Chapter 9 — Sword God Appears

Three days after the interrogation of the assassin in the abandoned warehouse, the situation at Thanh Lang Uyen suddenly became more tense than ever. Perhaps the Ghost Police Department realized that their secret assassination plan had been discovered, so they switched to a more drastic tactic, no longer remaining as discreet as before. On a hot sunny afternoon, when the central market was crowded with passersby, a group of assassins of more than a dozen people suddenly rushed into the East Quarter, causing chaos to create an opportunity to approach the Nhan Tam Duong pharmacy.

Bach Trinh was sitting and drinking tea in a small shop opposite the pharmacy. An unusual premonition made him stand up as soon as he heard the first screams coming from the market. He rushed out into the street, just in time to see a chaotic scene: people running everywhere, a few stalls were overturned, and in the middle of the crowd, figures in gray shirts were breaking through the siege of several nail bars in the street, heading straight towards the pharmacy where Dieu Vy was standing dumbfounded behind the counter.

In that split second, Bach Trinh realized that he was facing an important choice: if he continued to keep his strength a secret, using common tactics to avoid attracting attention, perhaps he could still rescue Dieu Vy, but at the same time he would lose precious time, causing her to face danger longer than necessary. In just one breath, he decided to put aside all thoughts about preserving his identity, because Thanh Phong's daughter's life was more important than anything else.

There was no time to keep his identity a secret anymore, Bach Trinh drew his sword, rushed straight into the middle of the assassins, his body was as fast as lightning, the sword in his hand swung out, creating streaks of silver light sparkling in the sunlight. He was no longer shy about restraining his strength like last time, but used all his strength. As soon as the leader swung his sword to block, the tip of his sword slid across his wrist, the sword clattered before he could understand what had happened; Immediately, Bach Trinh's body turned half a circle, one foot supporting, the other sweeping down the second man who was rushing from the side, at the same time the hilt of the sword pressed hard into the acupuncture point under his ribs. The screams, the sound of falling weapons, the sound of panicked footsteps mixed together into a chaotic mess of sounds in the middle of the market, while Bach Trinh still moved between the siege like a silent whirlwind, each sword strike carried overwhelming power, in just the blink of an eye, he defeated four or five assassins in a row, forcing the remaining ones to pause, not daring to rush forward again.

The people in the market, who had initially fled in panic, now stopped from afar, watching in amazement at the scene of a single man defeating a large group of assassins with marvelous sword moves they had never seen in their lives. There was an elderly person in the crowd who had heard about the legends of the martial world when he was young. He suddenly exclaimed in surprise: "This... isn't this the Hidden Wind Sword Technique of the Tang Phong Mon? I saw it once when I was young. I didn't expect that there were still people who could practice it to such a state of trance!"

Those words were like a bolt of lightning striking the crowd, quickly spreading from person to person. The remaining assassins, realizing the unfavorable situation and fearing their identities would be exposed further, hastily retreated in chaos, leaving behind several injured accomplices lying on the market floor. Bach Trinh stood in the middle of the crowd, his chest still heaving because he had just gone through a tense battle. His eyes scanned around to make sure there was no danger lurking, then rushed to Dieu Vy's side to check if she had any injuries.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice still urgent. Dieu Vy shook her head, her whole body was still trembling because she had just experienced a panic attack, but her eyes looking at him now had a completely different tone, both grateful and somewhat surprised when witnessing firsthand the true strength of the man she thought was just an ordinary traveler.

After the assassins retreated, several men in the street together carried the remaining wounded and handed them over to the local government officials to handle, although everyone knew that these captured low-level people were unlikely to reveal anything important, because the usual practice of assassin organizations is to choose people who do not know too many secrets to do the task of revealing themselves, avoiding the risk of being arrested. Dieu Vy stood silently looking at that scene, her hands were still shaking, her heart was both scared and sad at the thought of just because of her, the entire market where so many innocent people passed by every day had to suffer such chaos.

News of the battle in the market quickly spread throughout Lang Uyen Citadel within just half a day, and from there continued to spread throughout neighboring towns in the following days. People are talking about a mysterious swordsman who, using the lost sword technique of the Tang Phong Mon, single-handedly defeated a large group of assassins to protect an anonymous girl who was just the owner of a small pharmacy. Many people began to ask: is this a sign that the legendary sword god of the past, who has disappeared from the world for eighteen years, has finally reappeared?

Bach Trinh, after that battle, understood that he could no longer hide his true identity. The fact that he used the Hidden Wind Sword Technique in a crowded place, in front of dozens of witnesses, meant that the news would soon spread to those who knew him in the past, including the surviving elders of the Tang Phong Mon, and perhaps, even the person behind the Demon Shadow Police Department.

That night, Bach Trinh sat alone in the motel room, his hand clutching the sword in his lap, a feeling of both relief and worry rising in his heart. Relieved that he finally no longer had to live in hiding and avoiding his true self like he had for the past eighteen years. Worried because he knew that, once his true identity was exposed, not only would his old enemies pay attention to him, but also the complicated martial-world connections that he deliberately left will also come to him, pulling him back to the world he gave up a long time ago.

He thought about the living elders of the Tang Phong Mon, who might come when they heard the news, and thought about the possibility that the old story about Thanh Phong's death could be reopened in ways that he had not anticipated. But thinking about it again and again, he realized that the fact that everything was exposed to the light, even though it could be disturbing, was what was necessary to finally reveal the entire truth that had been buried for the past eighteen years, instead of just letting it smolder in the dark like it had always done.

But no matter how worried he was, he did not regret his decision. Protecting Dieu Vy and finding the truth about Thanh Phong's death were more important than any personal peace he had tried to maintain for nearly two decades. He remembered Thanh Phong's last words at Vong Soul Alley, a promise he had never fully fulfilled, and told himself that this was his chance to atone for some of his past mistakes.

The next morning, when Bach Trinh stopped by the pharmacy, he noticed that the atmosphere in the street was completely different. Passersby looked at him with eyes both curious and respectful, some even clasped their hands and bowed when he passed by, even though he had never told anyone his true identity. Dieu Vy welcomed him with a somewhat forced smile, perhaps she had also heard the rumors spreading throughout the town about the man who saved her.

"Everyone says that you are the legendary sword god of the old Tang Phong Mon," she said, her voice a bit hesitant. "Is that true?" Bach Trinh was silent for a while, looking into her clear eyes waiting for her answer, finally nodded slightly, deciding that the time had come when he could no longer hide, at least with the girl he had secretly carried a responsibility to protect since the day he met again.

"That's right," he replied, his voice low and somewhat heavy. "My surname is Vu, my full name is Vu Bach Trinh, I was a disciple of the Tang Phong Mon many years ago. There are some things I cannot tell you right now, but I promise, when the right time comes, you will know the whole truth."

Dieu Vy was silent for a long time, her eyes looked at him intently as if trying to find something familiar in that austere face. She suddenly remembered what her mother told her in the past about a person her father called "little brother", a vague name that had never been specifically mentioned, but her premonition suddenly sparked a strange association. She intended to ask directly, but then stopped, telling herself that perhaps she was thinking too much, and if there really was such a connection, the man in front of her would probably take the initiative to speak up when the time was ripe, as he had just promised.

"Okay," she replied softly, trying to keep her voice calm even though her heart was churning with chaotic thoughts. "This young lady will wait until that day." Dieu Vy looked at him, her hand gently clasping the hem of her shirt in front of her chest, her ears seemed to echo the name "little junior brother" that her mother had never been willing to clarify who he was, and a vague premonition told her that this man was related to her life in a deeper way than she had ever imagined.