Chapter 927: Death Should Have Wine and Smiles

Username: Password: Remember me

The death of the imperial envoy in the vassal king's territory was both a covert plot and an overt scheme. The three eunuchs in python robes from the Directorate of Seals were well aware of this. However, the assassins' resolute determination was beyond imagination. The chosen assassination site, Beian Town, so close to Liangzhou City, seemed overly reckless. Yet, it was precisely this almost irrational foolishness that ironically offered the assassins a glimmer of hope.

As Commander Qian of the Imperial Guards had predicted, the first assassin to strike came from the table of men and women facing Chief Eunuch Liu.

Twenty paces, two screens.

The moment a figure, using a sharp weapon, instantly burst through the first screen, the prepared Commander Qian rose and drew the imperial golden saber from his waist, a symbol of his status. When the assassin, with powerful momentum, cleaved through the second screen in a straight line, Commander Qian did not simply retreat or adopt a passive defense. Instead, he moved backward while delivering a swift and powerful downward strike at the assassin.

His move was simple, yet its power was immense. A single strike, true to its nickname, "Horse-Slaying Blade of the Capital."

Commander Qian's blade technique discarded all unnecessary flourishes, was clean and decisive, and did not excel in intricate maneuvers. It already embodied a return to simplicity, reaching its zenith. Swords and blades across the land were similar, yet disputes existed over their underlying principles. For instance, in swordsmanship, there was Li Chungang, whose spiritual aura was said to rival Patriarch Lu, and Deng Tai'a, whose killing techniques had reached the pinnacle. Similarly, from Wudi City, the two sword masters, Yu Xinlang and Lou Huang, both disciples of Wang Xianzhi, each illuminated a path to mastery for swordsmen worldwide. As for grandmasters of blade techniques, there were Mao Shulang, reputed to comprehend all blade techniques, and Gu Jiantang, who later surpassed others with just two forms. Commander Qian, who had long been away from the martial world and battlefields, residing within the imperial palace, evidently followed in Gu Jiantang's footsteps, pursuing the fastest strike over the shortest distance — to kill.

Such unambiguousness, with its slight hint of lacking martial virtue, was most common on battlefields. In the martial world, where understanding and restraint were valued, it was naturally extremely rare. Currently, among the Four Sages of the Liyang martial world, "Snow Hut Spear Saint" Li Houzhong was renowned for his motto: "No quarter in duels, no mercy with the spear, no survivors when gaining advantage." Few survived under his famous spear, the "Great Snow Drill," earning him the nickname "Three No-s Lunatic." Although his combat prowess ranked among the top of the Four Sages, his martial world ranking ultimately remained at the bottom, even preventing the entire Snow Hut from being considered a quasi-first-rate sect. The Music Sage of Jiagu Platform even explicitly stated, "Li Houzhong has too much martial skill and too little martial virtue," and despite being one of the Four Sages, he was ashamed to be associated with him.

As expected, Commander Qian killed the enemy with a single strike. If the previous assassin cleaved the screen into two halves, Commander Qian's single, direct downward strike cleaved the person, along with their weapon, in half.

Commander Qian was completely unfazed by the gruesome saber mark on his shoulder, which was almost baring bone. He quickly exhaled a stale breath and inhaled a fresh one. Normally, if he were to fight this formidable assassin to the death, even if he were destined to win, he would never have succeeded in killing him with a single strike in a flash. However, Commander Qian's strike left no room for retreat, willing to exchange injury for a life. This contrasted sharply with the assassin's deliberate reservation of power for a follow-up move. This dynamic resulted in an excellent outcome for Commander Qian, who sustained only minor injuries and retained his full combat strength. Among martial arts masters, fighting for victory and fighting for life or death are worlds apart. It seemed Commander Qian, who was no stranger to both the martial world and battlefields, understood this principle, while the assassin, who had never experienced the brutal grind of war, did not.

Behind Commander Qian, Chief Eunuch Liu remained unmoving, continuing to raise his cup and drink wine.

Eunuch Song, the Supervisor Eunuch, pressed his hands on the edge of his chair, his pale, fleshy cheeks quivering, his lips ashen, as if muttering incantations.

