Chapter 38 An Arrow in the Back
The vast city of Yanling City was so large that Meng Gao's thousand-plus defenders were definitely not enough to cover every corner. The largest number of defenders were at the city gates, and then as they moved through the streets, they would split into teams of seven or eight, knocking on doors and searching every household.
"Look up!" A man just walked out of a house and looked up to see a man wearing a Yama mask and night clothes on the eaves of the opposite house.
After a brief moment of astonishment, he widened his eyes, drew his long knife from his side, pointed it at the target, and shouted, "Call someone over here!"
The person next to him immediately pulled out his whistling arrow and shot it into the sky.
After the sharp noise, the officers and soldiers on the surrounding streets heard the sound and rushed over here with hurried and chaotic footsteps.
Wen Yao deliberately squatted on the eaves for a while, making sure that everyone nearby could see her clearly before turning around and running away.
There's actually not much difference between walking a person and walking a dog.
In the eyes of these people, the mask on Wen Yao's face was like a rein around their necks. In a moment, half of the officers and soldiers on the street gave up their original search direction and were led by Wen Yao to an alley far away from the clinic.
Also because this place is close to the county government office, the search personnel probably did not think that the fugitive they were pursuing had the courage to live near the county government office, so he was easily transferred away from here.
"call out!"
A strong gust of wind blew, and in the blink of an eye, dozens of long arrows flew towards Wen Yao from the restaurants and shops on both sides. The shooters were ordinary soldiers, much easier to deal with than the man from Yushan Villa. Wen Yao paid no attention to the barrage of arrows. With ghostly speed, he dashed out of the encirclement. Looking back, the Yama mask on his face looked even more captivating in the sudden moonlight shining through the night sky.
A bad premonition came, and the officers and soldiers chasing in the front felt nervous. They watched helplessly as the "Yan Luo" had an arrow in his hand, which flew out of his hand and rushed straight towards him with great ferocity!
A sharp murderous intent enveloped him from top to bottom. At this moment, he didn't even have time to move and could only close his eyes.
He thought he was about to die, but he didn't expect that the arrow was not aimed at his face, but went straight down to two inches in front of his boot, and half of it penetrated the bluestone brick.
His heart was pounding, and when he didn't feel any pain, he opened his eyes, sweating profusely, and subconsciously looked down. Seeing the condition of the arrow, a breath of air clenched in his chest, unable to escape, and he even felt a little dazed.
How could an ordinary person possess such power? Was it a human or a ghost that he was ordered to hunt?
"Boss." The person beside him called him tremblingly, "That person is gone."
He raised his eyes and sure enough, there was no trace of anyone on the roof in front of him.
After Wen Yao finished scaring people, he climbed up the wall and came to the city's market tower. The market tower stood on both sides of the storefronts, with four stories high, high enough to overlook most of the scenery in Yanling City.
She squatted on one knee on the roof of the city building, watching as most of the people being hunted in the city were successfully lured here, with strings of torches stretching endlessly under her feet.
Very good, Xiaodao's place shouldn't be crowded. He just needed to go back to the courtyard, change his clothes, and wait quietly until the city gates opened at dawn, then he could take Ayin out of the city.
Although no one probably knows what "Yan Luo" looks like at the moment, Wen Yao still hopes that Xiaodao can take Ayin away from Yanling and start a new life easily in another place.
A breeze blew up from above, and Wen Yao's hair moved with it. She squinted her eyes and looked towards the alley in the courtyard, following the direction of the wind.
Compared to the bustling Yanling, the small alley next to the county government office was remarkably quiet. Without a flickering torch in the night, the alley seemed like a sleeping beast, quietly crouching in the darkness.
Wen Yao stared at it for a while, licked his dry lips, and suddenly felt something was wrong.
Even if she had deliberately led some people away, that area was still too quiet compared to other places, a quietness that was out of place.
She was lost in thought, her hand subconsciously reaching for the Xingyi Sword at her waist, gripping the hilt and pulling it out. With the resounding sound of the sword being unsheathed, Wen Yao suddenly rose and disappeared into the darkness before her.
The whole city was in turmoil.
