The snow continued to fall, and the night gradually deepened. The official in the village was arranging for this group of officials to go to various private residences to rest. Fan Xian did not have Hong Changqing and the swordsman on night duty because he knew there were still dangers hidden outside. Although the swordsmen of the Sixth Bureau were skilled in assassination, they did not have good methods for long-distance attacks. He was the only one left in a daze in the spacious school. Although the fire in the brazier was burning and there was a lot of bamboo charcoal by the side of the brazier, it made one feel as if the temperature had dropped slightly.
It was completely silent.
Fan Xian stretched out his hands to warm himself by the fire. His head was slightly tilted. It was clear he was in a daze. He suddenly opened his mouth and said, "I struck out with that sword."
He paused and then concluded, "But, it struck empty air."
The light in the great hall of the school changed slightly. The red light from the brazier shone on Fan Xian's shadow. The shadow twisted and moved on the ground. Then, a black-clothed person walked out of the shadows and naturally sat down beside Fan Xian.
Fan Xian glanced at the pale-faced middle-aged man and handed over the wineskin.
The Shadow looked calmly at Fan Xian's wrist and the wineskin in his hand. He thought for a moment and then shook his head. In a dark voice, he said, "Wine will slow a person's reaction."
"What is the name of Yan Xiaoyi's son?" Fan Xian changed the topic and took back the wineskin to take a sip. He felt a spicy line of fire burn from his lips to his organs.
"I don't know." The Shadow shook his head and then said, "The nickname you gave him is not bad."
Fan Xian said, "Don't be too nervous. This little archer should still be freezing in the snowy night outside. How would he dare to come close to attack?"
The Shadow nodded.
Fan Xian once again handed over the wineskin and said, "Take a few sips. I am not Chen Pingping. Although there are many people in this world who want to kill me, at least it is not so easy."
The Shadow thought for a moment and accepted the wineskin. He took a few shallow sips. A moment later, two lines of red seeped out of his pale cheeks. He looked like a clown on a stage and was very cute.
Fan Xian chuckled and said, "If we were in each other's shoes, I wouldn't be able to endure the loneliness in the darkness. I've always been curious. Don't you usually need to eat or drink?"
When protecting Chen Pingping or Fan Xian, the Shadow never left their side. No wonder Fan Xian had asked this.
The Shadow said gloomily, "Of course I have my ways."
Fan Xian shook his head and didn't say anything more. Turning the subject back to his earlier words, he said, "You saw my sword strike empty air."
"Yes, sir." There was no emotion in the Shadow's voice. "Thirteenth Wang is very powerful."
Fan Xian was silent. Of course, he knew that Wang Xi was very powerful. Powerful enough that he could approach the school silently in the snowy night without him or the Shadow noticing. Powerful enough that he could block in front of Fan Xian like a wandering spirit when the arrow was in the air, making it so that Fan Xian's sword struck empty air.
It looked like a simple green banner blocking, but Fan Xian knew the power contained in the black arrow in the snowy night. The more casual Wang Xi appeared, the more it proved his power.
"I can't see through him." Fan Xian picked up the metal rod from beside his feet and carelessly scratched it in the fire basin. "This Thirteenth Wang is indeed very powerful, but he can endure. Those who can endure must have a great plan …"
He suddenly raised his brows. "It's not enduring. He doesn't care. Wang Xi's way of talking shows that he doesn't care about many things. He doesn't care about my verbal attacks or my purposeful humiliation. If he was truly sent by Sigu Jian, why doesn't he care? Only by not caring can one not care. If a person can't see what they want, then it will be troublesome. "
What exactly did Thirteenth Wang want?
This question gradually weighed on Fan Xian's heart. He didn't like a situation where an outsider suddenly ran in and messed things up.
The Shadow suddenly opened his mouth and said, "This person should be a member of the Sword Hut, but not just a member of the Sword Hut."
Fan Xian didn't really understand, but he trusted the Shadow's judgment. The last disciple Sigu Jian taught was indeed mysterious and powerful.
He sighed and said, "Let's wait until he kills the little archer before we talk."
The Shadow glanced at him and knew that this was the so-called proof of allegiance. He knew that Fan Xian had borrowed this knife to kill not to see the quality of the knife, but to see the heart of the knife. If Thirteenth Wang really was Sigu Jian's attitude and Yan Xiaoyi's son died at his hands, Fan Xian would have a great deal to do. At least, a large crack would appear in the relationship between Xinyang and Dongyi.
"Other people don't know that Thirteenth Wang is Sigu Jian's last disciple," the Shadow reminded.
Fan Xian calmly explained, "If he kills the little archer, I will let everyone in the world know that he is Sigu Jian's last disciple."
The Shadow was silent for a moment. "Sir is wise. However, this kind of benefit may not be enough."
