Blood Splattered Five Steps
His face was contorted in a ferocious expression, his eyes still wide open in terror, as if he had never expected that Hulü Guang would kill him so readily, without giving him any chance to bargain.
Huli Guang remained calm and slowly descended from the hall. With a clang, he drew the sword from the guard's waist.
Just as everyone thought he was about to kill someone again, Huli Guang raised his sword and, with a "clang," cleaved open the shackles around the neck of the leader of the group of prisoners.
Then he solemnly helped the man up and said with a smile, "General Du Shi, you have worked hard. Now that the chief culprit has been gone, let bygones be bygones. I ask that you, General, and the remaining soldiers, do your part for the new dynasty."
Without waiting for the chief official to express his opinion, he turned back to the palace, looked around at the officials below, and said with a smile, "Do any of you have any objections?"
This swift and decisive act of killing and pardoning was enough to shock everyone.
In this situation, anyone who dares to object is a fool.
So two men dressed in fox-fur robes and royal robes, presumably the fourth and fifth brothers of Hulü Jin, took the lead in bowing down and shouting "Long live the Emperor!" The rest of the people had no choice but to follow suit and kowtow, congratulating the Emperor on his long life.
At this point, Hulü Guang's face lit up with pride. His imperial throne was finally secure.
But A Qiu casually glanced at Wan Qiqing to the side, only to see that he remained indifferent, as if it were none of his business.
She then realized that Hulü Guang's methods of eliminating dissidents, making an example of one to warn a hundred, and dividing and winning over others were probably nothing more than child's play in the eyes of the master of Lanling Hall, who had been versed in power struggles and strategies for thousands of years since the Warring States period.
Whether it was A Qiu's glance that startled him or not, Wan Qiqing's eyes suddenly flashed with a sharp light and shot towards this direction.
A-Qiu immediately lowered her eyes and composed herself, as if something had come to mind at the same time:
She was hidden among the delegation, and her master should not have been able to detect her. However, her eldest brother, Gongyi Xiu, had removed his mask and was facing her directly. Moreover, even if he didn't go, the list of envoys from the Southern Dynasty must have already been submitted to the court, so how could Wan Qiqing not know about it?
But her master had already noticed them, so she dared not look around again.
But then Wan Qiqing said in a measured and rhythmic voice, "The new dynasty was established so quickly that the Southern Dynasty surrendered. From then on, the four seas were unified and the world was at peace. This is a sign that Heaven has blessed our Great Wei and that the country is prosperous. It is also a sign of the Emperor's power and virtue."
At this moment, everyone's eyes turned to look at A Qiu and his group.
Wan Qiqing's voice continued: "Please, envoys of the Southern Dynasty, bow down and perform the ceremony of surrender."
Gongyi Xiu and Xiao Chang'an led the way, followed closely by A Qiu and another person with a unique temperament.
At the same time, A Qiu heard Gongyi Xiu's voice say, "When Hulü Guang unfolds the scroll of mountains and rivers, I will hold off the Grand Preceptor, Xiao Xiao will deal with the nearby guards, and A Qiu, you... keep an eye on Princess Wansui."
Originally, A Qiu was not part of the assassination plan. However, quite coincidentally, the Hidden Moon Clan assassin Princess Wansui appeared by Hulü Guang's side, which was something Gongyi Xiu and the others had not anticipated.
Even with Gongyi Xiu's strength, he could only hold off Wanqi Qing for a moment or two. Xiao Chang'an provided cover, and Hulü Guang was no ordinary fighter. With His Majesty watching from the side, the assassins only had a split second to strike.
At this moment, the person with the unique temperament spoke slowly and deliberately, his voice extremely beautiful and cold: "Rest assured. No matter what the situation, I will take Hulü Guang's head."
A Qiu never expected that the final assassin waiting to make his move among the crowd would be none other than Shangguan Yuqi, the number one swordsman of the Southern Dynasty and the head of the Flying Phoenix Guard!
No wonder she never traveled with them the whole way. Her martial arts skills and appearance were both outstanding, and Hulü Guang recognized her. It would be strange if they didn't suspect anything as they traveled north together.
