Chapter 345

In the cold moonlight and chilly wind, Li Miao said slowly.

"I said before when teaching you interrogation what is meant by 'those with constant property have constant hearts'; this sentence is also appropriate here."

"Everything in this world has weight. The more things you hold in your hands, the harder it is for you to move. The things you care about will ultimately turn into shackles that frame you, making you willingly walk along a fixed trajectory."

"Of course, this is not a bad thing. Even I am willingly framed, becoming a 'beast in clothes' who has to report for duty every day."

Li Miao smiled; although it sounded like self-mockery, Gao Anyu heard some self-satisfaction and relief in it.

"But these people are different."

Li Miao signaled Gao Anyu to look at the eunuch.

"Eunuchs are essentially a group of people forcibly separated from kinship and blood ties by imperial power."

"From the moment they walked out of that room, their attributes as 'humans' were cut off along with their bodies."

"Family affection, blood ties, love."

"Reputation, dignity, recognition."

"These things were all cut away from them, but at the same time, it unloaded the shackles for them. They are destined not to receive anyone's recognition or respect, and they are destined not to receive any 'reasonable and legal' fame or fortune."

While speaking, Gu Feixuan's wounds had gradually healed. Li Miao walked to the middle-aged eunuch, looked at his red eyes, and said calmly.

"This is our enemy."

"A group of wretches who can think of the most vicious revenge as making the enemy become just like themselves."

Li Miao beckoned, and Gao Anyu understood and walked over, looking together at the middle-aged eunuch who was standing in place, veins bulging but unable to move.

Li Miao reached out and poked the middle-aged eunuch's chest, laughing.

"I only want to tell you one thing."

"It's not that there are no good people among eunuchs, but it's best not to think that the one in front of you is an exception."

"To deal with these people, it's best not to think they have any bottom line from the beginning, don't expect to catch any of their handles, and don't let them know what you care about."

"Don't have the slightest hesitation; just strike directly."

Pfft.

Li Miao's fingers were like sharp blades, slowly sinking into the middle-aged eunuch's chest, hooking his ribs, and lifting him up.

"This little brat and Gu Feixuan are left to you; take them back to the ship and watch them well. I'm going to kill some people."

"If Xiao Yizi and Xiao Cao return, you just sail the ship toward Nanjing; after arriving, find You Zi'ang to join up, no need to wait for me."

"I want to see how far I can kill along this line."

Before the words fell, Gao Anyu's vision blurred.

Looking again, Li Miao was already holding the middle-aged eunuch's ribs, sinking into the reed marsh dozens of zhang away, and disappeared.

————————

One of the twenty-eight leaders of the Jiangnan waterways, "River-Turning Rat" Qiu Wuying, wiped the blood off his short knife on the sole of his shoe, sheathed the knife, and cupped his hands to the middle-aged man in front of him.

"My lord, it's all cleaned up."

The middle-aged man nodded and looked at the merchant ship slowly sinking in the river channel.

A group of bare-chested people with rolled-up sleeves rowed small boats loaded with property, scattering from around the merchant ship.

Judging by their attire, this group looked like water bandits. But if one looked closely, one could see that this group was divided into two distinct groups.

One group was pitch black, with very short hair and splayed toes, which should be caused by not wearing shoes all year round. There were papules and ulcerated scars under their armpits, on their webbed hands, and on their necks left by long-term contact with river water.

The other group did not have many characteristics of those who made a living by the river. But when they gathered and marched, they faintly carried some discipline; they didn't look like water bandits... but rather like an army.

After a while, the merchant ship sank completely under the water, and faint scarlet blood emerged from the water surface, only to be swallowed by the surging river water, leaving no trace.

The middle-aged man said in a deep voice.

"How much stuff did you collect?"

"River-Turning Rat" Qiu Wuying bared a mouthful of apricot-yellow teeth and held up three fingers to gesture at him.

"Same old rules, you keep ten percent, and store the rest for now; transport it into Nanjing at the end of the month. Clean up the traces; if you leave any clues and the Imperial Guard finds out—"

Qiu Wuying smiled obsequiously.

