Why do I have so many masters?

Every time he thought of this, it felt as if a venomous snake was gnawing at his heart.

In the pitch-black southeastern sky, a cluster of purple fireworks suddenly rose, followed by several bursts of blood-red fireworks. Tie Lin's expression grew solemn once again, and gripping his long saber, he quickened his speech, "Purple fireworks signal caution, while red fireworks mean an incident has occurred, requiring immediate reinforcement from the nearest district market."

Without the need for further explanation, Wang Anfeng already understood the message.

Wuxin made a gesture, instructing the three martial soldiers who had gathered around to stay put, and he himself took the lead and dashed off, with Wang Anfeng following closely behind.

Previously, to conceal his own martial arts skills, Wang Anfeng had deliberately lagged behind Wuxin and Tie Lin. But now, with his heart stirred and without any hesitation, he closely followed just a shoulder's distance behind Wuxin, even outpacing the injured Tie Lin. Had it not been for his unfamiliarity with how to coordinate with the Ministry of Punishment's martial soldiers, he could have overtaken Wuxin directly.

As the three of them ran urgently, with two leading and one slightly behind, they moved swiftly across the rooftops of the houses. At one point, there was a nineteen-story lantern tower. Wang Anfeng stepped on the flying eaves on one side to borrow strength, and under the cold moonlight, the silhouette of the lantern tower felt chillingly cold.

A moment later, Wang Anfeng leaped over the lights below, which snaked like a dragon.

Beneath them, people carrying colorful lanterns chuckled and laughed in low voices, radiating with joy.

Above, the three men holding sabers tensed their bodies, as cold as knife edges.

Neither group glanced in the direction of the other.

Such a scene coexisted within the same city.

The entire Liangzhou City was like an intricate chessboard, with bright lights illuminating the paths. The vermillion lanterns were hung every six feet in pairs, lighting up the night all the way to the horizon in a crisscrossed pattern, creating the nineteen lines of the chessboard.

Three chess pieces dashed across this chessboard.

Ninety-seven miles to the northeast of Xingde District.

Canals flowed both inside and outside the city, built according to ancient methods. The inner canal was ten meters wide, and people gathered around it all wore vermillion clothes, armed with waist sabers and hand crossbows, dressed as martial soldiers.

At that moment, Wang Anfeng directly surpassed Wuxin and leaped into the canal. The sky was dusky, and the patrolling officers with lanterns cast a dim light on the surface of the water, which was not still.

Originally, the surface had lotus lanterns floating as blessings, illuminating the water in patches, but now from the center, rings of deep red blood emerged, staining the surface a heart-thumping color.

There were two white scrape marks on the road, the roadside weeds trampled, and two willow trees as thick as an arm were hit straight on, showing white wood splinters. The light from the lanterns cast upon them, making the white wood seem blood-red, like bloodstained bones.

A thirty-year-old martial soldier, upon seeing the token, explained to the stern-faced Wuxin:

"Sir, the suspect just came from Weide Avenue, injuring dozens of people, and then turned here, crashing directly into the canal. The water is deep here, and there might be deceit involved, so we dare not enter the water lightly."

Wuxin's mood showed no fluctuations. His alluring eyes, like autumn water, swept across the surrounding environment. The riverbank extended to the limits of his vision like a line, which then emerged in his mind, continuing, turning, and transforming into the entire map of Liangzhou City's district markets.

The Yongtong Canal had branches throughout the city, unlike the moats that protected it. It was mainly used by the citizens for washing and irrigation. With a bit of patience, one could go directly to most districts in the city from here, avoiding today's extremely crowded streets, making it an ideal escape route.

Wuxin's face was calm as he began to think intently about the nearest district market locations where they could avoid the townspeople.

During this time, Wang Anfeng, gazing at the potentially dangerous canal without any hesitation, leaped into the water in front of Wuxin's abruptly lifted gaze. The view was unclear, and he brought his right hand together, chopping straight down.

Qi coalesced into a sharp, unrivaled blade, slashing fiercely.

The ever-flowing Yongtong Canal instantly cracked open a gap from the center, which then became a passage. The surging water on both sides was split apart in that instant.

As exclamations still hung in the air, a nearly completely destroyed carriage appeared before everyone's eyes.

Because it was made from ironwood soaked in tung oil, it was extremely heavy and sank rather than floated upon entering the water. As Wang Anfeng's qi slash went down, and after the effects dissipated, the parted water on both sides fell back forcefully, creating swirling vortexes.

Ignoring the martial soldiers' warning that there might be ambushes or hidden weapons below, Wang Anfeng took the plunge and swam to the damaged carriage. Inside, the little girl who had been tied up was no longer there, only the untied ropes could be seen, and nothing else.

The sound of mechanical devices was muffled in the water.

Suddenly, Wang Anfeng's shoulder shook violently behind him, his cloth tore, revealing an arm, and then blood flowed out. The Mo Family established themselves in Jianghu with their mechanical techniques, and their mechanical crossbows were so powerful that even the mighty Great Qin listed them as forbidden weapons.

Wang Anfeng reached out with his right hand, grabbed the black crossbow bolt, and pulled it out.

Intending to rise to the surface, his blood gathered together suddenly, like a line, stretching to one side of the carriage. Wang Anfeng's expression changed; he held his breath and dove down again. The bloodline extended into the carriage, to the right side where the seat was. Wang Anfeng pulled apart the lotus-colored embroidered cushion on top and felt a jade pendant in the gap.