The golden-armored warrior kicked the round conference table. The hefty wooden table rolled on the ground, directly aiming at me. I had to jump aside to dodge. The warrior appeared in front of me a second later, wielding his broadsword. I closed my eyes at that moment, waiting for death.

At the same instant, Yin Xinyue grabbed a flower pot from the balcony and hit the warrior with it, enraging him; he silently turned to see her. I seized the chance and stepped back.

The warrior noticed my move. He pulled back the tightly held sword handle, using the pointy end of the handle to stab me—he was using the official sword of the Ming dynasty’s imperial bodyguards, which had a spear-like blade at the end of the handle. In a horse battle, it could be used to stab the enemy with a pull of the user’s hand.

I rolled to avoid this fatal thrust. The tile on the floor, right where I had just stood, was broken by that vicious attack....