Chapter 541: Identity Exposed, It Turns Out You Are Zhao Duan! (5k)
On the same night, in the capital, in the imperial palace.
In the empress's bedroom.
Xu Zhenguan sat cross-legged on the bed, his long legs like white pythons exposed to the air unscrupulously.
"Huh——" She opened her eyes, ending her meditation tonight, and frowned.
"Still nothing?"
During this period, she would find time to enter "The World" to practice, but what puzzled her was that the "chapter" disappeared.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't find the other person. That encounter was like a dream that could not be continued.
"Why? Have I still not reached the conditions to open this scroll for cultivation? Was the last chapter opened only by chance when the 'disaster star' passed through the sky?"
"But I can't recreate the calamity star... No, it shouldn't be like this. I must have overlooked something. The appearance of a chapter must require some special conditions to be met. That's why it only happened that one time, and after that, everything returned to normal."
Xu Zhenguan frowned and began to recall what was different about the last time the chapter appeared.
After much thought, apart from the arrival of the "disaster star", the only special thing that could be mentioned was Zhao Duan's sudden return...
"Your Majesty?" Suddenly, the voice of a female official came from outside the bedroom.
The Empress finished her thoughts and looked through the light curtains hanging from the compartment at the figure reflected in the doorway:
"What is it?"
The female official said, "Lord Ma sent a memorial to the palace. It should have been placed in the study, but Your Majesty had previously instructed that any memorials should be delivered even at midnight, so..."
Xu Zhenguan became serious. He took the two white and smooth long legs off the quilt and put them on the ground. He stepped over the curtain with his slippers on, walked to the door, and opened it with both hands.
"His Majesty……"
The female official lowered her head and presented the memorial with both hands.
Xu Zhenguan took it, opened it and read it, anger slowly showing in his eyes, and sneered:
"What a bunch of traitors!"
There are several clues on the fold, involving some officials in the court who are suspected of colluding with the rebel king.
Most of them are officials under the "Qingliu Party".
After Li Yanfu's downfall, Li's party was liquidated and the court was reshuffled. Yuan Li's Qingliu Party was little affected.
But how could such a large Qingliu Party lack ministers who collude with rebels?
Xu Zhenguan had previously sent Ma Yan to conduct a secret investigation, and now there are some clues.
However, this group of people hid very deeply, and Ma Yan had only touched the tip of the iceberg.
"I understand. Tell Ma Yan and everything will remain the same." The empress suppressed her anger, folded the letter with a snap, and gave the order calmly.
The clues on the fold were just two or three cats, big and small. Catching them hastily would only alert the enemy. Therefore, she ordered Ma Yan to continue the secret investigation.
"Unfortunately, most of the officials in the court are untrustworthy. Ma Yan is loyal but not cunning enough. The detectives in the imperial court, such as Haitang, are good at investigating cases, but they lack the wisdom to weigh the pros and cons and deal with the complex situations in the court."
The empress sighed softly and looked towards the south.
If that little imperial guard were here, such things would be as easy for him as eating and drinking, right?
…
…
"What did you come to my place for before?"
Zhao Duan's eyes suddenly became dangerous. He had a smile on his face, but his muscles were tense under his robe. If the girl in front of him showed any abnormality, he wouldn't mind killing her.
Du Shishi was completely unaware of the approaching danger and said unhappily:
"You paid and ate at my house. But you didn't come back tonight. I heated up your meal twice. You asked me why I came to see you?"
Zhao Duan: "..."
The tense atmosphere suddenly relaxed, and he smiled: "I was out drinking today and wasted time."
Du Shishi stared at him unkindly:
"It's curfew at night. It doesn't matter if you are brave enough to run around. But if it involves my family, don't blame me for kicking you out."
After saying this, the girl, completely unaware that she had been to the gates of hell, turned around and walked away with her small lantern.
After washing his feet, Zhao Duan wiped them clean with a rag and read for a while in the room until it was very late at night, when he blew out the lamp.
The room suddenly became dark, and a shadow flowed in from the window, stood up in the corner, and condensed into a human figure.
"What's the situation?" Zhao Duan asked calmly.
Song Jinxi said:
"Reporting to the Lord, everything went smoothly. We hunted down five ordinary military supervisors tonight and escaped unscathed. Hongye and the scholar were also very meticulous in their work and left no traces."
Zhao Duan said calmly:
"It's meaningless. From today on, Zhao Shixiong will definitely conduct a city-wide manhunt. The Yexiang Sect can't escape. You must cut off all ties with the Yexiang Sect tonight."
Song Jinxi nodded: "As you command. Sir, what is the next task?"
Zhao Duan took out the two prepared letters from his pocket and handed them to him:
"The first letter is sealed. Give it to Feng Xiaolian and ask him to fulfill his bargain with me. The second letter is open, and it contains your next mission."
