137: Dawn (Part 4)

"Reporting to Marquis, something is not quite right..."

An Imperial Guard reported to Mo Yingqi with fear and trepidation. It wasn't that there was any real obstacle ahead, but rather that Mo Yingqi's pupils were currently blood-red, his eyes seemingly glowing red under the moonlight, and a dangerous smile hung on his face.

"What danger is there?"

Mo Yingqi turned to look at him, with a trace of blood still on his face from his recent kills. He already looked terrifying, and this smear of blood added another layer of dread to the hearts of those around him.

"Re—reporting to Marquis, the city gates should have been closed long ago, but now, look..." The Imperial Guard's voice trembled as he pointed not far ahead. "I fear the City Patrol Command has already joined the Grand Chancellor in rebellion..."

"Heh, is there even a need to think about that?" Mo Yingqi seemed not to care at all. "The gates are wide open, likely to trap us like dogs in a cage. I am curious, though—since that Old Scoundrel knows the City Patrol Command is no match for you, why would he send them here to die?"

"This... they are likely the only ones in the city Grand Chancellor Zhou can command, right?" The guard was confused, seemingly not understanding why Mo Yingqi cared about something so obvious. "It's just that while the City Patrol Command drills daily, they aren't like us or the Pacification Bureau, nor can they compare to the city's garrison, who are all rotated back from the front lines..."

"No, that's not what I meant..." Mo Yingqi looked like a madman, but in reality, he was calm—perhaps even calmer than usual. "That Old Scoundrel wouldn't do something for no reason. Even if he is sending these people to their deaths, there must be a purpose..."

At this moment, Mo Yingqi felt better than ever before. He wasn't sure why. Was it the slaughter? Or something else?

Although Mo Yingqi was ruthless and never hesitated when it was time to strike, he was not someone who enjoyed slaughter for its own sake. This feeling likely didn't come from the killing itself.

But it didn't matter; he didn't care and didn't need to care. He also had no intention of speaking about loyalty to the sovereign or patriotism; he had never truly held such thoughts in the past.

He only knew that everything now was an obstacle and a nuisance between him, Luo Yongan, and Yongning. Since it was an obstacle, no matter who it was, it just needed to be eliminated. Since Zhou Chutian was doing this, he must have a plan, and those plans were naturally obstacles.

"There is no one on the city walls, nor any candlelight..." Mo Yingqi looked up. "Tsk, they are just ordinary soldiers after all, they can't even hide their tracks. But why haven't they fired any arrows?"

No matter how Mo Yingqi looked at it, this whole affair felt sinister. After a brief moment of thought—and he wasn't sure if it was a hallucination—Mo Yingqi clearly heard Luo Yongan's voice by his ear: "I fear the Old Scoundrel wants to frame the three of us as a family for the crime of treason. Yingqi, do not worry about it. Just do what you must."

Mo Yingqi was stunned for a moment and looked around, but he didn't see Luo Yongan's figure. He couldn't help but scratch his head, and his surprise and bewilderment were quickly replaced by a cold sneer: "Enter the city. Ignore them. If the City Patrol Command dares to get in the way, kill them without mercy!"

"Yes! Your subordinates understand!"

Although the Imperial Guards were deathly afraid of the current Mo Yingqi, if it came to killing people... well, if Marquis Mo insisted on that, they were suddenly very much awake!

The Imperial Guards were all selected by the Partridge Sky and possessed exceptional skills. The Daxing Daxing Dynasty placed great importance on military readiness, and the Imperial Guards were properly trained. Since they usually only patrolled the palace, how could their hands not be itching for a fight?

Just as the group entered the city gate, torches suddenly flared up atop the wall. The leading officer was just about to speak when, unexpectedly, an arrow pierced his throat.

Mo Yingqi lowered the bow in his hand and then suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs: "We have entered the city by imperial decree to protect The Emperor! The City Patrol Command has conspired with Zhou Chutian to commit treason—their crimes are unpardonable! Listen up, everyone: kill any member of the City Patrol Command on sight, whether they be soldiers or officers!"

The City Patrol Command was clearly stunned. They hadn't expected Mo Yingqi to strike so quickly, and... everything he said was exactly what they were supposed to say! Their leader had been shot dead by an arrow before he could even start. Being shot was one thing, but was this Marquis Mo some reincarnation of Zhuge Liang, or had someone tipped him off? How did he guess everything they were supposed to say?

