Green Mountain
Chapter 219 - 174. Life Feather Pill

Chapter 219: 174. Life Feather Pill

In a corner of the Liu Mansion, unnoticed by anyone.

More than ten Black-clothed Guards, torches in their left hands and waist knives in their right, hastened through the convoluted and narrow alleys.

Between the gloomy high walls and gray tiles, only the flickering orange glow of the torches retained some warmth, while the world beyond the reach of the torchlight was black and white, cold as ice.

Sounds of explosions and cries of killing echoed in the distance; it seemed entire houses within the Liu Mansion were collapsing, one by one lives snuffed out.

The Black-clothed Guards didn’t know nor care what was happening. They reached the entrance of a courtyard, where two guards responsible for Prince Jing’s house arrest drew their swords to block the path, "What business do you have here?"

The torch-bearing guards didn’t stop, with the leader showing a waist tag, "By order of the Master, we’re here to execute Prince Jing and his family. Stand aside!"

The Black-clothed Guards charged into the courtyard, only to find the small quadrangle empty, the doors of the east and west wings wide open, with only the main room’s doors at the north end tightly shut.

One guard stepped forward and kicked at the door, only to find it barred from the inside with heavy objects.

He drew his waist knife, bellowing, "Smash the door!"

With one blow, the paper-covered wooden door cracked wide open, and through the gap, they saw Prince Jing, the Princely Heir, and the Commandery Princess, each holding a chair.

"Futile!"

As the guard was about to strike with a second blow, he heard the sound of tiles breaking by his side and swiftly turned his head, "Who?!"

He saw an armored soldier wearing a mask, long knife in hand, charging from the distant rooftops. With each step he took, tiles shattered beneath his feet.

Then, as the morning sun finally broke through the layers of clouds, a streak of white tore through the sky, and the armored soldier, perched atop the roof of the west wing room, leaped!

The rearmost Black-clothed Guard hurriedly raised his sword to block, but the blow from the skies was so powerful, it first severed the sword and then cleaved through the guard’s head.

The remaining guards exchanged glances, and the leader commanded in a firm tone, "Executive Officer! Hold him off, I’ll kill Prince Jing. Prince Jing must not live!"

With that, he continued hacking at the wooden door while more than ten Black-clothed Guards swung their swords to intercept the armored soldier.

But the soldier, undeterred, charged toward the main room door. As he approached the wall of swords, he surprisingly twisted his body, using the cast iron armor to blunt the edge of the blades.

Sparks scattered brilliantly as the four blades slid over the armor, none penetrating to harm the body beneath.

In an instant, the soldier shouldered his way through the wall of swords and guards, reaching the one slashing at the door, and plunged his knife in!

With a swift motion, the Black-clothed Guard stiffened, his neck arching back alarmingly.

The blade had gone through his lower back and out the front, startling both Bai Li and the Princely Heir inside.

The soldier, wolf-like, turned back to glare at the remaining Black-clothed Guards, the mask looking fearsome. He slowly drew the knife out, then flicked the blood from the blade, creating a mist of red.

The Black-clothed Guards’ expressions grew stern as they moved in for a collective assault.

Inside, Bai Li and the Princely Heir looked to Prince Jing, "Father, are these men from the Thousand-year Army?"

Prince Jing shook his head, "The Thousand-year Army has yet to reach us. I had made arrangements for help earlier, but this person isn’t one of them."

All three were puzzled. Who in the depths of the Liu Mansion would suddenly offer aid?

Bai Li suddenly said, "Chen Ji."

The Princely Heir hesitated, "How could Chen Ji be here? It can’t be him."

Bai Li also hesitated, peering through the gap in the door. She saw the armored soldier struggling against the onslaught of more than ten Black-clothed Guards.

Defending the door, he hadn’t let a single guard break through.

The Princely Heir, full of doubts and uncertainty, exclaimed, "Father, should we go out and help him?"

Prince Jing pondered, "Yunxi, move the desk out of the way. Let’s go out and find a fallen knife to assist him."

But just as they moved the desk blocking the door, they heard a muffled voice from beneath the mask, "Don’t come out."

Bai Li cried out, "It really is Chen Ji!"

The Princely Heir turned to her, "You can tell just by that?"

By now, Chen Ji was heavily panting beneath the mask, his armor covered in more than ten sword marks. Without it, he would have been riddled with wounds.

Chen Ji gripped the knife handle tightly and stepped forward aggressively. But just then, a Black-clothed Guard, watching coldly from within the crowd, suddenly struck with his sword!

The blade was incredibly swift as Chen Ji had to abruptly step back to avoid it, the blade slicing past his masked face, splitting both the white tassel and the mask in half.

With a clang, the mask split and fell to the ground, revealing Chen Ji’s face beneath it.

The white tassel gently fell to the ground and dispersed in the wind.

The Black-clothed Guards formed a semicircle around Chen Ji, one speaking coldly, "You are exhausted. Lay down your sword, and we’ll pretend you were never here."

Chen Ji lifted his sword, "Let’s talk when I’m truly spent."

Behind him, the sound of the desk being moved was heard as Prince Jing, the Princely Heir, and Bai Li burst out the door, each holding a chair, standing by his side.

"You..."

Before Chen Ji could finish, a tall, burly figure leaped from the roof, striking each of the Black-clothed Guards in the chest like a bolt of lightning.

For a brief moment, the world seemed to pause, and in the next instant, the sound of breaking bones rang out. The remaining seven Black-clothed Guards were sent flying against the wall before falling to the ground, lifeless.

"Feng Daban!" Bai Li exclaimed.

Chen Ji exhaled a long breath and braced himself on his knife, while Feng Daban turned and bowed, "Please forgive my tardiness, Prince."