The Empress's First Running Dog

Chapter 540 Assassination, City-wide Manhunt (5k)

Three days?
Zhao Duan nodded calmly: "Okay, I will send someone to contact you later and give you the letter that needs to be delivered."

This sentence hides a message, that is, Zhao Duan has already figured out where Feng Xiaolian is staying.

Feng Xiaolian, a veteran of the entertainment industry, was not surprised and could not help but say:

"Commander-in-chief, I will do my best to handle this matter to show the sincerity of the Huai Palace, but I still want to take the liberty to remind you that if you want to instigate Zhao Shixiong to rebel, I'm afraid it's not a good choice, and it's easy to get yourself killed."

Zhao Duan looked indifferent and glanced at him: "Are you teaching me how to do things?"

Oops, this line seems to be used a bit too often...

Feng Xiaolian smiled, shut up tactfully, and then pretended to exchange pleasantries before leaving and continuing to roam around the brothel.

Zhao Duan was not in a hurry to leave. He continued to listen to music and drink.

After three rounds of drinks, he left before Wang Qi arrived, and then walked around the city a few times to make sure he got rid of all the tails. He walked into a hidden alley, took out a palm-sized silver scroll, and shook it gently.

With a "rustle", the prepared clothes fell to the ground. He quickly changed his outer clothes, wiped his face with his right hand, activated the mask named "Jiuyi", and changed into a completely new look again.

At this moment, the sun was setting and the sky was turning dark again. When Zhao Duan walked out of the alley, he saw wisps of smoke rising from the cooking fires under the dark sky, taller than those of the men in Sichuan and Chongqing in his previous life.

There was murderous intent in Zhao Duan's eyes as he walked towards the place he had scouted earlier. He decided to hunt down Wang Qi tonight.

In the past, Qianhuan God of Kuangfu Society once lurked in the capital and assassinated court generals. Zhao Duan followed suit today.

"It's time to create some chaos."

……

The night is getting darker.

After nightfall, Yongjia City will gradually enter a state of martial law and curfew, and only very few people will be allowed to walk at night.

Among them naturally was the Grand Military Inspector Wang Qi.

Xu hour and three quarters.

In the brightly lit Yunshao Courtyard, the sounds of stringed instruments, obscene words and lascivious talk continued as usual.

Surrounded by guards, the pot-bellied Wang Qi walked out of the main gate and stepped into the carriage outside.

Then, the carriage, protected by soldiers in armored uniforms, returned to the military camp along the deserted streets.

Although Wang Qi was lustful and indulged in brothels, he seldom stayed overnight outside. He left the brothels on time at 13:30 p.m. every night. His movements were unusually regular, as if they were specially prepared for assassins.

However, tonight his eyelids kept twitching and he felt vaguely uneasy.

"Didn't I sleep well?" Wang Qi thought to himself, leaning back in the car and closing his eyes to take a nap.

At the same time, beyond a street corner on the route he had to pass, in a five-story restaurant further away.

Zhao Duan sat silently on the tiles, cross-legged and looking at the moon in the sky which was covered by clouds.

There was a small hourglass next to him. At this moment, the last grain of sand fell and the time was up.

Zhao Duan stood up like a civet cat, turned around and walked to the top of the roof. He looked up, his sight passed over the streets and rooftops, and fell on a convoy that was slowly moving on a main road in the distance.

The curfew meant that there were no outsiders in the city to interfere, making it easy to lock on to the target.

"It's up to you." Zhao Duan murmured, stroking an old mysterious bow in his hand. The bow was made of wood and was as light as a feather. The words "Taibu" were engraved on it in ancient characters.

Taibu bow!
The weapons left behind by Lu Tong after his death!
Nie Yurong reminded that they should not get close to Wang Qi, so Zhao Duan will use this weapon to carry out a long-range sniper attack tonight.

He took out an arrow from the quiver, bent the bow and put the arrow on it, and wisps of energy flowed from his fingertips into the bowstring.

Strands of Qi were drawn out, and mottled spots of light were emitted one after another. As the bow was bent, an illusory arrow was condensed.

The illusory arrow merged into one with the real iron arrow.

The sound of wind echoed in Zhao Duan's ears, mixed with the whimpering of ancient tree branches being blown by the wind, like a whisper.

His eyes were fixed on the approaching carriage, knowing that if he fired the arrow, it would hit the target.

However, not to mention Wang Qi's trump card, the guards beside him alone would be able to intercept the arrow first and greatly weaken its power.

That was why he did not immediately think of using the Taibu bow to kill.

It was not until the Great Dream Scroll that I got inspiration from Pei Niannu [Silver Armor Version].

