Volume 5, Chapter 20: Startling Insider Information (1/2)

Volume 5, Chapter 20: Startling Insider Information

Setting down the intelligence report in his hands, Li Kang gazed with satisfaction at Huo Yi. Although this ordinary and honest looking youth seemed to be a guileless individual lacking in schemes, who would suspect that he was among the top members of the Embroidered Union? During these days he had spent at Li Kang’s side, Huo Yi had performed many things on Li Kang’s behalf, helping the prince eliminate many officials leaning towards the court. Although Li Kang was still on his guard against the Embroidered Union, Li Kang actually quite trusted Huo Yi.

Huo Yi, or better known as Baiyi, respectfully stood below. Only after Li Kang had finished reading the report did he speak, “Your Imperial Highness, this subordinate has already received news that Xiahou Yuanfeng has already arrived at San Pa.s.s. Over these days, Your Imperial Highness has intercepted the imperial envoys and doc.u.ments, and sealed off the road between San Pa.s.s and Hanzhong under the pretext of bandits. Although there are no overt weaknesses, and the Great Yong court is preoccupied by the war with Northern Han and inevitably overlooks the things occurring in Hanzhong, Li Zhi and his subordinates aren’t ordinary. They have already discovered that something has happened. If not for their desire to prevent Your Imperial Highness from rebelling, the Yong army would’ve likely marched in long ago. However, since Xiahou Yuanfeng has come personally, my Union has already captured more than a dozen agents of the Bright Inspection Department outside of San Pa.s.s. When is Your Imperial Highness prepared to act? There is no time to lose. If we wait until the Yong court is free to act, we will likely no longer have the opportunity.”

Smiling, Li Kang replied, “There is no need for you to feel anxious. At present, Li Zhi does not dare to show hostility towards me. In addition, although I seemingly intend to defy court orders based upon my army, in Li Zhi’s eyes, I intend to fight for power and authority. Who would think that I, an Imperial Prince of Qing, would want Great Yong to disintegrate? As a result, the court will definitely focus on appeas.e.m.e.nt. Hasn’t Li Zhi already issued several edicts praising this Prince for the sake of preventing this Prince from opposing the court? He wants to wait until after Northern Han has been conquered before dealing with me using the post-victory glow. In fact, this Prince would find it strange if Xiahou Yuanfeng had not come. However, the timing isn’t right just yet. Although Li Xian suffered a defeat, he has not suffered enormous losses. Based upon Long Tingfei’s abilities, and holding the terrain advantage and popular sentiment, he will definitely be able to inflict a crus.h.i.+ng defeat upon Li Xian. Once that occurs, it won’t be too late for me to act.”

After hesitating, Huo Yi replied, “However, the one fighting with Northern Han is Li Xian, the Prince of Qi. He is still one of the top generals of the current age. In addition, with the support of the Marquis of Chu, Jiang Zhe, if the one defeated is Northern Han, what then?”

“What does it matter if Jiang Zhe is brilliant?” asked Li Kang rhetorically, shaking his head. “Even if Long Tingfei can’t push back the Yong invasion, as long as he fights a war of attrition, defending each and every fortified town and city, it will be enough to completely tie up the Prince of Qi. When the time comes and victory is delayed, I will be able to bribe ranking officials of the court to denounce the Prince of Qi for squandering the Yong army. Facing problems both domestically and abroad, Li Zhi will be hard pressed. Besides, even if Great Yong has recently come to an agreement with Southern Chu, when the time comes, even if Shang Weijun is dithering idiot, he will definitely hit a person who is down. In reality, if I were Li Zhi, the most urgent matter isn’t to invade Northern Han, but to pacify the Hanzhong region. It is necessary to pacify internal threats before dealing with external ones. This is the reasonable thing to do.”

After some thought, Huo Yi said, “It is possible that the Yong court has no alternative. At present, Southern Chu is watching from the sidelines. Although Your Imperial Highness has revealed signs of rebelling, they are not overt. Li Zhi probably wants to conquer Northern Han like a thunderbolt. When that is settled, they will be able to deal with us unhurriedly. It is only that they probably didn’t suspect that the Northern Han army would remain so formidable after being defeated at Zezhou.”

