Whoosh, a cold light made one’s whole body shiver; a sharp long sword was already at the throat in the blink of an eye.

Xu Xiangbei held an Iron Ball in his palm.

Clang, clang, clang, the sound of metal clashing echoed incessantly. Xu Xiangbei was secretly amazed; each sword strike was strong and powerful, leaving his wrist numb and almost chopping the Iron Ball away.

Seemingly simple, the sword hid three killing moves aimed at the chest, throat, and forehead.

The opponent’s wrist merely shook lightly; one sword became three swords, one blade became three blades; three fierce sword beams attacked almost simultaneously.

If not for his hands holding Iron Gall Balls, three Iron Balls released to block the opponent’s sword technique from upper, middle, and lower paths, he might have narrowly escaped danger from one sword in the dark woods.

Seeing Xu Xiangbei effortlessly defend against this sword strike, the Sword Palace Assassin was surprised and made a sound of doubt.

The Sword Palace Assassin gently turned the long sword, countless cold gleams flashed in the darkness.

Xu Xiangbei’s hearing had reached a transcendent level; though he couldn’t see the opponent’s sword technique, he heard it clearly and felt it vividly. He felt surrounded by wind and rain, fierce sword Qi coming from all directions.

Four Iron Balls casually hurled out, weaving a light curtain to block the Sword Palace Assassin’s incessant attacks.

In an instant, the forest sounded like firecrackers exploding, crackling noise filling the air.

Through a fantasy-style training method, although Xu Xiangbei saw nothing, he seemed to see everything clearly. He saw the direction of each sword’s attack, the trajectory of its movement, the intricacy, danger, and deadly moves hidden in each sword; all thoroughly familiar in his mind.

Xu Xiangbei grew more excited and spirited as he fought; he was certain that Xiao Ye Fengci was killed by this Sword Palace Assassin.

Because several sword moves were repeatedly used by this assassin, clearly his most familiar and powerful technique, it was this move that sliced open Xiao Ye Fengci’s heart.

Many sword techniques were entirely new to Xu Xiangbei.

The Sword Palace Assassin’s moves were similar in many ways to Xiao Ye Fengci’s samurai saber technique, same source, same school, though their ultimate evolutions differed.

If Xiao Ye Fengci’s meridians weren’t destroyed, this Sword Palace Assassin might not have killed Xiao Ye Fengci so easily.

Once he completely grasped the opponent’s sword paths, Xu Xiangbei’s lips curled into a cold smile, and piercing police sirens sounded outside; clearly, Jenny had brought the police.

Wham, an Iron Ball heavily struck the opponent’s wrist; with a clang, the Sword Palace Assassin’s long sword fell to the ground.

In the dark woods, the sound of Iron Balls flying filled the air, making the Sword Palace Assassin realize Xu Xiangbei’s fearsome ability; without time to retrieve the sword, he plunged fiercely into the woods.

As Xu Xiangbei was about to give chase, boom, a smoke bomb exploded.

Thinking it was a grenade, Xu Xiangbei quickly ducked behind a large tree; the smoke swiftly dissipated, leaving only the long sword on the ground. The Sword Palace Assassin had vanished without a trace.

When Xu Xiangbei returned to the villa, it was surrounded by police impenetrably. Xiao Ye Fengci’s body had been loaded onto a vehicle, and the police were examining the scene.

Lu Xiaomei was shelling sunflower seeds with one hand while craning her neck to watch the commotion, looking eager and enthusiastic.

Beside her, Gu Xinyan sat in a wheelchair, face pale. Just at the doorway lay several corpses. Fortunately, when she came out, the bodies had been moved and loaded onto the vehicle. But seeing the bloodstains on the door still made her heart race.

Xu Xiangbei came over and gently patted her shoulder, his voice soft, "Don’t be afraid, I’m here."

Finally waiting for Xu Xiangbei, Gu Xinyan held Xu Xiangbei’s large hand, feeling it warm and sturdy, "You went to Ru Er’s, why are you back only now? What’s going on, why are there so many police, who died in the courtyard?"

Xu Xiangbei replied with a smile, "It was Xiao Ye Fengci’s enemies seeking revenge; you don’t need to worry."

Gu Xinyan shook her head, "Lu Xiaomei, I can’t watch this, take me back inside."

Reluctantly casting a few more glances, Lu Xiaomei finally pushed Gu Xinyan’s wheelchair back to the villa.

Xu Xiangbei explained the incident to Jenny; a sniper rifle remained on the distant villa’s rooftop.

At Xu Xiangbei’s mention of the Sword Palace Assassin, Jenny was also moved.

She examined the long sword confiscated from the assassin.

The sword was exquisitely crafted, the blade flexible and hard, honed to cut hair; a sharp weapon. The sword handle bore two archaic seal characters for "Sword Palace."

"Sword Palace was a veteran assassin organization that once troubled the U.S. FBI. Typically, their assassins were Japanese ninjas, but later, the group was eliminated, and it’s been over a decade since its name was heard. Didn’t expect it to appear again now.

Xu Xiangbei seemed enlightened: "No wonder Zuo Mu was seven parts terrified, three parts angry upon hearing Sword Palace’s people killed his junior disciple. Seems Sword Palace has a connection to their one-stroke school."

Jenny nodded, "What you say makes sense; thank you. If it weren’t for you today, my witness probably wouldn’t have made it to court."

Xu Xiangbei grinned cheekily, "Then why not award me the Good Citizen Award, appoint me as your expert consultant, give me the power to deploy police resources."

Jenny laughed, "Be patient, don’t rush; the day will come when you haven’t caught the criminal yet. Once the criminal is caught, I’ll report to the leadership."

"Today’s sniper and assassin were taken out by me; I ran back and forth, exhausted. You must reward me."

Jenny pulled out a hundred-dollar bill from her pocket and handed it to Xu Xiangbei, "This one hundred dollars is my personal reward for you. I will report your heroic deeds to the leadership. If the leadership says a reward can be given, it certainly will be. If they say you need more testing, then further testing it is."

Though he didn’t care about the money, Xu Xiangbei felt like a student praised by a teacher, feeling all his efforts weren’t wasted, his mood greatly lifted.

"I trust you; don’t trick me."

"My good elder brother, of course, I wouldn’t trick you. I must return to the bureau to handle today’s case, see you tomorrow."

Jenny hurriedly drove a police car back to the station.

"Zuo Mu, does Sword Palace have any connection with your one-stroke school? I saw you seemed particularly angry when you heard the name Sword Palace."

Zuo Mu glanced at Xu Xiangbei, fiercely smoking, pressing the cigarette end into the ashtray, "I’m not hiding anything from you; our master was killed by a Sword Palace Assassin. Sword Palace originates from a Japanese ninja organization, revering Swordsmanship Ancestor Miyamoto Musashi, hence the name Sword Palace. They masquerade as eliminators of traitors, purifiers of bloodlines, killing everywhere. Their target is us Japanese immigrants to America, seeing us as traitors to be completely eliminated. Sword Palace gradually became an assassin organization taking any task."