Like a rushing thunder, the group suddenly stopped in an inconspicuous corner of Great Liang Village as if rcury had spilled, their breathes not the slightest bit disordered.
The chilling and deadly aura that reached one's bones did not dissolve in the slightest but grew even denser.
The leader looked at the locked yard before him and lifted his chin slightly.
The man behind him stood out, dismounted, and walked briskly to the door. He pushed it, but the door did not budge. His right hand drew a dagger from his waist, pulled upwards, and a sowhat green-rusted lock broke in half, falling to the ground. He put away the dagger and pushed open the door.
The remaining riders spurred their horses inside. The leader looked at the yard, which was simple and worn even by typical mountain village standards, chuckled softly, and placed his hand on his waist, gripping the handle of his sword without saying a word.
Yet his gaze was serious and conveyed a sense of profound respect as he surveyed his surroundings.
The fourteen riders behind him, each with one hand on the sword and the other on the reins, held their backs straight as rods, their expressions stern as if they were stone statues, hard to approach.
The first person to have gone inside the house had already co out and saluted the man scanning the area, saying in a deep voice:
"Reporting to my lord, they are not here. The people from the house left about half a month ago."
The man on horseback withdrew his scrutinizing gaze, shook his head slightly, and said casually:
"This matter is not important; can we confirm the identities of the people here?"
"I want to know, is it really him?"
"Yes."
The man responded, took out a bright yellow talisman from his chest, and held it with both hands.
This talisman was extraordinary. The yellow paper used was the highest quality right talisman according to 'Spiritual Treasure Jade Mirror,' and the cinnabar used was 'soot ink.'
The person who wrote this talisman was a living Taoist Immortal with an extraordinary identity in Heavenly Capital, practicing in one of the Thirty-six Heavenly Caves, possessing profound Taoist skills, almost akin to an Immortal.
However, under the watchful eyes of all, this top-grade talisman used premium materials but combusted spontaneously in the cold wind, slowly turning into blue smoke and ash, disappearing without a trace.
The riders beca solemn.
The leading man fell silent for a mont, sighed, and said, "Spontaneous combustion without wind, this 'soot ink' contains blood from Wang Tiance, written personally by the old Immortal Zhang from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau. It ignites spontaneously at the site of Wang Tiance's death."
"Originally, I thought there might be so inaccuracies, but it turns out to be true."
"It is indeed a pity..."
The man sighed deeply, looked up at the yard which was tidy yet markedly plain, and said with emotion, "Who would have thought that Wang Tiance, once known as Wang Mieguo, the lord of the Divine Martial Mansion, would die in such a humble place."
"His achievents in life really were like flowing water, just as the ancients said, truly no falsehood."
"Indeed lantable, and tragic..."
The previously dismounted man remounted his horse, which was a black water flood dragon that showed no sign of fright. He lightly tapped the horse's belly with his right foot, nudging the warhorse forward a few steps, and stopped behind the leading man, speaking:
"My lord, we are now..."
The man retracted his gaze upon hearing this, lost in deep contemplation. He was actually quite handso, his features even having a sowhat androgynous appeal, his temples graced with so white hair, yet it did not detract from his dignified deanor at all.
If he had been younger, he would have surely been a figure capable of captivating the hearts of won throughout an entire city, a stunningly beautiful man. Yet, the resolute and decisive aura of slaughter emanating from his followers clashed starkly with his appearance. However, in Wang Hongyi's eyes, it was exactly the air of this seemingly frail scholar that was the most viscous.
At that mont, he simply smiled, a gesture brimming with reflection, and, pointing to the courtyard, he sighed,
"I along with my n have been secretly on this mission to find him for a long ti, encountering assassinations from Jianghu and even blockades from soldiers born in the Divine Martial Mansion. We never retreated, and now, at last, we can report back to the Forr Emperor."
"Indeed it is so, but this ti, I have received another secret report from the Forr Emperor, and I'm afraid you all might need to join in more exploits across Jianghu."
