436-439

Chapter 436: There Is Snow In The Valley

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The snow was still falling as the night gradually grew darker. The Lizheng in the village was making arrangements for this group of officials to rest in various private residences. Fan Xian did not allow Hong Changqing and the swordsmen to stand duty because he knew there was still danger hidden outside.

Although the swordsmen of the Sixth Bureau specialized in assassination, they had no good ways of dealing with a long-distance attack. In the large school, there was only himself left lost in thought. Although the fire in the fire basin was burning and there was a great deal of charcoal prepared beside the basin, it felt that the temperature seemed to have dropped.

Silence.

Fan Xian stretched his hands over the fire to warm them. His head was slightly tilted. It was clear he was lost in thought. Suddenly, he opened his mouth and said, "I struck out."

He paused and then summarized, "But, I struck empty air."

The lighting in the school's large hall changed slightly. The red light from the fire basin cast out Fan Xian's shadow. The shadow twisted and turned on the ground, then a man in black clothes walked out of that patch of shadow. Very naturally, he sat down beside Fan Xian.

Fan Xian glanced at this deathly pale middle-aged man and handed over the wineskin.

The Shadow silently looked at Fan Xian's wrist and wineskin in his hand. After thinking a bit, he shook his head. In a sinister voice, he said, "Alcohol will make one's reaction slower."

"What is the name of Yan Xiaoyi's son?" Fan Xian changed the topic. He took back the wineskin and drank a mouthful, feeling a line of fire burning down from his lips to his midsection.

"Don't know." The Shadow shook his head. "The nickname you gave him was pretty good."

Fan Xian said, "Don't' spend your days so tense. This little arrow brother should still be freezing outside in the snowy night. He wouldn't dare come close to attack."

The Shadow nodded.

Fan Xian once again handed the wineskin over and said, "Have a drink. I'm not Chen Pingping. Although there are many people under heaven who want to kill me, at least it won't be that easy."

The Shadow thought about it and accepted the wineskin, taking a few shallow sips from it. A moment later, two spots of color appeared on his deathly pale skin like the clown role in opera. It was very cute.

Fan Xian chuckled and said, "If the two exchanged places, I would never be able to endure the loneliness of the darkness…I've long been curious, do you not usually need to eat or drink water?"

When he was protecting Chen Pingping or Fan Xian, the Shadow never left their side. It was no wonder Fan Xian had such a question.

The Shadow replied sinisterly, "Naturally, I have my ways."

Fan Xian shook his head and did not say more. He turned the conversation back to what he said previously. "You saw my sword come down on empty air."

"Yes, Sir." The Shadow's voice did not have any emotion. "That Thirteenth Wang is very powerful."

Fan Xian was silent. Of course he knew Wang Xi was very powerful. He was powerful enough that he could get near the school in a snowy night and yet neither Fan Xian nor the Shadow had sensed anything. He was powerful enough that while the arrow was high in the air, he had moved like a spirit to stand in front of Fan Xian and was powerful enough so that Fan Xian's sword struck air.

It looked like a simple block with the green banner, but Fan Xian knew the strength that black arrow in the snowy night contained. The further Wang Xi appeared to downplay it, the more it proved his ability.

"I can't see through him." Fan Xian picked up the iron poker beside his feet and randomly prodded it into the fire basin. "This Thirteenth Wang is indeed very powerful, but he is very good at enduring. Those who can endure must certainly have great plans…"

Suddenly his brow rose. "He's not enduring. He doesn't care. Wang Xi's style of conversation shows that he doesn't care about many things. He doesn't care about my verbal attack and does care about purposeful humiliation…if he was truly sent by Sigu Jian, why does he care so little? He could not mind, but he can't not care. To not be able to see someone's desire, that is a bit of a problem."

Just what did this Thirteenth Wang want?

This question gradually weighed on Fan Xian's heart. He did not like this condition where there was suddenly an outsider coming in to mess up the situation.

The Shadow suddenly opened his mouth and said, "This person…should be someone from the Sword Hut, but not just from the Sword Hut."

Fan Xian did not really understand, but he trusted the Shadow's judgement. Sigu Jian's last disciple was indeed incredibly mysterious.

He sighed and said, "We'll wait until he kills the little archer and then we'll see."

The Shadow glanced at him. He knew this was a test of commitment. He knew that Fan Xian was borrowing this knife to kill someone, not to see the quality of the knife, but to see its heart. If the Thirteenth Wang truly was Sigu Jian's attitude and Yan Xiaozhi's son died by his hands, Fan Xian could make quite an issue of it. At least, an enormous crack would appear in the connection between Xinyang and Dongyi.

"Other people do not know that Thirteenth Wang is Sigu Jian's last disciple." The Shadow reminded him.

Fan Xian calmly explained, "If he kills the little archer, then I will have everyone under heaven know that he is Sigu Jian's last disciple."

The Shadow was quiet for a moment. "Sir is wise…perhaps this kind of benefit is not enough."

Fan Xian understood what he meant. Bringing Sigu Jian into this would make Dongyi angry. Although Fan Xian and the entire Qing Kingdom were used to pushing all the blame onto the head of that idiot Sigu Jian, now Sigu Jian had given a thread of his sincerity to Fan Xian. If this thread of sincerity was only used to stir up trouble in the relationship between Xinyang and Dongyi, it seemed like a waste.

He glanced at the Shadow and faintly said, "On the matter of Dongyi, I'll listen to you. You are more familiar than me."

"Yes, Sir," the Shadow slowly said. "Also, it will be snowy for the next five days. It will be perfect for an arrow attack, so you need to be careful."

"How far are the Black Knights from us?"

"10 li."

Fan Xian became silent. In such heavy snowfall, to have a bow-wielding ace distantly following the group was truly troublesome. Fortunately, the Black Knights were sweeping the surroundings. It was impossible that the other party had moved a military troop here for his mission.

If they mobilized the army to kill Fan Xian, then they must wipe out the target completely and not leave behind a trace of evidence to be brought to the Palace.

Even the most powerful Qing Kingdom military didn't have the power to completely massacre 500 Black Knights and not leave a single one alive.

"I don't understand why they would choose to attack me on the way back to the capital. The other party should know that the chances of success were not very good." Fan Xian furrowed his brows. "Although Yan Xiaoyi's son is young…he shouldn't be so arrogant."

"Perhaps he has reasons for needing to make a move," the Shadow slowly said. "I'll go kill him."

After Fan Xian thought for a moment, he slowly shook his head. "We don't know whether or not he has other people with him. We can stay together and let that Thirteenth Wang make a move…safety first. For creatures like aces, it is difficult to pull together 10 to 20 of them. If it is only a few people, why should we worry?"

The Shadow looked at him strangely and didn't say anything.

Fan Xian raised his head and gazed at the grey net hanging in the blackness of the rafters of the large hall in the school and sighed in his heart. He didn't dare to use his own people to carry out the most effective counter-attack during this snowstorm. In these two to three years, the biggest crack in his state of mind was that arrow and bow.

Yan Xiaoyi's bow and arrow.

Up until now, two years to the day, Fan Xian could still clearly feel the aura of death on that corner building in the Royal Palace. He still felt incomparable fear about the vicious currents on that arrow.

The arrow outside the school earlier had come too suddenly and made little sense. Fan Xian was worried that this situation was a trap to lure himself or the Shadow out into the snowy woods to be slaughtered.

Yan Xiaoyi was also going back to the capital on orders. The Council reports said he was still on the road and had not yet reached the capital, but who knew which road was he on? Was he on the same road back to the capital?

Fan Xian randomly prodded the charcoal fire in the fire basin. His thoughts had long floated to the snowy woods outside the village. The fire in the basin gradually dimmed and went out.

"Go, rest early."

Fan Xian sighed in the darkness. Standing, he patted his shoulders and tightened the collar of the fox cape. Pushing open the main doors to the school, the snow and wind outside poured in and forced him to narrow his eyes, but an arrow did not come flying at him. It made him feel slightly disappointed.

The next day, the group of carriages followed Yingzhou to the North, moving in the direction of Jingdou on the official road. Because of last night's events, the defenses for the entire group of carriages became stricter. The swordsmen of the Sixth Bureau set out three people disguised as merchants braving the snow, hidden in the darkness watching all suspicious figures.

Fan Xian sent out another order. The 500 Black Knights that had protected the head and tail of the group reduced their distance to the group of carriages. The sounds of hooves could faintly be heard, ensuring their safety.

Along the way, there were some figures who carried an aura of the jianghu in the tea houses, restaurants, inns, and outside of relay stations who watched this group of carriages.

The Overwatch Council secret agents were a bit wary. After they reported it to Fan Xian, he only gently nodded and did not have any major reaction.

Just as they were about to leave Yingzhou, a woman with a broken arm was respectfully waiting by the side of the road. Stopping the carriage, she requested to see Fan Xian.

Fan Xian saw her. As he drank his tea, he looked at this rather charming woman with some interest.