Before these soldiers could react, the crossbows and muskets in the hands of the Imperial Guards below were already aimed. After a volley of fire, they shouted along with Mo Yingqi: "Kill the rebels! Protect The Emperor! Protect The Emperor!"

These Imperial Guards shouted loudly as they pursued and killed the City Patrol Command. Before entering the city, Mo Yingqi had secretly told them to broadcast the purpose of their entry at the first possible moment.

"Although we are entering the city to protect The Emperor and kill rebels, our arrival is abrupt. Moreover, if the two sides start fighting, it will be impossible to hide it from anyone. Therefore, we might as well not hide it. Shout it out openly. Since one side is dressed as Imperial Guards and the other as City Patrol Command, whether it's the commoners or the officials, the moment they hear the news and see us, they will assume we are the ones in the right."

Although Mo Yingqi didn't understand Zhou Chutian's specific thoughts, that sudden voice just now had given him a reminder. In that case, he might as well go with the flow. It was never wrong to act without leaving any leverage for others to use against him.

These men of the City Patrol Command were not as well-trained as the Imperial Guards. Furthermore, although the Musket Squad was named as such, they were not only equipped with muskets but also with Paper Kites—a type of bird-shaped explosive specifically designed for indiscriminate siege warfare.

The stability of these devices wasn't very high, but if they were fired in a fixed direction, they were incredibly effective against city gates. Great Red Cannons couldn't be deployed at a moment's notice, but if the enemy failed to react in time, these things could provide an excellent deterrent even if they didn't kill anyone.

Consequently, the City Patrol Command was thrown into chaos, scurrying away in a panic. At Mo Yingqi's command, the Imperial Guards quickly seized the city gate. How could these soldiers hope to stand against them for even a single exchange? Before long, the Imperial Guards had successfully occupied the gate, and none of the soldiers diverted to intercept Mo Yingqi survived; they were all slaughtered by the Imperial Guards.

"Close the city gates and send word to the garrison outside!" Mo Yingqi ordered while pulling on his reins. "Also, go to the Pacification Bureau immediately and relay my command: deploy the Flying Fish Guard to garrison the city gates. Tell them that with the exception of the Imperial Guards and the city garrison, any member of the City Patrol Command is to be treated as a rebel and executed on the spot!"

"Yes, Marquis!"

"Oh? The wind has changed outside."

Zhou Chutian looked out the window, his hand resting on the sill. "Tell me, Commander Fang, why do people live? Oh, that's right, you probably can't hear me clearly anymore."

Fang Wenbo lay on the ground. If not for his faint breathing, one might have mistaken him for dead. His consciousness was blurred, but his eyes remained fixed on Zhou Chutian.

"Who would have thought that this old man still has some martial arts skill?" Zhou Chutian brushed some dust off his clothes. "It's quite normal. That Clerk in your Pacification Bureau... let me think, Tang Jingzhong, was it? I heard his skills are not weak."

"I must say, I admire you. You were injured and set off an explosion, yet you still managed to come here to assassinate me? I assume my men have all been dealt with by you?"

Zhou Chutian was in no hurry to kill Fang Wenbo. Instead, he sat back down in his original seat. "Commander Fang, to be honest, I don't hate you. Including Marquis Mo, I don't hate anyone. On the contrary, I admire you. These are this old man's heartfelt words."

"I don't hate anyone in this world, truly. Those who hate me, those who want to kill me, those who want to see me ruined—I don't hate any of them."

"Because of that, I can disregard everyone. The late Emperor once asked me if there was anyone I cared about. I told him there was, but unfortunately... she was killed by his own hand."

Fang Wenbo had no strength left. The fierce battle just now and the explosion were actually a diversion he had arranged to confuse Zhou Chutian's men and facilitate his infiltration of the Zhou Residence.

Fang Wenbo knew well that nothing was certain, so he had been bold enough to hide explosives in his room for an emergency. He hadn't originally thought he would actually use them, but in the end, he did.

Although Fang Wenbo was a Commander of the Pacification Bureau, more importantly, he had once wanted to join the Ministry of Works to do civil engineering-related tasks and had diligently studied gunpowder.

After joining the Pacification Bureau, gunpowder wasn't needed for a while, or at least not much. Once he was promoted, Fang Wenbo had some leisure time to study these things.

The Pacification Bureau had many privileges, which made things convenient for him. Fang Wenbo used to be quite confident in his martial arts, but after meeting Mo Yingqi, that perception slowly changed.

