Chapter 136: The Fourth Protector—Wei Wuhua

I charged into the thick of the crowd, alternately wielding the Black and White Twin Fish and the Tianyin Po blade. Together with Li Muyang, we laid dozens of men flat on the ground, leaving them completely incapacitated. Looking over at Sister Yu and Xiang Fang, the former armed with a long sword and the latter holding a pouch of powder, the two of them stood side by side and coordinated quite well. However, their opponents were like unkillable cockroaches and endless pests; no sooner had one batch fallen than another rushed forward. Our stamina was gradually being worn down by them. The four of us slowly gathered together during the combat, standing back-to-back. Li Muyang panted heavily, staring at the assassination squad members surrounding us on all sides, and blurted out, "Lin Xuan, these guys are endless! What do we do? I'm almost exhausted to death."

I was also breathing slightly heavily and replied, "I don't know. We take them down one by one, or two by two. Besides, my master is still here, so don't worry."

Mentioning my master helped to calm everyone's nerves a little. Sister Yu was already drenched in sweat, and she had tied her hair up—a look that was beyond stunning. Her chest rose and fell as she frowned and said, "If only that senior were here."

I was slightly startled and asked, "Which senior? Which senior, who is he?"

Sister Yu glanced at me sideways and said, "You probably wouldn't know. He used to belong to Beiming Pass, the largest faction in the paranormal circle. For some unknown reason, Beiming Pass eventually disbanded, and that senior never showed his face again. Very few people within the paranormal circle know his exact appearance, aside from a few old seniors."

Hearing Sister Yu utter the words "Beiming Pass," a sudden tremor ran through my heart. But just as I wanted to speak, I heard Xiang Fang roar, "Watch out!"

I whipped my head around abruptly. The tip of a black umbrella was thrusting straight toward the space between my eyebrows. My reflexes were fast; I raised the Tianyin Po and deflected the black umbrella away. Following that, a dark human figure materialized in mid-air, caught the umbrella, and landed firmly on the ground. I paused, looking at the figure. He was dressed almost identically to Wei Wuchi, and he also carried a black umbrella. Xiang Fang, standing beside me, said in a low voice, "The Fourth Guardian, Wei Wuhua."

With those words, the figure opposite us let out a cold laugh. Once the laughter subsided, he said, "President Xiang, it seems you are doing well. I am quite surprised that a big shot like you actually recognizes me."

I frowned deeply as I stared at Wei Wuhua. Xiang Fang showed no fear of him; frowning, he said, "The incident at our branch yesterday was your doing, wasn't it?"

Wei Wuhua smiled and nodded. Xiang Fang clenched his fists tightly, gritted his teeth, and made as if to charge forward. I immediately grabbed him and said, "President Xiang, don't be impulsive."

Xiang Fang looked back at me, let out a long breath to suppress his anger, and held himself back. Wei Wuhua watched us and said, "Well, well, well. This is the first time I've ever seen a big shot like President Xiang get so angry. Don't take it to heart; getting angry is bad for your health."

Hearing this, Xiang Fang glared fiercely at Wei Wuhua and cursed, "You bastard! How dare you mess with my branch? See if I don't skin you alive!"

With that, ignoring my attempts to hold him back, Xiang Fang rushed straight forward. The assassination squad members surrounding us sprang into action as well. We were besieged by the assassins and temporarily unable to free our hands to help Xiang Fang. I parried the attacks of several men and shouted at the top of my lungs, "President Xiang, watch yourself!"

Having said that, I swept the Tianyin Po forward. A crescent-shaped icy radiance shot forth, slashing into a dozen men. Li Muyang also expended all his strength, continuously flinging flying daggers. Sister Yu was even more ferocious; she had torn her trousers into the shape of a cheongsam, revealing her fair, long legs—though this was merely to facilitate freedom of movement for her hands and feet. Acting as though she had undergone professional training, she actually engaged in hand-to-hand combat, weaving with extreme agility through the crowd. I refused to be outdone. The Black and White Twin Fish flew out and gradually merged together, forming black and white hues in the air. Then I tossed the Yangming Jade upward, and the two instantly combined, blooming with a golden light. A Taiji diagram descended, smashing down upon the crowns of the dozens of men encircling me. Cries of agony and miserable shrieks echoed incessantly. Because the commotion on my side was simply too large, it drew the attention of the others. This group actually abandoned their attacks on Sister Yu, Li Muyang, and the rest, and rushed toward me instead.

I was stunned, cursing inwardly, "Damn it, they're all coming for me! Who did I offend?"

