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墨書 Inktalez
A cold wind swept over him! Wuxing knew that this was the presence of a spirit. If it were an ordinary person, they would surely be possessed, enduring painful struggles until losing their sense of self, becoming nothing more than a walking corpse, a slave to their own body.
Wuxing's hands suddenly crossed. His left hand swiftly reached into his right sleeve to pull out a willow leaf soaked in talismanic water, quickly rubbing it across his eyes. At the same time, his right hand drew the Magic Blade from the scabbard hanging at his waist on the left side.
This was a magical artifact passed down by his master, unique to each person—some wielded magic swords, others throwing darts—but all could restrain demons. However, they were powerless against those who had already been possessed.
The Magic Blade felt heavy in his hand as Wuxing twirled it in front of him. He spotted a dark shadow rushing towards him from not far away.
"Come at me!" Wuxing whispered fiercely. It seemed that this spirit was unaware of the Shadow Guard's protection within the palace. It accelerated towards him, attempting to possess him and infiltrate the palace.
With a swift motion, Wuxing slashed at the shadow. The figure remained unmoved as his blade struck down. A light sound echoed, like tearing fabric; Wuxing clearly saw the shadow split in two, dissipating into a cloud of black smoke that vanished into thin air.
Just as Wuxing exhaled in relief, he suddenly felt a chill creeping up from behind him—it was already right at his back! "Another one?!" Wuxing was startled but reacted quickly, lunging forward while swinging his blade backward!
His hand met empty air; he had missed! Wuxing rolled forward and sprang up, turning swiftly with wide eyes. In the pitch-black night, there was nothing in front of him!
Where did it go? Wuxing scanned his surroundings warily. Suddenly, he felt a chill on his left foot near the water's edge, followed by a tingling sensation—his left foot lost all feeling!
Another one was lurking in the water! Taking advantage of the moment to launch a surprise attack! Wuxing immediately realized this and wasted no time; he bent down and swung his blade sharply to the left. At that moment, he saw a dark figure coiling around his left leg. The blade sliced through the shadow, which gradually faded away.
At that instant, a shadow flashed at the corner of Wuxing's left eye and disappeared into the water—the second one had escaped! What a pity; it got away after all. Wuxing sighed inwardly. The wooden sword made of peach wood was inexplicably heavy; its movements were not nimble enough. If only it were lighter, he might have been able to slay all three spirits!
He sheathed the wooden sword. If only he could have the sect's treasure—the Demon-Slaying Blade—Wuxing thought.
The Demon-Slaying Blade! According to his master, it was a precious artifact bestowed by the emperor of the dynasty upon their sect. Its origins were mysterious; it was said to have been forged from the heart's blood of an extraordinary individual from a previous dynasty and eventually made its way to the royal inner court of this dynasty. This blade was reputed to subdue all demons and was truly regarded as the foremost holy object for demon-slaying.
However, not only Wuxing but even his master Feng Qianshan had never seen it. In fact, aside from Grandmaster Shen Qianqi, no one had laid eyes on the Demon-Slaying Blade; even Grandmaster rarely mentioned it, only informing disciples that the Demon-Slaying Blade was bloodthirsty and fierce—a truly ominous object that should never be used unless absolutely necessary.
"Light the torches! Prepare to shoot!" At that moment, a clear female voice rang out from atop the palace wall. Wuxing was startled and quickly called out loudly, "Wait! I am a palace guard! I am patrolling this area!"
The lights on the city wall flickered to life. "Is it you!?" Wuxing and the woman on the wall exclaimed in unison, revealing that she recognized him. A sense of inexplicable joy surged within Wuxing, dispelling the earlier feeling of loss.
It really was her! Unintentional gazed up at her. It had been three years, and they had never had the chance to speak; this was their first direct encounter. Her radiant and extraordinary face made Unintentional's heart race uncontrollably.
They locked eyes for a moment, and Wuxing awkwardly broke the silence, saying, "Uh, miss, it seems to be a bit late today."
The woman above chuckled lightly. "My name is Yuyan. Which guard do you belong to?"
A general!? Wuxing couldn't help but smile broadly. "Miss Swallow, you flatter me. I am..." Suddenly remembering his master's instructions not to disclose his identity as a Shadow Guard, he quickly added, "I am Right Gate Guard Upper Fruit Captain Wuxing. Are you perhaps from the Phoenix Guard?"
