Under the cover of darkness, Zhu Liu Shi made his way to the Eastern Section of the Dragon Palace. The soft rustle of leaves in the gentle breeze did little to betray Zhu Liu Shi’s presence as he scaled a wall leading to the Empress’ Courtyard.
In the distance, to the west the orange glow of the fire from the Great Western Library flickered ominously, casting eerie shadows across the Dragon Palace.
As he landed silently in the courtyard, the moon cast its silvery glow upon the ornate garden, revealing a decent number of imperial guards roaming the Empress’ sanctuary. They stood like statues, vigilant and disciplined. Good…the protocol hasn’t changed, Zhu Liu Shi thought.
The protection protocol for the Imperial Family was simple. If chaos ever were to erupt within Dragon Palace, selected Imperial Guards were assigned to select individual members of the Imperial Family.
Protocol dictated that twenty body guards were assigned to each family, but after counting the Imperial Guards number. He quickly realised, that the protocol had been updated. He’d taken the possibility of such changes into consideration, but thirty and not twenty-five was too much, maybe for someone else…but not him.
Zhu Liu Shi hooded himself and swirled the Qi within all his Dantians. He drew his sword in one quick motion and thundered across the courtyard with a few steps.
The gleaming light of his blade shone like the sun in this darkness, emanating a killing aura, that would make the First Emperor shiver at the sight of it. “ASSASSIN!” A guard to his left growl, catching everyone’s attention.
Six Imperial Guards rushed into the Empress’ quarters whilst the remaining twenty-four surrounding him. His heart beat twice in that very second.
The guards converged on him all at once. He took a deep breath, raising his sword and surged Qi into the meridians leading into his eyes.
The world got lighter as all the Qi within the courtyard blazed into a white colour-less. The seventy-two Dantians thrummed with Qi, some brighter than others, which was perfect for Zhu Liu Shi. He could decipher the strongest from the weakest.
An Imperial Guard with a short stature lurched forward, spear burrowing through the air aimed at his waist.
He stepped into the lurch, pivoting to the right at the last second and burying his sword into his skull, decapitating him. “He’s of the Accentuation Realm!” A Guard shotted in the background. “He’s faster and stronger than us, we have to wear him down!”
Zhu Liu Shi danced back, avoiding three Guards who appeared to his left, trying to take his left foot.
He kicked off the tip a spear, and spun off the the guards before they could counterattack. The guards wave their spear, missing him by a whisker.
As he floated in the air, Qi began thrumming violently from the remaining guards Dantians. They’re going into formation, He mused, trying his best to withhold a smile.
The remaining guards ran towards him and encircling him and trying to sync their Qi into one.
As Zhu Liu Shi landed in centre of the garden. The previous three guards appeared behind him, spears aimed at his neck, chest and waist.
Zhu Liu Shi moved like a tempest, his sword a blur of steel as he cut through their defences.
One guard fell, clutching the stump of his severed arm. Another stumbled back, a fatal wound across his chest. The third found his sword shattered, and Zhu Liu Shi's blade plunged into his heart.
As the guards’ bodies hit the ground, Zhu Liu Shi shifted his weight, pivoting to face the next wave of enemies. His sword hummed through the air, the tip glinting like a falling star.
A guard charged forward breaking from the formation. “YOU KILLED WU!” He growled.
“NO! LIN QIU DON’T BREAK OFF THE FORMATION!
The spear-wielding Lin Qiu appeared in front of Zhu Liu Shi. He dodged and with a swift flick of his wrist, struck it with the back of his hand, sending the spear flying from the guard's hand.
Lin Qiu tried feinting to Zhu Liu Shi’s right, but with venom laced animosity Zhu Liu Shi brought his sword down, it was like a boulder falling from sky. The blade slashed Lin Qiu across the chest, splitting his armour into three pieces.
Blood spluttered out from the body guard’s chest like a fountain, almost hitting Zhu Liu Shi in the face. He kicked back, not just dodging the blood, but six swords and three spears aimed at him.
“NO ONE MOVE!” A Guard spat, but fear had already spread through the Imperial Guards.
They all stood there, stupefied.
The few guards that retreated did so with hesitation in their eyes, something Zhu Liu saw, but it was what he expected, especially being able to read their moves through hi Qi enhanced eyes.
