There should be three more chapters. There are three more chapters. Then, there is a final chapter and a postscript. Anger, resentment, sorrow … Let's all vote for the recommendation. Only yesterday did I discover that flower tickets also cost money. Yes, let's work hard together and make a pretty cat tail.
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"Fire the arrows!" The pale-faced Commander of the Imperial Army gave the order in a trembling voice as rainwater dripped from Gong Dian's messy beard.
Countless arrows left the taut bowstrings. Abruptly, their speed rose to a peak. They tore through the rain in the air and shot toward Wu Zhu, who stood alone in the middle of the square.
The densely packed arrows seemed like they were going to cover the sky and the sun. However, the torrential rain had stolen this effect first. Thus, it was as if the countless arrows that flew out were dissatisfied. They tore apart all of the raindrops in the air between heaven and earth, making the sky above the square become a large curtain of water like a divine realm.
Contrasted with this terrifying power were the sinister whistling of the arrows as they pierced through the air. These sounds represented the Qing Kingdom's powerful military power and an irresistible killing intent.
No one could survive such a dense arrow attack, not even Fan Xian. Even Ye Liuyun on Dong Mountain had only faced a few hundred arrows. Furthermore, in that kind of terrain, a Great Grandmaster's swift movements had always been their greatest protection.
How to kill a Great Grandmaster? Fan Xian had once thought deeply about this problem. It had to be done on the plains. Tens of thousands of arrows fired in unison and then heavily armored riders charged in succession. Only then could they not give a Great Grandmaster a chance to escape.
Standing alone in the rain, Wu Zhu was very powerful. At least, those who knew his name never thought he was weaker than a Great Grandmaster. It was clear that the Imperial Army's retreat and release of arrows matched Fan Xian's plan back then. The square was wide. Although it was raining, there was nothing that could block one's line of sight. How could Wu Zhu dodge? There were people who could fight one against ten thousand. However, when the arrows were fired in unison, it was like the power of ten thousand people coming together. How could they be blocked?
Faced with arrows that were even denser than the torrential rain, could Wu Zhu still stand in the center of the plaza with incomparable strength?
Wu Zhu's movements were not as fast as Ye Liuyun's. Wu Zhu's attacks were not as wild and ruthless as Sigu Jian's. Wu Zhu was unable to use the power of the rain to escape like Ku He. He only raised his head coldly. Separated by the layer of wet black cloth, he looked at the black rain of arrows coming at him. The strong wind pressed against his face and enveloped an area of dozens of feet around him.
The tip of the arrow pierced through the raindrops and arrived in front of him.
In the present world, the person with the best qinggong should be Fan Xian. With the help of the magic book Ku He had left behind, he could leap over 30 meters on the snowy ground. However, even he, faced with this sky full of arrows, had no way to suddenly move like lightning and leap out of the range of the rain of arrows.
Thus, Wu Zhu's body did not move. He did not try to avoid this rain of arrows, which had clearly been accumulating power for a long time, because no one could avoid it. He only pulled back the metal rod in the rain and held it horizontally in front of his chest. Like a door, it suddenly closed, locking his figure behind the rain and fog.
Thud, thud, thud! The terrifying sound of countless arrows piercing their targets seemed to ring out at the same time. Some of the powerful arrows pierced into the stone tiles under Wu Zhu's feet and bounced up violently. In the air, they could not withstand the great force of the arrows and snapped with a crisp crack. Some of the arrows shot directly into the narrow gaps between the stone tiles. The feathers of the arrows buzzed.
In an instant, countless arrows enveloped Wu Zhu's slightly thin body. After countless heart-palpitating sounds, the entire Royal Palace was silent. Everyone's pupils gradually constricted in fear as they looked at the scene in front of them in disbelief.
The arrows were like weeds that had been brushed aside by the spring rain. They were densely inserted into the ground and splashed into the air in the center of the square in front of the Royal Palace.