His voice paused slightly, and no one behind him made any noises, although he felt quite emotional inside, yet he only smiled again and continued,
"Previously, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau had predicted that Wang Tiance had a son, who was originally marked by an ominous sign at birth, but over these seventeen years, the celestial signs have changed repeatedly."
"First, there was an anomaly in the Thunder Departnt's stars, which led it to teeter yet never fall. Recently, its course changed, originally intersecting with a malevolent star, yet sohow, despite being shaken, it did not fall, and this year, there are even signs of it moving into the realm of the Eastern Azure Dragon constellation."
"If these changes continue, it would be like the Azure Dragon breaking through the water, soaring into the sky."
"Unfortunately..."
"If only he had not made such a big commotion, the Forr Emperor would have turned a blind eye. It's truly a pity, a great pity."
"The Crown Prince who perished at the hands of Wang Tiance was also a dashing and prominent figure of his ti..."
"The more outstanding he is, the more the Forr Emperor is reminded of his father, and the more he rembers the Crown Prince. As the hawks and dogs of Great Qin, we must, no matter what, capture this man and bring him back to the palace to await the Forr Emperor's verdict. Also, send a ssage to the other teams to have them stay in Wangxian County City."
The fifteen riders behind him responded in a deep voice, clasping their fists,
"Understood!"
The man pulled on the reins, shifting direction, but before leaving, he took one last deep look at the dilapidated residence.
Ever since he joined the army, he had been continuously confronting the Great Jin Martial Dynasty, which bordered another region of Great Qin, considering himself to have made distinguished contributions. Born rely a humble scholar, he had ascended step by step, using the heads of bold warriors from various countries as his stepping stones.
Although he was amiable in his dealings, there was an inherent pride in his heart, always known as one who could match the Heavenly Strategist of Great Qin. He had always wanted to et this mythical figure of Great Qin, though he never expected it to be under these circumstances.
Su Zhengcheng, who held the highest office of a Third Rank Dragon Guard General at one point, reined his horse around and led his group away, feeling so regret but also a sense of inevitability being confird in his heart.
If there was a chance, he truly wished to see what his descendants were like.
Moreover, as General Li Qidao, this strategic move of 'startling the snake by hitting the grass' had already been played; it remained to see how the general would respond, with his trusted aides feeling the emotional turmoil boiling within their leader.
However, compared to Su Zhengcheng's regrets, his heart was filled with more relief, his palms gripping the hilt of his sword now sweaty.
Before Qin annihilated the other states, it was the era of almost a hundred years of continuous strife among the states, not only marked by the ergence of nurous skilled individuals from Jianghu but also resplendent with generations of famous generals endlessly vying with each other, a ti of living in a drunken dream and the cold glinting of iron clothes.
Li Qidao, the Divine Martial General, had joined the army at the age of fourteen and stepped over countless bones to establish outstanding military achievents for Qin's conquest of the other states. He proclaid himself the eleventh among the world's famous generals, not listed in the official records, yet he had speared the then number one famous general to death in front of the city during a defining battle.
This group of visitors ca quickly and departed even faster; for a small place like Great Liang Village, nobody particularly cared, at most adding a little sothing to chat about. So were worried that the troubles caused by the Wang Family's youngsters outside had inadvertently brought trouble to their village.
Great Liang Village retained its bleak and desolate appearance.
However, in the south of the Great Qin Empire, one could already see hints of greenery, and the spring breeze was warm; the weather was already considered warm. There were rivers flowing through the city, and under the willow trees along the streets, elderly n set up chess boards, inviting passersby to play a ga or two.
To attract more players who were not bad at chess, at least those who believed they played well, these elderly n usually placed a few Copper Coins at one corner of the board. If one won the ga, they could take the coins directly. It wasn't much, but it was considered a little incentive.
Li Qidao, unusually not drinking, no longer wore his previously tattered clothes but was clad in dark cyan, with sharply tailored lines, walking slowly in the gentle spring breeze.