The woman knelt between the carriages. With a trace of respect and fear, she said, "Subordinate greets Sir."

Fan Xian nodded and waved his hand. "Guan Wumei, stand and speak."

"Yes." This once famous female bandit of Yingzhou and Xia Qifei's cousin respectfully stood up. She half bent her body so that her head didn't hit the top canopy of the carriage.

"What have you found?" Fan Xian rubbed between his brows and asked. Although the Overwatch Council's intelligence network was spread out all under heaven, if they wanted to investigate someone in the marketplace, they couldn't do as well as the Jiangnan water bandits already deeply entrenched with the public. Regardless of whether it was which inn had taken what guest or which carriage had sent who away, the Jiangnan bandits could find out everything.

Guan Wumei reported on the situation these few days and then said, "We only faintly found someone. They had a large package, but the brothers in the gang couldn't tail him. They lost track of him the day before yesterday in Fujiapo. Looking at the direction he went in, he should be heading to Jingdou."

Fan Xian was silent for a moment, thinking, It looks that the little archer was indeed very brave and valiant to come kill him.

After speaking a bit more, he had Guan Wumei disembark from the carriage.

The group of carriages restarted their progress. Just as the Shadow had seen in the sky, snow fell endless from the sky the next few days. The snow was sometimes heavy and sometimes weak. It gradually blinded one's sight and confused one's heart.

At last, they safely reached the Weizhou upstream of Wei River. This was the last province in the South before entering Jingdou. The territory wasn't large, but it was very prosperous. However, the court had long set his return date. Fan Xian's silver chest for his family property was still on Wei River. Traveling slowly toward Jingdou under the protection of the Shazhou Navy, he could not delay.

The next day, he left Weizhou. However, he had already exposed his identity and, moved 100 provincial troops toward Weizhou. Weizhou was terrified that someone would happen to this major figure, so they agreed to all requests.

The larger group traveled north for one day. They left Weizhou's territory and entered the governance of Jingdou.

Fan Xian stood on the carriage and turned his head to gaze back. He saw on the low mound the silver-masked Jing Ge was watching him.

He nodded his head. Jing Ge mounted his horse, raising his right fist. The 500 Black Knights were like a sharp black knife, slicing through the silence on the mound. Travelling through the hills, they prepared to return to the Black Knights camp 40 li away.

This was an iron-clad rule of the Qing court. The Black Knights were an unequaled personal army the Emperor had personally given to Chen Pingping. In order to ensure the Overwatch Council's special position and balance, the Black Knights were strictly forbidden from entering the jurisdiction of Jingdou.

One step in and they would be killed without pardon. This was an iron rule of the Black Knights. Fan Xian often thought that through this iron rule. It could clearly be seen that although that Emperor of his was self-confident to the point of narcissism and could even see rebellion as a game, he probably knew deep in his heart that if the nobility of Qing Kingdom rebelled, the cripple could be the most terrifying.

Although the Emperor would not believe that the cripple would rebel, as an Emperor, he ihad to take precautions.

Entering the territory of Jingdou, the official roads became wider, and the mountain woods became less. There were more people walking. The snow and rain gradually lessened, and the accumulated snow gradually melted. Wet mud enveloped the horses' hooves, making the progress of the entire group appear difficult.

However, the people of the Overwatch Council had already relaxed. In Jingdou, no one would dare carry out a murder in broad daylight.

Although Fan Xian was a careful and cautious person, he was not an exception. Ever since the inception of Qing Kingdom, even though the military occasionally had those of thriving ambition, no one dared make trouble near Jingdou.

A small mountain valley appeared before their eyes. The white snow pressed down on the precious evergreen woods, making the branches of the trees creak. The ice had frozen into dragons.

Fan Xian lifted the thick cloth curtain and looked at this mountain valley. He found that there were not many rocks on the mountain. In the distance, Jingdou's giant city walls could faintly be seen, stealing one's breath like a giant beast.

He let a smile break across his face. Jingdou, he had finally come back. The little archer's illogical arrow had actually made him nervous for so many days. It looked like he still needed to improve the cultivation of his temperament

…

…

Suddenly, Fan Xian's earlobe trembled. He heard the sound of a sharp knife sliding into flesh and blood in the mountain woods in front. That was the sound of the Shadow attacking. He then heard the sound of a crossbow being wound.

Fan Xian gave a sharp cry and grabbed the coachman in front of him. All the carriages in the group suddenly stopped at this sharp cry.

From on top of the low mountain, a huge crossbow bolt came rushing toward him across the air, carrying with it the cry of wind and thunder. With a crash, it shot into the carriage Fan Xian was in.

The coachman at the front of the carriage gave a wild yell. Fighting free of Fan Xian's hand, he threw himself in front of Fan Xian.

Although Fan Xian had reacted quickly, that bolt, as long as an arm, still ruthlessly pierced into the coachman's chest. Blood and organs flew out from the impact, covering the walls.

The bolt punched through the body and nailed the coachman's body beside Fan Xian. Fan Xian's expression was dark. He slapped the wall. With a clicking sound, a wooden board immediately lowered inside the cotton curtain, sealing up the entire carriage.

Immediately after, countless horrifying and breath-stopping sounds of crossbows rang out in the valley.

Chapter 437: White Snow, Red Woods, Black Hair

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!

A dense smattering rang out from around the carriage. This was the sound of crossbow bolts landing on the walls of the carriage, as well as the music to steal souls.

In a flash, countless bolts shot toward the carriage Fan Xian was in. In particular, the arrow fire by the hidden and terrifyingly powerful crossbow, contained with it an incomparable force that directly pierced the carriage.

There was a boom.

The black carriage helplessly bounced. Its shafts split by the power of that arrow. It jumped among the stones, looking like a frog waiting to be slaughtered. But, the carriage did not shatter into pieces.

Fan Xian lowered his body to lie on the floor of the carriage, forcefully moving the zhenqi in his body to cancel out the massive power of this attack. Looking at the big hole beneath the body of the coachman, he couldn't help but be aghast. The power of this giant crossbow was too strong. It had actually punched a hole through the bottom of the carriage, revealing the rocks and snow beneath.

Fan Xian knew very well just how tough the Overwatch Council's specially made carriage was. Between the inside and outside wooden boards, there was a layer of steel wool and a layer of thin, but strong, steel board. If this carriage, a combination of the collective wisdom of the third workshop of the palace treasury and the Third Bureau of the Overwatch Council, had not protected him, he would probably have died under this barrage of bolts, dense as icy rain.

He perked up his ears to listen to the whistling of the arrows outside. He knew that the enemies were definitely targeting him. Although he didn't understand how the ambushing enemies saw through the Overwatch Council's carriage swap, he knew that this was not the time to consider the whys and wherefores. His ears had determined, in this short amount of time, that the bolts fired into the valley in an attempt to kill him were pouring down in torrents at a great speed. It had already long surpassed the amount the Qing army used to fight against the cities of other countries.

They were using the strategy of attacking a city to kill him.

Such a powerful crossbow attack and the other party's meticulous preparation made Fan Xian feel a glimmer of death's aura.

It was clear that the enemies in the valley were also surprised that these carriages were so tough and able to endure the power of such strong bolts.

The rain of bolts continued. In the valley, came the tragic cries of horses. Before being attacked, the sharp cry Fan Xian made had already notified his Overwatch Council subordinates, the swordsmen of the Sixth Bureau, and the secret agents to quickly hide in the carriages when the opportunity arose. However, the coachmen left outside the carriages and provincial soldiers from Weizhou did not have such good fortune.

The crossbow bolts ruthlessly pierced into the bodies and heads of the provincial soldiers, and into the chests and eyes of the horses. They pierced and ripped, forcing live flesh away from the life they were attached to.

There was no way to hide. Over half of the hundred or so provincial soldiers died in the first wave of arrows while those horses cried out pitifully and fell onto the snowy ground. Fresh blood stained the blood in the valley. It was a horrible sight to endure.

Everywhere there were bodies, arrows, fresh blood, and death.

While the carriages had become the Overwatch Council's last line of defense, under the storm of arrows and bolts, they wretched and pitifully endured, like a boat in a vast ocean. At any moment, they could be swallowed by a massive wave. In just a brief moment, the carriages had been shot through with countless back bolts. The bolts pierced deeply into the carriage, through the steel boards, strong and steady…the carriages in the valley looked like coffins that had suddenly sprouted countless dark feathers.

…

…

From the woods came a few more tooth aching sounds of the powerful crossbow, which also accompanied very low panting breaths.

There was a whooshing sound.

The terrifying giant crossbow fired once again. This time, it not only aimed at the carriage Fan Xian was in, but two other bolts were aimed at the carriage in front.

The powerful bolt ruthlessly pierced into the black carriage. With a massive boom, the carriage once again jumped and then tragically began to flip toward the left side.

What incredible power this was.

