Chapter 29 Silver Saddle and White Horse
Chu Jiubian held the gun steadily with both hands, his gaze passing through the fighting guards and assassins, looking towards the distant shadows of trees hidden behind the high wall.
He remembered which tree, which branch, had the archers crouching on.
The rain stopped completely around noon today, and now the sun is shining brightly, with a beautiful rainbow in the sky.
With this shot, the opponent is no longer a target or a mannequin, but a real, flesh-and-blood person.
The veins on the back of Chu Jiubian's hand bulged.
If he doesn't kill, people will kill him.
He must abandon the civilized rules of modern people and use absolute power to deter those prying eyes in the shadows.
The index finger slowly bends.
Another arrow shot from between the trees, and Chu Jiubian pulled the trigger at the same time.
Bang--
The muzzle of the gun, without a silencer, emitted an almost deafening sound in the quiet environment.
Chu Jiubian heard a "ding" sound, and the whole world seemed to quiet down.
The bullet grazed the arrow and struck the archer's throat a hundred meters away with lightning speed.
Chu Jiubian's light-colored pupils reflected the swaying shadows of the trees in the distance.
He pulled the trigger again.
Another loud bang, and the branches of another tree began to shake violently.
He picked up his binoculars and saw that the archers in the two trees had disappeared, leaving only splattered blood.
Outside the sedan chair, the two sides fighting seemed to be paused, all looking at the sedan chair in the center.
They were all dressed in black, with their faces covered by matching cloths, revealing only pairs of eyes filled with horror and fear.
What is it?
What was that thunderous roar just now?
Before they could react, there was another loud bang.
The assassin, who was holding a short knife, fell to the ground with a thud, his eyes wide open, a bloody hole the size of a thumb between his eyebrows, from which blood gushed out.
The bodyguard who had fought the assassin earlier instinctively took two steps back, moving away from the corpse lying on the ground.
He was deeply shocked. He looked at the corpse in disbelief, then turned to look at the sedan chair a hundred meters away.
He seemed to have seen something shoot out of the sedan chair and hit the assassin between the eyebrows.
But it wasn't an arrow, nor was it any kind of hidden weapon. He had never seen anything that could pierce a person's head from such a distance.
Due to the limitations of weapons and materials available at the time, even the strongest archers could not shoot through a person's skull from a hundred meters away.
Moreover, it wasn't just this side; the guards and assassins with excellent eyesight also noticed the archers' unusual behavior in the distance.
Perhaps it was that thing shot out from the sedan chair that also took the lives of those archers.
So what exactly is it?
It's so fast that it's almost invisible to the human eye.
And why did it emit such a terrifying thunderous sound?
The person in the sedan chair...
Everyone simultaneously thought of the rumors circulating in the capital, and of Chu Jiubian's other identity besides being an official of the imperial court—
Immortal.
That person is truly an immortal!
Everyone was utterly horrified.
Suddenly, one after another, the sound of people falling to the ground rang out.
The guards all took a few steps back, disregarding everything else, and hurriedly looked warily at the scattered corpses of the assassins.
"He took poison," one person said, realizing what had happened.
The other guards immediately rushed to check the bodies and confirmed that they had all committed suicide by poison.
However, they seemed to understand why these assassins suddenly committed suicide, since they had come to assassinate a god!
What goes around comes around. They attempted to assassinate a god; what a terrible sin that must have been!
So, before things get out of hand and the situation becomes even more complicated, it's better to make amends by dying.
The four sedan bearers remained stationed around the sedan chair, never more than two meters apart, and were therefore the ones most affected by the impact.
When the first muffled thunderous sound exploded in the sedan chair, they were already terrified, almost thinking that lightning had struck the roof of the sedan chair.
But they soon discovered that this was not the case; the person inside the sedan chair was controlling the thunder.
And every time thunder roars, an assassin dies.
How terrifying it is to control thunder!
The sedan bearers had heard before that Chu Jiubian could accurately predict the weather; he could even know when it would rain and when it would stop. So it seemed only natural that he could also control thunder.
But is this really something that ordinary people can do?
No!
Absolutely not.
The Ninth Prince in the sedan chair must truly be a celestial being descended to earth!
On a clear day, a few muffled claps of thunder were heard, startling the nearby government offices of the Six Ministries. Many officials went out into the courtyard, looking at the sky in surprise, but there were no dark clouds in sight.
"How can there be thunder in broad daylight?"
