Chapter 64: Zhou Yi, Hexagram Thirty-Nine: Water over Mountain (Shangshan Jian)

The Great Fool and the Ghost Genius traveled day and night without rest; as they galloped, trees swept past like flowing water, and a drowsy exhaustion enveloped both of them.

Every hoofbeat struck their hearts like a hammer, yet they gritted their teeth, determined not to slow their pace.

They finally ascended Yuze Mountain, but when they arrived breathless at Master Huanxi Jiang Daoren's temple, they were told that Master Huanxi had been taken away by officials two days prior.

The two exchanged a glance, understanding each other without words, immediately turned back down the mountain, and sped off in pursuit.

Having escorted caravans for many years, the Great Fool knew the nation's relay road network inside out; the routes to and from Jingcheng were few, and the relay stations were limited; thus, he immediately plotted the fastest route.

So the two brothers traveled again for several days without stopping, riding hard, hoping only to overtake the officials' convoy.

Along the way, the two spoke not a word, their full attention fixed on the journey.

As dusk fell, the Great Fool and the Ghost Genius arrived at the edge of a forest.

Having just traveled day and night down the mountain, they were utterly exhausted; through the shadows of the trees, their weary faces, covered in sweat and dust, were reflected.

Fine beads of sweat still hung on the Ghost Genius's forehead, and he panted for breath.

"Let us rest here for a while," the Ghost Genius suggested.

The two immediately stopped; the horses' panting gradually calmed, and together they untied the saddles, carefully placing them on the ground.

The Ghost Genius slumped onto a smooth stone; the Great Fool did likewise, finding a flat spot and bending over to catch his breath.

The Great Fool took some dried rations and a waterskin from his bag, and he and the Ghost Genius simply replenished their strength.

Their hungry stomachs were relieved, but the anxiety in their hearts had not yet dissipated.

"It seems the authorities arrived at the temple before us; we can only hope their journey was slower," the Ghost Genius said, frowning.

The Great Fool gently patted his shoulder, indicating understanding and support.

"Yes, senior brother, we will absolutely not let Master Huanxi Jiang Daoren be taken to Jingcheng," the Ghost Genius said, a trace of unwillingness and anger flashing in his eyes.

After a brief rest, the two set off again without stopping, traveling by night.

Silence reigned in the forest, with only the sound of wind and the neighing of horses.

The two silently urged their horses into a wild gallop, their sole focus on catching up with the convoy ahead.

At the first hint of dawn, the Great Fool cried out joyfully, "Look, the convoy is ahead!"

Finally, at a place still one day's journey from Jingcheng, they spotted the officials' carriage and horse convoy from afar.

The Great Fool and the Ghost Genius finally felt relieved, exchanging a glance filled with perfect tacit understanding.

The hearts that had been suspended for days finally settled; seeing the convoy ahead, their needle-sharp focus finally relaxed.

The Ministry of Justice convoy was not large in scale: six officials and one eunuch.

The six officials wore standard imperial uniforms, with cloth caps on their heads, cloaks on their bodies, and long swords at their waists; the eunuch wore a robe and horse jacket, his demeanor arrogant, occasionally using his whip to direct the journey.

Armed officials with bows and arrows guarded the front and rear of the prison carriage, maintaining strict vigilance.

The Ministry of Justice convoy moved at a steady pace; the Great Fool looked closely and indeed saw that the prisoner inside the carriage was Master Huanxi Jiang Daoren, emaciated and clad in tattered rags.

The Great Fool and the Ghost Genius exchanged a look of mutual understanding and continued to shadow the convoy in secret.

The two brothers followed the Ministry of Justice convoy all the way north; that evening, the two groups entered the territory of "Peiyun County," one ahead of the other.

After the Great Fool presented the token of the Lu Family Escort Agency, he entered the Peiyun County relay station without difficulty.

The Great Fool said to the Ghost Genius, "The name of the Lu Family Escort Agency still carries weight; let us stay here first and see."

