Chapter 41: The Final Mission, the Price of Freedom
"What's the matter?" Shen Ye asked in a deep voice, with a determination to do whatever it takes.
The Pavilion Master seemed pleased with his "bait" and didn't answer immediately. Instead, he took two slow, measured steps. The figure on the screen swayed, adding a touch of eeriness.
"You should know that our Tianji Pavilion's business spans the imperial court and the underworld. Reputation is the foundation of our existence. Recently, someone broke the rules and tried to touch the bottom line of one of our major clients."
The Pavilion Master's voice grew cold, as if he were stating a fact unrelated to him. "The Six Gates' Chief Constable, 'Iron-Faced Judge' Tie Wuqing, seems to have become senile and confused recently. He's been relying on his official status to go on the offensive and is secretly tracking down Prince Ning. He's stretched his claws too far and has already touched upon the core interests of our important client."
Six Gates! Prince Ning!
Shen Ye's pupils suddenly shrank.
He was all too familiar with these two names. One represented the official power behind Su Qinghan, representing the imperial court's laws; the other, as revealed by the leader of Youquan, was the mastermind behind both Youquan and Tianji Pavilion, the source of all evil.
He instantly understood that this mission was inextricably linked to Su Qinghan's road to revenge.
His heart couldn't help but hang even higher.
"Tie Wuqing is a shrewd and calculating man, and he's an official appointed by the imperial court. Directly attacking him would only bring unnecessary trouble. But sometimes, the most effective warning isn't outright destruction, but rather breaking his proud spine and chopping off his most cherished wings."
There was a hint of cruel laughter in the Pavilion Master's voice.
"Go and warn him. Kill his most proud disciple and let him know that the boundaries of the Tianji Pavilion cannot be crossed."
As soon as he finished speaking, a well-made file was sent out from the bottom of the screen by a soft but irresistible internal force, and hovered silently in front of Shen Ye.
Shen Ye's breathing stopped for a moment.
Killing people was a common occurrence for him. But this time, the target was someone from the Six Gates, a colleague of Su Qinghan's. This caused him to feel an unprecedented resistance and disgust.
But he didn't show it. His mind was racing, a plan forming in his mind.
suspended animation.
This was the only way he could think of to have the best of both worlds.
He could take on the mission and then find his target. During the operation, he could stage a "failed assassination, mutual destruction" scenario. He would use his own "death" to end the identity of "Zhu Ying," and at the same time, complete the Pavilion Master's mission. After all, with "Zhu Ying" dead, the Tianji Pavilion had paid the price, a sufficient explanation to that important client.
From then on, there would be no more "candlelight" in the world, only the deep night. He would gain true freedom to find Su Qinghan and fulfill the promise.
This plan was fraught with risk and required extreme calculation and performance, but Chen Ye was confident. He was a top assassin, and his specialty was creating all kinds of "accidents."
He suppressed the surging emotions in his heart, reached out and took the file.
When I picked up the file, it felt slightly cool, but it seemed to weigh a thousand pounds.
He thought it would be a name he had never heard of. A young talent newly promoted by the Six Gates, a rising star whom Tie Wuqing had high hopes for. Regardless of the target, he was ready to use a carefully planned fake death to exchange for his future and the future of his beloved.
He even said sorry in his heart to the innocent person who was about to be used by him.
He lowered his eyes and gently twisted the seal of the file with his fingers.
The Pavilion Master behind the screen was watching him with great interest, as if he were enjoying the final performance of his most outstanding work. He wanted to see the expression of this assassin, who had been tempted by worldly desires, after receiving this mission.
Shen Ye slowly unfolded the file.
The dim candlelight in the hall made the handwriting on the file extremely clear.
There is no lengthy biography or complicated background description.
Just three simple words and an identity.
Six-door Divine Constable——
Su Qinghan.
In an instant, the world began to spin.
Chen Ye felt as if he had been struck by a thunderbolt from the heavens, piercing him from head to toe. The world instantly lost all sound and color, leaving only those three elegant yet glaring words. Like a red-hot iron, they burned deeply into his pupils and into the depths of his soul.
Boom——!!!
The calmness that he was proud of, the self-control that he had cultivated for decades, and the solid barrier called "hope" that he had just built in his heart, at this moment, were shattered by these three words.
Su...Qing...Han?
How could it be her?
How could it be her!
His body shook violently, and his hands holding the file began to tremble uncontrollably. The thin paper seemed heavier than a mountain, pressing him so hard that he could hardly breathe.
Su Qinghan...
Chen Ye knew that she was from the Six Gates, but she was also Tie Wuqing's "most proud disciple"?
The person the Pavilion Master wanted him to kill was the one he swore to protect for the rest of his life?!
This... this is ridiculous! What a vicious joke!
His mind was blank, and countless chaotic, contradictory and painful thoughts were like a flood that broke through the dam, madly attacking his mind.