“You don’t have to sacrifice yourselves,” Zhu Liu Shi said calmly, “The Empress can die peacefully.”
“You BASTARD!” A guard snarled in front of him. “FORMATION SIX!”
The remaining Soul, Core and Mind Dantians within imperial guards began to swirl. The Qi within the dantians began swirling around the wielders, then began fusing with the imperial guards, as if fusing into one.
Zhu Liu Shi nodded, impressed by determination, despite not having the power to do so, in a hopeless situation.
Their first mistake, assuming he was of the Accentuation Realm. Zhu Liu Shi was of the Qi Perception Realm.
Zhu Liu Shi curled his lips to smile, and raised his sword to guard. He swirled the Qi within his Mind Dantian and the irises of eyes glowed subtlety. “So, you’ve chosen death is your answer…Good. I have no worries of holding back any further.”
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Zhu Liu Shi appeared behind the guard with Dantian that shone the brightest within his Soul Dantian. The guard sensed him, thrusting his sword backwards, but Zhu Liu Shi parried the thrust. He then waved his sword through the mans sword hand, making him scream out pain as he sprawled to the ground. He spun on his heel, his blade slicing through the air, and beheaded another guard who had been attempting to flank him. With a quick stab, he pierced the chest of an archer who had nocked an arrow, preparing to fire.
The courtyard echoed with the clatter of weapons and the cries of the fallen. Zhu Liu Shi moved like a whirlwind, each step a dance of death. Another guard lunged at him, but he sidestepped, then slashed upward, carving a deep gash into the guard’s side. The man crumpled, gasping for air.
As Zhu Liu Shi’s blade danced from one enemy to the next, leaving only devastation in its wake. He took down a guard armed with a heavy mace, ducking under a powerful swing before driving his sword through the last imperial guard’s chest.
As the last guard fell, the courtyard fell eerily silent. The moonlight bathed the scene in an ethereal silver glow, casting long shadows from the fallen warriors.
The once tranquil sanctuary had become a gruesome testament to Zhu Liu Shi's prowess. Blood dripped from his sword, each crimson droplet falling to the ground like a mournful tear.
The metallic scent of blood mingled with the fragrance of the courtyard's flowers, creating a macabre perfume that hung heavy in the air.
As Zhu Liu Shi stood in the centre of the courtyard, surrounded by the lifeless bodies of the twenty-four Imperial Guards who had dared to stand against him.
In that moment, Zhu Liu Shi was more than just a man; he was the embodiment of vengeance and might, a force of nature that would not be denied.
No foe could stand against the wrath he unleashed, and all who dared to face him would fall beneath his sword. And in the heart of the Dragon Palace, his legend was etched in blood and fire, a testament to the unstoppable force he had become. “Six guards left…”
Zhu Liu Shi turned, and kicked himself into the air, landing at the entrance of Empress’ residence. He made his way into the residence and sped through it as fast he could. His footsteps echoed through the corridors, trying to remember the lay out.
As he approached the main hall, he could sense the presence of the hidden passage that led to the princes' courtyards. His heart pounded in his chest, adrenaline coursing through his veins.
As he stepped into the main hall, the floorboards and walls suddenly exploded, revealing the remaining imperial guards. They hid their Qi! Zhu Liu Shi hissed, disgusted with being ambushed at a critical moment.
He swirled the Qi within his Core Dantian, surging it through his meridians and appeared behind the to his far left, hitting with back of his fist.
The guard groaned from the blow and hit the floor with a large boom, sending splinters and strained wood throughout the corridor.
Zhu Liu Shi tapped the wall three times, making it seem he ran across the wall. Then he kicked off, sword aimed at the imperial guard’s neck as he lied there, howling in pain.
As he soared through the air, sword over-arched over his head. He channelled Qi into his blade, then took a deep breath.
The battle with the previous Imperial Guard wasn’t as strenuous as he expected, but he couldn’t afford to stress his meridians any further or they would shrink from overuse.
Four surging Qis flared around him, catching him off guard. He didn’t expect them to respond so fast…a mistake he usually wouldn’t make.
The imperial guards appeared next time him, wielding their own specialty weapons. The one in front wielding a sword, whilst the one to his left wielded two daggers, the one to his right, had a sword aimed at his neck whilst the one behind him held his Axe over head.
