I became a prince in a martial arts world.

"what!"

The man in black screamed, brandishing his longsword in front of him in a flash of silver light, before leaping away.

The dust that landed on my face was fine, but the dust that got into my eyes blinded me and made it hard to see.

Then he heard Wang Yu say, "This is my family's secret Soul-Chasing and Life-Taking Destruction Powder. It seals the throat upon contact with blood, rots flesh and corrodes bones. If it is not washed with water within thirty breaths, the flesh and bones will rot and the person will die."

"You little bastard! I never believed your nonsense!" the man in black cursed. "This is clearly lime; if it gets wet, my eyes will go blind!"

"Huh?" Wang Yu was taken aback. "You know that?"

Zi Ling chuckled, and Li Yunxiu couldn't help but smile as well. Then, with a gentle wave of her hand, two golden needles disappeared into the black-clad man's eyes.

The man in black screamed again and tried to escape.

But he was fast, and Li Yunxiu was not slow either. She darted behind him, stretched out her slender hand, and placed it on his back. With a burst of internal energy, she shattered his heart meridian.

The man in black coughed up blood and collapsed dead.

Wang Yu breathed a sigh of relief, then straightened up again, glancing around. "There's no one else here, is there?"

A gentle evening breeze rustled the falling leaves, and there was not a sound of human voices.

"It seems there's nothing left." Li Yunxiu breathed a sigh of relief. After being shocked three times in one day, even she was somewhat mentally and physically exhausted.

……

He ordered the guards to find tools and dig two deep pits in the backyard to move the grandfather and grandson out of the cellar, preparing to bury them separately from the old woodcutter and his grandson, as well as the group of assassins in black.

Before burial, of course, one must touch the corpse.

"A bottle of poison, a bottle of antidote, twelve poisoned darts, and thirty gold leaves." Zi Ling beamed with delight. "I didn't expect this old man to be so rich."

Zi Ling was touching the corpse, with Li Yunxiu and Wang Yu beside her.

"Where did you hear that sword theory you just mentioned?" Li Yunxiu asked.

"I learned it from a novel," Wang Yu said.

The common people in this world are already quite prosperous, and the literacy rate of the population has also increased. In addition to classical literature, various operas, novels, and picture books have also emerged.

"In the novel, there is a peerless master who roams the world. Before he came of age, he used a sharp, powerful, and indestructible sword."

Wang Yu continued, "Before I was thirty, I used a soft sword. After accidentally injuring a righteous man, I abandoned it in a deep valley and switched to a heavy sword. Before I was forty, I wielded it and roamed the world freely."

The novel then describes how, after the age of forty, he was no longer bound by material things; grass, trees, bamboo, and stones could all be used as swords. From then on, he refined his skills and gradually entered the realm where having no sword is better than having a sword.

"No sword is better than a sword?" Li Yunxiu frowned and pondered. "Even if a novelist practices martial arts, he won't achieve much. At most, he can write about characters and create some martial arts techniques. How can he write about any martial arts principles? Although this theory sounds mysterious, it may not be in line with reality."

After thinking for a moment, Li Yunxiu still asked, "What's the name of this novel?"

"I forgot," Wang Yu said matter-of-factly.

Li Yunxiu, "..."

Li Yunxiu pondered for a moment, her bright eyes deep and unfathomable as she looked intently at Wang Yu. "How did you come up with the idea of ​​using feigned intimidation to intimidate him, then distracting him with firewood, and finally striking him with lime?"

Old Yan died unexpectedly. Although she quickly used a scheme to capture the old woodcutter, she was indeed not confident when the man in black appeared.

Although she had her own trump cards and had never truly revealed her martial arts skills, the fact that she hadn't discovered the man in black before meant that his martial arts skills were not weak either.

He immediately feigned weakness and panic, and concealed a hidden weapon—a golden needle—that he had never shown to anyone before. However, Li Yunxiu was unsure whether the enemy would be careless and fall into the trap.

Compared to her usual approach as a woman, Wang Yu's response surprised Li Yunxiu.

Although Zhao Yu's reputation as a playboy was well-known in the capital, as the son of a Grandmaster of the Innate Realm, he still had some intimidating power. In addition, his words were mysterious and difficult to understand, which intimidated the man in black for a time.

Zhao Yu usually uses a sword in the capital, and in theory, he would never be without his longsword. But now, facing the possibility of assassination at any moment, not only is his longsword not at hand, but he is also holding a piece of firewood as a sword. Anyone would be surprised and suspicious.

However, since the man in black was the one who wanted to kill Wang Yu, he was bound to take action against Wang Yu. But he would be very careful during the test and would concentrate all his attention on the firewood in Wang Yu's hand.

However, even if the man in black could guess all sorts of possibilities under his probing, he would never have guessed that the firewood in Wang Yu's hand was so fragile.

Taking advantage of the moment the man in black was distracted, Wang Yu was able to use his newly acquired, shallow internal strength to raise lime and, at such close range, swiftly and unexpectedly sprinkle lime into the man's eyes.

Li Yunxiu, with her sharp eyes, noticed that Wang Yu released the firewood almost the instant the man in black's longsword touched it, to avoid being injured by the man's internal force, demonstrating his caution.

Thus, a martial arts master who was no less skilled than himself was defeated by him using a rogue-like fighting style.

Li Yunxiu was somewhat emotional. Her reputation as the top female scholar was known throughout the world, but today she had been saved twice by this newcomer who had just entered the workforce.

If there was an element of luck involved the first time, the second time it became clear that his mental and strategic skills were top-notch.