Eunuch Ma, who was as burly as a frontiersman from beyond the pass, had already put down his chopsticks and stood up when Commander Qian drew his saber to confront the enemy. He then walked steadily to Eunuch Liu's side.

This unassuming eunuch showed no surprise after seeing Commander Qian cleave the body in half. Instead, he quickly warned, "Be careful!"

After sensing the anomaly on the third floor of the tavern, Commander Qian, who always moved with extreme caution, naturally did not let his guard down. In fact, he was waiting for the assassin's true follow-up move; even his seemingly hasty intake of breath was a feint to draw out the snake. So, when the somber woman who had left a deep impression on him lunged forward almost simultaneously with the man's body being cleaved, she seemed to emerge directly from the two halves of the corpse. This scene was indescribably bizarre and bloody.

Commander Qian delivered a "welcome" strike, at least seven or eight tenths faster than she might have imagined. It was still a heavy, cleaving strike, like a horse-slaying blade splitting a mountain. The female assassin did not block the saber with her sword across her chest; instead, her sword tip continued its direct thrust toward Commander Qian's heart.

Her eyes were cold, and the slender arm holding the three-foot sword showed not the slightest tremor.

So calm in killing, so calm even in being killed.

Perhaps this was what defined a true top-tier assassin.

Even though Commander Qian slightly tilted his body at the critical moment, dodging the fatal sword thrust, the gleaming green sword tip still carved a bloody gash across his chest.

As for the ruthless female assassin, she died from Commander Qian's second strike. Although the saber's force did not hack her body into pieces as it had the previous target, it sent her corpse flying backward, shattering the wine table and leaving debris scattered everywhere.

Her corpse lay in a pool of blood, a shocking scarlet line slowly appearing from her brow to her abdomen.

Near her head, a wine jar had fallen, and its contents slowly spread across the floor, silently.

Wine at her death.

From beginning to end, from life to death, neither she nor her companion uttered a single word throughout the assassination.

This silence was far more unsettling than a murderous struggle.

It is said that the emerging Deer-Cutting Pavilion is regarded by the martial world as the eleventh most influential sect. They specialize in cultivating assassins who kill as easily as trampling grass, taking money to eliminate problems for others. Regardless of the target's identity — whether a high-ranking official from government circles or a top master renowned in the martial world — as long as the price is met, the Deer-Cutting Pavilion accepts the job. Even if dispatched assassins die and suffer heavy losses, the Pavilion will continue to send second and third waves, vowing not to stop until the objective is achieved. Furthermore, after a kill, they always sever the head to demonstrate their credibility to the client. It is widely rumored in the martial world that the assassin who killed Wang Mingyin outside Xiangfan City for Xu Fengnian when he was still a young prince, and the death warrior who later killed the Heavenly Aspect realm grandmaster Liu Haoshi, both originated from the legendary and most mysterious Ninth Floor of the Deer-Cutting Pavilion. However, the truth of these matters became an eternal mystery after Xu Fengnian ascended to prominence in the martial world. The enigmatic Deer-Cutting Pavilion offered no answers, and no one dared to question the young vassal king.

After killing two assassins, both highly likely from the Deer-Cutting Pavilion, Commander Qian's face was ashen. His left hand, trembling slightly, quickly rose to tap several major acupoints on his chest. This diverted his internal vital energy and blood, which normally flowed along their usual meridians, creating an isolated, dead zone around the gash. This was necessary because the female death warrior's sword tip was laced with potent poison; once it penetrated deep into the bone marrow, even an immortal on earth would be unable to save him. However, while his life was temporarily out of danger, Commander Qian had lost the strength to continue fighting. Fearing that there might be more assassins lurking in the shadows, he quickly turned and said in a deep voice, "Eunuchs, we must evacuate this place."

In fact, from the moment the first assassin cleaved the screen to Commander Qian speaking, only a few blinks of an eye had passed.

Just then, an angry roar came from beyond the screen to Eunuch Liu's right. A weathered voice boomed from above the three eunuchs in python robes from the Directorate of Seals and Commander Qian, filled with an indescribable sense of exhilaration and triumph: "Eunuch dogs from Taian City! You dare to show off your might in our Beiliang territory, and you think you can still leave?!"

