230 Assassins Strike

ually tied back, holding a tray filled with food quietly watching him. The lamp illuminated her beautiful face, making her look even more ethereal and gentle. Mo Xiuyao felt warmth in his heart; this...230. Assassins Arrive

230。 Assassins Arrive

"Guan Ting, who are you here to kill Why not tell this王爺I"

Seeing Mo Xiuyao's snow-white hair when he came out from inside, Guan Ting was also startled. But this time around, he wasn't as afraid of Mo Xiuyao as before. In Guan Ting’s mind, he now was a loyal official to the Great Chu and a close aide of the Emperor, while Mo Xiuyao was just an abandoned traitor despised by everyone. More importantly, there were at least 3,000 elite soldiers inside and outside this small town, whereas Mo Xiuyao only had several dozen people with him. Even if the Mo Family Army was as formidable as he heard, Guan Ting couldn’t think of any reason why he should fail in such advantageous circumstances. Thus, after his initial shock wore off, the contemptuous and vicious look on Guan Ting’s face returned when he looked at Mo Xiuyao again. His eyes were full of hatred and envy.

Yes, envy. In this world, including the emperor Mo Jingqi himself, there probably weren’t many men who wouldn't envy Mo Xiuyao. Being in possession of both the Ding王府and the Mo Family Army—the two most formidable forces in the present era, having martial arts skills that were unparalleled under heaven, a handsome and distinguished appearance, as well as a wife who made all ambitious men envious and an adorable son, there was really no reason for anyone not to envy Mo Xiuyao.

However, Guan Ting’s envy of Mo Xiuyao far predated everyone else. When he still followed the young prince Mo Jingqi, the second young master of Ding王府was someone whom he envied and hated with all his heart. At the foot of the mountain while Mo Xiuyao was fighting against bandits, Mo Xiuyao rode there on a white horse, and without any words, whipped him fiercely. It made Guan Ting lose face in front of thousands of troops. From then on, Guan Ting harbored hatred for Mo Xiuyao deep within his heart. He hated Mo Xiuyao’s origin; if Mo Xiuyao wasn’t the second young master of Ding王府, how could he dare to whip him so fiercely right in front of everyone If Mo Xiuyao wasn’t a descendant of Mo Lanyun and the son of Mo Liufang, how could he have such good talent Therefore, when seeing Ding王府falling ill-fortuned, he was also one of the happiest people.

"Ding… Mo Xiuyao, you, this traitor, still dare to set foot on the land of Great Chu Today, I, Captain Guan, will definitely cut your body into pieces and repay His Majesty’s grace!" Guan Ting called out while pointing at Mo Xiuyao with righteous indignation. Mo Xiuyao glanced at Guan Ting carelessly and said indifferently, "Mo Jingqi doesn’t pick and choose when it comes to talent nowadays; he even lets a cripple lead troops abroad. Even if he’s not worried that you will fall off your horse again, he should still worry about the safety of his soldiers." Feng Zhiyao waved his folding fan with a smile and said, "Exactly! General Guan can’t walk on his own legs while being so resolute; it wouldn’t be good to drop from the horse and hit nearby soldiers. Sigh… It seems that the emperor doesn’t cherish his soldiers very much."

"You… you!" Fuming with anger, Guan Ting was gasping for breath as he hated when others talked about his leg. As a military general, having such a disability was equivalent to being completely useless. Even if one were an official from the civil service, it would be impossible for the court to let a cripple enter the government for the sake of its face. So, out of nostalgia and old friendship, the emperor sent him abroad to lead troops. In reality, he was just given a title without any real power. Although Guan Ting had been doing well in recent years, it could never be compared with the prosperity of Chu Capital. And everything… was caused by people from Ding王府! Although Guan Ting didn’t know that he initially broke his leg because Ding王府wanted to get Mu Songzhen posted as a guard at Suixue Pass, he still firmly believed that the blame lay on Ding王府. Besides, since Guan Ting regarded himself as Mo Jingqi’s close aide, Mo Xiuyao had been meticulously plotting against him; thus, Guan Ting roared fiercely, "I’ll kill you all! I’ll kill you all! Shoot them down with arrows!"

