Chapter 163: Mysterious Heavenly Guards

If anyone else had threatened to snap her sword in two, Shang Liuli certainly would not have believed it.

However, this Wooden Qin was different. Through their recent exchange, Shang Liuli had a clear grasp of Wooden Qin's strength, and breaking her treasured sword would undoubtedly be a breeze for him.

"Fine, we exchange!" Shang Liuli agreed.

Xu Mo nodded and then said, "Lady Liuli, please put your copper hammers on the ground first, and then step back a bit!"

"Why should I put them down first? What if you go back on your word?" Shang Liuli immediately demanded.

Xu Mo reasoned, "Lady Liuli, if you want to retrieve your sword intact, you have no choice but to trust me."

Shang Liuli knitted her brows, wishing she could crush this fellow to death with a single strike of her hammer.

Left with no other option, Shang Liuli did as Xu Mo instructed, tossing the copper hammers onto the ground and taking several large steps backward.

Xu Mo shook his head and said, "Lady Liuli, please step back a little further!"

Resigned to her fate, Shang Liuli stepped back a bit more.

Only then was Xu Mo satisfied. He told Wooden Qin, "Wood, give her the sword."

Wooden Qin hurriedly stepped forward to retrieve his copper hammers, and then tossed the long sword onto the ground.

Seeing Wooden Qin casually toss her treasured sword, Shang Liuli immediately grew displeased: "Hey! Can't you put it down properly?"

Wooden Qin instantly retorted, "Who made you throw my copper hammers first?"

Shang Liuli was immediately left speechless.

Following that, Wooden Qin retreated back to Xu Mo's side, using his clothes to wipe the copper hammers clean as he walked.

Shang Liuli hurried forward to pick up her sword, inspecting it as if it were a precious treasure, before pulling out a handkerchief to wipe it down with meticulous care.

To Xu Mo's surprise, the handkerchief Shang Liuli used was actually pink, which looked particularly striking against her all-black attire.

Xu Mo could not help muttering to himself: *Turns out she's a low-key romantic.*

Taking advantage of the moment Shang Liuli was wiping her sword, Xu Mo said, "Lady Liuli, today's affair was purely a misunderstanding. Just pretend we were never here. Farewell!"

With that, Xu Mo reached out to pull Wooden Qin away.

Seeing that Xu Mo intended to leave, Shang Liuli immediately shouted, "Xu Mo, you stay right there! This matter is not over yet!"

Shang Liuli was still burning with anger over Xu Mo's threat to break her sword. To be honest, in all her years, no one had ever dared to threaten her like that.

The next moment, Shang Liuli strode toward Xu Mo with her sword in hand.

Taken aback, Wooden Qin immediately raised his twin hammers to block Xu Mo's front and shouted loudly, "Boss, run!"

Of course, Xu Mo had no intention of running. He hastily drew the Zihong dagger from his lower leg, preparing to face Shang Liuli alongside Wooden Qin.

The moment the Zihong dagger appeared, Shang Liuli abruptly halted her steps, her gaze locked firmly upon the blade.

Shang Liuli felt that this dagger looked remarkably like the legendary Zihong Sword, yet no matter how she looked at it, it was undeniably a dagger.

Pointing at the Zihong dagger, Shang Liuli asked, "Xu Mo, what is that in your hand?"

Xu Mo tightened inwardly: *So she recognizes the Zihong Sword. As expected, the person she is searching for is the Blind Swordsman.*

Just as Xu Mo was pondering how to respond to Shang Liuli, shouts suddenly echoed from the woods.

Xu Mo looked closely and saw quite a few people running toward them from the depths of the forest. Some carried wooden staves, some held hoes, and others clutched wood-cutting axes...

These were all villagers from Yang Family Village, and most of them recognized the man killed by Shang Liuli.

Earlier, two villagers had happened to witness Shang Liuli pursuing and killing the man, so the news spread quickly, and nearby villagers had rushed out in droves to offer help.

"It's her!"

A villager pointed at Shang Liuli and shouted.

At this cry, the people behind sped up even further.

Xu Mo originally expected Shang Liuli to flee immediately, but she stood frozen in place, her expression entirely devoid of panic.

The tall, sturdy villager running at the very front spotted the man lying on the ground and immediately cried out: "Old Zhou!"

