bestfiction Chapter 725 Crisis (2)
Chapter 725 Crisis (2)
Chapter 725 Crisis (12)
The earrings are beautiful and exquisite, with a bright white color and a touch of gold inlaid at the end, making them sparkle.
Han Yi hesitated for a moment.
With a flash of black energy, he still managed to get his hands on the pair of earrings.
He examined it carefully and it didn't seem like a trap. There was only a faint fragrance, like the scent of a woman's body.
After putting away the earrings, Han Yi glanced at the surroundings.
With a flash, he strode quickly toward the Bamboo Union gang's headquarters.
It doesn't matter that the Nighthawk is dead.
They're waiting for him to handle the aftermath.
At the very least, you need to create an alibi...
……………
……………
Huayang City, Baixiu Tower.
Chirp.
A slender woman in a green dress, wearing a veil, gently plucks the strings of a zither with her delicate hands.
The music is ethereal and melodious, like the song of a nightingale, as if one were in a vast forest.
Sonorous!
The rhythm shifts, the tone rises, like a battlefield battle, making one's face flush, blood boil, and heart filled with pent-up frustration.
Sizzle...
The melody shifts again, slowing down, like a babbling brook, a misty drizzle, a scene of rain pattering on banana leaves, and one unconsciously exhales, feeling a sense of peace and tranquility.
The music ended. The audience remained mesmerized, still lost in the music.
"Sister Wan, what wonderful skills and musical style! Your rendition of 'Three Variations on the Plain String' was truly exquisite and breathtaking. It's been a long time since I last saw you, and your skills have improved considerably."
A beautiful young woman's voice rang out, praising loudly.
"Oh! It's Sister Jing!" The woman in green looked up in surprise upon hearing the voice. "Sister, are you done with your business?"
"It went fairly smoothly." Dong Ruojing smiled and nodded. "That's why I came back to share the good news."
She continued walking upstairs without stopping.
Inside a secluded private room on the top floor of Baixiu Tower.
"The benevolent do not do to others what they would not have them do to them. The righteous do not take from others what they would not have them do to them. The benevolent and righteous..."
Tantai Xunzhen was completely focused, holding a white wolf-hair brush, each stroke, each line, was powerful and vigorous, like dragons and phoenixes dancing across the paper.
On the pale white, high-quality Xuan paper, lines of calligraphy flowed like clouds and water, meandering like a stream, long and winding.
From a distance, it looks like a masterpiece, full of beauty.
Fan Hongchou launched a campaign to suppress local forces and arrested people on a large scale.
One reason is for the purpose of "forbidden weapons".
Another main purpose was actually to find her.
However, no one expected that Tantai Xunzhen's hiding place was located in the center of Huayang, and Fan Hongchou lowered his eyelids.
This Hundred Embroidery Pavilion was a place where women from many wealthy and powerful families in the city learned music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, etiquette, and were cultivated into refined ladies.
It has intricate connections with most of the upper-class families in Huayang City.
Therefore, even if Fan Hongchou wanted to eliminate the forces, he would find it difficult to locate Tantai Xunzhen's hiding place.
Because Baixiulou was not even on its list.
This proves the old saying: the most dangerous place is the safest place.
"Your Majesty, Master Dong has returned."
A maid dressed in a pale yellow dress stepped forward and reported softly.
"Let her in."
"Greetings, Your Majesty!" Dong Ruojing was quickly led over by a maid and respectfully performed a Confucian salute.
Snapped.
Tantai Xunzhen gently put down the wolf-hair brush and turned around.
"How's it going? You're not hurt, are you?"
"The operation went smoothly. As planned, we eliminated one of Fan Hongchou's top lieutenants!" Dong Ruojing took out a blood-stained mask from her person.
It was the same one Nighthawk was wearing on his face.
“But…” she hesitated for a moment.
"What happened? Was your operation discovered, and you failed to silence them?" Tantai Xunzhen asked calmly. "No."
"We're too late. Wu Yun is dead?"
"Not at all."
"So what's wrong? Hesitating like this isn't like you," Tantai Xunzhen said calmly.
"I encountered a minor incident on the way... and then I ran into him..." Dong Ruojing recounted the whole story.
Hey.
The wolf-hair brush paused, and a blot of ink immediately seeped onto the Xuan paper.
"You mean... you encountered Han Yi, the sect leader of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect?" There was a hint of something unusual in Tantai Xunzhen's voice.