Setting aside natural monsters like Mo Yingqi, even in terms of pure talent, Lu Qianyuan and Tang Jingzhong were likely not inferior to him. The world was vast, and there was always a higher mountain; one never knew where someone more powerful might appear.

So, since his own strength was insufficient, he might as well find ways to use external power. Thus, Fang Wenbo had hidden not only explosives in his room but also several Palm Thunders.

He knew he was no match for the fake 'Zhao Jiguang,' so he took the chance to use a Palm Thunder, hitting the man squarely in the face. It was also thanks to the man's caution—he carried two spare human skin masks of Zhao Jiguang—which gave Fang Wenbo his opening.

But he never expected that this old man, a civil official, would have such high martial arts skills! It wasn't that the Pacification Bureau was unaware that Zhou Chutian knew martial arts, but firstly, he was old, and secondly, Fang Wenbo truly didn't believe a civil official's skills could be that high—especially not those of the First Rank Grand Chancellor who was busy with a myriad of state affairs.

"Damn it, I knew that fellow Tang Jingzhong was tricking me. What 'most civil officials... cough, cough, cough... mostly don't know martial arts, he's the exception.'"

Fang Wenbo slowly stood up, although it was difficult for him to even remain standing, and his vision was beginning to blur. Yet he forced himself up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and said: "Sorry, I didn't understand a single word of what you just said, but I must tell you..."

Before Fang Wenbo could finish, the study door was pushed open. A servant, pale and panicked, said: "M—Master, the Flying Fish Guard, the Flying Fish Guard has broken in!"

Zhou Chutian frowned slightly and then looked at Fang Wenbo: "Your doing?"

"Who else? Grand Chancellor, I know you have ways to extricate yourself, but if a Commander like me is treated like this in your residence, tell me... can you still wash yourself clean?" Fang Wenbo spat out a mouthful of bloody phlegm. "The chief minister of the court murdering a Flying Fish Guard in his own home—do you think you can still bear the weight of that crime?"

Zhou Chutian showed no panic. He simply sized up Fang Wenbo before suddenly laughing: "Fine. You really aren't afraid of death, are you?"

"I don't understand your ways. The Emperor has his own considerations, but I think this simple and crude method is better." Fang Wenbo leaned against a wooden chair, his body swaying. "Murdering a Commander of the Pacification Bureau... according to the laws of Daxing... is equivalent to rebellion..."

Before he could finish, Zhou Chutian struck a palm toward his crown. However, the palm, which carried the force of a breaking bamboo, was caught by a hand.

"Bullying a junior by relying on your age, tsk tsk tsk... But I must say, the chief minister's kung fu isn't bad."

Xie Qingfeng gave a playful push. It looked extremely casual, yet it sent Zhou Chutian reeling back several steps. Behind him, Fang Wenbo's body swayed as if he were about to fall, but Xie Qingfeng raised his staff and gave him a gentle nudge, pushing him onto a nearby chair.

"Senior Sh—She, thank you for saving my..."

"Don't flatter yourself, I don't even know who you are." Xie Qingfeng directly interrupted the weak Fang Wenbo. "It was just a convenient gesture. Since you're from the Pacification Bureau, you probably know my Disciple. Saving your life is my way of doing right by that wretched Disciple of mine."

"So, Layman Xie is here to kill me?"

The smile remained on Zhou Chutian's face, but he couldn't help but step back. He had martial arts, but compared to Xie Qingfeng, Nangong Wumeng, and that Taoist, he was completely outclassed.

No matter how strong Zhou Chutian was, he was only human, but they were genuine monsters.

"Rest assured, I won't kill you. What would I kill you for?" Xie Qingfeng smiled. "That's my Disciple's business. I'm old; I know what I should and shouldn't interfere with. I only came here today to lead the way. Besides, I wanted to see just how mysterious this School Sword Array is. In case I ever offend them in the future, I can think of a way to break it."

Having said that, he looked back at Fang Wenbo and then turned to Zhou Chutian: "Tsk, what a pity. I'm an old man who likes to stand up against injustice. I want to take this man with me. The Grand Chancellor won't mind, will he? But I suppose you won't, because..."

Before Xie Qingfeng could finish, the sounds of shouting and fighting drifted in from outside. Xie Qingfeng sat down leisurely beside Fang Wenbo: "I'm afraid what you should care about more right now is your massive courtyard and whether the people you sent out will die."

"You didn't really think my dear Senior Sister was a clay bodhisattva with an empty head and no use at all, did you? Hahaha, Grand Chancellor, this game of chess is already nearing its end."

"The loser can only ever be you."