However, his soldiers were not obedient as he imagined. After all, the reputation of Ding王府had continued for more than a hundred years in Great Chu and was an unbreakable legend within the military. It wasn’t something Mo Jingqi could destroy completely even if he wanted to. If given two or three decades, perhaps Mo Jingqi might be able to erase the glory of Ding王府in Great Chu, but five years were simply too short a time. Moreover, when Northwest announced its separation from Great Chu, the declaration that spread across the land said it was because Great Chu had wronged Ding王府rather than the other way around. The hatred for killing one’s father could never be reconciled. Since Prince DIng didn’t immediately lead the Mo Family Army to attack the capital in revenge, he was already regarded by ordinary people as magnanimous and still considering the favor of protecting Great Chu for a hundred years. Now that Guan Ting wanted his soldiers to shoot down Mo Xiuyao’s group right away, they would definitely consider Prince DIng’s mysterious and elusive divine unicorn.

Mo Xiuyao swept around with an ambiguous smile at the surrounding soldiers guarding the inn; those who originally still held bows and arrows hesitantly put them down subconsciously after that indifferent look.

Guan Ting was even more enraged when he saw his soldiers not obeying him, turning black as he roared, "Rebellion! Do you also want to rebel Quickly execute these traitors!"

The soldiers below were naturally caught between a rock and a hard place. They did not want nor wish to be enemies with the Prince Dinh王府, but Guan Ting was their superior, and even if this superior was unpopular, they still had to follow his orders. Feng Zhiyao walked out of the crowd with a smile on her face and said to everyone in a cheerful tone, "Actually, there's no need to worry about this problem; it’s quite easy to solve." Everyone was puzzled and did not know how this charming red-robed young master planned to resolve the issue. Suddenly, Feng Zhiyao waved her sleeves, and a long whip shot out from within her sleeve, heading straight towards Guan Ting. In just an instant of distraction for everyone, Guan Ting had already been tightly bound by the whip and was dragged directly in front of Feng Zhiyao from the crowd. It turned out that after being attacked by the cucumber earlier, Guan Ting found it inconvenient to dodge with so many people around, so he ordered them to spread out a bit. Otherwise, Feng Zhiyao wouldn’t have been able to pull him out of the crowd.

Looking down at Guan Ting who had been tightly bound by her whip, Feng Zhiyao leaned on her fan and said with a warm smile, "Isn't that settled We’ll take this man away. You just report back honestly; don’t worry, he won't be coming back."

The soldiers hesitated for a moment before finally making way. Originally, Guan Ting had led them here without the consent of General Jingbian, who was in charge of the southwestern region, but instead acted on an imperial edict sent by Mo Jingqi secretly. Therefore, if they reported back that Guan Ting had been taken away, General Jingbian would not punish them either. This way, they managed to avoid a confrontation with the Prince Dinh王府 as well, truly achieving two goals at once. The soldiers felt satisfied, but Guan Ting did not think so. He clearly understood what Feng Zhiyao meant in her words; if he was really captured by the Prince Dinh王府, his life would be over, "You dare! I will report to His Majesty that all of you and your families should be executed!" As soon as these words were out of his mouth, the soldiers retreated even faster. The deputy commander at the back turned around to bow respectfully towards Feng Zhiyao and others, saying, "This concerns the lives of thousands of our troops; please take care of it, Your Highness." Mo Xiuyao narrowed his eyes slightly and said calmly, "Don’t worry, I will not implicate you all." The deputy commander was delighted to hear this, “Thank you, Your Highness.”

Seeing the soldiers from the Great Chu retreat, Feng Zhiyao turned around with Guan Ting in tow and asked, "Your Highness, should we leave here now" With thousands of soldiers entering the city, it was impossible to keep such a big event under wraps. It would be best for them to leave first.

Mo Xiuyao nodded and said, "Let's go if you have finished your meal."

The group dragged Guan Ting out of the city like a wrapped up zongzi (sticky rice dumpling). Even in the inn, Guan Ting had kept cursing non-stop. Feng Zhiyao found his curses unbearable and casually picked up a cloth from the table to stuff into his mouth. Guan Ting was nauseated by the greasy cloth and could only groan.

They hadn’t even reached ten miles outside of the city when Qin Feng, who had been leading the way, suddenly stopped. The rest naturally followed suit and cautiously watched their surroundings. Qin Feng sneered, "Come out! You can’t even hide well; you’re trying to ambush like others" Hardly had his words fallen before several sharp arrows whizzed towards Qin Feng. He didn’t even bother getting off the horse but sat sideways on it to dodge the incoming long arrows. From all around the roadside slopes and trees, numerous figures in black masks jumped out. Relying closely on Zuo Jing, Feng Zhiyao murmured, "I knew this trip to Nanzhao wouldn't be that smooth. But… is it really okay to wear black clothes and cover your face during broad daylight" What could possibly stand out more than black in the middle of a day Zuo Jing’s lips twitched; he moved away from Feng Zhiyao slightly with disdain, saying calmly, "Assassins usually like to wear black and hide their faces."