The elite members of the Feathered Guards, wearing heavy armor, stood on the left and right at the gate of the county government office. Like the Feathered Guards at the street corner farther away, they were silent but sharp.
In the county government office, Guang Qingyu sat on a chair with a veil still on her face. She glanced at Meng Gao with some sarcasm as he took off his official hat and knelt on the ground, kowtowing desperately.
"Master Meng, why are you doing this?" She said calmly, "Even if you're not in Bianliang, you should have heard of His Royal Highness Prince Yan's temper. If that's the case, why kneel down and beg for mercy, inviting humiliation?"
When Meng Gao heard this, he felt even more regretful. He banged his head hard on the ground. Even though his forehead was bruised and bleeding, he was still trembling and didn't dare to get up.
Four feather guards stood beside Gao Shaoshan. Wu Peiming, who was pulled out of bed to work, yawned and opened the wooden box he carried with him slowly to search.
As he moved, smooth porcelain bottles and strange and ferocious-looking knives, pliers and needles were placed on the ground one by one.
Wu Peiming picked and chose, selecting a long needle from the pile of torturous objects produced by Jiutai, and then opened a porcelain bottle. A strange and alluring fragrance immediately filled the air.
"Master, please look! This is something I personally developed, called 'Heartache.'" Wu Peiming held the bottle and presented it to Zhao Xuanxu, who sat in the highest, highest seat. He spoke with great emotion, "One injection will cause excruciating pain all over the body, especially in the abdomen. Your internal organs will slowly dissolve within the space of an incense stick and be expelled from the body through the diffusion orifices."
Zhao Xuanxu had his black hair hanging down, one hand supporting his head, the other hand resting on his knee, his expression indifferent, neither ugly nor handsome.
Wu Peiming and Gao Shaoshan, who were standing below, secretly looked up at the strange red at the corners of his eyes, and both felt that Meng Gao and his "double conspirator" Guang Qingyu were doomed.
At this moment, Qianying hurried out from the side door with two people. He opened the curtain blocking the side, revealing the dead bodies lying on the ground outside.
Judging from their attire, these are not people from the government office. The waist badges hanging on their bodies are exactly the same as the one on Guangqingyu's waist.
When Zhao Xuanxu broke into the government office, these loyal people rushed to the front and were killed immediately.
"Master." Qianying lowered her head and said, "I've looked everywhere, but there's still no account book."
Zhao Xuanxu's gaze fell on Guang Qingyu, without any warmth, and he said impatiently: "Hand it over."
"Hasn't Your Highness already sent someone to check and confirmed that I don't have any account books on me?" Even at this point, Guang Qingyu remained calm. This composure earned the admiration of Gao Shaoshan and Wu Peiming.
She whispered, "If you don't have it, I'll find it for you."
Wu Peiming exclaimed, then turned around and eagerly showed Zhao Xuanxu the bottle in his hand. "Master, she won't talk. Do you want to drink it?"
To be honest, if it was Zhongli He standing here today instead of Guang Qingyu, he and General Gao might have tried to persuade their master. After all, Zhongli He was from an aristocratic family, and General Zhongli held considerable influence in the court. Killing Zhongli He would definitely be a hassle.
As for Guangqing Jade, it doesn’t matter.
No one knew her origins, and her only notable status was that of "Prince Yong's trusted advisor." While Wu Peiming felt it was a pity to kill such a clever and courageous woman, outside of Prince Yong's palace, no one would question the life and death of a commoner advisor. This was the harsh reality.
Prince Yong's reason for sending Guang Qingyu to negotiate for the Xu family wasn't just because she was indeed resourceful and capable of getting things done, but he also likely had this in mind. Knowing that Zhao Xuanxu couldn't be contained if he went mad, he naturally didn't dare risk Zhong Lihe.
Zhao Xuanxu's brows were thick with a hint of fatigue. He propped up his head and looked down at Guang Qingyu condescendingly: "Wu Peiming, peel off her skin, collect it and bring it back to Zhao Xuanfeng."
Wu Peiming smiled and bowed: "Yes."
Then, without any hesitation, he walked up to Guang Qingyu, reached out to grab her hair and drag her out.
Guangqing's heart was twitching as she thought to herself that this Prince Yan was really difficult to deal with. No matter what he said, he wouldn't listen.
