In the middle of April, the feeling of spring was bright and beautiful. All of Jiangnan was enveloped in a warm wind. The people walking on the streets were already beginning to only wear lined clothes. Outside Jingdou, thousands of miles away from Suzhou, one could still see the patch of white snow on top of the Cang Mountain from a long distance. It was as cold as the white cloth covering the face of a corpse.
The tall man wearing the straw hat withdrew his gaze from the white snow on top of the Cang Mountain and silently drank the remaining tea in his cup. He ordered a bowl of plain noodles and began to eat without much taste.
This place was 30 li outside of Jingdou. It was called Shipai Village.
This tall man wearing the straw hat was the Second priest of the Qing Temple who had traveled with great difficulty from Jiangnan to Jingdou, Great Master San Shi. Great Master San Shi had not come to the capital to discuss the Dao or to pluck the willows outside the Imperial Road. He had come to kill. He had come to assassinate the Emperor.
Although Fan Xian had intentionally or unintentionally let him leave in Jiangnan, the Overwatch Council's investigation was strict. Even though the Northwest Road had not been heavily guarded, it still took San Shi a great deal of time to get around the Overwatch Council and Black Knights' blockade and come to Jingdou.
The Junshang Conference was indeed a loose organization. However, once this organization possessed an unusually sacred and important mission, its importance became apparent. Not many people knew just how many important figures of the powers in the world were gathered by this mysterious organization.
Although Great Master San Shi was honored as the Second priest of the Qing Temple, he did not have much power to speak in the Junshang Conference. Furthermore, he was personally opposed to the Junshang Conference's arrangements in Jiangnan. After his unsuccessful attempts to interfere with Fan Xian's administration, Great Master San Shi made himself a sacrificial pawn and broke away from the Junshang Conference's arrangements. Alone with great ambitions and a red sun hidden in his heart, he proudly headed to Jingdou.
He was going to Jingdou to kill people, to kill people that could not be killed.
As he thought this, he silently ate his noodles. Following his elder brother's earnest teachings, he chewed each noodle carefully and slowly until it became a paste. Only then did he swallow it with satisfaction.
For some reason, Great Master San Shi ate with sorrow and found it difficult to control himself. Two muddy tears slid down from his old eyes and dripped into the noodle soup.
He was going to enter the capital to ask the Emperor why.
…
…
After finishing the noodles, he put on the bamboo hat to cover his face. He picked up the wooden staff that was as tall as a person and left the noodle shop. Following the small path at the foot of Shipai Village, he began to walk in the direction of the capital.
In front of them was the dark Imperial City, and behind them was the pure white mountain. The Ascetic Monks were walking in the middle.
The forest grew deeper and the road narrower. It was still early, so there were no woodcutters diligently getting up to chop firewood. It was also impossible for any pedestrians to pass by in the wilderness. The mountain road was quiet, so quiet that it was a little strange. There was not even the sound of birds or insects.
After all, Great Master San Shi was not a warrior skilled in assassination. He was just an Ascetic Monk with a very high cultivation. Although he felt it was a little strange, he did not pay it much attention.
The court and the Junshang Conference should not know that he had come from Jiangnan to Jingdou. The only person who knew of this matter was the Northern Qi saint girl, Haitang. No matter how one looked at it, it was impossible for Haitang to reveal his whereabouts. Great Master San Shi believed this very much. He did not think that anyone would know his path in advance and set up an ambush ahead of time.
Thus, when that mournful and deadly arrow shot out of the dense forest and viciously pierced into his eye socket, Great Master San Shi felt very surprised.
The way the arrow flew was very strange. At the beginning, it was silent, like a ghost or a demon. Only when it was only three feet away from his face did it suddenly let out a shrill whistle. The whistling sound of the arrow was enough to take away one's soul, incomparably terrifying!
Hiss … Roar!
The long black arrow seemed to cry out the word "kill."
…
…
Great Master San Shi gave a muffled grunt. His long wooden staff stabbed viciously into the ground. The head of the staff, carved into the shape of a bird's head, stretched forward in a very short time and blocked the arrow that seemed to have flown from the sky.
With a muffled sound, the arrow shot viciously into the head of the wooden staff. The boundless power contained in the arrow shook Great Master San Shi's wrist slightly. In an instant, the bird's head carved on the head of the staff exploded.
