Chapter 1271 For the Person in My Heart

The dagger plunged into his heart!

A bone-chilling cold enveloped Shang Shoufei. A gurgling sound escaped his throat, as if in disbelief, or as if all his consciousness had been severed. He stared at Xiao Yuansui: "You—"

Xiao Yuansui withdrew his hand, and the dagger was pulled out of his chest.

With a "hiss," blood spurted out, staining his face red.

Shang Shoufei raised his hand, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, as if he wanted to say or do something, but all his strength was lost as blood gushed out from the hole in his chest. He was like a puppet without strings, and after swaying twice, he finally collapsed to the ground!

Xiao Yuansui slowly walked over and looked down at Shang Shoufei. Shang Shoufei still couldn't believe it, his eyes bloodshot as he stared intently at Xiao Yuansui.

Blood continued to gush from his chest, instantly staining a large area of ​​the ground beneath him.

Xiao Yuansui looked at him coldly: "No need to be so surprised."

"..."

"You should be surprised that I only made my move against you now—but if you hadn't told me all this, I probably wouldn't have actually killed you. After all, keeping you alive would have made you our scapegoat."

"..."

"However, I cannot tolerate a beast being used as a scapegoat."

"..."

“A scapegoat should at least be innocent.”

"You, you..."

Shang Shoufei wanted to say something, but as soon as he opened his mouth, more blood gushed from his throat, making it impossible for him to speak. Seeing the unwilling look in his eyes, Xiao Yuansui knew what he wanted to say, so he slowly squatted down, leaned close to him, and said in a deep voice, "That's right, I did it for Shang Ruyi, I killed you for her."

"..."

"I have spent the rest of my life doing rebellious things, rebelling, treason, and plotting against others, all for fame and fortune, to restore my family's honor, and to leave a lasting legacy."

"..."

"But this time... I want to try, for the person in my heart."

Shang Shoufei's eyes widened instantly, almost bulging out, and finally, he fully understood what Xiao Yuansui meant.

But by then, it was too late.

Filled with endless regret and resentment, another spurt of blood gushed from his mouth. He collapsed like an empty sack, lifeless.

"snort!"

Xiao Yuansui sneered before slowly standing up.

This sudden turn of events completely stunned everyone around them, especially those who had followed Shang Shoufei into the Peach Blossom Temple. They had originally just come in to warm themselves by the fire and watch Shang Shoufei ridicule the Right Thousand Bull Guards. After all, they had done this before and had even fought with the Valiant Guards. Even if things really escalated, it would only be a fight.

But they never dreamed that Xiao Yuansui would kill Shang Shoufei with a single move!

He killed Shang Shoufei!

"Kill, kill—"

One of the bodyguards who had been closely following Shang Shoufei pointed at the now-corpse Shang Shoufei with a terrified expression. After stammering for a long time, he finally shouted in a heart-wrenching voice, "Murder!"

After shouting, he dashed out the door.

Just then, Xiao Yuansui, who had been wiping away blood by gently running the fingertips of his other hand along the blade, narrowed his eyes and said to the people behind him, "Kill them!"

At his command, the men behind him immediately rushed forward.

These people had been following him since Wanggang Village. Compared to the officials and generals in Chang'an City, they were naturally more familiar with Xiao Yuansui and almost instinctively obeyed his orders. Moreover, Shang Shoufei's words of ridicule had already angered them, making them unable to control their anger. Now that Xiao Yuansui had made a move, how could they not follow him!

Several young people rushed up immediately, and soon, several more corpses lay scattered in the hall.

After a brief exchange, everyone was panting heavily, their swords stained with blood. They slowly gathered around Xiao Yuansui, and only then did they begin to come to their senses. Someone asked, "Brother Xiao, what should we do?"

"If this gets back to us, we're finished."

"Yes, what should we do?"

Xiao Yuansui coldly stared at the faces that had regained their expressions of terror, without saying a word. But the next moment, they suddenly felt a gust of wind blowing in from outside, almost extinguishing the bonfire in the center of the hall. Then, they heard a terrified scream.

Xiao Yuansui turned his head and saw that the door, which had only been slightly ajar, was now pushed open more than halfway. A figure flashed out from outside. It was the man Shang Shoufei had left outside to keep watch. He had probably heard the commotion inside, so he pushed open the door and peeked out. He was terrified by what he saw inside. When he met Xiao Yuansui's cold eyes, he immediately turned and ran outside.

He ran while shouting, "Xiao Yuansui! Xiao Yuansui has killed someone! General Shang has been killed!"

In the still of the night, the piercing screams echoed through the rainy night.

