Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Hidden Figures in the Dark
The next day, as the sun quietly set and night fell, the pedestrians on the street gradually disappeared.
The guards at the city gate gradually relaxed their vigilance and gathered in groups of three or five to talk about family matters.
The dim light of the torch was not enough to illuminate the dark night. In an unnoticed corner, a dark shadow was walking towards them.
Suddenly, several silver needles cut through the air and shot towards the soldiers. Just as they were about to arrive, they were blocked by a long sword that appeared out of nowhere.
The man in black looked at the wall in surprise. That was where the knife appeared. He saw a young man sitting on the wall. He looked at Zheng Li with a smile in his eyes, then jumped down and picked up the long knife on the ground.
He hefted it onto his shoulder, sized up the black-clad figure before him, and then revealed his identity: "Frost Blade Master Zheng Li. Back then, I heard rumors of you freezing the flooded Huai River with a single sword. I haven't heard from you in years, and now you're even involved in assassinations like this."
Zheng Li realized that the other party had ill intentions and pointed out his identity so easily. He was shocked and thought that the plan might have been leaked long ago.
As expected, the soldiers who had been chatting just now had drawn their weapons and surrounded him. Such behavior was not something that ordinary soldiers could do. The people coming were probably Shadow Dragon Guards.
He subconsciously turned around and wanted to leave, not because he was afraid, but because he wanted to remind Zheng Xiuyuan to be careful. But the young man saw his intention and immediately stepped in front of him, blocking his way.
The young man patted his shoulder and jokingly said, "Since you are here, don't be in a hurry to leave."
Since he couldn't escape, he made up his mind to fight to the death. In order to hide his identity, he did not bring his own knife this time, but instead used a silver needle that was not easy to detect.
Seeing this, he stretched out a hand towards the Shadow Dragon Guard, and the next second, a long sword was in his hand.
He looked at the long sword in his hand and said to the young man in front of him, "I have heard that the Shadow Dragon Guard's Thousand Star Spear, Flying Cloud Sword, and Blood Rain Knife are all first-class weapons. Unfortunately, today I will use your swords to take your lives." He changed the subject and his tone was fierce.
Then, he swung a long knife at the person in front of him. Wherever the knife passed, frost appeared even though it was spring.
But the young man was at ease, unfazed. He even had the leisure to comment, "As expected of you, the Frost Blade Master, Zheng Li. Your blade is even more formidable than before. It's a shame it's lost its former snow-white purity. Over the years, you've claimed too many innocent lives."
Zheng Li paused for a moment while swinging his knife. It was obvious that the other party knew everything he had done over the years. What about what the Zheng family had done over the years?
Under the guidance of the head of the Zheng family over the years, Zheng Li has long valued the glory of the family more than his own life.
Although he knew that even if he killed the other party, it would not be able to save the Zheng family from imminent destruction. But he was still unwilling to let the other party go easily. Since the current emperor wanted to take action against the Zheng family, he would do his best to cut off his left and right arms.
In an instant, Zheng Li's aura surged, and a cold air spread from him, and even a layer of frost appeared on the ground.
Seeing the other party's true strength, the young man put away his nonchalant demeanor. His aura began to surge. He clasped his hands together and saluted in Zheng Li's direction, "Shadow Dragon Guard Rejuvenation, please teach me."
Hearing the other party reveal his identity, Zheng Li thought in his mind, it turned out to be him. There are not many people with code names in the Shadow Dragon Guard, and Huichun is an extremely powerful code name among them.
But did he remember that the previous owner of the code name Rejuvenation was only in his forties, so now the name has been passed on to the next one so early?
"Zheng Li, please give me some advice. You have inherited the title of Huichun at such a young age, and I wonder how much real ability you have." Zheng Li also returned the salute, but his tone was full of contempt and provocation.
Huichun just smiled, picked up the long knife in his hand, and gestured to Zheng Li: "I dare not say more about my abilities, but I am afraid that taking your life is enough."
"Hmph, you are so arrogant at such a young age. Today, I will discipline you on behalf of your master."
The next second, the originally calm young man became furious, the long sword in his hand emitted a fiery red light, and he slashed straight towards Zheng Li.
"I feel like it's tarnishing my master's reputation when someone like you says his name." The young man couldn't hide the anger in his tone.
Zheng Li was caught off guard by the opponent's sudden and fierce attack. He quickly drew his sword to block it and tried hard to steady his body.
The two men attacked back and forth. On one side was the bone-chilling cold of wind and snow, and on the other side was the warmth of spring. The two were in a stalemate and neither could do anything to the other.
Finally, a long sword fell from the air, interrupting the fight between the two. The young man said to the man in front of him with some dissatisfaction, "Commander, you are interrupting our competition."
The man who came was Mo Yu. Facing the young man's accusations, he remained indifferent and spoke without emotion, "Stop playing around. Quickly finish this and follow me out of the city to greet His Majesty. If you delay important matters and His Majesty blames you, I won't be able to help you."
Seeing that the other party had directly moved out of Mu Congmo, Huichun did not dare to delay and only complained: "I know, you go and watch from the side."
