Chapter 335: The Edgeless Mo Mei (Seeking subscriptions, seeking tips)

Seeing Xiao Xie strike Hidden Bat with a single palm, rendering him生死不知 (unconscious and on the brink of death), Gao Jianli’s eyes twitched. Although Hidden Bat was no match for him, defeating him one-on-one would still require considerable effort; it was impossible to dispose of him so easily.

"Little Seventeen, are you intending to stand against your sister?" Chi Lian asked, her willow-leaf brows knitted in concern. Xiao Xie was the only family she had left, and she truly did not want to become his enemy, especially not for the sake of irrelevant people.

"Sister Chi Lian, rest assured. I will never raise a hand against you. If it weren't for your sake, that fellow Hidden Bat would already be dead. As for the battle between you and the Mohists, I will not intervene. However, some among them have accepted my Order of Ascending Heaven, making them members of my Ascending Heaven Tower. I will not stand by and watch you kill them," Xiao Xie said, looking at Chi Lian with a serious expression.

Hearing this, a flicker of tenderness crossed Chi Lian’s beautiful eyes, and she let out a charming laugh: "If Little Seventeen says so, then I am relieved. I was truly afraid that you would turn against me for the sake of these outsiders! That would have broken my heart!"

Wei Zhuang, overhearing their conversation, also felt a secret sense of relief. Although they had only exchanged a few blows, he had sensed an immense threat from Xiao Xie. He had no desire to go to war with him if it could be avoided. Furthermore, back in the State of Han, while they were not particularly close, he still held some regard for their shared history out of respect for Han Fei.

Xiao Xie ignored Chi Lian's playful taunts and turned to Tianming, walking over to Murong Feng and the others. He looked at Snow Girl, who was being held by Duanmu Rong, and asked, "Miss Rong, what happened to Snow Girl?"

"She was wounded by Chi Lian’s poison. I have already administered the Hundred Herb Pill; she will be fine after some rest," Duanmu Rong replied.

She had heard the exchange between Xiao Xie and Chi Lian. Although Xiao Xie stated he would not intervene in the conflict between the Mohists and Wei Zhuang, she bore him no ill will. After all, Xiao Xie was merely a guest of the Mohists, and Chi Lian was his sister. That he remained neutral was already a kindness; she could not force him to turn against his only living relative, as that was not the Mohist way.

Old Ban and the others had initially hoped for a savior upon Xiao Xie’s return, but after hearing the conversation, they realized he would not be intervening. They couldn't help but shake their heads; it seemed this "savior" could not be relied upon.

"It seems your Mohist faction will fall here today!" Wei Zhuang lunged with his sword toward Gao Jianli. Having already fought Bai Feng to save Tianming, Gao Jianli’s inner energy was severely depleted, leaving him with no way to evade this lethal strike.

"Hmm?" Xiao Xie was momentarily startled. While he would have welcomed Gao Jianli's death, he knew that Gao Jianli would not die this day.

*Clang...*

A dark figure suddenly appeared, deflecting the Shark-Tooth sword in Wei Zhuang’s hand and allowing Gao Jianli to narrowly avoid the fatal blow.

"Mohist Eyebrow?" Wei Zhuang frowned as he looked at the black sword in the cloaked figure’s hand.

"Mohist Eyebrow? Is that the name of this sword? Wait... is this even a sword? Why is it so different from the swords Uncle and Gao use?" Tianming asked, peering at the black wooden-like object in the cloaked figure's hand in confusion.

"Neither sword nor attack, the Mohist Eyebrow is bladeless." It was the token of the successive Mohist Grand Masters. Wherever this weapon appeared, all Mohist disciples would obey its commands without question. It was jet-black like ink, devoid of edge or point, flat like a ruler—a weapon of virtue that triumphed without the need for a blade.

*Has the Crown Prince Dan of Yan arrived?* Xiao Xie wondered to himself. Seeing the Thief Bandit accompanying the Mohist Grand Master, he realized that because he had kept the Young Master of Yin-Yang busy, the Thief Bandit, who had departed after him, had successfully reunited with the Grand Master’s party.