Li Kang nodded his head and advised, “Remain careful. The timing will be extremely crucial. Oh, that’s right. Establish layered ambushes at the San Pa.s.s and ensure that no agents from the Bright Inspection Department sneak into Hanzhong.”

“Your Imperial Highness, rest easy. My Union’s protector is personally overseeing the operation,” replied Huo Yi, well prepared. “We will definitely not allow the Bright Inspection Department to succeed.”

Smiling slightly, Li Kang nodded his head. He also had his own trusted subordinates and naturally knew that the Embroidered Union had already captured or killed a lot of agents sent by the court. The methods they used were extremely ruthless and cruel. At the same time, the Embroidered Union themselves had also suffered heavy losses, allowing the prince to see the Embroidered Union’s sincerity and loyalty.

After bidding farewell and walking out of the hall, Huo Yi put a faint smile on his face. Two youths were waiting outside for him. One was refined and scholarly, while the other was doughty and fierce. Both looked to be twenty-five or twenty-six years old. These two were Shangguan Yan and Xiong Bao. Both of them had looks of extreme indifference on their faces. A few days earlier, after they had been denounced and were allowed to redeem their crimes, they had followed Huo Yi and entered into service within the residence of the Prince of Qing. Although they were afraid of tyrannical abuses of authority, they were extremely deferential towards Huo Yi, not daring to offend him. After all, Huo Yi was Huo Jicheng’s adopted son and a confidant of Chen Zhen. In addition, the two’s family and elders were in the hands of the Embroidered Union. However, because of all of this, the negative feelings in their hearts only increased. Even though Huo Yi was always courteous towards them, their feelings did not change.

Seeing the looks on their faces, Huo Yi sighed mentally. Only able to feign ignorance, he instructed, “Send a message to Protector Ma and increase the surveillance upon the San Pa.s.s. We must definitely not allow any of Yong’s agents to sneak into Hanzhong.”

Ma Cheng, the Embroidered Union elder responsible for intercepting agents from the Bright Inspection Department, was over forty years old and an ardent supporter of the mission to restore Shu. This time, Chen Zhen had purposely dispatched Ma Cheng to preside over this matter because his hatred towards Great Yong was quite deep. In addition, the majority of the men dispatched to help Ma Cheng were all experts from the Union who, of course, felt strongly about their opposition to Great Yong. Because they had long been dissatisfied with the years that the Embroidered Union spent in hiding to bide its time, they were fierce tigers released from their cages when they were ordered to act, leading to the brilliant achievements.

Although there were two others partic.i.p.ating in the operation at San Pa.s.s, they had zero accomplishments. One of them was Gu Ying, the only son of the head protector of the Embroidered Union, Gu Ning. A few days earlier, after Union Head Huo Jicheng decided to collaborate with the Prince of Qing, Gu Ning had lost all of his authority because he had enraged Huo Jicheng. This caused everyone to witness first hand, once again, the Union Head’s methods when it came to eliminating dissenters. Worried about his situation, Gu Ning had asked his good friend, Ma Cheng, to take care of his only son. Although Ma Cheng was not a direct part of Huo Jicheng’s faction, he had long been valued highly by Huo Jicheng and Chen Zhen. Gu Ning could relax with Gu Ying under Ma Cheng’s protection. Out of consideration for Gu Ying’s safety, Ma Cheng had brought his friend’s son along even after he had taken the heavy responsibility and headed for San Pa.s.s. Ma Cheng only prohibited Gu Ying from getting involved personally. After all, although Gu Ying’s martial arts were pretty good, he was only seventeen years old. As a result, Gu Ying could only watch as others took action.