Fan Xian understood what he meant. Playing Sigu Jian into this would make Dongyi angry. Although Fan Xian and the entire Qing court were used to putting the blame on Sigu Jian, that idiot, now that Sigu Jian had given a sliver of his sincerity to Fan Xian, it would be a pity if this sliver of sincerity was used to tear apart the relationship between Xinyang and Dongyi.
He glanced at the Shadow and faintly said, "I'll listen to you on the matters of Dongyi. You're more familiar with them than me."
"Yes, Sir," the Shadow slowly said. "Also, in the next five days, there will be heavy snow. It's perfect for archery attacks. You have to be careful."
"How far are the Black Knights from us?"
"Ten li."
Fan Xian fell silent. In such heavy snow, it was truly troublesome for an archer to follow the carriages from a distance. Fortunately, there were the Black Knights sweeping the surroundings. It was impossible for the other party to mobilize a military group to take the risk.
If they wanted to mobilize an army to kill Fan Xian, they would have to kill all of the targets and not leave a trace of evidence to the Palace.
Even the Qing Kingdom's most valiant army would not have the ability to completely slaughter 500 Black Knights without leaving a few alive.
"I don't understand. Why would he choose to attack me on the way back to the capital? The other party should know that the chances of success are not high," Fan Xian said with furrowed brows. Fan Xian furrowed his brows and said, "Although Yan Xiaoyi's son is young, he should not be so arrogant."
"Perhaps he has a reason to act," the Shadow slowly said. "I'll go kill him."
Fan Xian thought for a moment and then slowly shook his head. "I don't know who else he has at his side. The two of us will stay together and have Thirteenth Wang act. Safety first. For creatures like aces, it is difficult to gather a dozen or two. If there are only a few, why should we worry?"
The Shadow glanced at him strangely and didn't say anything.
Fan Xian raised his head to gaze at the dark beams of the school's great hall. He sighed in his heart. He didn't dare use his own people to carry out the most powerful counterattack in this snowy night. During these few years, the biggest gap in his heart was that arrow and bow.
Yan Xiaoyi's bow and arrow.
Even now, two years later, Fan Xian could still clearly feel the aura of death in the corner tower of the Royal Palace. The viciousness attached to that arrow still made his heart tremble.
The arrow outside the school earlier had come too suddenly and without reason. Fan Xian was worried that this was a trap. It was an attempt to lure him or the Shadow into the snowy woods to be killed.
Yan Xiaoyi had also received an imperial edict to return to the capital this year. The Council said he was still on his way and hadn't reached the capital. Who knew where he was on his way? Was he on his way back to the capital?
Fan Xian carelessly prodded at the charcoal in the brazier. His thoughts had long floated to the snowy woods outside the village. The fire in the brazier gradually dimmed and extinguished.
"Go to sleep early."
Fan Xian sighed in the darkness. He rose and patted his bottom. Tightening the collar of his fox fur coat, he pushed open the door to the school. The wind and snow outside poured in and made him narrow his eyes. However, not a single arrow flew over. On the contrary, it made him feel slightly disappointed.
… …
The next day, the group of carriages followed the north of Yingzhou and headed toward Jingdou on the official road. Because of last night's incident, the guards of the entire group of carriages became even stricter. The swordsmen of the Sixth Bureau split off three people to disguise themselves as merchants moving through the snow. They hid in the darkness and watched all suspicious people.
Fan Xian gave another order. The 500 Black Knights, who had been protecting the front and back of the group of carriages from afar, also closed the distance to the group. The faint sound of hooves could be heard to ensure safety.
Along the way, there were always people with a jianghu aura watching the group of carriages in the tea houses, restaurants, inns, and relay stations.
The secret agents and swordsmen of the Overwatch Council were cautious. After reporting it to Fan Xian, he only nodded gently and didn't have much of a reaction.
Just as they were about to leave Yingzhou, a woman with a broken arm waited respectfully by the side of the road. She stopped the group of carriages and asked to see him.
Fan Xian saw her. As he drank his tea, he looked with some interest at this woman with a charming appearance.
The woman knelt in the carriage with a glimmer of respect and fear. "Subordinate greets you, sir."
Fan Xian nodded and waved his hand. "Guan Wumei, stand up and speak."
"Yes." This once famous female bandit in Yingzhou, Xia Qifei's cousin, respectfully stood up. She bent her body so that her head didn't hit the roof of the carriage.
"What did you find?" Fan Xian asked as he rubbed the space between his brows. Although the Overwatch Council's intelligence network covered the world, if they wanted to investigate people in the marketplace, it was not as good as the Jiangnan water bandits, a gang deeply rooted among the people. Regardless of which inn received what guest or which carriage sent who, the Jiangnan water bandits could find out everything clearly.
