Chapter 78: Quiet Yet Noisy Night
Winter darkened quickly.
With two beats of the evening drum, nightfall enveloped the capital city.
High walls and deep courtyards blocked the lights inside, making the originally quiet streets and alleys even more silent.
In the silence, shadows swayed.
“Is this the place?”
“Someone saw that man driving a carriage into this alley.”
“Should we check first?”
“What if we alert the snake by beating the grass.”
“Just make a move directly.”
“If there’s no snake, just set a fire and burn this grass.”
“Even under the Son of Heaven, with dry weather, fires are unavoidable.”
Amid the swaying shadows, a figure stepped out.
The long saber in his hand gleamed coldly in the dark night.
“I’ll beat the grass first…”
Accompanied by low voices, the person leaped toward the alley ahead, but before climbing over the wall, a dark gleam shot from the alley, followed by a muffled thud. The figure who had just leaped up to beat the grass was split into two segments, his body falling to the ground before his feet even left it, his head flying up and smashing backward.
One person.
Only one person walked out from the alley.
The night was thick, making it impossible to see the newcomer’s face, only a slender figure visible.
This sudden change froze the shadows; the next moment, the shadows tore apart as more people swung knives and swords and pounced on the newcomer.
The newcomer’s slender figure merged with the sword into one, sweeping out a swath of soft light like an unfolded net.
The pouncing figures were some swept up and slammed into walls, others tossed about with the swirling motion.
Knife and sword flashes sent blood and flesh flying; wherever the net-like sword light passed, it killed with one strike. The dead couldn’t even scream; at the mouth of the dark night alley, there was only muffled noisy.
……
…….
Thud.
Yang Luo, sitting indoors doing calligraphy, paused her brush. She always felt there was some commotion outside.
It seemed like chopping wood, or like chopping meat.
She twitched her nose; there was also a bloody smell…
She looked out the window; nightfall covered the courtyard, the room’s lights cast into the yard, dim yet warm. The courtyard next door was even brighter above.
Over there, the butcher couple had a larger yard due to business, and it was busier at night than during the day.
As the thought flashed, louder thud thud thud sounds came.
Knife chopping meat, bones, cutting board.
Mixed with a woman’s urging voice.
“Hurry up, the fire isn’t hot enough.”
Yang Luo pursed her lips; A Sheng was being used as labor again. At the butcher’s house, it was either chopping wood or tending the fire.
From the room next door came Liu Chan and Senior Brother arguing, interspersed with Liu Changqing’s commentary and explanation; the family was immersed in the classics, ignoring the noise in the night.
Yang Luo took a sip of tea, lowered her head, and continued doing calligraphy.
……
…….
In the dim alley, a figure jumped down from above, but before landing, a knife flew out from the open door.
The newcomer twisted nimbly in midair to dodge the flying knife, but the next moment intense pain came from his leg. His roar only rolled in his throat as another sharp knife pierced his throat.
Tao Hua swiftly wrapped a thick cloth around the newcomer’s neck, staunching the gushing blood, and dragged the lifeless body inside.
The chopping meat sound rang out again.
……
…….
Several figures leaped onto the rooftop, but as an axe flashed by, the figures fell like withered leaves.
Zhang Sheng You’s footsteps followed closely, his tall figure wrapped in cold gleam pouncing down.
Behind the house in the dark night, dull thuds thud thud thud sounded.
…….
…….
The evening drum beats echoed leisurely in the night.
The surging shadows at the alley mouth had been torn apart; seven or eight people lay on the ground as dead still shadows.
And the swift sword light continued to strike relentlessly.
Under the sword light’s reflection, the newcomer was covered in bloodstains, some from others, some his own.
Past this person, the lights at the mansion gate in the alley were peaceful.
Besides them, people sneaking from other directions hadn’t approached that courtyard house either; clearly, there were more hands inside.
There was no grass here at all, all snakes!
“Go.”
Someone low-voiced from the distant shadows.
With the shout, the remaining shadows quickly retreated toward the city.
But the sword light followed like a shadow; with a muffled grunt, the last person was pierced through the heart by the sword. Then the sword was pulled out, and the tumbling figure was stomped flat on the long street.
