#730 - Fire breaks out
“Gentlemen, I don't have much time, so let's skip the formalities.”
Still the same room, the congealed blood a dark red, the firelight illuminating Wei Changtian's expressionless face.
He glanced at the three people opposite him and said calmly:
“Half a month ago, Jing Guoqing sent me a secret letter, telling me not to interfere in the Xin Feng war, or he would ensure that my Great Shu perished within a year.”
“As for how I replied to him, I believe the three of you know.”
“Since that's the case, I don't understand what you're here for this time?”
“What? Could it be that Jing Guoqing and Lü Hongji have changed their minds?”
“Hehe, probably not.”
“...”
Jing Guoqing, the Emperor of Great Qian.
Lü Hongji, the Emperor of Great Hui.
Wei Changtian deliberately asked the question, bringing up the last time the two men threatened him, causing the three people opposite him to feel greatly embarrassed.
“This, Young Master Wei...”
Bending over, they glanced at each other secretly. After a long while, a tall, thin envoy finally replied with a forced laugh:
“We are here this time on the orders of the Kings of Qian and Hui to negotiate peace with you, Young Master.”
“Negotiate peace?”
Wei Changtian sneered: “Didn't they want my Great Shu to perish? What is there to negotiate?”
“Uh, Young Master Wei, the Kings of Qian and Hui were deceived by treacherous villains last time.”
The tall, thin envoy said with a smile: “Now the two Emperors have awakened and realized their mistakes. If you, Young Master, can put aside past grievances, then the three countries of Great Qian, Great Hui, and Great Shu will surely be able to turn hostility into friendship.”
“Oh, so they were deceived by treacherous villains.”
Wei Changtian smiled: “Gentlemen, I wonder who this treacherous villain is?”
“This person...”
The tall, thin envoy paused slightly, a hint of imperceptible sinister expression on his face.
Clearly, this question was a matter of secrecy, and he shouldn't answer it.
However, if he wanted to live, he had to answer.
He even had to answer faster than his two colleagues!
With this thought in mind, the tall, thin envoy paused for less than a breath before immediately preparing to speak.
However, just before that name could be uttered, two voices, one on the left and one on the right, spoke up first.
“Reporting to the Young Master! This person is the Great Jue Prince, Yan Huaiqing!”
“Young Master! The treacherous villain is Yan Huaiqing!”
“...”
The two voices echoed in the room almost simultaneously.
The tall, thin envoy stared blankly at the two people beside him, never expecting such a result.
From his feigned hesitation to his preparation to speak, the interval was less than a breath!
But it was this one breath that allowed these two to seize the opportunity!
“Wei, Young Master Wei, it is indeed Yan Huaiqing!”
He hurriedly shouted, wanting to quickly make up for the mistake of that one breath.
However, Wei Changtian shook his head and coldly said something that made his hair stand on end.
“Gentleman, you are a little late.”
The next second, a head flew high into the air amidst a pillar of blood, the blood staining the corners of the other two men's clothes, making the cloud patterns embroidered on them a glaring crimson.
Filled with both fear and relief, the two men didn't say a word, trembling as they lowered their heads even further.
Wei Changtian, who had killed one person in an instant, didn't even look at them, but simply lowered his eyes and continued in a tone that was both smiling and not:
“Gentlemen, peace talks are no longer possible.”
“In that case, you are all my enemies.”
“However, I have always acted with integrity, so I will let one of you return to deliver a message to Jing Guoqing and Lü Hongji.”
“As for who it will be...”
“That will depend on who can answer my next question first.”
“...”
Like the final round of a crucial interview in his previous life, the moment they heard Wei Changtian's words, the remaining two men both raised their heads sharply, involuntarily holding their breath.
The corpse at their feet, their loyalty and righteousness as subjects—all of these were no longer important.
They simply stared intently at Wei Changtian until they heard the latter ask faintly:
“There should be someone by my side who is colluding with you, right?”
“Who is this person?”
“Speak.”
“...”
Qing Province, Shouyang Mountain.
“Bang! Bang bang bang!”
“Ah! You, you...”
“Run! Yuan'er! Run!”
“Mother! Mother!!!”
“Ah! I'll fight you!!!”
“Hehe, the treacherous villain holds the court in his palm, Great Ning is doomed...”
“Puchi!”
“Pu pu pu!”
“...”
The flashing of blades and swords, the murderous aura soaring to the sky.
