Chapter 48 It Was Him
Three days later, on the outskirts of Beijing, in an abandoned mountain god temple.
Night fell over the dilapidated temple, and the cold wind howled, rustling the withered grass and adding to the eeriness of the place.
Lou Jin did not enter the temple himself. Instead, he, Shan Lan, and several elite guards hid in the dense forest not far from the temple, where they had a high vantage point and could see all the movements around the temple.
As midnight approached, a dark figure appeared like a ghost in front of the mountain god temple, looked around warily, and then quickly slipped into the temple.
A moment later, another person arrived on horseback. This person was wearing a cloak with the brim of his hat pulled low, making it impossible to see his face.
He dismounted outside the temple, observed cautiously for a moment, and then stepped into the dilapidated temple.
Later, although this person was well disguised, the way he walked and the faintly visible fabric of his robes suggested that he was not an ordinary person, or even a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person of martial arts and chivalry).
Whispers could be faintly heard from inside the temple, but they were indistinct due to the distance and the sound of the wind.
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the first dark figure to arrive emerged and disappeared into the night with a few leaps.
Then, the cloaked man came out, mounted his horse, and prepared to leave.
Just as he turned his horse around, a strong gust of wind blew by, lifting the brim of his cloak and hood.
Although it was only for a moment, Lou Jin and Shan Lan both clearly saw the person's profile.
It was him?
Lou Jin was shocked. Although he had some suspicions, the confirmation still sent a chill down his spine.
Just as Lou Jin was thinking rapidly, a sudden change occurred!
Several crossbow bolts shot at the man from the shadows without warning.
He reacted extremely quickly, tumbling off his horse and narrowly avoiding a fatal blow, but he was still struck in the shoulder by an arrow and let out a muffled groan.
"Silence them!" Shan Lan whispered.
Almost simultaneously, another group of men in black rushed out from different directions, their target clearly aimed at killing him!
The scene instantly descended into chaos.
"Save him!" Lou Jin made a decisive decision. This was an important witness; he couldn't die!
Upon receiving the order, Shan Lan darted out like a cheetah, unleashing a barrage of hidden weapons that instantly felled two men in black. The other guards also joined the fray.
The group of men in black who were trying to silence the witnesses were caught off guard, as they hadn't anticipated the mantis stalking the cicada unaware of the oriole behind.
But they were clearly also suicide squads; seeing that the mission might fail, their offensive became even more frantic.
He tried to escape in the chaos, but was blocked by the mountain mist.
"If you want to live, come with us obediently." Shan Lan's voice was icy.
Just as Shan Lan was about to subdue him, an extremely sharp sword light suddenly attacked from the side, aiming straight for Shan Lan's throat!
This sword strike was fast and ruthless, with a tricky angle; it was clearly the work of a master!
Shanlan was forced to retreat and engage in a fierce battle with the swordsman who had suddenly appeared.
Upon seeing this, a fierce glint flashed in the man's eyes. Ignoring his shoulder injury, he suddenly fled into the depths of the dense forest!
"Chase them!" Lou Jin ordered.
Two bodyguards immediately gave chase.
However, the other party seemed quite familiar with the terrain, and through twists and turns, temporarily shook off the pursuers and disappeared into the dark woods.
Shan Lan exchanged more than a dozen blows with the swordsman. The opponent's martial arts skills were beyond his expectations. Seeing that the witness had already escaped, the swordsman made a feint and quickly withdrew as well. His movements were so strange that the guards were unable to stop him.
The battle ended quickly; the men in black who were trying to silence the witnesses either died or escaped, leaving only a few corpses at the scene.
Shan Lan returned to Lou Jin's side and knelt on one knee: "Master, I am incompetent and let the target escape. Please punish me."
Lou Jin stared in the direction the swordsman had disappeared, his expression calm and serene.
“It doesn’t matter. He was hit by a crossbow bolt, he can’t run far. Besides…” He paused, his voice laced with sarcasm.
"He has already told us enough information."
Tonight, although no one was captured alive, Xuanhu's identity is about to be revealed.
His good younger brother really kept it a secret.
"Clean up the scene, let's go back."
It was already the hour of Yin when they returned to the King Jin's mansion.
Ye Xunyang waited anxiously in the study. When he saw Lou Jin return safely, his heart finally settled down. He immediately stepped forward and took Lou Jin's slightly cool hand.
"Your Highness, are you alright? Are you injured?"
"It's alright." Lou Jin took his hand in return, feeling a reassuring warmth in his palm.
