In the beginning, he was ranked alongside An Shigeng as a spoiled brat.

Those men in tight-fitting clothes are no ordinary men either; they are also subordinates of a renowned swordsman, one of the top swordsmen!

"Quickly, spread the message!"

Many secret spies in the town spread the news as quickly as possible.

As for reporting to the authorities and claiming the reward?

Do you really think this money is easy to get? How can we confirm that this information is valid? Only after we capture Gai Nie can we confirm that this information is valid.

Soon, news of Gai Nie's journey to the Famous Sword Manor spread throughout the martial arts world.

As a renowned force in the martial arts world, Mingjian Manor, especially with Mingjian being one of the twenty-three great sword masters, led most people to speculate that Mingjian had come for a sword duel.

However, upon entering the Famous Sword Manor, Gai Nie sensed something was amiss and immediately realized that there was an ambush nearby.

Before Gai Nie could retreat, crossbow bolts were already being fired from all sides.

In the rush, Gai Nie, holding the boy, suddenly and swiftly retreated.

At the same time, the longsword in his hand was drawn, and in the impenetrable sword light, he knocked down the approaching arrows one by one, teetering on the brink of life and death in a perilous situation.

However, when they retreated to the end, Gai Nie suddenly rushed forward with the boy in his arms.

boom!

With a deafening roar, the place where Gai Nie should have retreated suddenly erupted into a raging inferno, with rocks flying everywhere.

With such meticulous planning, Gai Nie frowned deeply as he looked at the experts who had emerged from the surrounding area.

I never expected that Mingjian Manor would be so despicable.

"kill!"

Even when besieged, it wouldn't be a fair and square attack; instead, they would suddenly deploy poison nets, poisonous smoke, and poisoned arrows from all sides...

This vicious trap caused Gai Nie's murderous intent to surge.

He casually unleashed a fierce and unparalleled sword aura, which shot directly towards the location where the coded command had been given.

puff!

When the man realized the sword energy, there was no way to avoid it, and he had no way to dodge it.

As the sword energy swept through him, Gai Nie looked at the man, who turned out to be a middle-aged man around forty years old.

Before Gai Nie could catch his breath after the death of the burly man and his escape from the encirclement, a group of assassins attacked again, swords in hand, their killing intent palpable.

Upon seeing this, Gai Nie no longer held back with his longsword.

Amidst the flashing swords, one person at a time slowly ascends.

After all, this wasn't just about his life; if anything went wrong, the boy would also lose his life on the spot.

Therefore, he wants an explanation from the famous swordsman!

"stop!"

Suddenly, a loud shout came from outside.

Gai Nie turned around and saw two figures, one in black and one in white, rushing towards him. The one in white was a middle-aged swordsman, elegant and handsome; the one in black was a rugged and domineering old man wielding a knife.

Moreover, Gai Nie sensed that the two were no ordinary people; they were both top-tier masters in the martial arts world.

"The owner of the village!"

Suddenly, all the disciples bowed respectfully to the middle-aged man in white, which made Gai Nie realize the identity of the newcomer.

No wonder, it's the master's famous sword!

However, Mingjian looked as if he had come from a long journey, rather than deliberately ambushing him here.

"What's going on? Why did you invite the Sword Saint here without my permission? And who set up the ambush outside?"

Mingjian was filled with murderous intent at this moment. Not long after he left, he heard the news that Mingjian Manor had invited Gai Nie.

Realizing something was wrong, he rushed over day and night.

Upon arriving at the resort, I was met with a scene of utter chaos.

Especially given the mess, it was clear they were lying in ambush on Gai Nie, which enraged Ming Jian even more. This was an attempt to put him, Ming Jian, in an unjust, immoral, despicable, and shameless position.

Chapter 669 The True Culprit Behind the Scenes: A Showdown with the Famous Sword

"The owner of the village!"

The disciples of the Famous Sword Manor were also terrified.

It was precisely because Mingjian had treated them well that they were speechless at this moment. In the end, all of this stemmed from Mingjian's sake.

However, all of this goes against the original meaning of a famous sword, and it can be said that they have brought huge trouble to the famous sword.

"Say!"

Faced with the famous swordsman's questioning, his subordinate suddenly brandished his longsword and slashed across the neck.

puff!

Blood splattered at the mountain gate, leaving everyone dumbfounded. Even the renowned swordsman hadn't expected such an outcome.

At the same time, more than a dozen disciples made the same decision and chose to commit suicide.

Even if Mingjian and Gai Nie wanted to stop them, it was too late; all they could see were these people lying dead at their feet.

With a will as fierce as that of a suicide soldier, Mingjian trembled in fear.

These were his elite disciples from the Famous Sword Manor, or loyal old men. The loss of more than half of them in a single day made him tremble with fear.

"why?"

Mingjian believed they would never betray Mingjian Manor, but why were they so resolute?

"Brother Mingjian, they probably don't want to put you in a difficult position."

Behind them is likely someone very close to you within the resort, and their purpose is probably for your own good.

After all, with the reputation of Sword Saint Gai Nie, if he were to die at the Famous Sword Manor, the manor would reap immeasurable benefits.

