Chapter 338: Dugu Zhao's Reward

The night was as deep as ink that could not be dissolved.

The flying eaves of the Wei State Duke's mansion outlined a vigorous silhouette under the cold moon's clear radiance, and the iron horse hanging from the eaves was brushed by the cold wind.

Occasionally emitting one or two fragmented jingles, they were quickly rolled away by the tighter wind, falling into the deep silence.

The old pine in the courtyard was covered with thin snow, the branches pressed slightly low, and the pitch-black shadows cast on the brick floor were like a crumpled ink painting.

The study was burning with silver silk charcoal, warm and cozy, but it could not dispel the gloom between Dugu Zhao's brows.

He held a black piece, his fingertips suspended above the chessboard, long failing to fall.

The candlelight reflected the frost-white at his temples. This old Pillar of State, nearly fifty years old, now only stared at the entangled black and white pieces on the chessboard, as if looking through the chess game toward the deep night outside.

Opposite him, Xi Poluo twisted a white piece. Seeing that he hadn't fallen a piece for a long time, he knew that his mind was no longer on the game, and said softly: "You have occupied all the opportunities in this game. If you fall a piece here again, this subordinate will have no way to turn the tide."

Dugu Zhao gave a "Hmm," but the black piece at his fingertips still did not fall.

He suddenly raised his eyes, looking at the bamboo shadows moved by the wind outside the window, his voice carrying a trace of imperceptible trance: "I don't know if they succeeded?"

"Always have a feeling of restlessness..."

Xi Poluo's heart moved, knowing that the master was talking about the secret operation tonight.

He put down the white piece and restrained his expression: "Master, please set your heart at ease!"

"This assassination targeting Chen Yan invited three of the Top Ten Masters of the Jianghu..."

"Plus the four masters recruited and cultivated by our Wei State Duke's mansion and the Chu State Duke's mansion!"

"It must be foolproof!"

It wasn't that Xi Poluo was blindly arrogant.

But these people who assassinated Chen Yan tonight could be called an all-star lineup...

Besides the four masters cultivated in the two Pillar of State mansions, there were Iron Palm Flying Dragon, Jade-Faced Asura, and Night Wandering God!

What did Chen Yan have to live with?

"Although that is the case, Chen Yan is, after all, not a person of empty reputation..."

Dugu Zhao exhaled a turbid breath, and the black piece at his fingertips finally fell on the chessboard, but it fell a bit off, and was surrounded by Xi Poluo's white pieces.

He seemed not to care at all, just tapped the edge of the chessboard lightly, "His heart has more eyes than anyone else!"

The reason is that reason, just afraid that which link went wrong.

Or Chen Yan sensed something in advance...

After all, the name of the Young Soldier Immortal did not come for nothing!

This kid's attainments in military affairs are no less than his grandfather Chen Hu.

If it doesn't work, there will be no chance in the future...

"Master, don't worry!"

Xi Poluo picked up a white piece, turned it between his fingers, his tone carrying full certainty, "Just talking about the route Chen Yan takes to go to the office and return to the mansion every day, our people have been guarding for more than a month, when to pass the alley, when to turn..."

"He will definitely walk that narrow alley tonight, without any deviation."

"The ambush location was also carefully selected!" Xi Poluo put down the white piece, his voice pressed lower, "We also laid out two kinds of means, bright and dark..."

As he spoke, a trace of shrewdness flashed in his eyes.

Why prepare for so long?

It was to finalize every link!

The last blow was fatal, achieving success in one battle!

The wind outside the window was tighter, rolling up residual leaves and hitting the window lattice, making a fragmented sound.

Dugu Zhao frowned and tightened the fox fur draped over his shoulders: "What the old man is most worried about is the two guards who are always guarding Chen Yan's side, whose depth is unknown..."

As he spoke, the black piece at his fingertips finally fell steadily on the chessboard, locking the piece of white chess that was surrounded completely.

It was just that the gloom between his brows did not completely dissipate.

Having dealt with each other for so long, and having fought so many times openly and secretly, Dugu Zhao still knew Chen Yan relatively well...

The guards who could be carried by his side and trusted by him must not be simple!

It was the unspeakable variable hidden in this sure-fire game...

"Clang, clang, clang—"

Just then, a light knocking sound suddenly sounded outside the study, breaking the silence in the room.

"Enter!" Dugu Zhao put down the chess piece, his voice could not hear any emotion, but his gaze could not help but cast toward the door.

The door was pushed open gently, and the cold wind wrapped in snow particles poured in, blowing the candlelight to sway a few times fiercely.

The butler stood at the door with a hunched body, his cotton robe stained with a thin layer of snow, clearly running all the way from outside, his face flushed with an unusual red in the candlelight, and his speech was panting: "Master!"

Dugu Zhao played with the black piece, the candlelight reflecting a sharp light in his eyes, exchanged a look with Xi Poluo, and asked: "Is it Chu Chaosheng and the others who have returned?"

"Exactly." The butler nodded in response.

"Quickly invite!"

Dugu Zhao stood up, his gaze stern, and ordered.

The butler responded and went away. Not long after, he led Iron Palm Flying Dragon, Jade-Faced Asura, Night Wandering God, and Chu Chaosheng through the corridor.

Entering the study, the four bowed in unison: "Seen the Master (Old Pillar of State Dugu)!"

"No need for courtesy!"

Dugu Zhao waved his hand, his tone carrying undisguised urgency: "How did the matter go?"

Chu Chaosheng moved half a step forward, clasped his hands, his voice trembling with excitement: "Congratulations, Master! Congratulations, Master!"