Hidden in the carriage, Fan Xian felt his surroundings turn upside down in an instant. A great shock threw him from the bottom of the carriage. He could see that above him a sharp metal bolt had already broken through the walls of the carriage, piercing in sinisterly and terrifyingly, only 15 centimeters from his chest.

That was very close. Fan Xian looked at the bolt made completely from metal and at the woodchips and pieces of steel that the bolt had brought out. He knew that the carriage could not last for much longer.

The carriage couldn't be too heavy. When it was designed, there was only a thin steel board between the two layers of wood. After all, the strange people in the Third Bureau would never have thought that when an enemy attacked, they would use the powerful crossbows used to guard the city.

…

…

Fan Xian knew he couldn't sit and wait for death. He quickly took two breaths of the slightly sweet air and, in the moment the carriage overturned, his entire body had already wormed out from the earlier hole in the bottom of the carriage.

Clearly, the assassins in the valley had not expected Fan Xian to find an escape that wasn't within their considerations, so their reactions were a bit slow.

It was in this moment that the tips of Fan Xian's feet touched the ground. Not daring to stop, his body turned forcefully and drew a few strange lines on the empty ground in the valley. Moving in a zig-zag direction, he charged toward the woods to the side of the valley.

Thwunk! Thwunk! Thwunk! Thwunk! Ten slender, long, and sharp bolts viciously landed where Fan Xian had been earlier. They shot into the bottom of the overturned carriage and into the mud and snow at the bottom of the valley.

The danger has not yet been resolved. Fan Xian let out a sharp cry. His entire person flew up. He slapped one hand on a green stone on the ground and narrowly avoided the second wave of bolts. The green stone shattered. The person vanished, The bolts landed in empty air.

…

…

Fan Xian swept into the woods. Turning his hand and ripping, he tied the white fox fur cape around his left leg. He took out a medicinal pill and ate it. He then took off his black official robe and wore it inside out.

One hand pulled out a black dagger from inside his boot, the other held the hilt of the sword by his waist. Like a spirit, he vanished into the trees.

Before he vanished, he once again gave a sharp cry, but he did not turn his head to glance at his trusted aides in the valley who were in imminent danger.

A number of the Overwatch Council officials had already died, and those people had all died in the earlier instant.

When Fan Xian's carriage had been overturned by the shock of the powerful bolt, his subordinates had worried about his safety. Ignoring the order Fan Xian had given out earlier through the sharp cry, they had forced open their carriage door and returned fire toward the valley with the crossbows they carried with them. They wanted to earn a moment of reprieve to rush to the side of Fan Xian's carriage.

However, the Overwatch Council officials used handheld crossbows. It was clear that they did not have the reach of the crossbows of the people in the woods. While the swordsmen of the Sixth Bureau were trained to be like gods of death in the dark, when faced with this kind of rapid-fire, they still had little opportunity to return fire.

In just a moment, the bolts turned the Overwatch Council officials who had just opened the carriage door into hedgehogs. The eyes of the officials closed.

The quickest person only moved six steps toward the carriage Fan Xian was in before he was nailed to the ground by three bolts.

Fan Xian saw this scene, but his expression was extremely calm. In the calm, there was a glimmer of deathly white coldness. Only with calmness could there be the most effective counter-attack.

When he had come out of the carriage, he had repeatedly moved three times but was still hit by an arrow in his leg thigh. Although it was only a superficial wound, it burned like fire. The fox fur cape was soft and very suitable for tying around the wound on his thigh.

…

…

On two side of the valley, there were snowy woods. The earliest sound Fan Xian's ears had heard was the Shadow's warning. He knew the Shadow was in those woods, so he chose the opposite direction.

He trusted in the Shadow's ability. No matter how many people were in the woods over there, the Shadow could make them die or sink into the shadow of death.

While the woods on this side needed Fan Xian to handle personally.

Such dense rains of bolts had to stop, otherwise, everyone in the valley would die.

Once the bolts stopped raining down and the Overwatch Council secret agents in the carriages had an opportunity to enter the woods, Fan Xian believed that the men of the Sixth Bureau would certainly use the black swords in their hands to harvest the lives of these killers, leaving not one behind.

…

…

A few urgent whistling breaths came from within the snowy woods. It was clear that the enemy had already discovered that Fan Xian had entered the snowy woods and were mobilizing people to try and carry out the last attack.

No one dared to underestimate a Commissioner of the Overwatch Council and a ninth-level ace, so these whistling breaths that delivered the orders seemed a bit panicked. The bolts being fired toward the valley had clearly decreased because the people firing at the carriages knew that their target was Fan Xian. If Fan Xian didn't die, they would all have to die.

However, although the bolts being fired at decreased, they were still dense and powerful enough to force the swordsmen of the Overwatch Council to stay in the carriages.

…

…

The search and killings continued. In the snowy grounds at the top of a neighboring mountain, the sound of a footstep in snow rang out. A man holding a crossbow gazed cautiously all around.

The snowy ground suddenly split open and a black dagger pierced deeply into his lower abdomen. The dagger twisted and then was pulled out, making the poison activate quicker.

The man lowered his head in pain and hopelessness. Looking at the young man in front of him dressed all in white, he tried to cry for help but his throat was slit by a streak of black light.

Fresh blood sprayed out with a sputtering sound. He covered his throat with his hand and knelt on the snowy ground. His right hand weakly clenched the crossbow and it fired into the ground beside his knee. The powerful rebound forced his almost-dead body to jump and then fall down onto the snowy ground with a muffled groan.

After Fan Xian cut open the man's throat, he indifferently flew forward and hid behind a tree, watching his last moves with cold eyes and a slightly chilled heart. Even as he died, he didn't forget to warn his colleagues of the enemy's situation. The military of the Qing Kingdom was indeed the most valiant in the world.

All along the way, he went through the snowy woods and up the snowy mountain. Fan Xian had already killed a dozen people, and his body was feeling slightly tired. He knew clearly that a full 200 archers had attacked him this time and there had been a number of aces. He felt it would be quite strenuous for him to take on himself. The Shadow's side seemed to also not have been completely successful.

The other party had truly paid a great price.

He had already broken through two attacking lines and came close to the top of the mountain. Fan Xian knew that the most powerful city-guarding crossbows had been installed here. Hearing his target, he didn't care about the man's dying warning. Subterfuge and assassination were actually more physically and mentally taxing than face-to-face combat, so he decided to change his method.

The meticulous sound of footsteps in the snow rang out in the woods. A group of archers nervously looked around. One-half of the archers had been sent off to kill Fan Xian while the other half was putting pressure on the carriages in the valley. No one had expected that Fan Xian would be able to silently break through two lines of defenses and come to the mountaintop.

Very few people in this world knew that ever since he was young, Fan Xian had learned assassination and defenses against being assassinated. This ability to move sneakily had already sunk into his bloodstream.

The snow swirled. A line of snow suddenly appeared on the ground, and a snowy shadow flashed forward from behind the trees. Using the snow falling down from the trees, he dissolved into a straight line and charged over.

So quick!

These archers only felt a flash in front of their eyes and an icy coldness on their throats. The crossbows in the hands fired randomly in their nervousness.

Schew! Schew! Schew! Schew!

Criss-crossing, hidden among the dangerous bolts, Fan Xian swept across. The slender and long black dagger in his left-hand slide across the throats of the archers. His right hand turned and pulled out the long sword lying across his back and chopped down directly.

The left hand was slender, soft, and detailed. The right hand was tyrannical and powerful. The left side was a black line. The right hand was a bright colored ball.

The crossbows flew and fired into the sky wildly, firing into the dense snowy woods. Under the outline of the black lines and the contamination of the bright colored ball, a group of archers repeatedly cried out tragically and all collapsed to the ground, dead. Fresh blood flowed in all directions.

With a clang, the sword in Fan Xian's right hand met some powerful opposing force at the end. Fan Xian's feet did not touch the ground, and he quickly swept back. Standing three steps in front of the other person, he looked coldly at them.

The other party held a knife in both hands. Although scared, they still valiantly looked directly into Fan Xian's eyes. A loud cry came from their mouths to inform his neighboring colleagues.

Fan Xian still did not move. He looked at him coldly and then clucked his tongue.

As the sound fell, his black dagger had already shot while he mysteriously followed this dagger…and shot out like he was a shadow being dragged behind the dagger.

In a split second, Fan Xian had arrived in front of the person. The black dagger had also arrived.

Having his state of mind disturbed by the cluck, the person gave a wild cry and chopped down with both knives and chopped the black dagger into the snowy ground.

Fan Xian let out a strange sound as his body rose half a meter from the ground. His right wrist turned. He hovered the long sword upside down and struck it toward the persons' undefended area.

To be able to survive already proved the person's ability. He quickly took three steps back. His hands did not surrender the knives. Rather, he swung. Apiece of knife light flashed by. In a flash, he struck against the power of Fan Xian's sword.

A crisp clanging rang out.

The knife broke. The person's chest caved, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. He had little energy to care about the Tyrannical zhenqi Fan Xian had placed on the sword. But, he had successfully pushed aside Fan Xian's strike and gave himself a chance to survive.

