Shangguan Hanshan!
Huo Ci’s heart, which had already been caught in his throat, began to pound even more violently.
Huo Ci: Please don’t come over here!
Luckily, he didn’t try to barge in. He just stood there, talking to himself:
“Darling, just wait. Father will definitely get justice for you.”
His voice was already choked with emotion. After saying this, he turned and disappeared.
Huo Ci still didn’t dare to relax. He covered his mouth and sat in a daze for a long while. Only when he heard no more sounds from outside the window did he tiptoe out of bed.
He pressed his ear against the window and listened for a bit. It was completely silent.
If it weren’t for the tiny hole still left in the window screen, he would have thought everything that just happened was just his imagination.
He wanted to go to Jiang Xingyan’s tent, thinking it would be safer to stay with the two of them.
He walked to the door, then retreated back.
What if the enemy was still outside, waiting for him to fall into the trap?
After thinking it over a few times, he decided not to act rashly.
He went back to the bed, gripped the hairpin tightly, and remained alert.
Outside the tent, Shangguan Hanshan really hadn’t left.
His internal energy was strong, and he could sense that the person in the tent wasn’t asleep, and had even nearly walked out the door.
But in the end, they retreated back inside.
His mood felt like someone had lifted him up high, only to drop him hard.
That damned Huo Ci had tried every way to stop him from seeing his daughter. He had even imagined the worst outcome: that his girl had long been killed by that “Huo Ci”!
The only reason “Huo Ci” was stalling him was because he was afraid that, in a fit of rage, he would flatten the Western Zhou Dynasty.
Unexpectedly, his daughter was still alive.
She just really didn’t want to see him.
Shangguan Hanshan’s heart felt as if it had been pierced by a thousand swords. He stood silently in the night for a long time.
He had already returned to the Western Zhou imperial palace from the Huo Family Army camp when he spotted a ghostly black figure dart out of the Changle Palace, heading straight back toward the military camp.
He glanced down at the guards stationed around the Changle Palace and cursed under his breath: Fools!
Feeling something was off, he followed the figure from a distance.
The black figure rushed straight to the side tent next to the main tent and cut a small hole in the window screen.
He suddenly understood what the figure was trying to do, and also guessed who was inside.
Overcome with shock and rage, he moved like a shadow, snapped the assassin’s neck in one swift motion.
His shadow guard, who had been following closely, immediately stepped forward to drag the assassin away for inspection.
Shangguan Hanshan activated his internal energy. He could clearly sense that the person inside the tent was as frightened as a drum beating wildly in their chest.
He wrestled with himself for a long time and mustered great courage before deciding to reveal himself.
If his daughter had been wronged, would she come crying out to him?
At the very least, she would make a sound to let him know.
He would definitely charge in and rescue her!
But nothing happened. “She” was so cautious that she didn’t even step outside.
Shangguan Hanshan was heartbroken, yet suddenly found the term “divorce by mutual agreement” to be deeply meaningful.
If Huo Ci had been the one to abandon her, why wouldn’t he just give her a letter of divorce? Why would it be a mutual agreement?
Could it be that his daughter was the one who wanted the divorce?
So, what that “Huo Ci” had been saying these days was probably also his daughter’s will.
The more he thought about it, the more it hurt, and tears streamed down his face.
Inside the tent, Huo Ci had no idea about the turmoil in Shangguan Hanshan’s heart.
His emotions had fluctuated wildly, and he had been tense for too long. Exhausted, he fell fast asleep against the wall.
Shangguan Hanshan felt that his daughter inside the tent was now sound asleep. Only then did he wipe away his tears and walk unsteadily into the darkness.
The shadow guard had already stripped the assassin completely naked. Even his internal organs—liver, heart, spleen, lungs, and kidneys—had been dissected one by one and neatly arranged to the side.
Seeing Shangguan Hanshan arrive, the two shadow guards knelt on one knee, placed their right fists over their hearts, bowed their heads, and said, “Master.”
Shangguan Hanshan’s face was dark and gloomy. He glanced briefly at the assassin’s shattered remains on the ground.
The shadow guard reported the findings truthfully, piece by piece:
“This man is a Heaven-level assassin from the Great Xia assassin organization known as Flower Pavilion. In the martial arts world, he’s called the Twelve Fatal Assassins.
On his right arm is tattooed a snow lotus. He should be one of the Eight Assassins of Tianshan.
