"Correct,"
Shan Dongchuan nodded, "I had planned to wait for the people from the Murong Family to co knocking and then take you into custody on the spot, but unexpectedly, you had disappeared.
If we could find you soon, it would have been fine, but you were always reluctant to show up. Now ti waits for no one; we had to change our strategy, branding you as a spy from Nanjin Country, and we even sacrificed one of our own people.
Unfortunately, your two brothers didn’t take the bait, and our man was sacrificed in vain."
Jiang Shouzhong sighed, "So, you admit that you were a spy for Nanjin Country? When did you betray us? Was it after you were captured during that defeat?"
"No, I turned against Dazhou after I ca back,"
Shan Dongchuan gave an unexpected answer.
He pulled open his clothes, revealing the crisscrossing scars on his body, and said faintly:
"When the late Emperor was alive, Yanrong invaded, rebellions erupted, and the Demon Clan rose again after the resurgence of Demon Energy, Dazhou was in utter chaos. Fourteen years ago, Empress Dowager Xiao herself donned military armor, leading an army of three hundred thousand to the southern campaign against Dazhou. She forced Dazhou to sign the disgraceful ’Dan Yun Peace Treaty,’ and cede Jiuzhou.
Before that, Nanjin Country had invaded the southwest of Minzhou. We, the border soldiers, fought to the death against the barbarians. However, the late Emperor, incompetent and foolish, sent an eunuch to oversee the battle, ignoring the advice of experienced generals, causing countless brothers to die in vain.
Even so, I still held my post at the border.
Because my family was behind ; if we could not hold, they would surely suffer the barbarians’ abuse.
What happened, though? The Emperor, deceived by slander, thought that the disadvantage in the battle was the old general’s fault. He even believed that he was in league with Nanjin Country, so he imprisoned the old general, who was over seventy, and had his whole family executed.
Later, under the command of a useless general, we were defeated again, and I, along with so brothers, was captured. Even in such circumstances, we never betrayed Dazhou and risked our lives to escape back.
But do you know what I saw? My parents in Minzhou, due to the official heavy taxes, starved to death. And the pensions for so of my deceased brothers were all embezzled by corrupt officials.
Suffering from drought on top of that, ultimately, a riot broke out in Minzhou, causing countless deaths and injuries, and my one-year-old daughter also died in that riot..."
As Shan Dongchuan spoke, a faint smile hung on his face, as if talking about sothing completely unrelated to him.
Yet beneath the smile, the grief, anger, and resentnt could be deeply felt by Jiang Shouzhong.
It suddenly occurred to Jiang Shouzhong that Lu Renjia’s hotown had once been in Minzhou.
He too had fled the famine to co to the Capital.
But Jia seldom ntioned those past events.
Shan Dongchuan continued, "At that ti, a few brothers approached , deciding to rebel. But I didn’t agree because I knew they wouldn’t make a difference. The best way to take revenge was to bring the wolves in.
So, I secretly switched my allegiance to Nanjin Country, climbing up the ranks in the Dazhou officialdom with the resources they provided.
Later, that useless late Emperor died, and the new Emperor took the throne. The current Emperor is actually not bad, he pacified internal strife, enforced discipline, boosted the economy, and even allied with Nanjin Country... Unfortunately by then, I was already past the point of no return.
Sotis I think, if we could just keep the alliance going, sparing Dazhou’s people from the ravages of war, even if I couldn’t get my revenge, spending my life in a daze wouldn’t be so bad. Unfortunately, there are no eternal friends in this world, right.
Now, Nanjin Country..."
Just as Shan Dongchuan said this, he looked up at Jiang Shouzhong and said softly:
"Jiang Mo, if I were you, I’d leave Qingzhou imdiately and head back to the Capital. You can’t stop anything; staying here is just a waste of life."
Jiang Shouzhong laughed, "If I can’t stop anything, why are you all so afraid of ?"
