Chapter 144: So It Was Just a Bunch of Trash

The cold wind howled as a sky-full of snow and wind descended overwhelmingly; the pine forests flanking the Shangmu Official Road were draped in pure white snow, silver-clad and exceptionally bewitching.

Heaven and earth were a single expanse of hazy, heavy gray-white, as if covered by a thick woolen felt that enveloped this entire world.

Snow on the official road had accumulated to several inches; the heavy white snow masked the road's bumps and unevenness, leaving only a narrow strip of horse hoof prints in the center.

Amid the wind and snow, these horse hoof tracks were gradually being covered by new snowflakes.

Beneath the roadside pines, faint strings of shallow footprints could barely be seen, their shapes already obscured by the newly fallen snow.

Deep within the snow under the trees, nineteen figures lay silently prone, like nineteen static statues in the snow.

These nineteen people all wore clean white cloth garments with white cloth wrapped around their heads; amidst the clusters of drifting heavy snow, they merged with the white snow, appearing and disappearing like a group of ghosts in the winter forest.

Their breathing was light and slow, their shallow white misty breaths quickly masked by the wind and snow.

The nineteen bodies remained motionless, only their eyes sharply scanning the official road, as if calculating something.

These nineteen white-clad individuals thus lay silently prone in the snow beneath the roadside pines, like frozen statues or ghosts hiding their forms, waiting quietly in the wind and snow for their prey to arrive.

In the wind and snow, a short, thin man shivered his body and muttered, "This damn weather is freezing to death; that Jiang Jiang Mingyu is a whole hour late, and I'm nearly frozen stiff. Lord Tang insisted we ambush in this cursed place; I don't know what he was thinking."

While complaining, he untied the wine flask from his waist, took several hearty gulps, felt somewhat warmer, and then tied the wine pot back up.

Just then, a dry, thin man suddenly emerged from the wind and snow and whispered, "Brothers, attention, the target is coming! Everyone get ready!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, two figures could indeed be faintly seen approaching slowly.

The leader, sharp-eyed, called out softly, "It's Jiang Jiang Mingyu! Everyone get ready."

Upon hearing this, everyone gripped the sharp blades at their waists, their gazes like torches, staring intently at Jiang Jiang Mingyu.

At this moment, the short, thin man clicked his tongue and murmured quietly, "In such freezing weather, they make us hide in this cursed place to do business; what's so frightening about a civil official that it's worth all this trouble?"

"Shut up!" The leader glared fiercely at him; the man could only shrink his neck and make no further sound.

As Jiang Jiang Mingyu drew nearer, everyone held their breath, muscles tensed, poised to strike.

"Attack together the moment he passes in front of us!" the leader instructed softly, "Remember, one strike to kill, move fast! Afterwards, we clean up quickly, bury the corpses in the snow, and leave no traces!"

Everyone nodded slightly, eyes blazing, staring deathly at Jiang Jiang Mingyu, waiting only for him to pass before swarming forward.

However, at this moment, Jiang Jiang Mingyu and Tuke Tuke Siluo were hurrying along the official road amidst the swirling wind and snow, heads bowed against the wind, completely unaware that an ambush lay ahead.

The two had just stepped into the ambush zone when suddenly a earth-shaking shout rang out: "Attack!" Immediately, twenty figures shot out from beneath the roadside pines, instantly surrounding the pair.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu was startled, stumbled back a step, and immediately assumed a defensive stance.

He looked around, racking his brain to figure out the origins of this group.

At this moment, the leading man stepped forward, lightly stroking the long blade at his waist, and sneered, "Lord Jiang, today you are destined to face calamity!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu frowned tightly and asked in a deep voice, "Who are you? Why do you seek my death?"

That man laughed loudly, answered not but countered with a question: "Has Lord Jiang not guessed yet? We act on someone's orders to send you on your way!" As he spoke, the long blade in his hand flashed with cold light.

Having spoken, he raised his hand and waved it through the air; the assassins behind him immediately howled, drew their blades, and charged.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's expression changed slightly, then he regained his composure.