He recalled the scene in the farmyard when Su Qinghan confessed her true identity to him. She had revealed her real name and her father's unjust case, but she hadn't mentioned her identity as a member of the Six Gates. He hadn't thought much about it at the time, simply viewing it as her last resort as a child of the underworld.
It turned out that wasn't a defense. It was the last limit she set for him as an "assassin" as she was a member of the government!
He recalled the unfinished words of Youquan leader before his death: "...That nobleman was able to even persuade the Tianji Pavilion...The one who killed Minister Su back then was..."
He recalled the moment he heard the name "Su Zhenting" and felt guilty and self-deceived. He forced himself to believe that it was just a coincidence, a corrupt official with the same name.
Now, everything is connected.
Like a long-woven, tangled web, every seemingly insignificant detail was a fatal knot in the web. And he, from the very beginning, was in the center of the web, yet he was completely unaware.
Su Qinghan investigates his father's unjust case.
Her father, Su Zhenting, must have found evidence of Prince Ning's treason.
Therefore, King Ning hired a killer through the Tianji Pavilion.
The one who carried out this mission and made a "pledge of allegiance" for his assassin career was none other than him - "Candle Shadow" Chen Ye.
Now, Su Qinghan inherits his father's will and continues to track down King Ning as the chief detective of the Six Gates.
King Ning felt threatened again, so he once again found Tianji Pavilion to eliminate this threat.
The Pavilion Master, the one who controlled what he considered his "most perfect work", handed this task to him as the final test for his retirement.
Fate, in the most cruel and cold-blooded way, drew a perfect closed circle in front of him.
He wants to leave his identity as an assassin and protect a girl who was hurt by his own hands.
The only price to gain freedom is to kill the girl with one's own hands.
Haha ...
A meaningless, dry laugh, like the rumbling of a broken bellows, erupted from Shen Ye's throat. He wanted to laugh, but couldn't; he wanted to cry, but there were no tears. His face was twisted, his expression somewhere between extreme sadness and fury, looking ferocious and terrifying.
He finally understood.
What retirement, what freedom, what final mission... it's all bullshit!
This was a trap! A complete and utter death trap set for him by fate!
He had no choice.
Refuse the mission? The Pavilion Master would immediately deem him a traitor, and the Tianji Pavilion's killing order would spread throughout the land. He wouldn't be able to protect himself, and Su Qinghan would be completely exposed to the Tianji Pavilion's sight. The Pavilion Master would dispatch other assassins, such as the second assassin codenamed "Ghost," to complete the mission. He would watch helplessly as she was trapped in an endless pursuit.
Accept the mission and then flee with Su Qinghan? The world is so vast, where is there a place that the Tianji Pavilion cannot find? That would only lead to endless running and bloodshed, ultimately dragging her into an abyss of no return.
Accept the mission and then implement the "faked death" plan? He only now realized how ridiculous this plan was. The target was Su Qinghan! How could he attack her, under the surveillance of the Tianji Pavilion, and deceive the unfathomable Pavilion Master? If he was not careful, the fake would become real! He didn't dare to gamble, and he couldn't afford it!
All roads are blocked.
He was like a wild beast trapped in a cage. No matter how he rushed, he could only get his head broken and bleeding, and eventually he would return to the starting point.
The origin was this: he, Zhu Ying, was the murderer who killed Su Qinghan's father. And now, he was going to be the executioner who killed Su Qinghan.
From the very beginning, his love was built on the foundation of a deep blood feud. Every bit of warmth he felt in the courtyard was bought with the blood of her father. The light he longed for was precisely the light he had extinguished himself.
What a irony! What a sin!
"Why?" The Pavilion Master's voice was a touch playful from behind the screen. "Is this mission difficult? For you, 'Zhuying', killing a young constable from the Six Gates should be no more difficult than crushing an ant. Or is it... you just can't bring yourself to do it?"
The Pavilion Master seemed unaware of the entanglement between Chen Ye and Su Qinghan. His words were just the purest warning and test from a superior to his subordinates.
But each of these words was like a heavy hammer, hitting Shen Ye's already broken heart.
Chen Ye slowly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot. Those eyes, once as still as an ancient well, now surged with blood. He stared at the screen, as if trying to see through it, to the demon behind it who treated human life like worthless grass.
He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. His throat was filled with a bloody sweet taste.
He slowly, extremely slowly, closed the light volume again. Every movement seemed to exhaust all his strength.
Then, he squeezed out a word from between his teeth in a voice so hoarse that it was almost unintelligible.
"……good."
This word drained all his energy.
He finally understood: everything was connected. This was a hopeless situation, one set for him by fate, a hopeless situation from which he could not escape. His so-called "choice" had never existed from the very beginning.
All he could do was walk into this execution ground called "destiny" which was tailor-made for him.
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