Who says the prince is weak and can't take care of himself?

Chapter 123 Dirty Work

Qi Xiao asked Chi Yue to change his appearance. After all, rumors of a prince engaging in a private brawl were unsettling. Furthermore, they had no evidence linking Li Sheng to the Luo Yu case, and it was impossible to arrest and torture him directly. Therefore, changing his identity and allowing himself to conduct his own affairs was more logical.

Qi Xiao handed Li Sheng a letter of challenge and invited him from the guild hall to a deserted house.

"Bai Fei?"

"Yes."

"Hasn't the Hanchen Sect been destroyed? Are you really a disciple of Shanmo from the Tianyu Sword Valley?"

"Would you like to know if you try it?"

"The Hanchen Sect is wanted by the Chen Kingdom court. How dare you wander around Yuanjing City so brazenly? I'm really curious."

"The Hanchen Sect is wanted by the imperial court? How come I didn't know that?" Qi Xiao laughed, a sly smile appearing on his ordinary face. "And how did you know that?"

"The name of Tianyu Jiangu Shanmo is known throughout the world. I came all the way to Chen State just to have the honor of learning from Senior Gu, but things are unpredictable. What a pity."

"Since you knew about my master's death, why didn't you return to Qi State, but instead appeared in Yuanjing City?"

"Besides Tian Yu Jian, Chen State also has other renowned masters. Now that we're here, we don't want to make a wasted trip."

"In that case, I have come at the perfect time. Please enlighten me."

Enough of the nonsense, now it’s time to fight.

Qi Xiao had not used a sword in the past two months since he left Fuzhou and entered Yuanjing. He thought his swordsmanship would be somewhat rusty, and he didn't know how capable this Mr. Li was. So, although his sword strikes were sharp, he was cautious in both offense and defense.

Li Sheng was a seasoned warrior. Seeing Qi Xiao draw his sword, he knew he wasn't arrogant or reckless. However, the caution he displayed when he drew his sword also revealed a fear within him. He was courting death by showing signs of fear before even engaging in combat!

Li Sheng drew out his broad sword and swung it with great force, as sharp as steel that could cut gold and jade. Facing Qi Xiao's sword, he did not defend himself but counterattacked. Instead, he pressed down Qi Xiao's sword and forced him to retreat again and again.

He is a master.

Qi Xiao smiled, which was exactly what he wanted. If someone was not worthy of the name, it would be really boring.

Qi Xiao retracted his sword and spun his body, easily dodging Li Sheng's knife. His knife was powerful and difficult to retract, so naturally he was not as agile as Qi Xiao's, but Li Sheng's knife was not slow at all, as if it was stuck to Qi Xiao, and he chased after him closely.

Qi Xiao's sword was as cunning as a snake. Every time Li Sheng's knife seemed to be about to touch it, Qi Xiao would slip away. If he just dodged like this, with Li Sheng's experience, it wouldn't take long for him to force Qi Xiao into a situation where he had no way to retreat and would have to take his blade. At that time, Li Sheng was confident that he could kill Qi Xiao with one blow.

But Qi Xiao always used offense as defense and advance to retreat. Li Sheng was tough, so he avoided his edge and looked for tricky spots to test him.

While Gu Shanmo may have achieved fame with his sword, the Hanchen Sect's internal gong techniques are the foundation of their century-long presence in the martial arts world. The Hanchen Sect's internal gong isn't a domineering, overbearing technique, but rather a gradual, unending force. Regardless of the weapon, the Hanchen Sect's internal gong adapts to it, enveloping and absorbing it as a part of the body, imbuing it with life, freeing it from the constraints of conventional techniques and leaving the opponent with no recourse.

Li Sheng found the battle more and more difficult. At first, he just felt some pressure but didn't know where it came from. Qi Xiao's sword moves were tricky but not sophisticated. However, after dozens of moves, Qi Xiao became more and more comfortable with it and almost had no defensive position. Instead, Li Sheng's own sword was suppressed by Qi Xiao. Every time he swung the sword, it was like throwing it into the sea, being pushed away by the waves and dragged away by the sea water. It became more and more difficult to draw the sword.