While Fan Xian, in order to main his strange speed and technique, had given up his sword.

His entire body was like a spirit rising up, moving toward the middle lane of the other party. Without anything fancy, he quickly and steadily slapped his palm against the chest of the other party.

With a number of cracking sounds, the man's ribs broke into inch long pieces. His eyes bulged out, and he wretchedly died on the snowy ground.

Fan Xian turned and swept back. From the snow, he lifted the long sword and dagger. The tips of his toes skimmed the woods as he floated over the tops of the branches gracefully and could be seen anymore.

This exchange was nothing more than three slaps, the so-called "in an instant" was like so.

…

…

Fan Xian looked at the three powerful crossbows below in the woods and couldn't help feeling a chill in his heart. Indeed, they were city crossbows. Countless questions and a feeling of unease rose without bidding in his heart. However, at this moment, his people were still trapped in the valley. He couldn't think about too many things.

The strangely shaped and terrifying city crossbow were installed at the top of the mountain. At the bottom, it was controlled by a wooden base and metal hinges. The pulley to nock the arrow and the lock spring needed the combined strengths of multiple people to complete. The giant bolts were placed at the side.

Fan Xian lay on top of the snowy woods and looked at this scene with narrowed eyes. He couldn't help but think of the massive attack his carriage had endured and of the people who had died in the valley.

The city crossbows were still slowly and steadily firing. Two of the carriages in the valley had already been shattered. The Overwatch Council had suffered heavy casualties.

Even though Fan Xian found that there were three aces above the seventh-level present, he still did not hesitate at all. He morphed into a white bird and flew toward the three crossbows.

"Fire!"

The person beside the crossbows, who was clearly in charge, suddenly roared.

What fired was not the crossbow, instead, it was a sudden dense rain of arrows from the woods to the left.

It was clear that these killers were prepared. Fan Xian was in the air. Faced with this rain of arrows, it seemed like there was nowhere to hide. Then, immediately after, everyone saw a sight that shocked them and left them dumbstruck.

Fan Xian swung out with his right hand and turned his entire clothing over, covering his face and head while his body fell straight toward the ground like a stone.

He did not change qi to forcefully change his shape, rather, he directly dispersed the zhenqi in his body. He allowed himself to fall like a leaf, or like a stone, following the rules of Mother Nature, as he landed on the ground.

It looked simple, but the powerful vibrations from this kind of zhenqi conversion was enough to break the Meridians of most aces in the world. It was only Fan Xian, this talented and strange creature, who could use this method.

No one expected Fan Xian to be able to fall like this, so most of the arrows flew toward the sky and the startled birds in the woods. Only a few arrows landed on Fan Xian's body. They were deflected by the specially made official robe the Overwatch Council had made for him and the extremely powerful Tyrannical zhenqi in his body.

However, Fan Xian still felt like he had been struck by lightning. A bone piercing pain made his eyes grow red. He knew he had suffered internal damage. The surface of his body had probably already begun to bleed.

The moment his feet touched the ground, his entire body fell down. Like a snow fox, he rapidly slid along the surface of the snow, floating toward the three city crossbows.

The arrows landed in the snow behind him, densely packed together like they were sending him off.

…

…

A very quick knife approached him. Fan Xian's wrist flipped, and the black dagger spread out like a ball of black shadow. In a moment, it had matched the knife 14 times.

Fourteen crisp clangs rang out. The knife-wielder suddenly retreated. His face was a greenish-white. It was clear he had suffered some hidden loss, but he had successfully trapped Fan Xian at his side.

Fan Xian narrowed his eyes and glanced at him. He knew that his knife-wielder certainly had an important position in the military. And, there were two others on this mountain who were like this ace.

What Fan Xian needed was time.

So, he retreated until he was in the embrace of an attacker who arrived later. He turned his hand to with his wrist bent and the black dagger struck out from under his armpit.

The person behind him let out a strange cry and abandoned his knife. Bringing his hands together, he risked the danger of the extreme poison on the dagger and clasped the dagger.

However, this strike of Fan Xian's was very powerful. The dagger finally slid past the meaty palms of the person and pierced somewhere into the person's body. They let out a roar and slammed toward the back of Fan Xian's head with one palm.

Fan Xian did not turn his head; he turned his palm.

Immediately after, he pulled out the dagger and plunged it back in. Using the knife hilt, he struck toward the person's face. It was like Fan Xian grew a pair of eyes on the back of his head. The knife hilt went straight into the person's eye socket.

The person reached out with his left palm and stopped the hilt of Fan Xian's knife before his eyes, with centimeters to spare.

Fan Xian pressed down with his thumb. A sharp blade appeared out the end of the hilt. It pierced through the person's palm. Immediately after, it pierced through the person's eyeball.

By the shore of the Northern Sea, even Xiao En had fallen for this trick of Fan Xian's, much less this brute from the military.

The person did not try to cover his eye, which was spraying liquid in all directions. He let out a wretched roar. Knowing of his certain death, he unusually valiantly held onto Fan Xian from behind.

His left palm and eyeball wore Fan Xian's dagger, and his right arm was tightly locked around Fan Xian's throat.

The knife-wielder in front also swung down with his knife. Quick as lightning, he came down directly on Fan Xian's face.

…

…

Fan Xian let out a muffled grunt, with a zing sound, he pulled out his dagger from the eye of the person behind him and directly struck toward the person in front.

Who would have thought that knife-wielder cared so little about his own life. With a roar, his knife did not stop and allowed Fan Xian's dagger to stab through the right of his chest.

It seemed like these strong warriors in the military were determined to leave Fan Xian's body in this valley not far from Jingdou, even at the cost of their own lives.

Fan Xian's left arm that had struck out was still rigidly extended. Holding the dagger at the front and by his wrist was a secret crossbow.

The spring lock made a tiny sound. The knife-wielder, who had killed a number of Fan Xian's subordinates with crossbows, suddenly found his eyes had gone dark. He then felt a wave of intense pain. Only then did he know that two crossbow bolts were stuck in his eye.

Two delicate black arrows were stuck in that knife-wielder's eyes.

Fan Xian spat out a powerful breath and took a step forward with the valiant soldier behind him. He bypassed the blade of the knife-wielder's knife. Using his metal shoulder, he blocked the other party's right hand. With a snap, it was still the knife-wielder's hand that broke.

Fan Xian lifted his foot and kicked out.

With a muffled thud, the knife-wielder in front was kicked, with resentment and aggression, 3 meters away. He landed heavily against the trunk of a tree. His abdomen was split open, and his entrails flowed out. He looked wretched.

…

…

Suddenly, the third person finally came.

But, Fan Xian's foot had not been pulled back yet. However, he had been waiting for this person. Without paying any attention to the person holding him tightly from behind, his right hand still held the hilt of the sword extending past his shoulder.

With a tearing sound, the arms of the person behind him broke together.

Like plum blossoms welcoming a storm, like a little boat fighting against the ocean, without looking around at all, Fan Xian coldly and sternly stabbed out with the sword. The sword blade trembled slightly. It appeared soft but was tough and unbending. With single-mindedly, victory it pushed forward.

It was the strike Fan Xian hid the deepest. It was also his most powerful attack when face to face with an enemy. If it were not the most dangerous moment, he would not use it.

Sigu Sword.

…

…

The blade of the sword went through the soldier's throat and lifted him into the air above the snowy ground. His eyes bulged and stared at Fan Xian, while his hands hung uselessly. A pair of curved knives fell into the snow.

The eyes seemed to be speaking and expressing his fear and confusion. As if they were saying, Such a strike, how could it have come so silently?

Suddenly, another miracle happened.

Fan Xian held one person aloft on his sword and had one wrapped around his back. Beneath the snowy ground, another person appeared. A grey shadow burrowed out from under the snow. With a faint breath, he held a slender sword. Sticking close to Fan Xian's back, he struck out.

This was the true killer.

Fan Xian had sneakily killed countless people in the snow. But right now, facing the three aces' surround attack, he was truly both mentally and physically exhausted so he had completely not noticed the strangeness of this patch of snow.

At the moment he was about to claim victory, the enemy's final killer finally appeared.

Fan Xian only had the time to take one step forward before he felt a thread of fiery pain from his waist all the way to the back of his neck.

The sword directly pierced through Fan Xian's official robe that could block normal attacks and left a long wretched wound on his back. The sword did not stop. Rising into the sky, it tore apart Fan Xian's hair ribbon.

The person behind Fan Xian had long been shocked into the snow by this strike.

While the person behind Fan Xian had already changed into that assassin, he had hidden in the snowy ground for a while.

His back had taken a grievous injury, and his long hair was spread out behind him. There was a sword that was about to come to take Fan Xian's life. Fan Xian's spirit and energy were almost at extreme exhaustion. It was completely impossible for him to mobilize the Tyrannical zhenqi in a flash.

