Chapter 89 The Moon is as Red as Blood
The night is deep and the full moon hangs in the sky.
The ancient moon glided over the shadows of the high walls and eaves. He drew his bow and aimed at the brilliantly lit area below—Jinyun Terrace.
A figure approached silently beside him.
Gu Yue retracted his stance and turned around, with the tip of the bow slightly lowered.
"Is everything in place?"
"Archers have been placed around Jinyuntai, and the guards are all within range."
Gu Yue nodded, her gaze still fixed on the audience: "They will be here soon."
"The spies are heavily guarded. How could they...really get in?"
"able."
Gu Yue replied indifferently, but his brows were tightly furrowed.
Compared to Feng Dian, Yun Yuan's instructions before leaving worried him more: "Remember, if I haven't crossed the border, don't shoot the arrow. Not even a moment too early."
Jinyuntai is heavily guarded, and if you are not a step early, you may be a step late.
How could she escape such a blatant assassination with her skills? He had originally wanted to let Hua Die complete the first assassination for her, giving You Xiao enough time to shoot the guards. Hua Die would also pave the way for her, so she could still kill her enemy with her own hands.
But she refused.
This girl always planned everything carefully, but she never considered her own life...
His heart sank: How could he explain this to his Lord?
Gu Yue drew his bow and aimed at the masked guard at Jinyuntai who was closest to the Living King of Hell.
Once she crosses the line... he must not delay even a moment and must protect her safely... This is the most important instruction from his lord.
Jinyuntai, an elegant place for dancing and music in Luoyang City filled with sounds and colors, is also the place that Feng Xiaoming must visit every night, as Jinse said.
According to Jinse, Feng Xiaoming no longer hid after entering Luoyang. Instead, he indulged in sensual pleasures, coming here every night to watch dances and enjoy music, and spending money like water.
Playing the role of a dancer wasn't difficult. Flower Spy was already skilled in dancing, and her dancing often covered her face. She had knocked the woman in the original car unconscious and replaced her mid-flight. And as Feng Xiaoming's loyal guard, Jinse's duty was to escort the "new dancer" into the palace.
The only troublesome part is the spy review before entry.
"This makeup..." As she stepped into the carriage, Jinse glanced at Yun Yuan. Her brows and eyes were vibrant beneath her veil, masking her original cold and sharp demeanor. She looked like an ordinary Hu Ji. But how could a Feng spy be an ordinary person?
Jinse reminded her: "I'm afraid you can't hide it from the spy's eyes."
But Yun Yuan managed to pass through the checkpoint calmly with this not-so-clever disguise - Feng Diao didn't even lift her veil and just waved his hand to let her go.
"You are so perfunctory." Jinse said.
Yun Yuan's eyes turned slightly, and the charming eyes under the purple-red eyeshadow suddenly curved.
"Do you really think... that it was just a coincidence that I could rescue you?"
Jinse paused.
"Feng Xiaoming wants a jade pendant," Yun Yuan whispered, "and Feng Yanhao wants a knife sharp enough to penetrate a venomous snake." She pointed at herself, "and you," her fingertips gently turning towards Jinse, "are the necessary 'illustration'."
The messenger from the front signaled to come on stage.
Yun Yuan looked back and said, "I'll leave the stage to you."
"Don't worry." Jinse handed the concubines to the messenger and quietly retreated into the shadows.
Hu music suddenly started, bells rang and clothes fluttered.
Yun Yuan raised her sleeves and danced, taking in everything around her as she spun.
Feng Xiaoming was still as thin as a skeleton, slumped in a high chair, tapping his knuckles to the rhythm, his eyes sometimes narrowed slightly, sometimes glaring like knives, as if trying to peel off her disguise.
The masked masters to his left and right each had the character "Xiao" embroidered on their headbands. According to Jinse, only the most trusted elite members of the Guitou Gang were worthy of the "Xiao" character. As for peripheral warriors like her, they were merely "Ghosts," lacking even a serial number. They were pawns ready to be abandoned at any moment.
"Xiao Wei's martial arts skills are roughly on the same level as that fake Yue Nancang."
So, Feng Xiaoming now relies on the Impermanence Poison to control people's souls, uses Xiao Wei to protect himself, and then revels every night - does he want to make up for the losses he has hidden for all these years, night after night?
However, although Jinyuntai looks very strict, it has too many loopholes.