In the center of the densest rain of arrows, Wu Zhu continued to stand silently. At some point, the bamboo hat that he had always worn was now in his hands. Countless arrows pierced through it. It looked like a black ball of fur, exuding a cold light.
His right hand still held the metal drill steadily. Below his right hand were countless arrows that had been broken by him.
The rain-soaked square was filled with arrows. Wu Zhu stood among the broken arrows. Other than where his feet were standing, there was a ground full of broken killing intent. It was as if he was the only person left standing on the clean ground in the world.
The rain suddenly lessened. It was as if the heavens were beginning to faintly fear this blind man who still stood stubbornly under the tens of thousands of arrows and wanted to see this scene more clearly. Thus, a crack suddenly appeared in the thick rain clouds above the Royal Palace. The sunlight shone down through the crack and shone on Wu Zhu's body, faintly illuminating this blind man in plain clothes with a clear light.
In the light rain, the autumn wind brushed past. Wu Zhu's soaked clothes gently fluttered. With a rustling sound, the bamboo hat in his left hand, which had withstood countless arrows, finally died of old age. In his hand, it scattered in all directions, like a fragile lantern.
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No one knew what had happened. The Imperial Army had no idea how such a miraculous scene had appeared in the world. The moment the tens of thousands of arrows neared his body, Wu Zhu had actually moved. However, he had moved too quickly. The metal drill in his hand and the straw hat, which was spinning at high speed, all became afterimages in the rain. No one could see them at all.
Wu Zhu's feet were like two stakes, standing deep in the ground. The metal drill in his right hand seemed to have a life of its own. It completely calculated the trajectory of each arrow. Furthermore, with the powerful execution ability of Wu Zhu's limbs, he inconceivably cut down each arrow that truly pierced toward his body.
Earlier, each time the metal drill slashed horizontally, it was forcefully limited by Wu Zhu to within the range of his body. It did not exceed an inch. He allowed the whistling arrows to brush past his clothes, his earlobes, and his thighs. He did not even glance at these arrows.
The front of his soaked cloth shoes was full of arrows. Wu Zhu did not block them even once. This kind of absolute calculation ability and the confidence that came with it, as well as the valiant will it demonstrated, was not something that could be found in the mortal world.
If it was any other Great Grandmaster, it would probably be impossible for them to be as calm as Wu Zhu earlier. In this world, other than Wu Zhu, no one could calculate so many things in such a short amount of time and, in the time it takes for a spark to fly off a flint, be able to make the most appropriate response.
The tens of thousands of arrows were fired at once. They had to cover all of the areas where Wu Zhu could possibly dodge. Thus, the arrows that actually shot toward Wu Zhu's body were not that many. However, in this world, other than Wu Zhu, who could still make such a calm judgment in such a dangerous moment?
Not many was only for Wu Zhu. Even so, the metal drill in his hand could not instantly cut down all of the concentrated arrows flying toward him. Thus, his left hand also moved. He directly took off the straw hat he wore on his head and began to spin it quickly in the rain. It swirled up countless arcs of rain and shook away countless arrows.
The straw hat shattered like a lantern. With a crash, it fell to the wet ground and sent up countless broken arrows.
With some difficulty, Wu Zhu straightened the five fingers on his left hand and looked at the arrows that had pierced through his arm. A very real emotion suddenly appeared on his originally expressionless face.
"It hurts a bit," Wu Zhu thought to himself. He then pulled out the arrows that had pierced deep into his bone and even out of his left forearm. The sound of the arrows rubbing against the flesh of his forearm seemed to cover up the gradually fading sound of the rain.
The top and bottom of the Royal Palace was silent. Clear light shone down through the crack in the sky above Jingdou and shone on Wu Zhu's thin body. Slowly and as if he didn't feel anything, he pulled the arrow out of his body. He then wiped away the liquid flowing from his wound and raised his foot again.
