Chapter 289: Phoenix Dance

“You know more, don’t you? Spill everything.”

Lin Xiao’s heart brimmed with murderous intent. His decision to come to Jinghai City to protect Yuan Yong’s family was undoubtedly correct. Those people had indeed come to target Yuan Yong’s family for revenge.

“I’ve told you everything I know. The rest, I really don’t know. That person said they would contact us as soon as we found the girl,” said Fang Haoyan, his face pale and devoid of hope.

At this moment, he only wished for a swift death.

Seeing Fang Haoyan’s condition, Lin Xiao believed he wasn’t lying. Although he desperately wanted more information about the organization that killed his brother-in-arms, he had no choice but to suppress the fury in his heart.

However, he silently vowed to find this international organization. Since they had exposed their trail, they wouldn’t escape his grasp.

“I’ve said everything I know. End it quickly!”

Lin Xiao spoke coldly, “Not so fast. You should know Wan Shixuan’s address, shouldn’t you?”

Though shaken by the mention of the organization that killed Yuan Yong, Lin Xiao hadn’t forgotten his original purpose.

If this unknown international organization was a distant threat, then Wan Shixuan was the immediate danger.

If he didn’t deal with Wan Shixuan now, endless troubles would await him in the future.

After extracting Wan Shixuan’s address, Lin Xiao broke Fang Haoyan’s neck amidst the man’s expression of relief.

Standing still for a moment, Lin Xiao turned away from the lifeless body. Returning to the manor’s entrance, he began searching for traces of uncle Wang, intending to continue the pursuit.

Since he had vowed to eliminate every last one of them, none would escape!

However, just as Lin Xiao finished examining the traces and prepared to chase uncle Wang, he suddenly froze.

A corpse was hurled from a distance and landed at Lin Xiao’s feet.

The body wore a black martial arts uniform, eyes wide open, with shock frozen on its face. It was uncle Wang, who had fled earlier.

A faint, nearly invisible sword mark ran across Wang’s neck, cleanly severing his windpipe and ending his life in an instant.

“Night Emperor, long time no see.”

A cool, clear voice broke the eerie, blood-soaked silence of the manor entrance. Following the sound, a tall, graceful figure appeared atop the courtyard wall. Her face was stunningly pale, her hair cascading down to her waist. She held a black-sheathed longsword in hand.

“I took care of this person for you. No need to thank me.”

“Phoenix Dance.”

Lin Xiao looked up at the woman who had suddenly appeared and slowly spoke two words, his voice heavy with meaning.

The woman lightly leaped off the wall and landed gracefully before Lin Xiao.

Up close, it was clear this woman was an exceptionally rare beauty.

Her long, slender willow-leaf eyebrows extended to her temples, and her bright phoenix eyes emitted a chilling sharpness. Her straight nose and tightly closed cherry lips gave her an air of icy elegance.

Her demeanor bore a striking resemblance to Wan Caixuan’s cool temperament.

Though slightly shorter than Lin Xiao, she was at least 1.75 meters tall. She wore a perfectly fitted black uniform with a distinct military style, adorned with gold embroidery on the collar and cuffs. Its tailored design and dark color only accentuated her curvaceous figure.

This strikingly cold and elegant woman was none other than Phoenix Dance, the captain of the Phoenix Feather Squad, second only to the Dragon Sword Squad within the country.

Phoenix Dance was, of course, not her real name but rather her codename in the military, just as Lin Xiao was known as the Night Emperor.

Her real name was Zhao Yu.

Since the Phoenix Feather Squad and Dragon Sword Squad were part of secret units, members never addressed each other by their real names during missions. They used codenames exclusively.

This was why, despite their familiarity, Zhao Yu called Lin Xiao “Night Emperor,” and he addressed her as “Phoenix Dance.”

For Zhao Yu to rise to captaincy within Xia Nation’s top-tier special forces unit, her strength spoke for itself.

Although the Phoenix Feather Squad wasn’t as strong as the Dragon Sword Squad, it was still one of Xia Country’s elite units. To lead such a squad required someone capable of commanding prideful, battle-hardened warriors.

Lin Xiao had worked with Phoenix Dance on several missions and knew her capabilities well. Though young, her ancient martial arts cultivation had reached the advanced force energy stage, and she was a top-tier expert even among Dark Force practitioners. Otherwise, she couldn’t have slain uncle Wang, another Dark Force master.

Despite encountering three implicit energy masters—Jiang Linfeng, Duan Changhan, and uncle Wang —Lin Xiao knew such individuals were far from common.

These three were all in their forties or fifties, holding significant positions. Jiang Linfeng and Duan Changhan were senior members of Jiangdong Province’s Golden Claw Sect, while uncle Wang was the personal butler of one of the Wan family heirs, Wan Shixuan.

Implicit energy masters were considered esteemed figures within any faction. Many martial artists regarded attaining Dark Force as their ultimate goal, with transformational energy being little more than a myth.

For Zhao Yu, in her twenties, to achieve such a level put her among the most talented. Though she couldn’t rival Lin Xiao’s extraordinary progress, she was undoubtedly a prodigy.

Lin Xiao’s emotions were stirred as he looked at Zhao Yu’s familiar yet distant face. He had so many questions, yet none could escape his lips.

Though they belonged to different teams, this cold woman was, aside from Yuan Yong, the person Lin Xiao knew best.

Zhao Yu gave Lin Xiao a long, steady look before, without warning, drawing her sword. A flick of her wrist sent the blade shimmering with a cold brilliance as it thrust toward Lin Xiao’s chest.

The razor-sharp tip tore through the air, emitting a barely audible whistle.

This thrust was astonishingly swift, reaching Lin Xiao’s chest almost instantly.

As the blade closed in, Lin Xiao, as if anticipating the attack, lifted his left hand at a seemingly slow pace. With a flick of his fingers, he struck the sword.

Clang!

The steel blade wavered under Lin Xiao’s finger, bending like a snake.

Zhao Yu’s eyes brightened as she deftly twisted her wrist. The rebounded blade straightened and shifted from thrusting to slashing, sweeping toward Lin Xiao’s shoulder.

“You’ve gotten stronger.”

“I did,” Lin Xiao admitted candidly, his right hand motionless as his left hand curled into a claw. Each finger turned a dark, metallic hue, grasping for Zhao Yu’s sword.

Zhao Yu smirked faintly.

As Lin Xiao’s claw neared her blade, she abruptly withdrew the sword and retreated. Then, with a flourish, she spun the blade in a graceful arc before sheathing it.

“I just wanted to check if your skills dulled, not to fight seriously.”

Zhao Yu’s eyes sparkled with amusement as she studied Lin Xiao from head to toe.

“Your skills have improved significantly. Let’s find a quiet place for a proper match next time.”

“Anytime,” Lin Xiao said, retracting his hand and smiling faintly.

Their bond had always been forged in combat. Over time, sparring had become their unique form of communication.