Chapter 234 - Stirring up a Commotion
Yang Botao sighed and said, "Patriotism fills each one of you, how could there be a penalty? I too wished that it was so, it's not just all of you… I wished that it was really Lord Supreme Wind and Flame who had really come… Even if both lords have misunderstood me somehow and would have killed me... As long as they’re still here, it would be Yutang’s greatest news!"
The crowd sighed in unison then; with that, the episode in the Residence of Yang was called to an end.
Yun Yang, who had transformed into the tornado, brought Fang Mofei with him as both of their forms vanished, leaving two silhouettes behind to chase after the trailing gusts of the whirlwind.
Yun Yang knew the other men were mighty; he would never be able to shake them off with just his flame manifestation. Without further hesitation, he waved his arm swiftly.
A ball of flame hurtled at the two old men behind him, forcing them to counter the attack. With their cultivation base, a pair of upraised hands had the incoming fire extinguished.
It was this that puzzled the two old men; the flame was too weak, gone once they came into contact with it – there was no room for a battle. Just as they pondered upon it suspiciously, another ball of flame, one that was wider and burned fiercer enveloped them.
The old men were surprised, wasting no time in cultivating to first protect themselves and then to put out the raging fire altogether. The intensity of it exceeded their expectations, the area it took vast, yet it remained just as weak, unable to withstand their countermeasures. The area the flame covered was too wide, the tornado long out of sight when the two men charged out of the blaze.
The men were battle veterans, stopping immediately at the slightest signs, and began searching with their deific consciousness.
Supreme Wind seemed to have left, bringing the other person along, but the elders were only interrupted by the flame for a moment. Supreme Wind and the injured assassin could not have gone far, they must still be hiding nearby. As long as there was a meticulous search, they would definitely be caught.
How could Yun Yang not know that the two hot in pursuit were not ordinary people; his trick just now could only hold them back for that long. Yet it was exactly what he wanted for he had already brought Fang Mofei into an abandoned house to hastily bandage him and say, "Stay here, don’t move. Leave at once after I distract them. It shouldn’t be a problem to you; there’s no need to say anything anymore."
As an assassin, to have your own ultimate assassination technique was second to being able to conceal all traces of your vitality; it was one’s best skill to be able to hide all signs of life. If Fang Mofei did not have even the skill to camouflage his presence during these critical moments to prevent being tracked, his death would be well deserved!
Before Fang Mofei could say anything, Yun Yang had turned into a gust of wind and vanished into the air, holding a black silhouette by his side.
How could the pursuers who saw the tornado leaving with a companion let it go? With a loud yell, they swiftly continued their pursuit.
It was not that the calculating elders did not think that the person manifested in wind form did not flee with the injured man, but they were not at all concerned about Fang Mofei. He was only an eighth peak cultivator, unworthy of mention. It was this ‘Supreme Wind’ before their eyes who was their target to be eliminated without further ado!
Watching the shadow of death draw further away from him, Fang Mofei was solemn but he moved quickly, hastily making his escape.
A tornado tore through the sky like a lightning strike, shattering the clouds stretched across the dark night as it whirled towards the city limits…
When Yun Yang got back to the Residence of Yun, it was already the fourth fragment of night.
He was exhausted, his legs quivering as they threatened to give up on him.
Fang Mofei and Lao Mei were already home for a while; even Fang Mofei’s wounds were already treated. Shui Wuyin was deep in his own thoughts, facing a pile of things while scribbling occasionally.
"How is it?"
Yun Yang was honestly worn out, plopping himself down right in front of Shui Wuyin just as he got home. There was no hint of defeat woven into his expression though.
"Our attack this time is a perfect success!"
Shui Wuyin looked pleased, delighted even when he said, "Our current goals are basically completed in totality."
His words stupefied Fang Mofei who was reluctant to go into closed-door healing at once and had been suppressing his severe injuries to wait for Yun Yang’s return.
Lao Mei had easily killed Han Wufei in their simultaneous ambush this time, so he had indeed completed his mission perfectly but Fang Mofei himself had stepped right into an ambush and was almost dead from the enemy’s attacks. If Yun Yang had not helped him, he would really have been dead. How could this b*tch face say it was a perfect success?
Was Shui Wuyin comforting or mocking him? Could he be less sarcastic and say what he really meant?
Yun Yang nodded in agreement. "It’s not bad indeed, fulfilling our set goals."
Fang Mofei could not hold himself in anymore and spoke up, "Young master, uh… We didn’t… kill Yang Botao… This… This subordinate’s cultivation base is lacking… and has disappointed young master."
"Old Fang need not blame yourself. Our ambush on Yang Botao this time is only a smokescreen; it has been a diversion since the very beginning," Yun Yang replied, smiling.
"A smokescreen?" Fang Mofei was even more puzzled now, not at all understanding where Yun Yang was coming from.
"Of course it’s a smokescreen, I never expected you to kill Yang Botao alone."
