Chapter 265: A Jolt at Midnight
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
This fellow was even more audacious, forcefully and directly executing his assassination attempt. The poor man clearly had no idea who he was and was simply being used by others to achieve their own end!
He was known to be Han Sanhe’s bodyguard. Logically, he should have set his sights on Han Sanhe, to start his counter-attack. Although he had managed to kill the entourage of Han Sanhe, the actual harvest was pitiful. He carefully analyzed the situation. The turning of events this time brought no benefit to Han Sanhe at all. He was contemplating whether there was any other party attempting to sneak around behind his back to deliver a mortal blow.
However, there was nothing to trace. The entire affair was chaotic and unruly, reeking of desperation and poorly planned actions.
He imagined a strong counterattack would have some effect on Han Sanhe and Bai Yixue, a deliberate show of strength as a warning. Never would he have thought that the entourage at his side would perish continuously, one by one.
A lot of those affiliated with the Hall of Spring had died, but why couldn’t he find out who was the real murderer?
Involving the people and affairs of the martial arts world had already caused He Hanqing a headache. Besides, he did not know why the emperor had been alienating him recently. Even the crown prince sought excuses to be far away from him.
His previous efforts in unearthing once more the past of Shangguan Family of Generals to rattle the absolute united morale of Yutang’s army had been demolished by an incompetent nobody, who had, instead, killed his personnel in a shocking display of open savagery.
The others did not know it, but how could He Hanqing not know about it? His personnel in the Four Seasons Tower numbered among those who were killed, his subordinates in the Hall of Spring!
They had all inexplicably perished in that unfortunate turn of events.
After experiencing a series of misfortunes, He Hanqing gave birth to a feeling that at the other side of a hidden corner, there was a pair of eyes observing himself closely and constantly. Regardless of any movement he made, he was incapable of hiding himself from this pair of eyes. They were in a constant state of readiness, to aim with a blow on the head, aiming directly at the crucial point.
This force must have belonged to the Nine Supremes, and might even be one of them!
However, regardless of whatever means utilized by He Hanqing, or with countless plans, he was still unable to pull this force out!
Not a clue could be found.
"This old man has been wandering about the martial arts world for so many years, I am confident that my plans are cautious and detailed. However, the current situation is like being in the clouds and fog. This is my first time faced with such a situation, where I am unable to fight back, and have nowhere to put in the effort. This is indeed my first encounter. Compared to the current opponent, I would rather go up against Ling Xiaozui. Although Ling Weizui is powerful and difficult to compete against, at least the goal is clearer and there will always be means to counter it. On the contrary, for hidden daggers which I am completely unfamiliar with, there is no way to start. It is difficult to put in the effort, lamented He Hanqing.
A slender man clad in a green attire sat opposite him. The green-attired man stood in the midst of a swirling green fog. His facial features were blurred within but a cutting sense of saber air could be seen circling around him.
Although the facial features of this person could not be seen clearly, yet it gave one an impression that he was smirking lightly.
He picked up the teapot himself and filled a full cup of tea. Indifferently he uttered, "Supreme Lord cares too much about that person ... Although all sorts of troubles were pretty annoying, it was still considered a small matter. If you don't think about it, you won't mind it either."
"It is because Supreme Lord was concerned about it that you find it difficult to deal with him, having your mindset that the enemy is very difficult to be handled. However, if you let it go ... to be free for a certain period of time, this person will most probably have himself exposed."
"Now we can be sure that the other party has vengeance against the Four Seasons Tower. They won’t stop until they die and it’s impossible for us to coexist. Since they would have recognized your identity for sure, they will come back again and act against you."
"As long as Supreme Lord is still here, they will come again and again, and to repeat their actions. Although they may be able to conceal their whereabouts once or twice, they can’t conceal perfectly every time, can they? Once they reveal any of the flaws, then their defeat will be inevitable. Sooner or later, the place of the Supreme Lord will become their burial place."
"How could it be that the forces of the Four Seasons Tower's Hall of Spring are unable to put an end to a group of trivial rebels?" The person clad in green chuckled indifferently.
He Hanqing grinned bitterly; the muscle on his face began to twitch.
The way this man uttered it was light-hearted indeed.
How could he be so righteous while holding Supreme Lord Spring Frost out as a bait?
Judging from the meaning of his words, so long as they didn’t die, he would have to keep doing this work of luring the enemy, over and over again?
Even if the truth was such, how could one speak like this?
"Venerable Lord Saber is so highly talented that you're emboldened by it, of course, you wouldn’t care about all the trivialities."
He Hanqing face was filled with loneliness, "I am already of old age. It is strange to say that, to live as a person, the older you are, the more you will be afraid of death. This is especially true when you have encountered with the slash by Ling Xiaozui. I was already starting to feel decadent. How was I able to withstand the continuous attack by the opponent!"
The person in green sneered twice and said, "Are you so upset that this reputed one has taken you, Supreme Lord He, as bait?"