"Yes... what's wrong, Holy Lord?" Dong Ruojing asked, somewhat puzzled.
I mentally reviewed what I had just said and made sure I hadn't said anything wrong.
This was the first time she had ever seen such a strange expression on the Holy Lord's face.
"...It's alright..." Tantai Xunzhen took a breath to calm himself down, and after a moment, asked, "Who are the top experts in the Huayang area right now?"
"Judging from the current situation, apart from some hidden masters, the strongest one is the scoundrel Fan Hongchou... Leaving aside outsiders for the time being, among the local forces, the three family heads are of similar strength and can be considered to be in the same tier."
Dong Ruojing knew them all like the back of her hand.
"Then there's Han Yi, the sect leader of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, and the young master of the Hu family. These two are also in the first tier. Since they haven't really fought each other, Han Yi's ranking is around fifth or sixth."
“I see…” Tantai Xunzhen said thoughtfully.
After confirming with multiple sources, she was certain that this Han Yi was the one to whom she owed a favor.
For some reason, Han Yi didn't go to Yuanmiaozong despite being recommended, and instead joined Jingtianzhuang.
However, the other party's achievements today are clearly due to their own opportunities.
When she first came to Huayang and established Xunzhen Academy, she had actually heard of Han Yi.
Meeting an old friend should be a happy occasion.
Tantai Xunzhen also wanted to take this opportunity to make amends and repay Han Yi for his favor.
However, she was embroiled in too many troubles at the time.
Think it over again and again.
They still didn't give any warning, to prevent Han Yi from being dragged into the trouble.
Unexpectedly...
She couldn't help but smile wryly.
The thing I least wanted still happened.
Even though she had anticipated this, Tantai Xunzhen still couldn't help but sigh.
But this is for the best; it's time to repay the favors I've owed.
"How many of the experts that Fan Hongchou brought are still around?"
She calmed down and inquired about the current situation again.
"This is the detailed intelligence; please review it, Your Majesty." Dong Ruojing handed over a slip of paper.
Tantai Xunzhen lowered her eyes and glanced at him.
Ghost-faced Night Hawk, Soul-snatching Lock Chen Fangping, Wave-Turning Hand Du Ye, Selfless Zhou Zhicheng, Cold Beauty Qiao Xiu.
Each character's age, gender, martial arts skills, preferred weapons, strength level, hidden secrets, weaknesses, and how to deal with them are all included.
The section on the weaknesses of the Night Hawk with the Ghost Face prominently displays the words "Master's Wife" and "Concubine". The name is also marked in red, with a large red cross next to it in the blank space.
"Of the five experts who came to Huayang with that scoundrel, Ghost-Faced Night Hawk is dead. There are four left," Dong Ruojing said in a low voice.
"Chen Fangping, Du Ye, and Qiao Xiu are considered direct descendants of the scoundrel Fan Hongchou. They have all condensed their killing intent, though the exact extent is unknown, but their strength is considerable. Zhou Zhicheng was specially dispatched by the prefectural city to provide support. It is said that he inherited his skills from a secret sword sect, and his strength is no less than that of the former."
"Is there a chance?" Tantai Xunzhen pondered.
“Difficult.” Dong Ruojing shook her head. “With Night Hawk dead, before the truth is found, I believe the four of them will be more cautious and won’t dare to be as high-profile as usual.”
"It's alright. As long as Fan Hongchou remains so ruthless and continues to arrest people everywhere, we'll always find a way," Tantai Xunzhen laughed. "Of these five, Night Hawk is the most ruthless and merciless, indiscriminately killing innocents. Eliminating him will save countless lives." "Your Majesty is benevolent!" Dong Ruojing nodded and smiled. "Night Hawk is also the most loyal of this scoundrel's men. His death is equivalent to cutting off the scoundrel's left and right arms. The only thing to worry about is... whether that scoundrel will become even more ruthless and personally take action."
“He has neither the time nor the energy,” Tantai Xunzhen sneered. “Although we don’t know the function of this ‘forbidden artifact,’ its scale is so immense that Fan Hongchou will definitely need to spare some energy to guard it day and night.”
By eliminating these individuals one by one, the number of qualified people we can find will gradually decrease... This will increase Fan Hongchou's energy expenditure and buy us a significant amount of time, giving us more opportunities.