Yun Yang continued, "Even if we disregard Yang Botao’s Four Seasons Tower’s background, his status in Yutang is still revered – he’s one of the four main marshals in Yutang military after all, and the northern troops look up to him. Even when there is concrete evidence, we can’t assassin someone like this using this method!"
"Speaking of which, Han Wufei’s case is an unexpected gain."
Yun Yang smiled and said, "Lao Mei’s trip there was more of a probing exercise. If there were an ambush, Lao Mei would have returned right away and not put himself at risk. We didn't expect that they actually focused all their manpower at Yang Botao’s side and even going the extra mile to install Deicide Bow archers… They probably thought that Han Wufei should be alright since Supreme Lord Spring Frost would be there for him…"
"This is true. There weren't any adequate guards over at Han Wufei’s place. The assassination was so smooth that even I was bewildered. I was prepared to flee when I shattered the doors but upon casting my senses out, there wasn't even an expert around. It was only Han Wufei himself who was more skilled. When I took the upper hand, I was still in disbelief and surprised…" Lao Mei replied.
Fang Mofei looked at Lao Mei rather grudgingly.
This fellow’s luck was really good.
Could it be that a lower ability secures better fortune?
"There were three targets set today. One, to stir up a commotion and peep into the enemy’s stowed capabilities; two, to announce the resurrection of Supreme Wind; three, to signal the empire’s higher-ups."
Shui Wuyin said pleased, "It looks like all three aims are checked perfectly with an unexpected gain as well. Just like what boss said, their additional Deicide Bow archers were truly an extra precaution; with the five hundred archers stationed there, the reappearance of the Nine Supremes could never be concealed. Boss will only need to stir more things up subsequently."
Yun Yang snorted. "Stir things up? What I want to do most right now is to destroy everything and start a massacre."
As he spoke, Whitey Two was sashaying over gracefully with a meow; its head rubbing against Yun Yang’s calf incessantly.
"Whitey Two was great in this fight." Lao Mei said chuckling, "Han Wufei’s head was bitten right off by Whitey Two."
Whitey Two raised its head proudly and mewled.
Yun Yang, who was picking Whitey Two up felt abhorred then, tossing the feline right away as he said with a frown, "Whitey Two, you actually ate someone’s head? Disgusting!"
Whitey Two mewled, feeling extremely put out.
"Whitey Two didn’t eat it, it spat it out. There were two people who went over to Han Wufei’s body afterward and Whitey Two stayed there for an ambush, scratching a bloody mark on each of their calves!" Lao Mei reported.
Yun Yang’s eyes shone. "Whitey Two, can you recognize them if you see those two people again?"
"Meow…"
Whitey Two’s head was raised in pride again as it meowed daintily, looking full of itself.
I can recognize them even if they turn into ashes!
"Great!" Yun Yang chortled.
The Residence of Crown Prince’s advisor had been assassinated!
There had been an assassination attempt on the Northern Marshal, Yang Botao!
Two assassination cases within a single night had shattered Tiantang City’s peace and tranquility.
There were also rumors that the killer who attempted an ambush on the northern troop marshal had turned into a tornado and a fierce flame…
The incident alerted all the higher-ups of Yutang, everyone instantly connecting the dots to Supreme Wind and Flame.
The message the assassin left had been heard clearly by those at the scene too; no matter how Yang Botao could manipulate or explain it to his troops, it would be an arduous task to stop so many pairs of lips from passing on the news. It took only one night for the word to spread to every corner of Yutang’s capital city!
"Yang Botao! You, as an authoritative general of the empire, are not thinking about requiting the country but instead conspired with the enemies to harm my Nine Supremes brothers – your sin is unforgivable!"
These words were like a lightning bolt striking on an otherwise sunny day, shaking the entire Yutang.
When the morning assembly came, His Majesty the emperor’s expression was as dark as it could be when he sat down. There was no effort on his side to conceal the bad mood he was in.
The Nine Heavens Dictum had sent the information to Qiu Jianhan that the Residence of Crown Prince’s aide, Han Wufei, was proven to be from the Four Seasons Tower and was already executed.
It was supposed to be good news but it added a knot to the emperor’s heart.
The Residence of Crown Prince’s advisor…
Chu Tianlang who had previously been killed was already related to the crown prince and it had enraged the emperor; here was Han Wufei who was the main aide in Residence of Crown Prince.
These pieces of unfortunate coincidences frustrated His Majesty even more as fury spread itself onto the emperor.
Besides, there was this He Hanqing. Even if he was an old official who had served three generations of emperors and a father figure of Yutang’s literati, of what consequence would that information be? He seemed to be related to the Four Seasons Tower no matter how anyone deigned to twist the matter around.
Ling Xiaozui’s face to face condemnation was the biggest proof in itself.
The Empire of Yutang was vulnerable, both from the inside and out. The emperor’s heart felt burdened as if being crushed by a large mountain.