Beneath the mask, a cold gaze swept towards A Qiu. With just that one look, A Qiu felt the tacit understanding and unwavering resolve of their alliance.
Shangguan Yuqi made no further moves, following behind Xiao Chang'an, deliberately compressing her body slightly, and bowing as she carried the Ancestral Dragon Sword, making it impossible to tell whether she was male or female, or even young or old.
This skill in concealing one's appearance and changing one's traces immediately surprised A-Qiu.
A top-notch swordsman is not necessarily a top-notch assassin, because the realm of swordsmanship and the technique of killing are two completely different things. Therefore, when A Qiu learned that the assassin arranged by Gu Yi was Shangguan Yuqi, she had a moment of doubt, but she had to force herself to dispel it.
But seeing how skillfully Shangguan Yuqi concealed her temperament and feelings, she almost doubted that she had misjudged her before.
But there was no time for her to think it over. Holding the Mountain and Sea Map, she immediately followed Gongyi Xiu.
Gongyi Xiu's clear voice rang out, still as refreshing as a spring breeze: "The Southern Yan Kingdom of Jiang congratulates Your Majesty on ascending the throne. May our Great Wei Dynasty last for thousands of years, and may Your Majesty's civil and military achievements flourish ever more."
Hulü Guang smiled but did not answer. At this moment, he was full of pride and had finally washed away the resentment he had felt from being suppressed by Gongyi Xiu and Xiao Chang'an all the way. He had no reason to compete with this small envoy team at this moment.
He said succinctly and meaningfully, "Lord Gongyi is also a talented and capable minister. He will stay in Luoyang to assist me in the future. There is a long road ahead, and I also hope to hear more of Lord Gongyi's teachings."
Gongyi Xiu laughed and said, "How dare I! Your Majesty is too kind." His words seemed to completely forget the scheming and intrigue that had taken place along the way.
He personally went to A Qiu, took the "Illustrated Treatise on Mountains and Rivers" from her with both hands, and carefully unfolded it for Hulü Guang, explaining: "This 'Illustrated Treatise on Mountains and Rivers' is of great significance in the history of our Great Wei. In the third year of the Xining era of the Former Huan Dynasty, the Grand Preceptor of the Northern Qiang spent five years traveling thousands of miles to draw the 'Illustrated Treatise on Mountains and Rivers,' which was then brought into the Southern Huan Dynasty and acquired by Shangguan Jin, the then Grand Secretary. Grand Preceptor Shangguan spent several months studying it, and then personally annotated it, adding detailed explanations of the local customs and strategic terrain within the Southern Dynasty, before storing it in the palace."
Upon hearing this, not only Hulü Guang, but also Wan Qiqing, who had previously remained indifferent and noncommittal, turned and glared at him.
This map of the entire Southern Dynasties, which was personally corrected by the renowned prime minister Shangguan Jin, is of immeasurable value, both in terms of its historical significance and strategic importance.
As Gongyi Xiu slowly unfurled the long scroll while explaining, about halfway through, Huli Guang suddenly waved his hand to stop him, laughing, "No need to unfurl it any further. Just put it away."
Even with Gongyi Xiu's quick wit, he was slightly taken aback and said, "Does Your Majesty not want to see the whole picture?"
Hulü Guang reached out and calmly took the scroll, carefully rolled it up as before, weighed it in his hand a few times, and smiled, saying, "The Han people have an ancient saying, 'The dagger is revealed when the map is unrolled.' I'm afraid that if we unroll it to the end, we might suddenly see the murder weapon, which would be unpleasant."
Upon hearing his words, A Qiu's heart sank.
They all overlooked one thing: the Northern Qiang changed rulers on the eve of battle, and the emperor who ascended the throne was not Hulü Jin but Hulü Guang, which wouldn't have mattered in itself. But the biggest problem was that Hulü Guang had fought against this delegation all the way through and knew how formidable Gongyi Xiu and his men were.
Sitting on this throne, he would not be as easily convinced as Huli Jin that this delegation was harmless, and would certainly take great precautions, since he had already been defeated by the Southern Dynasty several times.
Upon hearing Huli Guang's words, A Qiu clearly felt that almost all the members of the group paused slightly.
