Chapter 14 — Sword God Appears

Before leaving, Bach Trinh turned back to instruct Dieu Vy again, her voice stern: "No matter what happens, you absolutely must not leave this inn until I return. If I have not returned by tomorrow morning, go to Thanh Van Phai, ask Ly Ton Dao for help, and give him the secret paper as proof." Dieu Vy nodded, her hand tightly grasped his sleeve, her eyes full of worry but did not dare to hinder, because she understood that this was the only way to save Xuan Dao without losing the most important evidence.

Following the old boatman's instructions, Bach Trinh followed the river upstream, overcoming many dangerous rapids, until he found a narrow ravine hidden deep between two steep cliffs, the entrance was hidden by tangled climbing bushes, it would be very difficult to detect if you didn't pay close attention. This is clearly a carefully chosen location, both discreet and easy to defend, suitable for holding hostages without fear of being discovered.

He hid in the shadows, observing carefully before acting. From a distance, he could see the glimmer of torchlight shining from a cave deep in the ravine, with the silhouettes of people passing by and keeping watch. Bach Trinh counted a total of six guards scattered around the area, all wearing the familiar gray shirts of the Ghost Police Department, fully equipped with swords and swords, showing that this was not an ordinary lair but an important base of the organization.

While waiting, Bach Trinh couldn't help but think of Dieu Vy alone in the inn. He was both worried about her and focused on the task at hand. He knew that with just one small mistake tonight, not only Xuan Dao's life would be in danger, but also the plan to find out the truth about the Ghost Shadow Police Department could completely collapse. He took a deep breath, put aside all distracting thoughts, and focused all his mind on the ravine in front of him, where the torchlight still flickered like owl eyes in the dark night.

He waited until the moon disappeared behind the clouds and the darkness became thicker before he began to move. With skillful body movements trained over many years, Bach Trinh quietly approached the first guard hidden behind a large rock, and applied pressure points in a split second before he could make any sound. He gently placed the guard's motionless body down, then continued moving to the next target.

Just like that, one by one, Bach Trinh in turn defeated the five guards outside without making any noticeable noise, clearly demonstrating the class of a swordsman who had experienced hundreds of life and death battles. Only the last guard remained standing right in front of the cave entrance, where Xuan Dao was probably being held. Bach Trinh carefully observed and noticed that inside the cave there was stronger torch light, along with the soft talking of a few people, indicating that there may be more enemies inside.

He decided he could not continue quietly like before, because the deeper he went, the higher the risk of being discovered. Bach Trinh drew his sword, rushed straight into the cave entrance at full speed, defeating the last guard with a single sword move before he could react. This time the noise was unavoidable, echoing deep into the cave, immediately there was an alarm call from inside.

Bach Trinh did not hesitate, rushing straight inside, the sword in his hand swung like a steel tornado, confronting more than ten assassins who were pouring out of the caves to block the way. This was a fiercer battle than what he had experienced since his reappearance. This time the opponents were clearly more well-trained and more coordinated than the low-level assassins he had faced before.

He applied all the essence of the Hidden Wind Sword Technique, moving flexibly in the midst of the overwhelming siege, each sword strike aimed at the most vital acupuncture points, defeating the opponent as quickly as possible to save energy for what lay ahead. Sweat drenched the back of his shirt. There were times when he had to narrowly dodge dangerous knife blows, but his determination to save people helped him overcome all normal physical limits.

After a period of fierce fighting, Bach Trinh finally defeated all the assassins blocking his path and advanced deeper into the cave. Coming to a larger space, lit by many torches hanging on the cliff, he saw Xuan Dao tied tightly to a wooden pillar in the middle of the cave, her face pale with fear and exhaustion, but luckily she was not seriously injured.

"You came here alone? How brave." A cold voice rang out from the darkness behind the pillar, a middle-aged man stepped out, wearing a black robe, holding a long sword, his cold eyes looked at Bach Trinh with evaluation. This is clearly the direct commander of this base, with superior martial arts skills compared to the subordinates who were just defeated.

"Let you go, and I will let you live," Bach Trinh said, his voice cold, the sword in his hand still in the defensive position. The man in black smiled faintly: "Do you think you have the right to set terms with me? This is my territory, you are just a fish in a basket." Having finished speaking, he swung his sword and rushed forward, attacking Bach Trinh with vicious moves, clearly trained by a sect with solid foundations, not an ordinary person.

The black-shirted man's moves became more and more dangerous, sometimes using hidden weapons hidden in his sleeves, forcing Bach Trinh to turn around and avoid them by a hair's breadth. But the years of hard sword training from his time at the Tang Phong Mon, combined with his previous experience fighting in the streets, have given him a strong bravery to calmly deal with all unexpected situations, no matter how cunning the opponent is.

The battle between the two took place extremely fiercely, the sound of swords clashing echoed throughout the cave, the fire from the torch reflected on the shining sword lights. Bach Trinh gradually gained the advantage thanks to the sophistication of the Hidden Wind Sword Technique. After more than thirty rounds of fighting, he found an opening. A decisive sword strike hit the black-clothed man's shoulder, causing him to collapse, the sword clattering on the stone floor.

"Tell me, who is your leader?" Bach Trinh asked harshly, the tip of the sword pointed straight at the opponent's neck. The man in black, even though he was in pain, still sneered: "Do you think I will betray my master out of fear of death? You are wrong." But when Bach Trinh gently increased the pressure on the wound, the piercing pain finally made him submit, trembling and saying: "Okay... okay... our master is called Black Eagle, but even we have never seen his true appearance clearly, we only know that he always appears with a bronze mask shaped like an eagle's head."

Bach Trinh asked more about the true headquarters location of the Ghost Shadow Police Department. The man in black, after a moment of hesitation, finally revealed that the headquarters was hidden deep in a secret valley in the mountains bordering Lang Uyen land, not far from Tang Phong Mon, a detail that made Bach Trinh startled and surprised. If the headquarters was indeed located so close to Tang Phong Mon, the fact that the leader of the organization was closely related to his old sect was almost confirmed one step further.

After receiving the necessary information, Bach Trinh applied acupuncture points to make the man in black unconscious, then quickly untied Xuan Dao. The young girl, after being rescued, burst into tears of fear and joy, repeatedly thanking her benefactor for risking his life to save her life. Bach Trinh gently reassured her, helping her leave the cave before the other survivors could recover and organize a counterattack.

On the way back to Tran Ha Chau, Xuan Dao told Bach Trinh what she overheard while in detention, that the assassins had mentioned that "the master was about to personally appear to settle everything once and for all", an information that made Bach Trinh even more wary, understanding that a direct confrontation with the head of the Ghost Police Department, whom he was increasingly convinced was Nguy Thien Ba, was now only a matter of time.

When dawn began to appear on the horizon, Bach Trinh helped Xuan Dao back to the inn's gate. Dieu Vy was already waiting, her eyes red from staying up all night worrying. As soon as she saw the two of them returning safely, she rushed to hug Xuan Dao. Both sisters hugged each other and burst into tears in the middle of the inn's yard, while Bach Trinh stood silently watching that scene, his heart filled with indescribable relief, mixed with anxiety about what was still waiting ahead, when the real enemy was still hidden in the darkness, not yet fully revealed.