He only had time to turn his head. He turn his eyes. His loose black hair swung out and weakly struck against the face of this last assassin.

…

…

After his hair fell, a thin needle was now stuck in the man's temple. Very slender, it trembled as if a gust of wind would be able to blow it away.

The assassin's body froze in that instant. The sword aimed at Fan Xian's heart did not have the time to strike out.

With the flat of his palm, Fan Xian chopped on the assassin's throat. The back of the assassin's neck exploded in a shower of blood.

Chapter 438: Jingdou, I Trust You Have Been Well Since We Last Met?

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The assassin's head flipped back, only managing to hang on upside down by that lonely and thin vertebra. A blood red and disgusting throat faced the no longer snowing blue sky.

Without time to take a breath, Fan Xian flipped his hand pulled up the long sword stuck into the snowy ground. Rising to his toes, he curled his body into a ball and retreated quickly backward. After he curled into a ball, the surface area of his body exposed to the air became smaller. The grey-white Overwatch Council robes covered his entire body without any gaps.

The crossbows rang out again and again, like the austere killings on West Lake, but very few landed around Fan Xian's body. His movements were truly too quick. Even fast crossbows were unable to hit him accurately.

Occasionally, a few bolts landed, but none were able to pierce through.

Fan Xian swept to a position above the city-guarding crossbows. Mobilizing the remnants of the Tyrannical zhenqi in his body, he turned his hand and flipped them over.

How much strength did this need?

The giant city-guarding crossbows rolled in the air and smashed heavily onto the two city-guarding crossbows to the side.

In this short amount of time, Fan Xian flicked the tip of his sword, landing a strike on the spring locks of the crossbow mechanism while it was still in the air. The mechanism was still nocked and stretched to its limits.

The Emperor's sword Wang Qinian had sent from so far away was indeed a treasured blade rarely seen. The blade passed through, and the spring lock snapped without further reason.

All around them, the killers began to panic. Angrily yelling, they charged toward Fan Xian but had forgotten the problem of the city-guarding crossbows.

A series of heart-stopping creaks rang out from the top of the snowy mountain. With three enormous crashes, the city-guarding crossbows smashed together and immediately tilted in a different direction. While one of the bowstrings had already been snapped by Fan Xian, the completely metal arrow that had stored up power for a long time finally shot out.

But, it wasn't aimed at the valley. It was aimed at the ground.

The powerful rebound made the enormous city-guarding crossbow jump up and flip half the height of a person. They directly came down on the group of people trying to kill Fan Xian.

After being run over, all that was left was a patch of blurry blood and flesh, broken arms and snapped legs.

The city-guarding crossbows that were smashed into were no longer able to control their bowstrings and mechanisms. With two twangs, they fired. The crossbow bolts flew out randomly without any direction.

Two sharp lights flashed by. One bolt landed on a young tree. How could the trunk of the tree endure such a powerful force? The bark flew off, and the hard wood split open like tofu. A large hole appeared in the middle. Immediately following this, it broke from this point in the tree and crashed down.

Fresh blood followed the terrifying bolt and flowed onto the ground. The three killers, who had been skewered into a meat skewer but were not dead yet, moaned continuously.

The scene was chaotic for a time.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Fan Xian once again secretly entered the snowy woods. Hiding in the tree branches, he breathed heavily and was careful to not let the fresh blood on his back fall down from the trees and startle those killers.

The other party had crossbows. If, at this moment, another group of crossbowmen surrounded the heavily injured Fan Xian, even he wasn't sure he would be able to survive.

His task was already complete. The denseness of the crossbow bolts in the snowy woods had decreased greatly, and the three leaders were already dead. This further made these ambushers feel a chill in their hearts and panicked. There was no one giving orders, and they no longer had the backing of the three city-guarding crossbows. The pressure on the black carriages in the valley immediately lessened greatly.

Fan Xia hid in the trees and listened to the movements in the woods opposite. He knew the Shadow had already gotten there ahead of him and disturbed the camp on the top of that mountain. The hearts of the ambushers were unsettled. The assassins of the Sixth Bureau of the Overwatch Council finally had a chance to demonstrate their abilities.

Naturally, the people of the Overwatch Council knew when an opportunity had come. They didn't need to wait for the orders of a leader. They had already charged out of the carriages. Pulling out the black hammers and dodging the now sparse rain of bolts, they silently and sinisterly entered the woods.

In the carriages, they had turned their black official robes inside out. Like grey-white spirits, they entered the snowy woods and began to use their methods and resentful anger to kill every life in the woods at all costs.

A long-planned ambush and crossbow fight had finally, under Fan Xian and the Shadow's, these two aces', desperate attacks, become a close range massacre in the woods.

There was no one in this world who were better than the assassins of the Sixth Bureau of the Overwatch Council at killing. Even the army of the most powerful Qing Kingdom, in the woods in a close range assassination battle, were still not a match for the Sixth Bureau.

Listening to the strange silence in the snowy woods, occasionally a crossbow would sound. Occasionally there would be the sounds of steps in the snow, the sound of metal hammers entering the abdomen, or a wretched cry.

Fan Xian knew that his subordinates had already taken the definite advantage. The revengeful slaughter was being carried out methodically and thoroughly. For the 200 archers who had ambushed the Overwatch Council, after making the Overwatch Council suffer heavy casualties and injuries, it would be impossible for them to survive.

His heart that had long been strung up finally relaxed.

…

…

No survivors, just has Fan Xian had expected. The swordsmen of the Sixth Bureau had attacked ruthlessly and not left a single survivor. Of course, this was not just because the Sixth Bureau had attacked ruthlessly. When the battle was about to end, the remaining 20-something archers had uniformly committed suicide.

Fan Xian stood on the snowy ground and looked coldly at these 20 odd bodies. Looking at the expression on their faces, he found that showed no sorrow or fear. There was only determination and loyalty.

The army of Qing Kingdom was indeed the most powerful martial force in the world. If this kind of discipline and bravery were placed on the battlefield, how terrifying that power would be.

There were 30 Overwatch Council officials in the black carriages in the valley. In the end, only about 20 people were able to enter the snowy woods. Just these 20 people managed to kill over a hundred archers.

In the woods on the two sides of the valley, behind those quiet and dark rocks and trees, there should be a number of bodies whose blood had already frozen solid.

Fan Xian's emotion's surged. Coughing a little, he coughed up some blood. Slowly turning his body, he looked at the bloody person on the ground.

He was covered in blood. One eyeball had been punctured by a dagger and looked as ugly as a deflated wineskin. His two arms had been neatly broken. His left hand was a bloody hole, and his right hand had been snapped by the Tyrannical zhenqi.

This was one of three aces from earlier, the one that had attacked Fan Xian from the back who had held onto him without fear even as he was about to die. Unexpected, in the end, he was the only one of the killers who had survived.

Fan Xian walked to his side and slowly raised his foot. Stepping on the person's face, he stepped a few times to make him wake up.

The bloody person slowly awoke. His spiritless eyes swept around and saw the Overwatch Council secret agents around Fan Xian, as well as the bodies of his brothers scattered through the woods. After a wave of sorrow, he recovered his resolution. Suddenly, a pitiful expression appeared in his eyes, resisting the pain, he said in a trembling voice, "Sir, don't kill me. I am willing to do anything…"

There came the sound of teeth closing.

Fan Xian's hand shot out like lightning and stuck his finger into the man's mouth. With a wrench, the man's chin was bloodily forced open a notch, unable to fully close again, a few teeth even came out with it.

Fan Xian stretched out his hand and wiped away the blood on the snow beside him. "Don't think about committing suicide. You are still useful to me…now, your hand is gone and you cannot close your mouth, how will you show your loyalty through death?"

"Help him stop the bleeding. Let him live."

Fan Xian gave the order to his subordinates beside him. He then slowly walked toward the valley at the bottom of the mountain. As he walked, he coughed blood, and blood flowed down his back.

Hong Changqing followed behind him. He wanted to help hold him up but had his hand thrown off obstinately.

Hong Changqing's luck was not bad. He had not died today under the rain of crossbow bolts. Only his left shoulder had received a light injury.

However, the other people in the Overwatch Council did not have such good luck. Of the 30 people who had followed Fan Xian back to the capital, almost half had died. The surviving ones had all been injured and were very weak.

All the way to the valley, the Overwatch Council officials along the way slightly inclined their bodies in greeting. This was a show of respect to the Commissioner from the depths of their hearts. Everyone knew, without the Commissioner's fearless secret attack, every one of the Overwatch Council officials would probably have died in the valley.

Gradually, the Overwatch Council officials gathered behind Fan Xian. Dragging the only survivor, they returned to the valley, to the side of those broken carriages.

…

…

Fan Xian crouched down beside his overturned carriage. His finger pulled at the shattered shaft and occasionally slanted a glance at the dead coachman inside the carriage. His expression was calm. No one knew what he was thinking. He also refused the requests of his Overwatch Council subordinates to treat his wounds.

