Un corazón puro en una vasija de jade

Capítulo 44

Yongye was seething with hatred. It was clearly Youligu who deliberately let him leave clues, and now he was pretending to be kind? But he smiled and said, "It is an honor for Xinghun to be able to keep such an important figure in check for the valley."

He successfully saw Li Yannian's back stiffen. He hadn't guessed wrong; Youli Valley wanted him to go against Feng Yangxi. If he couldn't beat him, he'd have to rely on Youli Valley. After all, he had already killed so many people. He recalled that snowy New Year's Eve years ago, the day he killed the old man selling noodles. He couldn't help but sigh; it seemed there was no possibility of reconciliation with Feng Yangxi.

If he killed Feng Yangxi, giving Youli Valley one less enemy, Youli Valley would be happy.

Knowing it was a trap, I still jumped in. Now, wanting to escape unscathed, I'm already too deep.

Yongye truly admires Youligu.

His relationship with Prince Duan was his last trump card. He couldn't use it lightly, nor dared he.

Even now, Prince Duan doesn't know that he is secretly the assassin Xinghun. A touch of sadness rose in Yongye's eyes. To uncover the true face of Youli Valley, he must become Xinghun. But as Xinghun, he cannot be associated with Prince Duan's mansion. He cannot let Prince Duan bear the infamy, nor does he want to see Youli Valley use this to threaten Prince Duan.

Now, is it finally time to move? Yongye thought about Li Yannian's words, took out the roster and looked at it again, then put it in his pocket.

Confronting the Wind

Night fell silently, the eternal night merging into the darkness, like a wisp of wind drifting across the dark rooftops, accurately finding the residence of Guo Qiran, the Minister of War.

Guo Qiran, the Minister of War, became an inspector of the Provincial Surveillance Commission at the age of eighteen, was promoted to the prefect of the Provincial Surveillance Commission at the age of nineteen, and became the deputy commissioner of the Provincial Surveillance Commission at the age of twenty-three. In just five years, he rose from the lowest rank of ninth grade to the third grade. Five years later, he was transferred to the Ministry of War as a vice minister. Now, at the age of thirty-three, he is already a minister of the second grade.

The fact that Minister Guo rose so smoothly was in accordance with the Emperor's wishes. After joining the Ministry of War, he became close friends with Prince Duan. In the recent defeat at Sanyu Pass, his contribution in mobilizing grain and supplies was indispensable.

But Youligu wants to kill him.

Before leaving, Yongye asked Prince Duan, "Youli Valley wants to kill Minister Guo. What does Father think?"

Prince Duan was shocked and slammed his fist on the desk in anger: "Minister Guo is a pillar of the state. Does You Ligu want our dynasty to fall apart, with no good generals or good ministers to use?!"

"Youligu says he wants to support Prince You, and that Minister Guo appears to be Prince You's man but is not. What does Father think?"

Prince Duan was taken aback, his brow furrowing deeply: "Minister Guo is Prince You's man? Could it be that Prince You's power has grown to such an extent in the few years since he left the palace?"

Yongye said softly, "Father has been busy with border wars these past few years and has neglected affairs of state."

Prince Duan sighed: "I command a large army, and your maternal grandfather is the current prime minister. Back then, I didn't want you involved in the crown prince selection, also because I wanted to minimize your involvement in court affairs. Even among brothers, there will always be villains sowing discord. In these past few years, have you seen any court officials coming and going to your residence? However..."

Prince Duan's face hardened with murderous intent: "They dared to blackmail and scheme against me, they dared to switch the heir apparent right before my eyes—for this one offense alone, I will make Youli Valley vanish into thin air! Besides, ignoring state affairs doesn't mean I can stand by and watch Youli Valley wreak havoc on my country! No matter whose side Guo Qiran is on, he is still a pillar of the nation! I absolutely cannot allow the assassins from Youli Valley to kill him!"

A vengeful yet patriotic person! Yongye wanted to laugh. His thoughts were simple: to avoid being threatened by the Wandering Valley and to protect his family, nothing more.

"Is the Valley of Wandering Souls more important, or Minister Guo?"

Prince Duan was stunned. Yongye had told him this, which meant that if he mobilized people to protect Guo Qiran, Yongye would be suspected by Youli Valley. This was a dilemma!

"When will we make our move?" Prince Duan asked with a stern face.

"tonight."

Prince Duan paused for a moment before asking, "Who will you send?"

"An assassin named Xinghun."