Great Master San Shi narrowed his eyes. A chill rose in his heart. It seemed that only the Governor of the North, Yan Xiaoyi, had such a lightning-fast archery skill. Yan Xiaoyi should be in Cangzhou at this time, thousands of li from Jingdou.
Separated by the leaves in the forest, Great Master San Shi's clear eyes saw clearly the archer's face. It was a young and unfamiliar face. He knew that the arrow he had personally received must have been taught by Yan Xiaoyi. This unfamiliar young man must be Yan Xiaoyi's disciple.
While he was thinking of these things, Great Master San Shi had already used the rebound of the staff to fly into the air. Like a large bird, he spread his body. Holding the wooden staff in his hand, he smashed it like a mad demon.
Although he didn't know why the other person wanted to kill him, before he entered Jingdou and asked the Emperor that question, he would not allow himself to die.
Great Master San Shi's figure was tall and sturdy. He wore a straw hat on his head. His staff was full of murderous intent. His entire body floated in the air like a vicious large bird, filled with an aura of no return.
When fighting against a godly archer, the most important thing was to close the distance between them. However, leaping into the air and exposing all of one's openings to the opponent, and one had nowhere to borrow strength from in the air, it was even more difficult to dodge those ghostly arrows.
Great Master San Shi swept over and looked at the archer's calm face. He knew that the other party wanted to take the opportunity to shoot.
As expected, the archer didn't know how to move. His hands flashed and he had already taken out an arrow from behind him, nocked it, took aim, and fired.
These were three simple actions, but they were completed naturally, harmoniously, and quickly. It was as if they were inseparable actions. It was very beautiful.
This kind of simple beauty came from his daily hard practice and talent in archery.
With a whoosh, The second arrow shot toward Great Master San Shi's throat. At this moment, he was in the air and had no way of dodging such a swift arrow.
However, San Shi had been waiting for this moment.
He gave a muffled grunt and did not dodge. He circulated his zhenqi to his abdomen and used his stupidest and most powerful Iron Shirt to forcefully block this arrow.
The arrow hit his throat and made a strange gurgling sound.
A strange light flashed through Great Master San Shi's eyes. His entire body had already charged toward the archer and struck out with his staff.
At this moment, there was only three feet between the two of them. How could the archer dodge?
…
…
The archer's expression was still calm. Facing the crazed staff, he steadily took two steps back. Holding his longbow in front of his body, he spat out one word from his mouth, "Seal!"
Four golden knives came out of nowhere and turned into four streams of light, sealing Great Master San Shi's killing blow.
A loud explosion rang out. The knives shattered, the staff was in chaos, and a cloud of dust filled the forest.
Amidst the dust filling the air, the sound of an arrow rang out again. A soul-stealing arrow pierced through the dust and the forest. In a very short distance, it once again shot toward Great Master San Shi's throat.
The distance was too close. Great Master San Shi had no time to dodge, and he didn't dare let his weakest throat be continuously tested by the Yan family's archery skills. Thus, he raised his palm and took a saluting posture.
The other party had used four knives to seal his staff, so he would use one palm to seal this arrow.
That slender, soul-eating arrow nailed itself to the edge of Great Master San Shi's thick and calloused palm. It was like a mosquito staring at a pitiful person's flesh. It swayed a few times before landing on the ground.
It was only a very light sting, a nail. Great Master San Shi's body began to sway violently.
He was shaken by this arrow and took a step back. Another arrow arrived. Great Master San Shi raised his palm again, sealed, and retreated again.
The arrows shooting out of the dust grew faster and faster. It was as if they would never stop. Who knew what kind of terrifying hand speed the archer behind the dust had?
If so, there were nine arrows.
Great Master San Shi was shaken back nine steps and forced back to the side of the mountain path by those terrifying arrows. He gave a muffled grunt and zhenqi flowed through his arms. With a wave of his long staff, he sent the last arrow flying. Then, he felt his feet tighten. A terrifying animal trap made a gurgling sound and clamped down on his right foot.
This animal trap was so big that it was probably used to trap tigers. Even though Great Master San Shi had the unbreakable power of the Iron Shirt, suddenly encountering a trap, the flesh on his calf still split open and blood spurted out.
Great Master San Shi let out a pained cry. He furrowed his unwilling brows tightly. There was also a small spot of blood on his throat. The hand holding the wooden staff also had many small spots of blood slowly seeping out.
