Chapter 213: Reply

In a small courtyard in the northwest corner of the capital, a single oil lamp flickered in the night. Inside the humble room, a woman veiled in black silk sat quietly before the light; her upper face exposed, her brows and eyes radiating a beauty that could topple nations.

Soft footsteps approached outside, followed by three long knocks and one short one.

The woman spoke coolly, her voice both melodic and icy: "The door isn't locked. Come in."

A handsome man pushed open the door and entered with a smile: "Little sister, big brother's back." His eyes brimmed with adoration.

The woman asked coldly: "How did it go?"

The man sat beside her, poured himself a cup of tea, sipped it, then said: "His Majesty has assigned us a mission—this time, we're to assassinate men from the northern rebel army. The list is long: Chen Tang from Yizhou, Zhong Nianyu from Lanzhou, and Jiang Mingyu, the one you've been thinking about—they're all on it."

At the mention of Jiang Mingyu's name, the woman's body jolted violently, as if struck by lightning.

"Jiang Mingyu?" A torrent of murderous intent and hatred engulfed her. "Big brother, I don't care who you kill, but I made a pact with Master—Jiang Mingyu is mine alone to take!"

The man chuckled indulgently: "Fine, fine, Jiang Mingyu's all yours, little sister—as long as you're happy. By the way, do you still remember what happened before?"

The woman's gaze sharpened: "Of course I remember. I'll never forget it for the rest of my life. Jiang Mingyu slaughtered my entire family—I'd tear his skin off and rip out his tendons!"

The man nodded: "Alright, take your time—I'll make sure I break every bone in his body. By the way, how should we handle this mission? I say we split up—you focus on Jiang Mingyu, and I'll take care of the other two. What do you think?"

The woman paused, then said: "Agreed. Let's do it that way. We'll finalize the details before we depart. I've waited too long for Jiang Mingyu to pay in blood—I won't rest until I've torn out his heart and pulled out his bones!"

The two discussed further, confirmed their schedule, and then the man took his leave. As the candle burned low, a pair of icy eyes gleamed beneath the woman's veil—the wheels of fate were about to turn.

The next morning, the woman rose early, donned male attire, and pulled on a hooded cloak to depart. Before leaving, she caressed the soft sword at her waist and murmured: "Jiang Mingyu, you killed my family—I will make you pay for this blood debt today!"

The Fish Blade travels the world—Jiang Mingyu cannot escape death this lifetime!

She sheathed her sword and strode northward with determined steps...

Deep into the night, only a few lonely lamps flickered in Jiang Mingyu's encampment.

Suddenly, the tent flap was thrown open and Tukesiluo stepped in quickly.

Jiang Mingyu had not slept; seeing him, he immediately asked: "Tukesiluo, any word from Xu Zhanhong?"

Tukesiluo pulled a letter from his sleeve and handed it to Jiang Mingyu: "Lord Jiang, this is from Xu Zhanhong."

Jiang Mingyu unsealed the letter, glanced at it, slapped his thigh, and laughed: "Perfect! Old Xu's got guts!"

Tukesiluo hurriedly asked: "So Xu Zhanhong agreed to our proposal?"

Jiang Mingyu laughed heartily and nodded: "Xu Zhanhong's a real man. He doesn't care we're outsiders—he's willing to risk everything for the territory of Xiawei. He says: at the third watch tomorrow morning, he'll lead his troops south, we'll move north, light the signal fire, and launch a pincer attack on Zhong Nianyu!"

Tukesiluo took the letter, glanced at it, and raised an eyebrow: "Good. Lord Jiang, we'll issue orders at dawn—get ready to strike Zhong Nianyu. After we kill him, we'll deal with Xu Zhanhong—Xiawei Command will be all ours!"

Jiang Mingyu paced slowly and said coolly: "Xu Zhanhong isn't an easy man to handle. We must be cautious—he may already be plotting against us. Tukesiluo, tomorrow, you and Jiaqi must not engage Zhong Nianyu or his men head-on. Stay low. Wait until the mission's done before we deal with Xu Zhanhong."

Tukesiluo had long been curious about Lu Chuanwen and Zhong Jinqiang, eager to test his mettle against them—but to avoid disrupting the plan, he swallowed his desire and nodded: "Lord Jiang, rest assured—I've spoken with Jiaqi. Tomorrow, we won't overstep a single step. The mission comes first!"

After Tukesiluo left, Jiang Mingyu gazed out at the starry sky and smiled faintly: "After tomorrow night, Xiawei Command will be mine. The rest of the commands? They're just minor players—only a matter of time before I sweep them up."