"How can a warrior snipe an enemy from a long distance?"

Zhao Duan suddenly raised the longbow, pointed the arrow towards the sky, and shot out with a whoosh!
The arrow was wrapped in white turbulence and flew towards the night sky, seemingly "a thousand miles away" from its target.

However, the Taibu bow has the property of "must hit", so even if the arrow is shot off target, it will adjust itself and lock onto Wang Qi again.

But in this way, because of the long detour, the arrow will take longer to reach Wang Qi.

And this is exactly what Zhao Duan needs.

Without stopping, he kept pulling out arrows from the quiver at his feet and shooting them frequently.

But every time he shot an arrow, he would adjust the "deviation" angle.

Zhao Duan closed his eyes and recalled what Pei Niannu said in his dream when she made a bow and arrow out of bamboo and demonstrated it to him.

He whispered softly:
"All fear stems from lack of firepower."

"This arrow will kill you."

……

On the long street, the moonlight was as cold as water.

At this moment, the wind was blowing and the clouds were moving. The moonlight was briefly blocked by the clouds. Wang Qi's team turned a corner.

Suddenly, the ears of several strong soldiers near the carriage moved at the same time, and they all looked in a certain direction in the distance, subconsciously drew their swords and shouted:

"There are assassins!"

As the words fell, everyone heard a sharp and low howl.

Above the residential houses under the cover of night, an arrow tore through the air flow, its tail feathers trembling, and came whistling, its target firmly locked onto the carriage.

"Protect your lord!"

A military guard jumped out boldly, his whole body covered with strong energy, and slashed out with the sword in his hand, wrapped in wind and thunder.

However, when the collision occurred, his arm holding the knife felt as if it had been electrocuted, numb and painful. His face changed, and he realized that the assassin's skills were very high. Even the aura attached to the arrow was so fierce.

"The strongest man in the world!"

But fortunately, it was finally blocked...

"here we go again!"

Before the soldiers could catch their breath, one sound of breaking air after another rang out almost simultaneously. At this moment, many arrows attacked from all directions in the night at the same time.

The ordinary soldiers beside the car surrounded it, but had no time to react. Only a few Shenzhang officers joined forces to try to stop the arrows with powerful kinetic energy.

Some ordinary soldiers were unable to dodge and were pierced through the chest by the deflected arrows. Blood spurted out and they died instantly.

Wang Qi in the carriage opened his eyes the moment he was attacked and said inwardly:
"You're the one I've been waiting for!"

There was a blue and white porcelain bowl in his right hand. Without hesitation, he threw the bowl to the ground after hearing the word "world".

"Snapped!"

The old porcelain bowl shattered, and the clear water inside spread out to form a huge puddle at his feet!
At the same time, with Wang Qi as the center, a green "light wall" suddenly spread out in the air. In the blink of an eye, it spread in all directions and covered an area of ​​ten feet around!
If you look down from the sky, the street corner, along with the entire army, is suddenly covered upside down by a huge, several-story-high, illusory "blue and white porcelain bowl"!
It was as if a barrier was created to isolate this place.

At the same time, Wang Qi took a step and stepped into the puddle of water under his feet.

The last time this ancient talisman appeared in public was about six hundred years ago, and was called the "Blue and White Cage".

Before the internal mana is exhausted, mortals can also use it. Once it is broken, a formation cage that can trap the world will be constructed around it.

Before it dissipates, people inside cannot get out, and people outside cannot get in.

Wang Qi can use the water in the bowl to leave the cage and teleport to a place about a hundred meters away!

This is the reason why he dares to go fishing. Even if a strong man from the world comes, the guards outside can stop him a little, giving him enough time to smash the porcelain bowl.

Any assassin will be trapped in this cage and caught in a jar.

However, the foolproof trap eventually had a flaw. Zhao Duan had neither stepped into the cage nor planned to "fail".

At this moment, under the cover of the rest of the arrows, the first arrow he shot circled in the air, and with a "puff" sound, pierced into the wooden board of the carriage, accurately piercing Wang Qi's back!

Just for the sake of concealment, this arrow has the least amount of energy attached to it, but for a civil servant, it is deadly enough!

"Ah!" Wang Qi screamed and fell down, but his boots sank into the water under his feet. Ripples appeared and his whole body disappeared into the carriage. The water on the ground quickly dried up.

At the same time, the seriously injured Wang Qi suddenly appeared in a nearby alley. His face was pale, and he covered his bleeding lower back with both hands. He left the guards behind him and tried his best to escape into the depths of the building.

Trying to find a way to survive by taking advantage of the complexity of architecture.

