"Aren't you most clear about this answer?"
Yan An raised his sword and approached step by step. Zheng Qiao's blood dripped down the edge of the sword and splattered on the ground.
Zheng Qiao tried his best to dodge.
A flash of collapse and brutality flashed across his face. "I know? What do I know? Wasn't all this forced upon me? You and your father, my good master, who have been loyal all their lives, have ruined my life! Even at that point, you still have extravagant hopes for such a stupid and disgusting scum to 'turn over a new leaf' or 'return to the right path'! Why do you want to kill me when you come to me?"
Zheng Qiao questioned Yan An with all his might, "What he did was a thousand times more wrong than what I did. How can he still be alive? Everyone - including you, Yan Xingning, puts all the blame on me! Why!"
In the midst of his anger, he overcame his fear of death, staggered to his feet, pointed at the palace and said, "I am a tyrant who deserves to be cut into pieces. What is he? You and your son Yan Xingning regard him as your king. Have you ever thought of killing him?"
"You keep saying you're helping me—"
"The whole court praises you, how noble are you?"
"Why have you ever treated me like this?"
"Am I your lord, your junior fellow apprentice, or a stepping stone for you, Yan Xingning, to practice morality? A martyr's sacrifice!"
The venting and questioning of resentment that penetrated deep into his bones made Yan An pause, and the hand holding the sword trembled uncontrollably.
Zheng Qiao naturally wouldn't miss it.
He was shouting at the top of his lungs, his voice choked with sobs.
"I am just paying back the humiliation I suffered back then little by little! This is called blood debt with blood! This is called the law of nature! What classmates and friends! What elegant gentlemen! What morality! It was me who was wantonly trampled by that wild boar! It was me whose future was destroyed by him! Yan Xingning, I just want to ask you, what did I do wrong? Why was I humiliated! Why was I accused of being a flatterer!"
His eyes were red, and those affectionate eyes concealed countless fragility and pain, but he still tried hard not to cry: "Do I deserve to be insulted, despised, spit on, and trampled on?"
Yan An couldn't hold back his initial indifference.
But I was extremely disappointed inside.
He said, “That was not your fault.”
Zheng Qiao thought Yan An was persuaded.
“Brother, I just don’t want anyone to control my life anymore! I’ve had enough of being so lowly that anyone can step on me!” He pointed to the sky and said excitedly, “That day, I swore a solemn oath on my literary mind that even if I can’t stand at the highest point in this life, I can’t rot in the mud and stink! Therefore, I need power, I need to stand higher, I need to be strong enough for the world to fear and submit to me! Brother, I don’t ask you to understand me, nor do I ask you to put down your sword, but—”
The words are not finished.
But Yan An raised the sword he had put down firmly again.
"Ajo."
This was Zheng Qiao's nickname before he was given a pen name.
The only people in the world who would call him that were his long-dead mother, his mentor who was buried in the earth, and his senior brother Yan An who looked after him like a brother and a father. The moment he heard the name, the redness that had surged up on his cheeks due to the strong emotions faded away.
"Don't be afraid."
Yan An used the tone he usually used to coax his daughter.
"Death is not scary."
The tip of the sword approached the fellow apprentice who was cornered.
"I failed to live up to your father's last wish and failed to turn you back to the right path. You are now trying to shirk your responsibility with flattery. This is my fault. I am incompetent and have failed to teach you well."
Yan An's voice was weak, and there were large patches of blood on his body. His appearance was also aging rapidly, but his move was neat and decisive, without the slightest hesitation. In Zheng Qiao's shocked eyes, the cold sword pierced his chest.
"This matter has been too much for you!"
"Brothers... fighting, killing each other... killing each other is not what I wish, but things have come to this point - as a brother, I cannot allow you to stay in this world any longer, harming more innocent lives and causing more bloodshed!"
Zheng Qiao didn't listen to what he said at all.
He just lowered his head slightly and looked at his pierced chest.
Yan An laughed in relief, "When you go to hell, no matter how many evil spirits come after you, I will protect you. This time, I will protect you... When the world of the living is at peace..."
"You and I... brothers..."
"Come back to this world again..."
In his dying moments, he seemed to see his two dearest relatives, for whom he could never repay the debt of gratitude in any lifetime.
Yan An did have regrets. He regretted not being able to see his wife grow old, and he regretted not being able to see his daughter grow up and start a family. But he did not regret it either.
At least this time, we can avoid a huge loss of lives.
