41: Chapter 41: Covert Battle, Clues to Identity!

Lin Wan pondered for a moment, her eyes narrowing.

Zhang Yulong had been abducted, and the people from Six Doors were already in pursuit.

Her current target was that black-robed person standing motionless on the spot.

Her intuition told her that this person was a hundred times more important than Zhang Yulong.

Carrying her blade, she moved with the agility of a swallow, stepping on the collapsed wooden railing for leverage as she vaulted over the chaotic crowd.

Within a few leaps, she had approached the northeast corner of the execution ground.

That black-robed person seemed to have noticed her gaze.

The person did not panic, nor did they bolt away in a frantic run.

He merely glanced slightly in this direction, then his footsteps flashed, and his figure vanished in an instant like a flying shadow.

Lin Wan snorted coldly, exerted force under her feet, and pushed her Lightwork to the limit. Her deep red martial attire snapped in the wind, and she chased after the black figure like a bolt of red lightning.

The two moved with extreme speed, leaving the scene almost instantly.

Weaving through the narrow alleys of the city, a few minutes later, the two shadows rapidly darted out of the city gates toward the desolate wilderness beyond.

The more Lin Wan pursued, the more she felt something was wrong.

She had already pushed her Lightwork to the limit; the wind whistled in her ears, and the trees on both sides flew backward rapidly.

The black-robed person in front was clearly only walking, with not even large strides, yet the distance between the two remained constantly at about ten zhang.

She could neither close the gap nor catch up. It was an extremely bizarre scene.

Lin Wan grew impatient, her Internal Energy surging wildly into her legs as her speed increased once more.

The black-robed person continued to walk at a leisurely pace.

He even had the leisure to look back, and within the shadows beneath his bamboo hat, there seemed to be a hint of mockery.

Lin Wan gritted her teeth.

This kind of Lightwork that seemed to shorten the earth was definitely not something an ordinary Martial Artist could execute.

She had to capture him.

The woods in the wilderness grew increasingly dense, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled shadows on the ground.

The black-robed person finally stopped.

He stood in a clearing, his back to Lin Wan, with his hands clasped behind his back.

Lin Wan stopped three zhang away from him, her chest heaving slightly.

She gripped her sword hilt tightly, the tip of the blade pointing diagonally at the ground, her eyes as sharp as a blade.

"Your Excellency has quite impressive Lightwork," Lin Wan said coldly. "Since you lured me out, why not show your true face?"

The black-robed person turned around.

His bamboo hat was pulled very low, making it impossible to see his face.

He did not speak, simply standing there quietly. He did not emit any Aura, yet he gave people a sense of unshakeable oppression.

The moment Lin Wan saw him, she recognized that this person was the mysterious individual from that day.

She didn't waste any words and drew her blade directly.

The blade light was like a ribbon, cutting through the night sky. She unleashed the ultimate technique of Six Doors, the 'Water-Severing Blade Technique'. The blade's momentum was fierce, carrying an unstoppable Aura as it struck straight toward the black-robed person's face.

For this strike, she used ten percent of her Internal Energy.

The black-robed person did not dodge.

He didn't even draw any weapon. Just as the blade edge was about to touch his bamboo hat, he slowly raised his right hand and extended two fingers.

"Clang—" A crisp sound of metal colliding rang out.

Lin Wan's pupils constricted slightly.

Her blade was steadily clamped between the black-robed person's two fingers.

The overwhelming force of the blade vanished like a clay ox entering the sea the moment it touched his fingers.

She tried to pull the blade back, but the blade remained motionless.

"Little girl, you have quite a temper," the black-robed person finally spoke. His voice was hoarse, carrying a hint of laziness and mockery.

Lin Wan's face turned livid. She transformed her left hand into a palm, carrying a sharp whistling wind as it struck directly at the black-robed person's chest.

The black-robed person chuckled.

He flicked his fingers, which were still clamping the blade.

A massive force traveled along the blade. Lin Wan felt a sharp pain in her web between thumb and index finger, and her long blade flew out of her hand, landing in the grass in the distance.

