Chapter 124: Eight Years Later, He Draws His Sword Again and Sends Envoy Zhao to Death
The wind blew along the quiet long street.
The wind blew the flags hanging from the tea stall's awning, and a large Chinese character "Tea" fluttered like a banner on a battlefield.
Zhao Duan's muscles tensed, staring at the swordsman blocking his way, and said sarcastically:
"The Ghost Festival hasn't even arrived yet, so how come a little ghost has already escaped to the living world? Could it be that my reputation has spread to the underworld?"
The Ghost-Faced Swordsman paid no attention to his ridicule and smiled calmly:
"You are indeed sharp-tongued, no wonder you are able to please the false emperor. However, today, this 'ghost' of mine will indeed send you to hell."
False Emperor... Zhao Duan caught the key words and raised his eyebrows.
"Are you a rebel from the Kuangfu Society?"
The Ghost-Faced Swordsman did not deny it, but nodded happily and sighed:
"During the time that Grand Tutor Zhuang was away from the capital, the capital was leaderless, which gave you an opportunity to take advantage of it. It was a surprise that you didn't die, and it was even more of a surprise that Tiechiguan fell into your hands.
Although we hate to admit it, we underestimated you. Who would have thought that a loyal dog raised by a false emperor actually has the fangs of a wolf?
Zhao Duan chuckled and said:
"Is that a compliment?"
The ghost-faced swordsman said calmly:
"Of course I do. Otherwise, I wouldn't come here to take your life. You should feel honored."
So pretentious... No, who are you... Zhao Duan said sarcastically:
"You're such a coward, yet you're so arrogant. You dare to ambush and kill an official in the capital? You really don't know how to spell death."
The man who had recently led his men into the capital, succeeded Zhuang Xiaocheng, and was promoted to the leader of the Beijing Kuangfu Society branch, held a teacup in his hand and said calmly:
"There's no need to test it. I can tell you frankly that this street is no longer in the capital.
Oh, you can think of it as a small gap opened up in the capital, like a secluded alley hidden in the vast buildings. No one will patronize you even if you shout at the top of your lungs."
Your line is not appropriate for this kind of occasion... Zhao Duan complained in his heart to relieve his tense mood.
I also understood that the street under my feet might be a "barrier" or maze built on the original map of the capital city in some way.
My heart sank.
The other party must be fully confident of setting up such a battle.
It is better to take the initiative to attack than to just passively defend.
Zhao Duan clenched the knife in his hand and suddenly said:
"Have you ever heard the saying that villains die because they talk too much?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly stomped his legs on the ground, his trouser legs suddenly tightened, and like an arrow shot from a bow, he drew his sheathed long sword and pointed it directly at the powerful enemy.
The Ghost-Faced Swordsman was stunned for a moment, then shook his head calmly and said:
"No, villains only die because they aren't strong enough."
As he uttered the first word, the rough ceramic tea bowl in his hand flew out and hit Zhao Duan head-on.
The moment the high-speed rotating tea bowl collided with the tip of the knife, sparks were faintly emitted, and then it exploded.
The sharp blade trembled, piercing through drops of brown tea and forcing its way into the tea shed.
"bite!"
The next second, it was blocked by a scabbard wrapped with hemp rope.
The ghost-faced swordsman remained seated, holding the scabbard in his left hand, and in a flash he blocked Zhao Duan's long-accumulated sword attack.
The powerful energy exploded with the sound of collision.
The turbulent airflow, like countless sharp blades, tore the awning apart, leaving it riddled with holes.
“Squeak…”
The hemp ropes wrapped around the scabbard were all broken one by one.
The scabbard is half red and half black, with excellent texture, and it is obvious at first glance that it is not an ordinary item.
Zhao Duan gathered his strength and swung his sword with all his might, but it was easily blocked by the opponent. Even though he was mentally prepared, he still couldn't help feeling disappointed.
Without hesitation, he struck back, kicking his feet against the table and sweeping back as far as he could.
“Bang!”
The square table made of rotten wood shattered into pieces in an instant, but the ghost-faced swordsman's right hand had already grasped the hilt of the sword.
Pull it out slowly.
“Clang——”
The clear and pleasant sound of swords echoed throughout the long street. Zhao Duan clearly saw the mirror-smooth sword body slowly sliding out of the scabbard.
One side of the sword blade reflected half of a ghost face, while the other side reflected Zhao Duan's solemn eyes at the moment.
A devastating sword intent permeated the air.
On the long street, the temperature dropped suddenly. It was clearly the hottest time of summer, but Zhao Duan felt the extreme cold at this moment.
It was as if in a nighttime visualization, I was trekking across the snowy plains with the Great Yu Emperor, facing the towering cold storm.
"What kind of sword is this?"
Zhao Duan glanced at the sword in surprise and saw a layer of mist first appear on the sword edge, and then covered with a light frost.
…
…
"Frost Sword?"
Earlier, in the imperial court, inside the Peony Hall.
Haitang, a female agent of the "Narcissus Hall" with her hair tied in a high ponytail and a heroic demeanor, with a waist full of throwing knives, asked in surprise:
"You mean the talented swordsman who once made a great name for himself in the capital?"
Opposite Haitang, sitting in the main seat, was the supervisor of Mudan Hall.
Zhang Han's skin was pale, and his expressionless face rarely showed any trace of solemnity.
"Yes. According to the intelligence we've obtained, the new leader of the Kuangfu Society's branch in the capital is this person. He arrived in the capital a few days ago, replacing Zhuang Xiaocheng."
Haitang looked a little unhappy.
After arriving at the yamen in the morning, she received an invitation from Mudan Hall.
But I didn't expect to hear such news after arriving.
She lowered her eyes and read the file in her hand again. The name written at the top was: Gao Li.