He was born in a time of war, suffered enough hardships in troubled times, and witnessed many joys and sorrows brought about by the world.
This was the only gift he could give to his daughter.
Zheng Qiao sat down with his head lowered.
The left side of his chest was pierced by a sharp sword, as if life was constantly pouring out of his body...
Haha, you read that right.
as if
It was not until Yan An's life was gone that Zheng Qiao, who had been enduring for a long time, slowly raised his head, his blood-stained face full of ridicule.
This space was supported by Yan An. With his death, the already shaky illusion became increasingly blurred, and finally...
The sound of chaotic footsteps became clearer and clearer. It was the guards, palace maids and eunuchs who were anxiously looking for Zheng Qiao.
"Lord!"
"Lord!"
Zheng Qiao raised his hand and looked towards the source of the sound.
A blur of lantern light approached him.
Due to excessive blood loss, his consciousness was a little blurred.
But with Wen Xin and Guo Xi "online", this injury is not fatal. He mobilized the Danfu's literary energy, pretending to be unharmed, and pushed Yan An away with one hand.
As Yan An's body fell to the ground, he could see clearly what his senior brother looked like now - Yan An was extremely old at this moment, his originally handsome face was replaced by countless soft wrinkles, his body was hunched, and he was so thin that only a skeleton was left.
It is hard to imagine that this old man who looks so old that he is about to lie in a coffin is actually the unparalleled scholar who was once famous in the State of Xin.
Zheng Qiao sneered.
He raised his hand and pulled out the sword stuck in his chest.
Thrown near Yan An's body.
Under the panic-stricken eyes of everyone in the palace, he murmured to the air: "Senior brother, I thought you weren't far away yet, hahahaha... I'm afraid you would never think of this - I'm your junior brother! The junior brother who is spit on by thousands of people and trampled by tens of thousands of people, is not only rebellious in his brain and born a bad guy, but also has a rebellious heart... Haha... Hahaha..." He laughed wildly, and his eyes were bloodshot.
This laughter sounded like a ghost to everyone.
The eunuchs, palace maids and guards knelt on the ground, not daring to look up at him, until Zheng Qiao had laughed enough, then she raised her sleeve to wipe away the tears from her eyes. He staggered and looked up at the surrounding area. This was an abandoned side hall of the palace.
"King, King..."
An eunuch plucked up the courage to speak.
"How should we deal with this traitor who tried to assassinate you?"
The air was silent.
Everyone held their breath and waited for Zheng Qiao's instructions, their hearts beating so fast that they almost jumped out of their throats. They actually let the rebel assassinate them right under their noses, and they almost succeeded. If the tyrant wanted to settle accounts, everyone in the palace would lose their heads.
Only by taking the opportunity to show loyalty can there be a glimmer of hope.
In just a few breaths, they were frightened into cold sweats in the freezing weather of winter.
finally-
The eunuch heard Zheng Qiao's indifferent voice coming from above.
"Chop it up and feed it to the dog."
betray!
It's betrayal no matter what!
What Zheng Qiao can't tolerate the most is betrayal!
"Send someone to arrest his wife, daughter and relatives."
He knew that Yan An had other intentions when he went down the mountain. He also knew that this senior brother was a perfect scholar and his determination to uphold justice could not be shaken by worldly sentiments. He was a complete martyr and would turn his sword against him sooner or later.
Although he was mentally prepared, when it really happened, he still could not forgive Yan Xingning's complete betrayal.
The one who betrayed him—
Let’s see what the consequences of doing this will be!
The eunuch said tremblingly: "Yes."
Zheng Qiao walked back to the palace alone, wearing a red dress stained with blood. Before he could sort out his thoughts, he received the second piece of news - Yan An's wife and daughter were missing, and they probably escaped early under Yan An's manipulation.
"How did they escape?"
There were people everywhere watching Yan An's family's movements.
The eunuch who came to inform him hesitated.
"Speak!" Zheng Qiao shouted.
The eunuch finally told the truth.
Yan An's wife and daughter left openly with Zheng Qiao's token. Because the person who escorted them was...
The eunuch didn't dare to continue.
Zheng Qiao guessed something and his face turned from pale to black.
Finally, he screamed and spat out a mouthful of dirty blood.
Hehehe.
Twice betrayed in one night!
One is his senior brother.
One is the "self" in whom he pours his trust.
The already violent Wen Qi threatened to turn into a hurricane that would destroy everything, and the guards guarding the palace looked at each other.
They all saw the fear in each other's eyes.
Their king...
Even crazier.
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