When this step landed, the sound of arrows shattering filled the air. Wu Zhu was stepping on the pile of arrows in front of him as he walked toward the Royal Palace.
The morale of the Imperial Army dropped to its lowest point, even lower than it had been a year ago when that startling sound had been heard. Although the fear of the unknown was terrifying, it was not as terrifying as seeing a monster with their own eyes. They didn't know who the warrior standing tall in the rain of arrows below the Royal Palace was. Unconsciously, they thought that the other party was not human. He was probably some kind of monster.
Or … an immortal?
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Given the strict discipline of the Qing army, even if they were faced with a Great Grandmaster who was praised by tens of thousands of people, perhaps they would not pause at all. Instead, they would use a torrential rain of arrows to kill the enemies of the Qing Kingdom. However, today, they truly felt fear. That was because that expert had not only displayed his unparalleled power, but more importantly, they were shocked by the indifference displayed by that expert.
When Wu Zhu stepped on the densely packed pile of arrows that were like long grass in spring and was about to reach the Palace gates, the second wave of arrows still did not fall.
The pale-faced Gong Dian watched in a daze as the blind man came closer and closer. He suddenly felt a bitterness in his mouth. Sir Wu was already too close to the Royal Palace. Even if he attacked with arrows again, the effect would probably not be as good as before. Was the mission the Emperor had given him truly impossible to complete?
In this life, the Qing Emperor only feared two things. One was the black chest, and the other was Lao Wu, who was walking steadily toward him. In the 20 years after the Taiping Courtyard murder case, the Emperor had wanted to eliminate Wu Zhu from this world more than once. However, in the end, he had still failed. In order to deal with Wu Zhu's revenge, the Emperor had his own plans.
Fan Xian had returned from the Temple, so Wu Zhu had followed him back. The Qing Emperor had never hoped for heaven to give him a pleasant surprise. He had actually not prepared much for Wu Zhu because there were not many ways in the world that could keep Wu Zhu in check. Furthermore, the Qing Kingdom only had a gradually aging, tired, and injured Emperor. Great Master Ye Liuyun had long floated far away.
In the Qing Emperor's view, the only way to eliminate Wu Zhu was this wall of the Royal Palace, the obstruction of countless Imperial Soldiers, and the fire that filled the sky.
A few years ago, in the wasteland behind the Qing Temple, the Qing Emperor had personally seen the emissary of the Temple gradually melt into a strange object in the fire. He had also heard the crackling sounds with his own ears. Gong Dian was the person specifically carrying out the Qing Emperor's plan to eliminate Wu Zhu. For this, the Imperial Army had prepared fire arrows and corresponding facilities.
However, heaven seemed to have truly abandoned the man it had chosen in the world in the autumn of the 12th year of the Qing calendar. When Wu Zhu arrived outside the Royal Palace with a strange and heavy mood, a storm that was rarely seen in a century in Jingdou suddenly fell from the sky.
The pouring rain dealt a heavy blow to Gong Dian's preparations. It was as if he wanted to use this to wash away the past of the Qing court and send off a powerful ruler.
Gong Dian took a deep breath and looked at Wu Zhu, who was coming closer and closer. He stopped releasing arrows and ordered in a raspy voice, "Prepare the oil!"
If he wanted to envelop Wu Zhu below the palace walls in a sea of fire, the explosive poison plan he had set up through the Overwatch Council during the Jingdou rebellion four years ago was, without question, the most powerful. Four years ago, Fan Xian had already hidden a large amount of gunpowder in the Overwatch Council's stockpile under the little building. Most importantly, this rain that filled the sky, this damned rain. Thus, Gong Dian could only hope that the oil would be able to kill Sir Wu below the palace walls.
The oil splashed down, but it could not splash onto Wu Zhu's body. Wu Zhu walked slowly and steadily, but he was like an antelope flying on a precipice as he arrived in front of the palace doors.