"I'm afraid someone made a rash oath and was actually struck down by lightning."
"It doesn't sound like thunder to me. It sounds like it's coming from the main street."
"What else could it be but thunder? It couldn't be some heavy object that smashed through the road, could it? Hahahaha."
Everyone laughed, not taking it seriously.
Wang Pengyi stood in the courtyard, his brow furrowed as he gazed in the direction of Chang'an's main street, a bad premonition creeping over him.
Could it be that Grandfather and the others made a move?
What could be causing such a grand spectacle?
He couldn't help but recall the extraordinary qualities of that Ninth Prince.
Could the "thunderous sound" just now be related to this person?
On the main street, the guards were at a loss as to what to do next.
Previously, Qin Xiao had given them orders to follow Chu Jiubian's arrangements in everything they did, as long as it did not harm Baili Hong and Qin Xiao, Chu Jiubian could make the decisions.
Therefore, it is up to Chu Jiubian to decide how to deal with the bodies of these assassins.
However, the other party had not shown himself since then, and they did not know whether the immortal needed to rest after using his divine power, or whether there were any taboos, so they did not dare to disturb him for the time being.
In the silence, the leading guard stepped forward and bowed, about to ask a question when he suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure.
The newcomer wore a dark brocade robe embroidered with gold python patterns; it was none other than Qin Xiao.
Chu Jiubian had already stored the pistol in his system space.
His eyes were downcast, his ears ringing from the loud bang of the gunshot. He couldn't hear any outside sounds, only the frantic, chaotic beating of his own heart.
His gaze fell on his pale, thin hands. He saw that his palms were tinged with a faint pink, and his hands and arms were trembling with excitement.
He killed someone.
He really killed someone.
It turned out that this matter was easier than he had imagined.
Something trapped inside the twisted cell door seemed to finally break free, gradually eroding his remaining sanity.
"murderer!"
"You and he are the same, you are both murderers!"
"Why wasn't it you who died! Why don't you go and die!"
"You all deserve to die! You all deserve to die!"
The woman's hysterical screams echoed in his mind. Chu Jiubian seemed to see her rushing over frantically, her hands tightly gripping his neck, her empty eyes filled with decaying hatred.
murderer.
He has the blood of a murderer in his veins and the genes of violence.
He saw the madness in the woman's eyes fade, replaced by endless grief and helplessness. She hugged him tightly, repeatedly saying sorry.
He reached out to touch the woman's shoulder, but she suddenly stood up, grabbed his thin arm, and pushed him to the dirty bedside, which was covered in vomit and alcohol.
The man, dead drunk, lay on top of it, snoring loudly.
The woman ran to the kitchen, grabbed a knife, and knelt down in front of him.
She placed the kitchen knife in his small palm and gripped it tightly.
Chu Jiubian saw the woman smile at him, a smile that was extremely gentle, but her eyes were filled with tears.
"Baby, kill him. Please kill him."
"Please help your mother."
"Please save my mother!"
He was hoarse and exhausted.
Chu Jiubian felt his hands trembling violently.
He felt dizzy and nauseous, as if his stomach was churning.
He was suddenly shoved away roughly by the woman, who also snatched the kitchen knife from him.
"If you won't kill me, fine, I will!" The woman's expression turned crazed as she raised her knife and slashed fiercely at the person on the bed.
Blood filled his eyes.
Chu Jiubian suddenly smelled a faint smell of gunpowder.
He looked down and saw his own slender hands, unlike those of a child; he smelled the lingering scent of gunfire on his hands.
Most of the nail on his right thumb had been torn off, leaving it bloody and mangled. He raised his hand to touch his lips, then removed the half of the nail that he had bitten off.
My frantic heartbeat suddenly calmed down.
He threw away his nails and gently wiped the blood from his lips with a handkerchief.
He calmly bought alcohol, anti-inflammatory medicine, and gauze from the system store and skillfully bandaged the wound.
The excruciating pain spread throughout my limbs and bones, accompanied by ringing in my ears, yet my mind grew increasingly clear.
Unlike in modern times, in ancient times, disinfection and proper bandaging were necessary; otherwise, infection would be a serious problem.
Suddenly, the curtain of the sedan chair beside him was lifted, and sunlight streamed in, shining on the young man's pale face.
Chu Jiubian was startled, and the tinnitus in his ears subsided.
He turned his head to look out the window.
