Chapter 478 Heavy Sword

The Huo Mansion was dark on a winter night, as silent as a long-sealed tomb.

The gray-yellow candlelight illuminated the outline of Qiyunju and cast the claws and fangs of the dead branches onto the bedroom window, making it look like a giant spider.

“Bang!”

“Bang!”

“Bang!”

One sound after another, a full fifty times, seemed particularly abrupt in the night.

From that crisp voice, one could faintly hear murderous intent and threats.

Zhi Luo knelt expressionlessly on the cold floor tiles of the dormitory, his cheeks swollen and bruised, the corners of his mouth cracked and bleeding continuously.

Wan Chen on the opposite side was tired from fighting, so he flexed his wrists and said indifferently:

"The Master said, from today on, if you dare to attack Lu Liang and Run He, or anyone else Yun Chen cares about, and if you make Yun Chen come to the Huo Mansion for these things, he will ask the Zhi family in Dongzhao Country, including your parents, to come and persuade you in person. As for how it will come, whether it will come first, or hands and feet first, it is not certain."

There was no expression on Zhiluo's face, as if he had already become numb.

She spat out the blood and broken teeth from her mouth and answered in a toneless voice:

"knew."

Wan Chen said again:

"Also, remove Huo Gannian's shackles and double the amount of Softening Powder, otherwise Yun Chen will only be obsessed with seeing Huo Gannian. If Huo and Yun meet again because of you, next time it won't be just fifty slaps."

"The young master will ask for leave on your behalf at the Shangyi Bureau. You should stay at home for the next few days and save your face. Remember, your mission is always to monitor Nanli Jun for the young master, to seduce Nanli Jun, to gather all the secrets of the civil and military officials in the court, and to report all the government developments to the young master truthfully. Now, there is also a 'wonderful use', which is to monitor Huo Gannian. Besides that, if you have any disloyal intentions, you know the consequences."

"good."

Zhiluo answered easily and naturally, which made Wan Chen, who had killed countless people, feel extremely uncomfortable.

The woman before him was like a soulless corpse, a beautiful exterior covered in rotten, decaying mud.

Now, the only thing that drives this body to continue moving is endless resentment.

Wan Chen didn't waste any more time talking to Zhiluo, and followed Wanyan Shijiu's order to "slap her until your hands are sore", and then left the Huo Mansion.

Zhi Luo slowly stood up from the ground, feeling dizzy and as if his head had grown twice as big. His ears were buzzing and his eyes were blurred due to swelling.

She held onto the wall, staggered to the dressing table, and sat down with difficulty. Her body was heavy, but her mood was strangely light and cheerful.

She hummed a little tune while combing her hair in front of the mirror, carefully wiped the cracked corners of her mouth, and began to apply thick layers of powder on her swollen and deformed face.

This scene, coupled with the humming, is quite eerie and creepy.

At this time, two small figures, one black and one white, ran into the room. The white mink didn't dare to get too close, while Momo jumped onto the dressing table, cooed twice, raised his little paws, and held Zhiluo's face in his hands with heartache.

Zhiluo was disturbed from applying makeup and pushed Momo away in dissatisfaction.

Momo fell on the dressing table, got up again, and touched Zhiluo's face again, making low humming sounds as if to comfort him.

"I'm fine, no need to sympathize with me." Zhi Luo said in annoyance, grabbed Mo Mo and threw him away.

Momo's small body hit the wall and fell heavily to the ground, letting out a sharp whine, unable to even stand up.

The white mink immediately rushed over to comfort him, touching his head and neck with Mo Mo, and making soothing sounds.

The affectionate look between the two made Zhiluo tilt his head and stare blankly for a long time, and a cold smile slowly appeared on his face.

"Come, come here." She waved to the white mink with a particularly gentle smile on her face.

The two minks looked at each other, and Mo Mo limped to his feet and touched the white mink with his head, as if to say:

"Don't be afraid, she is my master. She is just a little unhappy. She won't hurt us."

With Mo Mo's encouragement, Bai Diao mustered up the courage to step forward.

The innocent Diao'er did not see Zhiluo's smiling face. His eyes were as cold as ice, without a trace of smile.

The white mink jumped onto the dressing table and tried to touch Zhiluo's face like Momo did, but unexpectedly Zhiluo suddenly reached out and grabbed its neck fiercely.

Momo screamed in terror and rushed forward, instinctively wanting to bite him, but that was Zhiluo, his master, how could he bear to...

Mo Mo could only spin around in circles, jumping up and down frantically, whining and begging, until Zhi Luo's hand twisted lightly, and there was a crisp "crack" sound as if the spine was broken.