Mo Yu quickly stepped aside, leaving the battlefield to the two of them. Huichun's aura suddenly surged, several times stronger than before. He shrugged, a smile in his voice, "Sorry, this sparring session ends here."
Before Zheng Li could react, the opponent's long sword was already coming towards him. He also picked up his sword to fight back. However, the opponent's attack was too fierce, and the long sword in his hand actually broke directly.
With no weapon in his hand, Zheng Li had no strength to resist at this moment, but Huichun suddenly stopped.
He looked up at the other person in confusion, as if he didn't understand why the other person suddenly stopped.
At this moment, the other party threw a long sword at him, his tone calm but with a hint of respect and a sigh: "You should commit suicide. Since you were able to help the people trapped by the flood, you must have the spirit of a hero in your heart. I admire such people the most in my life."
"It's a pity that I have to obey the imperial court and cannot travel the world myself." The young man's tone was filled with regret, and then his tone changed. "Although your subsequent actions were just following orders, you should repent for the innocent lives that died at your hands."
Zheng Li didn't hesitate, picking up the longsword and slashing it across his neck. Blood oozed from the wound, and the moonlight shone on the silver-white blade, making it appear even sharper. The blood dyed the longsword red.
Zheng Li gradually lost his breath and collapsed to the ground. Huichun looked at the body with a sense of regret: "The once famous Frost Blade Master finally met such a fate."
Then he ordered the Shadow Dragon Guard next to him: "Take his body away and bury it properly."
The two Shadow Dragon Guards said yes and stepped forward to take his body away.
Huichun picked up his long sword, held it against his body, and said to Moyu with emotion: "It is really like the rolling Yangtze River flowing eastward, and the waves wash away all heroes."
Seeing the young man's emotion, Mo Yu patted his shoulder and said jokingly, "You are so young, yet you are already feeling sentimental."
Huichun was very sensitive and could naturally sense the other party's silent comfort. He did not continue to feel nostalgic and walked towards the city gate: "Let's go to the outside of the city to welcome His Majesty."
Mo Yu grabbed him and Hui Chun looked at him with a puzzled look on his face. "Didn't you say we were going to meet His Majesty outside the city?" he asked.
Mo Yu didn't explain and pulled him towards the city, where the residences of the powerful and wealthy in the capital were located.
Seeing that Moyu ignored him, Huichun complained softly: "Hmph, you're just trying to be mysterious."
Then the two of them came to a luxurious mansion. The two stone lions in front of the mansion showed the wealth of the owner. The four big characters "Han Guogong Mansion" on the plaque were even written by Emperor Taizu.
Huichun was a little excited when he saw that the destination was the Duke of Han's Mansion. He said excitedly, "Your Majesty has finally decided to take action against the Duke of Han's Mansion?"
After saying this, he was eager to try, picked up the long sword in his hand and wanted to chop open the door of the Duke of Korea's mansion. Seeing this, Mo Yu quickly stopped him, "You are too aggressive, kid. This is the mansion of a first-rank marquis. How can you just do that?"
Huichun was a little disappointed and pouted, "Since you won't let me do it, then why are we here?"
He has always been fond of martial arts and usually loves to compete with others, so he felt regretful when facing Zheng Li just now.
Mo Yu knew his temper very well and calmed him down: "I didn't say you couldn't do it, it's just not the right time yet."
Huichun, like Changye and the others, was completely focused on cultivation and had no idea about various schemes. He didn't know when the best time to act was, but he knew the overall situation was important and would not disrupt his master's plan for his own reasons.
Although he knew it clearly in his heart, he still complained: "Since you won't let me do it, then what are we doing here now?"
"Of course, we should catch the opponent's fox tail and then catch them all in one fell swoop." Mo Yu said with a smile, his tone full of calculation.
The difference in cultivation between Mo Yu, Chang Ye, and Yong Zhou was not too great. He was able to take the position of leader of the Shadow Dragon Guard because he was extremely skilled in strategizing and was Mu Congmo's true right-hand man.
The two of them groped their way to the study of the Duke of Korea's mansion in the dark without anyone noticing.
The night was already deep, but the study in the Duke of Han's mansion was still brightly lit. The light of candles filled the entire study. Zheng Xiuyuan sat at the head of the table, with Zheng Qing and Zheng Zhong sitting on either side.
Zheng Xiuyuan's eyes were closed, as if he was thinking about something. Zheng Qing watched the incense sticks in the study burn out one by one, indicating that time was passing by bit by bit.
Zheng Zhongze was not as calm as the other two. He said impatiently, "It's already this hour, why hasn't Uncle Li come back yet? Could something have happened?"
As soon as he opened his mouth, the quiet atmosphere in the study was broken. Zheng Qing scolded him: "You are an adult, can't you keep your composure?" He also felt a little uneasy in his heart, but the more it was a time like this, the more he had to keep his composure.
Mo Yu and Hui Chun, who were on the roof, were listening carefully to the noises coming from inside. Seeing that the other party was still so cautious, they couldn't help but feel disappointed. At the same time, they cursed in their hearts, "He really is an old fox."
The next second, Zheng Zhong's voice came out, giving the two a great surprise.
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