Yuyan glanced down at Wuxing on the city wall. For three years, she had seen him during night patrols but never during the day. This young man patrolled at night without lighting a lamp, which was indeed mysterious. Thinking of this, she said, "So it's Lord Wuxing. I apologize for my earlier assumptions. Was there any disturbance down below?"
Wuxing hurriedly replied, "I was patrolling here and accidentally fell, coincidentally encountering you. Please forgive the disturbance."
Yuyan smiled brightly and said, "Lord Wuxing, guarding the palace is our shared responsibility. If needed, please have the sentries on the wall notify me. However, do take care next time; it's best to carry a lantern during your night patrols." With that, she turned and left with her companions, her laughter ringing like silver bells.
A lantern? Wuxing chuckled bitterly; wouldn't lighting a lantern in the dark just reveal his position to lurking spirits?
However, her voice was truly melodious. Were all Phoenix Guards so beautiful? And would they have to remain in the palace for life without ever marrying or leaving? Wuxing found himself standing there lost in thought—these were questions he had never considered in over twenty years.
Just then, a man's voice called out from across the way, "Who goes there!?" Wuxing suddenly snapped back to reality; it was Mash Chief's voice! It seemed he had delayed quite a bit of time; Mash Chief must have already completed a patrol.
"Mash Chief, it's me!" Wuxing quickly tucked his short wooden sword into his back sheath. He thought it best not to let anyone see it; after all, what would people think of an esteemed inner court captain carrying a wooden sword? He feared he would be ridiculed.
Mash Chief approached with a lantern and upon recognizing Wuxing bowed respectfully. "My lord, you're late today; is there something wrong?"
Wuxing shook his head and replied, "Nothing much; I felt a bit unwell and was delayed. Mash Chief, how is everything at Dragon's Head Hall?"
"Everything is normal!"
"Mm, continue the night patrol."
As Mash Chief led the team away, the surroundings gradually faded into darkness. Wuxing looked up at the direction where Yuyan had departed for a long while before turning to leave.
The night passed without incident. At dawn, the sound of drums echoed, and the palace gates swung open as officials prepared to attend court. Wuxing completed his final round of patrol and met up with Mash Chief and the others, ready to return to their residence at Left Golden Guard Commandery.
Passing through Zhaoxun Gate and walking along the outer wall of Left Golden Guard Commandery, Wuxing encountered Shibo Shen Qianqi's eldest disciple Unharmed and Second Master Meng Qianli's second disciple Regretless. They too had finished their night patrols and were heading back to South Gate Base.
This was a rule established since the formation of the Shadow Guard: each faction, belonging to different masters, was assigned distinct areas for protection to prevent collusion and misconduct.
Unharmed, a man in his thirties with a fiery temperament, was tall and robust, making him the oldest among his peers. Spotting Wuxing from a distance, he broke into a wide grin and laughed heartily, "Hahaha, junior brother, why didn't I see you last night?"
Wuxing approached and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Senior Brother!" Straightening up, he glanced at the wine gourd slung over Unharmed's shoulder and teased, "Senior Brother, you weren't hiding somewhere drinking and fell asleep, were you? I patrolled the border several times but didn’t see you at all!"
Though they belonged to different masters, this group of Shadow Guards had grown up as orphans. Unharmed often trained and studied with Wuxing and the others due to his age. To Wuxing, Unharmed felt more like an older brother, which made their interactions very warm. Unharmed often displayed a carefree demeanor in front of everyone, frequently joking around with his younger siblings.
"Hehe, junior brother, if you saw me then it would mean I'm not skilled enough!" Wuxing smiled without responding. Unharmed stepped closer and patted his shoulder, lowering his voice. "Hehe, that woman on the city tower yesterday was truly stunning. How long have you known her?"
Wuxing was taken aback, panic spreading across his face. "Unharmed Senior Brother, what are you talking about? What city tower?"
"Haha!" Unharmed chuckled lightly but did not press further. He simply said with amusement, "So Wuxing has grown up now; hahaha!"
Wuxing felt speechless; it turned out that his senior brother had secretly crossed into his patrol area last night without him noticing.
