Chapter 37

The sliding door was pushed open, a maiden dressed in orange-yellow robes, a moon-white half-sleeved long skirt trailing the ground walked in gracefully, on her shoulder she wore a filigreed gold armor that seemed like an ornament, her long hair was fastened with a jade hairpin, her hands, with slender fingers, were crossed in front of her, she first bowed slightly toward Wei Zhuang, then looked at Zhou Shuo sitting opposite Wei Zhuang.

「Nongyu maiden, we meet again. 」 Zhou Shuo raised his wine jar toward the entering Nongyu and gave a slight lift; he and Nongyu had met before, the last time Nongyu went to the Bai residence to steal the insect mother, he had been following her all along, and he had still been vexed by his weak strength at the time, well, later he also helped Yan Lingji escape from the Bai residence.

「Master Zhou, may I ask what business you have with me? 」 Nongyu looked somewhat puzzled at the Zi Nu beside her.

「Well! Your father works under my command; he entrusted me to look after you. Purple Orchid Pavilion is a place of danger, so this time I want you to come with me—you and your mother must both leave Han and go to Daliang. 」 Zhou Shuo, seeing Nongyu's confusion, hurried to explain.

「My father…」 Nongyu's expression stalled; although she had been sent away by her mother as soon as she was born, in the recent case of Left Marshal Liu Yi's murder she had already come to know who her biological parents were, but he wasn't already dead!

「Your father isn't dead; you have to thank Elder Brother Wei Zhuang and Miss Zi Nu for that. 」 Zhou Shuo looked at Nongyu's puzzled expression, pointed at Wei Zhuang and Zi Nu, and continued: "Initially Li Kai was implicated in the Hundred Yue Vortex; the Han king named him and ordered Han Fei to kill him, but Han Fei asked Zi Nu and Wei Zhuang to act, using the scheme of substituting a peach for a plum to rescue Li Kai."

「Because at that time your father intended to hide his name and asked us not to tell you or your mother…」 Zi Nu nodded in agreement with Zhou Shuo's words and explained: "Although Li Kai had been rescued, he had fallen into a life-and-death vortex, so he ordered Liushā and others to conceal his life or death from Nongyu and her mother Lady Hu, causing both Nongyu and Lady Hu to believe he was dead."

「So that's how it is; Nongyu thanks Elder Sister Zi Nu and Lord Wei Zhuang for their kindness, Master Zhou, Nongyu also thanks your good intentions, but Nongyu cannot go with you…」 Nongyu's eyes flickered slightly; she first thanked Zi Nu and Wei Zhuang, then was about to politely refuse Zhou Shuo, but before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted.

「We are not here to consult your opinion; from the day you joined Liushā, your fate no longer belongs to yourself—this is a transaction, and you are a chip. 」 Wei Zhuang set down the bronze cup at his lips, his gaze cold and fixed on the bare-handed qin maiden, seemingly harshly revealing a fact.

「Nongyu, you must understand our meaning. 」 Zi Nu looked at the cold Wei Zhuang, explained in a gentle tone, then fixed her gaze on Zhou Shuo, her tone turning severe.

「On the contrary, it's you—when are you going to fulfill your promise! 」

「Just wait for my good news. 」 Zhou Shuo looked at Wei Zhuang, who seemed cold but actually hid his emotions, and couldn't help raising his eyebrows; sometimes he felt that Wei Zhuang's practice of the horizontal sword was a mistake.

The Guigu school splits into the two paths of vertical-horizontal alliance and horizontal-vertical alliance: the vertical-horizontal allies join the weak to defeat the strong, while the horizontal-vertical allies use their individual strength to attack the many weak. Wei Zhuang practices the horizontal sword technique, yet he has devoted himself to the weakest state of Han, needing vertical-horizontal tactics to survive; his senior brother Gai Nie practices the vertical sword technique, yet he resides in the powerful Qin state, employing horizontal-vertical tactics to display his talent.