The rain gradually lessened. The imperial soldiers on the palace walls finally lit a dozen fire arrows and shot them all down. The moment the flames touched the oil mixed with the water below the palace walls, they immediately began to burn fiercely. The flames were like a torrential rain rising from the ground, a rain of fire. Abruptly, a giant tongue of flame shot out, wanting to swallow Wu Zhu's lonely figure.
Wu Zhu flew up. More accurately, he walked. It completely exceeded all human imaginations. The metal drill in his hand pierced into a crack about six feet above the Royal Palace. His body was like an arrow shot from a bowstring. It sped up rapidly and turned into a cold shadow. On the smooth and straight palace walls, his feet crossed endlessly as he ran toward the palace walls.
No one could describe this scene. Wu Zhu was on the road, on the palace walls, running toward the rainy sky.
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When Wu Zhu's feet, wearing cloth shoes, landed firmly on the palace walls, Gong Dian knew that the situation was lost. In this world, other than the Emperor, there was no one else who could stop Wu Zhu from entering the Palace.
Under the autumn rain, a thunderous sound of horse hooves suddenly came from a corner of the square. There were not many riders, but they were particularly stern. The head of the Bureau of Military Affairs, currently the foremost person in the Qing military, Commander Ye Zhong, had finally rushed over from the Bureau of Military Affairs.
Ye Zhong's expression was shocked and ashen. The rain made his grizzled hair stick to his slightly black face. He looked unusually wretched. He looked at the lonely, blind figure on the palace walls from a distance. He jumped off his horse and sprinted wildly toward the palace walls in the rain. He almost tripped and fell. In a stern voice, he yelled, "Sir Wu, don't be rash!"
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"I know the Temple has been abandoned … but I thought that since Lao Wu is a person of the Temple, the Temple would have a way to keep him there. Who knew that he would actually be able to return to the world? Why?
"Why did the wicked heavens have to rain so heavily today? Why is this so?
"I have the world in my heart and control tens of thousands of li of rivers and mountains in my hands. Unexpectedly, I have been forced in front of me by a man. Who can tell me why?"
"How unfair the heavens are. If I was given a few more days, no, if I had not been injured by that chest that day, why would I fear Lao Wu coming?"
"But, even if Lao Wu came? So what? "
The Emperor, who occasionally heard urgent reports from outside the Palace but still maintained a calm expression, suddenly had a cold smile rise to the corners of his lips. Slowly rising from the throne, he steadily raised his hands and had Eunuch Yao at his side carefully check for wrinkles on his dragon robe.
There were many kinds of dragon robes. The one the Qing Emperor was wearing was very close to his body. Presumably, it would not affect his attack later. However, why did the wrinkles at the corners of the Emperor's eyes appear so tired? So faint and sorrowful?
Standing in the quiet and empty Taiji Palace, the Qing Emperor put his hands behind his back and was silent for a long time. His hair had been neatly combed and carelessly tied with a light yellow ribbon at the back of his head. He appeared particularly elegant.
After a long time, he slowly opened his eyes. There was no longer the faint self-mockery in them when he questioned himself earlier. There was only calmness and powerful confidence.
The Emperor's calm and cold gaze followed the open doors of Taiji Palace, passed through the square in front of the Palace, and continued toward the main gates of the Royal Palace, where the sounds of killing were gradually rising. He knew that Lao Wu would come from there in a moment. He knew Lao Wu's personality. In his life, he would only take the most direct path.
"Have you found Fan Xian?" His eyelids were slightly lowered as he gently turned a jade ring between his fingers. He asked casually.
"Not yet," Eunuch Yao reported respectfully to the side. "The young lady of the Fan family disappeared last night."
The Emperor closed his eyes and thought deeply for a moment. He then said, "It looks like I have still underestimated many people, such as Ruoruo."
Eunuch Yao didn't dare to continue. He only felt that it was unusually strange. After the Palace learned of the accurate news that Fan Xian had entered the capital, the Emperor had invited the young lady of the Fan family into the Palace at the first opportunity. It was clear that the Emperor had his hands on Fan Xian's lifeline. However, the young lady of the Fan family had suddenly disappeared from the Palace.
