Chapter 461: Striving to Achieve the KPI (Forty-One) [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
"Doubt... no..."
Although Lin Feng looked young and was no match for him, the mysterious scholar, seeing her half-covered in blood yet still laughing and joking, and with the added influence of the environment, felt a sense of apprehension. Tsk, he really was getting more and more like a descent into depravity…
He was actually intimidated by a mere junior.
but--
The mysterious scholar turned his gaze to the severed head in Lin Feng's hand and asked, "Who was this person you just called...?"
He suspected he was hallucinating.
"The twelfth prince of the Ten Crows".
Lin Feng lifted the head and examined it closely. He had to admit, the dead man looked much more pleasing to the eye than the living one.
Mysterious Scholar: "..."
He stared in disbelief at the sudden, deafening explosion.
"...The twelfth prince of Shiwu, isn't he the legitimate son of the Queen of Shiwu?" The old man felt his heart couldn't take it. He had previously been indebted to Yan Xingning for saving his life and had been entrusted by the other party to come to Shiwu to handle some matters and plan for the end.
It must be admitted that Yan Xingning's strategy is very ambitious.
The ultimate goal was to instigate infighting among the Ten Crows and buy precious time. Coincidentally, the princes under the Ten Crows King came of age one after another, became involved in government affairs, and developed ambitions. Their interests conflicted with those of the Queen, who controlled nearly half of the Ten Crows' military force.
Fierce battles were inevitable between them.
With the heir apparent still undecided, this is the perfect time.
To this end, the mysterious scholar went to great lengths to secretly ingratiate himself with a seemingly insignificant but influential brute under Su Shiyilu's tutelage. He put in a great deal of effort to gain Su Shiyilu's trust and turn this brute into his mouthpiece.
But he also knew one thing in his heart.
Between the two factions, the Queen's faction had the advantage.
Their roots in Shiwu run too deep!
However, if the most crucial figure can be eliminated and the blame can be shifted to the other princes of Shiwu, then no one will be able to escape this internal strife easily! This figure is naturally the twelfth prince, who is being closely protected by the Queen and the others.
The only chance to make a move against this kid—
This coming-of-age ceremony is when we are at our weakest.
Even so, the mysterious scholar had no solution to this.
I never expected this!
The target, whom he considered too difficult to assassinate, was now decapitated, his head held in the hand of the young man in front of him.
Lin Feng's smile faded.
He seemed to be pondering how this person could know.
On second thought, which foreign scholar daring to roam the Ten Crows didn't have some skills? Finding out basic information about the Ten Crows royal court was common sense for travelers. Lin Feng nodded and replied, "Yes, it is indeed this young prince."
The mysterious scholar then asked, "Have you been hunting him down?"
Lin Feng smiled and said, "Of course."
The mysterious scholar pondered Lin Feng's identity.
Just now at the cliff top, the guards addressed him as "Registrant Lin." He had a vague guess in his mind, but he wasn't sure. Suppressing his doubts, he looked at the corpse on the ground and asked, "Young Master, what do you plan to do with this headless body?"
Lin Feng countered, "You want it?"
"If young master is willing to part with it..."
Lin Feng said, "I will leave it to you, sir."
Without the scholar's help, the target might have escaped, and the scholar would deserve some credit. She only wanted the head to report to her teacher, Chu Yao; the body was none of her concern. Upon hearing this, the mysterious scholar clasped his hands in a respectful gesture and solemnly said, "Young man, you are truly generous."
The next question is how to get up there.
Jumping down is easy, but climbing back up is not. Fortunately, there are ten guards on the cliff top who can come in handy.
Seeing the head in Lin Feng's hand and seeing Lin, the chief clerk, smiling like a spring breeze, the guards were overjoyed and clasped their fists, saying, "Congratulations, Chief Clerk Lin! Congratulations, Chief Clerk Lin!" Some of the more perceptive ones took out special wooden boxes from their bags.
This box has some anti-corrosion properties.
Lin Feng carefully placed the head inside.