Not mentioning his feelings toward Wei Zhuang and the sword art he studied, Zhou Shuo left Purple Orchid Pavilion, first returned to his own residence; his next goal was to kill the Han great general Ji Wuye, in exchange for Nongyu's liberation from Liushā.

Ji Wuye's power in Han was overwhelming; he was acclaimed as Han's strongest general in nearly a century, commanding countless Han troops. To move against him, to go straight and duel him, would certainly be impossible, because the situation absolutely could not allow a duel environment; besides that, only assassination remained.

When the moon stood high in the sky, in Xinzheng City, aside from the original palace, another splendid high-rise had been erected; this splendid high-rise was ornately decorated outside, its interior blazing with lights, and countless patrolling soldiers guarded it, making it extremely stern. This tower was named the Sparrow Pavilion, built by General Ji Wuye, used to gather Han's beauties and display his authority.

Zhou Shuo sent his spirit soaring into the air, looking down from above at the dougong flying eaves, the Sparrow Pavilion with pearls falling to its top; this place had a hint of the meaning of the Copper Sparrow Terrace, only it was a pity that General Ji lacked Cao Cao's heroic bearing—Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shao, built the Copper Sparrow Terrace in Ye City, gathered literati to express their sentiments, forged the Jian'an spirit; whereas the Sparrow Pavilion that Ji Wuye built was merely to indulge his private desires and display his might, and the problem is that this might was built while his Night Curtain suffered heavy losses, inevitably giving it a semblance of fierce exterior but weak interior.

During those days of his departure, Zhou Shuo did not know what had happened, but he had the disciples of the Hall of Life do a little investigation; Bai Yifei's mansion had already been emptied, that person who was a Han noble, one of the Four Ferocious Generals of the Night Curtain, the Blood-Cloth Marquis, had completely become a thing of the past; even so, losing him, Ji Wuye's Night Curtain suffered heavy blows, yet its outward power was hardly affected, still gripping Han's power, making it the most troublesome opponent for Liushā.

Gulgul, gulgul, the liquor slid down his throat; Ji Wuye set down the bronze goblet, then let out a long breath; the beauty beside him naturally understood, saying with her mouth, 'General, what a capacity for drink!' while she poured the liquor from the bronze pot into the goblet, her soft, coquettish words accompanying the string-and-bamboo banquet music as she urged him to drink.

「I won't drink. 」 Ji Wuye flung the wine cup aside, full of vexation, and even looking at the beauty displeased him, he shoved her away in one motion.

「General, what's wrong with you? 」 the beauty, who usually doted on Ji Wuye despite his roughness, was suddenly shoved to the ground, feeling somewhat indignant; 'I've served you wholeheartedly, and you treat me like this!' she began, but before she could finish, a sense of stagnation enveloped her, and in an instant the string-and-bamboo music and dance in the room halted.

「You say, who am I, the General? 」 Ji Wuye seized the beauty's swan-like neck, blood threads slowly creeping up the whites of her eyes.

「General, I was wrong, General…」 the lovely lady gazed at Ji Wuye's flashing ferocious light, a feeling of stagnation instantly enveloping her heart; this man usually doted on her, no doubt, but in his eyes her life was worth no more than a grub.

「Hmph! 」 Ji Wuye looked at the beauty's pleading gaze, swung his right arm, and tossed the fifty-kilogram woman away like a sheet of paper, she crashed against the pillar and coughed.

「Get lost, all of you. 」 Ji Wuye's chest full of vexation unable to be vented, he waved his large hand; the musicians, dance maids, and many servants hurriedly retreated, leaving only Ji Wuye alone.

「Damn Bai Yifei, damn Han Fei, damn Zhang Kaidi. 」 Ji Wuye looked at the scattering servants retreating, and couldn't help shouting in fury; the Night Curtain had suffered major losses, although he maintained his great power in Han, yet a greater sense of crisis was closing in on him.