"We've done this job dozens of times; we're all experienced hands, there will definitely be no problems, my lord can rest assured."

"There were seventy-three people on this merchant ship, old and young, women and children, maids and guards; all of them were stabbed in the heart, there is absolutely no survivor who can go to complain!"

The middle-aged man shook his head.

"Be careful and you won't make big mistakes; the Imperial Guard seemed to have investigated the Eunuch some time ago, perhaps they have already noticed... if you reveal any flaws and implicate the Eunuch, don't blame me for turning against you."

Qiu Wuying cursed "dog official" in his heart, but his face was smiling obsequiously, swearing that there would be no slip-ups.

The middle-aged man then nodded and waited for a while, but frowned and turned to look into the distance.

"Why has Eunuch He been gone for so long?"

Qiu Wuying was also strange when he heard this.

"That kid had one arm removed by me and was slashed on the back by you, and his weapon was also dropped... Eunuch He has indeed been gone for a long time."

"Should I go take a look?"

The middle-aged man gripped the hilt of his sword at his waist.

"Let's go together; Eunuch He is the Eunuch's person, there can be no accidents, otherwise we can't afford the responsibility."

"Is it this direction—let's go."

The two exchanged a few words with their subordinates and walked down from the high ground one after another, intending to chase in the direction Gu Feixuan had escaped.

Before they had taken a few steps, suddenly, a loud noise came from behind.

Boom!!! —

The two turned their heads in astonishment and saw a group of people who had gathered on the opposite bank to divide the property suddenly explode into a firework of flesh and blood.

The collected property was thrown high into the air, then fell down with a clatter, splashing a dense spray of water in the river.

"This!"

Qiu Wuying was dumbfounded.

"Heaven-Man!"

The middle-aged man gritted his teeth.

"There is a Heaven-Man behind that kid! No wonder he dared to attack us after seeing our identities!"

"I don't know which family's Heaven-Man dares to meddle in official business!"

Qiu Wuying drew his short knife.

"My lord, what should we do?"

The middle-aged man looked at the blood flowers constantly exploding on the opposite bank and turned around without hesitation.

"Go!"

"Now there is no expert who can stall a Heaven-Man; no matter how many people there are, it's useless... the top priority is to return to Nanjing and report this to the Eunuch!"

"Split up!"

Having said that, he paused and was about to flash away.

Qiu Wuying felt disdain for the other's cowardice in his heart. Seeing that the middle-aged man had already flashed out a distance, he was about to turn and escape to the other side.

Whoosh!! —

A sharp, piercing sound of wind tearing through the air suddenly tore through the air and approached his eyes in an instant!

In Qiu Wuying's terrified gaze, the middle-aged man's figure blurred, a blood flower exploded in mid-air—and then he crashed into a huge rock beside the river channel!

Boom!

Gravel splashed!

The middle-aged man looked down at the long knife that had nailed him to the boulder, blood gushed from his mouth, his head tilted, and he lost his breath.

"!!!!"

Qiu Wuying froze, his pupils trembling violently.

This long knife was thrown from the opposite bank... it directly nailed the middle-aged man to death!

What kind of martial arts is this!

He didn't hesitate anymore, flashed and lay on the ground, crawling and escaping extremely quickly along the low ground.

As expected of one of the twenty-eight leaders, a hero who made a living in the water all year round! On land, he was like swimming in water, flashing out several zhang in the blink of an eye!

As long as he dived into the water and erased his tracks, even if that person had world-class martial arts, it would be impossible to find him!

As his thoughts raced, Qiu Wuying had already reached the river, only one step away from diving into the water.

At this moment—something round and rolling fell from mid-air in front of him, blocking his path.

That was Eunuch He's head, dead with eyes wide open.

A pair of boots appeared in Qiu Wuying's line of sight, walking over slowly, kicking the head into the water, and standing still in front of him.

"Little thing, where do you want to go?"

A playful and cruel voice sounded above his head.

(End of chapter)