With so many unpredictable and sharp arrows, if it had been anyone else, they would have long been shot into a porcupine. Only he had not suffered any true injuries. Unfortunately, in the end, he was still forced into the trap by these arrows.
The dust gradually settled. In the opposite forest, the face of the young archer once again appeared, along with four knife-wielding knife-wielding men.
Great Master San Shi looked coldly at the other party and said, "I didn't think it would be you who killed …"
Before he finished speaking, the young archer had come to silence him and had no interest in conversing with Great Master San Shi. Although he knew that Great Master San Shi was also a legendary figure, the younger generation had grown up and did not have much reverence in their hearts.
The young man used the steady fingers of his right hand to place the poisoned arrow on the bowstring. Once again, he aimed at the throat of the immobile Great Master San Shi.
"Shoot."
As he spoke, the arrow in his hand did not leave the bowstring.
The forest was in chaos. Countless archers surged out from all directions. Separated by a distance of dozens of feet, they surrounded San Shi in the center. They all held bows and arrows in their hands. Following the word "shoot," countless long arrows left the bowstring. They transformed into soul-stealing straight lines and viciously pierced toward Great Master San Shi's body in the center.
San Shi's pupils constricted slightly. Looking at the other party's arrangement, he knew that he might not survive today. To be able to arrange so many archers in the mountain, they must be people from the military. No matter how powerful an ace, when faced with the merciless and cold-blooded attacks of the military, they would not be able to survive. Furthermore, his right foot had already been caught in that hateful beast trap.
He was not Ye Liuyun or Ku He. Great Master San Shi sighed in his heart and waved the long staff in his hand, blocking the rain of arrows coming from all directions.
Clang, clang, clang, countless shattering sounds rang out around his body. In just a moment, hundreds of flying arrows had been shattered by his wooden staff. The broken arrows piled up around his body. It looked unusually sad.
Some arrows pierced through his defensive circle and stuck into his body. However, these archers were not as good as the young man earlier and were unable to pierce through Great Master San Shi's Iron Shirt.
The leading young archer was not in a hurry. He only looked coldly at Great Master San Shi, who was struggling like a dying beast. He watched this Ascetic Monk helplessly fight against the sky full of arrows. He knew that the other party's zhenqi was strong. If he wanted to kill him from a distance, he needed to be patient and continue to waste time. As long as San Shi's zhenqi showed the slightest sign of waning, he would not be able to maintain his ability to stab. Once the arrows entered his body, that would be the time of San Shi's death.
Thus, he only aimed at San Shi's throat and coldly waited for that moment.
The dozens of archers in the forest only coldly and endlessly shot arrows.
San Shi howled loudly and endlessly waved his wooden staff, struggling in the rain of arrows.
Eventually, there would come a time when his strength was exhausted.
At this moment, San Shi's bravery and might looked so sad.
Faced with powerful military machines, what use was a martial ace?
What a cruel scene it was.
… …
The merciless shooting continued. The broken arrows piled higher and higher in Great Master San Shi's body. Gradually, they went past his calf and completely submerged the animal trap and injured leg in the arrows. It looked like a self-immolating monk who was endlessly chopping at the pile of firewood that was about to ignite himself.
Great Master San Shi's clothes were already soaked with sweat. The speed at which he waved his wooden staff had also slowed. It was clear that his zhenqi was not as abundant as before.
It was this opportunity that the leading archer, who had been waiting for a long time, gently released his middle finger. The arrow on the bowstring shot out.
With a swoosh, the entire forest and the entire world seemed to have quietened down in an instant.
Great Master San Shi held the arrow in his throat. His mouth made gurgling sounds, but he could no longer say anything. Fresh blood flowed out of his palm.
The archers around him also stopped shooting.
The young archer furrowed his brows and coldly and emotionlessly said, "Continue."
The power of the arrows rose again. In an instant, San Shi's body was pierced by a dozen arrows. Fresh blood dyed his entire body red.
San Shi slowly closed his eyes and sighed again in his heart. He knew that showing weakness to lure the enemy was not feasible. When Yan Xiaoyi's disciple did things, he indeed had the cold and emotionless style of his teacher.
He waved his hand, and his large sleeve brushed away a number of arrows. His eyes opened, and a bright light flashed. With an explosive roar, the wooden staff he had been holding in his hand split open from the outside by this pure zhenqi. Pieces of wood flew in all directions, revealing the knife inside.
