Chapter 125: Mission Accomplished
Inside Liujia Village, in the courtyard where Gao Guangning was staying.
The servants, startled by the commotion outside the village, rushed to report to Gao Guangning.
Gao Guangning hadn’t closed his eyes at all; he had been suffering from insomnia since the day he learned the result of the judgment. When the old servant entered, he was reading by the lamp.
“Master, there are shouts at the village entrance!” the old servant said quickly.
“I hear them,” Gao Guangning nodded. “Tell the people from the Investigative Bureau to get out.”
“That’s what they said,” the old servant nodded in a panic. “Master, we should hide quickly.”
“In this darkness, do you know where it’s safer?” Gao Guangning turned a page of his book and said indifferently, “What is fated to happen will happen. Let’s see what unfolds.”
“Sigh…” The old servant had no choice but to retreat. After a while, he returned excitedly, “The Xiahou Clan has sent people to protect you, Master!”
“Oh?” Gao Guangning was taken aback and frowned. “I am of no use to the Xiahou Clan anymore, why would they go to such trouble?”
“Most likely, they felt embarrassed seeing the Investigative Bureau following you!” the old servant thought of a possibility.
“Let’s see,” Gao Guangning said again, but this time he did not sit still. He put down the book in his hand and walked out of the room.
He had been calm before because he trusted the Investigative Bureau to protect him. But now that people from the Xiahou Clan had arrived, he felt uneasy instead.
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After driving away the Investigative Bureau, the Xiahou Clan members went straight into Liujia Village and headed directly for Gao Guangning’s residence.
“Open the door, open the door!” A subordinate heavily pounded on the main door. “Two elders of the Xiahou Clan are here, Gao Guangning, come out and greet us!”
Those inside quickly opened the door, and the Xiahou Clan members swarmed in.
“Where is Gao Guangning?!” the subordinate asked rudely.
“My master has already gone to sleep,” an old servant said, pointing to the main house with its darkened lights.
The two ‘elders’ of the Xiahou Clan exchanged glances, left their subordinates to guard the six or seven servants in the courtyard, and went to the entrance of the main house. The ‘Xiahou Jun’ carrying twin hammers guarded the door, while ‘Xiahou En’ gently opened the room door with a Judge’s Brush and stepped inside.
The room was pitch black, but ‘Xiahou En’ could clearly see someone lying on the bed covered by a quilt. He held his breath, tiptoed to the bedside, and struck down with his palm!
“Huh?” Two sounds of surprise sounded almost simultaneously. One was from ‘Xiahou En’, who found that his palm strike had landed on a soft mass, not a human body at all!
‘Xiahou En’ quickly used a Judge’s Brush to lift the quilt, revealing a dummy made of pillows and bedding! At the same time, he shot another Judge’s Brush towards the back window of the room!
That was the direction of the other sound of surprise! Although ‘Xiahou En’ was focused on the bed, he had not missed that sound!
The Judge’s Brush shot through the windowpane like lightning, but there was no sound of flesh being hit, nor any scream…
“Chase!” ‘Xiahou En’ shouted low towards outside the door, then picked up a pillow and threw it towards the window!
With a bang, the entire back window shattered from the impact of the pillow, and then the pillow was pierced by a Precious Sword!
The person outside the window clearly intended to launch a sneak attack, but ‘Xiahou En’ had used a pillow to probe the way.
At this moment, ‘Xiahou En’ lunged out from the broken window opening, and his palm struck towards the other person’s face. He now clearly saw the other person’s face: in his forties, with a long beard and thin eyebrows – who else could it be but Gao Guangning?
“Elder Xiahou, why are you trying to kill me?!” Gao Guangning, dodging the palm strike in a sorry state, roared at ‘Xiahou En’. He had been cautious and used a dummy to impersonate him on the bed, while he himself spied from outside the window, and indeed, he had narrowly escaped!
“The Xiahou Clan does not keep useless people!” ‘Xiahou En’ cackled and sent another palm strike towards Gao Guangning. Earlier, he had only used three parts of his strength to ensure he could capture him alive. This time he increased it to five parts; anyone below Earth Rank would absolutely not be able to dodge it!
