Chapter 66: The Eve of the Alliance

There is one day left until the Five Mountains Sword Alliance meeting.

Jinan Prefecture, Tai'an City, Prefectural Yamen.

The once imposing and majestic Yamen is now filled with the sounds of misery; passing commoners, hearing the faint wails from within, all change color at the mention of it and take a detour.

Inside the main hall of the Yamen, the Prefect of Tai'an is sprawled on the floor, his official robes already stripped away, wearing only his undergarments, covered in bloodstains, and panting raggedly.

Sitting above in the hall is a middle-aged man with a fair face, no beard, and affected, mincing gestures.

He is none other than the Chief Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, Cheng Yuanzhen.

"Eunuch... this subordinate truly does not know about the Taishan Sect colluding with the Ming Sect..."

"The Jianghu people coming and going in Tai'an City are numerous, and relying solely on the Yamen runners is insufficient to control them. Having dealings with that scoundrel Zuo Lishan was truly a last resort..."

Cheng Yuanzhen does not even glance at him; he stands up and waves his hand.

Someone immediately drags the still-protesting Prefect away.

Cheng Yuanzhen turns his head to look at the Police Inspector of Tai'an Prefecture, who is also the Embroidered Uniform Guard secret agent Li Miao saw when he arrived in Tai'an City and to whom he handed the package at the prefectural Yamen.

"Are the soldiers all prepared?"

"Yes. However... Battalion Commander Li has not yet arrived; should we wait a while?" the Inspector asks, looking troubled.

"Battalion Commander Li... Hmph, a few days ago he was still throwing his weight around at the Taishan Sect, and now he has abandoned his duties and no one knows where he has run off to," Cheng Yuanzhen sneers.

"In these few days, he has made such a huge commotion that many people have already fled. By the time he returns, I fear he will only be able to go to Taishan to catch some rabbits to report back to the Emperor."

"His Majesty has been too lenient with you all. Tomorrow is the Five Mountains Sword Alliance meeting; if we don't go today, when will we go?"

"But..."

"Shut your mouth!" Cheng Yuanzhen shouts.

"I am the Chief Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, here by Imperial decree to handle affairs alongside the Embroidered Uniform Guard, not to deal with your Embroidered Uniform Guard's internal family matters! With Li Miao absent, no one else here has the right to speak!"

"Mobilize the troops! We go to surround the Taishan Sect right now!"

"... Yes!" The Inspector hesitates for a moment, but ultimately unable to resist, he nods in agreement and turns to leave.

Cheng Yuanzhen has a gloomy expression as he stands in the hall, watching the back of the man as he leaves.

A young eunuch walks over from the side and says in a low voice, "Master, we haven't found out anything. It seems to be poison, but there are no traces."

Cheng Yuanzhen waves his hand: "Forget it. Those Embroidered Uniform Guard thugs deal with Jianghu people every day; who knows where they got the poison from. It's nothing more than them being at their wits' end and wanting to drag us along for a few days."

"Now that the one surnamed Li is absent, this task is already considered to have fallen into our hands; there is no need to investigate this matter further."

It is evident that the trick of Li Xiaosi using Gu poison to delay their journey was too coincidental, and Cheng Yuanzhen has already realized it.

Cheng Yuanzhen muses to himself: "I don't know where that one surnamed Li has run off to... but it happens to be just right."

"Under Zhu Zai, the person he has relied on most these past few years is this Li Miao."

"I might as well finish the job today, and then return to the capital to pin a charge of 'negligence of Imperial orders' on him... it can be considered cutting off one of Zhu Zai's arms."

"Zhu Zai... Heh heh, your Embroidered Uniform Guard's good days are coming to an end!"

With this thought, Cheng Yuanzhen does not hesitate; he immediately gathers his men and heads together toward the Taishan Sect.

And behind them as they head far away, a young man with a feminine appearance is sitting at a tea stall, casting a sidelong glance at Cheng Yuanzhen, leisurely picking up his teacup, and taking a sip.

