Chapter 233 Confusing
Under the moonlight, bursts of fierce fighting sounds were heard seven or eight miles north of Taohuawu.

At this moment, three masked men in black joined forces to besiege Lu Tai and Xu Zhun. They fought in a melee with swords and knives, and the battle was in a stalemate.

Among them, Lü Tai was hit by three arrows, one in the left back shoulder, piercing the scapula. One in the right rib, piercing through the body. Another in the left leg, bleeding profusely. He was pale, panting, and seriously injured. But even so, Lü Tai still gritted his teeth and persisted, waving his sword in a panic, struggling with a masked man in black.

Xu Zhun's condition was slightly better than Lu Tai's, as he was only hit by an arrow in his left arm. The arrow pierced his forearm, staining his entire arm blood red.

Xu Zhun was fighting two men at once, and had no time to look around. He was seen holding the Silver Dragon Sword tightly in his right hand, dodging and moving, flying up and down, fighting hard with the two masked men in black.

The three masked men in black were all masters. Not only were they highly skilled in martial arts and eager to fight, but their moves were also fierce and their momentum was fierce. Even if Lu Tai and Xu Zhun were at their peak, they might not be able to fight two against three. Moreover, at this time, they were already seriously injured and exhausted physically and mentally, so the battle situation became more passive.

It was said that there was a melee between several people, but in fact, Lu Tai and Xu Zhun were struggling to hold off the joint suppression of three masked men in black.

Just now, the East Cross Courtyard was attacked by Feihuo Liuxing. The two of them did not fear life and death, relying on their superb martial arts, they fought their way out of Taohuawu in the chaos, and happened to see a group of masked men drawing bows and shooting arrows outside the courtyard wall.

The two men were furious and rushed forward to kill them, but the group of archers did not kill them but retreated instead, and instantly scattered like birds and beasts, fleeing in all directions.

How could Lu Tai and Xu Zhun give up? They chased all the way here, but unexpectedly, three black-clothed masked men with strong martial arts skills suddenly appeared and blocked their way.

Without saying anything else, the two men went forward to fight, and the archers who had been hiding in all directions suddenly returned and hid in the surroundings to shoot arrows, causing Lü Tai and Xu Zhun to be wounded one after another. Then, the scene before us happened.

"Third brother, stop him, don't let this old guy get away!"

With a loud shout, a masked man in black suddenly swung a knife and rushed in front of Lu Tai, forcing Lu Tai, who was about to escape, back into the battle.

Lu Tai was seriously injured, bleeding profusely, and had long been exhausted. At this moment, he was staggering, his eyes were unfocused, and he was drowsy. Facing the wave after wave of attacks from the masked man in black, although he wanted to kill the enemy, he could no longer muster any strength in his hands.

"Elder Lu, be careful!"

Xu Zhun shouted loudly, and swung the Silver Dragon Sword in his hand violently. A sharp sword energy shot out instantly, heading straight for the masked man in front of Lu Tai.

With a loud "clang" sound, the sword energy hit the masked man's knife heavily, and the masked man who was caught off guard was pushed back two steps.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Xu Zhun swung his sword vigorously, forcing the opponent in front of him to retreat. Then he stepped forward and flew to Lu Tai's side, standing with his back to him, supporting each other with their bodies.

The two were panting, sweating, and exhausted, but at this moment they had to stay alert and be careful to prevent sneak attacks.

"Elder Lu, how are you?" Xu Zhun asked quickly without turning his head.

"I can't hold on any longer." Lu Tai said weakly. At the same time, he covered his right rib, which was the most seriously injured, with his hands. His five fingers slowly grasped the arrow shaft, and then his eyes became fierce. He pulled it out suddenly, and the arrow feather flew out. At the same time, a large amount of blood spurted out and splashed several feet. The piercing pain made him groan, and a layer of beads of sweat once again covered his wrinkled forehead.

Lu Tai pulled out the arrow and wanted to stop the bleeding, but unexpectedly the blood flowed even faster. Even though he tried his best to block the wound with his left hand, the bright red blood still gushed out through his fingers like a river bursting its banks.

As if feeling Lu Tai's increasingly weak body, Xu Zhun couldn't help but feel anxious.

On the other hand, three masked men in black stood around them calmly, watching the two men's desperate fight with interest.

"Brother, they are almost dying!" A teasing and hoarse voice suddenly sounded.

