Chapter Twenty-Two: Bloody Carnage

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Zhu Shitian had long resided in Hengyang, and no one had ever seen him wield a weapon. Now, as he lifted his long robe and drew a flexible sword from his waist, Muller immediately took a step back and exclaimed, “So General Li, it turns out you come from the Imperial Guard.”

During the reign of Emperor Ruizong of the Great Tang, Empress Wu Zetian, though holding the title of Empress Dowager, wielded supreme power and manipulated the court. To tighten her control over the ministers, she secretly recruited trusted agents to act as her eyes and ears, specializing in covert surveillance and assassination. The movements of the court officials, no matter how trivial, were meticulously tracked. Those who harbored discontent toward Wu Zetian were quietly marked for elimination to remove dissent. For the sake of both assassinations and Wu Zetian’s clandestine protection, these agents were equipped with specially crafted flexible swords and trained in swordsmanship by masters. Though nominally under the command of the Imperial Guards, in truth they answered to none but Wu Zetian herself; not even the commanders knew their names. They were known throughout the court as the Inner Guard, and, for ease of mutual recognition, all bore a plum blossom brand on their arms, earning them the name “Plum Blossom Inner Guard.” After Wu Zetian deposed Emperor Ruizong and established the Zhou Dynasty, these agents were placed in key government offices and military units. It was then that Zhu Shitian was installed in the Left Vanguard Guard as General of Loyal Valor.

With a twist of his wrist, Zhu Shitian’s flexible sword flashed in the night, glimmering like a silver serpent as it struck. In a heartbeat, blood spurted from Muller. Such close-quarters combat was the specialty of the Inner Guard. Although Muller’s body was protected by his internal energy, it could only fend off fists and palms, not blades or swords. His heavy, long wolf-tooth mace had become useless, so he tossed it aside and resorted to his Ape and Monkey Night Strike boxing to engage Zhu Shitian. In moments, Muller was covered in nearly a hundred wounds, his flesh sliced open.

The wealthiest man in Hengyang was not only a general of the court but also one of the feared Plum Blossom Inner Guard, with formidable martial skills. This realization sent a chill through Master Yuanhui. He swung his monk’s staff in a fierce assault against Yan Fengjiao, forcing her back several steps, and the nine staff monks once again encircled her