The other individual was quite different. His name was Luo Jianfei and was one of Chen Zhen’s trusted bodyguards. Speaking of, after Chen Zhen began to manage the daily affairs of the Union, the authority and power of the majority of long-time members of the Union began to fall. At present, the one most valued by Chen Zhen was the Union Head’s adopted sons, Huo Yi and Huo Shan. Huo Yi was able and efficient, possessing incredible martial arts skills. In comparison, Huo Shan was a master of trap mechanisms and a.n.a.lysis, the best at making arrangements and laying ambushes. Although these two were young, they held power and authority in their hands, resolute in carrying out their duties. There were none within the Union who did not admire them. Reportedly, the Union Head had another adopted son, Huo Li, who had once made an enormous contribution. However, at present, he had vanished without a trace. There were some rumors that he had died an untimely death, although no one dared to investigate.

Apart from this, Chen Zhen had a mysterious group of men protecting him. This guard was composed of members of similar age. Each and every member was an elite who was a master of the brush and sword. No one knew their numbers and their whereabouts were always kept secret. Aside from Chen Zhen, it was likely that no one could ascertain their strength and structure. In the event that something major occurred within the Union, these guards would often take charge. As a result, no one dared to be contemptuous towards them. There were rumors within the Union that, because these guards were all of similar age and bearing to Huo Yi and Huo Shan, they were likely all personally trained by Huo Jicheng. As a result, they were likely tools used by Huo Jicheng to control the Union, and serve as his eyes and ears by Chen Zhen’s side. This Luo Jianfei was one of these individuals.

Luo Jianfei was a bodyguard who was actually well-known amongst the members of the Embroidered Union. He had partic.i.p.ated several times in important missions, cooperating several times with Ma Cheng. Although he had a cultured and handsome appearance, he was vicious and merciless. Everywhere he appeared, a bloodbath would result. This man was not only ruthless towards his enemies; he was also quite vicious towards his own allies. Aside from Chen Zhen, he obeyed no one else. Even Huo Yi and Huo Shan did not dare to casually issue him orders. This time, Chen Zhen had dispatched him to San Pa.s.s to utilize his savagery. Knowing, that Luo Jianfei had secret orders from Chen Zhen and could a.s.sume control at any moment, Ma Cheng treated him as an army supervisor and did not dare to offend him in the slightest.

Luo Jianfei’s temperament was eccentric, sleeping during the day in the secret hideout while heading out alone during the night with his sword. Several times he returned, reeking of the smell of blood and seeming to even have some wounds. However, no one saw any captives nor any heads, keeping everyone in the dark about his accomplishments.

It wasn’t an easy thing for the Embroidered Union to establish a defensive perimeter to intercept Yong agents who came from the San Pa.s.s. The talents of the Yong agents were all pretty good. In addition, their concealment skills were outstanding. During the day, it was tolerable. As long as scouts occupied high points and kept watch, the agents could be easily discovered. Afterwards, the scouts could use any methods available to pa.s.s the information back to the Union’s experts to intercept and kill. However, it was different at night. With sight hampered, the Union could only dispatch some experts to wait idly for opportunities by the major paths. In any case, there was another defensive line behind. Even if these agents were able to slip past this line, it was not so easy for them to reach Hanzhong. However, the nightly missions were undertaken by teams of several experts. Luo Jianfei was the only one who came and went alone.

On this night, with the clouds hiding the moon and the stars, Gu Ying stealthily departed from the camp. He followed Luo Jianfei in the hopes of seeing what this secretive and eccentric bodyguard was up to. Gu Ying knew that his martial arts were inferior to that of Luo Jianfei’s. As a result, Gu Ying kept his distance. Fortunately, Luo Jianfei did not make any special efforts to hide his figure. As a result, Gu Ying, to his surprise, was able to follow Luo Jianfei to a valley.

This valley had a small path leading from San Pa.s.s to Hanzhong. Because the route was craggy, there were few travelers who took it. Because of this, many secret agents and spies used this path. During the day, it was impossible for anyone to hide themselves from scouts overlooking the valley from nearby cliffs. However, it was pitch-black at night, making it impossible to see anything. There were no hiding spots within the valley for one to lie in ambush. As a result, it was not an ideal location to intercept Yong agents.