"Right Envoy, we have found Zuo Lishan; he is heavily injured but not yet dead."

A person says softly.

"Good~" Yun Zelin responds nonchalantly, picking up a piece of pastry and nibbling on it carefully.

A small child nearby, looking about five or six years old, watches the pastry Yun Zelin is eating, eyes fixed without blinking, clearly very tempted.

Yun Zelin sees this, chuckles, takes a piece of pastry, and hands it to the child: "Here."

"Thank you, Brother!" The child thanks him happily, takes the pastry, and impatiently stuffs it into his mouth before running off.

"The Young Master is truly kind-hearted." The tea stall owner's daughter is helping out here; she has never seen a man as handsome as Yun Zelin before and has been secretly watching him. Seeing that he seems to be a kind person, she hesitates for a moment, then blushes and comes over to strike up a conversation.

Yun Zelin smiles gently: "I like children."

Having said that, he also takes a piece of pastry and gives it to her: "Miss, you should eat some too. I have a greedy stomach and bought a bit too much, and I was just worrying about it. Miss, please help me out."

"Thank you, Young Master..." The girl blushes, takes the pastry, and trots away.

Yun Zelin smiles, stands up, and says to the Ming Sect disciple who just reported to him.

"I quite like that child from just now."

"After the business here is finished, go kill his parents and bring the child back to the main altar; I want to take him as my disciple."

"Yes!"

"Let's go; let's go meet the 'Great Sect Leader Zuo' who was bought with the life of Left Envoy Lan."

Having said that, Yun Zelin rises and leaves, walking toward a private residence in the city.

At this moment, in the courtyard of the private residence, Zuo Lishan is lying on the ground, eyes wide open, saliva continuously flowing from his mouth.

"Why did you seal my acupoints!? Hurry and undo them!"

"My martial arts are peerless; I am only temporarily heavily injured! With a great enemy at the gates, what are you trying to do to me!?"

"Does your Ming Sect have anyone in charge!? Let him come see me!"

"I'm here, I'm here." Yun Zelin steps into the courtyard and says softly.

Zuo Lishan sizes Yun Zelin up and only asks: "Who are you?"

"Right Envoy of the Moni Sect, Yun Zelin, greets Sect Leader Zuo."

Yun Zelin bows to Zuo Lishan, then turns his head to instruct those around him: "Why did you seal Sect Leader Zuo's acupoints? That is too rude; hurry and undo them."

Someone immediately steps forward and undoes Zuo Lishan's acupoints.

Zuo Lishan sits up, but he is unable to stand.

At this moment, there is arguably not a single piece of good flesh on his body; his left arm hangs by his side like a soft rope, swaying back and forth. His right arm is severed at the wrist.

His clothing is tattered, revealing four or five huge wounds as if torn by a ferocious beast, and one can even see the yellowish tendons and stark white bone fragments beneath.

Such injuries, on an ordinary person, would have long since resulted in death; only Zuo Lishan, relying on the Gu insects within his body, has barely managed to survive.

Even though Lan Lechuan risked his life that day to stop Li Miao, Zuo Lishan only barely managed to escape with his life.

The Ming Sect people also relied on special means to find the heavily injured and dying Zuo Lishan in a desolate wilderness.

"Right Envoy Yun." Zuo Lishan barely manages to cup his fists.

"Seeing Sect Leader Zuo, the stone in my heart can finally be put down." Yun Zelin smiles: "If Left Envoy Lan knows of this in the afterlife, he should also be at ease."

Zuo Lishan, however, is worried in his heart.

He also cannot understand why Lan Lechuan would risk his life to stop Li Miao and let him escape. When he fought Li Miao, he clearly did not value his own life; how could he have suddenly changed his mind?

Lan Lechuan was a genuine expert above the Peak Realm, and compared to Zuo Lishan, an expert above the Peak Realm of the evil path, it could be said to be a difference of clouds and mud. And they were neither relatives nor friends; why would he make such a choice?

Although he is suspicious, he knows this question cannot be asked now; at the very least, he must wait until his injuries have recovered and he has the confidence to protect himself before exploring it.

