bullyxtreme Chapter 138 Sending a Message
Chapter 138 Sending a Message
at the same time,
In the southeast corner of the imperial city, in a seemingly ordinary but actually tightly controlled independent courtyard by spies from the northern border, the atmosphere was equally heavy.
This place is not far from Yingbinyi Post Station and is Xu Longxiang's temporary residence during his trip to Beijing.
The courtyard is small, but it is in a secluded location with exits at both the front and back, making it easy to guard and evacuate.
Only one lamp was lit in the main hall, making the light dim.
Xu Longxiang sat in the main seat on a rosewood chair, still wearing the same black python robe, but he had removed the jade belt, and the collar was slightly open, revealing his cold and hard jawline.
His back was ramrod straight, like a sharp sword sheathed in its sheath, radiating an invisible sharpness even when he was resting.
There were three people standing in front of him.
Sikong Xuan stood with his hands at his sides in front of him, his gray robe looking particularly worn in the dim light.
But his deep-set eyes still held a sharp, eagle-like gaze, now filled with undisguised worry.
The black raven was hidden in the darker shadows, almost blending into the darkness, with only its occasionally turning eyes reflecting a glimmer of light, just like a real night raven.
Fan Li stood at the edge of the lamplight, unconsciously toying with the white jade chess piece he always carried with him, his brows slightly furrowed, clearly deep in thought.
"Over at the Ink Mirage's place,"
Xu Longxiang spoke, breaking the silence in the room.
"Any news yet?"
His gaze fell on the black raven in the shadows.
Mo Ya's figure seemed to move slightly, and a hoarse voice, like the friction of sand and gravel, rang out, carrying an unusual solemnity and hesitation: "Your Highness, not yet."
"not yet?"
Xu Longxiang repeated, his tone not fluctuating much, but the fingers gripping the armrest of the chair tightened almost imperceptibly.
The temperature inside the hall seemed to drop several degrees instantly.
Mo Shen was his confidant and one of the most mysterious and reliable assassins in the North.
The mission was simple and clear: to assassinate two civilians who had no martial arts skills.
Based on Mo Shen's modus operandi, regardless of success or failure, news would surely arrive within a few days.
It has been many days since he set off, and there has been no news of him at all, which is definitely not normal.
An ominous premonition, like a cold, venomous snake, quietly coiled around Xu Longxiang's heart.
He forced himself to remain calm and continued to press, his voice growing deeper: "What about the target? Chen Feng and his wife, are they dead?"
This is the core of the Ink Mirage mission.
To silence them, to cut off any possible source of clues about Jiang Qingxue's background.
Mo Ya lowered his head even further, the shadows almost completely engulfing him:
"It's still uncertain. The residence where Chen Feng and his wife are staying is under tight guard by Qin Mu's Dragon Shadow Guards, and our people cannot get close to investigate. However... according to observations from the outside, Chen Feng and his wife do not seem to be making any obvious moves, nor have they held any funerals."
"In other words,"
Fan Li continued, his voice cold and analytical, "Chen Feng and his wife might still be alive, but Mo Shen... perhaps he failed, or perhaps he's already..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear.
Xu Longxiang remained silent for a moment.
The dim light danced across his face, outlining his taut jawline and the dark emotions churning in his eyes.
A slip-up?
Captured?
Or...worse?
He knew about Mo Shen's skills and stealth abilities; he was virtually unmatched below the Celestial Phenomenon Realm.
The only thing that could cause him to fail or even be unable to send back a message is a more powerful force, or... a more sophisticated trap.
Dragon Shadow Guard.
The mysterious and powerful force beside Qin Mu.
And then there's that unfathomable "Land Immortal" hidden behind Qin Mu.
Did Qin Mu anticipate that he would send someone to silence him?
Had they already set up a trap? If even Mo Shen has fallen, then Qin Mu's understanding of Qing Xue's background and his control over the Xu family's movements are probably far beyond his expectations.
"We need to confirm this as soon as possible."
Xu Longxiang finally spoke, his voice regaining its composure, but beneath that composure lay a deeper chill.
"I want to see him alive or dead. I need to know the whereabouts of Mo Shen, and the fate of Chen Feng and his wife."
"Yes, I understand."
Mo Ya bowed, his voice low, "We have dispatched our most skilled stealth and reconnaissance personnel, sparing no expense, to find out the truth."
Xu Longxiang nodded and waved.
The black crow retreated silently into the darkness like a ghost and disappeared.
Fan Li nodded slightly and withdrew. He needed to reassess the layout and countermeasures within the imperial city.
Only Xu Longxiang and Sikong Xuan remained in the hall.
The candlelight crackled and burst into a small flame, casting flickering light on Sikong Xuan's aged face.
"Your Highness," Sikong Xuan said in a low voice, his voice filled with deep worry, "the grand ceremony tomorrow... are you really going?"
Xu Longxiang did not answer immediately.
He slowly stood up, walked to the window, and pushed it open a crack.
The autumn night wind carried the cool air unique to the imperial city, a mixture of various scents, and blew in, ruffling the wisps of hair on his forehead.
He looked out the window.
The night was deep, and the stars were sparse. In the distance, towards the palace, patches of lights still shone brightly, like the open eyes of a giant beast lurking in the darkness.
Inside, there were magnificent palaces, heavily guarded palaces, and the emperor he hated to the core.
There are also... the two most important women in his life, who are now causing him the most heartache.