In Suzhou, San Shi had once used one knife to cut through a long street. At this moment, his knife could only cut toward himself.
Slashing down diagonally, the edge of the knife entered the flesh without a sound. He ruthlessly chopped off his right calf.
He would no longer be trapped in the animal trap. San Shi was like a large bird with broken wings. Once again, he ruthlessly flew into the air. Like a goshawk hunting a rabbit, he killed his way into the enemy ranks. The knife light splashed like snow, causing people to spray blood. In one exchange, he cut off three heads and broke open the chests of a number of people. The forest was a scene of bloody slaughter.
What a tyrannical knife!
…
…
When San Shi struck, the cold young archer had already turned and left. Silently, he climbed up a tree and began to shoot arrow after arrow. He knew that the other party was already at the end of his strength. He had also cut off his own leg, and blood flowed freely. The other party wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer.
As expected, after the knife light dazzled for a moment, it gradually dimmed.
After killing a ground full of archers, the poison in San Shi's body flared up. His injuries flared up, and he ran out of blood. Dropping the hilt of his long knife to the ground, he gave a muffled grunt and spat out his last breath.
The Second Priest of the Qing Temple was dead.
— — —
After confirming San Shi's death, the archers surrounded him. They were all elites of the military. They had come to surround and kill, and even shamelessly murder, the Second Priest of the Qing Temple. Not everyone could maintain their calm on the surface, particularly after the other party had fallen into their trap and was still able to cut off his own leg and kill so many of their brothers. When these people thought back to it, they couldn't help but feel a chill in their hearts.
"Clean it up. You all return to camp," the young archer said coldly. "Ding Han, you're in charge of cleaning up."
A soldier bowed in a low voice in acknowledgment.
The woods once again returned to peace. The soldiers who were good at shooting took off their disguises and found another secret place to change and return to camp.
After exiting the woods, the young archer had already changed into a common commoner's clothing. He did not follow the group back to camp. Instead, he turned left and right out of the woods and found the official road back to the capital. On the way, he hitched a ride in a carriage. Along the way, he chatted and laughed with the merchant as he entered Jingdou.
After entering Jingdou, the archer first ate two bowls of vegetable porridge and then bought a paper windmill on the side of the street. He passed through the main street in the south of the city and walked through a secluded alley. Stopping at the door of a storytelling hall, he seemed to not be able to resist the temptation of the story books. He entered the building and asked for a cup of tea and a plate of melon seeds. He then began to listen.
After listening for a while, he seemed to have the urge to pee and went to the bathroom.
Behind the bathroom, he exited the courtyard wall. After confirming that no one was following him, he entered a manor. He didn't know whose family this manor belonged to. He walked as easily and freely as if he were in his own home.
Entering the study, he knelt in front of the desk and reported to the pair of small and delicate feet under the table, "Your Highness, it has been eliminated."
"You've worked hard." The Eldest Princess of Qing Kingdom, Li Yunrui, smiled slightly. When this woman, who was so beautiful that she did not seem mortal, smiled, it added a sense of charm.
When the young archer killed Great Master San Shi, he appeared cold and heartless. At this moment, he did not dare meet the Eldest Princess's eyes. After rising, he stood obediently to the side.
"San Shi … what a pity." The Eldest Princess sighed with great regret. "He didn't listen to my words and insisted on imitating the bravery of an ignorant man. At this time, how could we make the Emperor suspicious of us? Everything is not ready. Now is not the time to act. For someone like him who doesn't listen, we can only let him go. "
The young archer remained silent and did not say a word. He knew that these major matters should be the concerns of the elders. He only needed to carry them out.
The Eldest Princess glanced at him and said with a slight smile, "You can't follow Governor Yan into battle in the North. Do you have any complaints?"
The young archer smiled and said, "Father only drinks all day in the North. How can it compare to the excitement of the capital?"
After saying a few more words, the Eldest Princess allowed him to leave the study.
This manor was nameless. No one knew that the Eldest Princess would occasionally come here. She liked to sit alone in this study and think about things. She would often think about herself until she was crazy.
Junshang Conference? A self-mocking smile rose to the corners of her lips. When she was young, what was her goal in organizing the Junshang Conference? It was to do something for the Qing Kingdom. It was to help her brother the Emperor do things that he found inconvenient, such as killing an official or stealing someone's property.