Gu Ying found this strange. Why had Luo Jianfei come to this location? As suspicions gradually grew, Gu Ying watched as Luo Jianfei climbed onto the cliffs overlooking the valley. Clearly, Luo Jianfei had no intentions of hiding in the valley to wait for the opportunity to intercept and kill.

After hesitating for a moment, Gu Ying also stealthily climbed up onto the cliff. There was a bamboo forest located on the cliff. The bamboo forest surrounded a dilapidated mountain temple. There was a prominent, level boulder behind the temple. Gu Ying was well aware of the terrain here. Once before, Gu Ying had followed Ma Cheng on a patrol to this position. From a distance, he caught sight of a sparking light within the temple before disappearing in a flash. Gu Ying knew that Luo Jianfei had lit a bonfire before shutting the door of the temple to prevent the blaze from being seen. Gathering his courage, Gu Ying crept closer and made his way to the back of the dilapidated temple, looking to see if there was a way to get into the temple without being discovered by Luo Jianfei.

Although the moonlight was dim, Gu Ying could still faintly see the scenery before him. It wasn’t long before he discovered a large opening in the broken wall hidden behind overgrown weeds. Silently, he parted the weeds and discovered that the hole was barely large enough for him to squeeze through. He quietly squeezed through. There was only complete darkness before him, unable to see the light of the fire. According to his position, Gu Ying guessed that he had come out underneath the table where sacrificial offers were made to the mountain deity being wors.h.i.+pped in the temple. As for why he couldn’t see the fire, it seemed that the table covering had not yet been stolen. Curled up in this narrow s.p.a.ce, Gu Ying did not dare move a finger.

In reality, Luo Jianfei should have noticed something was off because of his strong martial arts. That he hadn’t noticed anything during the journey was because Gu Ying had been extra careful. In addition, because he was impatient to meet with someone, Luo Jianfei had not paid attention. After all, there was no one in the entire Embroidered Union who dared to target him. Who would have thought that Gu Ying would be like a newborn calf who was unafraid of tigers? After he had entered the dilapidated temple, Luo Jianfei had been preoccupied with lighting the fire and tidying up the main temple hall. The moment Gu Ying had snuck underneath the sacrificial table was the moment when Luo Jianfei had headed outside to find some firewood. As a result, through a strange combination of factors, Gu Ying was able to sneak to his present location. Although Gu Ying was young, his martial arts originated from authentic internal energy traditions. Although Luo Jianfei’s martial arts were impressive, he was only considered an expert, not omniscient. As a result, he did not discover Gu Ying’s presence.

Softly making a hole in the cloth, Gu Ying attentively regarded the flickering flames and the gloomily cold looking features of the young man in black. Luo Jianfei sat with his legs crossed next to the fire with his eyes closed, recuperating. Although he was young and handsome, the sinister expression on his face and the faint murderous aura surrounding him was filled with deterrence. Although the flickering fire illuminated his sharp, handsome features, it also caused him to feel as if Luo Jianfei could be dispersed from the firelight into the darkness at any moment. Gu Ying remembered something that Protector Ma had told him before. Luo Jianfei had probably once served as an a.s.sa.s.sin. At this moment, Gu Ying finally understood the meaning behind Uncle Ma’s words. With this kind of murderous aura and gloom, it would be strange if he wasn’t an a.s.sa.s.sin.

Just as Gu Ying felt all of his limbs grow numb, soft footsteps suddenly thudded from outside the temple. Gu Ying was startled and further controlled his breathing. The door to the temple was pushed open. As the cold wind blew in, Gu Ying felt himself s.h.i.+ver. In the doorway stood a tall figure. The man had a gray cloak draped around his shoulders and had a conical bamboo hat on his head. The hat was very low and hid the man’s features. At the left side of his waist was a sword hilt. With one look, Gu Ying determined that he was someone from jianghu. After standing in the doorway for a moment, the man removed his hat, revealing a delicate and handsome smiling face. His pair of eyes, like the cold stars in the night sky, glistened with teardrops as he gazed tightly upon the composed-looking Luo Jianfei, almost as if he was emotionally moved at seeing a close relative after many years of separation.