Chapter 83: Heart Like a Fierce Tiger (3)

The night wind wailed. Yang Heng's body burned on the ground, casting flickering shadows across the room. Wine still slowly seeped from the broken jar. The hand, where the flames had just died, trembled slowly in the darkness. Their gazes met in the air. Even with such injuries, the scholar's eyes remained cold and sharp, unchanged from beginning to end.

"Sometimes, that's just how it is..." the scholar said, enunciating each word. "One wrong step, and you're dead."

The latter half was what he had just said. Yang Yi looked around: his eldest son, dying but still held hostage; his family members, gone missing; his brother, dead just like that. He had kidnapped dozens of people, but he had never encountered anything like this. A weak scholar, a weak scholar... that gaze was anything but that of a weak scholar. He had never seen such a fierce and decisive look, not even in the eyes of the most self-proclaimed desperate thugs. The trembling hand combined with that gaze indicated someone who was not only ruthless to his enemies but also utterly merciless to himself in that moment.

It was as if he had unknowingly brought a little white rabbit home, only for it to bare its fangs at the slightest opening. Before he could even react, it had completely ravaged his home. When he turned back, all he could see was blood on the ground and the white rabbit's blood-red eyes.

He gnashed his teeth. "Erlang—" His shout echoed through the windowed room, reverberating in the night sky, but there was no reply. A moment later, he shouted again, "His mother—" The sound pierced through, but again, no response. With bloodshot eyes, he chuckled and roared the last name: "Dalang—" He dropped the crossbow, his gaze fiercely fixed on Yang Heng's steel saber lying on the ground nearby.

"I'll chop you to pieces..."

Gritting his teeth, he enunciated each word as he moved towards the steel saber. At that moment, he saw the iron poker slowly move away from his son's throat. Deprived of the hand's support, his son's body swayed precariously. Perhaps due to Yang Yi's recent roar, his son's consciousness seemed to clear slightly. In his sight, the scholar untied the ropes, then waved his hand in the air, releasing them.

His mind instantly sharpened to its peak.

The scholar took a step back, then suddenly kicked his son's back with all his might.

The firelight flickered. His son stumbled and rushed towards him with rapid footsteps. At the other end of his vision, the scholar raised his hand, the iron poker arcing through the air.

"Yah—"

"Ah—"

Amidst the shouts, the scholar threw the iron poker with all his strength. Yang Yi also suddenly exerted himself, charging forward, pulling Dalang aside just as the poker flew past, drawing a spray of blood from his hand. In a flash, the scholar's figure was close, raising a wine jar in his hand.

Bang—

Yang Yi didn't dodge, instead he slammed into the scholar, sending him flying. The wine jar shattered squarely on Yang Yi's head. He wiped away the wine with a swift motion. The scholar was already thrown against a cabinet several meters away, spitting blood. At this moment, Yang Yi's heart was filled only with murderous intent, without the slightest hesitation. He lunged forward, raising a fist.

The scholar's right hand reached behind him.

"One wrong step, and you're dead..."

With a thud, Yang Yi's fist, which had paused for a split second, struck empty air. A triumphant smile flickered in the scholar's eyes as he practically threw himself forward, then bolted towards the door. Yang Yi wouldn't let him escape now; he swung a cabinet, smashing it towards the scholar. The cabinet shattered against the door, and the scholar stumbled a few steps, changing direction. The steel saber on the ground was only a few steps away from him.

A wine jar came hurtling, smashing onto Yang Heng's burning body with a crash. The flames suddenly dimmed as the wine extinguished them. A shard sent the scholar tumbling forward. Yang Yi charged, crossing half the room in an instant. The scholar, tenacious, scrambled to his feet, grabbing an empty wine jar from behind him and throwing it. Yang Yi didn't dodge, closing the distance directly. His left hand shot towards the scholar's chest, while his right arm swung backward.

In a panic, the scholar reached for another empty wine jar behind him, but missed the edge. He reached again just as a fist whistled towards him—

"I'll tear you apart—"

Thud—

His body swayed for an instant. The punch landed on the opponent's shoulder, still knocking the scholar down onto the ground behind him, sending him sprawling over a meter away.