She raised her eyes to the man sitting at the top and said loudly, "Wait."
The tall, thin apprentice from Jiutai Banchang stood in front of her with a smile that was extremely hypocritical: "Why, young lady, have you remembered where you put the account book?"
"No." Guang Qingyu's eyebrows were light and his expression was cold. He continued, "Your Highness and the Princess were shocked and angry about the incident with the Xu family this time. They went to the palace to see His Majesty and begged him to order a thorough investigation. If the situation is true, they will never shield the Xu family or disregard the law. The Empress is also very concerned about this. When she heard that Your Highness sent me to assist you in handling this matter, she promised that as long as I report the case truthfully, even if the Xu family is sent to prison, it will not be considered a betrayal, and she will protect my life."
"Since arriving in Yanling, I have never protected the Xu family. Even though I knew there was a substitute for you living in the courtyard, I never mentioned it to anyone else. The Empress has issued an imperial decree. Your Highness is the heir of the family. What reason do you have to kill me for this?"
Zhao Xuanxu stared at her for a moment, then suddenly leaned forward with a creepy smile on his face. "Do you think I care about the Queen's decree?"
Guang Qingyu didn't say anything.
Zhao Xuanxu: "Drag him out and skin him."
"master!"
A feathered guard strode in from outside the door, dragging a man. He stopped in front of the government office hall, let go of the man and threw him to the ground.
The man was also wearing armor and looked like an officer or soldier.
Feather Guards: "A large number of defenders suddenly appeared in the city, claiming they were hunting down Yan Luo."
The room was silent for a moment, and Zhao Xuanxu suddenly understood: "You mobilized troops, just to delay time."
He stood up from his seat at the head and walked down the hall. "You knew someone would be going to Yushan Villa today, so you arranged for someone to stake out the city. Let me guess, you already know who's behind all this. You deliberately arranged for those tenants yesterday so you could catch him today."
Even if his Ayao didn't say it, Zhao Xuanxu could tell that Ayao was unhappy about the woman's death yesterday. He was born with a vicious heart, indifferent to other people's lives, and had no feelings for the dead.
But if Wen Yao is unhappy, he is unhappy too. If he is unhappy, someone will suffer.
"Why do you think that the Queen's decree can stop me from killing you?" Zhao Xuanxu put his hand on Guang Qingyu's neck, and the next moment he suddenly tightened his grip and lifted the person up.
The force in his hands was strangely strong, and Guang Qingyu felt as if every inch of air in her chest was being squeezed out. The veil fell away, revealing a delicate and beautiful face.
It was the first time that Wu Peiming saw what Guangqingyu looked like. After taking a look at him, he couldn't help feeling a little regretful.
It's a pity that such a pretty face is about to die.
"Killing me would be like slapping Prince Yong's face. Even if His Highness is more tolerant, the ministers who follow His Highness will no longer accept you." Guang Qingyu held Zhao Xuanxu's wrist tightly and squeezed out a few words from his throat intermittently: "You can't sit in that position. It's either His Highness or the King of Qin. You have to choose one side. His Highness treats you sincerely and specifically told me not to conflict with you. Why do you have to-"
Her words were completely strangled in her throat and she was about to suffocate.
In a moment, there was a sudden sharp and loud noise outside, as if something was rising into the sky, breaking the silent night sky and giving people goose bumps.
Gao Shaoshan turned his head sharply and looked outside, saying in a deep voice, "It's Ming Di. What happened outside?"
Zhao Xuanxu frowned, let go and waved his sleeve to throw Guangqingyu aside.
There was already a vicious and fiery red mark on Guang Qingyu's neck. His back hit the ground hard, and he lay on the ground on his side, coughing awkwardly.
Her face looked extremely ugly, but she felt relieved in her heart. She looked up at the fluttering corners of Zhao Xuanxu's clothes and strode out the door.
The streets near the county government office were very quiet, without a sound at all.
The knife walks on the eaves.
His head was dizzy from all the unexpected events of the day. He suddenly thought of how he called Prince Yan "Brother Zhao", and then he thought of Wen Yao leading away the pursuers for him.
