Wuzhu lowered his head slightly, letting the cold night wind blow the black cloth over his eyes, his stable and terrifying right hand slowly grasped the iron handle at his waist, and stepped towards the side of the bed, one step at a time.
The clothes on the man in the noodle shop are made of coarse cloth, khaki, with half sleeves, not thick, just like the clothes of the coolies on the river pier in the south of Kyoto, there is nothing unusual about it. He blinked, the indifference in his eyes didn't change a bit, and the expression on his face didn't change at all, he just stood up slowly from the bench with the sound of Wuzhu's footsteps.
The clothed man held a knife in his hand, a straight knife, and with a wave of his hand, the blade whizzed and slashed out horizontally—the straight knife landed on the neck of the old, squatting shopkeeper who was picking up noodles, his face There was a snort on the shop owner's neck, and the blood splashed on his neck, pouring all the blood into the noodle cooking pot without exception!
Immediately afterwards, Boss Noodle's head clicked, like the heavy fruit of an autumn tree, it broke away from the branch and fell into the noodle soup.
There was no warning, no reason, and an unusually cold-blooded and steady shot. The owner of the noodle shop was decapitated. The old head in the soup was floating up and down, and the noodle soup had been dyed a faint red color. Under the light of the oil lamp that could be extinguished every moment in the winter night, the scene looked indescribably terrifying and eerie.
Wu Zhu was standing at a distance of three feet in front of the clothed man, the half of his face exposed outside the black cloth remained motionless, as if he didn't care that the other party just killed an innocent noodle boss in front of him.
"You are from the south." The blind man's voice was always so monotonous, lacking rhythm.
The clothed man slowly withdrew the straight knife, and stared at Wu Zhu with those indifferent eyes. Although neither his eyes nor his expression showed any emotion, for some reason, it always made people feel that he had entered a state of extreme vigilance.
"Routine inspection." Commoner said in a very thin tone, "I'm looking for you to go back."
Wu Zhu said, "You come to kill Fan Xian."
The commoner man said: "You deliberately released the news."
"Because I didn't find you in the south, I had to use this method to force you to show up." Wu Zhu looked at him indifferently, as if looking at a dead person, "You know that Fan Xian is her descendant, so of course he will come to the capital to kill you." he."
The commoner man's eyebrows moved a little strangely, as if he wanted to express a kind of surprise and incomprehension, but it was obvious that his expression was a little blunt, so it looked a little funny, those two eyebrows twisted like two small bugs moving.
"You know why, so you let me come."
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Why did this commoner man come to the capital to kill Fan Xian after he knew that he was Ye Qingmei's son? From Wu Zhu's conversation with this commoner man, it was obvious that both of them knew each other.
Moreover, Wu Zhu knew that once the other party found out about Fan Xian's life, he would go to Beijing to kill at all costs, so he waited outside Fan's residence. From this point of view, the recent turmoil in central Beijing may be just Wuzhu's false omissions to secretly wake up Kuhe in order to reveal Fan Xian's life experience from the distant Northern Qi without leaving any traces.
If the blind uncle has the ability to construct such a perfect plan—then his only purpose in doing all this is to attract this commoner man to the capital.
Who is the commoner man
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A few months ago, on the southern coastline of the Qing Kingdom, a man without a name appeared, he was looking for a blind man, and when his question was not answered, he would simply kill everyone who had seen him , no reason, no reason asked.
He is the serial killer in southern border that Fan Xian and Yan Bingyun have been obsessed with.
When the Ministry of Criminal Justice was at a loss, the Overwatch Council finally began to investigate these weird and bizarre murders, but whenever the experts of the Overwatch Council tracked down this unknown person, they would be turned back by the other party and mercilessly killed them all. So until now, no one knows what this unknown person looks like. Yan Bingyun once thought about borrowing troops from Fan Xian, borrowing the Tiger Guards to go south, and it was for this person.
When he first appeared in this world, it seemed that he was not quite used to the behavior and rules of this world, so he killed too many people unnecessarily. Until later, he gradually understood more things, so he scattered He put his bare feet into the most common bun, put his bare feet into the necessary straw sandals for home, chose a straight knife often equipped by warriors of the Qing Dynasty, and at the same time, changed into the least noticeable one. Coarse cloth.
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Wuzhu took a step forward, getting closer to the noodle stall, lowered his head slightly and said, "I went to the south to look for you, but I couldn't find you."
The commoner man said something incomprehensible: "I looked for you in the south, but I couldn't find you."
Wuzhu's feet were bare, while the commoner's feet were wearing straw sandals. Wuzhu's hair was tied tightly behind his head, and he remained motionless, while the commoner man's hair was tied into a bun, slightly higher.