Immediately afterward, that massive force struck her chest. Lin Wan let out a muffled groan, flying backward and falling heavily to the ground.

She struggled to stand up, but discovered that her Qi and blood were surging within her, and she couldn't muster even a shred of strength.

The black-robed person walked slowly to her, looking down at her from above.

"Too much curiosity will get you killed," he said in a flat tone, as if stating a fact.

Lin Wan bit her lip, staring fixedly at him: "Who exactly are you? What is your purpose in lurking in the Celestial Prison?"

The black-robed person crouched down and leaned in closer.

"Mind your own business regarding the Celestial Prison," he lowered his voice, his tone carrying a hint of mischief. "If you keep investigating, I will drag you back to be a bed-warming maid."

Lin Wan's face instantly turned bright red with shame and anger: "You are shameless!"

The black-robed person stood up and brushed the dust off his hem.

"Remember my words."

He turned, his figure flickering, and vanished into the night.

Lin Wan sat on the ground, watching the direction in which the black-robed person had vanished, her fists clenched tightly.

Humiliation.

She, a dignified famous catcher of Six Doors, had actually been easily defeated.

What made her even angrier was that line about being a bed-warming maid.

If that spread, she would probably become famous everywhere.

This person was too strong; she couldn't even fathom his background.

What kind of Physical Body strength could actually withstand her full-force strike head-on?

After a long while, Lin Wan finally managed to suppress her surging Qi and blood and stood up.

She walked to the edge of the grass and picked up her own saber; a clear fingerprint had actually been left on the blade.

"To withstand my weapon relying solely on Physical Body, such a level of hard-body Cultivation Technique is definitely rare within the entire capital."

This was a clue; such a powerful hard-body Cultivation Technique must have come from a major School.

If she followed this line of investigation, she might be able to find clues about him. Hmm, the direction of the investigation was correct.

She took a deep breath, sheathed her blade, and turned to walk back toward the city.

Returning to the Six Doors headquarters, more than half an hour had passed.

Chen Liu brought several catchers to greet her, his expression grim.

"Chief, Zhang Yulong has been abducted." Chen Liu lowered his head, not daring to meet Lin Wan's eyes.

Lin Wan did not lose her temper, merely asking calmly: "What are the casualties?"

"Over a dozen brothers were injured, but there were no fatalities." Chen Liu swallowed. "We left a few of the black-clad prison breakers alive, but..."

"But what?"

"They were all death soldiers." Chen Liu gritted his teeth. "After being captured, they directly bit through the poison pouches in their mouths and all died. There were no items on them to prove their identities; we can't find out which faction sent them."

Lin Wan frowned.

Zhang Yulong was merely the son of a corrupt official; who would spend such a great price to send death soldiers to raid the execution ground?

"Chief, how did it go on your end?" Chen Liu asked cautiously. "Did you catch that black-robed person?"

Lin Wan's movements paused for a moment.

She couldn't help but think of the scene that had happened a few minutes ago, recalling that teasing warning.

"I didn't catch him," Lin Wan said expressionlessly.

Chen Liu was stunned.

He knew his Chief's strength. She was a leader among the younger generation of Six Doors, and her Lightwork was second to none; how could she have failed to catch someone?

"That person's martial arts are extremely high." Lin Wan did not explain too much. "Organize the case of Zhang Yulong's abduction into a file; I want to investigate it personally."

She paused, her eyes becoming extremely sharp.

"Additionally, mobilize all personnel for me. Secretly investigate all officials in the Celestial Prison to see if anyone is practicing a hard-body Cultivation Technique."

Chen Liu was shocked: "Chief, investigate the Celestial Prison? That is the territory of the Demon Suppression Division..."

"Do as I say." Lin Wan cut him off. She touched the hilt of her blade at her waist; the fingerprint on the blade was still clearly visible.

A mysterious expert, death soldiers raiding the prison.

She would get to the bottom of both these matters.

Thinking of what happened half an hour ago, Lin Wan's expression became slightly unnatural, and she snorted coldly:

"Bed-warming maid?"

"Just wait until I catch you; we'll see what your attitude is then..."