He briefly told Ye Xunyang what had happened at the mountain god temple.
"It was him!" Ye Xunyang's face was full of disbelief.
"He usually seems so quiet, I never imagined he was so secretive! Could he have also been involved in what happened three years ago..."
"Even if they weren't the mastermind, they must have known the inside story, or even been involved."
"Now that he has gained more power, he can no longer restrain himself. The incident at the villa was probably done by his men, either to test the waters or to find the old soldiers who might know the inside story and kill them to silence them."
Ye Xunyang felt a chill run down his spine: "So what do we do next? Expose him?"
"There is no concrete evidence yet," Lou Jin shook his head.
"The witness has escaped, and there is no way to verify the truth. Based solely on our statements, we cannot harm a prince who is currently enjoying the emperor's favor; on the contrary, we might alert him."
He pondered for a moment and said, "Now that he has made his move, it won't be the only time. We need to wait for him to act again and gather irrefutable evidence."
"But this puts us in a very passive position!" Ye Xunyang said anxiously, "What if he uses some underhanded tricks again..."
“So, we need to force him to move, and we need to make him move to the place we’ve predetermined.” Lou Jin’s eyes flashed with calculation.
"Fog Mountain".
"Your subordinate is here." From the shadows, Wushan appeared in response.
"Sneak out the news that we've intercepted secret correspondence between a medicinal herb merchant from the southern border and a certain eunuch in the palace, and that we're doing our best to investigate. Remember, make it sound like a secret we've worked so hard to keep, but we've inadvertently let it slip."
"Understood, sir." Wushan accepted the order.
After Wushan withdrew, Ye Xunyang pondered, "Does Your Highness want him to lose his composure?"
“That’s right.” Lou Jin nodded. “He must be alarmed to know what we’ve found out. Now that he’s heard that the secret letter might have been leaked, he will definitely take action, either to destroy the evidence or to silence those who know about it again.”
"Then we can just wait and see!" Ye Xunyang's eyes lit up.
"Therefore, in the next few days, the defenses of the manor should be relaxed on the outside but tight on the inside. You should be extra careful when you go in and out. I will have Mushan lead a team to protect you secretly."
"I'm fine, it's mainly your Highness who's worried..." Ye Xunyang was more concerned about Lou Jin's safety.
Lou Jin smiled slightly, his smile carrying a long-lost sharpness: "Rest assured, I am no longer the ignorant fool I once was."
Sure enough, the fish took the bait in just two days.
In the dead of night, several dark figures sneaked into the Jinwang Mansion like ghosts, their target clear: the study in the main courtyard!
They were swift and ruthless, clearly highly trained assassins.
However, as soon as they stepped into the courtyard of the study, countless torches suddenly lit up all around, illuminating the courtyard as if it were daytime!
"I've been waiting for a long time." Lou Jin's cold voice rang out from under the corridor.
He was not in a wheelchair, but stood with his hands behind his back, dressed in a long black robe. In the firelight, his posture was upright and his aura was imposing.
The assassins were shocked to see this and realized they had fallen into a trap, but they were still on their mission and charged toward Lou Jin without fear of death.
Before Lou Jin could make a move, the hidden guards who had been lying in ambush all around surged out like a tide and instantly engaged the assassins in a fierce battle.
The clash of swords and the clang of weapons shattered the tranquility of the night.
Ye Xunyang, holding a long spear, stood protectively beside Lou Jin, his eyes scanning the battlefield warily.
His martial arts skills were already quite good, and these days of sparring with Lou Jin have made him even more proficient.
Lou Jin watched the battle unfold before him with a calm gaze, as if he had everything under control.
These assassins were skilled in martial arts, but they did not gain the upper hand against Shan Lan and her numerous secret guards who were well-prepared.
The battle quickly turned into a one-sided affair.
One after another, the assassins fell. When the last one saw that all was lost, a resolute look flashed in his eyes. He suddenly bit into the poison sac between his teeth and died instantly.
"Clean it up," Lou Jin ordered casually, as if he were only dealing with a few annoying flies.
"Your Highness, not a single survivor was left," Shan Lan reported after checking.
"It's alright." Lou Jin wasn't surprised.
"Their presence is the best evidence."
He turned to Ye Xunyang: "Tomorrow, come to the palace with me."
"Enter the palace?" Ye Xunyang was taken aback.
"Hmm." Lou Jin's eyes flashed with a cold light.
"It's time to collect some interest from my good brothers."
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