67 Twelve
◎This is the only person who is demanding, noisy, and yet cannot be killed. ◎
Du Zhijin last came to Liulijing to trade with Fu Xiu. After receiving the goods, he rushed off to exorcise demons, so he didn't have time to appreciate this exquisite imperial city.
She used her divine sense to record the route and "watched" as she and Ying Jianhua were carried into the palace by two people, each on their shoulders.
These two were not dressed in flying fish robes or night clothes, but rather in very strange assassin attire, yet they looked quite capable. They did not disappoint in their attire; they were as light as swallows and moved with lightning speed, their skills far exceeding those of ordinary people.
Suddenly, she felt a gaze fall on her face and immediately stopped imagining things.
No, she clearly didn't reveal herself, she was just "seeing" with her divine sense, so why did this person still sense something?
If even his own disguise can't escape, wouldn't Amo be even more easily exposed?
Du Zhijin's heart tightened. He listened intently and indeed caught Ying Jianhua's excessively rapid breathing. Unlike her, he couldn't block out his senses; he wouldn't be able to hold on for long.
Before he could be discovered, Du Zhijin opened her eyes and deliberately drew the attention of the two assassins. The assassin carrying her was taken aback, nodded to the other one, and then chopped her down with a chop, "knocking" her unconscious again. The two then went their separate ways.
She sent a breeze to Ying Jianhua's ear, brushing his hair aside, taking the opportunity to let him know she was leaving. He didn't react, only his eyelashes trembled slightly, as if stirred by the breeze.
The assassin led her to a tree, behind which was a flawless palace wall. He reached out and pressed his hand on a spot, and the ground cracked open, revealing a staircase just wide enough for one person to walk through.
Strangely, the further down the stairs Du Zhijin went, the smaller the area her divine sense could "see." She guessed that the formation protecting the dragon vein was at work, which meant she was getting closer to the dragon vein.
It was a pleasant surprise, but unfortunately I couldn't share it with Amo.
After descending the steps, one is met with layers of stone walls, and every few steps there is a guard dressed as an "assassin." They wear identical masks, have cold eyes, and are all the same height and build, like terracotta figurines in a tomb.
The only difference was the embroidery on the chest. Du Zhijin glanced at the assassin carrying him; the number "twelve" was embroidered on his chest.
This is somewhat similar to the robes worn by disciples of Dengxian Mountain.
Twelve seemed to be of a much higher status than the guards. As they passed by, the guards on either side, armed with spears, would nod in greeting, though they wouldn't speak. Twelve, however, seemed completely oblivious to their actions, continuing on his way without uttering a word. By the end, Du Zhijin's divine sense could barely "see" Twelve; he could only "see" it on his chest.
Staring at someone's chest for too long isn't good. She simply shut down her consciousness, letting her five senses sink into darkness.
Finally, Twelve stopped carrying her. He opened the dungeon door and simultaneously untied her vagina.
Du Zhijin obediently opened his eyes and uttered the classic line from the script: "Who are you? Where am I? What do you want?"
Beneath the twelve masks, her phoenix eyes narrowed slightly as she uttered a single word: "You're noisy."
Du Zhijin: "...Then I'll only ask one question, where is Amo?"
12: "He's fine. Worry about yourself first."
He paused, then added, "Say another word. I'll kill you."
Seeing that she had indeed shut up, Twelve nodded in satisfaction, sat down on the ground, and began sharpening his knife in front of her.
His knife was narrow and short, thin, yet it exuded a strong smell of blood and was full of murderous intent.
If it were anyone else, they would probably be intimidated by him, but he was facing Du Zhijin.
He had carried her all the way, and Du Zhijin's ribs ached slightly. The reason was simple: the boy was too thin. Although he was strong, he was just too thin, making it impossible for her to see him as an enemy.
Moreover, she had just discovered that he seemed to have a problem with his tongue, only able to utter three-word phrases at a time, like a three-character mantra. This discovery lessened the oppressive feeling the dungeon had given her, and Du Zhijin was filled with only one question: how was he supposed to pronounce a four-character name?
So when Twelve finished sharpening his knife and took out a file to interrogate her, she couldn't help but test him.
"What's your name?"
“Ouyang Muzhou”.
Twelve: "...wooden boat boat."
Du Zhijin laughed. Why is this assassin so foolish?
She pointed to the embroidery on his chest: "Your name is Twelve?"
Although her features were covered by a mask, she could still sense the conflicted look on Twelve's face when she asked the question.
After all, "twelve" is two characters, so how should he say it?
After a moment, Twelve answered: "Wei Twelve."
Is Wei a surname? She looked around and suddenly thought, "The Twelfth Imperial Guard?"
He nodded, turned a page of the case file, and continued, "Your age?" "Nineteen." "Where do you live?" "Wuling Village, Jinxi City." "You came to the capital. Your purpose is..."
She opened her mouth, her mind racing to recall the confession Ying Jianhua had taught her. As if sensing she was reciting lines, Twelve's eyes turned cold, and the blade grazed her ear, severing a strand of hair.
He coldly uttered three words: "Lies die."
"...I'll talk, I'll tell you everything." Du Zhijin spread her hands, trying to show her innocence. Twelve didn't believe her, and held a knife to her neck, as if to say, "If you dare to lie, I dare to kill you."