These twelve have had their tongues cut off since childhood. Every day, they train in medicinal vats, developing bodies as hard as iron, impervious to blades and arrows, and they’ve even lost the ability to feel pain.
So, every single one of them is immune to torture and cannot speak. All they know is to kill for money.”
Shangguan Hanshan’s gaze turned cold.
He ruled without interference, but that didn’t mean he was ignorant.
Whether in the martial world or the imperial court, everything was under his control.
“Send word back. Capture Hua Yileng, the master of Flower Pavilion, and throw him into the dungeon for a few days. Let’s see how sincere he truly is.”
“Yes, sir!”
Shangguan Hanshan waved his hand: “Clean this up neatly.”
The shadow guard took out a porcelain bottle and sprinkled some white powder over the scattered remains.
The powder poured from the bottle’s mouth, and as soon as it touched the body, a sizzling sound arose.
It was like tossing meat into a scorching hot iron pan.
Before long, the shattered remains of the Eight Assassins of Tianshan began to bubble profusely until they dissolved into a pool of pus.
By this time, the three people who had been there had vanished without a trace.
——-
When Yun Chunfeng appeared again in the imperial court, carrying Little Ya in his arms with the grace of a celestial being, Xiao Ao’s face practically bloomed with smiles.
Having just one Huo Ci was enough to make Beiluo wary. Now, the Imperial Preceptor was adding to his prestige.
With such an air, who wouldn’t revere him as an immortal descended from heaven?
“Just two days apart, Imperial Preceptor, your cultivation has increased by leaps and bounds!”
Yun Chunfeng nodded: “Thanks to Your Majesty’s boundless grace, this humble one had a sudden enlightenment last night, and my cultivation has also improved.”
“Wonderful, wonderful! With the Imperial Preceptor’s help, this truly is the good fortune of the Western Zhou Dynasty!”
“Report! The Beiluo envoy requests an audience!”
The eunuch messenger’s voice echoed through the hall one after another.
Compared to the respect and courtesy shown to the Great Xia envoy, the reception for the Beiluo delegation was downright shabby.
There were five people in total, none of them ranking above the third grade.
But no matter how dissatisfied the Beiluo people were, they had to swallow their pride.
After all, they were the ones in the wrong!
Xiao Ao could finally change his recent cautious demeanor around Shangguan Luoyue. He straightened his back and projected the full authority of an emperor.
“Summon them in!”
The leader of the Beiluo envoys was Meng Sier, the younger brother of the Beiluo King.
He knelt on one knee, placed his right hand behind his back, laid his left hand over his right shoulder, and bowed deeply to Xiao Ao.
“Oh Emperor of the Western Zhou Dynasty, you are wise and mighty. You saw through the conspiracy of the treacherous rebel Tuoba Hongxue and promptly restored the friendship between our two nations.
The King of Beiluo is grateful to you! The subjects of Beiluo are grateful to you!”
Xiao Ao nodded: “So, Prince Meng, you have brought the criminal Tuoba Hongxue with you?”
Meng Sier gritted his teeth secretly.
He had thought highly of Tuoba Hongxue, but unfortunately, his elder brother favored the inexplicable Chaganfu!
He disagreed completely with sending General Tuoba to the Western Zhou to apologize.
But his brother threatened him: if he didn’t go, he would be the one to test the new weapon that Chaganfu had developed.
He was terrified of that dreadful thing, which looked like the eye of an ancient demon.
So, he had no choice but to wrong General Tuoba.
He waved his hand, and four Beiluo envoys carried a disheveled, barely alive man into the court.
The man’s back was bruised and bloody, wounds split open, with no bandaging. Under the wind and sun along the way, the injuries had scabbed over and festered, looking utterly miserable.
Jiang Xingyan’s heart shook violently.
How had her nemesis, who had faced her across the river in Qingzhou, ended up in such a state?
On the Western Zhou court, everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts.
Even Xiao Ao’s expression darkened, unsure of Beiluo’s true intentions.
Just as Jiang Xingyan was staring at Tuoba Hongxue, he seemed to sense it too. Suddenly, from behind his tangled, dirty hair, he opened his eyes.
In that instant, Jiang Xingyan felt as if a sharp blade was thrust toward her. Her heart leaped, and the next moment, her eyes met Tuoba Hongxue’s directly.
His gaze said: My nemesis, we meet again at last.
