Wu Ding’s heart sank. The man in black was a person who was not fearful of death.

　　There was nothing the man in black was afraid of. Moreover, he had an extraordinary weapon, the bow that had taken several lives. The Eastern Barbarians were skilled assassins with the sword and the bow as their strongest weapons. Countless powerhouses had collapsed under their bow and arrow. It was said that ancestors of the Eastern Barbarian were an ultimate powerhouse who was not afraid of the sun. His choice of weapon was the bow.

　　The man in black’s bow was not on par with the legendary ancestor but it was still extremely powerful. Furthermore, there was an arrow made of black iron on the tight bowstring. The tip of the arrow was so sharp that it hurt Wu Ding’s eyes.

　　But Wu Ding refused to blink because if he did so, he would never be able to blink ever again.

　　Wu Ding’s sword had been crushed into pieces. Even if he still had his sword intact, it would not be of much help. The tip of the arrow was aimed at the glabella and was released. It drew a perfectly straight line in the sky, just like the motion of the stars.

　　He held tightly on a piece of jade that hung on his waist. It was a gift from Taiyi and he still remembers the moment when Taiyi handed him that jade.

　　It was a starry night without moonlight. Taiyi handed him the jade and said, “Zi Zhao, remember. Even if the jade is broken, the person is still alive.”

　　Zi Zhao was Wu Ding’s original name.

　　This piece of jade had been with him for some time but it broke today.

　　A layer of water started to rise around Wu Ding. It was a protection Qi shield made of mana that prevented the black iron arrow from piercing through.

　　Instead, the black iron arrow looked like a spear that smashed into catkins.

　　The arrow failed to pierce through the Qi shield and ended up falling into the Xia Canal along with Wu Ding. The man in black groaned and charged towards the surface of the water. He could see Wu Ding swimming downstream like a fish.

　　Within two breaths, the man in black caught up with Wu Ding. But there was a bridge ahead and a person riding a white pegasus that was held by an elegant looking girl was on the bridge. The person on the pegasus looked like he was in his teens.

　　The teenager on the horse did not move at all but the man in black felt as though he had just seen the distant sky.

　　The waters of the Xia Canal, the moon, and the starry sky disappeared from the view of the man in black. All he could see was the white pegasus, the girl, and person on the Pegasus.

　　It was as if he was forcefully detached from the world.

　　The man in black had imagined the greatness of Emperor Xia for countless times. He could pull mountains, pluck stars from the skies, ignite like the sun and burn down vast lands.

　　But he had never imagined that such spooky way of fighting would exist in this world. He then realized that even Emperor Xia would not be able to do such a thing.

　　It was an unusual form of fighting that was beyond his knowledge. He was deeply puzzled and it was already a matter beyond life and death.

　　Meanwhile, Wu Ding noticed the teenager on the white pegasus.

　　This teenager was no longer the little prince of Xi Liang. He was a terrifying demon king. The scene that he witnessed was the same thing the man in black saw.

　　“Wu Ding.” Shen Lian’s voice was gentle but it came pouring into Wu Ding’s ears from all directions. The voice also went into the ears of the man in black.

　　Although Wu Ding had seen Shen Lian many times and had always known that he was extraordinary, it felt like this was the first time he really knew this person.

　　He nodded his head but was speechless.

　　Shen Lian’s voice came through like the night breeze, “I have promised Guan Longzi to rescue you. Come over here.”

　　Wu Ding then realized the purpose of Shen Lian’s sudden appearance. It was Guan Longzi’s favor after all.

　　After Shen Lian took in Lei Jing as his student, Guan Longzi wrapped up his class of the day.

　　Guan Longzi then went into Zhi Wei classroom and noticed Lei Jing who was just loitering around. He smiled to her and went to Shen Lian.

　　Shen Lian looked at him and asked, “How can I help you?”

　　Guan Longzi said, “I need you to help me rescue someone tonight.”

　　“And who is it?”

　　“Wu Ding. He is the nephew of Tianyi. Tonight, someone would assassinate him but he cannot die.” Guan Longzi responded in a deep voice.

　　Shen Lian said, “As long as one is human, they would eventually die. But what to do? I am a guest at your place and I have no problem with this tiny favor. But you would need to explain it better though.”

　　Guan Longzi replied, “As you know, I practice astronomy and thus, can see the future.”

　　Shen Liam strummed the zither and said, “You did not see the future, it was just the biggest possibility of the future.”

　　Guan Longzi smiled, “You are right. Through my astronomy skills, I found out that an Eastern Barbarian would assassinate Wu Ding. The assassin’s name is Zuo Ling and he is a very famous assassin of the Eastern Barbarian. It is said that he has never failed any mission.”

　　Shen Lian responded calmly, “I am not interested to know how skillful he is. But what does the Eastern Barbarian assassination of Yin Shang’s royalty had to do with a loyal minister of Da Xia like you? By any chance, have you admired Tianyi for too long and you just can’t wait to be a minister of Yin Shang?

　　Guan Longzi sighed, “If I had the choice, I would willingly serve Tianyi. He was the truly virtuous Monarch. But there is no way that I would betray Emperor Xia and for the sake of Da Xia, I am asking you to rescue Wu Ding.”

　　“That sounds interesting, tell me more about it.” Shen Lian smiled.

　　“I think I know what it is about.” The daughter of the Prefect Grand Usher, Lei Jing walked towards them and sat next to them. At this very moment, she was as quiet as a child with a pair of beautiful eyes that were filled with wisdom.

　　She adjusted her clothes and looked calmly at Guan Longzi and Shen Lian.

　　Guan Longzi said, “That is right. As the daughter of the Prefect Grand Usher, you should know the reason why. After all, the Prefect Grand Usher was in charge of foreign affairs for so many years.”

　　Shen Lian remained quiet as he waited for Lei Jing to continue her sentence.

　　Lei Jing said, “Although the Eastern Barbarian did not become a centralized nation like Yin Shang, they had many powerhouses that should never be underestimated. They enjoyed a close relationship with Da Xia and at my place, we had many precious collections and beautiful women sent by the Eastern Barbarians.

　　Plus, the Eastern Barbarian and Yin Shang were like fire and water, it is hard for them to coexist at the same time. This was a situation that was in favor of Da Xia. In fact, if they started fighting against each other outside of Diqiu, we Da Xia would never take the initiative to mediate.

　　Moreover, Wu Ding was born extraordinary and he became the disciple of a mysterious Qi cultivator who had experienced beyond life and death. He was recognized by Yin Shang as one of the people who would take over Tianyi throne.

　　If the Eastern Barbarians assassinated him, they would only add on more hate for Yin Shang. But if Wu Ding died in Diqiu, it would certainly be a provocation of my uncle’s prestige. Judging on my uncle’s temperaments, he would never give an explanation to Yin Shang or he might take the most extreme measure by going all out against Yin Shang and also go after the Easter Barbarians.

　　It would hurt Da Xia’s national power if we had to go against both the Eastern Barbarians and Yin Shang at the same time. The suppression of Dao and Buddhism had cost us a big part of Da Xia’s resource.”

　　Guan Longzi looked at Lei Jing with agreement. Any wise emperor would never make such a decision to go against two different forces but it would be a different story of Emperor Xia.

　　It was not that Emperor Xia did not know the consequences but he would do it anyway just because he was Emperor Xia.