After Zhao Duan shot the arrow, he calmly retracted the Taibu bow and took out a palm-sized, simple small mirror.

[The Mirror of Romance]!
This was a talisman he had acquired a long time ago. Because it was practical enough, he did not feed it to the Red Flame Holy Armor.

At this moment, he recalled Wang Qi's appearance in his mind. Ripples appeared on the mirror, and an alley slowly appeared, as well as Wang Qi who was staggering and fleeing in panic.

"Not dead yet? Then I'll send you off with my own hands." Zhao Duan looked at the extremely eye-catching inverted blue and white porcelain bowl-shaped barrier and realized that Wang Qi's backup plan had been used.

He leaped like a ghost and ran between roofs and houses.

At some point, a sword flashing with cold light appeared in his right hand.

"Who is it?!" At this time, the noise here had attracted the rebels patrolling nearby. Some soldiers raised their spears and shouted loudly.

Zhao Duan landed gently on the ground, his figure moved past like a ghost, the sword energy flashed, and a group of corpses fell on the ground.

As long as he is not surrounded by a large group of soldiers in a military formation, these few people are no different from chickens and dogs to him now.

Soon, Wang Qi, who was running in panic, suddenly stopped. He held the wall with one hand and stared at a figure appearing in the depths of the dark alley.

At this moment, the moonlight was pouring down, and Zhao Duan approached leisurely.

Wang Qi looked fierce but was actually weak: "The military experts will be here soon, you can't escape..."

rub!
A flash of knife light flashed by, and Wang Qi fell to the ground in disbelief, blood gushing from his neck, and he was no longer alive.

Zhao Duan shook his wrist, and the blood on the tip of the knife left a straight line on the wall.

"I originally wanted to arrest you and interrogate you, but since you made such a big noise, it will soon attract experts, so I have no choice but to kill you."

Zhao Duan sheathed his sword, without even looking at Wang Qi, and quickly disappeared into the night.

"It's time for Song Jinxi and the others to take action now."

……

Just as Wang Qi said, the noise caused by the blue and white porcelain bowl was enough to attract the attention of the strong men in the city.

Not long after, a large number of cavalrymen rushed onto the quiet street, each holding a torch, lighting up the entire street.

"General!"

The officer trapped in the barrier saw the cavalry outside disperse, and a middle-aged man who was not tall, even a little short, walked out like a moon surrounded by stars.

Zhao Shixiong was on his horse, still in his pajamas. He seemed to have fallen asleep and was awakened suddenly.

He had a blank expression on his face. Suddenly, he grabbed the air with his right hand. Then, he lowered his wrist. Ripples appeared in the night sky, and a large Guandao was pulled out from the void by him.

The long sword chopped in the air!
The huge blue and white bowl that covered the entire street corner cracked, and spider-web-like cracks appeared, and pieces withered away.

The magic array that could trap the secular world couldn't even withstand one blow from him!

Inside the carriage, the blue and white porcelain bowl that had been broken into pieces pieced itself together and returned to its original state, but there was no water in the bowl, which meant that the magical power within it had been temporarily used up.

"Search!"

Zhao Shixiong spat out this word coldly.

Immediately, the iron cavalrymen turned into a steel torrent, flowing in all directions.

Soon, someone reported: "General, we found Wang Qi's body!"

He's dead... Zhao Shixiong's heart sank, and he quickly came to the alley. In the light of the torch, he saw Wang Qi lying on the ground in a pool of blood, with his eyes open.

A guard checked it out, stood up and reported:
"General, Supervisor Wang Qi died from a slit throat, but was severely wounded by an arrow first."

It was hard to tell what Zhao Shixiong was feeling, as he suddenly raised the Guandao in his hand high up.

At this moment, rolling scarlet energy infused the blade, and engraved runes appeared on the Guandao, which also had a distinguished origin. The blade spit out crimson flames, covering the entire alley.

Then, in the crimson light, first a Wang Qi appeared, holding onto the wall and running hastily, and then a young man with a knife appeared.

Obviously, the knife in Zhao Shixiong's hand is not just an ordinary weapon, but also contains some magic.

It can actually "restore" the scene that happened here not long ago.

"Is he the assassin?" Zhao Shixiong stared at the illusory Zhao Duan in the crimson light.

He had no impression of his disguised face, but when he caught a glimpse of the knife, his gaze narrowed slightly, and a strange color flashed across his eyes:

"Is it him? That Zhao Duan?"

He laughed:
"How dare you hide in the city and kill people right under my nose..."

A guard came back from outside the alley and reported:

"General, we haven't found any trace of the assassin nearby. He must have run far away."