The white mink's body fell limply to the ground, motionless.

Momo rushed over to check on his lover, letting out a long, high-pitched wail, tears streaming from his eyes.

Zhi Luo felt much happier, started humming the song again, and walked out.

When passing by the study, Zhi Luo saw Lu Liang squatting at the locked study door as usual. He put in spoonfuls of food through the crack in the door and handed it to Huo Gannian, who could barely sit up by leaning against the door.

It looked as miserable as if he were feeding a stray dog.

Zhi Luo curled his lips and snorted.

"Master Huo, ah no, the Huo Gang is gone, so I can only call you Master Huo. I didn't expect that you would have this day, hahahahaha——"

Zhi Luo let out a shrill laugh, threw the keys on the ground, and walked away.

Huo Gannian and Lu Liang were so quiet that they didn't respond.

It was not until Zhiluo left the house and the sound of the carriage wheels turning and going away could be heard that Lu Liang stepped forward to pick up the key, wiped the dust off it, and put it through the crack of the door with both hands.

"Young Master, the guards are changing shifts now, and there's no one inside or outside Qiyunju."

After a brief unlocking and the heavy sound of the iron shackles falling to the ground, a tall figure slowly stood up, his momentum as sharp as a heavy sword unsheathed.

The candlelight by the window burned brightly and trembled, making a crackling sound, and its bright light shone on Huo Gannian's young and thin face, revealing his thick and deep eyebrows and phoenix eyes as sharp as before.

He rubbed his shoulders, which were still painful from repeated scabs, then moved his wrists and ankles and walked around the study with steady steps.

He did not show any signs of weakness caused by muscle loosening, nor did his knees seem to be in any pain at all.

Feeling a little more relaxed, he opened a secret compartment in the study. In addition to the empty box left by Yun Chen after taking away the military token, there was also the highest authority token of the Huo Gang, the tiger tooth pendant that was moved and hidden here, and dozens of bottles of various antidotes.

The antidote for Softening Muscle Powder is even the most common one.

He didn't know what Nan Lijun and Zhiluo, or Yan Shijiu, would use to restrain him after he was imprisoned in the Huo Mansion, so he prepared some antidotes in advance.

Then he walked to the chessboard in the corner.

No one had cleaned the study for more than a month, and the entire study was covered with dust. Only the chessboard in the corner was shiny, and the chess pieces on it were not stained with dust.

Looking at the whole chess game, the black pieces are in high spirits, taking advantage and taking the initiative, while the white pieces are at an absolute disadvantage.

But Huo Gannian stretched out his finger and lightly moved a white piece, and the whole situation immediately became unpredictable.

Then, in a place that the black piece had not noticed, the white piece had quietly spread out a huge killing net.

Huo Gannian was playing chess alone, adjusting the chess pieces, and asked calmly:

"How's things going over there in Xiyan?"

Lu Liang glanced around cautiously to make sure the guards who were supposed to be on duty hadn't arrived yet. He lowered his voice and replied respectfully:

"According to reports, Han Biao has gone on a killing spree in Xiyan, slaughtering his brothers and ascending the throne with the support of Jiao Zuotai."

"Oh, very good." Huo Gannian chuckled and continued:

"Next, I guess Jiao Zuotai will take action and kill Han Biao."

"Yes. The Black Scale Cavalry is already ready to move. They should have started ten days ago. I guess it was because Yan Xing fell ill with typhoid fever that delayed the dispatch."

"Once Jiao Zuotai has secured control of Xiyan, Yan Xing should have him send troops to Nan Kingdom and march towards Kyoto."

"It must be, the young master has planned everything perfectly!"

"How's the wind outside?"

"As Young Master predicted, the ministers are now suppressing their anger, and the people are full of resentment. Some in the southeast, led by Guying City, have begun to lead petitions, speaking out for 'Huo Yun' and for the Lion and Tiger Army. They vow not to bow to the king's foolishness, and have never forgotten the promise they made back then: 'If the southeast returns, I will definitely collapse and follow them!' Even now, word of this has reached Kyoto, but it hasn't reached the emperor yet."

"Okay. Tell Fu Lin and Duan Jie that they can start preparing."

"yes."

After Lu Liang finished answering, Yun Chen's tearful face crying in despair suddenly flashed through his mind.

He opened his mouth, wanting to ask something, hesitated for a moment, and ultimately didn't ask.

Not far away, the footsteps of the guards were heard. Huo Gannian sat down again, leaning against the door, looking extremely weak. Lu Liang hurriedly took the spoon and the bowl, and continued to pretend to feed him.