He Hanqing pulled his face down and casually uttered, "I dare not be. Venerable Lord Saber is one of the veterans who had grown the empire with the boss since the beginning. I'm only a runner. Add the fact that I'm gradually becoming older, how could I dare to have any dissatisfactions against Sir Saber?
The voice of the person clad in green was sonorous, like the unsheathing of a sharp blade from its scabbard, "He Hanqing, you have to know the crux of the problem. Only then can you induce the other remnants of the Nine Supremes to come forward for an attack. As for our future, the most important part is to completely exterminate the Nine Supremes. There should not be any mistakes at this point. Despite having a strict layout last time, it failed. Boss has been very unhappy ever since."
He Hanqing coldly uttered, "No one would have wanted boss to be unhappy. I can say that, for the previous plan, I had already done it with full effort and without reservation, with every scheme well-thought-through. As for the omissions when it comes to its implementation, why should it have anything to do with me?"
The person clad in green coldly snorted, "Do you dare say these words in front of the boss?"
He Hanqing was silent for a moment, whispering softly in reply, "I have, at most, eighteen more years."
The facial expression of the green-gowned person’s had changed; waving his sleeve, he uttered, "This is your fate, does it involve any other?"
He Hanqing sneered and no longer had his mouth open.
The green-gowned man grunted. In a flash and with the gleam of the saber, he disappeared into thin air.
And he was gone, just like that.
He had disappeared in the middle of a dispute while waving his sleeves.
He Hanqing sat still for a long time, his face tranquil without the slightest expression. After the minutes had ticked by, the cup in his hand suddenly shattered with a loud crunch.
The two outside had heard the peculiar sound. They pushed open the door and uttered, " Supreme Lord?"
He Hanqing coldly uttered, "Where are the subordinates of Venerable Lord Saber?"
"There are twelve men in the neighborhood, the others are waiting for their orders outside the city."
He Hanqing took a deep breath. In a gloomy tone, he asked, "Outside the city? How are they able to receive my orders here? Deliver my Spring Dictum, have them come forward to assist in the defense of the Residence of He."
"It shall be done. However, they may ask for specific details on what is required of them."
"Tell them that there is a need to lure the enemy. They are only responsible for attacking them from afar. When they come, do bring along your people and put them into a dark corner. Let them wait for the opportunity to take action, with safety as the priority."
"As you wish."
"Open the secret chamber later, I would like to recuperate in seclusion. Do not interrupt until I come out by myself."
"As you wish."
The senile figure of He Hanqing then disappeared into the room.
The news was relayed.
The saber light flashed across the air and it was gone.
No matter how reluctant He Hanqing was, he had to receive the task to act as the bait. Besides wanting his own people to come forward to increase his safety precautions, it was more to get their side involved as well. However, the Venerable Lord Saber cared nothing for this.
For him, forcing He Hanqing to succumb was of utmost priority. For him, there was nothing more important than to eliminate the Nine Supremes. He Hanqing's life, and those of his men were the same.
"Venerable Lord Saber, there is one thing that I do not understand."
"Speak."
"Even though Sir did not say it out earlier, only He Hanqing could act as bait. There was no need for Sir to say it aloud in front of him, or to rip each other’s egos apart!"
"You are curious as to why I used such a tone and attitude to aggravate He Hanqing, are you not?"
"Yes, this subordinate is slow-witted."
"Even if I did not aggravate him, he will be the bait and even if I did, he will still be the bait. In any case, this is his mission, and he cannot escape from it."
"The reason why I added fuel to the fire was not to remind him of the fact that he was to be the bait, but because I wished to humiliate him."
Venerable Lord Saber laughed coldly, "Within the Four Seasons Tower, all four Supreme Lords are elderly, their cultivation base can hardly improve another inch further, and their mortality is coming to an end. It would be long for them to keep up with the pace of this tower's expansion. However, the authority that they possess is exceedingly great. Although no one dares to deny their experiences and wisdom, their hearts are no longer filled with radical impulses ... "
The few people in front lowered their heads. No one dared to interrupt this topic.
It was a competition of high-level authority; the more one knows, the more danger one will face ...
...
Before long, it was already the latter part of the night.
He Hanqing's residence was in complete serenity. From far away came the sound of the watchman’s clapper, suggesting that it was already the third fragment of the night, where the darkness lay the deepest.
Within the residence, a dark shadow suddenly moved. Some people stood up, "Today is only the first day we're here, don’t tell me that we already have uninvited guests? Didn't Supreme Wind just punish Yang Botao? Will he act again so quickly?"
This man had apparently been rather sleepy.
Before this, he had been waiting outside the city for so many days, setting up a large formation that had managed to distill almost all the mystical Qi. Having barely rested for half a day, he had then received orders to assist in this Residence's defense immediately. It was a tiring and weary day indeed.
Immediately after he finished his words, without having to wait for the response from his comrades, the man's eyes widened abruptly, his eyes threatening to pop out of their sockets.