The blazing torches illuminated the interior and exterior of the Liu residence, the intense sounds of fighting and shouting echoing through the night, gradually subsiding after an incense stick's worth of time.
Although the Liu family was a martial arts family, there were only seventy or eighty cultivators in the clan, and the highest realm was only the fifth rank.
With such strength, how could they be a match for the five hundred Suspended Mirror Division constables? Therefore, they quickly became corpses scattered throughout the mansion.
Including the family servants and maids, a total of one hundred and ninety-eight people, not one escaped.
“Young Master Chu, there are no survivors left in the Liu residence.”
Still under that big tree, still the black-clothed constable who had previously found the Scarlet Firmament Sword.
The latter cupped his hands and lowered his head, standing before Chu Xianping, and asked in a deep voice:
“Do you want to go in and take a look?”
“Yes, take a look.”
Nodding expressionlessly, Chu Xianping quickly stepped into the Liu family's mansion gate and saw the tragic scene inside.
Nearly two hundred corpses had now been dragged to the open space in the front yard, and fresh blood was still flowing from the wounds to the ground.
Some of these corpses looked horrific, while others looked quite “complete.”
The former were mostly men, presumably having resisted desperately before their deaths.
The latter were mostly women and children who were powerless.
The night was cold and desolate, the ink-black sky like a bottomless abyss. Only a round white moon cast its silver glow, making the bloodless skin of these corpses appear pale.
Looking at this scene, Chu Xianping's expression didn't change in the slightest.
Instead, the black-clothed constable beside him, after hesitating several times, suddenly gritted his teeth and tentatively asked:
“Young Master Chu, previously Young Master Wei only said to get the sword and that killing was unnecessary unless absolutely necessary.”
“Today, the head of the Liu family was unwilling to hand over the sword, so killing him alone would suffice.”
“Forgive my ignorance, but I don't know why you had to slaughter the entire Liu family?”
“...”
Under the moonlight, the black-clothed constable stared intently at Chu Xianping, his voice very clear.
Clearly, although he had obeyed the order to slaughter the Liu family, he didn't quite understand Chu Xianping's decision, and was even a little dissatisfied.
Chu Xianping, however, had no intention of explaining at all, and simply glanced coldly at the man.
“The first rule of serving in the Suspended Mirror Division is to only do, not ask.”
“What, have you forgotten that?”
“...”
“I, I wouldn't dare!”
With a “plop,” he knelt on one knee, the look of doubt in the black-clothed constable's eyes instantly disappearing, his tone extremely panicked.
It wasn't because of Chu Xianping's words that he reacted this way.
It was because he had seen Chu Xianping's eyes.
Those eyes that made people feel like they were falling into an ice cave.
“Young, Young Master, please calm down, I know my mistake, I know my mistake...”
Thinking of Chu Xianping's identity, the black-clothed constable didn't dare ask anything else now, and just kept begging for mercy.
Chu Xianping glanced at him again, then waved his hand expressionlessly.
“Let's go.”
“Yes, yes!”
The black-clothed constable got up as if he had been granted amnesty and quickly shot an arrow representing “retreat” into the air.
“Swoosh!”
“Snap!!!”
The fire burst, and a golden orchid bloomed in the night sky.
Seeing the signal fire, the members of the Suspended Mirror Division turned into hundreds of black shadows and climbed over the courtyard walls.
At this time, Chu Xianping had also walked to the main gate of the Liu residence.
Stepping over the threshold, he suddenly stopped, reached out, and said:
“Torch.”
“Ah? Yes, yes!”
The black-clothed constable beside him was stunned when he heard this, and quickly handed a torch to Chu Xianping.
The latter took the torch, didn't even turn his head, and threw it behind him.
“Whoosh!”
The night wind howled, stirring the densely packed tiger-dragon uniforms outside the courtyard gate, also concealing Chu Xianping's indifferent eyes.
“The Liu family was robbed by mountain bandits, the family members all died, and the mansion was also destroyed by a fire.”
“Tell the state yamen tomorrow that this case will be handled by the Suspended Mirror Division, and they don't need to interfere.”
“Do you all understand?”
“...”
“We understand!”
The neat response sounded a little later, also completely “concluding” the matter tonight.
Looking at the people in front of him, Chu Xianping didn't say much, just shook his sleeves, and then walked towards a mountain path not far away.
His steps were neither fast nor slow, his sleeves fluttering in the wind.
And behind him, the raging fire also surged with the wind, instantly engulfing everything in the courtyard.