The smell and taste of the two people are very similar. Although the clothes and appearance are different, it seems that there are only these two characteristics that can distinguish the two. The aura pervading from their bodies made it clear that these two were ruthless killing machines, but they were also like two hunters lurking in the dark night, they were clearly looking for each other, but they cared very much about who would find the other first.
They demand that they can only find each other first, and not allow themselves to be found by the other party. Although this does not seem to make any difference, it is like a desperate struggle between a hunter and a wounded tiger. Whoever has the upper hand can continue to stay. in this world.
"Someone told you that I'm in the south," Wu Zhu said.
The commoner man didn't answer his words, but said directly: "You can't leave traces."
Wu Zhu said: "She has left too many traces. You go back to the temple, and I won't kill you."
The commoner man seemed to find Wu Zhu's words quite incomprehensible, which was in great conflict with the principles he had always believed in. There was a strange look in those indifferent eyes as clear as ice and snow, which was rarely seen in the eyes of the world.
"You come back with me." Commoner's tone remained the same without any fluctuations.
Wu Zhu's voice was more angry than the other party's: "I forgot some things, wait until I remember."
The conversation between these two people has been going on with a very strange rhythm, and if you pay more attention, you will find that in this continuous conversation, the two of them are not using a single interrogative sentence, but only using a very affirmative tone What they are talking about, maybe they are all people who are very confident in their ability to judge logically, and probably only these two weirdos can use such leaps of thought to conduct dialogues that are extremely difficult and difficult for ordinary people to understand.
The lips of the two people moved suddenly, but they didn't make any sound, as if they were in the final silent negotiation.
The negotiation broke down, and Wuzhu took another step towards the noodle stall. The distance between the two has changed from three feet to two feet.
The commoner was expressionless and didn't take a step back, just staring at Wu Zhu's hand on the iron rod, as if waiting for that pale hand to bloom.
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A low-pitched puffing sound came from the stove where the noodle pot was placed. The noodle soup with human heads boiled over the top of the pot with blood-red thick foam, and flowed along the edge of the pot into the furnace. When it touched the fiery red coals, there was a puffing sound, and a puff of pungent smoke rose. taste.
Wuzhu moved, the black cloth on his eyes instantly turned into a black thread, the iron drill in his hand didn't produce a flower, but it pierced the commoner man's chest like a sharp bamboo tip!
It's strange that Wu Zhu didn't choose to drop the gun at the throat today.
Almost at the same time as he moved, the civilian man with the straight knife also moved, and the two rushed forward with exactly the same reaction force and speed, and no one could notice the slightest difference.
The distance of two feet disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye, and Wu Zhu and the commoner man collided suddenly.
The speed of the two was so fast that it even exceeded the limit of what people could observe with their eyes. It seemed that the two of them were standing two feet apart one moment, but the next moment, they were already standing opposite each other!
It was like two beams of light, meeting suddenly, at such a fast speed, whether it was Fan Xian before he was injured, or the shadow assassin at the Sixth Division, or even Haitang here, they would definitely be unable to react in time, only the one who was waiting to die Part—such a state, no one in the world has ever touched it except for the four great masters.
However, when the streamer collided, there was no dazzling fireworks, but it turned into deathly silence in an instant.
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A knife tip protruded from Wuzhu's right rib, it was terrifying, something was dripping from the knife to the ground.
A shovel pierced through the middle abdomen of the commoner man with incomparable accuracy, without any deviation.
Wu Zhu moved first, and his speed seemed to be a little bit faster than the enemy, so when the two confronted each other, his left knee squatted for a while, he was only a little faster, but it was the most deadly. a trace of
At this time, he maintained such a half-squatting posture, and slightly raised the iron chisel in his hand, stabbing the opponent's abdomen like raising fire to the sky.
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In the garden behind the alley, human voices could be heard faintly, the voice was extremely soft, but it fell into the ears of Wu Zhu and the commoner man.
Like a saw cutting wood, the two separated silently, and the weapon in their hands was slowly pulled out of the other's body. At this moment, there was a chirping sound from the belly of the commoner man, as if something had broken. up!
After being so severely injured, the commoner man still had no expression on his face, as if he was in no pain at all, just staring at the wound on his abdomen like a baby, as if he was thinking about why he was a little slower than Wu Zhu.
Wu Zhu defeated the enemy with one move, but he was also seriously injured, but he still had the same expressionless face as the opponent, except that the corners of his lips exposed outside the black cloth showed a more earthly sense of alienation.
He knew that the other party could no longer exist in this world. And the reason why I was able to be faster than the other party was because I used Fan Xian's background to lure the other party to come here today, so I made more preparations, without wearing shoes and without buns.