Yun Yuan danced gracefully, her eyes flickering as she took in the positions of Xiao's guards and any hidden traps beneath the stage. With every leap and spin, she precisely calculated her distance from Feng Xiaoming, testing the sensitivity of Xiao's guards' perimeter.
The scimitar in his palm swung, drawing streaks of moonlight across the dance floor - this was the living devil's quirk, he liked to dance with murderous intent.
The dance floor has a boundary. As long as you don't cross that boundary, this scimitar can be the crescent moon in the dance floor.
And once she jumps over that boundary, the crescent moon will be like a sharp blade that can kill her throat.
At that time, Youxiao would shoot arrows through Xiaowei, and the dancers would also throw out flying silk to clear the way - and she only needed to kill him with one knife.
There are roaming thieves outside and spy inside.
The high platform mechanism is better than nothing. The acuity of these "Xiao" is far inferior to that of Youxiao.
She might not be able to escape from Jinyuntai, but Feng Xiaoming, who sat on the high platform, would definitely die.
Now, there was only one thing left to be determined.
As the music reached its climax, the dancers suddenly raised their heads and bent their waists, and a young girl soared into the air from the center—a strange flower suddenly blossomed on the dance floor. The dancers seemed like layers of petals, and she was like a stamen that shot out, twirling in the air. The fragrance of her clothes wafted like invisible ripples across the stage.
The "stamen" suddenly transformed into a butterfly at the moment of falling, and its toes lightly touched the "petals" that had not yet closed, and it took advantage of the momentum to leap up again, and rushed straight to Feng Xiaoming on the main seat!
The cold moonlight drew a sharp arc—
A crescent moon reflected the lights of Jinyuntai, and a shadow flashed across the old man's skinny face.
The old man was startled.
Xiao Wei suddenly exerted force with his sword-holding hand.
The dancer's sleeves are filled with silver threads, and the bowstrings on the high pavilion are fully drawn.
Gu Yue aimed his arrow at the Xiao Guard closest to Feng Xiaoming.
The knuckles turned white, the arrow strings trembled. The hawk-like eyes were about to shoot out a cold light, but suddenly stopped -
The girl suddenly stopped mid-air, her figure swirling like willow catkins, landing precisely on the critical line...
The music suddenly stopped, as if all the shock was a choreography.
In the dead silence, she suddenly knelt down, holding up the scimitar with both hands, and the sound was like pearls falling on a plate:
"This dance is called 'The Crescent Moon,' a Western Hu dance from the Qingyue Square. There's a hint of murderous intent at the end, intended to end with a thrilling finale." Her brows lowered, her voice humble, "Did I... disturb you, sir?"
The dancers looked at each other for a moment, then bowed gracefully, like a warm spring breeze.
Feng Xiaoming—no, the skinny old man suddenly burst into laughter:
"Surprise! Surprise! Absolutely stunning!" He turned to the side and said, "Give it to me and let me see it."
Xiao Wei loosened the hilt of the sword and took out the knife to present it.
Feng Xiaoming held the knife and looked at it for a moment, then suddenly swung it, and the stone table in front of him broke into two halves.
"Nice knife! Haha... nice dance!"
Gu Yue watched from afar as the dancers left the stage safely, frowned, and put away his bow.
The carriage drove into the alley and stopped with a creak.
The curtain was suddenly lifted, and Yun Yuan jumped out of the car with a gloomy face.
Gu Yue took a step forward and asked, "Is it a substitute?"
"Hmm." Yun Yuan sighed softly, leaning against the shaft of the carriage. "He watches dances every night, parading through the streets, but he's just bait to lure me into a dead end."
The girl's voice softened, and she felt as if she had lost all her strength.
She desperately hoped she was wrong.
After all, Feng Xiaoming didn't know she had Youxiao's help. With numerous guards, Xiaowei accompanying him, and Jinyuntai riddled with traps... such a presence was enough to give her peace of mind. And in her memory, Feng Xiaoming was also a man who indulged in pleasure and boasted of his romantic life. After so many years of hiding, he finally saw the light of day. How could he not indulge himself?
Yet, even though his appearance, voice, demeanor, and manners were flawless, when she flew closer, she didn't smell the unique, bone-deep poisonous aura that belonged to Feng Xiaoming. There was only the strong scent of medicinal ointment, the scent of rejuvenation cream—this person was probably just a fresh replacement.
