Martial Arts Secret Realm: Only I Can Know the Plot?

"Heh, Lord Ling, haven't you been working in the imperial court for too long?"

"So long that we've forgotten what the martial arts world should really be like?"

"Now that we're here, why should we fear the imperial court?"

Before Baoxiang could finish speaking, he had already pounced.

His movements were astonishingly fast; despite being a burly man, he moved like the wind. The dagger drew an arc in the air, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, heading straight for Ling Tuisi's neck.

Ling Tuisi dodged the blow by sidestepping, then drew a soft sword from his waist with his right hand, wielding it straight, and thrust it toward Baoxiang's throat.

His signature weapon is the soft sword, which can be both hard and soft, and can be used for stabbing and slicing. It is best suited to deal with this kind of fierce sword technique.

The elephant neither dodged nor avoided, but blocked with its dagger.

clang--

Swords clashed, sparks flew.

Ling Tuisi took two steps back, while Baoxiang took one step back.

In terms of internal strength, Ling Tuisi was actually a notch weaker.

Bao Xiang grinned: "Lord Ling, it seems your martial arts skills have become rusty."

Ling Tuisi did not answer. With a flick of his soft sword, it transformed into a silver light that enveloped Baoxiang's entire body.

Instead of making a move, Shan Yong, Sheng Di, Shan Kang, and Shanxiong spread out, blocking all of Ling Tui Si's escape routes.

They're not stupid.

It's five against one, no need to fight desperately. We can wear him down eventually.

No matter what Ling Tuisi is like, there's still a chance he might drag one of them down with him.

The group took turns attacking from all sides, trying to deplete the opponent's internal energy.

Ling Tuisi was well aware of their plans.

While he was locked in combat with the elephant, he was rapidly calculating the possibility of escape.

The temple gate was blocked, and the windows were too small to climb out in time. The only chance was the small door at the back of the temple—a passage for the temple keeper leading to the vegetable garden behind the temple.

As long as he can break through there, there will be open space outside. With his lightness skill, as long as he creates distance, these brutes from the Blood Blade Sect might not be able to catch up.

Having made up his mind, Ling Tuisi feinted with his sword, forcing Bao Xiang back, and then retreated rapidly, rushing towards the back of the temple.

boom--

He burst through the small door and rushed into the vegetable garden.

Then he stopped.

A person was standing in the vegetable garden.

The man wore a long blue robe, his hair was tied up with a wooden hairpin, and an ordinary longsword hung at his waist. The moonlight illuminated his face, highlighting his distinct features and calm gaze.

"Sun Fan?" Ling Tuisi's pupils shrank sharply.

Sun Fan did not answer, but just looked at him quietly.

Ling Tuisi's mind raced, and in an instant, it was as if a bolt of lightning had struck his mind, clearing up almost all his previous doubts.

Sun Fan is here.

The Blood Blade Sect members are here.

Qi Changfa is not here.

This is no coincidence.

This is a trap.

The only thing he couldn't understand was what benefit Sun Fan would gain from scheming against him.

This is why he came here, and it's also the only thing he can't understand.

"You—" Ling Tuisi's voice became hoarse, "Did you bring them here?"

Sun Fan finally spoke, his voice very soft: "Lord Ling, haven't you been searching for the Liancheng Secret Technique?"

He tilted his head and looked behind Ling Tuisi.

Ling Tuisi subconsciously turned around.

Baoxiang had caught up, and five people poured out of the temple, completely surrounding the vegetable garden.

A pincer attack from both sides.

Ling Tuisi's heart sank to the bottom.

"Sun Fan, do you know what you're doing?" His voice trembled, not from fear, but from extreme rage. "You, a scholar, colluding with the bandits of the Blood Blade Sect—this is a capital offense!"

"Collusion?" Sun Fan shook his head. "Lord Ling, you misunderstand. I have no connection with the Blood Blade Sect."

He paused, a slight smile playing on his lips: "I just sent them a message."

Bao Xiang sneered, "Boy, we remember your favor of delivering the message. But today's events have nothing to do with you. Get out of our way and let us deal with this old geezer; you'll naturally get your share of the spoils."

Sun Fan did not move.

He looked at Ling Tuisi, his eyes as calm as a stagnant pool.

"Lord Ling, do you still remember Chu Huai'an?"

Ling Tuisi was taken aback.

"A scholar you imprisoned for half a year," Sun Fan said. "He did nothing wrong, except that he carried a collection of Tang poems with him. You thought he was related to Liancheng Jue, so you locked him up in jail, beat him, and tortured him for half a year."

"His mother almost cried herself blind, but he didn't even know."

Sun Fan's voice was very calm, as if he were talking about something that had nothing to do with him.

"Tell me, should he hate you?"

Ling Tuisi's face turned ashen: "You set a trap for me for someone who's nobody in the picture?"

"Unrelated?" Sun Fan shook his head. "There aren't only two kinds of people in this world: those who are related and those who are not."

He paused for a moment: "Someone like you will never understand."

Ling Tuisi did not speak again.

He gripped his soft sword tightly, and his body shot up, not towards Bao Xiang, but towards Sun Fan.

In his eyes, Sun Fan was the weakest link.

How much martial arts skill can a scholar possess?

Killing Sun Fan, tearing open a breach, and rushing out is the only way to survive.

The soft sword transformed into a streak of silver light, piercing towards Sun Fan's chest.

He used all his strength in this sword strike.

He was confident that his full-force attack would kill not only a scholar, but even a martial artist at the third realm.

Then he saw Sun Fan move.

Sun Fan placed his hand on the hilt of the sword.

Draw your sword.

Draw your sword.

It was just one sword strike.

Ling Tuisi saw his soft sword being gently deflected by something, shifting half an inch. Then he saw a white light flash before his eyes, as fast as lightning, as fast as something that only appears in a dream.

He heard a crisp crack from his wrist.

It wasn't the sound of bones breaking, it was the sound of tendons snapping.

His right hand suddenly lost all strength, and the soft sword slipped from his fingers and fell to the ground with a clang.

Ling Tuisi was stunned.

He looked down at his right hand, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He knew that the other person was inferior to him.

But what exactly is that mysterious sword technique?

There was a thin bloodstain on my wrist, and blood was seeping out from it.

Not profound, but very accurate.

It was so precise that it severed the very nerve that allowed him to exert his strength.

"You—" He looked up at Sun Fan, his face full of disbelief, "You're a martial artist?"

Sun Fan sheathed his sword without answering.

Behind him, Ding Dian emerged from the darkness.

Ding Dian changed into a clean set of close-fitting clothes, his hair was neatly tied up, and the scar on his face, running from the corner of his eye to the corner of his mouth, was faintly visible in the moonlight.

His eyes were cold, as cold as ice in winter.

He was covered in blood.

The blood of the Blood Saber Sect members.

The reason Sun Fan and Ling Tuisi had time to say these things was because Ding Dian had already made his move and ambushed the Blood Blade Sect members.

"Ding Dian?" Ling Tuisi's voice changed, becoming sharp with disbelief. "You—how did you get out?"

"I walked out," Ding Dian said calmly. "Those doors you put on me couldn't keep me out. I just didn't want to come out."

He looked at Ling Tuisi, his eyes filled with no anger or hatred, only a deep, heavy sorrow.

"Shuangmei said she doesn't want to see you die."

Ling Tuisi trembled.

He seemed to have found a way to escape.