Tuke Tuke Siluo immediately stepped forward, his long blade already unsheathed, gleaming with cold light.

He lightly tapped his feet, his whole body soaring into the air to block in front of Jiang Jiang Mingyu, saying in a deep voice, "My lord, please rest assured; this subordinate will deal with this motley crew!"

Before his voice had faded, Tuke Tuke Siluo spun his body and was already engaged in combat with several assassins.

An assassin fighting Tuke Tuke Siluo sneered and said leisurely, "Impressive skills! But with just the two of you, you ultimately cannot defeat us!"

Before that assassin could finish speaking, his head had already left his shoulders and rolled onto the snowy ground; Tuke Tuke Siluo raised his blade and struck, taking his life in one cut.

"So much nonsense!" Tuke Tuke Siluo drank coldly, his form darting like lightning into the thick of the encirclement.

His long blade swept through, stirring up sprays of blood, and another assassin fell dead on the spot.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu stood back-to-back with Tuke Tuke Siluo, watching him move as if through an empty realm, killing intent soaring to the sky, like the God of Death descending; his blade edge was sharp, uniformly taking enemies' heads.

The assassins, filled with terror, retreated one after another, none daring to step forward to fight; Tuke Tuke Siluo pressed forward step by step, blades and shadows flashing with immense force; someone raised a hammer to strike, only for him to deflect it smoothly and slash off half their head with a backhand cut; someone threw an iron chain spear, which he also dismissed with ease.

"Seeking death!" he shouted, kicking away an approaching assassin, his blade sweeping across to splash blood from the throat, sending the man falling stiffly backward.

In an instant, over ten assassins lost their lives under Tuke Tuke Siluo's blade; the leader's face changed drastically as he ordered, "Kill Jiang Jiang Mingyu quickly!"

Hearing the order, the remaining assassins fiercely charged at Jiang Jiang Mingyu again; a flash of ferocity appeared in Tuke Tuke Siluo's eyes as he roared angrily, grabbed Jiang Jiang Mingyu, threw him onto his own horse, and slashed down the two men charging forward.

Those assassins charged at Tuke Tuke Siluo again but were forced back by his fierce blade momentum; Tuke Tuke Siluo blocked attack after attack, the situation temporarily deadlocked.

Just then, the white-clad leader sneered coldly, flipped his hands, and suddenly shot two meteor darts toward Jiang Jiang Mingyu!

Jiang Jiang Mingyu was greatly alarmed, unable to react in time, feeling only a piercing killing intent pressing against his face; at this moment, Tuke Tuke Siluo, quick-eyed and fast-handed, suddenly pressed down Jiang Jiang Mingyu's head with his left hand, shouting low, "My lord, duck!"

Simultaneously, he swung the long blade in his right hand, precisely slashing down three people! Jiang Jiang Mingyu lowered his head as two meteor darts whizzed "whoosh-whoosh" over his head, embedding themselves in the tree trunk behind him.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu was startled and barely managed to steady his stance.

Looking up, he saw Tuke Tuke Siluo invincible; of the original twenty-odd assassins, only six or seven remained stubbornly holding on.

The white snow covering the ground had been melted red by blood.

The white-clad leader's face changed drastically; he stared dumbfounded at Tuke Tuke Siluo, completely unable to imagine his strength was so unfathomable.

Tuke Tuke Siluo sneered, swung his blade horizontally at the remaining assassins, and said, "If you want my lord's life, first ask if the blade in my hand agrees!"

The white-clad leader's face changed again; he cried out involuntarily, "Brothers, retreat!" Before his voice had faded, he turned to flee.

Tuke Tuke Siluo sneered, his body suddenly soaring, leaping halfway into the sky like a giant eagle in flight, and shouted, "Want to escape? Too late!" As soon as his words fell, he separated his hands and threw the long blade in his grip like lightning.

Only two miserable screams were heard before two more assassins fell dead on the spot.

The white-clad leader, terrified, dropped his helmet and armor and ran desperately.