He didn't look ahead, but he seed to already know where he should go, without any hesitation, stopping directly under a willow tree. There sat a middle-aged man with slightly graying temples, a smile on his lips, having just won a chess ga.
Just as he picked up the first Copper Coin, he noticed soone standing in front of him, casting a large shadow. He was slightly stunned, then looked up to see Li Qidao sitting in front of him, continuing to pick up Copper Coins, his face smiling as he said,
"Old gentleman, I am not playing today."
"If you are interested, there are a few other old gentlen over there, better at chess than I."
Li Qidao smiled and said,
"Pang Shiyi, who can grant an eleven-stone handicap, actually believes he is inferior to others at chess? Truly a rare admission."
The middle-aged scholar shook his head and laughed, saying,
"Perhaps you have mistaken for soone else?"
As he spoke, he had already stood up and began to gather the black and white chess pieces and the softly-reflected Tongbao from the Great Qin on the board. As he stood up, Li Qidao remained unmoved, his gaze lowered, looking at the crisscrossed chessboard, and softly said,
"Before this year's festival, I went to Three Rivers Yin Gorge and saw Zhu Tianrui. I encountered the old soldiers left from the three thousand iron troops, who had been ferrying there for over a decade."
The middle-aged man slowed his movents for a mont, then sped up again, laughing as he said,
"What are you talking about?"
"Zhu Tianrui? Is he a general of my Great Qin? Why have I never heard of this general's na?"
His tone was uncertain whether sarcastic or puzzled.
Li Qidao's expression unchanged, continued to speak,
"Gongsun is still alive."
"In Fufeng."
The middle-aged man's hands trembled, and at that mont, Li Qidao raised his eyes to look at the still smiling Pang Shiyi, steadied his spirit, and said,
"Wang Tiance is dead."
Pang Shiyi's smile stiffened, his body trembled violently, his hands almost unable to hold onto the chess pieces and Copper Coins, which clattered down, striking the chessboard with a tinkling sound. One of the Great Qin Tongbao fell on the chessboard, spinning continuously.
The middle-aged Confucian scholar was stunned, stepped back, bumped into a stone stool, and then collapsed helplessly, his belongings scattering from the bag, attracting the attention of passersby.
The surroundings were bustling, the breeze gentle, with children, won, street vendors, and sword-carrying martial artists, yet all unrelated to the two n under the willow tree. Li Qidao raised his hand and pressed the spinning Great Qin Tongbao under his palm, declaring,
"He died, ten years ago."
Pang Shiyi was silent, like clouds accumulating storm, and after a long while, he slowly spoke,
"Why tell now?"
Li Qidao opened his mouth and said,
"Because Wang Tiance didn't want you to die as well."
"And, I have other matters to attend to."
"What matters?!"
Pang Shiyi looked up.
Li Qidao observed the Confucian scholar before him.
He moved his right hand away, and the back of the Great Qin Tongbao faced the sky, displaying a seal-script "Qin."
He spoke softly, saying,
"He has offspring."
............
In Fufeng County, on a muddy road to the north of the official highway, the charioteer, Taishu Jian, changed his expression subtly, suddenly pulled the reins, causing the two horses pulling the wagon to neigh, halting steadily.
But there was still a jolt, and Lin Qiaofu inside the carriage, engrossed in reading, was unprepared and nearly thrown out, saved only by Lv Baiping who quickly grabbed her.
Lin Qiaofu took a deep breath, clutching her forehead, and stamred,
"What, what's going on?"
Lv Baiping shook her head and said, "I don't know…"
Just as she was about to go out to check, the carriage door was suddenly blocked by soone. Startled, she then heard the carriage driver, Taishu Jian, suddenly speak amidst the sound of drawing swords, adding a touch of sternness,
"You two young ladies stay inside, don't co out!"
Not far away was the courtyard where Jiu Zizai lived in seclusion.
Outside the courtyard gate stood a person, sword in hand, face covered.
One person as an army.
PS: The second update for today...
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