"I thought these people were so powerful. I used to hear them bragging about the greatness of the Central Plains martial arts world. But after meeting them today, I find that meeting them in person is not as good as hearing about them. They are just a group of people who are just seeking fame and reputation. Haha..." another masked man in black sneered.

"If the people in the Central Plains martial arts world only have this much ability, there is really no need for us to mobilize a large force." The most burly masked man said coldly, "It's so easy to kill them, why bother with any tricks? I have lost interest in them, shoot!"

As soon as these words came out, Lu Tai and Xu Zhun's faces suddenly changed. At the same time, a series of "swoosh" sounds suddenly rang out around the dark woods.

In an instant, dozens of sharp arrows fell from the sky like a torrential rain, like a huge net holding up the sky, covering the area several feet around the two people, blocking the clouds and the moon, and whistling towards them.

"You go!"

Knowing that there was no hope of escape, Lu Tai turned around abruptly, and using his last bit of strength, he slapped Xu Zhun hard on the back.

Xu Zhun, who wanted to escape, took advantage of the power of Lu Tai's palm and became more powerful than a tiger with wings. He flew forward like lightning, and his speed was three times faster than when he was at his peak.

Before Xu Zhun could rush out of the arrow circle, several knife winds came towards him, leaving several bloody wounds deep enough to see the bone on his body.

Even so, Xu Zhun still charged forward like an arrow, waving the Silver Dragon Sword in his hand wildly, slashing down sharp arrows like raindrops while struggling to resist the successive attacks from the three masked men in black.

Although Xu Zhun could not completely resolve the threat, he could at least protect his vital parts and save his life.

In the blink of an eye, Xu Zhun had already rushed out of the range of the rain of arrows. At the same time, he also had more than a dozen shocking wounds on his body.

Xu Zhun, who had barely escaped the disaster, was still in a state of panic, but he suddenly looked back and saw that Lu Tai had been hit by dozens of arrows. Like a huge bloody hedgehog, he stood upright in the rain of arrows, staring with a pair of unwilling old eyes, silently staring at the darkness in front of him, wondering what he was thinking.

The last ray of light quickly disappeared from Lu Tai's eyes, and he lost his vitality in an instant. At this moment, he was covered with wounds and bleeding, but he did not fall down until his death.

"Elder Lu..."

This scene made Xu Zhun feel heartbroken. In his opinion, Lu Tai used his own life to buy him a chance of survival.

Xu Zhun wanted to burst into tears, but in the end he could only howl to the sky, letting out a roar filled with grief, anger and despair.

"Don't be sad, you'll be with him soon."

The masked man in the lead shouted coldly, then swung his steel knife and rushed towards the dying Xu Zhun like a tiger pouncing on its prey. At the same time, the other two masked men in black were not to be outdone, and attacked from the left and right.

"Brother Xu, be careful, Liu Xunyi is coming!"

Suddenly, a terrifying roar was heard in the air, which woke up Xu Zhun and also stunned the three masked men in black.

Before he finished speaking, several arrows were shot into the sky from all directions, shooting towards Liu Xunyi who was walking in the air at a high speed.

"Clang clang clang!"

Silver light flashed, and several arrows were knocked to the ground in an instant. Liu Xunyi climbed on the water like a shadow, and his figure flashed through the air like a ghost, and in the blink of an eye, he had already passed over the heads of the three masked men.

The three of them were shocked and changed their tactics, rushing towards Liu Xunyi who fell from the sky. There was a flash of swords and shadows, and the two sides engaged in close combat, accompanied by a series of heavy rain-like collisions of golden swords. Liu Xunyi fought one against three, but he was not at a disadvantage at all.

In a hurry, Liu Xunyi swung his sword to force back the three masked men in black, flew to Xu Zhun's side, quickly wrapped his left arm around his waist, and at the same time stopped his feet, and the two of them immediately soared into the sky.

At this moment, they were greeted by a new round of overwhelming rain of arrows.

I don’t know if it was a blessing from God, but this rain of arrows not only shot at Liu Xunyi and Xu Zhun, but also forced back the three masked men in black.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Liu Xunyi did not avoid the arrows flying overhead. He swung his sword quickly, and the sword energy was like a rainbow, sweeping down countless sharp arrows in an instant, and forcibly tore a gap in the arrow net above his head.

Liu Xunyi grabbed the half-conscious Xu Zhun tightly and slipped out through the gap, escaping under the angry gaze of three masked men in black.

