Chapter 4: The Dead Warriors Live and Die for Tingyu Tower
Chu Lin looked at Luo Wan's back, his eyes moved slightly, but he didn't say much.
Tangli understood, took the hairpin, carefully wrapped it in a plain white handkerchief, and gently placed it in the sandalwood box.
At this moment, the coachman's shouting came from outside the yard. I pushed the door open and saw a green-covered carriage parked quietly in front of the yard gate.
The coachman said that he was entrusted by a young man named Chu. Luo Wan and Tang Li looked at each other and got on the carriage one after another.
"Remember everything I told you."
Tangli counted on her fingers and whispered, "If you don't get off the car and don't see anyone, the young lady will definitely be back within six hours."
Luo Wan asked, "What should I do if I encounter someone searching my car?"
"My young lady is infected with an epidemic," Tang Li pretended to cough twice, "and she can't be seen in public."
When the carriage drove out of the city gate and entered the wilderness, Luo Wan suddenly lifted the curtain and jumped down lightly.
Not far away, Chu Lin was leading two horses.
The purpose of this trip is to intercept Shen Zhiyan.
When it comes to the noble and upright children of aristocratic families, even though Luo Wan didn't know much about government affairs in his previous life, the first person he thought of must be Shen Zhiyan.
His entry into officialdom was the pinnacle of admiration for thousands of scholars, the final echo of power struggles in the north, and the last cry of the decadent dynasty.
Luo Wan could not remember the exact year, but she vaguely remembered Shen Zhiyan's ending.
The new emperor of the Northern Kingdom was furious and ordered him to be torn into pieces by five horses.
At that time, Luo Wan felt that the decline of the Northern Kingdom was inevitable.
The two men rode their horses quickly along the mountain path.
Chu Lin noticed Luo Wan's absent-minded expression and reined in his horse, "What are you thinking about?"
Even someone like Luo Wan would feel sorry for Shen Zhiyan.
She asked Chu Lin: "What kind of person is Shen Zhiyan?"
Chu Lin's objective evaluation: "Amazing talent, and loyal to the core."
"Who would want to take his life?"
When doing business in Tingyu Tower, they only care about gold and silver, not the guests.
All the tasks are issued by Bi Yue, a third-level assassin in the building, so only Bi Yue and the owner of the building know the source.
Chu Lin asked, "What do you think?"
Luo Wan said: "It was done by Xiliang."
"Most likely." Chu Lin nodded. "Shen Zhiyan was held hostage in Xiliang for ten years. Xiliang knows his abilities best. If he was truly a mediocre hostage, he wouldn't have survived the ten years in Xiliang. This time, the Northern Kingdom captured five cities in a row from the Yun Kingdom, while Xiliang only took two..."
Luo Wan continued, "The Northern Kingdom offered a ceasefire in exchange for his return."
Among the Three Kingdoms, the Northern Kingdom was the most powerful, followed by the Yun Kingdom, and the Western Liang Kingdom was the weakest.
But the result of this battle was unexpected. Five cities of Yun State were lost, while Xiliang only lost two cities.
Fundamentally speaking, the only option is for the Northern Kingdom to cease fire on its own initiative, with the purpose of exchanging Shen Zhiyan for his return.
Xiliang had no choice but to let Shen Zhiyan go back to the mountains, otherwise the city would be in danger, but they were unwilling to let Shen Zhiyan return.
So the incident of embezzlement occurred. The people who escorted Shen Zhiyan were from Xiliang, and killing Shen Zhiyan was also a deal between Xiliang and Tingyu Tower.
Apart from this, no one else could know Shen Zhiyan's whereabouts, and it was revealed so clearly to Tingyu Tower.
Chu Lin said: "The people of Xiliang are fickle and untrustworthy. It is common for them to break their promises."
Luo Wan gently stroked the horse's mane and said calmly, "Having been a hostage in Xiliang for ten years, Shen Zhiyan must understand the temperament of the Xiliang people. Xiliang is unwilling to release talented people, so why not pretend to be mediocre?"
"Let's not even talk about whether the Northern Kingdom is willing to cede cities to mediocre people." Chu Lin paused, "There are some people in this world who can endure humiliation, but their pride and self-esteem won't allow them to hide their shortcomings."
This is the case with Shen Zhiyan. It is not an exaggeration to describe him as peerless.
As the sun reached its zenith, Luo Wan suddenly pulled the reins and the horse stopped.
"Shh." Luo Wan raised his index finger to his lips, "Listen."
Apart from the sounds of birds, streams and wind, the mountains and forests were dead silent.
But if you listen quietly, you will hear the sound of wheels rolling over the mountain road.