Why? What was all this for?

The valley was covered with the bodies of provincial soldiers. Which faction was so daring as to carry out an ambush in a valley so close to Jingdou? Who had the power to mobilize so many aces from the military and even moved the city-guarding crossbows here?

The city-guarding crossbows were the second point of suspicion in this incident. The killers needed time to install the crossbows and would also have to make a great deal of noise. Why did the Jingdou garrison, who were responsible for the safety of the areas around Jingdou, not notice anything?

However, what most chilled Fan Xian's heart was how could the other party have calculated the time of his return to the capital so precisely? From Yingzhou to Weizhou, he had created a diversion. He had the Jiangnan water bandits put out a fake rumor and had traveled straight ahead. If they wanted to kill him, these soldiers could not have been ambushed near Jingdou for too long. How could they have calculated the timing so precisely?

What was even more terrifying was that even though they were closer to Jingdou, Fan Xian had never let down his guard. Every 3 li he would send out a scout. Why had the first scout reported that everything was as normal? Did the scout not discover the unusualness in the valley? Until the Shadow warned him ahead of time…

Countless questions surged into Fan Xian's mind. There was one set of questions in particular that made his entire body run cold.

Today's situation had been completely different from the situation at the Hanging Temple.

Today's situation was a deadlock. The other party had used such a powerful force and such meticulous preparation, they had wanted, without a question, to kill him. If the Eldest Princess had incited Yan Xiaoyi to act, then something major must have happened in Jingdou. Only then would the other party be so unrestrained and dare to look down on the Emperor in such a way…but, if unrest had truly appeared in Jingdou, even if the Palace was unable to send news out.

Fan Xian thought somewhat darkly, What about you? Even if all the people in the world were frozen, but you…must have a way to let me know.

This was a mutually contradictory proposition. If there was no major unrest in Jingdou, then it could not explain why the Eldest Princess and Yan Xiaoyi dared do something so major. If there truly was unrest in Jingdou, why did he not receive a warning earlier?

…

…

"Sir, you should make a decision," a member of the Qinian Unit with fresh blood drying on his face said quietly beside Fan Xian's ear. The people in the Qinian Unit had been with Fan Xian the longest, so their words were relatively direct. This person said in a low voice, "Should we retreat back to Weizhou and first establish contact with Jingdou or directly enter Jingdou?"

Fan Xian was silent. Glancing around at his heavily injured subordinates, he knew he had to immediately make a decision.

If there really was great unrest in Jingdou, then he and his group would be going to their deaths in the capital.

He was silent for a long time. He suddenly raised his head. Looking at Jingdou's city walls that could faintly be seen outside the valley, he coldly and valiantly said, "Light the flares."

"Yes."

A rocket flare shot into the sky from the snowy valley carrying with it a shrill cry and a bright light that swallowed the snowy sky and dim day.

This was the Overwatch Council's first-level danger and request for help signal. The entire Qing Kingdom army and Overwatch Council system used this kind of signal. Fan Xian did not know whether the people who would arrive in a while to receive them would be of the military or the Overwatch Council.

He hoped it was the former.

…

…

After an indeterminable amount of time, the sound of horse hooves clip-clopping as urgently as a rain shower sounded from outside the valley, as did the sound of horses neighing. In a brief moment, a group of about 200 cavalry rode into the mountain valley. The cavalry's armor was bright and neat, and their weapons were to their side. They appeared very stern, however, they didn't even have the time to raise a banner.

In Fan Xian's eyes, not having a banner was a bit strange. Having just gone through a bloody assassination, he wasn't willing to trust anyone.

The person in the lead was a 30-something-year-old middle-aged man with a stern expression. A short beard floated below his chin. He wore a sword by his waist. There was a glimmer of confusion in his stern expression.

When he saw the bodies and horse corpses around the valley and mountain, the overturned carriages everywhere, and the bolts deep in the cracks of rocks, other than confusion in this general's expression there was also a boundless shock and faint anger.

The general raised his clenched right fist and said in a high voice, "Take precautions."

The 200 riders behind him immediately became alert and gazed at everything in the mountain valley.

The man rose with a dark expression into the mountain valley. He rode directly to the side of Fan Xian beside the carriage. Very smoothly, he flipped off his horse. Holding the long sword in his hand, he asked in a low voice, "Are you alright?"

Fan Xian coughed and gazed at him "What do you think?"

"Who did this?" The general's expression was full of murderous intent as he asked through gritted teeth.

Fan Xian lowered his head and suddenly opened his mouth to say, "I had not thought that the person who came would be you…are there no other generals among the Jingdou garrison? I am surprised to have disturbed the Commander of Defense to come rescue us."

The person who had come was the second son of the Qin family, the current head of the Jingdou garrison and the most popular figure from the military in the court, Qin Heng.

Qin Heng saw that Fan Xian was still alive and able to talk, so he knew that the enemies must have already been purged. Only now did he relax and sigh. "The Overwatch Council's first-level request for help. Everyone in Jingdou knew that you were almost back, of course, I guessed it was you…it almost scared me to death. How could I not come?"

He lowered his voice and smiled self-mockingly. "If you died, who knows how many of the Jingdou garrison would die with you."

Actually, the instant he had seen Qin Heng enter the valley, Fan Xian had relaxed. Since the Qin family was still in control of the power of the Jingdou garrison, that meant the Emperor still had control of the Jingdou army. Nothing should have gone wrong in Jingdou.

But, he still asked, "Is everything fine in Jingdou?"

Qin Heng understood what he was worried and shook his head, "All is quiet."

Fan Xian lowered his head and said, "Then…this is truly very strange."

Qin Heng also understood what he meant by this. If all was quiet in Jingdou…then who dared to brave the danger of the Emperor's rage to go assassinate a royal child?

…

…

Fan Xian loosely recounted today's events to Qin Heng. Qin Heng listened in fright and said with a frown, "These people truly have the ambition of wild wolves."

Fan Xian suddenly gazed at him and asked, "You are in charge of the Jingdou garrison. For there to be such powerful soldiers hidden here in a valley so close to Jingdou…how do you explain it?"

"It's impossible to explain," Qin Heng said straightforwardly. "This is our problem."

Fan Xian nodded his head.

Qin Heng said, "Go back. Your injuries need tending to." He then sighed and said, "These people attacked very ruthlessly. Are all your subordinates dead?"

"No." Fan Xian coughed and smiled slightly. "My subordinates are all waiting for you."

From the woods on the two sides of the valley, a dozen Overwatch Council agents slowly walked out. They had handheld crossbows in their hands and were calmly and coldly pointing them at Qin Heng as well as the Jingdou garrison troops who were cleaning up the bodies.

Qin Heng's expression changed slightly and said, "What? You don't trust me?"

"Who do you think I can trust right now?" Fan Xian mockingly smiled. "Don't forget, I almost became a ghost earlier."

Qin Heng silently shook his head and said helplessly, "If you think pointing these small crossbows at me can make you feel at ease, then do so." Following this, he furrowed his brows. "How about I take you back to Jingdou first? You might feel much safer that way. The cleanup work here can be given to the Jingdou garrison to do. This is our job anyway."

This heir of the Qin family spoke calmly and seriously. "If it is really as you said that the military has had a hand in this matter, trust me, the old Qin family will definitely help you get justice."

Fan Xian shook his head and said, "There is no need. We can go together. I want to keep these bodies."

Qin Heng knew what kind of rage lay hidden under Fan Xian's calm expression. He nodded and looked again at the almost dead, but not yet executed killer, and asked, "What about this survivor? The Emperor may want to question him himself."

Fan Xian expressionlessly said, "All the dead people in this valley are mine. This live one is also mine."

…

…

For the moment, they could do nothing about the bodies of the provincial soldiers. They only carried out the bodies of the Overwatch Council officials who had died in the line of duty. They also gathered in one place the dead bodies of the killers from the woods on the two sides.

Fan Xian looked at the cold bodies of his subordinates and slightly tilted his head, then he glanced at the bodies of the killers. In a quiet voice, he said, "Look after the bodies of our brothers, as for these people…what is the point of dragging all these bodies? Chop their heads off and bring them back to Jingdou."

Hong Changqing relayed the order from his side in a high voice.

Qin Heng watched this scene from the side and furrowed his brows slightly. If nothing had gone wrong, these bodies were also good soldiers in the military. Because of conflicts in the court, they had become killers who had tried to kill an imperial envoy of the court, so, naturally, their deaths were not a loss. But Fan Xian's humiliating treatment of the bodies seemed to make this young general in the military slightly uncomfortable.

Fan Xian completely ignored the feelings of Qin Heng. He carried a glimmer of joking expression as he watched his subordinates chopping heads.

After all the cleanup was done, the rest of the blood and bodies, dead horses and broken carriages would be dealt with by a follow-up staff from the court.

Half of the Jingdou garrison riders dismounted and carefully helped the bodies of the Overwatch Council officials onto the horse. At the same time, they also had the injured Overwatch Council officials mount the horses.

