Chapter 855: Group Kill
Watching this scene, the old elder felt a trace of regret.
He had already guessed the identity of that mute servant. How had he not realized that these assassins had all once belonged to the Heavenly Mechanism Guest, that they were all this man's subordinates?
The old elder took a deep breath, staring at the mute servant and bellowing, "Liu Qing, come fight me!"
As expected of a former powerhouse at the half-step Saint realm, even gravely wounded by a sneak attack, his voice was still like thunder, majestic to the extreme.
The cold winter wind whipped through his hair, wild and untamed.
Yes, that mute servant was Liu Qing, once the leader of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion's assassin organization.
After Su Li and that mysterious assassin had vanished one after another, he had become the most fearsome killer on this continent.
Only he could successfully ambush such a formidable figure, though it had come at a heavy cost.
Tang Thirty-Six stood up, looked at Liu Qing, and asked, "Still good?"
Liu Qing said nothing, expressionlessly nodding his head.
"Fight your head off, fight!"
Tang Thirty-Six brushed the snowflakes from his clothes, staring at the blood-soaked old elder on the stone steps. "Now it's our turn to gang up on you."
With that, he waved his hand with an air of triumphant bravado.
Liu Qing and the seven assassins charged up the stone steps.
At the same time, the door to the ancestral hall was pushed open, and more people surged inside.
Sharp, sinister sword intent left marks on the ancestral hall's walls from time to time.
Crossbow bolts and hidden weapons wailed through the wind and snow.
Blood was everywhere. The white courtyard walls looked like they would need a fresh coat of paint.
No one knew how long passed before the chaotic sounds finally ceased, and the ancestral hall fell silent.
Utterly silent. You could hear the sound of snowflakes hitting the ground, and the ragged gasps of people panting.
Blood was everywhere. Everyone was wounded, Tang Thirty-Six included, with two broken ribs.
To draw the old elder's attention, he hadn't allowed himself to retreat to the rear.
His approach proved effective—none of those in the siege had died.
The old elder was dead, slumped against the incense altar in the ancestral hall. His body was covered in wounds, his blood completely drained, making him look exceptionally miserable.
His eyes were still open, and within them, you could faintly see traces of regret and bewilderment.
...
...
Those who had come to reinforce them were all from the main branch of the Tang family.
Over the past six months, there had been no more stones thrown over the walls, no more kites cutting across the sky. But since the mute servant was Liu Qing, Tang Thirty-Six had naturally maintained close contact with the main branch. The civilian houses near the ancestral hall had long been secretly taken over by the main branch, waiting only for the moment to act.
But Tang Thirty-Six truly hadn't expected that the old elder had become his second uncle's man.
If Liu Qing hadn't been here today, he would have died without a doubt.
Tang Thirty-Six had the main branch people withdraw from the ancestral hall, then looked at Liu Qing and said, "Brother Idol, these six months have been hard on you."
Back when he went to Cold Mountain for the Stone Boiling Assembly, he had first met this legendary assassin.
At that time, Liu Qing had wanted Chen Changsheng to become the new leader of the assassin organization, but Chen Changsheng naturally refused.
Tang Thirty-Six had really wanted the job, hoping to get Liu Qing's contact information.
Chen Changsheng knew exactly what he was plotting, so he didn't agree.
But after Tang Thirty-Six was locked in the ancestral hall, the situation changed, and Chen Changsheng's thoughts naturally shifted as well.
So, Tang Thirty-Six and Liu Qing got in touch.
Liu Qing said expressionlessly, "Just getting paid to do a job."
Tang Thirty-Six suddenly asked, "Any interest in becoming a Tang family elder?"
Liu Qing glanced at him and said, "Talk to me after you become the family head."
To protect Tang Thirty-Six's safety these past six months, Liu Qing had posed as a mute servant in the ancestral hall, so he naturally couldn't speak. Whether in front of others, behind their backs, in the courtyard, in the back garden, or alone in a dark room—even after falling asleep—he hadn't uttered a single word.