After a pause, he said:
"According to normal logic, we would lie dormant and hide after the assassination. But I want to do the opposite. Zhao Shixiong? Is he good at fighting? Is his cultivation also powerful? I want to test his weight and see who will win."
Song Jinxi's heart moved and he felt a little excited. He didn't know Zhao Duan's specific plan, but he realized that "King Zhao" had already begun to plot against people.
No... Perhaps, from the moment he stepped into Yongjia City, Zhao Shixiong had fallen into the chess game of his master.
…
The next morning.
cloudy day.
The entire city seemed to be shrouded in an atmosphere of unease.
At the Du family's dining table, when Zhao Duan was having breakfast with the landlord's family, he found that the couple was worried.
"What happened?" Zhao Duan asked curiously.
The middle-aged Du Ruhui sighed and explained:
"I heard rumors this morning that a prominent figure died in the city last night. Yunfu soldiers were seen marching through the streets in the middle of the night. It seems like a master from the imperial court is lurking in the city."
He sighed. Although he had great ambitions, as a weak scholar, he was unable to fight against the general trend and just wanted to survive and protect his family.
The turmoil in the city was undoubtedly something he did not want to see.
Du's wife also changed her usual tough appearance, unable to hide her nervousness, looking at the cowardly husband whom she looked down upon:
"What should we do about our family? Will we be affected?"
Du Ruhui frowned and said:
"We have enough food at home. Stay indoors and don't go out. Our house is close to the government residence, so even if there are rebels, they won't be able to act recklessly."
He then said to Zhao Duan, "Sir, if you don't have something important to do, it's best not to go out."
Zhao Duan nodded: "Thank you for the reminder. I will stay indoors today too."
Du Xiaobao ate heartlessly. The girl sitting next to him looked at him from time to time but said nothing.
At noon that day, the news that the officers and soldiers were searching house by house spread from the neighbors.
It's said that the lower city was the first to be searched. Today, the streets are full of rebels, and there are probably tens of thousands of people searching. At this rate, the upper city will be its turn soon.
As expected, around dusk, Zhao Duan once again crossed the fence between the two houses and had dinner at Du's house.
"Bang, bang, bang!" There was a banging sound at the gate, and someone shouted arrogantly:
"The government troops are searching for spies. Open the doors and check the rooms!"
Inside the hall, five people were stunned at the same time.
A strong sense of uneasiness appeared on the face of the tough wife Du, and she looked at her husband nervously:
"master……"
Du Ruhui stood up calmly, casting off his henpecked image, and said to his wife:
"Take my daughter and Xiaobao to the bedroom."
Zhao Duan stood up and walked towards the house he rented.
Du Ruhui glanced at him and said:
"You are my tenant, so I will definitely ask you about it."
That’s right... Zhao Duan stopped.
Du Ruhui stepped forward to unlock the bolt and pulled open the gate. Outside was a group of about ten rebels, all wearing leather armor and with steel knives hanging from their waists.
The one in the lead was arrogant, had triangular eyes, and looked like a small flag officer from his attire.
"Hello, General. What happened?" Du Ruhui smiled politely.
The flag officer had a cold expression on his face and said unhappily, "Surveying spies, why are there only two of them? Come on, find them all!"
The soldiers behind him rushed in like wolves and tigers.
Du Ruhui's expression changed, and he fumbled for a purse and handed it over:
"I'm a good friend of Sun Zhubu from the government office... Poetry and literature are passed down in our family, and there are absolutely no spies."
The flag officer gave him a sidelong glance, took the purse, and snorted coldly:
"Don't try that. This time, the higher-ups have issued a death order, and no one can do anything about it."
Soon, Du's wife and two children were also brought out.
When the young flag officer saw Du Shishi, his triangular eyes lit up and became a little straight.
Du Ruhui hurriedly took out his household registration book to prove his identity.
"Well...what's wrong with you?" The small flag officer flipped through the booklet and stared down at Zhao Duan.
"I'm a tenant of the Du family, renting the yard next door." Zhao Duan looked nervous and presented the pass with both hands:
"This is my identity as a young man..."
The flag officer's face turned cold, he threw the pass down, stepped on it, and waved his hand, saying:
"There's an order from above. All young men who aren't locals are to be taken back for questioning and taken away!"
Immediately, soldiers came from both sides and controlled Zhao Duan.
The flag officer rubbed his chin, smiled, and said:
"He's your tenant, and someone else needs to be examined together. That person is you."
He pointed at Du Shishi.
Du Ruhui's face changed drastically, and he hurriedly stepped forward: "I am the head of the household, I can go..."
But the rebel soldiers rushed forward forcefully and dragged Du Shishi out.
