Chapter 513: Errand

Chapter 513: The Errand

Crimson blood and assorted organs flew through the air, and even that high-tossed heart was still beating at this very moment, as though Dong Zhongshou, cleaved into two halves, remained alive for this fleeting instant.

The headless Peng Longteng leaned her torso back, using the heavy armor upon her frame to welcome the things falling from the heavens.

And the skin-clad jawbone was clutched in her hand, slowly tightening within those broad palms and beginning to be finely ground, until it ultimately turned to bone dust within her grasp.

Peng Longteng’s body trembled with uncontrollable ecstasy; slaughter, she craved slaughter far too intensely, yearning to kill those living, breathing people one by one with her own hands.

Heaven only knew how long she had dreamed of this precise moment, and today she had finally indulged her craving to her heart's content.

"Thud!" A spiked mace smashed heavily against Peng Longteng's heavy armor, emitting a dull thud, yet Peng Longteng felt no wrath but only joy, charging excitedly toward those who were rushing to slay her.

These appeared to be the retainers of the Dong family seeking vengeance for their master, but in Peng Longteng's eyes at this moment, they were merely playthings for enjoying the slaughter.

The outcome seemed entirely predestined; a master of the military school who possessed no fatal acupuncture points was nigh impossible to defeat.

Originally, the others seemed inclined to send their own retainers to assist, but once Li Huowang joined the fray and they witnessed his prowess, everyone instantly fell entirely still.

After the span of an incense stick, save for a few more corpses upon the ground, the entirety of the clamorous courtyard fell back into silence.

Li Huowang walked slowly before the towering shadow of Peng Longteng, looking down upon everyone present, these so-called direct lineages of Ji Lin.

They stood now behind the layered protection of their guards, everyone looking at the red-robed Daoist before them with faces full of terror and suspicion; many of them had already gathered together, while others had already departed at some unknown point.

"Before I arrived, someone wanted to kill me, so I used a few little methods to wring some information out of their mouths." As Li Huowang spoke, he patted his bag of torture instruments.

"And guess what I found out? I discovered that during all this time, those who died were actually entirely minor pawns; not a single one of the nine contending for the dragon throne has perished. I realize that whether it is you or them, everyone has miscalculated, and miscalculated utterly!"

"This time is no ordinary political shift. Put away your old ways; there is no need for political compromises here, nor any pulling of interests! Nor is there any need for diplomatic maneuvering! What is needed is killing! What is needed is the refinement of Gu! Except for the one upon the imperial throne!! Everyone else must die! Not a single one shall be left!"

There was another sentence that Li Huowang kept stifled in his heart and did not speak aloud; this was the ironclad rule established by the late emperor within the imperial temple, with absolutely no room for modification.

"So when someone threatens the life of His Majesty, what do you think His Majesty wishes for us to do? He certainly does not want to consider who his allies are, nor any matters of relations; our purpose is to kill them all!!"

Li Huowang raised a single foot and brought it down heavily, stamping the half-shattered head beside his foot directly into splinters.

After a brief, oppressive span of a cup of tea, that previous smooth-faced diplomat stood up with a deathly pale countenance, his finger trembling violently as he pointed toward Li Huowang.

"My senior brother rendered tremendous services for His Majesty! He was an indispensable and vital minister by His Majesty's side, yet you dare to kill him! His Majesty will not let you off!"

"No, His Majesty will not trouble me over such a trivial matter, because what His Majesty requires is someone to help him clear obstacles and aid his ascension. Since your senior brother failed to eliminate a single opponent, he holds absolutely no value to His Majesty."

Peng Longteng behind Li Huowang had vanished into thin air at some unknown moment, and he lifted his foot to walk back toward his seat.

Reaching out to grab the roasted goose upon the table, Li Huowang spoke as if talking to himself: "Your Majesty, if you continue to dally so sluggishly, then your spiritual abomination will have been consumed in vain, so it is high time to get serious."

"To you, I am a sword, a very sharp sword, so do not leave the sword's gleam unused."

Under the watch of everyone present, Li Huowang left the estate directly; as for whether there were Ji Lin's spies in the courtyard, Li Huowang did not know, but he was certain that the words he left behind would surely reach Ji Lin's ears.

Sure enough, on the morning of the following day, Li Huowang received a verbal imperial edict brought by an elderly eunuch.

The imperial edict contained no other content, merely recording a piece of information: tomorrow afternoon, the Empress Dowager would leave the city to worship the Bodhisattva at Putan Temple, accompanied by Princess Changning.

"So His Majesty wants me to kill Princess Changning right under the Empress Dowager's nose?" Li Huowang asked the elderly eunuch before him.

That elderly eunuch shook his head without sorrow or joy, and began to recount a brief story as though making idle conversation.

"As fellow children, ordinary families cannot even hold a bowl of water perfectly level, let alone the imperial family. The Empress Dowager gave birth to three sons and one daughter in her lifetime, yet she uniquely dotes upon the Fourth Prince, and her affection for His Majesty has been far thinner since childhood."

"When His Majesty was young, the late emperor was not yet on the throne. Back in the Prince Heng Estate, every winter, the charcoal money His Majesty received was less than the others, so His Majesty has hated winter from childhood to adulthood."

Hearing this, Li Huowang nodded and instantly understood the other's meaning; it seemed Ji Lin's spiritual abomination had indeed not been consumed in vain, for this was a request to have him wipe out both his biological elder sister and his biological mother in one fell swoop.

The Empress Dowager naturally could not contend for the imperial throne, so looking at it this way, the Empress Dowager likely felt her own son Ji Lin had no chance and had placed her bet upon her other son.

After the elderly eunuch finished speaking, he looked toward Li Huowang with a meaningful smile on his face, using the gold-threaded whisk in his hand to tap gently against Li Huowang's body.

"The Eldest Princess's enshrinement possesses several skilled hands. Since you say you are a fine sword that cuts through iron as if it were mud, then this old servant would like to see just how fast your sword truly is."

"Eunuch, as long as a sword is ground sharp, it is naturally fast. However, I am a man who likes neither fame nor fortune, yet troubles happen to abound around me; I only hope that when I encounter certain troubles in the future, friends who owe me favors can offer some assistance."

"Oh my, the work has not even been done yet, and you are already bargaining? Finish the work first before speaking of it."

Li Huowang watched this elderly eunuch gradually walk out of his courtyard and suddenly vanish on the spot without any omen.

"It seems that by Ji Lin's side, there are not only those useless fools..." Li Huowang murmured thoughtfully.

Among those eunuchs within the palace, there truly were many existences of no small strength; how then should he utilize them, turning them into a force to confront the Dice?

"Dad, why can't I understand the words you are saying?" Li Sui, who was gnawing on the roasted goose nearby, opened her mouth to ask.

"There is no need for you to understand. Is the roasted goose delicious?"

"Delicious."

"As long as it is delicious. When you are done eating, pour out the water in the water vat, fill it with soil, and help me move it to the bedroom."

Li Huowang rummaged through the carriage for a moment, cautiously bringing out an iron box; the entire iron box was tightly sealed without a single gap, and the minute crevices were further stuffed full of wax, as though fearing the thing inside might escape.

(End of Chapter)

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