"Who is that?" Tianming looked at the cloaked, bamboo-hat-wearing figure with curiosity.

However, his confusion didn't last long before he saw the Mohist disciples kneel in respectful greeting: "Grand Master, we pay our respects!"

"What? He is the Mohist Grand Master! The boss of Yue-er and Gao!" Tianming’s face was filled with astonishment. He had heard the name "Grand Master" from Yue-er many times; he never expected to see him in the flesh.

"Neither sword nor attack, the Mohist Eyebrow is bladeless. So, you are still alive," Wei Zhuang said, clearly surprised.

"Long time no see," the cloaked figure replied while walking toward the Mohists.

"So, you were the one orchestrating all of this from the shadows," Wei Zhuang said slowly, lowering his Shark-Tooth sword without hindering the man’s progress.

"You conquered the Mechanical City, yet you hesitated to strike. What were you waiting for?" the Grand Master countered.

"A question has lingered in my mind, and I wished to verify it," Wei Zhuang replied coldly.

"And now, do you have your answer?"

Wei Zhuang remained silent, offering no further response.

"Grand Master, we failed to protect the Mechanical City," Gao Jianli knelt, filled with self-reproach. Given the defenses of the city, they should have been able to repel the invaders had they been more careful.

"I understand everything; do not blame yourself. You have done your best, and the poisoned disciples have already been attended to," the Grand Master consoled them, shaking his head.

"Are you the Grand Master boss that Yue-er always talks about?" Tianming ran over, filled with curiosity. He had long wanted to meet this legendary figure.

"And you must be Tianming?" The Grand Master looked at the boy with complex emotions. His father, Jing Ke, had died because he was sent to assassinate Ying Zheng; he felt a deep sense of guilt toward Tianming.

"You know my name?" Tianming asked, excited to be recognized by such an important person.

"Your performance just now—it was a bit foolish, but it was a brave foolishness," the Grand Master praised.

"Are you complimenting me?" Tianming scratched his head, thinking to himself, *Why is this Grand Master just like Brother Xiao? He doesn't know how to give a proper compliment, leaving me unsure if he's praising me or scolding me.*

"It seems you have also obtained the Mohist heirloom, the Non-Attack," the Grand Master noted, glancing at the weapon in Tianming’s hand.

"I got this through my own hard work, hehehe..." Fearing the Grand Master might take it back, Tianming hugged the weapon tightly to his chest, smiling ingratiatingly.

"To obtain the Non-Attack means it has a bond with you. Navigating those dangerous traps was no easy feat," the Grand Master said with a smile, patting his shoulder.

"Of course! Yue-er, Shaoyu, and I all made it through together. But Yue-er... she was taken by a bad woman with purple hair who uses magic..." Tianming said proudly, but his spirits dampened as soon as he mentioned Yue-er.

Hearing the description, the Grand Master’s brow furrowed before relaxing. Yue-er’s mother was the Eastern Sovereign of the Yin-Yang School, second only to the Eastern Emperor. While it was unfortunate she had been taken, she would likely be safe.

"Tianming, if someone bullied your friend, what would you do?" the Grand Master asked after a moment of silence.

"I’d risk my life to protect them, of course!" Tianming replied without hesitation.

"I am the same as you. What I have decided to protect, I will defend at any cost," the Grand Master said, seeing a shadow of Jing Ke in Tianming and nodding with satisfaction.

"Yeah!" Tianming agreed fervently.

"Those who have done this to the Mohists will pay in blood," the Grand Master said, his gaze sweeping over Wei Zhuang and his followers.

"Do you intend to be my opponent?" Wei Zhuang asked with disdain.

"We have always been opponents," the Grand Master replied calmly.

"You are the first to ever escape the Shark-Tooth sword," Wei Zhuang noted, his tone carrying a hint of acknowledgment, though it served more as a warning.

"That strike back then was indeed perilous," the Grand Master recalled.

"Do you think your luck will be as good this time?"

"Oh? Is that what you truly believe?"

"Is there a better explanation?" Wei Zhuang replied with cold dismissiveness.