"Do you really think you can keep these things hidden forever?" Zhao Ya said coldly.

Yang Bin took a deep breath and quickly calmed down.

"It was that worthless maid who told you, wasn’t it? Seems like I shouldn’t have spared her back then."

Yang Bin then raised his head again, sneering, "Zhao Ya, since you know all this, you should understand why I dare to do it."

"Because of your backer in the Azure Dragon Temple?" Zhao Ya said blandly.

"Exactly!" A hint of pride appeared on Yang Bin’s face.

"Without this lord’s full support, I couldn’t have safely managed things in Nandian Town for so long. You’re a smart man; you should be able to imagine the kind of identity and status this lord holds."

"If you’re wise, leave this worthless maid and leave quickly. I can pretend this never happened. Otherwise..."

"You’re stalling for time!" Before Yang Bin could finish, Zhao Ya interrupted him directly.

Yang Bin’s expression changed.

Zhao Ya continued, "Considering the things you’ve done and your character, you would never allow me to leave. So you’re saying all this just to appease me and stall for time."

With that, Zhao Ya grinned, "Am I right?"

As soon as he spoke, neat footsteps echoed from afar.

Soon, a squad appeared in the alley.

Seeing this squad, Yang Bin was overjoyed and immediately instructed, "Seal off the surrounding blocks, no idle people are allowed to approach."

"Reporting to Master Yang, it’s already sealed off."

The squad then reached Yang Bin’s side and encircled him protectively.

Only then did Yang Bin breathe a sigh of relief and look at Zhao Ya with some pride.

"You were right, but you figured it out a bit too late."

As he spoke, he raised a hand, and these men immediately drew their crossbows, aiming at Zhao Ya on the rooftop.

The tips of the crossbow arrows glimmered with a cold light, chilling to the bone.

The Mute Girl trembled at the sight.

Zhao Ya gently patted her shoulder, signaling her not to be afraid, then looked at Yang Bin without any panic.

"Is this your trump card?"

"That’s right. These people were hired at a high price and specially trained by the lord. Equipped with the Mechanical Sect’s hard crossbows, even a Meridian Opening Realm expert can’t escape once surrounded. Zhao Ya, you’re still too young!"

By the end, Yang Bin’s pride was almost overflowing.

But unexpectedly, Zhao Ya not only wasn’t surprised but sneered instead.

"So is this all you have?"

Yang Bin was taken aback, then laughed in anger, "You’re so arrogant even at death’s door. These men are more than enough to take your life, what are you still boasting about?"

Just then, a whistle sounded sharply behind Zhao Ya.

The shrill whistle pierced the night sky, carrying far and wide.

Yang Bin felt secure.

He had endured talking nonsense with Zhao Ya to wait for his men to be fully in position.

Now that the whistle sounded, it proved that his men were ambushed behind Zhao Ya.

He hesitated no longer and swung his hand fiercely.

"Fire the arrows!"

At the command, bowstrings twanged.

Countless crossbow arrows, with sharp whistling sounds, enveloped Zhao Ya and the Mute Girl.

This group was indeed well-trained, choosing extremely tricky angles for their volley, blocking all of Zhao Ya’s escape routes.

To this, Zhao Ya did only two things.

First, he pulled the Mute Girl to his side and shielded her.

Second, he closed his eyes, drew his saber, and slashed at the arrows.

In the pitch-black night, attempting to cut incoming crossbow arrows with a saber was tremendously difficult.

Thus, Zhao Ya closed his eyes, relying purely on hearing and feel to strike.

In such dim and unclear conditions, vision was sometimes more of a hindrance.

Crack, crack, crack.

The night sky echoed with dense sounds of collision.

Zhao Ya’s Cold Iron Saber moved as if alive, slicing agilely in the air.

Each strike accurately hit the tip of a crossbow arrow.

Moreover, Zhao Ya’s Snow Iron Saber moved left and right, forward and back, protecting both himself and the Mute Girl perfectly.

Yang Bin watched intently from below, growing increasingly anxious. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"What’s going on? Can’t hit even at this range? Put in more effort!" Yang Bin shouted.

These men began to reload rapidly, but just then, someone suddenly dropped to the ground with a thud.

Next, those beside him seemed to be mowed down by an invisible scythe, falling one after another.

This sudden turn of events stunned Yang Bin.

"What’s happening?"

As soon as he spoke, the subordinate nearest to him also collapsed.

Looking down, Yang Bin saw that the once lively young men had become stiff as logs.

Moments later, the man breathed his last.

It’s poison!

This thought flashed like lightning through Yang Bin’s mind.

In an instant, Yang Bin felt all his hair stand on end.

When did Zhao Ya poison them?

Why was he completely unaware?

Just as these two thoughts crossed his mind, a cold and mocking voice sounded from behind him.

"You stalled for time waiting for your trump card, but didn’t guess I was doing the same, did you?"

Zhao Ya had initially engaged in so much pointless conversation with Yang Bin.

His purpose was to make Yang Bin reveal all his hidden power, then capture them all in one go.