"It's the Xiliang Iron Cavalry, it's Shen Zhiyan." Chu Lin said in a deep voice, "The Xiliang people often put something called horseshoes on their horses' hooves. This is why the sound of Xiliang horses galloping on the mountain trails is different from that of ordinary horses."
At this moment, no one else except Shen Zhiyan was thinking about this desolate mountain road.
Luo Wan frowned: "But I don't see Tan Yin."
Since it is known that Shen Zhiyan appeared nearby, why is Tan Yin, who ambushed Shen Zhiyan, not here?
Chu Lin said, "It shouldn't be here. This place is still more than ten miles away from Wutan Town."
"He changed his route." Luo Wan calmly looked at the source of the sound. "Right now in Wutan Town, the car that Tan Yin intercepted is probably empty."
"Remember that assassin from the Shen Mansion?" Luo Wan tapped the scabbard with her fingertips. "If he fails to kill me, he'll definitely tip me off. Shen Zhiyan took a detour not to avoid Tan Yin, but to avoid me. Unexpectedly, we meet again."
Chu Lin understood and suddenly raised the corner of his lips: "Is the expert you mentioned going to deal with Tan Yin in Wutan Town now, or is he rushing here to protect his master?"
"Here, it's enough to deal with Tan Yin and the archer in the dark."
The force and accuracy of that arrow were definitely not something an ordinary archer could shoot, and the arrow wound on her shoulder still ached slightly.
Luo Wan tied the horse's reins behind a dead tree and hid in the shade of the hillside with Chu Lin.
In the distance, dust was flying as a carriage sped along a narrow road in the forest. The wolf head emblem of the Western Liang Army on the shaft shone coldly in the sunlight.
"It's him." Chu Lin's voice was very low.
Luo Wan stood up suddenly, a silver light flashed on his wrist, and three darts flew through the air, accurately piercing the horse's hind legs.
“Whoa—”
The horse felt pain and raised its front hooves high. The whole carriage tilted in the violent shaking. With a loud bang, the carriage overturned, stirring up a cloud of dust.
The accompanying Xiliang army suddenly became chaotic and fled in all directions. Their superiors ordered them to escort Shen Zhiyan on the surface, but in fact they secretly told them to run away if they encountered difficulties.
Shen Zhiyan is dead, it’s better if he dies!
Chu Lin rushed to the overturned carriage in an instant and kicked the wall of the carriage to pieces.
Amidst the flying wood chips, a palm wind came towards him. Chu Lin grabbed the man's wrist and used the force to spin around to avoid it.
Luo Wan saw a young man in gray clothes standing up from the ground beside the broken carriage, with a black bamboo pattern faintly visible on the hem of his clothes.
In stark contrast to the Xiliang army, he looked calm and composed when he looked over, without any sign of embarrassment at all.
Luo Wan looked at him: "Shen Zhiyan."
The bamboo slips in Shen Zhiyan's hand cracked slightly due to the previous bump, and the sharp bamboo thorn silently sank into his palm.
He lowered his eyes to glance at the scarlet spot, his expression unchanged, and asked calmly, "Are you here to kill me?"
"What's the point of fighting and killing?" Luo Wan chuckled. "I'd like to trouble Master Shen to come with us. I just want the medical book in your father's hand."
Shen Zhiyan said, "I've seen many people use various excuses as pretexts to kill me."
Luo Wan was too lazy to explain and just said, "Whether you believe it or not, it's not up to you, sir."
Shen Zhiyan saw the situation behind Luo Wan and said, "I can go with you, but you have to let him go."
Luo Wan turned around and saw that Chu Lin had broken both of the man's arms. The man was curled up on the ground in pain.
"Is it him?" Chu Lin commented, "Very ordinary."
Luo Wan shook his head and said, "It's not him."
The skin color, body shape, and skills were not right. There was no way that man would have his arms broken by Chu Lin in just a few moves.
Chu Lin kicked the man curled up on the ground: "You can go now."
The man stood up shakily with his arms dangling at his sides. He stared at Shen Zhiyan, standing still and refusing to move. He said with difficulty, "I can't leave you, young master."
Shen Zhiyan looked worried: "Then you stay here and die here."
The man said anxiously: "Sir!"
What a deep love between master and servant! What a loving and loyal relationship!
Seeing all this now, Luo Wan found it extremely ridiculous.
In this world of intrigue and deception, how could there be someone willing to risk his life for another person?
Luo Wan said, "I'd like to exchange your life for your young master's. Are you willing?"
The man nodded immediately: "Yes! Yes! I just ask you to keep your word."
Fake, pretend, Luo Wan thought.
She still didn't believe that there was someone in this world who was so loyal.
Luo Wan said, "You're a soldier, no matter how deep the bond between you and Shen Mo is, would Shen Mo trade his medical book for your life? Perhaps your young master could offer some words of advice, and give your family some silver after your death, but that's all. Your life is only worth that. Shen Mo wouldn't hand over his medical book for a soldier, but you risked your life for them. Is it worth it?"