"That is true,"
Shan Dongchuan chuckled wryly, "The higher-ups are ultimately too cautious, afraid that you will ruin their big plans. That’s why they think about getting rid of you. Your deeds concerning the Luo Family in the Capital are still being watched by many."
"Being so esteed, I am indeed honored. So, shouldn’t you get to the point now? What exactly are you planning to do in Qingzhou?"
Jiang Shouzhong stared at him.
Shan Dongchuan gently caressed the hilt of the sword next to him, and said lightly:
"Jiang Mo, death is not a frightening thing for , but rather a release," he said. "However, before finding that relief, I still hope to do sothing for my parents and for my wife and daughter."
"Perhaps Dazhou will not perish, but if I can strike a blow and make it feel pain, perhaps I can alleviate so of my years of hatred. So, I will not tell you anything."
"However, I can warn you that I just learned that those people have spent a lot of money to hire assassins to kill you, and... they are the Shadow Assassins."
"Shadow Assassins?" Jiang Shouzhong frowned.
Shan Dongchuan gently nodded, "Yes, they are the most terrifying assassins in the world. They are like shadows, hiding where you cannot see."
"When you are sleeping, eating, walking... they can appear without you noticing. Unless they give up on their own, you will never be able to shake them off in this lifeti. And—"
Shan Dongchuan’s voice abruptly stopped, his pupils beginning to bleed.
This is bad!
Jiang Shouzhong’s expression changed, his ears twitched slightly, and he suddenly swung the Spirit Water Sword overhead.
Clatter—
The roof of the carriage split into pieces, and a figure darted out.
Jiang Shouzhong leaped from the carriage, coldly staring at a woman standing not far away.
The woman wore a fox mask, painted so vividly it seed a real fox had co to life, captivating the soul.
But what shocked Jiang Shouzhong the most was her dark Luo skirt, daringly designed to reveal her long, pale, ivory-like legs under the moonlight.
Especially at the front of her dress, a large patch of blood-red was exposed, completely bare underneath.
"Jiang Mo, in just one year, your skills have beco so formidable. At the ti you married Ran Qingchen, you couldn’t even beat a dog," the woman’s voice was seductive, clearly iniang from the Sky Shadow Organization.
Jiang Shouzhong narrowed his eyes, "From the sound of it, you seem to have known for a long ti."
iniang giggled, "Of course, since the first ti I saw you, iniang has been dreaming of you. In my dreams, you were so fierce—no other man can compare, making quite jealous of that little wench Ran Qingchen."
The woman seed unafraid of revealing more information for Jiang Shouzhong to guess, more interested in flaunting her flirtatiousness.
Jiang Shouzhong stared at her intently, "You wouldn’t happen to be the Shadow Assassin spoken of by Shan Dongchuan, would you?"
"Congratulations, you guessed right," iniang laughed coyly, "My codena is Five, and if Brother Jiang ever wants to hire an assassin, rember to seek out Heaven’s Shadow and ntion my na, iniang will give you a discount... Oh, I almost forgot, Brother Jiang is supposed to die by my hands tonight, such a pity."
"So, you are certain that I will die by your hands?" Jiang Shouzhong chuckled.
iniang sighed, "I have no choice, I’m paid to do this. But I’m different from other assassins; I give a gift to the person before I kill them. Especially for n, the gift is quite valuable."
"Oh, what gift?" Jiang Shouzhong showed curiosity.
However, as soon as he spoke, he was startled to see the woman opposite, known as iniang, gently untying her skirt.
In an instant, a bare body was revealed.
Jiang Shouzhong was a bit bewildered.
Sister, are assassins these days really providing benefits? Is the business that hard to manage?
"Actually, normally, only people about to die can see my body, but... since iniang has a special fondness for Brother Jiang, I’ll let you look a bit longer for free... "
iniang slightly parted her legs and arched her chest, displaying her voluptuous figure fully before him.
She slowly raised a pair of Ei Stingers in her hands. Excitent caused her skin to goosebump, and her eyes burned with fervor:
"Killing you bare-skinned will excite even more."
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