Guan Wumei reported the situation of the past few days, then said, "We only vaguely found one person with a large bag, but the brothers in the gang were unable to follow him. The day before yesterday, he disappeared from Fujiapo. Looking at the direction he went, he should have gone to the capital."
Fan Xian was silent for a moment, thinking that it looked like the little archer was indeed valiant and brave enough to come alone to kill him.
After saying a few more words, he had Guan Wumei get off the carriage.
The group of carriages began to move forward again. Like the Shadow's observation of celestial phenomena, snow continued to fall endlessly in the sky for the next few days. The snowflakes were sometimes large and sometimes small, gradually blinding the eyes and confusing the hearts.
Finally, they arrived safely at Weizhou upstream of the Wei River. This was the last province in the South before entering Jingdou. The city was not large, but it was still very prosperous. However, the return date of the court had long been set. Fan Xian's silver chest was still on the Wei River. Under the protection of the Shazhou navy, he slowly headed toward Jingdou, but he could not delay any longer.
Thus, the next day, he left Weizhou. However, he had already revealed his identity. At the same time, he had moved 100 provincial soldiers toward Weizhou. The Weizhou side was afraid that something would happen to this important figure, so they agreed to all his requests.
The large group traveled north for a day, exiting the borders of Weizhou and entering Jingdou.
Fan Xian stood on the carriage and turned his head to look back. He saw Jing Ge, wearing a silver mask, watching him from the low hill behind him. He nodded his head. Jing Ge mounted his horse and clenched his right fist. The 500 Black Knights were like a sharp black knife slicing through the silence of the hill. Passing through the hills, they prepared to return to the Black Knight camp 40 li away.
This was a strict rule of the Qing court. The Black Knights were the invincible personal army that the Emperor had personally given to Chen Pingping. In order to ensure the Overwatch Council's transcendent position and balance, the Black Knights were strictly forbidden from entering Jingdou.
If they took a step in, they would be killed without mercy. This was the iron rule of the Black Knights. Fan Xian often thought that he could understand from this iron rule. Although his old Emperor was confident to the point of narcissism and could even treat a rebellion as a joke, he probably also understood in the depths of his heart that if the nobility of Qing Kingdom rebelled, the cripple would be the most terrifying.
Although the Emperor would not believe that the cripple would rebel, as an Emperor, he had to be on guard.
Entering Jingdou, the roads gradually widened. There were fewer mountains and forests, and more people. The wind and snow gradually subsided, and the accumulated snow gradually melted. The wet mud wrapped around the hooves of the horses, making it difficult for the entire group of carriages to move forward.
However, the hearts of the people of the Overwatch Council had already relaxed. Around Jingdou, no one dared to carry out an assassination in broad daylight.
Although Fan Xian was a careful and cautious person, he was not an exception. Ever since the founding of Qing Kingdom, even if ambitious people occasionally appeared in the military, no one dared to make trouble near Jingdou.
A small mountain valley appeared in front of him. The white snow pressed down on the precious evergreen forest, making the tree branches creak and turn into dragons of ice.
Fan Xian lifted the heavy curtain and looked at the mountain valley. He found that there were no rocks on the mountain. In the distance, he could faintly see the massive city walls of Jingdou. It was like a giant beast that made one feel suffocated.
Fan Xian let go of a smile. Jingdou, he had finally returned. The little archer's unreasonable arrow had made him nervous for so many days. It looked like he needed to strengthen his cultivation of the heart.
…
…
Suddenly, his earlobe trembled. He heard the sound of a sharp blade stabbing into flesh in the forest in front of him. It was the sound of the Shadow acting. Then, he heard the sound of a crossbow moving.
Fan Xian let out a sharp whistle and stretched out his hand to grab the driver in front of him. All of the carriages in the group of carriages came to a sudden stop with this sharp whistle.
From the top of the short mountain, a giant crossbow bolt broke through the air. Carrying with it the sound of wind and thunder, it shot toward the carriage Fan Xian was in.
The driver in front of the carriage gave a wild cry and broke free of Fan Xian's hand, blocking in front of Fan Xian.
Although Fan Xian's reaction was fast, the crossbow bolt, about the length of a man's arm, still pierced viciously into the driver's abdomen. Blood and internal organs sprayed out, painting the walls of the carriage.
The crossbow bolt broke through the body and nailed the driver's body to Fan Xian's side. Fan Xian's expression was dark. He slapped the wall. With a crack, a wooden board quickly fell from behind the curtain of the carriage, sealing the entire carriage.
Immediately after, he heard the terrifying and suffocating sound of crossbow bolts ring out in the mountain valley.
If you want to know what happened next, please log on to WWW. CMFU. COM. There are more chapters. Support the author. Support original reading.)
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