The man was stunned for a moment and didn't know what to do.
"Young lady is different from ordinary assassins. Aristocratic families keep assassins, most of whom are desperate and desperate. Yesterday they almost died in the wilderness, but tomorrow they are living in luxury. A roof over their heads and a bowl of hot rice are the price of their lives. Everything they have is given by their master, and they chose their own path. Among them, there are also assassins who repay the kindness of their master." Shen Zhiyan asked, "Which type are you?"
Luo Wan paused.
Chu Lin immediately said: "Which type she is, Mr. Shen will not have to worry about it."
Luo Wan pushed Shen Zhiyan in front of him and said, "I leave it to you."
It is enough to hand over Shen Zhiyan to Chu Lin and let him negotiate with the Shen family.
The rest is the promise made in Xiliang, which should be fulfilled when arriving in the capital, to avenge Chi Wanwan.
A black feather arrow came through the air and with a clang, it pierced the ground between Chu Lin and Shen Zhiyan.
The arrow tail trembled, filled with murderous intent, separating the two for a moment.
A horn suddenly sounded in the distance, low and solemn, like thunder rolling across the wilderness.
Chu Lin's eyes darkened: "The order of the Northern Kingdom Army."
Luo Wan frowned. It turned out that the troops coming were not from Weizhou garrison, but Wang’s army.
The Northern Kingdom really loves this precious hostage and is now going to great lengths to welcome him back to the court. How could they have imagined that a few years later, they would be the ones to have him torn into pieces by five horses.
"It's General Jiang!" Shen Zhiyan's followers suddenly shouted excitedly, "It must be the General who came to rescue the young master!"
Major General?
Suddenly, the sound of rumbling horse hooves could be heard all around.
They came not from one direction, but from all directions, and trapped them in the center in an instant.
Luo Wan held the sword horizontally, the blade close to Shen Zhiyan's throat, and said coldly: "You are very smart and courageous. You dare to delay time under my nose."
Jiang Cichen pulled the reins, and the warhorse neighed, raising its front hooves high and splashing yellow sand.
The young man casually tossed the iron bow to his guard. His black iron wristband gleamed coldly under the scorching sun. He shouted, "Let them go. I'll leave your bodies intact."
Luo Wan stared intently. Apart from Jiang Cichen, there was no one else with such an arrogant temperament.
She was not so foolish as to make a mortal enemy with the future ruler of the world.
"A dying man." Luo Wan pressed down the tip of his sword slightly, drawing a streak of blood across Shen Zhiyan's neck. "Do you still care about a complete body or broken bones? Two lives for two lives, this deal is worth it, General."
Jiang Cichen sneered, "Who cares about the life or death of a dead man?"
The order he received was to rescue Shen Zhiyan, only Shen Zhiyan.
From the royal nobles to the powerful men in the underworld, all those who hold power have assassins in the dark.
They exist to die one day.
——"Born for Tingyu Tower, draw the sword for Tingyu Tower, die for Tingyu Tower."
The year he first entered Tingyu Tower, what Commander Liufeng said permeated Luo Wan's entire past life.
The lives of the assassins are not important, and her life is not important either. Even she herself thinks so. But there is one person who says something different in this treacherous and turbulent world.
Chu Lin said: "Let her go, and you can take my life."
Those words were like a thunderbolt that struck Luo Wan's heart.
She suddenly turned her head, and the light gauze of her hat trembled in the wind, blocking the ripples in his eyes.
Perhaps there was a trace of truth among all the false feelings, before Su Qinghuan appeared.
In her previous life, she drowned like this.
A young man beside Jiang Cichen laughed heartily and said, "Oh, risking their lives to save each other, and they're a couple."
Jiang Cichen tilted his head and glanced at Chen Nanyuan indifferently. The latter immediately fell silent, looked around, and looked very busy.
Chen Nanyuan said to himself, "These clouds are really clouds, and these trees are really trees."
"Major General, please let this girl go." Shen Zhiyan advised, "She never intended to take my life."
Chen Nanyuan asked, "Where is that man?"
Someone said: "Of course not."
Chen Nanyuan: "Doesn't that mean we have to separate them?"
"You are a matchmaker, why do you care so much?"
"I'd rather demolish ten temples than ruin a marriage. What do you know?"
“…”
Jiang Cichen raised his hand, and the encirclement formed by the soldiers cracked like the tide receding.
A group of soldiers stepped forward quickly, and thirty spears instantly formed a cage of cold light. Chu Lin was forced to become a trapped beast. Luo Wan heard his voice, mixed with the sound of armor clashing: "Don't look back."
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