Seeing those three men in black look over at the two of them, Lin Xue’s heart sank.
She had a bad feeling about this.
The leader of the black-clad men took out a rolled-up portrait from the Storage Pouch at his waist, unrolled it, glanced at Zhang Zongnian, and asked, “Demon Slaying Division Officer of Hengqiao Zhen Zhusuo, Zhang Zongnian?”
Zhang Zongnian was taken aback.
He cleared his throat and replied, “That’s me. May I ask which department you gentlemen are from? What business do you have with me?”
The black-clad man held the portrait in hand and commanded, “Seize him!”
The other two men immediately leapt down from their horses and lunged at Zhang Zongnian in unison.
Lin Xue sighed inwardly.
As expected, they had come for the two of them.
It seemed there was no way out without a fight.
With Zhang Zongnian’s right hand already severed, it was impossible for him to fend off these two Heiyi Wei on his own.
She drew Zhanfeng and, with a wave, slashed a Wind Blade at the two attackers.
The sharp Wind Blade howled through the air, slicing straight toward the two Heiyi Wei leaping toward them.
The two men simultaneously drew their long blades from their waists and held them defensively before them.
“Clang!” “Clang!”
With two crisp sounds, the two Heiyi Wei were simultaneously knocked back by the Wind Blade, flipped in the air, and landed steadily on the ground.
Zhang Zongnian stood up from the carriage, his face full of anger, and demanded, “Who are you people? Why are you arresting me?”
The leader of the Heiyi Wei snorted coldly and said,
“I am Yang Yuxiang, Jiebu Duyi of the Xichuan Demon-Slaying Bureau. You are suspected of colluding with a demon, slaughtering all two hundred and thirteen villagers of Li Jia’ao, setting fire to the entire Village, and murdering eleven colleagues led by Captain Yang Yuhai of Hengqiao Zhen Zhusuo.”
“I am now taking people to notify every town in the county to arrest you, and to think I ran into you on the road. Saves me the trouble.”
“Zhang Zongnian, do you confess to your crimes? Surrender now and return with me for investigation!”
Lin Xue nearly laughed out of anger when she heard this.
The Yang family really had a knack for framing others.
It was clearly Yang Yuhai who killed his colleagues and the villagers, yet the blame was dumped on her and Zhang Zongnian.
Not only that, but they even accused the two of them of killing extra officers who didn’t exist, settling the accounts for those who were just taking a salary at the station.
And as for arson—most likely, it was the Yang family themselves who set the Village ablaze.
The surviving villagers of Li Jia’ao were probably, under the Yang family’s arrangements, already sent to the underworld to reunite with their departed kin.
The Yang family, truly overbearing.
Zhang Zongnian trembled all over with rage upon hearing the list of crimes.
He was so furious he swore, “Confess to your damn crime! This is pure slander! When have I ever slaughtered villagers or burned a Village? Everyone in the county knows Hengqiao Zhen Zhusuo only has five people—where do eleven colleagues come from?”
Yang Yuxiang sneered, “So you refuse to confess. No matter. Your wanted poster says dead or alive. If you resist arrest, it’s perfectly fine for me to bring your head back.”
At this moment, Zhang Zongnian finally understood—this was a deliberate frame-up; arguing was pointless.
He picked up his sword with his left hand, gave a bleak smile, and said, “So this charge—I, Zhang Zongnian, will bear it.”
“Heh heh heh, what a giant scapegoat I have to carry.”
He jumped down from the carriage, planted his sword, and gazed up at the moon, now blurred by clouds, and sighed, “The sky of Xichuan is truly dark.”
A trace of resolve appeared on his face as he turned to Lin Xue and said, “Miss Lin, this is an internal matter of our Demon-Slaying Bureau and has nothing to do with you. Leave. Don’t mind me.”
He was preparing to fight the Heiyi Wei to the death.
Lin Xue jumped down from the carriage, stored the carriage back in her Storage Pouch, and stood beside Zhang Zongnian, firmly grabbing his hand.
She intended to use the teleportation Spell Technique embedded in her ring to escape with Zhang Zongnian.
After all, he had fallen to this point for saving her from Yang Yuhai.
She couldn’t abandon him and run for her own life.