He stood frozen there. A few seconds later, Yang Yi's body stirred, stumbling two steps backward, his eyes glazed. An angled cast-iron weight had shattered his skull, and now it was embedded there.

The scholar stumbled several times before finally using his right hand to steady himself against a nearby cabinet and getting back up.

A wine jar was no threat to Yang Yi, now consumed by rage; neither was an empty one. The implied threat of reaching behind had already enraged him. If this strike missed, he might be the one to die, but in a narrow encounter and at a disadvantage, this was all he could do. He had no other choice...

Yang Yi was still swaying. Ning Yi took a deep breath, feeling the pain registering. With cold eyes, he walked to Yang Heng's corpse, picked up the steel saber. As Yang Yi watched, he brought the saber down on Dalang's neck, who lay on the ground, then reversed his grip and swung it directly at Yang Yi's head and face.

Blood spurted out with a gush.

"You should have killed me at the very beginning..."

He finished speaking in a low voice, then delivered a second and third powerful, continuous chop. Finally, Yang Yi's body collapsed to the ground. He then delivered a few more cuts to the people in the room before stumbling back, leaning against the wall, his body trembling, weak and powerless. "Ha..."

Only then did fear and tension surge through him unreservedly. He had died once, but that didn't mean he was ready to accept death again at any moment. Fear, panic, and tension were still very much present. Even in his previous life, such close encounters where blades drew blood were rare. Calculation was just doing one's best; for the most part, it was still up to fate, walking almost hand-in-hand with the threat of death. Fortunately, he had finally overcome this obstacle, allowing him a brief moment to feel lingering relief...

He moved through the blood in the room, then picked up a wine jar and smashed it onto Yang Heng's body. The wine extinguished the flames, then another jar. The light in the room gradually faded...

The light came on again. An oil lamp glowed like a tiny bean. Corpses, blood, a chaotic room. The figure sat under the lamp, surrounded by an array of medicinal balms for injuries. He bit one end of a bandage, holding the other end with his right hand and pulling it tight, already having wrapped his left hand.

Unfortunately, there was no opportunity to ask who was behind the other party.

In such a situation, it was impossible to cover every aspect. He suppressed everything in his heart with calmness, his objective initially limited to killing the opponents. If he couldn't defeat them, he at least had to hold them back and then escape. Later, the ferocity of the brothers did indeed exceed his expectations. Even with him holding a hostage, they continuously displayed strong aggression, making it impossible for him to use the hostage as leverage to gather more information.

Threats with clues were easier to handle, but this time there were absolutely none. Someone was watching him from behind, but he didn't know who it was. This was the situation he could tolerate the least.

The pain in his arm, shoulder, and chest still persisted. He took a sip of wine, stood up, and surveyed the entire house again. Then he picked up the crossbow, placed it on the table, and pushed the door open. This was a house located by a desolate riverbed. The water below didn't seem deep. A simple wooden walkway led to the path on the bank, where there was a forest and a distant low mountain. Morning stars shimmered in the sky.

Ning Yi stood there, gazing at the distant mountains, the nearby water, the forest ahead, and the boathouse behind him. He pondered for a long while.

Then he turned and walked back.

The door closed, and the light dimmed once more.

Midnight... how long until midnight...

Jiangning City, Su Manor.

In the living room of the small courtyard, the lamplight flickered. Su Tan'er was reading, while Juan'er and Xing'er played chess nearby. By the door, Xiao Chan hopped boredly, back and forth, occasionally leaning on a pillar to look towards the courtyard gate. If someone passed by, she would suddenly turn her head, her hair swaying in the air.

Su Tan'er took a sip of tea, a hint of mischief in her eyes as she looked at the door. "Chan'er, what are you looking at?"

Xiao Chan was startled. "Uh... Miss... no, nothing..."

Su Tan'er smiled, then sighed.

"Still... Master Ning did leave rather late today..."

It was nearing *hai shi* (9-11 PM). A farewell banquet at the inn outside the city gate was coming to an end. Gu Yanzhen bid farewell to a group of friends, then, accompanied by his attendant Old Liu, headed towards a small manor nearby.