The group panicked and hurriedly tried to give chase, but before they could rush out of the temple, they heard a series of hurried and heavy footsteps outside. Then, outside the temple gate, someone mounted a horse and galloped away.

A soldier rushed out and only saw the backs of the few riders disappearing into the rainy night. However, they did not leave in the direction of the peach grove on Zhuding Plain, but headed west.

That road is the road back to Chang'an.

The soldier hurriedly ran back to the main hall and said to Xiao Yuansui, "They've gone back to Chang'an, brother, should we chase after them!"

Xiao Yuansui gently shook his head.

In an instant, everyone fell silent.

Only then did they realize what they had just done. Although Shang Shoufei was extremely despicable, he was, after all, an official of the court, the dignified General of the Left Thousand Ox Guard, and was sent by the Crown Prince and the Prince of Qi to keep an eye on them. Yet they had killed him here. If the news were to reach Chang'an, wouldn't they be considered traitors?

By then, they might not even have a place to stand in the entire Great Sheng Dynasty.

Everyone hurriedly asked Xiao Yuansui, "Brother, what should we do?"

"If the emperor finds out that we are rebelling, that would be a grave act of treason!"

"Wouldn't we all be beheaded then?"

Seeing the panicked state of the crowd, Xiao Yuansui became even calmer. He calmly put the earring he had been hiding in his hand back into his sleeve, then put away the dagger in his hand and said, "Rebellion? The Crown Prince and Prince Qi ordered us to do this, isn't that rebellion?"

Everyone was startled and stared at him with wide eyes.

Xiao Yuansui calmly wiped the blood off his hands, kicked away Shang Shoufei's corpse lying on the ground, and sat back down in front of the campfire. He reached out and warmed his hands around the flames, then said, "Since we're all rebelling, what difference does it make whether we rebel or not?"

"..."

The crowd exchanged glances, their hearts pounding with anxiety. Yet, his composure drew them in, and they instinctively gravitated towards him, drawing their support. One of them whispered, "Brother, what do you want to do?"

Xiao Yuansui glanced at them before saying, "Can't you see that we are just cannon fodder under Yuwen Qian and Yuwen Cheng? Sending us to block Yuwen Ye is the most dangerous operation. But regardless of victory or defeat, the greatest credit will be left to those who come from both Tongguan and Chang'an to attack from both sides."

"..."

“We were just stepping stones for them from beginning to end.”

"..."

"So, are you still going to be so obedient?"

These words struck a chord with everyone, and they immediately exclaimed, "That's right! They never intended for us to get any credit from the start; all the credit will go to others!"

"Even a piece of trash like Shang Shoufei dares to look down on us!"

"Where will we ever get ahead in the future?"

Listening to the indignant words of the crowd, Xiao Yuansui said calmly, "Since we're all going to rebel anyway, why not rebel for ourselves! If we win, it will be a lasting legacy; if we lose... even if we die, we'll die with dignity!"

His words immediately stirred the passion in everyone's hearts, and they all said, "Big brother, whatever you want to do, we'll do it with you!"

Xiao Yuansui looked at them and said, "Immediately gather the Right Thousand Bull Guards. Rest and recharge tonight, and tomorrow, follow me back to Chang'an!"

Everyone immediately replied, "Yes!"

So several people immediately ran out in the rain to notify the large force stationed and ambushed on Zhuding Plain to return immediately and obey Xiao Yuansui's command. At the same time, the remaining people dragged away the corpses in the main hall. However, the remaining blood could not be cleaned up, and the thick smell of blood filled the entire Buddhist hall. This strange and cruel feeling made people feel more and more uneasy.

Unable to contain their panic, someone approached Xiao Yuansui and said, "Brother, several of Shang Shoufei's men just escaped. What should we do?"

Xiao Yuansui said, "So what?"

The man said, "Shouldn't we stop them? If they go back and inform the others, won't Chang'an be prepared? If we go back then, we'll be like lambs to the slaughter."

Xiao Yuansui sneered, "I want them to prepare early."

"What?"

These words stunned everyone. Several soldiers quickly surrounded him again, looking at Xiao Yuansui's deep eyes with puzzlement. As he warmed himself by the fire, he said calmly, "We are all under the command of the Crown Prince and Prince Qi. After they go back and spread the news, we will return to Chang'an and say—the Crown Prince has rebelled!"

"..."

"At that time, Chang'an will surely be in chaos!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was startled again, and some people gasped in shock.

However, they understood Xiao Yuansui's plan, so they all withdrew.

Xiao Yuansui remained seated before the campfire, his eyes, seemingly frozen in ice, fixed on the flickering flames. After a long while, he murmured, "So, you are..."