Mo Ran Hongchenyi, there is indeed some truth to what the temple said.
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Ye Xue made another move, several figures leaped over the garden wall with a bang, and landed in the alley silently. As soon as they landed, several people drew out the long knives carried behind them, formed a sniper formation, and looked around vigilantly.
The person who came was the Tiger Guard who was in charge of protecting Fan Xian's safety.
After confirming his safety, Gao Da put his knife back into its sheath, walked to the noodle stall in the sparse snow, looked at the pot of noodle soup on the remnant stove, and looked at the eerie human head in the noodle soup, he frowned .
Immediately afterwards, his eyes fell on the part where the head and the corpse were separated. He only glanced at the wound, and there was a hint of chill and fear in his eyes—what a fast knife!
Gao Da suddenly felt a chill on his neck, as if snowflakes had penetrated his clothes. He knew that the fight that happened here before was definitely not something that a person like himself could intervene on his own. Although he didn't see it with his own eyes, he could guess what kind of miraculous realm the two people were fighting.
The snow was getting heavier, and it was gradually freezing the bloody noodle soup, which was still warm, and it also chilled the minds of everyone in the alley. The noodle shop stood at the entrance of the alley miserably, the owner was dead, the furnace was cold, and the blood was dry. No one in this world has ever seen this snowy alley in the night. There used to be two unknown masters. Among them, there are extremely masters who are the real masters, and they have fought here before.
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The officer on night shift of the Overwatch Council was dozing off. The building in the snowy night looked even colder and solemn. Suddenly a gust of wind passed by and woke him up. He patted himself on the cheek in shock and ordered himself to wake up.
There are usually many officials on duty in the courtyard at night, not to mention these days, because of Fan Tisi’s incident, Dean Chen has not returned to Chen Garden, but directly sat in the courtyard to suppress everything. Asleep, but there is no good fruit to eat.
At this moment, Chen Pingping was half leaning on the wheelchair and dozing off. The old man had not been in good health these years. Although the stove in the room was very hot, he still subconsciously used his skinny hands to pull on his knees in his sleep. The woolen blanket covered her chest and abdomen.
The door opened and closed again.
Chen Pingping woke up, blinked her cloudy eyes slowly, looked at the black cloth in front of her, and said softly, "Why are you here?"
Then he noticed the horrible wound on Wuzhu's left chest, and his white eyebrows were raised up immediately, although he was not angry, but he was vigilant and asked: "What's going on?"
Can it hurt Wu Zhu? Then it could only be one of those great masters making the move. No matter how arrogant Chen Pingping was, in the current troubled situation in Kyoto, it would be difficult for her to bear the news that the enemy suddenly had an extra Grandmaster to help.
Wu Zhu didn't answer his question, but just said three words very directly.
"Bring back the shadow."
"The man who hurt me knows I'm in the South."
"Fan Xian dies, Qing Kingdom perishes."
Wu Zhu knew that the old cripple in front of him was wise enough to understand these three sentences, and the terrible injury he had suffered today made him unable to support him any longer, so he left the monitoring room quickly and quietly after speaking. hospital.
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Sitting in a wheelchair, Chen Pingping fell into a long silence. In the fireplace not far away, the red fire was dancing like an elf, reflecting his pale and haggard face red.
Although Wuzhu's three sentences are simple, they reveal very important information.
The first sentence is to let the shadow come back, which means that his injuries are already very serious, and there is no way to stay by Fan Xian's side to protect him, and let Chen Pingping fulfill his promise in advance to call the shadow back to protect Fan Xian's safety.
However, the person who was capable of injuring Wu Zhu should have died. Otherwise, with Wu Zhu's character, for Fan Xian's life and death, he would never leave the capital no matter how seriously injured he was.
Who can hurt Wuzhu? It must not be those great masters, otherwise Wu Zhu would not deliberately conceal the identity of the other party. Chen Pingping's heart trembled slightly, and she vaguely guessed something. This guess has been made many years ago, but it has never been confirmed.
The night Wu Zhu left the capital with Fan Xian on his back, the two of them had thought about how to let Fan Xian escape that unknown danger. It's just... why did the temple know that Wuzhu was in the south? Chen Pingping frowned and began to sort out all this.
During Fan Xian's two years in Beijing, Chen Pingping asked about Wu Zhu's whereabouts more than once. Fan Xian always lied carefully, saying that Wu Zhu was playing with Ye Liuyun in the south. Besides Chen Pingping, the only person who knew this false news was the emperor that Chen Pingping had told him about. (See Volume II, Chapter 62.)
Wu Zhu's second sentence was to remind Chen Pingping of this point. From this point of view, the threat in the third sentence is a matter of course.