He wasn't taking many attendants to Raozhou this time. Among his few confidantes, only Old Liu knew the full extent of his plans. The others would probably guess some things vaguely but would naturally keep them secret.

He went to the manor to check the items he needed for the journey. There were three carriages in total. He briefly inspected the middle one; after pulling open the curtain, he saw it was essentially a large cage, appearing suitable for holding prisoners.

He glanced at it, then nodded indifferently.

"First, she'll stay for a month in the manor near Xinlinpu, then we'll move her to Raozhou. After that, she'll be considered mad and dead, and we won't bother with her."

He then went to check the items needed for Lepíng and the gifts to be sent. Although he was just setting out, most of his thoughts were already on Lepíng and his future plans.

As for decisions already made, there was no need to overthink them; they were minor matters now.

"Let's go, it's about time. Let's see if the Yang brothers have completed the task."

"I imagine they're fine. Those two brothers have never failed before."

"Anything can only be called a success once you've seen it with your own eyes."

Gu Yanzhen shook his head. "I don't take things for granted."

Though he said this, he actually had no real worries. Confirming things was simply his habit. After confirmation, he could consider dealing with Yunzhu. If this attempt failed and he had to capture Yunzhu himself, the outcome would likely just be a great loss of face, and he couldn't stand such ridicule, just like that slap in the street. As for what came next, everything was set in stone. Scholars, playboys—they all looked the same under the blade. He would let that woman see it, and then he would no longer feel any pity for her. In a month... this matter would be completely over, and he would go to Lepíng, severing his inner demons and leaving no regrets.

Along the way, he discussed matters concerning Lepíng with Old Liu: who to send gifts to, how much to send, and what to do to win the people's hearts. Old Liu walked ahead with a torch. As they approached the hilltop, he stopped to look. There were also torches on the hill, circling three times to the left and three times to the right. They responded in kind, and then the torch on the hilltop signaled backward.

Gu Yanzhen watched all this. He had been here before and was familiar with the routine. He had many things to consider and was now deep in thought, planning for one year and several years ahead. Perhaps it would be better to go through Prime Minister Li's connections next time. If he wanted to join the military, the Prime Minister should not refuse, but of course, he would need impressive political achievements during his tenure. For Lepíng, he already had a comprehensive plan. During his three-year term, he would have the opportunity to greatly improve the people's livelihoods. This required bold and enterprising action. After three years, friction between the Liao and Jin and the Great Wu dynasties would likely peak—it wouldn't be resolved within three years—which would be the perfect time for a hero to achieve great deeds.

It was a pity, though; if only it had been three years earlier, perhaps catching the beginning of military action next year, that would have been even better. He had wasted time navigating various connections in Dongjing for three years. If he rose to power in the future, he would certainly thoroughly eliminate such mediocrity and corruption.

They passed through a forest path, then a bamboo grove by the river. Ahead, lights glowed dimly in the boathouse on the water. Old Liu walked in front, while Gu Yanzhen followed, head bowed. Honestly, he still felt a bit uneasy facing those brothers, and thinking about other things helped him appear more composed. The wind wailed past, and the river water murmured. As they neared the door, some instinct heightened to its peak, but he tried to ignore it. The smell of alcohol wafted from inside: it was conceivable these people were drinking.

Old Liu pushed open the half-closed door. Inside, there was a *clank*, then a *ping*, a *bang*, a *hiss*, and the lights went out. He couldn't understand what kind of reaction this was.

The next moment, with a tremendous crash, the door panels just ahead suddenly shattered. A timber beam whistled from inside, slamming directly into Old Liu's face, then swung back. A second later, the roof of the house ahead collapsed with a thunderous roar right before him. Amidst the massive tremor, the beam pulled the roof down into the depths.

Old Liu fell into the not-so-deep river water nearby. Several arrows, embedded point-down in the riverbed, pierced through his chest. Thick blood welled up, swirling and dissipating with the current. His vibrant bodyguard, alive moments ago, had become a corpse.

A splintered piece of door panel wood splashed onto his face and fell into the river. All his thoughts came to an abrupt halt. Gu Yanzhen stood there, stunned and motionless for a long moment.

The night wind howled past. Under the starlight, a solitary figure stood before the boathouse, a lost soul with nowhere to go...