Chapter 60: The Man in Black (Please Vote for Recommendations)

Jin Sheng was dead. The Jin Family Manor had been wiped out.

When Yang Ze heard this news, he was stunned on the spot. No wonder no one from the Jin Family Manor had come to claim the blade—it wasn’t that they lacked sincerity, it was that they simply couldn’t come.

Jin Sheng had always been one of the leading martial artists in Yuyang City—perhaps not among the top five, but certainly within the top ten. Backed by the entire Jin Family Manor, not even someone like Yang Yuanzhen could have accomplished such a feat.

But now the entire family had been exterminated. If he hadn’t met Ouyang Xin, Yang Ze would never have imagined who could be behind this. Yet after meeting Ouyang Xin, he suspected that it was very likely his doing.

Ouyang Xin’s cultivation had reached the postnatal stage, and as a member of the authorities, he had always stood against the major martial factions. Only someone like him possessed both the strength and the motive to strike.

After hearing what Ouyang Xin said to him, Yang Ze had guessed that he might make a move against the powerful factions in Yuyang City, but he hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly, nor in such a ruthless manner.

“This is bad. The Jin Family Manor is not like some minor sect—its destruction is bound to cause turmoil throughout the martial world of Yuyang. If we don’t handle this well, we’ll be implicated too.”

Yang Ze’s expression was grim. This matter had already exceeded his ability to control. After asking Old Xie for more details, his heart grew even heavier.

The annihilation of the Jin Family Manor was shrouded in mystery. There were other powers nearby, yet when the tragedy struck, none of them heard the sounds of battle. The only explanation was that what occurred inside was a one-sided massacre.

“Jin Sheng’s martial skills far surpass my own. At best, I could only manage to hold my own against him. Whoever struck today managed to kill Jin Sheng and wipe out the family without a sound—such a person could just as easily kill me and destroy the entire Tongyang Alliance.”

The thought crossed Yang Ze’s mind and he felt the world around him had suddenly become a far more dangerous place.

Yuyang’s martial world had always been chaotic, but that chaos was contained, with several powers balancing and opposing each other, sometimes even uniting against the authorities. Never before had something like this occurred.

Now, everyone in the martial world would be on edge, and who knew what chaos might erupt?

“What’s the current situation at the Jin Family Manor?” Yang Ze asked.

“The eastern part of the city is mostly under the magistrate’s control. As soon as the incident happened, the authorities dispatched a large number of constables to seal off the scene. Now, the manor is crawling with their people, including the three chief constables at the peak of Qi Drawing—Yuan Heng, Wang Yi, and Wang Er,” Old Xie reported in a low voice. With such a major incident, the authorities had no choice but to act—after all, Yuyang City was officially under their jurisdiction.

“Did only the authorities mobilize? Are there no movements from the other factions in Yuyang?” Yang Ze pressed further.

“Of course there’s movement. The Xu family in the south, and White Fei the Swift Sword of the Feisha Gang in the west, broke seclusion immediately and reportedly headed to the east to get to the bottom of things.

As for the Xu family, and our own Yang family, any clan with an expert at the peak of Qi Drawing has already sealed their gates and ordered all members to return as quickly as possible.

The martial world is in chaos—some factions have banded together, while others are stirring up trouble. In less than two hours since the incident, several fierce battles have already broken out,” Old Xie said, his face ashen.

Hearing this, Yang Ze understood why things had deteriorated so quickly—it was because there’d never been a force in the martial world capable of truly intimidating all the others. That was why everything had descended into chaos so fast.

“Old Xie, have you heard who the main suspect is in this affair?” Yang Ze asked the most pressing question on his mind.

Old Xie shook his head. “No one can figure out who did this. Honestly, even if the master and his peers joined forces, none of them could have done it so swiftly and cleanly. There’s no way to know.

Still, since it’s the martial world’s own that were killed, rumors are flying. Everyone’s pointing the finger at the authorities. Five years ago, the authorities had Yuyang’s number one expert, Ouyang Xin, but he left the city. Now there are whispers that he’s returned stronger than ever, and intends to purge the martial world here—starting with the Jin Family Manor.”

At these words, Yang Ze’s face darkened. The more he heard, the more suspicious the entire matter seemed, as if it had all been premeditated, with the blame conveniently directed at the authorities—and with knowledge of Ouyang Xin’s name, no less.