The man's well-defined knuckles lifted the dark sedan curtain, and Chu Jiubian saw the man's dark robe, with a belt embroidered with dark patterns cinching his lean waist, and the outline of his muscles rising and falling beneath the fabric.
The man leaned slightly forward, revealing an incomparably handsome face.
Qin Xiao met Chu Jiubian's indifferent eyes through the side window of the sedan chair, his gaze slowly falling on the crimson mark on the other's lips.
Further down, he saw the young man's hands, which were covered in blood.
A deathly silence.
Qin Xiao raised his hand and lifted the sedan curtain to the top of the sedan. He then reached into the side window with both hands and tied the bandages on Chu Jiubian's fingers.
Chu Jiubian looked down and suddenly smiled.
"What are you laughing at?" Qin Xiao asked.
Chu Jiubian looked up at him.
The two were separated by a window, but very close, close enough that he could see an inconspicuous little mole on Qin Xiao's nose.
Instead of answering, he asked, "When did you arrive?"
"While you were displaying your divine power," Qin Xiao said, withdrawing his hands and looking at him with a half-smile, "I just didn't expect that even immortals would have to damage their own bodies to cast spells."
Chu Jiubian also laughed: "Unexpected."
Qin Xiao straightened up, lowered the sedan curtain, and then said to the four sedan bearers in the distance, "Go to your shift."
The sedan chair was lifted again and steadily carried to the official residence.
The guards had already moved the corpses to a pile, clearing a wide road.
Qin Xiao stood there, watching the sedan chair go further and further away until it turned into the alley and disappeared completely.
"My lord, what should we do with these assassins?" the head of the secret guards asked.
Qin Xiao: "Find An Wuji."
"yes."
When An Wuji arrived after receiving the news, Qin Xiao was no longer there.
He looked at the pile of corpses, then at the ground with little blood, and finally fixed his gaze on the most obvious pool of blood.
"Sir, look at this corpse."
An Wuji walked over and saw the assassin who had been shot in the head.
His eyes darkened slightly, and a storm raged within him.
He was in the imperial city just now, not far from here, so he naturally heard those three loud noises.
He connected it to Chu Jiubian almost instantly.
Is this the work of a celestial being?
That's really impressive.
An Wuji already firmly believed in Chu Jiubian's identity as a deity, and now he felt even more awe.
fine.
Fortunately, the young master and the lord are of one mind. Having such a powerful deity in one's camp provides a great sense of security.
"Sir, what should we do with these corpses?"
An Wuji snapped out of his thoughts, a cold glint in his eyes, and said in a deep voice, "Return it to where it came from."
"yes!"
Before long, a guard from the Xiao family hurriedly arrived at the main courtyard where the family head was located.
Only after being informed by the servant was he allowed to enter the courtyard.
Under the long pavilion in the courtyard, the head of the family, Xiao Yao, was sitting and talking with Xiao Huaiguan, the Minister of Personnel.
"Reporting to the patriarch and Minister, news just came from Furong Garden that all the assassins we sent out have perished, and the Imperial Guards even threw their bodies back into Furong Garden."
Furong Garden was the courtyard where they, a group of powerful and influential people, had previously discussed important matters.
Xiao Huaiguan stared at the guard with his cloudy eyes and asked in a gentle tone, "How did they all die?"
"Thirty-seven people committed suicide by poison, two died from stab wounds, and one..."
Xiao Yao placed a white piece, forcing the black pieces into a desperate situation.
He looked up and smiled at the guard.
The guard turned pale and immediately knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "There is another person whose forehead was pierced by an unknown object, and the other archers are nowhere to be seen."
The six archers sent were from the Lu and Wang families. They must have all returned to the Lu family alive, or their bodies were taken back by people from both families.
"What do you mean by 'unknown object'?" Xiao Huaiguan asked, puzzled. "What kind of weapon can pierce right through the center of the forehead?"
"I don't know." The guard began to tremble, as if he had just thought of something.
Xiao Yao opened his fan and gently waved it, his voice and tone as pleasant as a spring breeze: "What's the use of having a tongue if you can't even speak clearly?"
Xiao Huaiguan glanced at him.
The guard trembled even more violently, stammering, "Reporting to the master, I have heard that the artifact is a divine weapon, created by Grand Tutor Chu summoning heavenly lightning!"
Xiao Huaiguan chuckled: "That's quite amazing."
"Divine weapons?" Xiao Yao was very interested, and he sat up straighter. "Tell me in detail."