Look left, look right.
He said, "Find some salt and rub it on, then it will marinate."
Mysterious Scholar: "..."
This must be pickled vegetables...
At this moment, Xiao Lang turned to ask him.
"Would you like something, sir?"
The mysterious scholar twitched the corner of his mouth and shook his head: "No need."
Scholars and writers have plenty of ways to prevent objects from decaying for a short period of time, and in the dead of winter, the decay process is even slower. The thought of the Ten Crows Queen receiving her son's headless corpse, preserved in salt, is simply horrifying.
Lin Feng finally got rid of a mental demon.
Just as they were racking their brains about how to shake off the mysterious scholar and return to the main camp, the man offered his resignation. He made an excuse that he had important business to attend to, asked Lin Feng and the others for a few days' worth of rations and water, and rode off into the open fields as dawn broke.
Lin Feng faced the rising sun, full of vigor and high spirits.
"Let's go back and claim our reward from the lord!"
Shen Tangtian learned of Lin Feng's successful mission before dawn, as the army had always operated on a nighttime march and daytime rest schedule. When the Twelfth Prince was killed, the sparrow head he possessed was engaged in friendly combat with a soldier he was on good terms with.
As they were talking, Sparrow Head suddenly collapsed without warning.
Soldiers nearby surrounded them.
I initially thought Sparrow was unwell and was about to carry him to the army doctor for some medicine when I touched his skin—it was ice-cold, like that of a dead man. I checked his breathing and felt his chest; no breath, no heartbeat. Dead…dead?
The soldiers immediately relayed the message to Xu Quan.
"Commander Xu, something terrible has happened."
Xu Quan was engrossed in reading a military treatise.
Hearing that loud voice, I felt like kicking him.
"What are you yelling about?"
"That sparrow is dead!"
Xu Quan didn't react at first.
After a moment's thought, he suddenly sat up straight: "Is Sparrow Head dead?"
After the soldiers recounted the entire process in detail, Xu Quan suddenly realized something, his face lit up with joy, and he clapped his hands as he rolled up the military manual, laughing loudly: "Good, good, good, Lingde is amazing! Quickly bring the body here, and come with me to see the lord!"
The fact that the bird's head suddenly "died" without any physical damage suggests only two possibilities: either someone forcibly awakened the original body, or the original body was killed!
Xu Quan leans more towards the second possibility!
"My lord, great news! Fantastic news!"
Shen Tang put away the military documents in his hand.
"What good news?"
Xu Quan said, "Your De has succeeded!"
Shen Tang paused, her eyes lighting up: "Really?"
"It can't be wrong!"
Xu Quan recounted the events.
Shen Tang pondered for a moment and said, "Although the second possibility is more likely due to her personality, we can't rule out the first one. If it succeeds, Ling De will be able to return to camp soon. We'll send someone to meet her later. The Shiwu side is mobilizing troops more and more frequently, so we should be even more careful..."
The news of the twelfth prince's death will inevitably stir up a political storm when it reaches the Ten Crows' royal court, which may temporarily dissuade the Ten Crows from attacking Yonggu Pass.
But her intuition told her otherwise.
Things won't end so simply.
These are all things that will cause headaches later.
Right now—
"When Lingde returns, we'll host a welcome dinner for her."
Celebrating her ability to finally stand on her own.
Unlike Shen Tang's gratified joy at seeing his daughter grow up, the Queen of Ten Crows had a terrifying nightmare in the latter half of the night. In the dream, her beloved daughter was covered in blood, with a hideous wound on her neck, her face contorted in a grotesque expression, and red veins spreading across her skin.
He remained silent, two streaks of bloody tears streaming down his face.
The Queen desperately tried to catch up with him.
But the figure walked further and further away.
Finally, she woke up with a scream.
"My son, my son—"
A maid stepped forward to light the lamp.
"It was a nightmare after all..."
She said that, but the strong sense of foreboding kept her awake, tossing and turning until dawn.
(End of this chapter)
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