"I'll fight you to the death!"
The snowfall got heavier and heavier.
Outside of the empty imperial study was like a barrier against snow was up. Nan Junfei thundered loudly. He had been knocked down for the umpteenth time by Hu Po's air punches and palm strikes now. However, he clenched his teeth and continued to utilise Qi Release Aspiration Manual to gather the energy to rise again.
Qi Release Aspiration Manual was indeed very effective. Nan Junfei had practiced it for many years and possessed high-level cultivation. In terms of stamina, not even Fu Xiang could beat him. However, Qi Release Aspiration manual wasn't almighty. You could heal internal wounds with it, but you couldn't replenish expended qi.
So he was using up qi continuously.
As a result, the effectiveness of his healing cycles became less and less effective. Originally, he could recover to eighty-percent of his normal condition, then to fifty-percent, then only thirty-percent, and now he only had the strength to stand up like an ordinary person.
But he stood up nonetheless. He knew that he couldn't defeat Hu Po, but he continued to attack him over and over. If it wasn't for Nan Junfei siding with evil, it would be a touching scene.
Hu Po looked at Nan Junfei lying on the ground totally bored while thinking about something else.
Nan Junfei should've died a long time ago.
The emperor had given the order to kill him and now he had no strength to resist so killing him was but a simple turn of the hand for Hu Po.
Hu Po wasn't sparing his life to toy with him. He didn't kill him as he was waiting for the yet to appear skilled assassins from the League of Assassins. Hu Po has served in the emperor's security detail for a long time and tasked with gathering secret information. He was also the emperor's personal bodyguard. Therefore, he was well-informed of the League of Assassins information since they were the organisation with the highest likelihood of harming the emperor.
It wasn't just a coincidence that Mystery managed to become the second team in the League of Assassins in just six years for sure.
They also have many men. However, there were only four of them who could be considered the leaders, Kuang Tian, Fu Xiang, Yu Ye, Zhong Ning.
Yu Ye Nan Junfei was here and Hu Po had met him. But he heard that Yu Ye's forte wasn't martial arts but qinggong and hidden weapons. Based on their fight, he was sure that was true. As for Zhong Ning, he was famous for being cruel, violent and lustful but not all that skilled.
The main ones he had to be wary of were Fu Xiang and Kuang Tian. It's said that both of them could give the orthodox sects of the martial world a headache. Their identities are secretive, and usually nobody knows their location.
Fu Xiang was a master at strong palm techniques. It's said that his internal strength had reached the level of its own. If that was true, Hu Po and him were the same level. The only question was who was stronger between them. Nobody will know until they fight.
Kuang Tian was extremely mysterious. Basically everyone who ever saw him is dead. All that's known is that he is supposedly stronger than Fu Xiang, but nobody knows what style he uses. They only know that he uses a sword, one that could cut hair without even directly cutting it.
Nan Junfei was a dead-man to Hu Po. But there's a difference between a corpse and a person on the verge of death. A Nan Junfei on the verge of death could act as a hostage, but not a corpse.
Hu Po was unaware Fu Xiang had already been apprehended. He only knew that he was here as a bodyguard and naturally had to keep the emperor safe. If he didn't have to fight Kuang Tian or Fu Xiang, he could do it.
"Hu Po, how is the man?"
A deep and calm voice came from in front. Hu Po looked up to see the emperor who had grown impatient come out from the imperial study. Snow filled the sky yet the emperor walked over very steadily.
The emperor looked at Nan Junfei on the ground and said: "This man is very sly and hid himself by my side for over a decade. Thinking of it sends a chill up my spine."
Hu Po respectfully replied: "Rest assured, your majesty, his skills are far inferior to mine. I taught him a lesson but he called for reinforcements. I think that we can use his special status in Mystery to our advantage."
The emperor smiled and replied: "Threaten Mystery's assassins with him? Not a bad idea. You're improving more and more, Hu Po. Henceforth, I shall confer you……"
Before he could finish, Nan Junfei jumped up all of a sudden like a fish and violently leapt at the two of them.
"Take this, tyrant!"
Nan Junfei held his last breath and lay in the snow patiently for a long time. He put everything into his attack. Hu Po was caught with surprise by it and indeed, it worked. Nan Junfei managed to grab both of the emperor's shoulders with his hands and almost choked him.
"Hmph!"
He was too quick to declare his victory. The emperor snorted and then bent one arm to stop Nan Junfei's arms, then made a circular motion with his right arm to hammer fist him. As his arms were locked by the emperor, he didn't get sent flying like he was meant to. To the contrary, he felt the bash throughout his body like his organs went another direction. It hurt him so much a layer of sweat gathered on his forehead and he vomited blood non-stop.
"Y-You……"
The emperor chucked sneered: "You didn't think I'd have recovered and could use my martial arts again, right?"
The emperor was furious when he thought of how Nan Junfei lied to him, spied on him for so many years, teamed up with those assassins to kill people, disrespected him countless times today, and how he even used Qi Release Aspiration Manual which the founding emperor taught him.
The emperor felt like he couldn't put the resentment he felt into words so he scoffed and then palmed him away with one hand. Nan Junfei staggered back like his body was limp and rolled on the ground. If it wasn't out of consideration that he could still be of use, the emperor would've taken his life with that strike.
Nan Junfei was severely wounded. However, he managed to stay conscious: When my leader gets here… when my leader gets here, none of you will get away with your lives!!
While in a hazy state, he saw people coming from in the distance. A good number of people came. He seemed to see a big group of people. Based off a rough guess, there were close to a hundred of them.
Nan Junfei's blood stuck to his eyelids so he couldn't see who came clearly, but instinctively ran over nonetheless.
They're here! They're here! My brothers are here!
"Brothers, hurry and come help me. Kill this damned bodyguard and capture that tyrant!"
But all he got was a heavy retort from the other side: "Go fuck yourself, you damned eunuch. Who you calling a 'damned bodyguard'?!"
The people who came kicked Nan Junfei to the ground.
Nan Junfei's head was spinning. He wiped the blood in front of his eyes away and got a clear look at who came. When he saw who they were, he was almost frightened enough to cry.
Not one from the Black Winds Thirteen Wings arrived. Reinforcements from the flying fish pavilion and imperial guards came though.
There must be like a hundred and sixty of them. When they arrived in the plaza, the first thing they did was orderly kneel before the emperor: "We apologise for our tardiness. We deserve to die!!"
The emperor didn't scold them and instead waved his hand and said: "Things happened all of a sudden today. It is but the fault of the battle. You are all skilled to be able to see me here now. Rise."
"Thank you, your majesty!"
Nan Junfei was only able to see clearly who was who when they all got up.
Their identities almost made him pass out.
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