Chapter 409: Epilogue (II)

At a distance of one zhang, using a crossbow to kill a dying old man should have been a fairly simple matter for Liu Jin, even if he wasn't using his own body right now.

But at the moment before pulling the trigger, Liu Jin's left face suddenly twisted; with the center of his face as the boundary, the right half remained calm, but the left half suddenly revealed terror and struggle.

This was Liu Jin's last clone, and also the last bit of residual 'nature,' which was already difficult to fully control this body.

"Ugh!"

This change made his hand shake.

*Twang!

The crossbow bolt missed the heart and nailed into Tang Lanzhou's waist and abdomen.

Blood splattered out.

Tang Lanzhou had no reaction at all; he pressed the hilt of his blade against his own waist and, like a dying thin tiger, lunged at Liu Jin.

*Puff.

The blade pierced into Liu Jin's side ribs.

Liu Jin's eyes regained clarity; he dropped the crossbow, pulled a short blade from his waist, grabbed Tang Lanzhou's collar with his left hand, and stabbed toward his waist with the short blade in his right hand.

*Puff, puff, puff.

A series of viscous sounds.

Tang Lanzhou's waist and abdomen became a bloody mess.

He did not struggle; instead, he desperately dug into Liu Jin's ribs, frantically stirring the long blade inserted into his side ribs, digging out the flesh inside.

This was a meaningless struggle, a wretched slaughter between two people who were bound to die.

Silent and ferocious.

Wretched and bloody.

Finally, pink blood foam surged from Liu Jin's mouth, and after the short blade was inserted into Tang Lanzhou's abdomen, he gave it a desperate slash.

*Crash—*

Tang Lanzhou's waist and abdomen suffered a blood collapse, his internal organs fell to the ground with a clatter, and his last bit of strength escaped his body along with them. The long blade slipped from his hand and fell to the ground with a clatter; Tang Lanzhou's hands and feet hung limply, and his vision sank into darkness bit by bit.

This wretched struggle came to an end.

"Lord Tang, have you vented enough?"

Liu Jin, relying on this sturdy officer's body, could still barely speak.

"Pity..."

Tang Lanzhou was too weak to finish his words.

But fortunately, Liu Jin knew what he was regretting.

Pity that he couldn't take the life of the mastermind, him, as a gift for meeting his old wife in the underworld.

"I don't understand the feelings between husband and wife, Lord Tang."

Liu Jin said calmly, lifting the short blade and placing it against Tang Lanzhou's neck.

"I am a eunuch."

"How could a eunuch understand family and friends, the common people, or the world? I understand even less about etiquette, righteousness, love, and hate. I only understand one thing: absolute loyalty and turning toward the sun like a sunflower."

Tang Lanzhou spat out two words with disdain.

"Eunuch..."

Liu Jin was not offended at all and nodded.

"Yes, I am a eunuch."

"But what is wrong with being a eunuch? Is it wrong to be loyal to His Majesty? As a eunuch, if I don't love His Majesty, who can I love? Who would look up to a eunuch like me?"

"Unfortunately, all my painstaking efforts have come to nothing."

Liu Jin looked at Tang Lanzhou.

"I can only kill a traitor before I die to fulfill my loyalty to His Majesty."

The short blade pressed down slowly, sinking into the skin.

Tang Lanzhou closed his eyes.

At this very moment, the tent curtain suddenly moved, a figure flashed in, and he pointed a finger out.

*Bang!

The flesh on Liu Jin's right shoulder exploded.

His right arm separated from his body, and along with the short blade, it fell to the ground.

Liu Jin let go of Tang Lanzhou, stumbled back several steps, fell to the ground, and turned his gaze toward the figure.

"Li... Miao."

"Eunuch Liu, if you don't settle things with me, what kind of skill is it to bully an old man who is about to die?"

Li Miao shrugged with a smile, lifted his hand to grab at the air, and pulled the unconscious Tang Lanzhou into his hand.

"I quite admire Lord Tang's performance today."

"Most of the officials are dead; we need someone who can hold the field, see through human hearts, and isn't afraid of death to help my old man stabilize the court, but I can't let you kill him."

True Qi poured in, knitting the flesh together.

Tang Lanzhou's breathing gradually returned to normal.

Li Miao placed Tang Lanzhou on the ground, walked slowly to Liu Jin, squatted down, and tilted his head to look at him.

"Is this finally your last life?"

"You are the first person to make me tired of killing."

Liu Jin panted heavily.

"Is His Majesty alright?"

Li Miao raised an eyebrow.

"Naturally he is fine; it's not your place to worry."

Liu Jin let out a long breath, his shoulders relaxing.

"That is good."