Eunuch Song, whose bloated body was crammed into the huanghuali wooden chair, slid backward, chair and all, clearly showing the great eunuch of the Directorate of Seals' utter panic and fright.

Eunuch Ma, who exuded heroic spirit even without his crimson python robe, had, at some unknown point, moved to Eunuch Liu's right side, looking up at the figure diving down with a sword. This burly eunuch, with one hand behind his back and the other clenched into a fist at his abdomen, chuckled coldly, "We've been waiting for you, rebellious traitors!"

Eunuch Liu, who sat as steady as Mount Tai, glanced at the white-haired old man wielding a sword. His eyes held a complex expression, and he let out a soft sigh before emptying the cup of green ant wine in his hand.

The remaining people at the wine table behind the right screen also rose one after another, following the senior-most white-clad swordsman, and flew toward the three imperial eunuchs. For a moment, it was as if bees and butterflies were fluttering above the screens, a truly captivating sight.

Apart from a few who had originally taken off their swords and placed them on the table nearby, the rest did not go to the wooden racks to retrieve their weapons. This was also why Commander Qian couldn't inform the three eunuchs immediately. In Commander Qian's eyes, these nine individuals, who had previously been chatting animatedly about Xuanyuan Ziyi's overnight epiphany on Great Snowfield from observing the snow and how the Exiled Immortal of the Mount Taibai Sword Sect was most likely to dominate among the Four Young Grandmasters, were just ordinary martial artists roaming the jianghu. They were the kind who would eagerly gather wherever they could gain reputation for their gangs, seek connections with famous martial artists, spar with fellow practitioners, and pledge brotherhood with like-minded individuals. Commander Qian, who had once carved out a name with an iron saber, had seen too many such martial artists over a decade ago. Such characters were incomparably inferior to the two true death warriors. Yet, Commander Qian felt an inexplicable, profound unease in his heart. He instinctively tightened his grip on his imperial saber and turned to look at those who, by all accounts, were accomplished martial artists, but certainly not high-caliber assassins.

The elderly swordsman, who had pounced down with the ferocity of a lion hunting a rabbit, suddenly saw his vision blur.

Then, the old man, who had always been extremely confident in his swordsmanship, felt as if a great hammer had struck a bell in his chest. He had come quickly, but departed even faster. Before he even hit the ground, he was already a corpse bleeding from all seven orifices.

The elderly man's body, sent flying backward, collided with a young woman in flowing white robes behind him. After overturning the screen, they both fell onto the wine table, then slid to the floor with a mess of dishes, food, and wine. The woman's fate remained unknown.

Commander Qian suddenly shouted sternly, "Beware of what's below the screen!"

It turned out that among the nine people at the wine table, only eight assassins had jumped high over the screen.

The missing person was destined to be their ultimate, hidden ace.

First, they sacrificed two lives as bait and a diversion. Then, they feigned weakness, finally combining overt and covert tactics.

This meticulously planned assassination was intricate and sinister, with one step following another, making it almost impossible to defend against.

Commander Qian's discernment of the killing intent after realizing something was wrong was incredibly swift. Eunuch Ma, who displayed unmatched ferocity with his first move, also reacted quickly. But the ninth person, who seemed to casually stroll out from behind the screen, was truly elusive. His strike was astonishing.

With just a tip of his toes, his body darted forward with the speed of rolling thunder. His hands stretched forward, two short swords hidden in his sleeves. Due to his exceedingly swift forward thrust, the sword qi from his short, five-inch blades actually left behind two slender yet brilliant white arcs in the air.

Fortunately, having heard Commander Qian's warning, Eunuch Ma retreated a step. This prevented the two sleeve-swords from piercing his chest on the spot, but even so, two bloody holes were still punctured into his chest.

Eunuch Ma, laughing in his extreme rage, widened his eyes. Although severely wounded, his formidable aura did not diminish in the slightest. His five fingers, like hooks, grabbed the assassin's head. With a casual swing, he hurled the body, which had five nail-like punctures in its skull, against the wall.

The sleeve-sword assassin slumped to the ground upon dying, his back against the wall.

A smile lingered on his lips.

He seemed to have already envisioned the glorious final outcome.

Popular Novel Recommendations