She had no choice but to confess everything. After all the questions in the case file were asked, Twelve put away her weapon and turned to leave. She clung to the cell door, carefully looking around.
This was a very "quiet" dungeon. There were no other prisoners besides her, but there were a dozen or so "jail guards" patrolling back and forth. It was clearly a place specifically for detaining "special criminals".
Noticing her looking, a jailer walked over and patted the wall heavily, signaling her to behave and stop staring. She pretended to comply, but secretly glanced at his waist to see if he had a key. Unfortunately, none of the dozen or so people in front of her had a key; it seemed only Twelve had one.
Time was lost in the dungeon; the guards patrolled constantly, changing shifts every hour. After about three shifts had changed, Du Zhijin decided she couldn't wait any longer. Just as she was about to use Xingyue to pry open the lock, footsteps sounded in the distance.
She quickly shrank back into the corner, pretending to have just woken up. Twelve opened the cell door, glanced at her, and ordered, "Come with me. We're meeting someone."
Du Zhijin: "Okay."
Upon hearing this, Twelve paused, his eyes narrowing: "Are you... imitating me?"
She shook her head: "I didn't."
Only after I finished speaking did I realize that it was three words.
Twelve was certain she was imitating him, and angrily strode forward. Du Zhijin, because she had to pretend to be an ordinary person who didn't know martial arts, couldn't walk too fast, and soon she had distanced herself from him.
Fortunately, Twelve quickly realized she had been left behind, and strode back, her clear black and white eyes beneath the mask revealing a hint of resentment.
Oh no, did I anger him? Du Zhijin's heart skipped a beat. Just as he was about to draw his sword, he suddenly found his vision shift and he was being carried again.
He was still that same thin, bony figure, and a faint voice sounded in her ear: "You walk too slowly."
Du Zhijin: "...So '了' counts as a word? Wait a minute! Has anyone ever told you that carrying someone like this is actually very uncomfortable?"
Twelve stared at her, his thin lips parting slightly: "Never. They're all... dead."
This person is the only one who is demanding and noisy.
We can't kill them yet.
Du Zhijin didn't feel like she was being "noisy" at all. Because although Amo would scold her, she still managed to do what she asked in the end.
"Could you change positions?"
Twelve silently met her gaze. After a moment, he changed his posture.
Ying Jianhua saw Du Zhijin, who had been carried all the way here. Noticing him watching, she waved to him.
His worries subsided somewhat.
Twelve carried the man to his side and put him down, then said to Eleven, who was standing nearby, "The man has arrived."
Eleven nodded, pressed the mechanism, and stepped out. The stone door slowly slid down, and Eleven and Twelve disappeared without a trace, leaving only Ying Jianhua and Du Zhijin in the dark room.
In the darkness, she held his hand, saying nothing, yet it seemed as if everything was said. Ying Jianhua slowly exhaled a breath of stale air and whispered a reminder: "That person may want to see us."
It was obvious who that person was. He actually had a lot to say to Du Zhijin, but now was not the right time. Eleven and Twelve were not there, but the number of eyes watching them was still just as high.
The two held hands silently for a moment. Ying Jianhua felt his pulse gradually return to normal, and he wrote the word "Dungeon" in her palm.
Clearly, after they separated, he was also taken to the dungeon and imprisoned.
Du Zhijin was slightly taken aback, then, using his sleeve to conceal himself, he exchanged information with him in the same way: "[The suppression is deepening; the dragon vein may be nearby.]"
This sentence was rather long, and Ying Jian took a while to realize it. His fingertips hovered in the air for a moment, and just as he was about to continue writing, he was interrupted by a voice:
"Is the person below the stage Ying Yun's son?"
Du Zhijin suddenly raised his head to find the source of the sound.
When did it appear? Why was she completely unaware?
However, there was no one in front of them. The voice seemed to descend from the sky, able to travel without a physical form.
She thought to herself that the emperor was more cautious than they had imagined; no wonder the monsters hadn't succeeded in harming him all these years.
Even though the person was not in front of her, Ying Jianhua still bowed respectfully, earnestly playing the role of "the descendant of a loyal minister".
"This humble subject should see the painting and pay homage to Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor!"
Du Zhijin followed Lian Su in bowing, but remained silent, finding it strange to speak. Fortunately, the emperor's attention was not on her at all. He dismissed their formalities and said to Ying Jianhua, "Many years have passed in the blink of an eye. Ying Yun actually has a child now. I thought he would never marry and have children in his life."
Du Zhijin blinked. What does that mean? It seems like the Emperor and Amo's father have a pretty good relationship.
Ying Jianhua also looked extremely apprehensive. He first thanked the emperor, then paused and slowly explained the fact that Ying Yun had passed away.
The emperor listened in silence for a long time. After a while, he sighed, his voice instantly growing much older: "The four sufferings follow one another, and no one can escape them. Birth cannot be avoided, old age cannot be avoided, sickness cannot be escaped, and death cannot be defied. It is only a pity that your father and I were unable to clear up the misunderstanding until his death."
"Fortunately, Yingyun still has a son, so I can still make it up to you."
"Ying Jianhua, would you be willing to follow in your father's footsteps and remain in the palace as the Director of Painting in the Inner Court?"
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