Haitang said reminiscingly:
“I have never met this person, but I have heard stories about him. It is said that he came from an underworld background and was once wealthy when he was young.
But later he met with great adversity and was accepted as a disciple by a swordsman in the martial arts world. He inherited the mantle of that sect, which is the so-called "Frost Sword".
His talent in swordsmanship was quite good, and he entered the Divine Chapter Realm at the age of twenty, which was due to his late age in cultivation.
It was also at that time that he entered the capital, became famous and full of vigor. He was noticed by the Second Prince, who loved making connections and wanted to take him in as a retainer, but he declined.
Far from being angry, the Second Prince admired it even more. As a result, Gao Li had the honor of entering the palace and performing a sword dance in front of the late emperor.
Zhang Han nodded slightly and continued:
"Unfortunately, this young man was full of vigor and energy, and his reputation as a genius had made him lose his mind. He even said in front of the late emperor that he wanted to compete with the imperial palace officials.
The late emperor readily agreed, but Eunuch Hai was too lazy to pay attention, perhaps because he couldn't bear to dampen his ambition to make progress in martial arts.
At first, he only sent two priests with shallow cultivation to deal with the matter, but they were defeated by Gao Li one after another.
Gao Li didn't know how to advance or retreat, and was actually complacent and talked nonsense. Eunuch Hai then sent a priest who was also at the Divine Chapter level to take the stage.
Using the royal martial arts, he beat him without any chance of fighting back, and he was miserably defeated."
After a pause, he added:
"If my information is correct, the one who defeated this man was Ma Dugong."
Haitang also sighed:
"It is said that after this man was defeated, his martial arts spirit was shattered and he never recovered. Although the Second Prince tried his best to keep him, he turned around and returned to the martial arts world... and has since disappeared...
Unexpectedly, after the Second Prince's defeat, this person reappeared and joined the Kuangfu Society."
As fellow martial arts practitioners, although both sides have hostile stances, they still can't help but sigh.
"This person has been dormant for many years. Although his martial arts progress has stagnated, he is still a talented swordsman who has practiced hard for many years. I am afraid he is much stronger than you and me."
Haitang was worried:
"He's returned to the capital after many years, and I'm afraid he's coming with a strong momentum. He's also the newly appointed branch leader, and as the saying goes, a new official has three things to do when he takes office. He's bound to create something big in order to gain a foothold in the Kuangfu Society and convince the rebels in the capital."
This is a very reasonable inference and is inevitable.
What will the new helmsman do if he wants to establish his authority?
It's not hard to guess if you just think about what the biggest blow the Kuangfu Society has suffered recently.
Haitang frowned and analyzed:
"Gao Li entered the capital just as the two men from Tiechiguan were apprehended. Our recent large-scale manhunt must have caused panic among the people of Kuangfu Society. Therefore, if Gao Li wants to quickly establish his authority, his best option is to attack us and retaliate."
Zhang Han shook his head and corrected:
"To be precise, attacking Lihuatang is the only way to be considered revenge."
In the case of the traitor, the ones who contributed the most were the Lihuatang led by Zhao Duan, and Ma Yan.
But Ma Yan is very powerful in martial arts, and if Gao Li is sane, he would not choose to hit a rock with an egg.
Then, he only had one choice left...
"You mean... Zhao Duan?" Haitang's face changed slightly.
Zhang Han nodded and said:
"I thought of this after I got the news this morning. I wanted to call Zhao Jisi over and remind him in person.
But when I asked, I found out that he was not there. His subordinate Qian Kerou said that Zhao Jisi would enter the palace this morning.
So, I sent someone to his home to deliver a letter. I asked you to come here to discuss something. Gao Li is not an ordinary person. It is beyond the power of our Peony Hall to deal with him..."
As he was speaking, suddenly, a man in brocade clothes came running in from outside the hall:
"grown ups……"
Zhang Han and Haitang turned their heads and looked at him. The former asked:
"Have you seen Zhao Jisi?"
The man in brocade clothes gasped for breath, calmed down, and then quickly said:
"I went to Zhao's house first and found out that Zhao Jisi had already left for the palace. I figured I could ride faster on horseback than Zhao Jisi could ride in a carriage, and since this matter involved my own safety, I rode my horse along the path to the palace to catch up. As a result..."
"What's the result?" Zhang Han had already sensed something was wrong.
I only heard Jin Yi's expression tense:
"After chasing for a while, I just caught a glimpse of Zhao Jisi's carriage from afar, and then I saw that the carriage disappeared out of thin air!"
Disappeared out of thin air!
At this moment, Zhang Han and Haitang stood up at the same time, with shocked expressions on their faces.
They looked at each other and understood what was in each other's eyes.
“Oh no…”
Haitang asked loudly, "Where did they disappear to?"
Jinyi trembled as he spoke the name of the street.
Without hesitation, the two of them grabbed their weapons and ran out.
While sending messages to inform others, they all mounted their horses and whipped their horses to gallop towards their destination.
"drive!"
Haitang rode her horse hard, but she no longer held much hope in her heart.
The back and forth report from Jinyi has already taken up quite a bit of time.
Besides, the governor was not in the yamen, and by the time she and Zhang Han arrived, Zhao Duan's body would probably be cold.
Thinking that the hateful guy was about to die at Gao Li's hands, the female police officer did not feel happy at all, but only felt grief for the other party.
…
The long, quiet street.
"What kind of sword is this?"
As Zhao Duan flew backward, he was horrified to find that the blade in his hand was gradually covered with a layer of frost.
Under the tea shed.
Gao Li, wearing an indigo ghost mask, slowly stood up, calmly swung his sword, and sighed softly:
"Eight years later, Gao returns to the capital. Everything has changed. This first strike will send Envoy Zhao to his death."
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(End of this chapter)
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