"Let my daughter go!" Du's fierce wife was anxious and stepped forward to stop him, but was kicked to the ground by the flag officer.
Du Xiaobao was so frightened that his round face turned red. He screamed and rushed towards the other party. What kind of threat could a naughty kid who was only as tall as the rebel's waist pose?
Seeing the flag officer grinning and about to draw his sword, Du Ruhui rushed over, pulled Du Xiaobao back, and forced a smile:
"The child is rude... Sir, please don't take it to heart..."
The small flag officer looked at him jokingly, laughed, put away his knife and waved his hand, and a group of people pressed Zhao Duan and Du Shishi away.
After the people left, the smile on Du Ruhui's face gradually disappeared. He clenched his hands tightly, and his nails almost dug into his flesh.
"Master...my daughter..." Du's wife climbed up despite the pain.
Du Ruhui turned around and said expressionlessly:
"Hide at home with Xiaobao. Don't open the door to anyone. If anyone tries to break in again, go hide at Aunt Li's house!"
After saying this, he raised his head and smiled bitterly. He resigned early to avoid disaster, but in the end he couldn't escape it.
Du Ruhui went back to the house and took out the only silver left in the house. After thinking for a while, he took a knife from the kitchen and put it on his body. With a gloomy face, he walked out of the yard and went straight to the government office.
He had to immediately find someone to smooth things over and rescue his daughter in time, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable.
…
The sun is setting, but there is much less smoke from cooking fires in the city tonight.
This group of rebels took Zhao Duan with them, searched several alleys, captured three people, gathered them together, and returned to the government office in the city center, trying to escort them back to their place of business.
Zhao Duan, with his hands tied with rubber bands, was walking on the street. He saw that the city was full of a murderous atmosphere, and there were other teams escorting some people.
Most of them are young men, but there are also some women.
Obviously, Zhao Shixiong was searching not only Zhao Duan, but also other shadow guards.
No... an arrest of this scale wouldn't actually catch me. Instead, it's trying to identify us, forcing the imperial spies in the city to reveal their true intentions and force them to flee...
Zhao Duan pondered secretly, turned his head to look at Du Shishi beside him, and whispered:
"You don't seem scared?"
Du Shishi's hands were also tied, and several people were strung together with ropes, like grasshoppers on a rope.
The girl's pretty face was cold, her eyes slightly cold, staring at the flag officer swaggering in front of her, and whispered:
"Give me ten taels of silver and I'll take you away safely."
Zhao Duan looked at her in surprise:
"Are you crazy? This is a whole group of soldiers. There are more around, ready to come at any time. But your greed for money reminds me of an old friend... Well, she was also a girl, younger than you, and she was very reliable for doing things for money."
Du Shishi didn't listen to his nagging and whispered:
"I'm also very reliable. If you don't agree now, the price will go up later."
She knew very well what would await her once she was taken into the barracks, so she had to escape on the road.
Zhao Duan nodded and said, "Okay, deal."
At this time, there were no other teams on the surrounding streets, only this one was walking.
Du Shishi suddenly cried out "ouch" and fell to the ground. Several rebels turned their heads and saw the girl with tears in her eyes, biting her lip, sitting on the ground, looking at them pitifully, her voice shy and timid, making people want to pity her:
"Master, I...want to..."
...Good acting... Zhao Duan silently gave a thumbs up.
"What are you thinking about?" The little flag officer's heart melted, and he bent down and approached with a smile.
Du Shishi's bound hands suddenly pulled the cloth belt!
“Dang!”
The rag blocking an old little bell hidden at the hem of her dress was torn out, and the bell made a dull sound in the evening light.
“Dang! Dang! Dang!!! Dang!!!”
The bell rang on its own, and the strange sound spread out a circle of ripples, covering an area of three feet around.
Du Shishi said disgustedly, "Untie the rope."
The ten rebels had dull eyes and were in a daze, as if they were hypnotized, and actually untied her ropes.
Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment and realized that this was the method of the wild sorcerer girl. The bell around her waist seemed to be able to affect people's minds.
He also pretended to be confused and did not move.
"Untie him too." Du Shishi regained his freedom, rubbed his red wrists, gave orders, and released Zhao Duan as well.
Then he said, "All of you will forget we ever existed and won't remember catching us at all."
After giving this order, the girl pressed the shaking old square bell with one hand and pulled Zhao Duan to run to a nearby alley.
As long as they make this group of people forget that they caught them, they can avoid this danger.
However, just as the two were about to escape, a cold voice suddenly rang out:
"I actually caught a small fish."
Du Shishi looked in horror and saw a black-faced military officer in armor and armed with sharp weapons appear on the roof of a nearby house.