Halfway through the journey, he glanced down inadvertently and saw a candy and cake shop that was doing good business during the day.
This shop's craftsmanship is excellent. The steamed cakes are soft, sweet, and sticky, and Ayin loves them. He was in a bad mood yesterday, and Ayin, such a smart child, must have been frightened.
It was his fault, he didn't handle the matter properly.
Let’s wait until this cake shop opens tomorrow and buy more cakes.
Xiaodao thought.
You can take Ayin with you on the road and have it as a snack.
He jumped, and the whole person was like a flying swallow, floating into a dark alley.
“Puff!”
The sharp arrow forcefully broke through the air, and the cold iron shaft pierced into Xiaodao's chest from behind.
The arrow had such a powerful force that it penetrated his chest and continued forward, sending a string of blood drops tumbling down into the pillar of the cake shop opposite.
Xiaodao was slightly stunned, and even when the sharp pain came, he was still a little confused and didn't know what was going on. He suddenly lost his strength and fell straight down. He hit the ground, looked up at the night sky, and spat out a mouthful of blood.
Someone landed beside him.
Xiaodao opened his eyes and saw the expressionless man standing beside him with a longbow on his back from Yushan Villa not long ago.
"Give me the account book." The man said coldly, "Otherwise, she will die with you."
Hearing this, Xiaodao's eyes trembled and he opened them wider with effort.
He saw that, though there were no torches in the surrounding alleys, they were filled with heavily guarded soldiers. A man emerged, carrying a little girl, perhaps five or six years old. On this somewhat chilly night, the girl, wearing thin clothing, was pale from the cold and shivered.
"Ah...Ayin." Xiaodao's throat made a creaking sound. He wanted to raise his hand to stand up from the ground and take his sister back from these people.
The man raised his foot and stomped on his head.
Ayin saw it. Even from such a distance, she recognized at a glance that the person lying on the ground was her brother.
She was terrified, wiping her eyes and sobbing: "Brother... Brother, what's wrong with you, brother..."
Xiaodao gritted her teeth and wanted to comfort her brother that he was fine, but she couldn't utter a word.
The man waved his hand, and someone drew a knife and touched the sharp tip of the knife to Ayin's neck.
Xiaodao's eyes suddenly widened, his eyeballs flushed red, and veins bulged in his arms as he tried to struggle again, but he was still being stepped on.
"I'll ask you one last time, where is the account book you stole?" The man with the longbow was about to lose all his patience.
He had been waiting here for a while. The absence of the Xingyi Sword Master had saved him a lot of effort. He knew he was no match for Wen Yao. If he delayed any longer until Wen Yao arrived, it would be difficult to get the account book today.
Guang Qingyu had instructed him to retrieve the Xu family's stolen account books from this thief today. It didn't matter if Zhao Xuanxu got his hands on the Fish Scale Book; as long as the Xu family account books didn't fall into his hands, he could firmly prove that these actions were the work of a wicked servant who bullied his master and took advantage of the power of the powerful. With Prince Yong's help, the matter of the princess's two cousins could be easily dismissed.
The tip of the knife brushed close to Ayin without hesitation, leaving a glaring bloody mark on her young neck.
Xiaodao's eyes were glaring, and he was breathing like a leaky bellows, spitting out the smell of blood. "Under... under the fourth fence on the left, let her go, let her go..."
The man glanced at it, and someone immediately ran over to look for the account book. A moment later, someone came out with a wooden box, opened it, took out the book inside, and handed it to the man.
After a quick glance and confirming that this was indeed the Xu family account book, the man smiled, his anger suddenly relieved. He took the bow and arrow from his back, pointed it at Xiaodao's head, and sneered, "Okay, go ahead. Your sister will come to see you soon. She won't suffer alive."
Xiaodao's pupils constricted as he stared at the arrow above him that was ready to be shot. His heart felt like it was poured into a pool of lead water.
Suddenly, the moonlight in the sky dissipated, and the sound of a sword like a dragon's roar was heard. The dazzling cold light that fell from the sky turned and passed by the corner of Xiaodao's eyes.
He closed his eyes involuntarily, and then heard the dull sound of something hitting the ground. A stream of warm, bloody liquid continuously splashed onto his face and body.
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