“Nonsense! In the King's Tower, there are so many assassins; where have you seen them wearing black and covering their faces” Feng Zhiyao countered. The King's Tower was known as the first killer organization in the world but never wore uniforms. This indicated that uniformed clothing could only be detrimental to a killer organization.

“Third-rate killers.” Zuo Jing said calmly.

Hearing Feng Zhiyao and Zuo Jing’s cold mockery, which was making fun of each other, the originally tense atmosphere became inexplicably comical. Although the masked assassins could not be seen through their masks, their eyes seemed to be spewing fire, enough to show their anger. Smiling at the killers across from her, Feng Zhiyao said indifferently, "Apart from third-rate killers, there’s actually another kind of person who must cover their face in broad daylight."

Ye Lvy smiled and asked, "Who is it"

Feng Zhiyao laughed, "Someone who doesn't want to be seen. For example... the Inner Palace Guards!"

The assassins fell silent, but they could not hide their astonished expressions. Mo Xiuyao stepped forward and crossed his arms as he looked at the circle of assassins surrounding them. He smiled calmly and said, "Inner Palace Guards Mo Jingqi's action is simply to cover up his true intentions; it’s unnecessary." Feng Zhiyao laughed, "That’s right. Our Ding王府 has already severed ties with Dachu, so if Mo Jingqi wants to kill our prince regent, he can just send people directly. Just like what happened in the city earlier—wasn’t that better Why bother being sneaky. However…"

Qin Feng coldly said, "We would be considered as Dachu trying to挑釁Mo Family Army."

The assassins hesitated for a moment before their leader raised his sword and pointed it at Mo Xiuyao, shouting sternly, "Prince Regent of Ding, no need for more words. We are here on orders and if we cannot bring your head back, our own heads will fall. Excuse us!" With that, he swung his sword and everyone charged towards Mo Xiuyao simultaneously. Mo Xiuyao remained calm as he casually flicked his sleeves, sending two assassins flying to the side with a gust of force like solid matter. Once Mo Xiuyao took action, others naturally didn’t stand idly by either, and soon the quiet official road was filled with the sounds of combat.

A few assassins failed in their attempt to surround Mo Xiuyao, and upon thinking for a moment, they shifted their targets towards Ye Lvy who had been guarded closely inside his embrace and hadn’t moved. Four assassins attacked fiercely to distract Mo Xiuyao while two others seized the opportunity to point their swords at Ye Lvy. With limited room for movement inside Mo Xiuyao’s embrace, seeing that the swords were about to hit her made the sword-wielding assassin inwardly delighted. But suddenly his body jerked and he felt a sharp pain in his chest; the Prince Consort of Ding Wang was no longer where she had been in Mo Xiuyao's arms, while a gleaming dagger now pierced his heart. A slender hand held the hilt and effortlessly pulled out the dagger. Blood sprayed as the assassin slowly fell, his vision blurred as he saw the beautiful and graceful Ding Wang Feng holding the blood-stained dagger, spinning to evade another long sword, like a pale green breeze sweeping past—the neck of one of his companions had been sliced by a thin red line...

Within the blink of an eye, Ye Lvy killed two people. She casually flicked the blood off the dagger and frowned slightly. It seemed she was lacking in training these years, her movements not as agile as before. Although this life she learned lightness skills and inner strength, it might never reach the peak level of her previous life. But… raising her head to glance at Mo Xiuyao who had cleared most nearby assassins, Ye Lvy smiled faintly. This life was indeed different; even if she couldn't truly return to her peak state, that would be fine.

After clearing the immediate threats around them, Mo Xiuyao no longer took action. The guards spontaneously separated the assassins from the prince regent and princess consort. Thus, Ye Lvy and Mo Xiuyao were among the most relaxed people there, occasionally dealing with any remaining assassins.

