The mare was exhausted, but she couldn't let her rest. She had to get to the Red and White Courtyard before the effects of the medicine wore off.
If the horse had a saddle, she could sleep on it, but it didn't. Moreover, she had lost both hands and was riding the horse on her own two legs. Just staying upright while awake was difficult enough.
The pain from her severed arm was intensifying, and she knew that the Lord's medicine was nearing its end.
As she climbed the hillside, she saw the brown, rutted road stretching eastward, winding through the hills and plains, and thought with relief, "Now I just need to follow the road, and I'll get there soon!"
Her legs had become as stiff as wood, and the fever made her so dizzy that she twice got lost.
We're almost at the White Courtyard. Mr. Su will heal my severed arm. He definitely can!
It could be the hand of an ordinary citizen, or it could be a prosthetic limb made of wood!
However, the image of that man flashed through my mind again.
That face was fierce and full of murderous intent.
"How can he be so strong!" she couldn't help but wonder. "Even Mr. Yao doesn't have such terrifying strength!"
"Perhaps, only the Lord..."
The thought of the Lord sent a shiver down her spine.
For thousands of years, Xuanhua Palace has never failed, not even in assassinating a prince or even the emperor of the continent!
However, she failed.
Not only that, he also lost both arms, completely losing the opportunity to carry out another assassination.
"Perhaps, even if the Lord finds out, he won't heal my injuries!" she thought bitterly.
With such a high fever, she almost rode past the sentry post, completely unaware of where she was.
Under the waning moonlight, only a few simple huts could be seen at the outpost.
The secret passage leading to the red and white courtyard is a small room about the size of a toilet, with red lanterns creaking in the wind like bloodshot eyes peering into the darkness.
She dismounted at the adjacent stable, almost falling to the ground, but struggled to her feet despite the pain.
As the stars in the eastern sky gradually faded, she walked into the passageway, traversed the long corridor, and the red and white courtyard appeared before her, towering above the trees and morning mist.
She limped inside.
Hearing the commotion, the one-armed disciple guarding the door immediately stepped forward. "Tang Ying?"
"Yes." After experiencing fever, exhaustion, and a broken arm, Tang Ying finally returned.
The one-armed disciple was shocked. "Your arms?"
"I was injured by a bad guy!" Tang Ying replied. "Also, I made a mistake!"
"A mistake?" The one-armed disciple looked incredulous. "How could that be?"
"Stop asking so many questions, take me to see the Lord!"
"No, your face is as pale as snow, and your body is burning hot. I'll take you to see the doctor!"
"I want to see the Lord immediately! I may not be able to make it!"
Sure enough, as soon as she finished speaking, Tang Ying's vision went black and she fainted.
When she woke up again, she found herself lying in bed with a fire burning in the fireplace and the air in the room feeling stuffy.
She tried to get up, but felt a sudden dizziness.
"Tang Ying!" A middle-aged man's voice rang out, and she immediately trembled. It was the Lord's voice.
"Your Majesty!" Tang Ying replied weakly, "I have failed in my duties, please punish me!"
At this moment, Master Yao also arrived. He walked very slowly, one mottled hand supporting the arm of another disciple, moving cautiously and slowly.
"Let's put the punishment aside for now!" Mr. Yao said. "Tell us the whole story in detail first!"
Mr. Yao was over eighty years old, thin and frail, with completely white hair and cloudy eyes, but his mind remained as clear as ever.
With the help of a disciple, Tang Ying sat up and then recounted the events in detail.
"Xu Chu?" The man Tang Ying addressed as "Lord" frowned. He was in his forties, slender, with delicate features, and his hair was uneven, one side black and the other white. "Mr. Yao, have you ever heard of this person?"
Mr. Yao's expression was equally stern. "I have never heard of this either!"
"Xu Chu..." The Lord of Xuanhua Palace called out the name again, "Tang Feng, Tang Ying's mission is now in your hands!" After thinking for a moment, he gave the order.
However, Mr. Yao stopped him, saying, "No, Your Excellency! We must find the employer first." He said, "With such a powerful expert, the employer deliberately concealed it, saying that the guards around Lin Mo were not as good as the Imperial Guards of the Great Xia!"
Li Hu did lie when he issued the task.
According to the original procedure, if Li Hu did not explain the situation, Xuanhua Palace would investigate.
If they learned of Xu Chu's existence, their commission would surely double.
Therefore, Li Hu deliberately concealed the truth, which led to Tang Ying's failure.
"Mr. Yao, this is not a good move!" the Venerable One said. "In the end, it was our carelessness that caused this!"
Carelessness and arrogance led them to never expect that such a powerful figure as Xu Chu would exist on this continent.
"What's wrong with that?" Mr. Yao said angrily, "Going to find the employer isn't to confront them, but rather..."
The lord understood immediately and demanded more money!
However, Xuanhua Palace has never done anything like adding extra money on short notice since its establishment.
But if I don't add it, I can't swallow this anger.
After all, it was indeed Li Hu who intentionally concealed the truth. The Venerable One pondered for a long time, then said, "Very well! Tang Feng, go to the capital of Great Xia and find our old friend Li Hu, have a good talk!"
“Yes, sir!” the man named Tang Feng replied.
"Xu Chu... Lin Mo..." The Lord closed his eyes and fell into deep thought.
~~~
In the capital city of Xichuan in Sichuan, within the royal palace.
"My Fan Kuai! From today onwards, you must stand guard outside my room every night without leaving for a moment. Not even a fly can be let in, do you understand?" Lin Mo patted Xu Chu's shoulder earnestly.
"My lord, why is this?" Xu Chu asked, puzzled. "Didn't I kill the assassin from Xuanhua Palace that you mentioned?"
Lin Mo's expression changed. "Does Xuanhua Palace only have one assassin?"
"Ah, that seems to make sense!" Xu Chu blinked. "But wait, my lord! Didn't you just say that hiring assassins from this organization is extremely expensive?"
"Does Li Hu have that much silver? Will he hire a second one?"
"Holy shit!" Lin Mo cursed. "What, do you think hiring assassins is like buying vegetables at the market? Sold by the piece or by the pound? Do you have to pay to hire a second assassin to carry out the assassination if one dies?"
"Isn't that right?" Xu Chu retorted.
Lin Mo was speechless. "My dear Fan Kuai, these kinds of things are definitely settled on a case-by-case basis!"
“Ah… one order at a time!” Xu Chu blinked again. “That still doesn’t make sense! Xuanhua Palace’s headquarters aren’t in Shu, are they? Even if they send a second assassin, they couldn’t possibly show up tonight!”
"Wow!" Lin Mo was shocked. You actually thought of this?
Logically speaking, it should be safe for the next few days.
I was just too nervous!
But life is at stake, so every detail must be taken into account.
What if that damned Xuanhua Palace has a branch in Sichuan? Wouldn't I be doomed?
The current problem is how to persuade Xu Chu to become a door god.
"Ah, door gods?"
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