The Ghost Genius nodded, "Yes, keep a close watch on those officials; when they are unprepared, we will act."

Although the Lu Family Escort Agency was not an institution within the imperial establishment, bearing the name of Prime Minister He, heroes and villains from all walks of life in the Jianghu, from both the righteous and unorthodox paths, had to give them three points of face upon seeing them; the relay station was no exception.

The two stayed in rooms opposite the Ministry of Justice officials, watching the doors and windows at all times, waiting for an opportunity to act.

The Great Fool was anxious as fire, fearing he would miss the chance to save the person; the Ghost Genius was also full of anxiety, yet remained calm.

Night fell, and the relay station was quiet, with only occasional neighs of horses and the sound of the night wind.

The Great Fool's expression was solemn; his mind turned over and over, repeatedly weighing strategies.

He knew this operation carried extreme risk; Master Huanxi Jiang Daoren could not be allowed to live.

At dusk, the streets of Peiyun County were filled with a faint glow of lantern light; under the leadership of the eunuch Alai, the officials entered an antique-style tavern.

A young official hesitated for a moment, intending to follow them inside, but the eunuch impatiently waved him back to the relay station, for he truly had no share in the wine.

He was to remain at the relay station to guard the prison carriage and Master Huanxi Jiang Daoren.

As night deepened, the rookie official seemed somewhat bored, yawning from time to time; clearly, he was dissatisfied with the task of being left behind to guard, so he was not very diligent.

The Great Fool, lying on the roof of the stable, seeing this rare opportunity, quickly urged his senior brother, the Ghost Genius, to act swiftly so as not to miss the perfect moment!

"Senior brother, this is a rare opportunity; let us fight quickly and decisively!" the Great Fool urged anxiously.

Although the Great Fool and the Ghost Genius shared the same master, their martial arts were vastly different; the Great Fool learned strange weapons, with a pair of Judge's Pens as his signature, while the Ghost Genius learned hidden weapons, skilled in sleeve arrows.

Strictly speaking, the Ghost Genius was an amateur assassin, occasionally taking on assassination jobs to earn some extra money; his fees depended on the target's value and the task's difficulty, starting at twenty taels with no upper limit.

Originally, the Great Fool wanted the Ghost Genius to shoot and kill the guard with a sleeve arrow, but unexpectedly, the Ghost Genius looked troubled and slowly shook his head: "You want me to assassinate an imperial prisoner? This job... I cannot do it!"

"Senior brother, we have come this far..." the Great Fool, anxious as fire, whispered persuasively, "Just shoot two arrows, and both the soldier and the prisoner will die together, unknown to heaven and unseen by ghosts!"

The Ghost Genius still resolutely resisted, his hands tightly clenched, speaking word by word with firm determination: "No, I still cannot do it!"

"Why can you not do it?" the Great Fool, utterly confused, pressed for the reason.

The Ghost Genius pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke: "You offer twenty-five taels to buy the life of an imperial prisoner? With a slight touch, you also take a soldier's life! This price... I, your senior brother, cannot do it!"

The Ghost Genius finally revealed the true reason; it turned out that money was the issue.

The Great Fool asked anxiously, "Then tell me, at this moment, what should be done?"

The Ghost Genius said calmly, "We must add money!"

The Great Fool pressed, "How much must be added for you to be willing to act?"

"An imperial prisoner... at least one hundred taels to start! Plus a soldier, and another hundred taels must be added!"

The Ghost Genius quoted his price calmly.

"Considering the bond between us as brothers, you won't even help with such a small favor?"

The fool who had been forced to pay a sky-high price by the genius, after drawing in a sharp breath of cold air, tried to beg his senior brother for mercy.

"It is only because of the bond between senior and junior brothers that I have accompanied you on this long journey for so many days! If it were anyone else, I would not have the leisure for such a thing."

The genius remained unmoved, his words revealing a shrewdness akin to that of a merchant.

Just as the two were locked in a stalemate, the fool, angered by his own humiliation, pointed at the genius's nose and roared: "Fine, fine, fine... I will take the blame for tonight's matter myself; if you will not help, then just stay here quietly and watch the show!"