"Your Majesty." The wrinkles at the corners of Chen Pingping's eyes twitched slightly, and she sighed softly, "You really always surprise me, and I admire you."
In just a moment, he had figured out what the emperor really thought. Although he didn't know how the emperor could get in touch with that illusory temple, he was sure of the fact that His Majesty the great emperor really wanted Wuzhu to disappear.
For a generation of emperors, it may be really difficult to bear the side of their illegitimate son, and have a figure at the level of a grand master.
A great master, if he starts going crazy. It has the ability to shake the court's rule, which is something anyone can think of. Even if it was impossible for him to enter the imperial palace and slaughter the entire royal family by himself, he could travel across the world with a single sword and kill all the state governors in the roads of the counties without worrying about being surrounded by the army.
It is also possible to hide in the capital for ten years, and once you draw your sword, the emperor will never dare to leave the palace for eternity, and will not be able to leave the city. Let me ask, under such circumstances, no one dared to be an official, and the emperor dared not show his face. What else could the court do except fall apart
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So back then, Ku He could frighten all the princes, nobles and officials in the north who wanted to rebel.
Therefore, Sigu Sword can protect Dongyi City with a single sword for so many years, spread its sword power, and straighten the backs of those small vassal states sandwiched between the two big countries.
So Ye Liuyun, who seems to be careless but actually has great wisdom, as long as he continues his endless journey in the ends of the earth, the Qing Kingdom will treat the Ye family favorably. A disgraceful trick. Of course, Ye Liuyun himself is well aware of the taboos of the royal family, so he hasn't been back to the capital for so many years.
If there is a war in the world, His Majesty can use the Ye family to threaten Ye Liuyun, use the lives of all the people in the Northern Qi Dynasty to persuade Ku He, and use the survival of Dongyi City to remind Si Gu Jian, and the two sides can reach a balanced agreement.
But Wuzhu is different from these three great masters. He doesn't have a huge family as a burden, and he doesn't have any country people who need him to protect. What he does is only for Fan Xian alone, so he has greater freedom. It is even more impossible for the emperor to threaten or use each other, and the two sides even have no room for bargaining.
If something happened to Fan Xian, and Wu Zhu went crazy, the world would go crazy with him.
So, as long as Wuzhu is alive, the emperor must cherish Fan Xian, and play the role of the father who has no choice but to feel guilty, the emperor who is full of ambition but seems to be full of sorrow, just like in the past few years.
The emperor may appreciate Fan Xian's son very much from the bottom of his heart, but he is an emperor in the final analysis, and he cannot allow Fan Xian to have such a loyal and loyal master as his servant, even if he does not use this temple to visit him. One day, the emperor will also find a way to get rid of Wuzhu.
Of course, Chen Pingping knew that this was only one reason, and the other reason probably lay in the faint fear in the emperor's heart.
The temple has always been indifferent to worldly affairs. No one has really seen the people in the temple. The people in the temple may not appear in the world once in hundreds of years. The relationship between Xian and the Ye family has buried everything from the past in the pile of old papers. For the emperor, this may be the most wonderful ending.
It's just that the emperor didn't expect that Fan Xian's background as a descendant of the Ye family would be revealed so quickly, and his son became the temple's primary target. He wanted to use the temple knife to kill Wu Zhu, but Wu Zhu used Fan Xian's background to successfully trap and kill the temple visitor, saving Fan Xian's life.
Chen Pingping didn't know Wuzhu's hands and feet in it, but he just thought with a little sadness, His Majesty knew that someone from the temple came to the world, but after Fan Xian's life was exposed, he never reminded himself or Fan Xian, could it be Said, for anyone except yourself, His Majesty will only give a touch of sadness and sympathy
The old man sneered, pushed the wheelchair to the fireplace, stretched out his hand a little greedily, yawned while getting warm, and muttered in vague words: "You just know how to enjoy it, and you actually made a fireplace!" .You are excellent in everything, but you are a little confused about this matter, the girl..."
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At dawn, the remote and quiet place called "Outside Sanli" in Kyoto was dark, and the shadow of a round building, all of which was made of black wood, was vaguely visible. It was a temple. Snowflakes fell one after another, giving the temple a sense of detachment from the mundane.
This is the Qing Temple, rumored to be the only place in the Qing Kingdom where one can communicate with the ethereal temple, the temple where the royal family worships heaven.
The temple door was pushed open with a creak, and the high priest of the Qing Temple, who hadn't been in Kyoto for a long time, came out. Compared with Qi Temple Kuhe, the shocking expression on the face of this unknown ascetic monk appeared and disappeared, silent and sad He lifted the corpse from the snow and staggered into the temple. The corpse was wearing a common cloth.