"Understood!" Dong Ruojing nodded, then hesitated for a moment, "Then everything will proceed as planned. As for Han Yi..."
She noticed that Tantai Xunzhen's attitude towards Han Yi seemed somewhat different, hence her inquiry.
"From what you've said, although Han Yi has a terrible reputation, his actions show that he was forced into it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to save Wu Yun and repel the Night Hawks," Tantai Xunzhen said calmly.
"In my opinion, Han Yi, under the pressure of Fan Hongchou, only arrests martial artists with bad reputations whenever he makes a move. This shows his character and is in line with the moral principles we uphold."
"What does the Holy Lord mean..." Dong Ruojing hesitated for a moment.
"What our alliance lacks now is precisely such a master. To deal with Fan Hongchou, we need more forces to join us in order to wipe him out completely. Therefore..."
Tantai Xunzhen paused for a moment: "Use our hidden informants to help Han Yi out of this predicament and maintain his position. This person is also someone we need to win over."
"Yes!" Dong Ruojing was stunned for a moment, then quickly accepted the order and went to carry it out.
What puzzled her was...
Tantai Xunzhen's words were reasonable and well-founded, and they did convince her.
But this kind of treatment of Han Yi...
She took a deep breath, suppressed her doubts, and quickly left.
……………
……………
Huayang City, General's Mansion.
In the spacious hall, vermilion pillars were arranged symmetrically on both sides, with ferocious beasts with blue faces and fangs on them, exuding a fierce aura.
Two rows of guards, each wielding a sword, stood solemnly with upright postures, clad in striking black and white armor, resembling statues.
"You mean... Nighthawk... got what he deserved? He can't blame anyone else?"
Fan Hongchou spoke calmly, her gaze fixed on the middle-aged man in the middle of the hall.
The middle-aged man, dressed in military uniform with a helmet tucked under his arm, knelt on one knee.
His surname was Shi, with the single character "Fu". He was the deputy general who, along with the Night Hawks, commanded the troops during the suppression of the Bamboo Union gang.
"I..." Under Fan Hongchou's gaze, Shi Fu's forehead was covered in sweat, and his body trembled slightly.
“It’s rare for me to come back… and then this happens… Don’t tell me I don’t know.” Fan Hongchou’s gaze was calm and deep, like a bottomless cold pool, its depths unfathomable.
"..."
Shi Fu gritted his teeth and said respectfully, "Sir, judging from the situation on the ground, that is indeed the case. We had already broken through the Bamboo Union's defenses, and Deputy General Han of the Beast Sect had captured their commander. However, Commander Night Hawk disregarded military orders and insisted on pursuing the remaining enemy troops, and as a result... he fell into a trap..."
"Hmm..." Fan Hongchou hesitated for a moment, "Okay... I understand, you can go now."
"Yes!"
Shi Fu, as if receiving a great honor, quickly bowed and withdrew. "Trap... Night Hawk..." Fan Hongchou murmured to himself, lost in thought.
The entire hall fell silent instantly.
Everyone held their breath and dared not utter a sound.
"General Hu?" Fan Hongchou suddenly spoke.
"Here!" **Quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
"I heard that you and Han Yi are very close. Has he said or done anything to you recently?" Fan Hongchou slowly opened her eyes, her gaze fixed on him.
"I…..."
Seeing this, **immediately understood Shi Fu's behavior just now.
Why do I stutter, feel lost, and unable to speak?
Fan Hongchou's gaze was like waves of a mighty river, its momentum building and surging forth. He only glanced at her once.
A cold sweat broke out on my back, my thoughts were all jumbled up, and I subconsciously answered truthfully, revealing my inner thoughts.
"Reporting to my lord. Deputy General Han is a diligent and conscientious man who works day and night to suppress evil forces and arrest unruly military men. In my opinion, Night Hawk's death was due to his own negligence and falling into an enemy ambush."
He forced himself to calm down and kept saying nice things about Han Yi.
I have a sixth sense that this matter is most likely related to my close friend.
After all, Nighthawk has carried out so many missions.
It is better to die early than late.
Why did he die when he was teamed up with Han Yi?
Of course, I wouldn't dare say this outright.
If Han Yi really has a problem, then he, as the guide, and the entire Hu family will be held responsible. He can't possibly say that.
Given their current brotherly relationship, it's only natural that they would help each other cover up the truth.
"Oh? Even you think so..." Fan Hongchou said calmly, "Are you sure?"