Chapter 87 The Legend of the Feng Shui Master
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Chapter 87 The Legend of the Feng Shui Master
Just past noon, an invisible, chilling net seemed to hang over the capital.
With the collapse of the tofu shop on West Street, the simple map in Han Zheng's hand instantly transformed from "waste paper" into "heavenly scripture" in the eyes of the Black Armor Guards.
Each crooked red circle on it was no longer child's play, but a decree issued by the Regent's Palace—the Seven Killings Order.
"Quick! Next place!"
Han Zheng mounted his horse, wiped the blood from his face, and his eyes burned with excitement and fervor:
"East Street, Yong'an Pawnshop!"
...
[At 1:15 PM, East Street.]
As usual, the fat manager of Yong'an Pawnshop carried a ladder and climbed onto the roof.
He held a bronze mirror in his hand, seemingly idly adjusting the angle to reflect sunlight onto a distant restaurant.
This is a unique light signal used by Northern Rong spies; they are transmitting the latest changes in city defenses.
"Hmph, these stupid Black Armor Guards, they'd run their legs off down there and never would have guessed I was in the sky."
The fat shopkeeper looked at the patrol team rushing past below and a mocking sneer curled at the corner of his mouth.
However, the smile hadn't even faded yet.
"collapse--!"
A sharp, piercing sound, like the vibrating of a bowstring, suddenly pierced through the bustling street.
The fat shopkeeper felt a chill in his heart and instinctively wanted to turn around.
"puff!"
A long arrow, carrying the force of thunder, pierced his throat with perfect accuracy!
The immense impact propelled his body backward.
"Clatter".
The bronze mirror fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.
Immediately afterwards, the fat shopkeeper's enormous corpse rolled off the roof and crashed heavily into the middle of the street, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"The pawnshop owner is a spy! Search him!"
Han Zheng sheathed his longbow and coldly gave the order.
The black-armored guards burst through the door and, sure enough, found the secret letter that hadn't been destroyed yet and the wolf-head token unique to the Northern Rong in the hidden compartment behind the counter.
Cross out the second red circle on the map.
...
[At 3:45 PM, in the southern part of the city.]
Deep within a dead-end alley called "Yanliu Lane" lived a reclusive and charming widow.
It is said that this widow was cursed with bad luck, causing the deaths of three men. Her door was always kept tightly closed, and only occasionally at night would a man climb over the wall to enter. The neighbors all thought she was having an affair, and no one dared to interfere.
"Clang!"
The fragile wooden door was kicked open by a large foot wearing an iron boot.
Inside the house, on the kang (a heated brick bed).
The blankets were still bulging, as if someone was taking a nap.
Still sleeping?
The deputy commander sneered and stepped forward to yank off the cotton quilt that reeked of perfume.
There were no erotic scenes.
Inside the bed, four shirtless, burly men sat cross-legged, each holding a whetstone and a curved knife, intently maintaining their weapons.
Because it happened so suddenly, they were still wiping their knives when their expressions changed from astonishment to terror in an instant.
It's like trying to have a team-building activity in bed, only to be caught by soldiers on the bed.
"Is this what you call your affair?"
The deputy commander looked at the weapons scattered on the bed, and with a swift movement, brought his sword down:
"Take them all! Kill any who resist!"
After a series of screams, the South City stronghold was destroyed.
Cross out the third red circle on the map.
...
[At Shenshi (3-5 PM), at the Taoist temple in the northern city.]
The alchemy furnace was overturned; what it contained was not elixir, but gunpowder.
The fake Taoist priests wailed under the iron hooves of the Black Armor Guards.
The fourth red circle, cross it out.
...
The people of the capital were dazzled all afternoon.
Those neighbors, shopkeepers, and even Taoist priests who usually seemed honest and unassuming were dragged out of the gutter by the Black Armor Guards one by one.
The evidence is conclusive and undeniable.
The spy network that was originally so well hidden that it gave Pei Yunjing a splitting headache was stripped naked and had no secrets left in front of this map with a "God's perspective"!
At dusk.
Han Zheng stood in the setting sun, looking at the map in his hand that was stained with blood and covered with "X" marks, his hands trembling slightly.
That's incredibly accurate.
Of the seven strongholds, all but the last one were successfully visited!
"Commander..."
The adjutant beside him swallowed hard, his voice filled with awe:
"Just who is this 'reclusive master' that the princess invited?"
"The princess said that the master was missing an ear, covered in wounds, and dressed in rags..."
The adjutant imagined a peerless swordsman, a reclusive figure in the city, weathered by life's hardships, disabled yet possessing extraordinary skills, his eyes filled with admiration:
"This is a true master! A hidden expert in plain sight! He can actually see through the spies' hiding place at a glance by observing the feng shui and negative energy!"
Han Zheng nodded in deep agreement, his face solemn:
"To be able to persuade someone like that, Her Highness the Princess... is truly unfathomable."
"We all used to think the Princess was just lucky, but now it seems... she's hiding her true abilities! From now on, when you see the Princess, be respectful! She's our Black Armor Guard's benefactor!"
"Yes!" the soldiers responded in unison, developing an almost blind worship for the "One-Eared Hero" (actually an old yellow dog who wanted to eat meat buns) and the "Divine Calculator" Queen whom they had never met.
If they knew that this so-called master was squatting in a dilapidated temple, flaunting meat buns, and fighting with his underlings over the last bone...
These tough guys' values are probably about to collapse.
"There's only one left."
Han Zheng put away the map and turned his gaze to a secluded corner of the northern city—
There was a last red circle there, marked with: "[The pancake vendor's chimney is poisonous]".
"Brothers! Let's press on! Take down this last stronghold and then go back to report to the Prince and Princess for our victory!"
"kill!"
The black torrent surged once more, rushing towards the final land of sin.