Gongyi Xiu reacted swiftly, laughing, "Your Majesty is overthinking it." He naturally took the scroll from Huli Guang's hand again, and with a casual wave of his hand, the long scroll unfurled, revealing all the maps and geography on it. He laughed, "The legend of 'the dagger appearing when the map is unrolled' is from a thousand years ago. We have come here to seek peace and submission; how dare we play tricks on Your Majesty!"
When Gongyi Xiu took the scroll from Hulü Guang's hand, everyone sensed something was amiss, but couldn't quite put their finger on why. Since Gongyi Xiu had given the scroll to Hulü Guang in the first place, he couldn't tamper with it now that he was taking it back. However, when he unfurled the scroll, it immediately drew everyone's attention. Because of Hulü Guang's earlier prediction of "the dagger appearing as the map is unrolled," everyone stared intently at the scroll, holding their breath, waiting to see if a dagger would truly fall out.
But since Gongyi Xiu so casually unfurled the scroll, it was immediately clear that there was nothing hidden inside.
A Qiu knew that Gongyi Xiu's weapon was a jade-bone folding fan with a hundred flowers and a dragon-roar flute at his waist; Xiao Chang'an's weapon was a purple bamboo flute, so they could easily avoid the guards' search and there was no need to go through the trouble of hiding a dagger in the landscape scroll.
It is evident that although Hulü Guang was well-versed in Chinese studies, he did not know how to keep up with the times, nor did he consider that things from a thousand years ago should still be followed today.
The map was unrolled but the dagger remained hidden. Just as everyone involuntarily breathed a sigh of relief, Gongyi Xiu, still beaming, suddenly launched an attack.
At this moment, he was about ten feet away from Hulü Guang, a position that would not alert Hulü Guang. Hulü Guang had suffered repeated losses at his hands before, so if Gongyi Xiu got too close, it would surely arouse his suspicion, causing the grand plan to fail. Therefore, whether he was unfurling the scroll to show him or scattering it in the air, Gongyi Xiu deliberately kept a distance from him to lower his guard.
At that moment, as if by magic, Gongyi Xiu produced an open jade-ribbed folding fan adorned with a hundred flowers, which swept directly at Huli Guang.
Hulü Guang snorted angrily and immediately retreated. The clear tinkling of jade pendants was heard as Princess Wansui, holding a gleaming blue curved sword with a golden hilt, stood protectively in front of him.
Gongyi Xiu's attack was only halfway through when a pair of wide sleeves swept towards him, seemingly light but carrying the force of a thousand pounds, and infused with pure innate true energy.
In the blink of an eye, the jade-bone folding fan shattered into dust, and Gongyi Xiu was also knocked away by the impact.
Wanqiqing, dressed in a wide-sleeved white robe, landed gracefully before them, his eyes gleaming with a strange light as he stared at Gongyi Xiu, as if to see what other tricks he had up his sleeve.
Gongyi Xiu bounced back up as soon as he touched the ground, and spun around to crash into Wanqi Qing. At the same time, he drew the jade flute from his waist to his lips and let out a sharp whistle.
Wan Qiqing, who had been somewhat impatient, immediately changed his expression upon hearing the whistling sound and dared not be careless again, focusing all his attention on calling out to Gongyi Xiu.
Two white figures clashed fiercely.
At that moment, Xiao Chang'an also moved, rushing straight towards Princess Wansui. Princess Wansui spat out a blade from her wrist, her footwork shifting and changing rapidly, and she fought Xiao Chang'an to a standstill.
An assassination attempt suddenly occurred in the hall. The guards rushed forward, but were intercepted by sixteen men led by Yin Shang. When they entered the hall, they had all concealed their short knives under their trays. Now they drew them all, ready to kill anyone in their path, their aim being to keep the guards out of the assassination attempt on Hulü Guang.
Ten breaths.
A-Qiu secretly counted in his mind.
From the moment Huli Guang's hundreds of soldiers stormed into the palace until Yin Shang and the other sixteen men perished, and the entire defensive line collapsed, ten breaths had passed.
Master used to spar with his senior brother in Lanling Hall. The eldest senior brother could only withstand ten of his moves, which was also ten breaths.
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