The genius still wanted to dissuade him, but he did not expect the fool to have already leaped down from the stable roof like a fierce tiger, arriving silently before the prisoner cart.

The guard leaned lazily against the front of the cart, dozing off, completely unaware that Death stood right before him.

Relying on his peerless skill with the pair of Judge's Brushes, he effortlessly thrust toward the guard's neck.

With only a "hiss" sound, the Judge's Brush pierced the vital point with perfect accuracy, sealing the throat in a single strike.

The rookie soldier's eyes bulged wide, his eyes widened further, blood gushed forth; before he could even scream in agony, he fell to the ground and died.

Daoist Master Huanxi, locked inside the prisoner cart with iron chains, had a face full of exhaustion and vicissitudes.

Hearing the commotion, Daoist Master Huanxi's face was a mess of despair and surprise.

His eyes lit up, and he felt fortunate for himself, thinking: He Xiang truly has not forgotten me; he has sent someone to rescue me!

He excitedly growled: "Fool, you have come to save me, right? Hurry and get me out!"

However, contrary to Daoist Master Huanxi's expectations, after the fool dealt with the rookie, he did not pay any attention to him, but immediately turned around.

Without a second word, the fool thrust the Judge's Brush at Daoist Master Huanxi's throat again, fast as lightning.

With a soft "puchi" sound, another throat was sealed in a single strike; white entered and red exited, blood gushed forth, directly ending the life of Daoist Master Huanxi inside the prisoner cart!

This entire sequence of actions happened so fast that Master Huanxi had not even realized what was happening before he lost his life inside the cart!

Daoist Master Huanxi's face was deathly pale, his eyes remained open in death, blood flowed in a steady stream, splashing all over the floor of the prisoner cart.

On the fool's cold and ruthless face, not a single ripple could be seen, as if the two previous attacks were merely a common occurrence.

At this moment, the genius was still standing far away on the stable roof, and in his shock, he too was stunned by the fool's resolute methods.

Just as the fool thought his actions were secret, a small slip still revealed his tracks.

A young post station attendant dressed in a green robe was just carrying an oil lamp out of the station at this moment. He yawned, his eyes heavy with sleep, preparing to make one last patrol of the stable.

However, just as the attendant approached the prisoner cart, by the dim light, he suddenly saw two bloodied bodies on the ground, and the fool holding a weapon.

"Ah—" The attendant screamed in terror, and the oil lamp in his hand "clang"ed as it fell to the ground.

This cry was especially startling in the silent night, instantly waking the entire station.

"Murder!" The attendant's face changed drastically, his eyes widened, his mouth opened in terror, and he screamed with all his might.

In an instant, all the attendants on duty in the station rushed out, seeing the fool holding a deadly weapon standing there blankly, not running.

"Catch him!" The crowd quickly reacted, each grabbing a weapon, and surged forward with murderous intent.

At this moment, the fool was truly bewildered; he never thought he would be so unlucky, thinking that with no one around, this was a rare opportunity, and tonight's assassin job would be a piece of cake!

He looked back at the stable roof, where the genius who had just been lying there watching the show had long since fled, leaving not a trace of his person!

Facing the surging crowd of attendants, the fool resisted desperately, the pair of Judge's Brushes in his hands waving as fast as lightning.

He first spun around, the pair of Judge's Brushes striking like silver snakes directly for the eyes of the foremost attendant.

That attendant hurriedly blocked with his knife; the pair of Judge's Brushes "ding-ding"ed twice against the blade surface, sending sparks flying.

Taking advantage of the momentum, the fool turned sideways, and his right-hand Judge's Brush thrust straight into the lower abdomen of another attendant.

That attendant could not dodge in time, "Ah"ed in a cry of agony, and blood splattered out.

Just as the fool thought he could continue to counterattack, two more attendants behind him swung wooden clubs down at his head.