「General. 」 A wisp of wind seemed to drift by, and a black-clad and a white-clad man stood in the hall, kneeling on one knee—the Night Curtain's assassins Mo Ya and Bai Feng.

「How did the tasks you were assigned turn out? 」 Ji Wuye slightly turned his body, looking at the two youths kneeling on one knee; his Night Curtain had suffered heavy losses, and now the only usable forces under him were the Hundred Birds, yet they were all useless things, and moreover their thoughts were complex, harboring some divided loyalties toward him.

「News has come from that side; please remain calm and do not agitate. 」 The black-clad Mo Ya, whose eye corners bore a stained hue and who was somewhat older, bowed slightly.

「Is that all? 」 Ji Wuye gritted his teeth slightly; he had nearly ruined his own Night Curtain, yet they still told him to stay calm and not agitate.

「They and you, General, are not in a subordinate relation but only in cooperation; they have no obligation to compensate your losses, yet they wish to continue cooperating. 」 Mo Ya glanced at the silent Bai Feng beside him, then lowered his head as much as he could.

「Hmph, no obligation—if it weren't for their net, how could I possibly keep cooperating? Detestable…」 Ji Wuye felt like lashing out, but could only barely suppress his fury, managing only to utter a couple of sentences to vent.

「Mo Ya, do you think I should still cooperate with those fellows? 」 Ji Wuye suppressed his fury and asked the black-clad man kneeling on the ground.

「I think you have no chance left. 」 A gloomy cold wind swept into the hall, setting the shadows beneath the hall lights swaying; Zhou Shuo's spirit coalesced into form, gazing at the red-cloaked black-armored, ugly-faced black-bearded great general Ji Wuye, as well as the black-and-white assassins; tonight he happened to hear a very unexpected piece of news: the Net.

「Come, give me people. 」 Ji Wuye saw the human-shaped figure approaching on the wind, his eyebrows shot up, and he let out a great shout; the Mo Ya and Bai Feng on the ground likewise leapt up in an instant, blocking him in front.

「You two, get lost! 」 Zhou Shuo looked at the black-and-white assassins, his expression extremely cold.

「Old man, I don't care who you are, but since you've come to the Sparrow Pavilion today, you might as well not leave—come forth. 」 Ji Wuye glared tigerishly at Zhou Shuo, first uttering two cold sentences, yet realizing his subordinates had not yet arrived, he let out a great shout.

「Don't bother, General Ji; you think I came to kill you and wouldn't find a way to deal with your troops? Now everyone inside and outside the Sparrow Pavilion is already… dead. 」 Zhou Shuo looked at the fierce-exterior-but-weak-interior Ji Wuye, his tone pausing slightly as he made a joke, the corner of his mouth hooking into a cold smile.

「You are a member of the Net. 」 Ji Wuye looked at the man with the cold smile at the corner of his mouth, automatically filling in the blanks; he had silently wiped out the living witnesses in his own general's manor, and in Han and these seven states, few could accomplish that—only the Net, those hidden in endless darkness, those who had made him stay calm and not agitate, but who had now turned against him.

「Protect the general. 」 Mo Ya looked at Zhou Shuo, whose palm was raising crystalline arcs of electricity, and gave his companion a glance; the youth Bai Feng, seeing his gaze shift to the right, suddenly understood.

「Since you're so loyal, let's go to hell together! 」 Zhou Shuo looked at the exchanging glances of the black-and-white assassins, coldly laughing as he hurled the silver-arc crystal ball in his hand toward Ji Wuye; but at the very moment the crystal ball left his hand, the black-and-white assassins instantly stepped aside.

「Mo Ya, Bai Feng, you betrayed me…」 Ji Wuye watched the figures instantly dodging the electric-arc crystal light, and couldn't help but widen his eyes.

Boom—, in the night, thunderous explosions burst from the lofty, majestic Sparrow Pavilion above.

Boom, in the dark night, the thunderous roar exploded from the lofty, magnificent Bird Pavilion.