Beads of sweat broke out on Li Sheng's forehead. If he continued like this, he would lose.

Qi Xiao still wore a smile, his face becoming increasingly dazzling and arrogant. Li Sheng gritted his teeth, and the force of his blade changed immediately, from a strong and heavy blade to an extremely fast one. The blade even cut the wind into small pieces, and a dense mass of cold white blades surrounded Qi Xiao.

Qi Xiao's expression suddenly changed, with murderous intent in his eyes. The sword pierced through the dense knife light and broke the net surrounding him with one sword. The force was unstoppable, and it was even more ferocious than Li Sheng's initial sword.

Li Sheng was shocked and took Qi Xiao's sword head-on, but he didn't expect that the sword was infused with Qi Xiao's full-strength internal force, which pushed Li Sheng back several feet.

As Mr. Li stood firm, he suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck, his vision went dark, and he passed out.

"Zong Sheng, tie him up." Qi Xiao sheathed his sword. "Chi Yue! I need a hidden place."

Chi Yue emerged from the darkness and said, "Yes, Your Highness, please follow me."

Qi Xiao's face was filled with undisguised anger. He had been certain of victory. Zong Sheng wouldn't attack without reason when Qi Xiao was safe. There had to be some reason, one Chi Yue couldn't yet fathom. But it was definitely related to Li Sheng's sudden change of tactics, and Zong Sheng had immediately realized the problem. Thus, Qi Xiao's purpose shifted from testing him to punishing him.

There was a secret room in the deserted house, which was just right. Otherwise, it would be very inappropriate for the three of them to walk on the street in broad daylight with an unconscious person.

Qi Xiao glanced at Chi Yue and nodded slightly, as if to appreciate his thoughtfulness.

Mr. Li was thrown into a secret room.

While the person was still not awake, Qi Xiao asked Chi Yue, "How much of Li Sheng's swordsmanship can you remember?"

Chi Yue smiled slightly: "All."

"Very good. Let's proceed as planned. After nightfall, we'll meet Qian Chong and Wang Tangyi."

"What about Mr. Li?"

"If he hadn't been a suspect, all he would have needed to do was sleep peacefully for a day and a night. Now, I want to interrogate him myself."

Chi Yue looked at Qi Xiao and said with a smile, "Your Highness, please let me do this dirty work, okay?"

Qi Xiao glanced at Chi Yue and asked, "Is there any communication between the Tiance Camp and the Xuanji Camp?"

"Naturally there is."

"Then go check this Mr. Li. He's not the real Mr. Li."

"Oh? Just because he suddenly changed his sword technique? Maybe Mr. Li has learned other sword techniques?"

Qi Xiao turned to face Chi Yue and looked at him: "You want to ask me for something?"

"Chi Yue doesn't dare. Your Highness has the "nothing to worry about" card in his hand, so Chi Yue will naturally obey Your Highness's orders. However, Your Highness won't tell me anything, so it's difficult for me to help."

"If I knew who he was, you wouldn't have to look him up."

Qi Xiao refused to say anything, and Chi Yue had no choice but to obey the order and leave.

Qi Xiao stood in the secret room, with only two lights in the darkness. Qi Xiao just looked at the man who was tied up tightly on the ground. Zong Sheng picked out a hidden poison pill from behind his teeth and then tied his mouth tightly.

“Zong Sheng, you also recognize that sword technique. I am not mistaken.”

"Sir, it's him, the bandit from Fenglin Mountain. He must be the one who holds the position of Chief Justice."

Qi Xiao took a deep breath, then suddenly laughed: "I really don't know if I'm lucky or not. I haven't figured out Luo Yu's case yet, but this Mr. Li is a pleasant surprise."

"But if the Xuanji Camp verifies his identity, Mr. Li will be taken away."

"So, before he is taken away, we need to make him talk."

"Yes."