Although her brother the Emperor had never known of the existence of the Junshang Conference, the Junshang Conference had helped him a great deal in secret, such as the battle with Northern Qi and the secret influence on Dongyi.
But when did such a huge change happen? The purpose of the Junshang Conference had undergone such a great change in her hands.
A glimmer of misery flashed across the Eldest Princess's face. She thought of Fan Xian far away in Jiangnan, the palace treasury, the Overwatch Council, and the suspicions and inclinations the Emperor had shown these two years … I gave the Emperor a pearl, what did the Emperor give me?
She closed her eyes and then opened them again. Her gaze had already recovered its calm. She smiled slightly and thought, Since the Emperor does not accept me, I should cherish myself. It was not impossible to pay a price for this. Sir Yuan's words did indeed have his reasons.
— — —
It was still the same patch of forest. Other than the faint smell of blood, there was no trace of a previous attack. It looked like the military's handling of the scene was no worse than the Overwatch Council's.
Everyone had already left. Ding Han, who had been left behind by Yan Xiaoyi's son to take care of the aftermath, was the last to leave the forest.
Strangely, not long after he left, he silently returned to the forest. Under a pile of mud, he found a broken arrow that he had purposely hidden earlier and carefully tucked it into his clothes.
Following this, he spat on his hands and began to dig with great difficulty. After digging for an indeterminable amount of time, he finally reached a very deep place and dug out the bodies that had already been burned beyond recognition. After confirming that it was San Shi's body, he pulled out a dagger from his boot and inserted it into the neck bone of the body. Very carefully, he chopped off Great Master San Shi's head.
He refilled the soil, scattered leaves, and spread moss. After confirming that there were no problems, this person called Ding Han sighed with satisfaction and turned to leave the forest.
He didn't need to enter Jingdou because the place he was going to was outside Jingdou.
…
…
In the back mountain of Chen Garden, the back door, the wooden arch, and the old servant.
The old servant accepted a box and a package from his hands. Ding Han silently bowed and began to return to the camp.
In a dark and cold room, Chen Pingping sat in a wheelchair and looked with a slight smile at the charred head on the cloth. "Do you think … it's already been burned to this extent, will the Emperor still be able to recognize that idiot San Shi?"
The old servant chuckled and couldn't say anything. He only saw that the old master seemed to be happy, so he was also happy.
Chen Pingping once again took out the broken arrow from the box and looked at it with narrowed eyes for a while. Suddenly, in a sharp voice, he said, "San Shi is an idiot. Do you think the Eldest Princess is also an idiot? She could have used anyone, but she used Yan Xiaoyi's son. Admittedly, she can tie Yan Xiaoyi tighter … but it would also be easy for her to be exposed, no? "
It was clear that this Director of the Overwatch Council did not think much of the scheming ability of the younger generation.
He used his withered hands to gently stroke the wool blanket on his knees and shook his head. "In this world, there are always some people who think that there are some things that no one will ever know … such as that bullshit Junshang Conference."
The old servant quietly said, "Are we going to enter the Palace?"
"Yes."
"The commissioner's side seems to be a bit difficult to make a move." The old servant had been Chen Pingping's trusted aide and housekeeper for 20 years. He knew most of the Director's thoughts and carefully reminded him.
Chen Pingping sank into silence. A moment later, he said, "Fan Xian might still act too early … but let him do it. Let him do what he thinks is right. As for the things he might not want to do, I'll do it."
There were many things that Chen Pingping would never tell Fan Xian because he knew that Fan Xian's heart was far from being as hard and strong as his. He pushed the wheelchair to the window. In the distance came the faint sounds of laughter from the beautiful women the old man had collected.
He looked outside and thought of Yuan, who had always been by the Eldest Princess's side. He couldn't resist smiling innocently like a child. "Often, the things that enemies don't want me to know, I actually know, but …"
A glimmer of self-mockery flashed through the old man's eyes. He sighed and said, "Sometimes, being a person who knows everything is not a happy thing."
The old servant gently massaged his shoulders. He knew that tomorrow, the Director would bring the head and the broken arrow into the Palace. The Junshang Conference would appear in front of the Emperor for the first time, and the Emperor would finally make up his mind.
What the Director needed was for the Emperor to make up his mind.
Chen Pingping slowly lowered his head. If he didn't stir up some big trouble and kill a few nobles in the Palace, how could he be willing to let go and die?
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