The fool hurriedly raised his brushes to block; the pair of Judge's Brushes and the wooden clubs collided, making a "bang-bang" sound.

The fool resisted with all his might, but ultimately, the few could not overcome the many; he was quickly restrained by several attendants, his arms pinned behind his back.

At this moment, silence reigned everywhere, with only the "whoosh" of the wind blowing past.

The two mutilated corpses on the ground were still bleeding, staining the yellow earth in the night with a deep red.

The fool's hands were tightly bound behind his back, his eyes bloodshot, filled with unspeakable regret and despair.

His life ended abruptly right there, with no chance of turning the tables.

The fool ground his teeth, his whole body trembling, his eyes filled with hatred for the genius.

If the genius had not fled at the critical moment, how could he have ended up to such a state!

At this time, Eunuch Alai and several other officials were having dinner at a small tavern in the county town, with several plates of steaming hot dishes just served on the table.

At this moment, an urgent report suddenly came from the station saying the prisoner cart had been hijacked; the officials dropped their bowls and chopsticks, and Alai, who had not even finished swallowing the rice in his mouth, hurriedly followed the crowd out of the tavern, running towards the station.

He ran all the way to the station, his heart burning with anxiety.

The red sun was setting in the west, the sky was already dark, and one could only barely make out the road ahead.

Turning a corner, the gate tower of the station finally came into view.

When Alai arrived at the station, panting for breath, he saw only two corpses on the ground covered in blood, and beside them a bandit holding a weapon, tightly bound with ropes.

His eyes widened, and he was so shocked he could not speak clearly, stammering: "H-how could this happen, w-what should be done?"

"Black Bear," an old official of the Ministry of Justice, had walked the Jianghu for many years and had encountered many such prisoner hijackings.

Seeing this scene, he drew the trowel from his waist and played with it in his hand.

Alai was obviously not as calm as Black Bear; his face was deathly pale, full of shock and helplessness.

How could such a change occur in this originally smooth escort mission?

Alai was in a panic, rubbing his fingers repeatedly, constantly asking Black Bear what to do next.

Black Bear's experienced and unflappable appearance formed a sharp contrast with Alai's look of a startled bird.

Although Alai held an official post of the imperial court, he ultimately lacked the composure in the face of change that Black Bear had accumulated over many years.

He could only rely on Black Bear's experienced guidance to get through this difficulty.

Black Bear sat calmly, his words revealing a mastery of the situation: "If you have caught the criminal, then don't worry; this disaster will not lead to beheading, at most you will just get a few whacks on the buttocks!"

The grim news of this murder quickly reached the imperial palace. The Emperor, who had been reviewing memorials in his study, upon hearing this, flew into a rage, slammed the table in fury, and cursed loudly: "I knew it! This case of the medicine pills must be connected to Prime Minister He! Killing to silence witnesses—a traitorous minister... Quickly, summon the Minister of Justice."

The Emperor paced back and forth in his study, seething with anger.

The mere thought of the prison carriage he had dispatched being ambushed and slaughtered made the Emperor boil with rage.

He was convinced that Prime Minister He must be the mastermind behind it, with the sole purpose of silencing witnesses.

With veins bulging on his forehead and eyes bloodshot, the Emperor ground his teeth and cursed Prime Minister He as a traitorous minister.

So enraged that he could barely speak coherently, the Emperor's first thought was Yu Yu Dian, the Minister of Justice. Since the incident involved officials of the Ministry of Justice, it was only fitting to summon the Minister of Justice to discuss the matter; however, on second thought, Yu Yu Dian had once been part of Prime Minister He's faction, so summoning him to discuss the matter would lack impartiality.

After pondering for a moment, the Emperor changed his order and summoned Prime Minister Tu, wishing to hear the other faction's perspective on the matter.

Although Prime Minister He was under house arrest within his residence, through his own intelligence network, he quickly learned of the failure of the Great Idiot's assassination attempt on Daoist Master Huanxi.

Upon hearing this news, his hand suddenly trembled, and the tea cup in his hand "crashed" to the floor, shattering into fragments, splashing hot tea stains everywhere.

