Chapter 365

·

·

·

Protagonist:

Yan Qianqian

Yan Wang then instructed, "Wait here a moment, I'll be right back."

Qianqian nodded again to show she understood. Yan Wang hurried into the camp, going straight to Ai Jiao, who was eating, and said to him, "Tell Tang Qi that I'm going to Yu Zhou tonight, and I might not be coming back."

Hearing this, Ai Jiao curiously asked, "What are you going to Yu Zhou for? Is Qianqian here? Why not take me along!"

However, Yan Wang tossed back over his shoulder without looking back, "It's inconvenient. I'll be back tomorrow." Seeing this, Ai Jiao helplessly curled his lips and muttered, "Got it!"

Yan Wang didn't have time to say more to Ai Jiao; he hurriedly called over a soldier and instructed, "Quick, bring two horses over!"

Then he himself quickly walked toward the stable and led out his beloved horse Zhuoying. Once the horses were ready, Yan Wang, Qianqian, and A Ming mounted together, like an arrow leaving the bowstring, galloping toward Yu Zhou.

The gates of Yu Zhou were tightly closed, like an impregnable line of defense separating the outside world from the city within. A Ming stood before the gate, anxiously calling out to the guards, hoping they would open the gate.

However, the soldiers guarding the gate seemed not to have heard A Ming's calls, still holding their posts. Just as A Ming was feeling somewhat helpless, he suddenly noticed Yan Wang. Only to see Yan Wang dressed in military attire, standing not far away with a heroic bearing.

A Ming was delighted and hurried over to ask Yan Wang for help. Seeing this, Yan Wang without hesitation spurred his horse forward, arriving before the gate. His appearance drew the attention of the guarding soldiers; as soon as they saw Yan Wang, they immediately became tense and hurried down to open the gate.

Not long after, the gate slowly opened a gap, just enough for one person and one horse to pass through. Yan Wang without hesitation rode his horse through the gate, his figure appearing especially tall in the shadow of the gate.

The guards were filled with awe toward Yan Wang; they respectfully saluted Yan Wang and asked, "General, on this visit, is there anything our men can serve you with?"

Yan Wang reined in the reins, sitting steadily on the horseback, his voice deep and powerful: "No need, I have my own arrangements. You only need to continue guarding the gate well."

The soldiers responded and stood quietly to one side, waiting for Yan Wang and the others to enter the city. Only after the three had all entered the city did they slowly close the gate, restoring the gate to its tightly closed state.

Since riding horses was prohibited in the city, Yan Wang dismounted and led his horse forward slowly. A Ming and Qianqian followed closely behind him, heading together toward the nearest inn.

Just as they stepped through the inn's gate, the shopkeeper recognized Yan Wang at a glance. He came forward with a beaming face, enthusiastically shouting, "Yo, General Yan is here! Are you here for a meal, or to stay at the inn?"

As soon as Yan Wang spoke, he threw over a heavy money bag, only to hear a "clatter" as the silver inside collided with a crisp sound. He then said, "Open two upper rooms for us, and serve a table of good dishes."

Seeing this, the waiter's face immediately broke into smiles; he nimbly caught the money bag, then quickly walked to the stable beside them, skillfully leading the three horses, while muttering, "Alright, rest assured, these three horses will definitely be taken care of properly for you!"

Seeing this scene, the shopkeeper hurriedly instructed the other waiter standing to one side, "Go, get the keys to Room Three and Room Four of the Heavenly suite, and take these guests upstairs." The waiter responded and, in a short while, returned with the keys, leading Yan Wang and the three of them upstairs together.

Although the stairs were somewhat steep, the waiter's steps were exceptionally light, as if he knew every step here like the back of his hand. Soon, they arrived before the doors of Room Three and Room Four of the Heavenly suite.

The waiter inserted the key into the keyhole, turned it gently, only to hear a "click," and the door opened. He pushed open the door and made a "please" gesture, letting Yan Wang and the three enter.

The three entered the room and looked around; they saw that although the room was not large, it was spotlessly clean and tidy, without a speck of dust. Moreover, there was not the slightest unpleasant smell in the air; the tables and chairs were arranged neatly, and not a trace of dust could be seen on them.

Yan Wang and Qianqian exchanged a glance, both quite satisfied with the cleanliness of the room. A Ming, however, stood respectfully to one side, not daring to sit, fearing his actions might be improper in some way.

At this moment, the waiter smiled and said, "Honored guests, if you have any needs, just call this humble one; the food is being prepared, you rest first, this humble one will not disturb you."

Yan Wang nodded slightly to show he understood; seeing this, the waiter tactfully withdrew, closing the door behind him.

Seeing the waiter leave, Yan Wang then sat down reassured, and Qianqian quickly sat beside him. Seeing both of them seated, A Ming hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to stand to one side, not daring to be the slightest bit negligent.

Yan Wang's face was grim, his eyes cold; he stared fixedly at Qianqian and said sternly, "What exactly is going on? Explain clearly to me!"

Qianqian's heart tightened; she keenly sensed that Si Ge was in a bad mood now, apparently somewhat angry.

She hurriedly picked up the teapot on the table, first filled a cup for Yan Wang, then poured a cup for herself, and only then carefully opened her mouth: "Si Ge, don't be angry. Since you left home, quite a few things have indeed happened at home."

"As for the specific circumstances, you will naturally know when you return; I won't go into details here. You also know that Father has long intended to entrust the Yan Family Army to you to command, while the Dark Guard Camp is planned to be handed over to me. So, about a year ago, Father started having me handle various affairs of the Dark Guard Camp."

Qianqian paused slightly, then continued: "This Dark Guard Camp actually takes on some tasks privately. In Jingcheng there is a shop; anyone who wants to post a task only needs to write the task content and reward on a piece of paper, put it in an envelope, and deliver it to the shop."

"And that day, I received a message from the Dark Guards saying someone had posted a task, and the task content was actually to assassinate Prince Li! The Dark Guards asked me whether to take on this task, after all, the difficulty of this task is not ordinarily high."

"The people of the Dark Guard Camp hesitated over this task because they were not fully confident they could complete it. I glanced at the task details and couldn't help but be attracted by the generous reward—exactly fifty million taels of gold! That is a huge fortune!"

"However, I also learned how formidable Prince Li is. Not only is his martial arts superb, but he is also extremely vigilant; wanting to approach him and complete the task is by no means easy. Therefore, no matter who in the Dark Guard Camp is sent to carry out this task, I feel somewhat uneasy."

"But those fifty million taels of gold were simply too tempting. After several days of deep consideration, I kept wavering over whether to take on this task."

"Just when I was hesitating, the person who posted the task seemed to sense my misgivings, worried we would refuse, and actually raised the reward again, increasing it all at once to eighty million taels!"