There was a piece of talisman paper stuck on the military officer's body. At this moment, the talisman paper kept flashing, resisting the hypnosis of the sound waves.
"Clang!" The black-faced military officer drew his sword from its sheath, bent his waist and knees, jumped high, and chopped down with his long sword, killing Du Shishi!
Du Shishi tried to dodge in fear, but found that for some reason, he couldn't move!
Even if you try harder to ring the bell, you won't be able to influence the other party!
An ambush? No...
Fear and despair finally appeared in Du Shishi's eyes!
She once thought she was very powerful, but it was not until she actually faced the masters of the army that she realized the gap between wild sorcerers and court military officers!
At this moment, Zhao Duan, who she was holding with one hand, no longer had a "clouded" look in his eyes. He glanced at the officer who was rushing towards him with a cold and indifferent look.
His right hand lightly spread out five fingers and pressed out calmly.
"Bang!"
Amidst the dull sound of impact, Zhao Duan pressed down the officer's breastplate with one hand, and the hard breastplate caved in instantly!
The officer's body also "bent" into a full stop. With the sound of "crackling" bones, this mortal warrior was killed by Zhao Duan's palm.
When the body fell, there was still confusion in his eyes!
"The bell is great, but its adaptability is too poor. If I were you, I would hypnotize the soldiers behind me to resist."
Zhao Duan made a casual comment, turned around, made a hand gesture, and a phantom flame shot up from his brow.
The rebels, including the flag officer, who was still in a hypnotic state, had their internal organs ignited by white flames. They died with blood gushing from all their orifices without even a scream.
This was a technique that Pei Niannu had taught him, and he hadn't used it for a long time.
"You are..." Du Shishi looked at him in shock, his brain briefly shutting down.
"Let me introduce myself again. My name is Zhao Duan." Zhao Duan removed his disguise, restored his original appearance, smiled at her, and said:
"I'm sorry, I've affected you guys after all. But even if I'm not here, they're here, and you'll get into trouble sooner or later if you just keep hiding.
I have a suggestion for you. Go home immediately, take Lao Du and the others, and go to the Baihe Teahouse in the north of the city as a family. If you can arrive safely, someone will arrange for you to leave the city and go to Linfeng.
The court is in great need of people. Your father is a good man with a lot of talent. Sun Xiaozhun should like him."
After saying that, Zhao Duan walked towards the government office. At this moment, the last ray of sunlight fell in the sky.
Another dark night has arrived in Yongjia City.
Zhao Duan...is that the famous Zhao Duan?
The emperor's treacherous...favored minister?!
How could I have lived under the same roof with such a big shot for these days?
Du Shishi stood blankly at the street corner, watching Zhao Duan's figure disappearing into the darkness, and suddenly shouted a warning:
"That's a military camp over there! It's dangerous!"
Zhao Duan didn't look back, just waved.
Military camp?
He was going to the military camp.
"I originally planned to take advantage of their tricks and simply get caught, throw them in jail, and then cause trouble... But now it doesn't matter... Heh, Zhao Shixiong, can you imagine that I have no intention of lurking in the city any longer? Killing the military supervisor is just a prelude to muddying the waters. And the real action will take place tonight?"
Zhao Duan let his right hand hang at his waist, the sword slipped into his palm, and he casually killed a small group of rebels coming towards him.
Night has arrived, and there is wind tonight, and the wind brings the smell of blood.
Zhao Duan jumped onto a roof ridge, standing with his sword on the eaves of the brackets. The dark clouds above his head split open, revealing a bright moon.
He looked at the government office in the distance, and the Yongjia River in the north further away.
"At this time, Yuan Feng, Lang Shiba, Ji Yue and the others should also lead their troops across the river and attack here."
"And Song Jinxi, the scholar, Hongye and the others should also take advantage of the chaos to release those imprisoned people who are loyal to the court."
"The controlled gang members of Yexiangmen will set fire to the fire."
"And I..."
Zhao Duan moved through the night like a ghost, and finally jumped into a room on the second floor of a closed shop.
He did not light the lamp, but took out the silver scroll and shook it gently.
A tattered little door panel suddenly expanded and grew larger. It was inlaid with animal-shaped copper rings, rivets, and a pattern of burning lilac flowers painted in gold paint.
【Two Life Gate】
Zhao Duan recalled the name of this door panel guardian.
He obtained this talisman from the treasure house of Guhuo Zhenren. He didn't pay much attention to it at the time and just felt it was strange.
After some research, I found out that as long as you walk through the door, no matter where you go within a certain period of time, you can instantly return to your original place.
Because it was too precious and could only be used a few times, he was reluctant to use it when he killed Wang Qi.
At this moment, Zhao Duan pushed open the "Two Life Doors" and stepped over!
(End of this chapter)
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