"Is it the assassin Feng Yangxi has been searching for, the one skilled in throwing knives?"

"Is Father acquainted with Feng Yangxi?" Yongye was afraid to hear an answer he didn't want to hear.

"He was a lone wolf who hated evil, and my father had always wanted to get to know him, but he could never find him."

Yongye breathed a sigh of relief. His father wasn't familiar with Feng Yangxi. This meant he wasn't opposing his father. He almost blurted out that he was Xinghun, wanting to tell his father everything he had been worried and afraid of.

Would his father choose to kill his own son for the greater good after discovering that he was responsible for so many deaths? He was so patriotic; he would be heartbroken. Yongye was almost certain that once the matter of Youli Valley was resolved, if Prince Duan knew he had killed so many good people, he would definitely kill him for the greater good. And how heartbroken his mother, his beautiful and gentle mother, would be.

Perhaps, one day in the future, I will disappear, so that no one will threaten my father and mother because the Prince of Duan's son is a bloodthirsty assassin. Nor will I force my father to make such a painful choice.

As long as the goal is achieved. As long as the Wandering Valley is ultimately destroyed. Yongye told himself this once again, suppressing the thought of letting Prince Duan know.

“I cannot show myself, I cannot let Youli Valley know that you leaked the information. But Minister Guo…” Prince Duan fell into thought.

Yongye saw this and felt conflicted.

Before leaving, he said something strange: "Father, would you like to invite Prince You to the residence for a chat tonight?"

The spring evening breeze is as gentle and delicate as a young girl's hand. Yongye lies perched on a tree, waiting quietly.

He felt as if he had returned to the valley, stepping out of the stone chamber on that summer night, becoming a leaf on a branch, blending into his surroundings. Minister Guo's house was bustling tonight; he sat alone at his desk reading. On the roof, behind the screen in the study, and in the courtyard, seventeen or eighteen people were lying in wait.

Were they waiting for him to fall into their trap? Yongye smiled as he looked at the several experts from the Prince You's mansion whom he recognized.

Three hundred paces—what distance is that? Yongye gently took the longbow from his back; the three strings were twisted together, gleaming silver-white. The arrow shaft was crafted from fine birch wood, the arrowhead pure steel, quenched with poison, shimmering with a faint blue light. There were no fletchings; instead, the areas where fletchings would normally be were hollowed out on both sides, utilizing aerodynamic principles to stabilize the arrow during flight.

Yongye's thumb lightly traced the arrow's shaft, the smooth surface providing a pleasant feel. He abruptly nocked the arrow, drew the bow, his arms outstretched like a full moon, and released it with lightning speed, relying entirely on instinct. The arrow flew like lightning, its momentum like the wind. The gentle breeze was abruptly shattered, and before the arrow even reached its destination, a second arrow was released.

The powerful arrows created a continuous whooshing sound.

Just as the first arrow reached Guo Shangshu's door, a sword was thrust horizontally, deftly intercepting the arrow and deflecting it. Feng Yangxi, dressed in black, appeared at the window, similarly deflecting the second and third arrows. His movements were fluid and effortless, as if swatting flies. Yongye's eyes burned with jealousy.

He had already left the tree and nimbly slipped into the Guo family's courtyard. He thought disdainfully, "They put up a dummy, thinking I wouldn't be able to spot it from a distance?"

As the wind blew and the arrow flew, leaping up the tree, all that could be seen was a longbow neatly placed among the branches, along with a note with words faintly visible.

He looked down, his head spun, and he held his breath. His longsword flashed, the paper fluttering up, carrying with it a whiff of phlegm. "What a cunning thief!"

Just then, cries and wails echoed from within the Guo residence. Feng Yangxi gave a cold smile, not entering the mansion to investigate. Instead, he stood atop a tree, his sharp eyes fixed on the courtyard, not missing a single unusual movement. He was waiting.

Yongye didn't kill Guo Qiran, only injured him. He thought with satisfaction that this result would be impeccable when he returned. With the great hero Feng Yangxi present, and so many experts around, how could they have managed to injure Guo Qiran? Could Youli Valley really accuse him of deliberately holding back? Yongye, though successful in his attack, dared not be careless. He crouched low under the eaves, waiting for Feng Yangxi to make his move. Seeing that Feng Yangxi hadn't fallen for his trap and entered the mansion, Yongye cursed him inwardly for his cunning.

Time passed slowly, and Feng Yangxi still stood on the big tree overlooking the Guo family compound, while the guards and experts in the Guo family compound had already searched the entire compound.