"Commander Xiao told his subordinates only this much, the rest..."
Before the guard could finish speaking, a middle-aged man dressed in a tight-fitting outfit walked in from outside the courtyard.
The other person was nearly 1.9 meters tall. Although he was almost 40 years old and still had a full beard, one could still see the beautiful face that belonged to the Xiao family.
Xiao Ying dismissed the guard and then bowed to Xiao Yao and Xiao Huaiguan.
"Second cousin, please have a seat." Xiao Yao gestured to the stool beside him, showing no airs of a family head whatsoever.
"Thank you, Patriarch." Xiao Ying walked over and sat down.
"But has the truth been found out?"
"Yes." Xiao Ying was the commander of the Xiao family's 30,000 private soldiers. From the moment he learned that they were going to take action against Chu Jiubian, he personally guarded the vicinity of Chang'an Street.
Upon hearing the three thunderous sounds, he had a bad feeling and hurriedly rushed over, only to find that all the assassins on the official road had already committed suicide.
Fortunately, there were still four archers left. He stopped one of them to ask for a general understanding, and then told his subordinate to come back and tell Xiao Yao.
He stayed behind to learn the details, and then hurried back.
Now that he's sat down, he recounts everything he's heard in detail.
"You mean, Chu Jiubian summoned heavenly lightning and killed three assassins?" Xiao Huaiguan shook his head and chuckled, "That's a bit absurd."
“Absurd?” Xiao Yao looked at him with sparkling eyes. “I think it’s not impossible.”
Xiao Huaiguan raised an eyebrow: "Does the patriarch believe this?"
Xiao Yao's eyes gleamed with a strange light: "Being able to accurately predict celestial phenomena, and with so many miracles, it wouldn't be surprising if he could also trigger heavenly lightning."
Moreover, even if it wasn't a heavenly lightning strike that killed him, it's enough to prove that Chu Jiubian has absolute means of self-preservation.
Even without Qin Xiao's secret guards, the assassins they sent couldn't do anything to the other side.
"It's such a pity that such a person cannot be used by my Xiao family." Xiao Yao shook his head as he spoke, muttering to himself, "No, how could such a person be controlled by others?"
Xiao Huaiguan slightly composed himself and coughed twice.
Xiao Yao's eyes flickered, and he quickly feigned concern, asking, "Is Uncle unwell?"
Xiao Huaiguan sighed, "When people get old, their brains get old too."
"Uncle, you flatter me." Xiao Yao said with a hint of trepidation, "I am young and inexperienced. Our Xiao family's great ship still needs your help to steer it."
Xiao Huaiguan chuckled, "The patriarch is making the old man happy again."
"I mean it sincerely." Xiao Yao poured him a cup of tea, raised the cup to him and said, "Please have some tea to soothe your throat. I'll need your help in making decisions about what to do next."
Xiao Huaiguan stared at him intently, his cloudy eyes filled with a smile, but instead of gentleness and kindness, they exuded a strong sense of oppression.
Xiao Yao's hands did not tremble, and the humble smile on his face remained unchanged.
After a long while, Xiao Huaiguan finally took the teacup from his hand and took a sip.
Xiao Ying kept his eyes slightly lowered throughout, as if he hadn't noticed the subtle atmosphere between the two.
The teacup made a crisp sound when it was placed on the table.
“This man is quite capable; we should avoid his sharp edge for now,” Xiao Huaiguan said gently. “However, we must be careful about his cooperation with Prince Ning.”
"Does Uncle mean we should try to sow discord between these two?"
Someone as capable as Chu Jiubian, who has stepped into the vortex of power in the capital, will certainly not be content to be subordinate to others.
He must have a higher and more unspeakable purpose.
Therefore, he did not choose to cooperate with Qin Xiao, but rather, given the current situation, what Qin Xiao could offer him was what suited his needs best.
Xiao Huaiguan said, "Let's wait and see for now."
He picked up a black piece and placed it on the board, instantly turning a seemingly hopeless situation into a chance for survival.
"This relationship, based on mutual benefit, will naturally break down as well," he said, as if sighing.
Xiao Yao looked down at the chessboard and said gently, "Zimei has learned a lot."
Is it profitable?
But what if Chu Jiubian really is a god?
His so-called "love tribulation" with Qin Xiao was the foundation for their close cooperation.
A love tribulation.
Since it is a "calamity," it cannot be considered a good thing.