Yet, while these thoughts ran through my mind, my hands never stopped. With a flick of my fingers, Taiji diagrams flew out one by one from the Black and White Twin Fish, bombarding the surroundings. Sister Yu came to a halt, gazed up at the Black and White Twin Fish in the sky, and suddenly froze. Her expression shifted dramatically as she blurted out, "This... isn't this the Yangming Jade? How does this kid know how to..."

Finishing her sentence, Sister Yu stared at me in shock. While I manipulated the attacks of the Black and White Twin Fish and simultaneously defended against the surprise assaults of any assassins who slipped past, Li Muyang charged forward without a second word, instantly easing a great deal of my pressure. Seeing Li Muyang step up, Sister Yu rushed to my side with a look of astonishment still on her face. The three of us formed a tight circle, dealing with our common enemies. Sister Yu looked at my profile and opened her mouth as if to speak, but I beat her to it: "There are too many of them, we can barely hold them off. Do you guys have any other surprises to show me?"

Hearing this, Li Muyang caught my meaning instantly. He fished a black-and-gold talisman out of his pocket. I was taken aback; this was the first time I had ever laid eyes on such a talisman. Next, Li Muyang formed a hand seal with one hand and silently chanted an incantation. As the spell rose and fell, he cast a heart-pained look at the black-and-gold talisman before violently thrusting it forward. An ancient black-and-gold broadsword materialized before us. Li Muyang grasped the heavy blade and swung it forward. A breath-stealing wave of blade qi slashed fiercely outward; the crowd ahead of us failed to dodge in time and was directly swallowed by the blade qi, vanishing from the spot. I was too stunned to speak, staring blankly at Li Muyang. Li Muyang withdrew the broadsword and said with an expression of deep regret, "What a waste of my black-and-gold talisman. That was my first time using one, too."

I blinked, understanding what Li Muyang meant, and patted his shoulder. "It's fine. My master can definitely get more of these talismans. I'll ask him to get you one later."

Li Muyang shot me a blank look and said, "The master craftsman who made this talisman is already gone. This is a collector's item, completely out of print. Where else would there be a second one? Sigh, Lin Xuan, I really risked my old life for you."

I paused again and said, "Thanks a lot, then."

Li Muyang nodded with a bitter expression, and I could practically feel his heart bleeding. I smiled faintly and flicked my fingers. The Black and White Twin Fish split into two, charging toward the remaining dozens of men, while the Yangming Jade automatically flew back to rest against my neck. I looked over at Sister Yu and asked, "Sister Yu, what are you staring at?"

Sister Yu started, snapped out of her trance, and said, "Nothing, nothing, not looking at anything, not looking at anything..."

I nodded. Soon enough, under the coordinated assault of the Black and White Twin Fish, the remaining dozens of men were beaten to the ground—I didn't even need to make a personal move. This also afforded me a brief breathing spell. I looked toward the right. Xiang Fang and Wei Wuhua had been locked in a fierce, prolonged battle; the two of them had moved quite far away from us, yet the outcome remained undecided. Then I looked toward my master. Wei Wuchi was simply no match for my master, remaining passively on the defensive the entire time, while my master fought as if it were a game, casually executing moves at his leisure.

I ran quickly to my master's side just as Wei Wuchi, breathing heavily, was once again sent flying by a strike from my master. Seeing me trot over and looking past me, my master remarked, "Not bad, kid. You've cleared them all out. Well done."

I nodded, letting my master's compliment pass, and said instead, "Master, the Fourth Guardian, Wei Wuhua, has arrived. He's been fighting President Xiang for quite a while now."

My master paused and looked toward the right. Hearing my words, Wei Wuchi snapped his gaze in that direction as well, a surge of joy welling up in his heart. He called out, "Fourth Brother, you're finally here!"

Standing in the distance, Wei Wuhua heard Wei Wuchi's voice and, ignoring Xiang Fang's ongoing assault, flashed instantly to Wei Wuchi's side. "Third Brother, are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine, don't worry. Where are Second Brother and Big Brother? Why haven't they arrived yet?" Wei Wuchi asked, waving a hand dismissively.

"Second Brother has already arrived, though I'm not sure where he is right now. As for Big Brother, I have no idea where he went either. Who on earth is this fellow? Why were you being pushed back so repeatedly, Third Brother?" Wei Wuhua asked.

Upon hearing this, Wei Wuchi looked at my master and lowered his voice. "I don't know. I've exchanged nearly a hundred moves with him, and I can sense he hasn't even used his full strength. If it's just the two of us, we're bound to suffer. We can only hope Second Brother gets here soon."