One of them is Jiang Qingxue, his childhood sweetheart who once swore to protect him for life, but whom he personally sent into the deep palace and is now forced to submit to his affections.
The other is his elder sister, Xu Fenghua, whom he revered like a god and who had planned for him for half her life. Now, she has been forcibly taken by that tyrannical emperor in public and will become a concubine tomorrow, adorned in a phoenix coronet and wedding gown.
They were all there. In that magnificent, yet ruthless, prison.
But he could only stand here, separated by layers of palace walls, feeling a heart-wrenching sense of powerlessness and anxiety.
"I'm going." Xu Longxiang's voice was soft, yet exceptionally firm, like steel that had been tempered in fire. "Of course I'm going."
He has to go.
He wanted to see with his own eyes how Qin Mu trampled on the dignity of the Xu family, and how he treated his sister and Qingxue as playthings and bargaining chips, showing them to the world.
He wanted to imprint this humiliation and hatred deeply and profoundly on the depths of his soul.
This will become the most primal and powerful driving force for all his future actions.
"Not only do we need to go see it," he continued, his eyes flashing with a cold light as sharp as ice blades.
"I also need to offer my congratulations, show gratitude, and make Qin Mu feel that I, the heir of the Northern Territory, have accepted my fate and submitted."
He turned around and looked at Sikong Xuan, his face expressionless, but deep within his dark brown eyes surged magma powerful enough to incinerate everything.
"Mr. Sikong, the word 'patience' carries a knife above it. This knife currently hangs over my heart. But one day..."
He paused, then spoke slowly and deliberately, his voice as cold as the unyielding ice of the Northern Frontier, "I will personally plunge this knife into Qin Mu's heart."
Looking at the young man he had watched grow up, and seeing the almost destructive determination and the extreme pain in his eyes, Sikong Xuan felt a complex mix of emotions.
There is regret, there is worry, and even more so, there is a sense of awe as one witnesses a fledgling eagle honing its claws in a storm.
He knew that Xu Longxiang would be completely transformed after this incident.
That youthful, perhaps still somewhat naive, sharp edge will be honed into the cold, hard killing intent that truly belongs to a ruthless leader.
"This old minister understands."
Sikong Xuan bowed deeply. "This old minister will arrange everything. Tomorrow's ceremony, three thousand iron cavalrymen in civilian clothes have arrived at their designated positions. Our men will also be on high alert within the imperial city."
Xu Longxiang nodded and turned his gaze back to the direction of the palace outside the window.
The night grew even darker, like a giant black velvet cloth, quietly concealing all the conspiracies, schemes, pain, and waiting.
........
The hour of Xu (7-9 PM) had passed, and the Yuxiu Palace was deathly silent.
Jiang Qingxue sat alone in the side hall on the west side of the bedroom. On the rosewood table in front of her was an open copy of the Book of Songs, the pages yellowed and the ink old.
The candlelight flickered on her pale face, making her usually cold eyes appear even more empty.
Her fingers unconsciously traced the words "Guan Guan cry the ospreys, on the islet in the river" on the page, but her thoughts had already drifted far away.
Outside the window, the chirping of autumn insects was intermittent, which only made the silence inside the hall seem even more eerily quiet.
Jiang Qingxue slowly raised her head, her gaze sweeping over the tightly closed palace doors.
The two palace maids guarding the door were newly replaced by Qin Mu three days ago; one was named Chunlan and the other Xiazhu.
Both of them were only fifteen or sixteen years old, with youthful faces, but their eyes revealed a wariness that was inconsistent with their age.
They are members of the Dragon Shadow Guard.
Jiang Qingxue was almost certain.
Since Mo Shen died at Chen Feng and his wife's place, the guards at Yuxiu Palace have suddenly become much tighter.
The palace gates, which were originally only closed at night, are now guarded by dedicated personnel day and night.
She had to be reported to at every level before she could enter or leave the palace. Even when she went to the Imperial Garden to admire the flowers, she was always followed by at least four palace maids and two eunuchs.
Tonight, this surveillance has reached an unprecedented level.
In the evening, Jiang Qingxue requested that the imperial physician come to examine her pulse, citing "chest tightness and shortness of breath".
This was a common privilege for imperial concubines, but the palace maid Chunlan respectfully and resolutely refused:
"Your Majesty, tomorrow is the grand ceremony. His Majesty has decreed that all the ladies of the palace must rest quietly tonight and not be disturbed. If Your Majesty is truly unwell, this servant may fetch some calming tea."
Even the imperial physicians could not be summoned.
She later tried to write a letter home, claiming she missed her family, and had it sent out of the palace. Xia Zhu immediately knelt down:
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. His Majesty has decreed that for three days before the ceremony, the ladies of the palace are not allowed to communicate with the outside world. You may write after the ceremony."
All the roads were blocked.
Jiang Qingxue slowly closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
She could feel an invisible net tightening around her.
but……
She has to spread the word.
Xu Longxiang must know Mo Shen's whereabouts; in fact, the fact that he doesn't know Mo Shen's whereabouts is the most important piece of information.
Mo Shen was Xu Longxiang's top assassin. If even he disappeared without a trace, what does that mean?
This means that the forces around Qin Mu are far greater than imagined, and that all of Xu Longxiang's plans may have already been exposed to the other side.
This warning must be sent out.
Otherwise, tomorrow's ceremony, the day after, and all future plans could become a tragic trap.
Jiang Qingxue's fingers quietly clenched under the table.
She has one last card.
A card that even Qin Mu didn't know about.
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