Dugu Zhao looked at Chu Chaosheng's certain expression, and glanced at the default attitude of the three, Iron Palm Flying Dragon and others, his brow lifted slightly, his tone carrying a bit of surprise: "This is done?!"

His fingertips paused on the desk, the previous gloom dissipated a lot, replaced by an uncontrollable urgency.

Without waiting for everyone to reply, he raised his voice fiercely, his gaze like a torch sweeping over the four people present: "Where is Chen Yan's corpse!"

"The old man wants to verify his identity!"

As he spoke, he stretched out and spread his hands straight.

"This..."

Chu Chaosheng heard this, but a trace of hesitation appeared on his face, murmuring and not knowing how to reply.

"Chaosheng, could it be that some loophole appeared?" This subtle action did not escape Xi Poluo's eyes. Seeing this, his brow immediately furrowed, and he stepped forward and asked in a deep voice.

After saying that, he looked at the four people from left to right, as if thinking of something again, and opened his mouth again: "Why are only the four of you back?"

"Mr. Yan's hidden weapon hit Chen Yan while he was unprepared!"

Chu Chaosheng chose his words and replied quickly.

After a pause, he continued: "However, he was taken away by those two guards..."

"The other three died at the hands of that woman!"

Dugu Zhao stared dead at Chu Chaosheng, his brow twisted into a deep ravine, the white hair at his temples trembling in the candlelight, his voice carrying uncontrollable gravity: "Just hit and didn't die on the spot?"

"Then doesn't Chen Yan still have a possibility of surviving?"

That is to say, the secret operation tonight can only be considered half-successful...

If Chen Yan lives, the ambush tonight will become a sharp blade stabbing at himself, and all arrangements will be exposed.

After his injury heals, he will definitely face a surging revenge!

"Old Pillar of State, don't worry, the hidden weapon was quenched with poison!"

Yan Zixian heard this, stepped forward, clasped his fists and said: "After breaking the body and touching blood, he will die suddenly in less than a quarter of an hour!"

Just then, the butler's hurried footsteps sounded outside the door again. This time he didn't even care about knocking, and pushed the door directly: "Master, the spy monitoring the Chief's mansion just sent back news..."

Dugu Zhao turned his head fiercely: "Speak!"

"The Chief's mansion is sending people to the palace to invite the imperial physician!" The butler swallowed his saliva and read the words on the note quickly, "Right now, they are running all over Chang'an City, knocking on the doors of medical clinics one by one, galloping to find the best doctors, looking like... looking like the situation is critical to the extreme!"

As soon as the butler's words fell, the gravity on Dugu Zhao's face suddenly dissipated, replaced by uncontrollable joy.

He slapped his thigh fiercely, and the white hair at his temples seemed to tremble because of this sudden pleasure: "Good, very good!"

These two "goods" were resounding, shaking the candlelight in the study.

Dugu Zhao looked at Yan Zixian, the previous worry had long since disappeared, and the sharpness in his eyes turned into approval: "As expected of the Night Wandering God, truly powerful!"

The only situation that can make the Chief's mansion lose its square and lose its six gods...

Must be that Chen Yan's condition is extremely poor and he is unable to make decisions.

Otherwise, the first thing to do should be to seal the news!

"Old Pillar of State praises!"

Yan Zixian smiled, raised his hand to point to Jade-Faced Asura and Iron Palm Flying Dragon, and said loudly: "Gao brother, Zheng brother are both great contributors. If it weren't for the two of them dragging Chen Yan's guards, this humble one wouldn't have succeeded so easily!"

"Hahahaha!"

Dugu Zhao became more and more happy as he thought about it, and simply laughed out loud. The laughter was loud, shaking the accumulated dust on the study beams, and all the previous anxiety and doubts vanished in this laughter: "All are first-class merits!"

"Come here!"

"Go and lift the prepared rewards!"

The butler responded and went away. Not long after, six strong servants were seen carrying three heavy wooden boxes into the study, the bottom of the boxes dragging a muffled sound on the blue brick floor.

There were two other servants holding rolls of yellowed paper books, following carefully behind.

The servants lifted the lids of the wooden boxes one by one. In an instant, the candlelight in the room seemed to be compared by the golden light in the boxes.

In the three boxes, they were actually full of gold ingots arranged neatly.

Heavy, shining with warm and dazzling luster.

And those paper books were spread out one by one on the desk by the servants.

They were actually land deeds for several mansions in Chang'an City and good fields in the suburbs, and the seals of the Wei State Duke's mansion had already been stamped on the signature places.

Dugu Zhao pointed to these properties, the smile on his face undiminished: "Three, count them, is there any shortage of this gold and land deeds?"

"Old Pillar of State Dugu is truly a person who keeps his word!"

"This humble one admires!"

Zheng Yi looked at the box of gold, his breathing became heavy.

Gao Guiyan and Yan Zixian picked up the land deeds, their fingertips sliding over the handwriting, and they couldn't hide their excitement in their eyes.

"The old man has a request..." Dugu Zhao's gaze sharpened, and he opened his mouth.

"Old Pillar of State, please speak directly!"

"The old man wants to invite the three of you to stay!" Dugu Zhao looked at the three of them, meaningfully, "To conspire for a great cause, to participate in a grand event!"

"How?"

Zheng Yi just closed the lid of the gold ingot box. Hearing this, his movements paused fiercely, and the joy on his face faded by more than half.

He exchanged a look with Gao Guiyan and Yan Zixian. A trace of vigilance flashed in both of their eyes at the same time, and their tone carried a bit of probing: "Is Old Pillar of State Dugu changing his mind, reluctant to give these rewards?"

"Planning to eat black and eat black against us?" ===== CHAPTER 339 =====