Zhu Liu Shi gnashed his teeth, feeling as though he ran into a trap. He didn’t expect the Imperial Guards to lie in wait for him, they were supposed to be with the with the Empress, that was the protocol. They weren’t meant to ambush him!
The one in front’s blade was sieving through the air aimed at his neck. Zhu Liu raised his hand, blocking the blade, then rolled his wrist left with vicious momentum.
The blade spun out of the imperial guard’s hand. It burrowed into the dagger wielding guard left shoulder. He howled from the pain, but Zhu Liu Shi didn’t have enough time.
He quarter spun, barely giving himself enough space from the Axe wielders downward slash. The moment the Axe was perpendicular to him, he tapped the wind with his Qinggong and counter-spun kicking the Axe from the Axe wielders hand.
A clopping sound of flesh followed, then a loud thud as the imperial guard to the right chest was split open. Not with a care in the world. Zhu Liu Shi surged a fistful of Qi into his foot cracked the imperial guard’s chest even further.
Blood, gore and matter exploded in that very second as the Imperial Guard to the right split in two, flailing to the ground in silence.
The Axe wielder sagged to his knees in disbelief from killing his compatriot. “The quality of warrior has sorely dropped within the Imperial Guards, just like the Quality of current Emperor!”
Zhu Liu Shi maimed the Axe wielder than danced backward, deflecting each sword and dagger slash the flailed at him, trying their hardest to kill him. The fools…
The remaining imperial guards moved as coordinated unit. A probable master in their own chosen weapon. Little did they know, reading their every moment was like child’s play Zhu Liu Shi, the Qi that thrummed on the wind…was screaming louder than the maimed Axe Wilder.
Zhu Liu Shi centred himself and kept the first stance within the Stone Cloud Sword Style. Heavy Foot Guard. His movements were subtle, but bold. It barely moved with each killing strike they tried, but his counter attack was as vicious as anything.
The battle between to five seem like a boulder repeatedly crashing into wilted flowers. The guards kept charging, but Zhu Liu Shi was an unstoppable force. No…he was unstoppable storm that wouldn’t be denied.
The first guard lunged forward; spear aimed at Zhu Liu Shi's heart. In a single, fluid motion, Zhu Liu Shi pivoted on his heel, his sword slashing upward to sever the spearhead.
The second remaining guard stumbled, Zhu Liu Shi’s blade found the soft flesh of his neck, and a fountain of blood erupted from the wound.
The third and final guards attacked in tandem, hoping to overwhelm Zhu Liu Shi with a flurry of steel. Zhu Liu Shi Stone Cloud Sword style emanated the energy of lightning whenever he laced his sword with Qi, making his parries and side slashes feel like a intentional deflective blow.
In a heartbeat, he found an opening, his sword slicing through the air to sever the third guard’s arm and pierced chest, ensuring he was dead.
The final guard but Zhu Liu Shi did not give them a chance to recover. He closed the distance, his sword a blur as it cut through the air. He from a gash across his face, eyes widened in disbelief.
He crumpled on the ground, not realising a mortal wound opening his belly, but Zhu Liu Shi wasn’t finished. He plunged his sword into man’s heart with a wet thunk and flicked the blood off. “You lack the ability to ambush me,” He said coldly, the turned right.
Zhu Liu Shi felt eyes gazing upon him like prey, he flared his Qi and felt it extend over ten meters. He couldn’t sense anything, which made him feel as though he was hallucinating. I used up too much Qi, He mused bitterly, I still have two more imperial guard squads and few more dingshe’s to kill. “I mustn’t expend my Qi so much, I got too excited.”
Zhu Liu Shi took a deep breath, then walked his way up to the door leading to the Empress’ Main Hall. As he pushed pushed his way through the door, the table concealing the secret passage was pushed to the side, revealing the secret passage.
To his surprise, he found one of the Empress' ladies-in-waiting seated at the table. Her fixated on him the moment he opened the door.
He recognized her instantly, long flowing hair, with small eyes and nose to match. Her lips were thin, but had a thick shade of red rouge on them, making them fuller.
The Hanfu she wore was extremely elegantly, it was yellow and pink, with flowers and a well designed dragon embroidery switched in the made, making the dragon seem to float on flowers. “I thought you were dead Shi Liu,” Shi Hai said calmly.
“Death is like the wind, it touches everything…thankfully it wasn’t touched me yet. Sadly, I can’t say the same for you.”