"They are buying time," Ye Lvy observed as she watched the assassins entangled with the guards nearby, furrowing her brows. "They probably didn't expect Guan Ting to be such a liability that allowed us to leave that small city. With insufficient manpower now, they can only stall for time." Mo Xiuyao淡淡說道：“想要對付定王府的侍衛，特彆是還有麒麟在的時候，冇有多出三五倍的人手根本不可能。眼前這百來人給眾人磨牙都不夠看。” To deal with the guards of Ding Wang's Manor, especially when there’s a Qilin among them, without an extra three to five times the number of men, it was simply impossible. The hundred or so people around were barely worth considering.

Ye Lvy raised her head and looked at him, saying, "You’re thinking…"

Mo Xiuyao sneered and said, "Wait them out. If we don’t teach Mo Jingqi a lesson, he won’t know what it means to be quiet. Even though we aren't afraid of him, too many mosquitoes and flies can still be annoying."

Hearing this from Mo Xiuyao, Ye Lvy assumed that he had already made up his mind; she didn’t say anything more. She leaned against the nearby horse and observed the battle. The horses from Ding Wang's Manor were carefully selected warhorses. Even amidst the chaos on the official road, they merely moved to the grassy roadside to graze calmly, showing no signs of panic. Several even stood in the middle of the road, stepping on fallen black-clad assassins.

Although the assassins tried to delay as much as possible, it only took them a little over ten minutes before all of them lay motionless on the ground. The guards who had followed Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li south were tired of being under constant surveillance wherever they went. They could finally release their pent-up energy, and some couldn’t contain themselves when they stopped and complained that their opponents weren't strong enough.

Of course, Mo Xiuyao wouldn’t really stop to wait for them to come after him. The group continued on the road, ignoring the bodies littering it. After all, ordinary people would not be walking the main road and thus there was no need to worry about scaring anyone.

The next day they knew they were getting close to Suixue Pass but still saw nobody chasing after them. If one said that Mo Jingqi’s men were sluggish in their response, it wouldn’t have been this slow. Mo Xiuyao frowned and waved his hand before giving an order: "Go back with the rest of you and bind all the deputy commanders of every garrison along the way." The Qilins immediately moved forward upon hearing the command and asked: “Your Excellency, should we kill them” Mo Xiuyao said coldly: "Capture them if possible; otherwise, kill them."

"We’ll follow your orders!" They wouldn’t have a mission they couldn’t accomplish. The Qilins decided to capture all eleven deputy commanders of the heavily garrisoned cities along their route and take them back to the northwest. Although it was somewhat disappointing that Mo Xiuyao hadn’t ordered them to capture the main commanders, capturing the deputy commanders sounded like an easy task.

Hearing this, Feng Zhirao asked out of curiosity: "Your Excellency, aren't they not chasing after us They seem quite reasonable."

Mo Jingqi wouldn’t just casually send a group to assassinate them. Furthermore, the group hadn’t hidden their tracks along the way, so the only possible explanation was that those in charge of guarding the cities were cooperating outwardly while secretly going against orders and thus didn’t plan on pursuing them.

Mo Xiuyao’s lips curled up a little as he said coldly: “Those who let me wait will have to pay for it.”

Feng Zhirao couldn’t help but shiver. Ultimately, Mo Jingqi had provoked the王爺吧？想想所有的副將突然被綁架失蹤的訊息傳到楚京之後，墨景祈會是什麼臉色，鳳之遙就暗暗想樂。能夠綁走副將自然就能夠綁走主將，相信他們從南詔回來的時候一路上就會順暢很多。

“王爺，前麵就是碎雪關了。你說莫將軍會不會……”

墨修堯搖頭道：“慕容將軍為人正直剛正不阿，墨景祈絕不會給他下這種命令的。就算是在碎雪關有墨景祈的人想要擅自調動兵馬也冇那麼容易。”

鳳之遙點點頭，“也是。”

墨修堯低頭對葉璃道：“咱們在永林休息一天，後天早上出關如何？”

翻譯成英文並保留原有的HTML標簽：

Moi Xiuyao shook his head and said, "General Mu is an upright man who adheres to justice; Mo Jingqi would never give him such orders. Even in Suixue Pass, if any of Mo Jingqi's men attempt to mobilize troops on their own, it will not be easy."

Feng Zhirao nodded and said, "That makes sense."

Moi Xiuyao lowered his head and asked Ye Li: “How about we rest in Yonglin for a day We can depart through the pass the morning after tomorrow.”s on both fronts, the Bei Rong would definitely take advantage of it. Now more than ever, Great Chu could not afford to offend Mo Xiuyao."You won’t agree" Lady Consort Liu narrowed her eyes, "Then do...