"Don't overthink it." Unharmed patted his shoulder again. "I noticed something unusual on your side and went to check if you needed help. I didn't expect to see... Hehe."
"Hey, hey, hey, Brother Unharmed, Junior Brother Wuxing, what are you chatting about so happily?" A voice suddenly interrupted Unharmed; it was Regretless, who had just walked over with a playful grin. Regretless was a few years younger than Unharmed and, unlike Unharmed's bold demeanor, he had a carefree and nonchalant personality, appearing indifferent to everything.
"Oh, it's nothing. Last night, Wuxing encountered a demon and reported it to me," Unharmed replied casually, lifting his head.
Wuxing cast a grateful glance at Unharmed and turned to bow. "Greetings, Brother Regretless!"
"Ah, I remember. It’s been quite some time since any demons have infiltrated the outer palace. Why has there suddenly been one recently? Wuxing, can you handle it?" Regretless said with a chuckle.
"Well, I also encountered one not long ago. It attempted to possess someone to sneak through Han Yuan Hall into the Inner Palace but was cut down by me," Unharmed remarked thoughtfully.
"Perhaps it's the beginning of chaos," Regretless continued to smile, even though his words were quite outrageous.
"Regretless!" Unharmed shot him a glare and scolded.
Regretless stuck out his tongue and fell silent, standing aside.
"Master has issued an order!" Unharmed glanced at Regretless and Wuxing, his expression shifting to seriousness as he spoke in a hushed tone.
Regretless and Wuxing quickly stood straight and bowed. "After breakfast today, all disciples are to gather at Piqing Courtyard to receive orders; Master has important matters to announce!"
"Understood!" Regretless and Wuxing replied in unison. After conveying Master’s orders, Unharmed organized the three groups of people properly and led the way toward Base.
After breakfast, Wuxing didn’t have time to change out of his armor and hurried toward Piqing Courtyard. This courtyard was located at the southeast corner outside the south gate and served as the headquarters for the Shadow Guard. Since everyone was stationed in different camps, Wuxing saw many disciples rushing toward Piqing Courtyard along the way.
Upon entering through the main gate of Piqing Courtyard and rounding a shadow wall, he found himself in a crowded scene; many people were standing in the courtyard, making the spacious area feel cramped.
On the steps of a hall ahead stood three leaders: in the center was the sect leader Shibo, who also served as the commander of the Shadow Guard, Shen Qianqi; on the left was Vice Commander Meng Qianli; and on the right stood Master Feng Qianshan, one of the three commanders.
Shen Qianqi was short in stature, aged, with gray hair and a tuft of beard under his chin. At that moment, he was not wearing armor, and his face appeared kind, resembling a benevolent old man. Meng Qianli, on the other hand, gazed solemnly at the crowd below, lost in thought. The master caught sight of Wuxing, who had just entered, smiled at him, and then turned his attention elsewhere. The eldest disciple, Unharmed, stood at the bottom of the steps.
As Wuxing settled among the crowd, he saw Shen Qianqi look up at the sun and call for Unharmed. "Verify the disciples present," he commanded. Unharmed bowed and replied, "As you command!" He turned to retrieve the roster and began to call out names loudly.
"Wuyou!" "Present!"
"Wuku!" "Present!"
...
After a moment, the roll call was complete, and everyone had arrived.
Shen Qianqi nodded in satisfaction, cleared his throat, and began to speak loudly. "Today, I have gathered everyone here to announce an important matter: The Persian King has passed away. Prince Mud Sculptor has returned home to mourn. The Emperor has ordered Minister of Rites to also serve as the Acting General of the Right Guard, Pei Xingjian, to escort him along the way. Given the prince's esteemed status and its implications for the relations between the Tang Dynasty and its vassal states, we cannot afford any mistakes. Therefore, I have ordered the Shadow Guard to provide protection throughout the journey. To show our loyalty to the Emperor, I have decided to accompany my two junior brothers on this trip. Each of them will select four capable individuals. Please prepare yourselves by this afternoon and report back here; I will lead everyone to General Pei's camp outside the city."
As soon as he finished speaking, a wave of murmurs erupted among the crowd, creating a stir.
(To be continued; more exciting developments tomorrow!)
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