Just now, she’d learned from Zhang Zongnian that only those at mid-stage Qi Refining could be promoted to Heiyi Wei and serve at the county’s Demon-Slaying Bureau.
The three before her, being county Heiyi Wei, must all be at least mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators.
Yu Honglian was also mid-stage Qi Refining. In a one-on-one, she’d managed without much difficulty.
But if one or two more mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators joined, things would get tough.
From the way those two Heiyi Wei had handled her Wind Blade just now, their strength was obvious.
She had no confidence in a three-on-one fight.
What’s more, she had Zhang Zongnian—a complete burden—on her side.
Escaping directly was the smarter option.
This teleportation Spell Technique required the user to have mid-stage Qi Refining cultivation, consumed one’s own spiritual power, and could transport the user to a random location within five hundred li.
Her own cultivation was at mid-stage Body Tempering, close to mid-stage Qi Refining, so she should be able to use it.
Zhang Zongnian’s body trembled violently as she pulled his hand, turning to look at her in astonishment, deeply moved.
At such a moment, Lin Xue still hadn’t abandoned him, choosing to stand by his side, even reaching out and taking his hand.
For a beautiful woman to stand with him at a time like this—he felt his life was complete.
Even if he died here today, he would have no regrets!
But he didn’t want Lin Xue to stay and die with him.
He shook his hand, trying to break free, and coldly urged, “Miss Lin, go! This is our Demon-Slaying Bureau’s internal matter, it has nothing to do with an outsider like you!”
Lin Xue knew Zhang Zongnian misunderstood her intentions.
But she didn’t explain, only gripped his arm tighter, quietly channeling all her Demon Power into the ring, trying to activate the teleportation Spell Technique.
Yet she failed.
She found that the Demon Power in her body was not enough to teleport both of them at once.
If she abandoned Zhang Zongnian and went alone, perhaps she could barely exhaust all her Demon Power and teleport herself out.
But doing so would be meaningless.
She couldn’t bring herself to leave Zhang Zongnian behind and flee with a clear conscience.
Besides, Zhang Zongnian had warned her that the Corpse Poison in her body had only barely been suppressed with antidote, and she shouldn’t use Demon Power or exert herself.
Even if she teleported away alone, with her Demon Power spent, the Corpse Poison would soon spread, she’d lose consciousness, and become a mindless corpse.
Lin Xue sighed and reluctantly gave up on escaping with the teleportation Spell Technique.
It seemed she’d have to fight the three Heiyi Wei head-on.
Across from her, Yang Yuxiang now turned his gaze to Lin Xue, looking her up and down, a flash of amazement in his eyes. He sneered:
“Leave? Where do you expect her to go?”
“This must be the enchanting female demon that bewitched you. Truly a born temptress.”
“She’s on the bounty list too—perfect, I’ll take both of you together!”
“Heh, looks like I can save the Yang family the fifteen hundred Spirit Stones, one Lower-grade Barrier-breaking Pill, and one Po Zhang Dan (High Grade) we offered for you two.”
Lin Xue released Zhang Zongnian’s hand, gripped Zhanfeng tightly, and sneered, “Let’s see if you have the skill to keep me here.”
As she spoke, she pulled up her panel and rapidly added her Experience Points to the Swiftwind Sword Manual.
Since a fight was inevitable, she needed to strengthen herself as quickly as possible.
She spent 30 Experience Points in one go, but the Swiftwind Sword Manual was still marked as “in practice,” and the “+” sign had disappeared; she could not invest more.
In that instant, it was as if she’d gained decades more sword training, and she had new insights into the Sword Manual.
She felt that, in her current state, she could finish a fight with that demoness in three moves.
She even sensed that the sword art still had room to improve.
But her cultivation wasn’t enough to go further.
With her present mid-stage Body Tempering, her swordsmanship could only reach this level.
She didn’t know if it would be enough for the upcoming battle.
Zhang Zongnian, heavily injured with his sword arm broken, was essentially out of the fight.
Now she had to face three alone.
One mid-stage Body Tempering against three mid-stage Qi Refining opponents.
Though Zhang Zongnian had warned her not to use Demon Power or exert herself because of the Corpse Poison—
At this point, she couldn’t worry about that.
If she didn’t fight and let herself be captured, she’d die anyway.
She might as well go down swinging.
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