If the young lady of the Fan family was a hidden ace, why had she been invited into the Palace by the internal court and not escaped outside the Palace?
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The tens of thousands of imperial soldiers outside the Royal Palace were still using their flesh and blood to stubbornly stop Wu Zhu from entering. The path was covered in blood, but not a single imperial soldier took a step back. Even when Sigu Jian used a wooden stick to kill ants under the tree, he still needed time. Furthermore, he was killing people now. Wu Zhu continued to kill calmly. However, the people in front of him never decreased. No one knew how much longer he would have to kill.
"There's still an hour left." The Emperor always seemed to be able to accurately grasp the development of everything in the world. He slowly walked out of Taiji Palace and stood in the long corridor. Looking at the increasingly sparse rain outside, he seemed to be deep in thought.
The eunuchs and serving girls in the Royal Palace retreated far away with nervous expressions. There was only Eunuch Yao by the Emperor's side. He appeared very lonely.
The Emperor's brows suddenly furrowed and he gently coughed a few times. He accepted a pure white silk handkerchief from Eunuch Yao's hand and wiped the corner of his mouth. Coldly, he said, "If An Zhi still doesn't act, this matter will be interesting."
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The atmosphere in the Royal Palace was unusually tense and serious. There was not a trace of liveliness or liveliness. It was rather boring. Fan Xian was among the eunuchs at the end of Taiji Palace's long corridor. He watched the middle-aged man in the distance, or perhaps it should be said … old man, with unusually heavy and complicated emotions.
Just after midnight, Fan Xian had come alone to the Royal Palace under the cover of the pitch-black night. This time, he did not try to do what he had done that year after the poetry conference in front of the palace and climb into the Palace like a gecko. In Jingdou, because of the raging war in the North, and more so because of his return, the defenses had been raised to a terrifying level. It was already an impossible task to climb over the wall and enter.
Thus, Fan Xian used the chess piece he had buried the deepest in this world. Other than him, only Wang Qinian knew about this chess piece. Deng Zi Yue only had a faint understanding of it. It was Hong Zhu.
Presently, Hong Zhu had returned to the royal study and was once again favored. With the secret guidance and help of this popular figure in the Palace, Fan Xian appeared relaxed, but in reality, it was extremely dangerous to sneak into the Royal Palace through the direction of the laundry workshop.
Fan Xian had not thought about what the consequences would be if Hong Zhu sold him out. He had already come this far in his second life. What else did he not dare to lose?
After sneaking into the Royal Palace, Fan Xian learned of the news that his sister had once again been received into the Royal Palace. He immediately understood the Emperor's thoughts. It looked like at this moment of life and death, the man sitting on the throne had finally torn off all pretense and was prepared to directly use Ruoruo's life to threaten him.
This was different from when Ruoruo had been a hostage. At that time, the Emperor had enough confidence in him, so he could still maintain his face as a Saint. Fan Xian was also not worried that he would actually use his sister's life to threaten him.
Now, the Emperor was already old. His lingering injuries had not healed at all. He probably also smelled a glimmer of death.
Fan Xian narrowed his eyes and carefully lowered his head. Behind the serving girls, he gazed at the Emperor in front of Taiji Palace through the gaps in their clothes. For a moment, his emotions were complicated.
He also knew of the strange movements in the Royal Palace and guessed Uncle Wu Zhu's arrival. However, he could not understand. Had Uncle Wu Zhu truly woken up? No matter what, Fan Xian knew the strength of these powerful warriors and the powerful battle power of the Qing army. Even if Wu Zhu valiantly broke through the Imperial Army's defenses, he would still be injured when he came to Taiji Palace.
Faced with the calm and unruffled Emperor, what were Uncle Wu Zhu's chances of victory?
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