This was all Qin Heng's decision. He knew that at his juncture, he had to do everything he could to calm Fan Xian's and the Overwatch Council's anger.

The Overwatch Council and military always had a close relationship, and their friendship was old. Because of this battle in the little mountain valley, there would certainly now be a wound that would be difficult to ever close and heal.

After Fan Xian had mounted a horse, Qin Heng flipped on the horse and said calmly beside him, "Have you thought about the fact that if it really was the military who wished to harm you…at this moment, I could have you all killed."

The Overwatch Council officials had already withdrawn their crossbows and were all heavily injured. Qin Heng had 200 cavalry, so he indeed at the confidence to say this.

But Fan Xian did not even glance at him.

Behind the two of them were the horses carrying the bodies of the Overwatch Council officials. Suddenly, the body on one of the horses bounced up.

The corpse was like a spirit as it swept over the distance of three horses and lightly landed behind Qin Heng and sat on his horse, laying close to the back of his chest. Such intimacy…it was like he was his shadow.

Qin Heng was greatly shocked. However, he only had time to half draw the long sword at his waist when he noticed that the person behind him had gently blown a breath of air on the back of his neck—it was very icy cold.

Qin Heng knew, if he were attacked without time to defend—given the terrifying ability of the person behind him and under these circumstances—if the other person wanted to kill him, even if Great Grandmaster Ye Liuyun came, he would not be able to save him.

The shadow behind him was disguised as a normal secret agent. He wore the grey-white clothes with his head lowered. It was as if he were falling asleep.

Qin Heng fell silent. He sheathed his word and glanced at Fan Xian. He did not look at him. Fan Xian's eyes were narrowed and looking at Jingdou in the distance.

Chapter 439: In Front Of The Bureau Of Military Affairs, A Great Head

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

It was pitch black and deserted beside the city gate.

The city gate had long been emptied. The residents of Jingdou had been kept outside the police cordon. With faces full of shock, they watched the group coming in from the South. They saw the blood on the people, the bodies on the horses, and the young man riding straight-backed on a large horse in the lead.

A loud clamor went up.

Sir Fan junior that had been separated from Jingdou for a year and had finally returned to the capital. However, no one expected that coming back with him would be this many bodies and blood, as well as a very broken black Overwatch Council carriage that seemed like it could fall apart at any moment.

The people watching from a distance whispered and discussed it amongst themselves. Seeing the sight before them, they were incomparably shocked. Everyone had guessed that Sir Fan junior must have run into some kind of danger on his return to the capital. However, no one thought that the so-called danger had actually happened very close to the peaceful and prosperous capital.

The soldiers of the Jingdou garrison led the horses silently, walking on either side of the group for protection.

The people watched with fear on their faces. After confirming that it was not the court capturing Sir Fan junior, they all began to guess. They thought of Fan Xian's shocking past, the rumors from the past year, and of the palace treasury. Even someone as stupid as a common woman knew that it had to be someone inside the court that wanted to harm Sir Fan junior.

Although what Fan Xian had done in Jiangnan had a certain impact on his reputation, in Jingdou, he still had a very good reputation. The spring examination case, independently running the First Bureau, poetry in front of the palace, and going to Northern Qi…In the hearts of the Jingdou people, he was their biggest pride and the court's last conscience.

…

…

"Sir Fan junior!"

"Sir Fan junior!"

The common people looked at the injured Fan Xian and didn't know how to express their concern and support. They also didn't know how to greet him. They could only yell across the great distance. Their shouts rose and fell in succession.

Qin Heng turned his face to glance at him. A glimmer of envy showed in his eyes, but he immediately recovered his calm.

Fan Xian glanced at the dark crowd and nodded his head slightly. His expression softened slightly. He couldn't help but feel moved in the depths of his heart. He knew that in this second life, he had not done anything for these people from the depths of his heart. But, the occasional good he brought would be remembered by these commoners for a lifetime.

Although Jingdou was dark, the hearts of these people were still turned toward the light.

Some of the less courageous commoners suddenly began to yell sharply and pointed at Fan Xian and the group of riders.

Fan Xian didn't have to turn his head to know what had shocked these commoners.

The horse behind him dragged below it a door board broken from a carriage. On this door board was tied an almost dead bloody person. The wound on this bloody person had already stopped bleeding. The fresh blood that had flowed out earlier had become a black color and glued his clothes to his body. What was more terrifying was that the man's two arms had been broken at the shoulder, leaving two bloody holes. One eyeball covered in blood had also deflated.

Also, the two arms that had been chopped off had been tied carelessly by someone to the side of the door board.

This was the last surviving member of the killers in the snowy valley. He had been dragged back by the Overwatch Council all the way to Jingdou's city gates. Along the way, the bouncing had been endless. He appeared wretched.

Fan Xian did not have a glimmer of emotion. Waving the horse whip in his hand, he rode toward the city gates.

Having gone through the dark hole of the city gate, he saw the sight of Jingdou in the depths of winter. Fan Xian took a deep breath. Dozens of Overwatch Council officials wearing black official robes came forward in welcome. One person silently took hold of the reins of Fan Xian's horse while the rest of them went toward the back to receive their heavily injured colleagues.

The official holding his reins had a slightly dark complexion and said sorrowfully, "I have failed in my duties." He glanced at Qin Heng beside Fan Xian. "After the flare, the city gates were temporarily shut, so we were unable to leave the city to come to the rescue."

Fan Xian nodded and said slightly tiredly, "There is no need to blame yourself, Mu Tie, this has nothing to do with you."

He continued, "Mu Feng'er!"

Mu Feng'er quickly ran forward from the back and stood sincerely beside the horse. Anger and unease rose on his face. "Mu Feng'er is here."

Fan Xian lowered his head slightly and said, "Take a group of people and these brothers back to recover. We'll talk about the funeral arrangements tomorrow."

"Yes." Mu Feng'er took his orders and left.

Fan Xian said to Mu Tie, "Bring some people and follow me."

Mu Tie was confused, thinking, Sir received such a heavy injury. The Palace probably wouldn't summon him in a hurry, so where was he going in a rush? However, he knew could not ask under the present circumstances. He lowered his head and accepted the order. At the same time, he made a few hand gestures to the communications officials on the side of the street.

Fan Xian glanced at Qin Heng and asked, "After entering the capital, are there still people who dare to kill me?"

Qin Heng thought for a bit and said, "No."

Fan Xian said, "Then why are you still following me?"

Qin Heng thought for a bit again and then said awkwardly, "I'm afraid you'll kill people."

Fan Xian was silent for a moment and then said, "Today, I won't kill anyone because I am not yet sure who I should kill."

…

…

The Overwatch Council officials that had followed Fan Xian back to the capital had been taken away to have their injuries seen to. The person behind him was now a secret agent from the First Bureau. They walked quietly and solemnly deep into Jingdou. In a moment, they had come to Tianhe Avenue.

Behind the group, they were still dragging that almost falling apart carriage, the door board, and the bloody man who was a spectacle too wretched to endure.

As they walked, everything was seen by the commoners in Jingdou. The crowd of people watching from the two sides of the road grew larger and larger. Uncontrollably, they sucked in a few cold breaths. By now, the news had long spread throughout the marketplace. Sir Fan junior was returning to the capital by imperial edict to make his report. Unexpectedly, he was ambushed outside the capital. The Overwatch Council suffered heavy losses, and Sir Fan junior also almost died.

Ever since that night 14 years ago when the streets of Jingdou ran red with blood, Jingdou had long been sunk in peace. It had been many years since such a shocking thing had happened.

Fan Xian sat straight-backed on his horse and walked forward. Behind him was an endless stream of people from the First Bureau joining the group. The group became longer and longer, but it remained silent and somber.

Seeing this sight, the Jingdou people all felt a chill in their hearts. They didn't know whether or not Jingdou would immediately have blood flowing like rivers. No one dared to underestimate Fan Xian's drive and ruthlessness.

The majority of the Overwatch Council officials in Jingdou belonged to the First Bureau, and Fan Xian was a senior of the First Bureau. The senior had been attacked, so this was a major matter. Without needing much encouragement, the First Bureau secret agents in Jingdou began to move. Those following Fan Xian joined the group, and those investigating in secret began to notify the other spies hidden in various manors.

Fan Xian suddenly pulled on his reins and stopped his horse. Turning his head, he glanced at his determined-looking subordinates and furrowed his brow slightly. He slowly opened his mouth and said, "There are almost 200 people here. The entirety of the First Bureau is only 310. Are you all not working?"

Mu Tie thought to himself that judging from today's array, it looked like they were going to kill people for revenge. How could they bring fewer people? To attack someone so grandly in Jingdou, no matter how much reason there was, in the end, they would probably be put down. The First Bureau was betting all their lives on Fan Xian. He gritted his teeth and replied, "We will all listen to Sir's commands."

Fan Xian thought for a bit. "Don't have anyone more people come. I am not going to kill people."

