Soul of the Revered Banner
Chapter 51: Mayfly

The incident happened very quickly.

But the old Marquis still managed to react in time.

At the moment of conflict between Xue Yi and Old Xiang, he sent someone to report to the authorities.

The steward said the men from the Office of Military Affairs would arrive soon.

As long as they could stall for time, the murderer could be subdued.

The Jing’an Marquis ordered the old steward beside him: “Go summon the eldest young master.”

“My lord, the eldest young master still can’t move,” the old steward hesitated in his steps, but still turned and left.

Regardless of whether the eldest young master could move, even if he were paralyzed and lying down, they’d have to carry him over.

Because now, they might only be able to get through this crisis with his help.

Though he had many sons, only Wen Yue and the second branch’s son had reached adulthood.

Now Wen Yue was already crippled, and if the second branch’s son died too, the Marquis’s line would be cut off for a long time, and he didn’t know if he could live to see that day.

Without an heir, the Marquis household would drift like a rootless duckweed.

It wouldn’t just lose imperial favor, even other noble families would have no peers to associate with.

“Lord Marquis.”

Seeing that the Jing’an Marquis had arrived with the house guards, the panicked woman looked like she had found her anchor and called out, her eyes full of hope.

As the situation escalated, the entire Marquis household was thrown into uproar.

But it was nothing more than a panicked and chaotic uproar.

The Jing’an Marquis entered the courtyard of the second branch and faced Old Xiang directly: “Baihu Xiang, there must be some misunderstanding here.”

“You are a friend of my son. How could the Marquis household harm you?” The Marquis’s expression was grave.

In fact, he knew that what Commander Xiang said was probably true.

It was even possible that Commander Xiang’s son was already dead.

That the second branch would do such a thing was within his expectations.

After his first son Wen Yue broke his leg and was left with permanent injuries, the second branch suddenly came alive, doing everything they could to suppress the people who used to be Wen Yue’s strong allies, constantly weakening his influence.

The Jing’an Marquis was quite bold to even dare to stand in front of Xiang Hu.

You should know, even Xue Yi, a seasoned first-rate Organ-Refining expert had been defeated. The Marquis himself was no longer young, his vitality declining, and even if he had power, it was limited.

Xiang Hu deliberately stalled for time, glancing back toward his home.

The task he had given to Shizhu should be coming to a conclusion now.

Xiang Hu remained still, and those injured or frightened guards dared not move either.

They had seen Xiang Hu’s strength.

The old Marquis didn’t know how to stop it and could only wait.

At this moment, there was a kind of tacit silence between both sides.

Noticing movement, Xiang Hu looked toward the Jing’an Marquis: “Step aside, or die.”

The Marquis shook his head.

Xiang Hu swung his blade at the Marquis.

As he surged his blood and energy, his internal cultivation strength was fully revealed. The Marquis blocked with his sword.

With a clang, the long sword broke on impact.

The Marquis was immediately sent flying, spitting up two mouthfuls of blood, his face turning pale like gold paper.

“Lord Marquis!”

“Master!”

The Marquis’s household was instantly thrown into panic. If anything happened to the Marquis, the entire family would collapse.

Boom.

The sound of rushing horses echoed.

The clash of weapons and armor rang out in unison.

Heavy footsteps approached.

In just a short moment, the Embroidered Guards in black martial garb had poured into the Marquis’s estate, completely surrounding the courtyard of the second branch.

The plump, white-faced Qianhu Commander riding a tall horse immediately spotted Old Xiang standing there with a blade.

“Xiang Hu, cease this at once!”

With his furious shout, over a hundred Embroidered Guards gripped their waist sabers.

The plump commander could barely hold back his glee.

Just an hour ago, when the Immortal Master had approached him, he thought he’d have to pay a steep price.

But unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, Old Xiang had handed him such a grand gift.

Breaking into a Marquis’s estate, attempting to assassinate the Jing’an Marquis.

This was a major crime.

Even if the Immortal Master wanted to protect Xiang Hu, it would come at a great cost. The imperial court Offering Pavilion had more than one Immortal Master.

Old Xiang could no longer trouble him now.

From now on, he could rest easy.

All the anxiety was wiped away, and he was downright elated.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the right time or place, so he couldn’t mock Xiang Hu aloud.

Old Xiang glanced at Wang Zhi, who sat atop the tall horse, completely indifferent. Instead, he turned his head to look toward the second branch of the Marquis estate: “Since you won’t speak, then you all shall die.”

