Chapter 733: The Black-Clad Maiden Walking Through the Wind and Snow
“Does it really have to be this way?”
Chen Changsheng’s gaze fell on the opposite side of the snow-covered lake.
The presence of these green-robed Daoists was no longer a secret. Many knew they came from a once-obscure little Daoist temple in the eastern capital of Luoyang.
“I told you, I never arranged anything,” Shang Xingzhou said.
The peach tree does not speak, yet a path forms beneath it. The height of the sun determines the growth angles of many plants.
For a great figure like Shang Xingzhou, he didn’t need to do or arrange anything. Naturally, many people would be willing to kill Chen Changsheng for him. Because through many actions, he had already made his stance clear.
Chen Changsheng withdrew his gaze and looked at Shang Xingzhou. “Even if this becomes a war?”
Following the late Pope’s testament, he had come to the National Academy for this crucial negotiation with Shang Xingzhou, so he had naturally made preparations.
The Li Palace was already on high alert. The national religion’s cavalry could charge at any moment. As the green-robed Daoists arrived at the lakeshore, he believed Mao Qiuyu and the others had also come.
Most importantly, he was now the Pope. If Shang Xingzhou still insisted on killing him, it would inevitably ignite a war that would destroy the entire capital.
“Many in the Li Palace will support me,” Shang Xingzhou said calmly.
As the only sage of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the teacher of both the Emperor and the Pope, Shang Xingzhou’s prestige had now reached an exaggerated level. Moreover, he was the orthodox successor of the national religion. From any angle, he was qualified to take charge of the Li Palace.
Not to mention the ordinary clergy in the Li Palace, even among the Red Cardinals, and perhaps even among the five great figures, some would be willing to accept his arrival.
It was only because of the late Pope’s final words and subsequent forceful measures, along with the imperial proclamation issued throughout the realm, that the national religion could maintain its unity and cohesion.
If Shang Xingzhou truly took the risk—even if he couldn’t act personally, he had enough strength to forcibly kill Chen Changsheng within the National Academy—as long as the action was swift enough and the commotion small enough, what would happen next?
…
…
Wind and snow shrouded the capital, and also the National Academy. Along with the wind and snow came an overwhelming, countless army.
A young girl walked over from the other side of the wind and snow.
The girl was dressed in black, her head slightly lowered. Her somewhat wide collar had become a black hood, concealing her features.
Miraculously, as she walked along the long street all the way to the entrance of Hundred Flowers Lane, not a single cavalryman noticed her figure.
It was only when she drew near that the imperial experts and Li Palace clergy at the lane’s entrance saw the footprints in the snow and discovered her presence.
“Stop!” someone shouted sternly, whether a general of the court or a Red Cardinal.
Tonight, something major was likely to happen. The capital was immersed in an extremely tense atmosphere. At this moment, a young girl suddenly walking over from the wind and snow—anyone would find it eerie.
Hearing this voice, the black-clad girl’s body trembled slightly. She continued walking into the lane with her head lowered, her steps becoming more hurried, as if she felt a bit scared.
Of course, this reaction could also be interpreted as arrogance.
“Looking for death?”
A sinister voice sounded from the shadows within the lane.
The buildings in Hundred Flowers Lane had been completely leveled by the imperial cavalry during the disturbances of the past few days, leaving only half of that commemorative tea house standing.
Just as the black-clad girl passed that ruined building, following that sinister voice, an even more sinister and venomous sword light stabbed out from the shadows.
That sword light was exceptionally bright, yet when mixed with the night’s wind and snow, it was so inconspicuous. The sword’s momentum was terrifying beyond measure.
Even more terrifying was that as this sword light flared, faint starlight scattered in the shadows at the lane’s entrance.
The first to strike was an assassin at the Star-Gathering Realm, likely from the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion. Experts recently subdued by the court always wanted to prove their worth as quickly as possible. Their encirclement of Chen Changsheng at the North Military Command Alley a few days ago had turned into a chaotic, inconclusive melee. Tonight, they didn’t want to miss their chance again.
What happened next, no one could have predicted.
Neither the assassins, military experts, and prince’s retainers in the lane, nor the Li Palace clergy and academy masters at the lane’s end.
When the sinister sword light arrived, the young girl still kept her head lowered, her face hidden in her hood, showing no reaction at all.
Yet, that sword light simply shattered, turning into countless fragments that dissipated into the night sky, truly mingling with the wind and snow.
The “shattering” here was literal shattering. The assassin’s sword directly broke apart, and thus the sword light shattered with it.
There weren’t many in the world who could handle a Star-Gathering Realm assassin. Being able to directly shatter a Star-Gathering Realm assassin’s sword… many had never seen such a person.
This wasn’t the true end, because after the sword light shattered, something else shattered next.
The assassin shattered.
Just a soft hum.
The wind and snow in Hundred Flowers Lane suddenly turned pink, as if someone had splashed several buckets of paint inside.
Then, dozens of chunks of flesh fell like a rainstorm onto the ground. Looking closely, one could barely make out that they should be human limbs and organs.
Blood sprayed wildly, severed limbs fell—all of this happened in an incredibly brief instant.
Then, people finally saw the scene clearly.
The black-clad girl still kept her head lowered, her face hidden in the shadow of her hood, impossible to see clearly. But she had extended one hand forward.
That hand was very small, very fair, like a snow lotus, except now it was dripping with blood, stark and horrifyingly vivid.
Where her small hand appeared was now a patch of wind and snow. That had been the position of the Star-Gathering Realm assassin just moments ago.
The dark alley fell into dead silence.
A moment later, several shouts mixed with fear and rage rang out. An assassin from the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion and two military experts turned into three streaks of wind and snow as they attacked.
With three soft sounds, like three ripe grapes, or like three cracks appearing on an icy surface.
The three streaks of wind and snow suddenly shattered.
The three imperial experts once again turned into three sprays of blood rain and minced flesh!
No one saw what action the black-clad girl took, because in truth, she had done nothing.
She had only reached out her hand into the wind and snow.
The wind and snow obeyed her will, obliterating everything within them.
Then, she finally lifted her head.
The black hood fell, her waterfall-like black hair fell, revealing a young girl’s face.
That face was incredibly pale, as if it had never seen sunlight in its life. Her features were pure and beautiful, yet carried an intensely fierce aura.
What drew the most attention were her eyes.
They were vertical pupils.
They looked exceptionally eerie.
At this moment, the emotions in her eyes were very complex.
Some reminiscence, some unease, some timidity, and some madness.
This look, combined with the bloodstains on her snow-white face, was utterly terrifying.
Suddenly, she stuck out her tongue and licked a trace of blood from the corner of her mouth.
Seeing this scene, the experts hidden in the darkness and wind and snow felt a fear that came from the deepest part of their souls.
…
…
(There was indeed an error in yesterday’s upload, causing some friends to re-subscribe to the previous chapter. I sincerely apologize. It has nothing to do with the website—it was my own itchy fingers… I’ll find a way to make it up in a few days. Also, there’s something important I need everyone’s help with today. Today, Little Black Dragon has finally officially emerged from the well and made her appearance. In the latter half of this volume, she will be a very important character. But until now, I still haven’t been able to decide which name to call her: Zhi Zhi, Zhu Sha, Hong Zhuang, or Her Highness the Princess? I’ll post a poll later on my WeChat public account maoni1118. Please take a moment to choose. I love you all. Well, I’ve posted this chapter many times again.)