Qin Heng, who had been following him closely, felt his heart stutter at hearing these words.

The group continued to move. Under the shocked gazes of the people, they went along the usually quiet Tianhe Avenue and flowing water on the two sides of the road. Slowly, they headed toward the Royal Palace in the distance.

…

…

Yan Bingyun stood by the window and looked at the path below the building through the glass. He looked at the full of murderous intent yet incomparably silent group. The watching crowds had already been dispersed by the bailiffs of the Jingdou government, so Tianhe Avenue appeared to be rather lonely.

He looked at the person on the horse at the very front and sighed slightly.

A subordinate knocked and entered. Kneeling on the floor, he reported, "Someone has been sent to inform Chen Garden, and defenses have been raised to the first level. The Sixth Bureau has mobilized completely and already control the alleys near the Bureau of Military Affairs."

"Have the Second Bureau drop everything that is not urgent and put all their effort into investigating the mountain valley attack." Yan Bingyun did not turn his head, he only looked at Fan Xian on the road.

The subordinate accepted his orders and raised his head to ask, "The Commissioner is heading that way. Should we go to provide support?"

Yan Bingyun thought for a moment and said, "Make preparations. If Sir really makes a move…" His expression changed slightly and immediately forced a smile. "Relax, he won't make a move. He can endure even better than us."

The subordinate suddenly raised his head and looked at Yan Bingyun, thinking, The Commissioner has been attacked. How could young master Yan be so calm and composed? Why was he not rushing out of the Council to welcome the Commissioner or to stop him?

…

…

Between the Royal Palace and the Overwatch Council, there was still another building. With dragons curled on top and stone lions guarding the door, the yamen was grand and below the stone steps. It appeared very mighty and ineffable.

Fan Xian silently rode his horse toward that building.

Behind him dragged the door board. It bounced at the end of the Tianhe Avenue. It finally could endure no more and broke apart. That bloody man's feet were still bound to the horse's tail. It bounced on the ground and continued to be pulled. However, that pair of broken arms landed on the ground. An Overwatch Council official picked up the arms.

The bloody man was jolted awake and made some uncomfortable groaning sounds. However, half of his jaw had shattered and he was in a half-dazed condition, so he couldn't say anything at all.

The man pulled along by Fan Xian's horse and his blood once again began to flow. It left a long line on the snowy ground.

A bloody line.

The end of the bloody line was that building.

Fan Xian narrowed his eyes and looked at the yamen on the stone steps. He looked at the two mighty and ineffable lions to the sides of the stone steps and sighed in his heart. When he had been in Jingdou in the past, because of the Emperor's pressure and his own self-awareness, he had purposely drawn out his distance to this place. Up until today, this was his first time coming here.

This was the center of Qing Kingdom's military. Back in the day, it was the Ministry of War. Later, under the new policy, it was renamed the Department for Army Affairs. Now, it had recovered its ancient title and was known as the Bureau of Military affairs.

By imperial edict of the Emperor, the Bureau of Military affairs controlled the movements of Qing Kingdom's military power. It was responsible for all affairs concerning expeditions against foreign powers. In the past dozen years of battles, countless generals and commanders had emerged from here and earned innumerable amounts of land and wealth for Qing Kingdom.

The Qing army was the most powerful army in the world. The Bureau of Military affairs in the Qing Kingdom was the head of this most powerful army.

…

…

Long before Fan Xian had entered the city, the people of the Bureau of Military affairs knew of the news that had shocked Jingdou. By the time Fan Xian and his group had headed toward the Bureau of Military Affairs, all of the generals were feeling a glimmer of strangeness and unease. A number of officials from the military had already run out of the Bureau of Military Affairs and were standing on the steps to watch Fan Xian and this group of people.

Fan Xian sat calmly on his horse. He didn't dismount. He just looked at the tightly closed main door on the stone steps.

The main door was slowly pulled open. Five or six major officials of the Bureau of Military Affairs rushed out and behind them. The soldiers of the Bureau were holding their weapons tightly and staring warily at the group of black-clothed Overwatch Council people at the yamen's door.

The situation was somewhat tense.

However, Fan Xian was not nervous. He recognized that the people who had come out to greet him were the two deputies of the Bureau and three deputy Chengzhis. With the old master of the Qin family staying home because of illness, these officials were running the Bureau.

He waved his horse whip and stopped the Right Deputy of the Bureau of Military Affairs from opening his mouth. He didn't give the other party a chance to express concern, anger, nervousness, pity, or any other emotion.

Fan Xian slowly opened his mouth.

"I know that there many amongst you who do not want to me to return to Jingdou, at least, not alive," Fan Xian said coldly. "But…I still returned."

The Right Deputy of the Bureau of Military Affairs began to speak then stopped. His eyes were looking at the bloody man dragged behind Fan Xian. He looked at this tragic sight. The official who had climbed through fire and blood only slightly furrowed his brows.

Fan Xian lowered his head slightly and said, "I was attacked on the outskirts of Jingdou. I trust that you all know of this matter already."

The Right Deputy of the Bureau began to open his mouth and said, "It is truly shocking…"

Without waiting for him to finish speaking, Fan Xian said, "I don't care about who wanted to kill me. I just know…it was one of your people."

Your people.

This set the tone for the conversation.

The Right Deputy was greatly shocked. He furrowed his brows and refuted, "Myself and my colleagues all sympathize with your attack, however, the case is not yet clear. Please don't be overly…"

Fan Xian didn't pay attention to him. He only gently stroked the smooth horse whip and said from his horse with a lowered head, "Why bother explaining?"

"Do you recognize this person I'm dragging?" Fan Xian glanced at the bloody person behind him and smiled slightly. "Of course, you are sure to not recognize him. Even if he is certainly a close general to some major figure in the military, you still wouldn't recognize him."

"This person is the only survivor left from those who attacked me today." He sighed. "A very good soldier. What a pity."

Fan Xian turned his hand and flicked the whip. The point of the whip was very long. With a slap, it landed on the face of the bloody person in the snow behind him. However, the person had long been on his last breath and had no reaction at all.

Soldiers had their own sources while the people in the Bureau of Military Affairs had long learned from the Jingdou garrison that among the group that attacked Fan Xian this time, they had used the city-guarding crossbows. With this, it was impossible for the military to not be implicated.

The people of the Bureau were only thinking about how to face the rage of the Overwatch Council, Chen Pingping's retaliation, and the Emperor's anger. Their expressions only changed slightly in the face of Fan Xian's humiliating strike toward the military. Anger burned in their hearts, but they did not show it directly on their faces.

From the Bureau's main door, another person slowly walked out. He was not very large but appeared especially valiant, in particular, the reserved gaze in his eyes was very imposing. His expression was stern, and he wore a longbow on his back.

Looking at the purple clothing he wore, it was clear he was a major official.

Such an outfit. If it was not Yan Xiaoyi, the Governor of the North, who had returned to the capital to make his report? Who else could it be?

Fan Xian did not even glance at Yan Xiaoyi. He only turned his hand and the whip once again landed on the bloody man behind him, leaving another terrifying mark on the already wretchedly injured face.

Immediately after, the tip of the whip flew up and wrapped around the person. A knife light flashed, and the rope tied behind the horse's tail was broken.

The bloody man flew straight up. He flew over the heads of the soldiers below the steps and landed heavily on the snowy ground in front of the yamen of the Bureau of Military Affairs, sending up a flurry of snowflakes and bloody snow.

He happened to land right in front of Yan Xiaoyi.

Yan Xiaoyi lowered his head and glanced down. No one knew whether or not there was a glimmer of change in his eyes.

Fan Xian raised his right hand.

Mu Tie pulled out the knife at his side and walked over to the side of the wreck that was the last surviving carriage. Holding the hilt with both hands, he chopped down heavily.

The knife flashed and came down. The last remaining hold in the carriage could no longer stay together and half of the carriage collapsed with a crash.

Countless round objects rolled out from the carriage. They rolled past the splintered wooden boards and clean white snow, and stopped below the stone lions outside the Bureau. Their momentum was difficult to stop. They gradually piled higher and higher, covering half the height of one side of the stone lions that were next to the road.

They were human heads.

Countless human heads piled between the carriage and the stone lions.

They heads were potted with blood, had countless open or closed bloody covered eyes, and threads of flesh hanging from them. Just like this, they buried the mighty stone lions outside the Bureau doors to their chests.

"The 200 warriors who ambushed me are all here," Fan Xian said lightly. With a wave of his horse whip, he pointed at the Qing Kingdom's military elders on the steps. "Live people, I've given you. Dead people, I've also given you. I hope you will be able to give me something."

Then he said to the indifferent looking Yan Xiaoyi, "How is your son?"

Lastly, Fan Xian lowered his head. Facing the 200 heads around the stone lions, he tugged on his lip and mockingly said, "Great heads, ah…"

Yan Xiaoyi raised his head. A bright light suddenly appeared in his eyes.