Saying that, he strode forward in large steps.

Wang Zhi saw that the once-lowly Xiang Hu was actually ignoring him with eyes full of disdain, and flew into a rage.

“Impudence!”

“Embroidered Guards, exterminate Xiang Hu for me!”

Over a hundred guards immediately surrounded Xiang Hu, forming a military formation.

“Kill!”

Xiang Hu activated his spiritual power, which instantly covered his body.

The pale gray aura of Nether Spirit Art was like the sturdiest armor, extending all the way to the waist saber.

“Ah!”

With a roar, he swung his blade.

In a blur of blade light, men and horses were sent flying.

Old Xiang moved like a thunderbolt.

Every swing of the blade carried crushing force.

There was no soldier in the formation who could withstand even one strike.

A shield of half an inch thick wood exploded on contact, blasting the shield-bearer away.

They had recognized Xiang Hu. Precisely because they knew his strength, the formation had led with wooden shields, hoping to exhaust him.

But they hadn’t expected it wouldn’t last even a moment.

The intense wave of spiritual power pulsed outward like ripples, like a beacon lit in the dark.

“Spiritual energy fluctuation?”

“A cultivator’s fighting in the city.”

The loose cultivators in the Offering Pavilion turned to look toward the Marquis estate.

Those who were free to act immediately departed the tower, speeding toward the scene.

Old Xiang was like a tiger among sheep.

Even over a hundred soldiers couldn’t stop him.

Such overwhelming strength was unheard of.

“Innate!”

The Jing’an Marquis, hunched over and supported by his steward and servants, wore a look of disbelief and spoke in a complicated, astonished tone.

Xiang Hu was indeed younger than him.

He himself had grown old.

But Xiang Hu had also entered the period of declining vitality. How had he suddenly become an Innate-level expert?

In the martial world, Innate experts could suppress the rivers and lakes of Jianghu for sixty years.

They were founder-level figures capable of establishing sects.

And now, the Marquis household had provoked such a man.

With another spurt of blood, the Marquis fainted outright.

Hearing his cry, the plump commander Wang Zhi was so frightened he fell off his horse and shrank back into the crowd.

Just over a month ago, Old Xiang was still a second-rate Bone Tempering martial artist. Now he had stepped into Innate.

He had no time to wonder how. He only wanted to hide now and avoid being seen by Old Xiang.

As an ordinary person who had once bullied Old Xiang, he dared not stand in the front.

He was afraid to die.

Old Xiang had no time to bother with him, stepping past the collapsed Marquis and the stunned guards at his side.

“It was my own decision.”

The second branch’s steward, Wen Fu, clenched his teeth and stepped out of the crowd, eyes filled with resolve.

He could only stand up.

If he did, his family might have a sliver of hope.

As someone who took the fall for his master, even if he died, his family would still be protected.

Xiang Hu’s expression was indifferent, sneering: “At least you’re loyal.”

“Then go die.”

As the words fell, blood streaked his eyes.

Whoosh.

A flash of the blade. The head flew.

Wen Fu’s face still held an expression of terror, eyes twitching, and after one final blink, his head fell like a deflated ball, plop, onto the ground.

The spurting blood splashed across the faces and clothes of those nearby.

Silence.

Everyone shrank like terrified quails.

Perhaps it was too brutal, no one even remembered to scream or shout.

Blood splashed across half of Old Xiang’s face, but there was no trace of pleasure, only cold indifference as if he was killing a chicken.

After this strike, no one remained to protect the second branch.

The woman shielded her son behind her and shouted furiously: “I gave the order, so what? Lowly mud-legged scum should know who their master is.”

“Wen Yue is crippled.”

“Crippled!”

“Why didn’t you pledge yourself to my son?”

“Those who refuse, must die!”

The second branch’s madam laughed hysterically, her ornate hairpiece falling as her hair came undone.

“So that’s why.”

Old Xiang’s eyes filled with tears.

Just because he hadn’t pledged allegiance, his family had to suffer this disaster.

So it turned out… it was because of him that his wife and children were dragged into this.

Ten years ago, he should never have come to the capital.

He had heard of Liang City’s splendor, so he brought his family here.

He never expected it to be an even deeper whirlpool.

Unlike the battlefield, where blades met blood.

Here, people were killed without a trace.

The carried-out Wen Yue slowly opened his eyes.

His lips trembled, but he still forced himself to speak, his voice sorrowful:

“Baihu Xiang… I beg you… spare them…”

(Chapter End)