed in black and had curved swords hanging at their waists.

Swords were drawn, their cold light gleaming, and they surrounded the crowd.

But that's about it.

Helian Quan waited for a moment, but there was no more movement outside—no more guards poured in, no shouts of battle, and no rain of arrows.

There are only a few dozen people.

"That's all?" Xiao Rui looked at the guards, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "City Lord, aren't you short-handed?"

Helian Quan's face turned ashen.

By this point, how could he not understand that the contingency plans he had made were likely doomed?

But he wasn't one to give up easily; even if he died, he'd take someone down with him.

He waved his hand, gritting his teeth: "Kill them!"

"kill!"

Dozens of guards rushed forward, their swords flashing like snow, their shouts of battle deafening.

Xiao Rui snorted coldly and drew his sword to meet the attack.

His swordsmanship was even more ferocious than his palm techniques. With a single swing, sword energy surged, and three guards were sent flying backwards at the same time.

Tuoba Feng drew his sword, its blade flashing like a bolt of lightning. With one stroke, he pierced the throat of one guard, and with a backhand, he severed the wrist of another.

Ye Qingying also moved, her swordsmanship light and graceful, like a falling leaf moving through a crowd, each strike precisely hitting the opponent's vital points.

Only Chen Lei sat there, motionless, like a clay sculpture.

Helian Jun stood at the back of the crowd, watching his men fall one by one, his face growing increasingly grim.

He gritted his teeth and pulled something from his waist—a repeating crossbow, made by the Ministry of Works of the Dayong Dynasty, the engravings on the crossbow mechanism gleaming coldly in the candlelight.

The crossbow magazine was already loaded, and three bolts were inserted side by side into the slot.

He picked up the repeating crossbow, aimed at Ye Qingying, and pulled the trigger.

Ye Qingying was dealing with three guards, her back to Helian Jun.

The hall was noisy, filled with the sounds of clashing swords, shouts of battle, and screams, so she couldn't hear the crossbow being pulled behind her.

"Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—"

Three crossbow bolts shot out in quick succession, as fast as three black lightning bolts, heading straight for Ye Qingying's back.

"Be careful!"

Tuoba Feng's voice cut through the air like a knife, sharp and urgent, filled with unprecedented panic.

He turned around abruptly, ignoring the guards still fighting in front of him, and slashed out with his sword.

"Clang! Clang!"

The three crisp sounds almost came together in one continuous sequence.

The sword precisely blocked two crossbow bolts, while the third bolt was deflected by the spine of the sword and struck the pillar with a "thud," penetrating three inches into the wood, its fletching humming incessantly.

Tuoba Feng was stabbed in the back. His right hand, which was holding the sword, was so shocked that the tiger's mouth went numb, his whole arm was shaking, and blood seeped from the tiger's mouth.

Helian Jun moved extremely quickly and loaded another casket of crossbow bolts.

Tuoba Feng stood in front of Ye Qingying, his gaze as cold as ice, staring intently at the repeating crossbow.

Just then, Helian Quan spoke up.

"Chen Lei." His voice was filled with anger, like commanding a dog, "Kill Tuoba Feng."