"Brother, maybe we can still catch up with him now..."

"No need!" The masked leader suddenly waved his hand and interrupted, "We have achieved our goal, so don't pursue us."

"So we're just going to let them go?" Another masked man said unwillingly, "They've fought with us before, so maybe they can guess what's going on. If we don't kill them, won't... leave trouble behind?"

"So what? The situation is already decided. Do you think that just the two of them can turn the tide and change the situation? Humph! Let's go!"

……

Liu Xunyi took Xu Zhun and rode non-stop all the way to Chenfu Inn.

At this moment, it is late at night.

Xunzhen and his group had already settled down in Chenfu Inn. When Liu Xunyi appeared in front of them with Xu Zhun covered in blood, they were met with another round of exclamations and wails.

Although Xu Zhun had many wounds, fortunately he had tried his best to protect his vital parts, so he was able to get timely treatment from the doctor and finally saved his life.

After nearly an hour of hard work, Xu Zhun and other injured people had all fallen asleep peacefully, and Liu Xunyi, who had been busy running around, could finally take a break.

"This is too strange." Xunzhen poured a cup of tea and slowly pushed it in front of the uneasy Liu Xunyi, saying in a serious tone, "Too many doubts, too many strange things, all of which leave me puzzled. Now the only person who can explain all this... is one person."

"Are you talking about...Senior Ye?" Liu Xunyi pondered.

"Yes." Xunzhen replied, then smiled evilly, "However, after this disaster, do you still dare to go back and ask him about the truth? According to the current situation, Ye Tong is very likely to have teamed up with Jinjianwu and the four major families to deal with us."

Liu Xunyi looked at Xunzhen suspiciously and thought, "But there is one thing I can't figure out."

"Are you talking about Tang Qian's death?" Xunzhen was very smart and hit the nail on the head.

"That's right." Liu Xunyi nodded and said, "If Senior Ye joined forces with the four great families, then who killed Tang Qian? I dare to assert that Tang Qian definitely did not die at the hands of the Emei Sect. The real murderer is someone else."

"There is another possibility." Xunzhen's expression straightened up and he said in a serious tone, "From the beginning to the end, it was Ye Tong who was obstructing everything. He is the human and the ghost."

Hearing this, Liu Xunyi was suddenly stunned, hesitated for a moment, and said hesitantly: "Is it possible?"

"Before we find out the truth, we can make bold guesses." Xunzhen smiled, "Suppose Ye Tong killed Tang Qian first and put the blame on Emei Sect, then set up a trap in the guest room of Taohuawu, and then Caidie deliberately lured Huichun to live there, and then triggered the hidden weapon to create the illusion that Huichun died in revenge by Tang Sect. In this way, Tang Qian's death was because he had a dispute with Emei Sect, and Huichun's death was the result of Tang Sect's revenge for Tang Qian. Everything seems reasonable. In the end, the East Cross Courtyard caught fire, and the people in the West Cross Courtyard suddenly disappeared. This easily aroused suspicion that it was Jinjianwu and the four great families who deliberately set an ambush against Xianwang Mansion and the six great sects. In fact, in the final analysis, Ye Tong has always been the instigator. He did this to provoke a conflict between Tang Sect and Emei Sect, or... to provoke a war between the six great sects and the four great families."

"Senior Ye is highly respected and a martial arts master. Why would he do this?"

"I don't know why Ye Tong did this. But if you want to confirm my guess, the method is simple." Xunzhen smiled mysteriously, "Find the people from Jinjianwu and the four major families and confront them face to face. Their sudden disappearance is indeed full of doubts."

Looking at Liu Xunyi who was frowning and thinking over things, Xunzhen suddenly changed the subject and asked curiously, "Are you sure there is no one in the west wing? Are all the disciples of Jinjianwu and the four great families missing?"

"I am sure that Brother Chen and I..."

Having said this, Liu Xunyi's eyes suddenly changed, and he stopped talking halfway.

Liu Xunyi looked around nervously, and before Xunzhen could ask, he suddenly asked, "I've been back for so long, why haven't I seen Brother Chen and Brother Xu yet? Where are they?"

As if awakened by Liu Xunyi's words, Xunzhen's eyes suddenly changed. The two looked at each other, with a look of thoughtful horror on their faces.

"Are they still staying in... Taohuawu?"

……

(End of this chapter)