Unexpectedly, Gao Guangning’s body twisted like a phantom, dodging that palm strike. At the same time, he flashed out several zhangs away!
Missing his strike, ‘Xiahou En’ was stunned, not expecting Gao Guangning to possess Earth Rank martial arts skills!
Gao Guangning also looked at ‘Xiahou En’ with surprise and uncertainty, stomped his foot, and fled rapidly towards the direction outside the manor.
Seeing his thunderous speed, he was clearly an Earth Rank Grandmaster who had opened the Ren and Du Meridians!
At this moment, ‘Xiahou Jun’ outside the door, after ordering his subordinates to kill all the household servants, rushed over. Seeing the fleeing figure, Xiahou Jun was stunned and asked, “Who is that?”
“Gao Guangning!” Xiahou En dropped a sentence and then rushed towards the direction Gao Guangning had fled.
Xiahou Jun also hurriedly circulated his movement technique and pursued closely behind.
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Gao Guangning had always appeared as a weak scholar. For more than ten years serving in the imperial court, no one had known he practiced martial arts, and was an Earth Rank Grandmaster who had opened the Ren and Du Meridians!
This caught the opponent off guard, and he managed to escape the manor and galloped towards the Capital City! Gao Guangning’s mind was very clear; as long as he could catch up to the people from the Investigative Bureau, he would be safe.
Seeing Gao Guangning’s escape direction, ‘Xiahou En’ frowned and said, “We can’t let him catch up to the Investigative Bureau!” As he spoke, he formed a hand seal, sank his qi to his Dantian, and let out a thunderous roar, “Open!”
His figure suddenly accelerated several times, turning into a stream of light. In less than twenty breaths, he caught up to Gao Guangning and leaped over his head!
Gao Guangning was greatly alarmed at this, and hastily turned to flee in another direction, only to see Xiahou Jun also discard his famed twin hammers, switch to a long saber, and block his path!
With pursuers in front and an obstruction behind, Gao Guangning knew he couldn’t escape. He hardened his heart, and his long sword stabbed out fiercely, each move a desperate, life-or-death struggle!
Clearly, Gao Guangning intended to force the opponent to dodge, so he could seize the opportunity to escape.
Unexpectedly, the opponent was even fiercer. The long saber did not evade, but met Gao Guangning’s long sword head-on with no turning back! It was as if he was daring him to kill him!
Sparks flew in the dark night, emanating from the collision of weapons. In the blink of an eye, Gao Guangning had exchanged dozens of blows head-on with the opponent. After these dozens of unadorned collisions, his arms were already numb, and his tiger’s mouth had cracked open, making it almost impossible to grip his long sword.
Looking at his opponent, he still held twin sabers, steady as a mountain. Though he stood alone, he gave the impression of an insurmountable barrier!
“You are not Xiahou Jun!” Although Gao Guangning never made a move, he was very familiar with the experts of various clans, especially the Xiahou Clan. After this exchange, he noticed something unusual and cried out, “Who are you related to Du Mao? Haven’t his saber techniques been lost?”
In his shock, Gao Guangning didn’t notice that ‘Xiahou En’ had already glided behind him like a night owl. By the time he reacted, it was too late!
‘Xiahou En’ struck Gao Guangning’s back of the head with a palm, and Gao Guangning immediately slumped to the ground.
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When Gao Guangning slowly regained consciousness, he found himself in a dark cave with a bonfire lit beside him, unsure of the current situation.
“Young Master, he’s awake,” a hoarse and unpleasant voice said from behind Gao Guangning. The next moment, Gao Guangning was grabbed and pulled up, then forced to his knees before a stone platform.
In front of the stone platform stood a handsome young man in night clothes. The one who lifted him was a hunchbacked old man with a scarred face. Gao Guangning caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye; on the old man’s back were the twin sabers that had intercepted him!
Xiahou En and Xiahou Jun were nowhere to be seen. If not for the twin sabers, Gao Guangning would truly have thought he was dreaming. It truly felt like a dream. Gao Guangning secretly circulated his internal energy, only to find his body empty, his limbs weak and powerless, unable to even lift a finger. This was a sensation that only occurred in dreams.
“Gao Guangning, do you recognize me?!” The scarred old man grabbed Gao Guangning’s hair and roared ferociously.