It's a pity he started practicing martial arts too late; otherwise, he would surely have had a place in the martial arts world in the future!

However, with his mental fortitude and cunning, impersonating Zhao Yu would likely be a piece of cake for him, and taking control of the Zhenxi Prince's Mansion might be much easier than imagined.

Regardless, the fact that the other party had only just learned martial arts today and yet stood up so bravely and resolutely still impressed Li Yunxiu. Especially when she pretended to be flustered, the other party stood in front of her without hesitation, and that tall figure made her heart skip a beat.

Li Yunxiu stared at Wang Yu, and then heard Wang Yu reply, "It's written in the novel."

"Huh?" Li Yunxiu was taken aback.

"I read a novel where there was a master who could use ventriloquism. When fighting, he would speak in his ventriloquism to make his opponent focus on his hands, while actually holding a hidden weapon in his mouth to find an opportunity to defeat his enemy," Wang Yu said seriously.

Li Yunxiu, "..."

"The novels these days are quite interesting," Li Yunxiu said dryly.

As a female scholar who excelled in both literature and martial arts, Li Yunxiu had certainly read extensively. However, she only read literary classics, profound theories, books on governance and even military strategy, and regarded operas and novels on the market as miscellaneous books, which she always disdained.

Unexpectedly, Wang Yu learned how to deal with enemies from such miscellaneous books!

It seems there are no useless books; it's just a matter of whether you can absorb their essence and apply it in the right way.

Li Yunxiu thought about it and realized that she would have to be more selective in reading novels and picture books in the future.

Just then, Zi Ling let out a soft exclamation, holding up a bronze token, and asked Li Yunxiu, "Young...Madam, this guy also has a waist token. Could he be part of an organization?"

This bronze plaque was found on the man in black.

Wang Yu watched from the side and saw that the bronze plaque was no more than half the size of a palm. The front was engraved with three mountain peaks with interplay of light and shadow, while the back was engraved with the character "Shadow". The entire bronze plaque had been polished to a shiny luster, indicating that the man in black often held it in his hand and played with it.

Upon seeing the bronze plaque, Li Yunxiu raised an eyebrow and exclaimed softly, "The Ghost Shadow Faction?"

Wang Yu's lips twitched. "This doesn't sound like a good deal."

Li Yunxiu said in a deep voice, "Not only is it not a good approach, but its background is also shockingly powerful!"

Seeing Li Yunxiu's genuine change in expression for the first time, Wang Yu couldn't help but ask, "You're not surprised by the Seven Great Sword Sects? Just how powerful is the Ghost Shadow Sect?"

"The Seven Great Sword Sects are reputable and righteous sects, but the Ghost Shadow Sect is a branch of the Demonic Sect," Li Yunxiu said calmly.

"The Demonic Sect?" Wang Yu clicked his tongue.

In martial arts and fantasy novels from my past life, demonic sects frequently appeared.

Whether as background information, participating in the main storyline, adding color to a supporting role, or acting as a mastermind behind the scenes, they are absolutely a top-tier force, with top-tier masters among them.

"It's the South Sea Sect, which is no less powerful than the Seven Great Sword Sects, and the Ghost Shadow Sect, a branch of the Demonic Sect. They're giving me such a tough meal on the first day. Aren't they giving me too much credit?" Wang Yu thought speechlessly. "If they don't want me to pass the beginner level, they should just say so. There's no need to put me on hell difficulty."

Li Yunxiu was puzzled. "The Demonic Sect has always opposed the imperial court. Why would they accept a bounty to deal with us? It's already good enough that the Ghost Shadow Sect's assassins don't assassinate high-ranking officials. Why would they help a high-ranking official kill you?"

Logically speaking, the emperor released Zhao Yu because he was worried that the Zhenxi Prince's faction would rebel, and Zhao Yu would not be of one mind with the emperor after returning to Longshan Prefecture.

Shouldn't the evil cult be stopping them?

Li Yunxiu couldn't understand it.

"If you can't figure it out, then don't think about it anymore. Isn't he dead?" Wang Yu didn't care. From now on, he just needed to hide in the Zhenxi Prince's Mansion, take a lot of drugs and cultivate vigorously. He didn't need to worry about anything else.

"That's true." Li Yunxiu nodded. "Now that the Ghost Shadow Sect has sent an assassin, no one else will come."

"But things seem to be a little different from what I expected."

Li Yunxiu pondered for a moment and said, "I originally thought that those high-ranking officials in the court would not be able to find any decent assassins, and most people or forces would be happy to see the Zhenxi King's faction continue to be semi-independent, so they would not take action. It would be enough to have Elder Yan looking after us on the way."

Unexpectedly, not only did the Twin Swords of the South China Sea come knocking, but a skilled poison expert also appeared, and now a Ghost Shadow Sect assassin has emerged.

Li Yunxiu looked at Wang Yu, "I didn't expect their hatred for you to run so deep. They actually brought so many experts. I don't even know what kind of experts will appear next."

Wang Yu remained expressionless, wondering if he would die before even getting started.

"So what do we do now?" Wang Yu asked.

"We can't keep parading around like this." Li Yunxiu looked at the guards who had already dug the pit almost to completion. "They're like billboards advertising our presence. If they continue to follow us, they'll only attract more assassins."

"You're planning to kill them to cover your tracks?" Wang Yu gasped. "As expected of the top female scholar, she even made them dig their own grave!"

Li Yunxiu nearly stumbled, and said irritably, "What are you thinking! I mean, send them back to the capital, and the three of us will disguise ourselves as ordinary martial arts practitioners and return to the Northwest, hiding our tracks and avoiding those assassins."