Tuke Tuke Siluo's long robes fluttered; like a wild goose spreading its wings, he landed lightly; he smiled contemptuously and said, "A mere jumping clown dares to harm my lord even a little? Take this!" Before his voice had faded, his long blade flashed like lightning and thunder, striking straight for the leader's lower back.

The leader felt a chill assault his body, knowing death was certain, and abruptly dove forward to roll; Tuke Tuke Siluo's blade edge grazed past, shaving off only half the tail of his hair.

The leader rolled, got up, and retreated rapidly with wide eyes, his soul still unsettled.

Tuke Tuke Siluo laughed loudly and strolled forward leisurely.

He spoke freely, saying, "Haha, so it's just a bunch of trash; even a three-year-old child is more formidable than you!"

That leader saw Tuke Tuke Siluo's blade edge closing in, knew disaster was imminent, and recklessly drew a dagger, lunging forward as if he didn't care about his life. Tuke Tuke Siluo's eyes were full of contempt; he snatched up his long blade with one hand to meet the attack.

Only the crisp sound of "Clang!" was heard; that dagger had been struck away, sticking into the tree trunk and shaking incessantly.

Just then, Jiang Jiang Mingyu shouted urgently: "Tuke Tuke Siluo, stop! Take this man alive!" Hearing this, Tuke Tuke Siluo spun his long blade once, pressing the edge against that leader's throat, and said in a deep voice: "Want to live? Kneel down quickly!"

That leader's face turned deathly pale; he trembled and knelt on the ground.

Tuke Tuke Siluo gave a cold snort and bound him tightly with five knots.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu gazed fixedly at the bodies scattered everywhere and said coldly: "Daring to commit murder openly on the official road, plotting evil schemes—truly detestable! Tuke Tuke Siluo, let us take this man back to the provincial capital and see what Tang Cheng has left to say!"

Tuke Tuke Siluo laughed heartily: "Yes! Let this man go see his master and tell him that the ants he sent couldn't even withstand a single move from me!" Having spoken, he grabbed that leader, threw him onto a horse, and vaulted up behind him.

Tang Sima Manor, study.

Tang Cheng paced back and forth in the study, his brows tightly furrowed, his expression solemn and revealing anxiety and unease.

Master Ma stepped forward to comfort him: "My lord, please calm your anger. With Jiang Jiang Mingyu's frail physique, escaping with his life intact is simply a fantasy. My lord might as well consider his death and think about how we can stabilize the army's morale, seize Shang Mu's military power, and help Prince Qi conquer the world."

Tang Cheng let out a long sigh, his expression gloomy: "This matter is probably difficult to the extreme. Shang Mu's military power is of extraordinary significance to Wang Zhe; even if Prince Qi personally opens his mouth, he will absolutely not easily hand it over. Moreover, the Emperor is watching with predatory eyes, determined to seize it. We must plan within our strategy to succeed."

Hearing him speak thus, Master Ma couldn't help but silently click his tongue, thinking that my lord's move was far too risky. If he acted rashly, he would probably not escape death. For a moment, both remained silent, their brows tightly furrowed, their expressions solemn.

Just as the two were privately considering countermeasures, suddenly they heard hurried footsteps outside the door. Tang Cheng's face lit up with joy; he said excitedly: "They have come at just the right time! It must be the assassin returning with Jiang Jiang Mingyu's head to report his merit!"

The two exchanged a glance, both showing excited expressions. Just then, Little Six pushed the door open and entered. Tang Cheng's face immediately changed: "Why is it you? Where is the assassin?"

Little Six knelt and said: "Reporting to my lord, the Prefect's Office has sent someone to invite my lord to discuss matters."

Tang Cheng frowned, but upon thinking that it was the end of the year with many trivial matters, the talk of discussing affairs was not unusual.

He instructed Master Ma to find another way, then straightened his clothes and went out the door.

All the way, Tang Cheng was full of doubts, but upon arriving at the Prefect's Office, he could only suppress his suspicions in his heart and step into the conference hall.