So Zuo Lishan skips over Lan Lechuan and says directly: "Right Envoy Yun, I need some flesh and blood containing true energy to recover from my injuries."

"The martial arts of that scoundrel Li Miao are no longer of the mortal realm. Even with an expert like Left Envoy Lan in your sect, I fear it will be difficult to contend with him."

"Regardless of what your sect plans, heal me first; at the very least, if we run into that scoundrel Li Miao, there will still be someone who can block him for a moment."

Yun Zelin's expression has always been kind and gentle, like a graceful woman, but after hearing Zuo Lishan's words, he frowns.

He raises his hand to stop Zuo Lishan: "Sect Leader Zuo, hold on."

"What did you just call... that Li Miao?"

Zuo Lishan is stunned: "That... scoundrel Li Miao?"

Crack—

A dull roar issues from Zuo Lishan's throat, and he kicks his legs and feet wildly.

In an instant, Yun Zelin has closed the distance to Zuo Lishan, grabbed his throat with one hand, and lifted him up!

Zuo Lishan can even hear his own neck bones making a "creak, creak" sound!

His body, modified by Gu insects, has tough skin and flesh; even if his true energy is exhausted at this moment, he is usually hard to injure with blades! How is he so fragile in this person's hands!

Why would he suddenly want to take action against him!?

"You—" Zuo Lishan barely manages to squeeze a word out of his mouth.

Yun Zelin says gently: "Sect Leader Zuo, Sect Leader Zuo... is the name of Lord Li something that a mediocre person like you, who walks the crooked path, is worthy of mentioning?"

"Lord Li is my benefactor; if you curse him in front of me and I turn a blind eye, wouldn't I be a heartless, ungrateful beast?"

Yun Zelin looks into Zuo Lishan's eyes and says softly.

"You put me in an unrighteous position first, so I have no choice but to be heartless."

In Zuo Lishan's shocked, helpless, angry, and uncomprehending gaze, Yun Zelin exerts force suddenly and snaps his neck.

Zuo Lishan collapses softly to the ground, his vision gradually dimming.

"... All for nothing..."

This is his final thought.

The leader of the Five Mountains Sword Alliance, "Zhenyue Sword" Zuo Lishan, dies without any power to resist, in the most humiliating way for a martial arts world person.

Yun Zelin reaches out his hand into a claw and plunges it suddenly into the chest of Zuo Lishan's corpse.

After fumbling inside for a long while, he pulls out a mass of bloody, mangled matter.

That thing looks like a heart, but it is densely covered with various proliferating flesh, and on this flesh are dense small holes from which blood-red, maggot-like tentacles emerge, swaying slowly in the air.

Yun Zelin puts the heart under his nose and sniffs it, then waves his hand in disgust.

"Truly disgusting."

"Sigh... repaying a debt of gratitude is truly not easy."

Having said that, he suddenly stuffs the heart into his mouth.

The heart is a full fist in size, so of course it cannot be stuffed in at once; Yun Zelin uses his fingers to poke it in forcefully, as if he were not treating his own body at all. He pokes until he is retching uncontrollably and tears flow down.

After a long while, the heart is finally "poked" into Yun Zelin's abdomen.

Yun Zelin sighs long, a flush appears on his face, and he lets out a long breath.

"Right Envoy! This is the Sect Leader..." A person nearby sees Yun Zelin's actions and speaks up in a hurry.

Swish—

Blood splatters, and the man collapses softly to the ground.

Yun Zelin takes a handkerchief from his bosom, wipes the blood from his hands, and tosses it casually onto the corpse's face.

"Alright, the Sect Leader has other plans and has already sent a secret letter to me; there is no need to mention this matter again. From now on, everything here is my responsibility."

Yun Zelin claps his hands.

"Go outside the city and inform Protector Mao to have him prepare."

"The soldiers in the city have all gone to the Taishan Sect; let them go play at that so-called Five Mountains Sword Alliance meeting; we will happen to take action tomorrow."

(End of chapter)