A little earlier, in the woods.
The first man of sacrifice folded his sleeves. He was young but lethargic. He stood under a pine tree and watched Lao Yi and Song Ying approach the ship.
Like Eunuch Jia, Death Soldier A had been in the Palace since Little Nine. From spring, summer, autumn, and winter to twenty-four hours a day, he had been doing what his identity was supposed to do. He was like an auspicious beast in the Taiji Palace, watching everything inside and outside the Palace, striving not to make a single mistake in his life.
Empress Cui didn't show up on the ship all day. Since he didn't see Empress Cui, he had to think of all possibilities. For example, the enemy had guessed the assassination and the ship in front of him was a bait. Leaving someone behind always had a reason to advance and retreat.
In fact, he guessed right. Not long after Lao Yi boarded the ship, a black shadow passed by on the river bank. Then came the tide of blades.
The first man of sacrifice took a look and didn't show up to help. Instead, he turned and walked into the woods.
Before he came, the first man of sacrifice had seen that Song Ying had no intention to fight. Xu Buling's "Twenty-eight Consecutive Knives" also revealed his strength. Lao Yi couldn't beat him. He might have beaten him in the past, but it was only a possibility. His adoptive father had taught him since he was a child that he had to be absolutely safe in everything he did. Because as one lived for a long time, there would always be several contingencies. Only when he was absolutely safe could he act without any mistakes.
The mission given by the Emperor this time was to kill Empress Cui. So when other goals might fail, he should make sure to kill Empress Cui first.
Since the ship was a bait, Empress Cui must not be on the ship. The guards and Xu Buling were near the ship. They couldn't put Empress Cui too far away. Otherwise, they couldn't help in time. So Empress Cui must be hiding nearby.
The first man of sacrifice walked among the mountains. He seemed slow but was actually fast. His eyes searched for any possible hiding places and possible traces on the ground.
This search was obviously effective. In the woods that gradually approached the karst cave at the foot of the mountain, the first man of sacrifice finally found a figure.
The night was dark and the wind was strong. There was no light in the woods. There was a blurry shadow between two trees in front of him.
The shadow looked old and dying, but it stood still under the trees as if it was a wooden stake that had stood there for many years. Ordinary people might subconsciously ignore it when they walked in front of it.
The first man of sacrifice recognized who it was, but there was no emotion in his eyes. After all, since he could remember, no one had taught him feelings. He had no self. He only had things to do and his duty as a "first man of sacrifice".
The first man of sacrifice stopped ten feet away from the shadow and said calmly, "Father."
Eunuch Jia's appearance might not have changed for decades. He tucked his hands into his sleeves and narrowed his eyes, sizing him up.
"First, His Majesty sent you to kill Empress Cui?"
"Emperor has retired and has returned. I shouldn't be."
"I...
Eunuch Jia sighed and shook his head. "It's not over yet. In this life, I've only taken in two foster sons. I've always thought about teaching them martial arts and nothing else. Now that I have retired and returned to my hometown, I wanted to return to my roots, but I found that I can't die. After thinking about it carefully, I realized that I did everything perfectly in my life, but I didn't do a good job … "
The first man of sacrifice listened quietly. He was indifferent to the tragic sounds of fighting in the distance. He just waited for Eunuch Jia to finish his words.
"A son is still a son. I have to be responsible. Jia Yi is dead. It's not enough to just bury him. The only thing he did in his life was to protect Empress Cui until he died. But Empress Cui didn't die, so Jia Yi's task was not finished. As his father, I have to finish it for him."
"Yes, father."
The first man of sacrifice bowed and then strode forward. Two golden threads hung down from his sleeves and swept the leaves and weeds on the road. They were silently split into two.
Eunuch Jia sighed softly but didn't say anything. After all, he taught this son. He was good at everything, except that he didn't live like a human.
Swoosh —
In the forest where there was only starlight but no moonlight, the faint but sharp sound of wind breaking was densely packed.
Four golden threads danced in the sleeves, like a needle threaded through the dense forest. The trees, sand, and stones were like tofu in front of the golden threads. The golden threads passed through the trees silently. The trees didn't fall, leaving only leaves that were split into two like flying snow.
Two shadows moved so fast that only residual shadows could be seen moving in the forest. They were so fast that it was hard to see them clearly. But they didn't even make the sound of their robes fluttering, making the scene look dead and strange.
Occasionally, the two shadows brushed past each other and separated as soon as they touched each other. They didn't even leave any footprints on the ground.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh —
The sound of zither strings being plucked rang out densely. The two figures traversed through the forest within a radius of a hundred feet, gradually forming a large golden net.
They moved faster and faster. Under the blockade of the golden threads, there was less and less space for them to move.
As the two shadows crossed each other more and more frequently, some panting could be heard. It was the sound of an exhausted oil lamp panting.
The first man of sacrifice noticed that Eunuch Jia was exhausted, but his eyes didn't change. Unlike Jia Yi, the first man of sacrifice was brought up by Eunuch Jia since he was young. He accompanied and taught him day and night, until the day he took over Eunuch Jia's position.
But all this was meaningless. The first man of sacrifice had no name, no friends, no prospects, and no feelings since he could remember.