The girl's legs went weak with frustration, but she couldn't show any of it in front of You Xiao. She just lowered her voice and leaned against the car railing to steady herself.
Gu Yue had already seen through her clumsy cover-up and just turned his head away silently.
"What's wrong with your hand?" The girl suddenly leaned closer, bringing with her a strong fragrance.
Gu Yue was stunned for a moment. When he raised his hand to look around, he found a deep cut on the palm of his hand - it must have been caused by the arrow when he tried to forcefully retract the arrow with his palm.
"It's okay..." Gu Yue was about to tear open his sleeves to bandage the wound, but a plain white silk handkerchief was handed to him.
"Use this, it's cleaner." Yun Yuan said.
Gu Yue quickly wiped the blood away, bandaged the wound, and asked in a low voice, "So what's going on now?"
"I hope Jinse has made some gains." Yun Yuan sighed softly. "If Jinyuntai is a trap set for me, then Feng Xiaoming must be lurking in the shadows. Perhaps we can discover his true whereabouts."
The girl sighed lightly, then looked up at the tall pavilion, but her gaze suddenly froze.
I saw that the full moon in the sky, which should have been bright and clear, was stained with a layer of strange blood mist at some point. It was scarlet and hanging in the inky sky, which was shocking.
"The moon is red like ochre, the general will die in the wild." Gu Yue's low murmur came from the side of him. He looked up at the ominous moon, his voice low and depressed, "The moon is red like blood..." He stopped talking suddenly and turned to look at Yun Yuan.
Their eyes met, and silent thunder exploded in each other's eyes.
The second half of this ballad consisted of only three words, but they were like a sharp blade, silently scraping across the hearts of the two: There is a Dead King.
A figure passed by the eaves where the full moon was casting a red glow.
"It seems that you didn't succeed either?" Jinse suddenly appeared before his eyes, and the moonlight outlined half of her cold face.
Yun Yuan turned around and said, "That's just a stand-in." She suppressed the shock in her heart and asked anxiously, "Did you find anything over there?"
"According to your words, I searched every elegant pavilion in Jinyun Terrace that could overlook the dance floor, and even used my 'superb hearing' to the point of exhaustion." Jinse's face showed fatigue, and she shook her head, "But I couldn't catch a single sound from that living devil."
"Is there anyone else spying in secret?"
"There are indeed people spying secretly," Jinse confirmed, "but they are only Sun, the counselor beside King Zhao, and someone who looks like a messenger."
"Herald?"
"From what they said, it seems so." Jinse leaned against the shaft, arms folded, and said, "Because the view from the elegant pavilion they were in was excellent, it fits your description perfectly. I listened carefully to their conversation. It seems that the counselor intercepted a secret decree, instructing the messenger to go to the Huainan Palace tomorrow to announce the summons."
Yun Yuan's heart trembled slightly: "What kind of decree?"
"I don't know the details." Jinse frowned, then a look of suspicion appeared on her face. "But it's strange. If they had intercepted the secret decree, why would they send someone to deliver it? Even stranger, it seems as if the messenger's departure would inevitably lead to the King of Huainan's rebellion."
"Will the Prince of Huainan rebel?"
"Yes, they spoke with such conviction that as soon as the imperial edict was announced, the King of Huainan would angrily execute the imperial guards escorting Lingshi. Then, they could be completely eradicated for treason." Jinse frowned. "There's another oddity: the imperial guards would be killed, yet Lingshi was absolutely certain of his escape, saying the King of Huainan wouldn't kill him."
Yun Yuan was stunned.
It's weird.
The emperor was imprisoned by the King of Zhao, and he must have intended to use his clothes to convey a secret decree to the King of Huainan. But since the King of Zhao had already intercepted it, how could he follow his plan to announce the decree?
If the imperial edict had been tampered with, causing the Prince of Huainan to rebel in anger, why did the prince only kill the imperial guards and not the imperial censor who delivered the order?
To plan like this, the imperial edict must be genuine, and the King of Huainan must rebel. Only then can this traitor be convicted of treason!
How can the imperial edict be made true, and how can the King of Huainan, who has always been loyal to the emperor, rebel?
There is only one solution - to have a messenger who can manipulate the mind of the King of Huainan, causing him to brazenly rebel, yet still escape unscathed, deliver the decree...
Yun Yuan trembled slightly, tightly grasped Jinse's arm, and asked, "Where is Lingshi now?"
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