Noting Yang Ze’s silence, Old Xie hesitated before saying, “Young master, Xiangyun Street isn’t safe anymore. Perhaps you should return to the family estate—at least the master is there. No matter what, it’s safer than here.”

Old Xie knew Yang Ze disliked that place and hadn’t returned in a long time, but this time, Yang Ze did not refuse. He agreed.

In the face of life and death, Yang Ze knew how to choose. Yang Yuanzhen, for all his faults, was stronger than him. Even if the Jin Manor was destroyed without a sound and the same could happen to the Yang family, they would at least stand a better chance there.

“Returning to the Yang estate isn’t a problem, but I must first take care of matters in the northern city. The Tongyang Alliance was built by my own hands—I can’t let it be destroyed so easily.” Yang Ze wasn’t sure he could leave Yuyang safely, but he wouldn’t abandon the organization he had created.

“We’ve recently absorbed a lot of territory—the alliance has grown several times larger and was already somewhat shaky. For now, we can only try to hold things together. I’ll instruct our people to stabilize the situation and keep everything running as usual. Once the storm passes, we’ll reorganize the alliance,” Old Xie said, sharing his thoughts.

They could only return together—bringing everyone back was impossible.

Yang Ze nodded, arranged to meet Old Xie at the money house’s gates in three-quarters of an hour, and hurried off to pack.

Three-quarters of an hour later, Old Xie was waiting with two fast horses. When he saw Yang Ze emerge, his heart finally settled. Ever since the trouble started, nowhere in the city felt safe.

Yang Ze stepped out onto Xiangyun Street. Just as he did, a gust of wind whipped down the street, sending sand swirling so fiercely that he had to raise his hand to shield his eyes.

In that instant, Yang Ze’s expression turned cold and he barked, “Killing intent!”

Sensing the murderous aura within the wind, Yang Ze dropped his hand to his back, gripping the blade forged for him by Li the blacksmith.

Old Xie immediately took up a defensive stance, scanning the surroundings. It was late at night and Xiangyun Street was eerily quiet. Even at the gates of the Tongyang Money House, only two guards stood watch. Seeing Yang Ze’s tense posture, the two guards were already terrified.

Yang Ze’s gaze swept the street. Suddenly, he spotted a black figure rushing toward them, moving with astonishing speed—at first glance, a mile away, but in the blink of an eye, only half that.

Yang Ze tried to make out the figure, but the wind made his vision blur—he could only see a shadow hurtling forward, radiating murderous intent.

The wind howled as the black-clad figure drew closer. Suddenly, a gleaming blade appeared in the figure’s hand—a long sword, which slashed at Yang Ze.

The moment the shadow struck, Yang Ze drew his own blade without hesitation, unleashing a fierce “Tiger Descends the Mountain” slash.

The blades collided. Yang Ze had put his full strength into the attack, but the moment the blades met, an irresistible force exploded from the opponent’s side, sending Yang Ze flying. He tumbled across the ground, blood surging violently within him, and when he finally landed, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

He finally saw his attacker clearly—a masked figure in black. With just one move, he had been defeated.

The black-clad assailant, seeing that Yang Ze was not finished with the first blow, moved his blade again to strike. At that moment, Old Xie rushed forward.

Everything had happened so quickly that even Old Xie could barely react.

The assassin’s head turned slightly. He spun, and with a single slash, released a blade of energy. Old Xie, caught within its arc, turned pale and mustered all his internal strength, crossing his arms to shield himself.

The blade energy struck. Blood spurted, and Old Xie was hurled away, crashing into a stall at the side of the street—his fate unknown.

Yang Ze had no time to mourn. The masked man was closing in for the kill.

Step by step, the assassin advanced, then suddenly accelerated, lunging at Yang Ze and thrusting his blade toward him.

Yang Ze rolled aside desperately, narrowly avoiding the attack, but his back was now against a wall. The assassin pressed forward, striking again.

Yang Ze’s expression changed drastically. He tried to raise his sword to defend, but before he could, a blade appeared from the side, intercepting the assassin’s strike.

A shout rang out, blades parted, and a man in white placed himself between Yang Ze and the attacker. It was Bai Fei, the Swift Sword, leader of the Feisha Gang.

Yang Ze had not expected Bai Fei to appear so suddenly, nor to save him.

“Be careful, Leader Bai! He is a postnatal-stage master!” Yang Ze seized the opportunity to stand, warning Bai Fei. The masked man had underestimated him, for his earlier attack had not been at full strength—otherwise, Yang Ze would already be dead.