The first man of sacrifice could be said to be the sword that Eunuch Jia had raised, the sharpest sword in the world!
This was supposed to be Eunuch Jia's masterpiece. But at this moment, Eunuch Jia couldn't be proud of it. Because the sword was a dead thing, but the man was alive. It was wrong to raise his son as a weapon from the beginning.
Eunuch Jia was born in a small village in Liaodong. He might not remember his parents or the accent of his hometown, but he came from home after all. When he was a child, he used to stand on the edge of the courtyard dam like the child in his hometown and stare blankly at the outsiders passing by. He might be a little silly, but he was still a human at that time.
Back in the small village in Liaodong, Eunuch Jia lay in the pit that he dug for himself. He wanted to die, but he couldn't. It was because he seemed to have no regrets in his life, but when he thought about it carefully, it was all regrets.
He had adopted two sons, both of whom were men of sacrifice. One was raised as a weapon, and the other was kept in the dark and became a fool. Neither of them had the chance to live their lives according to their own ideas like him.
It was Eunuch Jia's own choice to become the first man of sacrifice. He found his own way in that era when people ate people. But the first man of sacrifice in front of him didn't even know what he was. This was obviously wrong. As his adoptive father, Eunuch Jia should at least let him choose once.
Rustle, rustle, rustle —
The fight became more and more intense. The sound of clothes fluttering could be heard in the forest.
The Death Soldier was still expressionless. Like a machine, he countered, countered, attacked, and moved perfectly. There was not the slightest flaw, and he did not miss anything. He was like an unstoppable tide, slowly forcing his foster father, who had once taught him martial arts, into a desperate situation. He could even predict that his foster father would die in front of him after ten moves.
Eunuch Jia had been immersed in martial arts all his life, so he could also calculate that. But unlike the first man of sacrifice, Eunuch Jia was still a human.
When he was about to touch the golden thread at the back of his head, Eunuch Jia sighed softly.
"There's an old saying in Jianghu, 'Teach your disciple, but the master will starve to death.' So …"
Bang!
As he spoke, the aura of the bony Eunuch Jia suddenly changed. It turned from soft to hard. The robe on his upper body was torn into pieces, and his bones made cracking sounds. His thin fingers turned into a pair of iron fists. He punched the air with an explosive sound and touched the chest of the first man of sacrifice.
When Eunuch Jia mastered the ultimate skill, Thousand Layer Miasma, he was like a willow leaf swaying in the wind. He did not exert any strength in his fists, swords, fists, or kicks. But this lack of strength was based on the fact that his judgment and speed were faster than his hands. When his speed and strength reached a certain level, his body would still be like that of an ordinary person. How could he not exert strength?
When he was in the Tang Family, Xu Buling was able to force Eunuch Jia to retreat because he relied on the element of surprise and Strength to Stun Dragons and Tigers. Eunuch Jia's fists, which he had never shown before, had practically squeezed out everything that could be squeezed out of this body. His speed was fast, and his strength was fierce. As long as he hit his opponent's chest, he would definitely be able to punch through his opponent with his bare hands.
There was still no expression in the first man of sacrifice's eyes. He only used all his strength to block with his right hand and turned his left hand into a knife to counterattack. After all, this was the only thing he could do at that moment.
Crack!
After a muffled sound, the forest, which had been pierced by the golden threads, became quiet. Two figures stood still.
Eunuch Jia's shoulders rose and fell slightly. His fist stopped on the chest of the first man of sacrifice. It was pressed tightly against the cloth, and there was a hint of smugness in his eyes.
"How is it? What do you think, foster father?"
For the first time, an expression appeared in the eyes of the first man of sacrifice, but it was one of puzzlement. He looked at his left hand, which had been poured into his chest, and said calmly,
"Foster father, you held back."
Eunuch Jia chuckled and took two steps back. He swayed and sat down against the tree behind him. He raised his hand and said,
He raised his hand and said, "You are already dead, and the matter is done. From now on, learn to be a human. When you learn it, burn some joss paper for me, and some for your brother."
The first man of sacrifice stood where he was and looked at the robe on his chest, which was not damaged at all. He did not move for a long time.
"Let's go, Men of Sacrifice. Dying once is enough. We are all born and raised by our parents. How can we always live for someone else … By the way, I forgot to give you a name. My surname is Liu, so you shall be called Liu Fugui from now on. I also had this name in the past, but unfortunately, I did not live a day with this name …"
Eunuch Jia muttered to himself. He spoke in a language that the first man of sacrifice had never heard before.
After standing where he was for a moment, the first man of sacrifice bowed slightly, turned around, and left the forest. He walked outside. His footsteps were as calm as when he came, but his back was obviously a little more dazed.
Eunuch Jia leaned against the tree trunk and watched his foster son leave. He smiled softly.
The eldest brother had to protect Cui Xiaowan. The second brother had turned around, which meant that he had become a human.
"The matter is done …"
Eunuch Jia whispered softly and looked up at the starry sky and the rustling leaves.
He had once watched the stars in the Taiji Palace for a lifetime, but tonight seemed to be the closest he had ever been …