Seeming to have a close relationship with him, the man lunged forward instantly.

"Old Zhou! What happened to you? Wake up, wake up! Old Zhou?"

The sturdy villager shook the corpse vigorously, calling out unceasingly with a look of extreme anxiety.

Yet how could a dead man possibly reply?

Soon, the villagers who had rushed out of the forest successively surrounded Shang Liuli in the center.

The next moment, the hoes, rakes, axes, and staves in everyone's hands pointed directly at her in unison.

Pointing his wooden staff at Shang Liuli, the sturdy villager roared furiously, "This woman killed Old Zhou!"

"What? Old Zhou is dead?"

"No way, this... this woman killed Old Zhou?"

The villagers had not known whether Old Zhou was dead or alive; hearing this now, they were profoundly shocked, and the looks they cast toward Shang Liuli changed entirely.

The sturdy villager shouted loudly, "Everyone, charge with me! Subdue her and hand her over to the village head for punishment!"

Hearing this, the crowd grew restless, quickly tightening the circle of encirclement in an attempt to subdue Shang Liuli in one go.

At that exact moment, Shang Liuli suddenly brandished a golden token and shouted, "The Xuantian Guard is executing official business! All bystanders, withdraw at once!"

Shang Liuli's voice was full of vigor and possessed immense penetrating power, instantly stunning everyone present.

"Xuantian Guard?" Xu Mo's brows knitted together instantly.

Xu Mo knew of the Xuantian Guard. It was a secret intelligence and assassination agency directly subordinate to the Emperor of the Liang State, similar to the Embroidered Uniform Guard or the Imperial City Directorate in his understanding.

"Boss, what is the Xuantian Guard?" Wooden Qin asked in a low voice.

Xu Mo murmured quietly, "The Xuantian Guard answers directly to the Emperor."

"Ah?" Wooden Qin was incomparably astonished, unable to stop himself from glancing at Shang Liuli.

The villagers had merely been cowed by Shang Liuli's imposing aura; in truth, they had no idea what background the Xuantian Guard possessed.

"What on earth is the Xuantian Guard?"

"No idea, never heard of it."

It was hardly surprising; many villagers had never even laid eyes on the magistrate of Xinzhou, and the highest-ranking official authority any of them had ever witnessed was a mere tax collector.

"The Xuantian Guard is on official business! If you lot do not withdraw immediately, bear the consequences!"

Shang Liuli raised the token and repeated herself, her expression exceptionally stern.

Not wanting innocent villagers to come to harm, Xu Mo hurried forward and said, "Everyone, put down your weapons! The Xuantian Guard are officials from the imperial court!"

"People from the official court?"

The villagers were suddenly deeply startled. They looked at one another, their expressions and gazes instantly shifting.

Xu Mo then instructed the villagers, "Quickly go fetch Village Head Yang! This is not something you can handle!"

Shortly after, a villager turned and sprinted back toward the village.

The light drizzle continued to fall...

After waiting for quite a while, someone finally came riding toward them on a donkey from the distance.

The person riding the donkey was none other than Yang Jinbao.

Upon hearing earlier that the Xuantian Guard had appeared, Yang Jinbao had been so frightened that he tumbled right off his chair.

Consequently, he had hurriedly mounted a donkey and rushed over in a panic.

From a dozen zhang away, Yang Jinbao leaped off the donkey and, running wildly while shouting at the top of his lungs, yelled at the villagers: "Fall back! All of you, fall back! Who gave you the audacity to be so discourteous?"

Appalled, the villagers hurriedly backed away and retreated into the distance, many of them not even daring to draw a full breath.

Yang Jinbao scrambled hurriedly up to Shang Liuli and bowed deeply in salute: "This humble wretch deserves death for failing to recognize the arrival of the Xuantian Guard大人!"

Shang Liuli pointed at the male corpse on the ground and said, "This man's name is Wang Xie, and he is a wanted criminal of the Tongtian Cult. He concealed his identity and hid in your village several years ago. Although he has now been executed by me, you must all keep this matter strictly confidential!"

Pausing for a moment, Shang Liuli's tone suddenly turned severe: "If anyone dares to spread word of this around, the Xuantian Guard will make them regret it for the rest of their lives!"