That was no easy feat.
And from that day on, Tang Thirty-Six had stopped talking as well.
Some Tang family members thought it was out of despair; others thought it meant silent defiance.
No one knew he just wanted a period of quiet self-reflection, and to keep Liu Qing company.
Tang Thirty-Six looked at the wounded assassins and said, "Once I become family head, I'll support you all for life."
These assassins had originally belonged to the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, but now they were subjects of the imperial court. Acting today on Liu Qing's orders was tantamount to treason, and they would inevitably face the full force of the court's pursuit. Though they were used to living in the shadows, who would truly want to be a lonely ghost forever?
Tang Thirty-Six's words were blunt. Though they seemed distant now, they were still a promise.
The assassins nodded to him, silently sought Liu Qing's approval with their eyes, and then vanished into the wind and snow.
Liu Qing asked Tang Thirty-Six, "What next?"
Tang Thirty-Six looked at the re-closed door of the ancestral hall, was silent for a moment, then said, "Wait."
Liu Qing glanced at him, said nothing, and also left the ancestral hall.
Everyone had dispersed.
Only he remained in the hall, along with the dead bodies everywhere.
He walked to the stone steps, moved the old elder's corpse away from the incense altar, and took a new prayer mat from beneath it.
The wind and snow fell silently into the courtyard.
He sat on the prayer mat, watching the snowy scene outside the door, his expression calm as he waited for the final outcome.
...
...
What had happened in the ancestral hall quickly spread back to the old mansion.
Chen Changsheng watched the snowy scene outside the door, the tension on his face gradually easing, like a winter plum blossom shaking off heavy snow, its luster pleasing to the eye.
The steward of the old mansion glanced at Tang Second Master, then lowered his head and said, "The eldest young master sent a message for the second master."
Tang Second Master said nothing, staring at the scattered tiles on the table, lost in thought.
Tang Old Master said, "What clever remark is that boy going to make now?"
Hearing this, Chen Changsheng turned and glanced at Tang Old Master.
From the way he addressed him, it was clear that the old master's attitude toward Tang Thirty-Six had changed.
No one yet knew the specific details of the assassination in the ancestral hall, but it must have been bloody and brutal.
Including Tang Old Master, everyone had thought Tang Thirty-Six would be killed by Tang Second Master. Even Chen Changsheng, who knew Liu Qing had been by Tang Thirty-Six's side the whole time, had felt the situation was extremely dangerous.
But the outcome of that ambush in the ancestral hall was the complete opposite of everyone's expectations.
The steward said in a low voice, "The eldest young master said, assassins are still better when you raise them yourself. What others give you will never truly be your own—just like skills."
These words sounded a bit jumbled. What specific skills did he mean?
Others couldn't understand, but Tang Second Master could.
Knowing the outcome in the ancestral hall, no matter how shocked he was inside, he had still maintained a calm exterior.
But now, hearing Tang Thirty-Six's words, he could no longer hold himself together. His face instantly turned pale.
No matter how clever you are, no matter how skilled at scheming, if your own strength isn't enough and you can only use others to do your work, problems will eventually arise.
He thought of what Wang Po had said on Snow Street three years ago, and what Zhe Xiu had said in the Dao Hall the day before yesterday. His mind couldn't help but waver, and he wondered—had he truly been wrong all these years?
Minister Wei hadn't come. Instead, it was those shy young men from the Punishment Bureau.
Tang Second Master was taken away.
No one knew where he would be imprisoned, when he would reappear before the world, or if he would die tonight.
Just like the thought that had crossed the old elder's mind as he looked at Tang Thirty-Six in the ancestral hall.
The Tang family followed the way of merchants: the winner takes all, and the loser is left with nothing. That was simply how it was.
And just like the message Tang Thirty-Six had sent to Tang Old Master—judgment came from the heart. What need was there for evidence? When had they ever truly reasoned things out?