Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 254 - 197: The Woman in Red

Chapter 254: Chapter 197: The Woman in Red

Xu Yuan disappeared, and ancient zithers still played in the Qifeng Pavilion, serenading the air with celestial music, yet the great hall was now shrouded in silence.

At dawn, many remained indulged in the comfort of their beds, but equally many had already dressed and descended to enjoy their morning meal. The grand hall wasn’t only occupied by Xu Yuan and Li Junqing’s party of three, but also by various wealthy merchants, young nobles, and their guards and bodyguards.

Those with experience had largely discerned the layout of the situation within the hall, yet none stepped forward to intervene in the brewing conflict, choosing instead to silently retreat and observe from the sidelines, watching with detached interest.

Assassinations and vendettas were common in these times.

None wished to play the role of mediator in situations of unclear circumstances, especially when the powers involved on both sides were unfathomably deep.

Some with exceptional eyesight had already abandoned decorum and were leaping out windows and scrambling down cliffs to flee the chaos.

But while the guests held back, the guards employed by Qifeng Pavilion naturally stepped up to the task.

Owing to Qifeng Pavilion’s lucrative appeal, they held high-ranking offerings—a Fourth Grade enchantress in their employ also served as the madam here.

With seductive curves swaying and sleeves fluttering, she leapt down from the upper floors and landed between the six brocade-robed men and Li Junqing. Surveying the crowd, she said with a playful smile,

"Oh my, sirs, what seems to be the misunderstanding here? My humble establishment can hardly withstand such upheaval. Please, out of respect for our Directorate of Music, take your conflict outside..."

Before she could finish, the blade arrived.

The assassination had already begun.

The six brocade-robed men, possibly due to differing cultivation methods, had a strange aura, yet their strength was only comparable to that of a Fourth Grade Integration Body as defined by Dayan.

A short blade was hurled through the air by one of them, tearing through the void and streaking towards Li Junqing like lightning!

"Ding—"

Yet midway, it was sent flying by the swirl of a red ribbon, embedding itself with a buzzing echo deep into a nearby column.

It was the act of the enchanting madam.

Her seductive smile instantly chilled,

"I don’t care who your Family Head is, but you can’t run amok in the Directorate of Music’s territory!"

The six brocade-robed men didn’t utter a word but exchanged glances. Suddenly their hands flew in a flurry, silver light flashing as countless tiny blades, linked by nearly invisible threads to the naked eye, covered the grand hall in an instant.

Densely spreading across the entire hall.

The madam attempted to intercept, but her throw was cut to shreds by these fine wires.

It was then that one of the brocade-robed men, in fluent Dayan dialect, said,

"We mean no offense. Stay still, and there will be no harm. Our aim is only to find that Prince and retrieve our Family Head’s silver..."

Before he could finish,

The figure of Eunuch Hou had already appeared abruptly by the side of the speaking brocade-robed man, unleashing a palm strike.

His speed was like a ghostly apparition, but the brocade-robed man seemed to barely keep up with his pace, just managing to draw the short knife from his waist.

Palm met blade with a sound like clashing metal.

"Bang!"

The brocade-robed man spat blood and was flung back, nearly smashing through Qifeng Pavilion’s specially-built brick wall...

...

...

...

Qifeng Pavilion was an elegant nine-story building, with private chambers on the upper four floors, while the lower five were an open well from which to admire the grand hall.

Xu Yuan stood on the railing of the fifth floor, somewhat wearily watching the combat unfold in the grand hall below.

Step Void Slash was powerful indeed, but it was also immensely draining.

To avoid exposing the Saint’s Remnant Soul, he had used his own Origin Qi, with the Sixth Grade strength barely differing from the effect when Qin Mo had used it.

That is, a distance of about thirty feet.

In other words, the people below were actually aware of his presence here; they simply had no time to attend to him.

But there was indeed no need to mind him; after all, he was only a guide.

As he was thinking, his gaze suddenly met someone else’s across the space.

Li Junqing from below looked up at him.

Xu Yuan chuckled and gave a cupped fist salute in his direction,

"Thank you for the concern, young brother."

Li Yunqing returned the gesture, and judging by the shape of his lips, he seemed to say,

"Brother Zhou, I’m truly relieved that you’re unharmed."

Xu Yuan didn’t continue to respond and kept watching the spectacle.

The Saint’s Remnant Soul spoke in his mind with a hint of mockery,

"Under the Son of Heaven’s nose, to assassinate a Prince of the day, these people sure are daring."

Hearing this, Xu Yuan casually replied,

"These folks don’t even know the lad is a Prince; guess the kid must’ve used his Prince identity to do something shady."

The Saint’s Remnant Soul paused for a moment before laughing and asking,

"In that case, won’t you lend a hand, boy?"

"Me, lend a hand?"

Xu Yuan rolled his eyes in response, focusing on the fight below, "Six Fourth Grade Integration Bodies against one Third Grade Great Grandmaster, why should I help? You can’t reveal yourself just yet."

The fight below raged on fiercely, the disparity between a Third Grade Great Grandmaster and Integration Bodies was indeed vast.

However, the six Integration Bodies cooperated flawlessly, and the fine lines that filled the hall like blades clearly limited Eunuch Hou’s prowess.

Unfortunately, such a stalemate was only temporary; at this level of combat, it wouldn’t take long before Qifeng Pavilion’s foundations were demolished.

When that happened and the terrain advantage was lost, those few Integration Bodies below would become sitting ducks.

The power of Dao Charm was not to be trifled with.

The Saint’s Remnant Soul chuckled,

"Xu lad, you don’t think those who came to assassinate him are just the Integration Bodies below, do you?"

Xu Yuan’s gaze remained fixed on the grand hall below, not straying an inch,

"Are you suggesting there’s a Great Grandmaster hidden among those six Integration Bodies?"

The Saint’s Remnant Soul did not hide the truth,

"It’s highly likely. I sensed her presence once, but only once. Without startling her, I am not sure of her location."