There is affection, but also calamity; that emotional "betrayal" is the weapon that can break down the relationship between these two.
Xiao Yao stroked the white pieces in his hand and gently placed one down.
The Wang family.
Wang Huanzhi found these arguments laughable.
The common people believe in ghosts and gods, but the powerful and wealthy do not necessarily do so.
The so-called gods, the divine right of kings, and the celestial phenomena are nothing more than methods for emperors to control people's hearts.
How could there possibly be a God in this world?
But his gaze involuntarily drifted to the archer's corpse in the courtyard. The man had a small bloody gash between his eyebrows, and his eyes were wide open, as if he couldn't believe he had died so easily.
How exactly did Chu Jiubian kill the person?
Could he really be a god?
Even Wang Huanzhi's supposedly firm resolve was thrown into turmoil.
Wang Zhiyuan, the Minister of Rites, and his advisor Wang Zhang, who were standing to the side, also had their brows furrowed and their faces were full of solemnity.
If Chu Jiubian is truly a god, then his close relationship with Qin Xiao is not a good thing for them.
How can mortals possibly defeat gods?
They must find a way to create discord between Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao, otherwise they will be subservient to Qin Xiao for the rest of their lives!
It must be said that these powerful and influential people do have a tacit understanding, as they all thought of the same thing.
In the study of the main courtyard of the Lu family, Lu Youwei, the Minister of War, and his strategist Lu Tong shared the same idea.
Only the family head, Lu Jinfeng, frowned and said, "I have said before that assassination is the work of a despicable person, and it has utterly disgraced the Lu family."
"Yes, you are indeed upright and honest. But isn't this vast Lu family supported by treacherous villains like us? If we relied on you—"
Looking at Lu Jinfeng's ugly face, Lu Youwei sneered, "Our Lu family went with Qin Jingzhao and his wife eight years ago."
Lu Jinfeng's face was cold and stern as he stood up and walked out.
As he reached the door, he stopped and said, "The Lu family did indeed die eight years ago, having harmed loyal and virtuous people."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Behind him, Lu Youwei crushed the teacup in his hand with a bang.
At the same time, a cold sneer was heard in the main courtyard of the Qiu family.
"What gods and ghosts? They're just useless trash who can't even kill a person properly." Qiu Xuanzheng, the head of the Qiu family, picked up his two large hammers. "I'm going to meet that so-called Ninth Young Master."
"Qiu Ren! You stop right there!" Qiu Heng, the Minister of Justice, strode forward and reached out to snatch the two large hammers from his hands.
Qiu Xuanzheng held on tightly, saying impatiently, "Brother, let go. He's just a charlatan. I'll kill him today, so you won't have to worry about this and that all the time."
"Whose father are you talking to?" Qiu Heng said angrily. "Do you know what it means to shoot through a person's skull from a hundred paces away? You'd be shot dead before you even got close to him!"
"Don't listen to their nonsense. How could someone shoot through a person's skull from a hundred paces away? They must have been too close."
If he were close enough, he could smash a person into a pulp with a single blow.
Qiu Heng's forehead veins throbbed: "You better stay put and behave yourself. Whether you're practicing martial arts or training soldiers, just don't go out and cause me any trouble."
Chu Jiubian's performance today was clearly intended to intimidate.
He was telling everyone that he, Chu Jiubian, was not someone to be trifled with.
Anyone who wants to lay a hand on him should first consider whether they are qualified.
Clearly, with his own abilities and Qin Xiao's protection, it would be extremely difficult for anyone else to get close to him.
Qiu Xuanzheng never listened to anyone since he was a child, except for his own elder brother who could keep him in check.
At this moment, he was scolded by his elder brother and did not dare to really go and compete with Chu Jiubian. He could only put down the double hammers in frustration.
Just then, the butler came in from outside the courtyard.
"Master, sir, our caravan has sent word that the Northern Desert Army has created two new items that greatly enhance the cavalry's strength after being equipped on their warhorses."
"Oh?" Qiu Xuanzheng became interested. "What kind of object is it?"
"They're supposedly called stirrups and saddles, but their specific design and practical use in combat are still unknown. We expect to receive more updates in a few days," the steward reported.
"Stirrups and saddles?" Qiu Xuanzheng frowned. "Where have I heard that name before?"
"Brother, have you heard of this?" He turned to look at his elder brother, only to see that the other's expression was rather unpleasant, so he quickly asked, "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
"have!"
There's a big problem!
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