"May I ask if you are the God of Capture, Horizontal Blade?"

Gai Nie looked at the burly man who had spoken, who was like a domineering sword, sharp and terrifying. There were very few sword masters in the martial arts world who could reach this level.

Moreover, based on such a rational analysis of the current situation, there is only one person in the world who fits this identity—

The legendary swordsman who once wielded the divine sword!

After Zhuge Shenhou returned to the empire, he met him several times. Although Zhuge Shenhou was highly valued by the empire and even listed as one of the nine great lords, responsible for the security of the nine provinces of the empire, he still did not actually enter the heart of power.

The power center of the empire is the Nine Ministers! And the military!

"Indeed, Hengdao greets Mr. Gai!"

"Gai Nie greets Lord Hengdao!"

With one sword and one saber, these two grandmaster-level masters of the martial world, even Gai Nie had to be cautious.

At this moment, Hengdao looked at the wary Gai Nie and couldn't help but explain:

"Mr. Gai, rest assured, this was absolutely not Mingjian's idea."

Previously, Mingjian and Hengdao had sparred, and upon hearing that Mr. Gai had been invited to Mingjian Manor, we rushed here day and night, but we were still a step too late.

"I see!"

Gai Nie nodded; he had believed from the beginning that Mingjian was not a villain.

Moreover, Hengdao is a reliable witness; having served as a constable for over a decade, his character is trustworthy.

···

Famous Sword Manor!

This is a magnificent and grand mansion nestled in the mountains.

The Wuzhang Mountain Gate, resembling a city wall, is surrounded by a spacious and flat concrete plaza. It was built by a construction team under the Zhang family at great expense.

The inner and outer plazas are connected, forming a seamless whole!

This was also a construction business that arose after the Zhang family built the imperial road.

Laying cement roads, building reinforced concrete walls, or constructing red brick houses... business shouldn't be too booming.

For example, the plaza of Mingjian Villa, with its concrete base, cost a staggering 30,000 gold coins.

The main expense was the 3,000 tons of steel bars, which was only approved by the Zhang family out of consideration for Mingjian Villa.

This is equivalent to the private sale of railways!

"What a fine Sword Manor!"

Gai Nie looked at the gate of the Famous Sword Manor and felt that the Famous Sword Manor truly deserved to be one of the top forces.

However, this incident has created a rift between him and the Famous Sword Manor, and it cannot be easily resolved.

"Uncle, they're bad guys. What if there's an ambush inside?"

"Small in stature but big in brains, he's gone."

Mingjian smiled helplessly upon hearing this. As for scolding him?

He himself couldn't explain the ambush in front of the mountain gate, but through Hengdao's analysis, he had vaguely guessed it.

"You little brat, I, Hengdao, here and now, guarantee that Mingjian is definitely not that kind of person."

If Mingjian Manor really has an ambush inside, I'll hold the rear and cover your escape!

"Hmph, who knows if you're with them or not? You all came together."

"What? Hahahaha..."

Hengdao looked at the arrogant and suspicious boy in front of him, and then burst into laughter.

"Mr. Gai, Brother Hengdao, please come in!"

"please!"

Gai Nie ignored the boy's complaints. If Hengdao had truly colluded with Mingjian, he would have attacked him earlier.

Keep in mind that these are two experts who are not much weaker than him. Their combined strength would definitely give them the upper hand, not to mention that he is carrying a burden.

Upon entering the villa, the person who came upon hearing the news was a beautiful and dignified woman, holding the hand of a child who appeared to be about the same age as a teenager.

"Uncle (Second Uncle)!"

The two "uncle"s have different meanings. The woman's uncle is her husband's younger brother.

The boy is Mingjian's nephew, Mingzhou!

"Sister-in-law, we have distinguished guests today. Mingjian will go to the backyard to present them with gifts later!"

"Since Uncle has guests, I will take Zhou'er to the backyard to practice swordsmanship."

As he watched the First Madam leave, Hengdao frowned.

Those disciples from the Famous Sword Manor who remained silent until death must be high-ranking members of the Famous Sword Manor. Since the Famous Boat is too small, the person behind it all must be this Madam.

Moreover, he had heard about the background of this lady; she was no ordinary person.

"please!"

Inside the hall, the delicate fragrance of cloud and mist camellia did nothing to alleviate the heavy atmosphere.

Gai Nie was waiting for Ming Jian to give him an explanation, while Ming Jian hesitated because he knew who the real culprit behind this was!

But Mingjian Manor is absolutely not going to hand it over.

There is no right or wrong between them, only their respective positions.

Even if Mingjian seems to be protecting the murderer, Hengdao cannot say that Mingjian is wrong. It can only be said that life is unpredictable and always makes it difficult to make a choice.

If Mingjian were to hand over the First Madam, it would certainly be a noble act of sacrificing family for the greater good, but Mingzhou, the only descendant of the Ming family, would also be destroyed.

The boy not only lost his mother, but also carried a deep-seated hatred.

It's not just Gai Nie; any member of the Ming family could become Ming Zhou's enemy.

Moreover, this matter is no small one, and for a woman to take the blame would only further tarnish the reputation of Mingjian Manor.