Zhao Shixiong nodded and was about to speak when he suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves approaching from outside the alley.

When everyone looked over, they saw a tall, fair-skinned woman, about thirty or forty years old, with a curvy figure and a long sword on her back, leaping from the back of a sturdy horse.

Also wearing pajamas, he hurried out.

"lady!"

A group of guards immediately lowered their eyes and did not dare to look up.

"Gongsun?" Zhao Shixiong frowned and looked at the woman: "What happened?"

The woman named Gongsun, who was born in the underworld Gongsun clan, frowned and glanced at Wang Qi's body on the ground before saying:
"Not only Wang Qi, but other military supervisors in the army were also assassinated. We haven't counted the casualties yet, but the number of people who have received the news should be no less than five."

Zhao Shixiong laughed, threw away his Guandao, and ordered murderously:
"Order! First thing to do is to check all suspicious people who appeared in the nearby five streets today.

Second, investigate Wang Qi’s whereabouts in the past ten days, as well as all the people who knew that he was carrying a blue and white cage.

Third, start with the attacked military supervisors to find out who is investigating them recently, and...what unusual things have happened in the city recently. Nothing worth noting should be missed!
Fourth...city-wide search!
In the past fifteen days, all strange faces and outsiders who have appeared in the city must be checked!

There is no need to compare the portraits. The other party will change his appearance, but he is definitely a man, and the focus is on checking young men... Also, contact Xiu Yizhizhi and inform the prince that Zhao Duan may have sneaked into the city! "

Gongsun, who was tall and plump, and dressed in a tuxedo, was stunned for a moment.

Zhao Duan?
The unmarried husband chosen by the empress? The cruel, cunning and treacherous minister nicknamed "King Zhao" who was the commander-in-chief of the rebellion? !
Was it him who did it?

Gongsun's face became serious, and he nodded, "I'll make the arrangements."

Zhao Shixiong stared at the corpse on the ground with an unchanging smile:

"I am actually very interested in this young man from my family named Zhao. If we can eliminate this traitor, it will definitely help me win the second half of the throne."

My husband, do you think so highly of that treacherous minister?

Gongsun was slightly surprised.

……

……

That night, with the issuance of Zhao Shixiong's military order, the entire Yongjia city was shaken.

Groups of rebels holding torches ran through the streets and alleys of the city with murderous intent, searching for any suspicious persons overnight.

On the streets, the tranquility of the curfew was broken, and the people hiding in their homes could only hear the orderly footsteps outside and the metallic sound of iron hooves hitting blue bricks as war horses galloped.

There was a chill.

A similar scene had only happened before, when Zhao Shixiong led his troops into the city and accepted the surrender without bloodshed.

Recently, an assassination operation carried out by Zhao Duan and a small group of shadow guards has once again plunged the entire city into a solemn atmosphere, as if winter had arrived early.

Zhao Shixiong took Wang Qi's body back to the government office, which was also the "combat command center."

After succeeding, Song Jinxi and other shadow guards quickly went into hiding, trying their best to cut off all traces that could lead to them.

And most of the people are still ignorant of what happened.

Zhao Duan changed back into the appearance and clothes of "Dong Ping", returned to Hongni Lane in the dark, entered the room, lit the candles, and started to boil water to prepare for a bath.

On the table were a sword and a bow.

His operation tonight went relatively smoothly, but the situation of Song Jinxi and others was still unclear, so he needed to wait for more news.

However, it can be imagined that Zhao Shixiong will react soon.

Taking into account the recent big moves of Yexiangmen, Zhao Duan is very clear that neither he nor Song Jinxi and others can hide for too long and will eventually be found out.

"However, it is not easy to find us in a city with a population of hundreds of thousands. Therefore, as long as we don't expose ourselves, it will be fine to hide for a while."

Zhao Duan was thinking, he was thinking about how to use Feng Xiaolian's connection to contact Zhao Shixiong.

To carry out his own plan.

Suddenly, his ears moved, and he raised his hand to collect the bow and arrow and the sword on the table.

Then, there were footsteps outside the door and the sound of a door opening with a creak.

The door was pushed open, and the girl Du Shishi, holding a small lantern, looked at Zhao Duan who was washing his feet.

"Miss Du, is there something wrong?" Zhao Duan frowned. "It's not appropriate to break into a strange man's bedroom without knocking at the door in the middle of the night."

Du Shishi stared at him suspiciously, "You just came back?"

Zhao Duan smiled: "I came back early."

"Really?" Du Shishi stared at him dimly, "But when I came here before, I found that you were not there."

(End of this chapter)