The figure ahead turned back, looking at the figure flying over stepping on his companion’s corpse; even the dark night couldn’t hide the shocked expression.
“You dare chase after?”
…….
…….
The long sword landed on the stone slab road, ringing lightly in the dark night.
The figure supported by the long sword rolled, dodging a long saber, then his unlanded leg kicked the long saber flying, and the long sword thrust into the throat of the person ahead who had turned to counterattack.
The long saber clattered piercingly on the ground.
The person knelt down too, eyes bulging as he collapsed face-down, blood spreading on the ground.
In the blink of an eye, another chunk was torn from the surging shadows.
It couldn’t even be called shadows anymore; at the street corner ahead, palace lanterns swayed, the dim yellow light elongating the shadows of five people standing on the street.
Four ahead, one behind.
“Why are you running? Didn’t you come to find me?”
This wasn’t a narrow little alley; under the street corner palace lanterns’ light, the gaze was no longer blurred.
The four ahead had black cloths wrapped over their faces, only eyes visible, but the slender figure gripping the long sword now lifted her head, revealing her face.
The four’s gazes instinctively followed the words, instantly freezing.
“It’s you—”
“You’re the one—”
They cried out in low voices.
As expected, Mo Zheng reached up to touch her face, bloodstains from her hand smearing her cheek.
These people had seen her face beneath the makeup powder disguise.
“That’s right, I’m the one you’re looking for.” Mo Zheng said, “Who sent you to kill me?”
The four didn’t speak, eyes flickering; their fleeing postures changed.
Tonight they had failed completely, but now they had actually flushed out the real snake—this was great merit.
“Come with us, and you’ll see who it is.” One of them said.
Mo Zheng’s wrist turned slightly, not answering, but continued: “Jiang Wangchun was also killed by you, right?”
The four seemed to laugh.
“So what if it was?” One said.
Mo Zheng said: “That’s enough; I don’t need to go with you, I just need to kill you here—”
At this point, a smile appeared on her pale bloodstained face; her hand shook slightly, and on the dim street, the four only saw their eyes blur as the single sword became two swords.
Two swords, blades thinner and trembling slightly, buzzing; the next moment, the twin swords turned to streams of light encircling the four.
“Kill her—”
Accompanied by clanging weapon clashes, sparks flew on the long street.
…….
…….
The last evening drum faded from the ears as the patrolling soldiers’ leader, urging his horse forward, suddenly frowned.
“What sound?”
With his words, the soldiers behind all looked toward one direction.
Over there, the palace lantern at the head of the long street swayed and flickered.
…….
…….
Frantic footsteps echoed on the long street.
The black cloth on the man’s face had fallen off; half his face torn open by a sword blade, hideous and terrifying.
But he wasn’t dead yet.
He didn’t want to die either.
Footsteps thudded in his ears; brighter firelight appeared in his sight—that was torches.
The patrolling soldiers were coming!
At the same time, coldness closed in from behind; the man instinctively lunged forward, dodging the fatal strike, but the long sword spun and pierced his arm.
The man fell to the ground with a cry of pain, looking up at the youth bending over like an eagle or hawk.
“If you want me dead, you won’t live either.” The man roared, using his remaining strength not to resist the sword aiming for his throat, but throwing his head back to shout, “Help! Mo—”
But as his voice started, the eagle or hawk above let out a sharp cry too.
“Help—”
The man’s eyes bulged again.
Actually calling the soldiers? This previous dynasty prince had gone mad.
Earlier in the alley, they had all aimed straight for heart and throat, killing instantly without sound to avoid alerting the soldiers.
They needed to hide their identities; this previous dynasty remnant was even more unfit to be seen.
And, wait, that cry…
It was a female voice!
The man looked at the eagle or hawk above; a smile appeared on the bloodied face, then long hair fell loose.
“Not only do I dare call the soldiers.” The female voice was gentle, “I also dare to murder right in front of the soldiers.”
With a puff, falling with the long hair was also a long sword.
The long sword pierced the man’s throat.