Ximen Ximen Jiajun, who was attending nearby, rushed forward upon seeing this. He saw that Prime Minister He's face was deathly pale, his eyes vacant, and his lips trembling slightly, looking utterly panicked and at a loss.

This was a complete contrast to Prime Minister He's usual calm and composure.

Ximen Ximen Jiajun approached cautiously and asked softly: "Master, what is wrong? Do you need a maid to come and change your clothes?"

With a complex expression, Prime Minister He shook his head gently after a long while: "Nothing, my hand just slipped." Having spoken, he furrowed his brows deeply and fell into deep thought.

Ximen Ximen Jiajun squatted down to carefully sweep up the shards from the floor, while Prime Minister He sank into profound contemplation.

His plan had failed; the Great Idiot was likely already arrested by the Emperor, and his own situation was extremely precarious.

Prime Minister He feared the Emperor would blame him for this matter, and how he could extricate himself had become a severe problem.

As evening fell, Prime Minister He walked with heavy steps, his face dim and his heart disheartened, to the Taoist temple within his own residence. He needed to cast a divination for himself to see if there was still a chance of a turnaround.

He first took out an ancient and weathered Zhou Yi hexagram chart.

Then, following the proper procedure, he washed his hands and purified his body, solemnly lit a stick of incense in the center of the temple, circled around in meditation three times, and finally bowed respectfully to Heaven and Earth three times.

After the bows, Prime Minister He softly chanted the visualization words, adjusting his breath.

He smoothed the turmoil in his heart, and with steady hands, took out the forty-nine bamboo sticks from before him. Prime Minister He closed his eyes slightly, slowly shook the bamboo sticks three times, and let the sticks scatter onto the table.

Prime Minister He opened his eyes, his brows tightly furrowed, and meticulously deduced the hexagram formed by the sticks.

However, the deduced hexagram was the thirty-ninth hexagram of the Zhou Yi: Water over Mountain, Shangshan Jian!

Water over Mountain, also known as the "Shangshan Jian Hexagram," is one of the four difficult hexagrams in the Zhou Yi.

Its imagery signifies walking barefoot in ice and snow, unable to stop!

This ominous hexagram portends that the seeker will face a situation where every step is difficult, the future is worrying, the righteous path is arduous, and any rash action will bring disaster.

After obtaining this hexagram, Prime Minister He could not help but look up to the heavens and sigh deeply, his expression blank and utterly disappointed.

As a political veteran, he immediately realized this portended that he faced a calamity from which escape would be difficult.

Crushed by the blow, Prime Minister He murmured to himself: "The great trend has passed, the fate is nearly exhausted; I fear I truly cannot escape this calamity."

Prime Minister He paced back and forth restlessly in the temple, his mind turning over past and future.

He realized the Emperor would surely investigate this matter thoroughly; once the He faction was uncovered, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Thinking of this, to avoid implicating the innocent, Prime Minister He decided to destroy all evidence that could expose them.

A little later, he instructed his steward, Ximen Ximen Jiajun, to find all account books, registers, and even IOUs and congratulatory notes within the residence, and then burn them all.

Ximen Ximen Jiajun silently accepted the order. Seeing that Prime Minister He was burdened with worries, he did not dare to ask further and could only advise him to rest early.

When the night was deep and silent, Prime Minister He finally returned to his bedroom.

He collapsed onto the bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep for a long time.

The image of the Emperor flying into a rage and the irreconcilable factional strife in the court floated in his mind.

Prime Minister He's brows were tightly furrowed, his worry evident on his face.

He knew deeply that once this matter was exposed, it would inevitably implicate the innocent.

Thinking of the possible misfortune befalling his subordinates and faction members, Prime Minister He could not help but let out a long sigh.

All night, Prime Minister He remained in a state of anxiety and self-blame.

Not until dawn did the exhausted man manage a short nap, only to be awakened shortly after by a nightmare.

That night, Prime Minister He did not sleep at all.