"Hmm, it must be a big fat sheep."
"By the time I found out, I had already sent a message to the boss. The boss was already gathering men. If we manage to rob them, we can stay in the mountains for a few days without any problems."
“You’re right. I’ve seen that sickly young master. His clothes are made of the finest silk. Did you notice the jade crown on his head? It has a blood-red ruby, about the size of a baby’s fist. Just that little thing, if you save it, it’ll be enough for me to live on for the rest of my life.”
"We absolutely have to take this order."
"Of course!"
At night, in a mountain village, a group of casually dressed, unkempt men were gathered around. They all had fierce looks on their faces and were clearly not good people.
At this moment, sitting in the main seat of the hall was a man dressed in black, with a long scar covering half of his face. Coupled with the innate murderous aura in his eyes, he looked quite frightening. However, Ouyang Yue would definitely be surprised, as this man was none other than Ghost Killer, the leader of the Bloodthirsty Alliance who had chased her and Baili Chen in Tianshan. Upon hearing his subordinate's arrival, Ghost Killer remained silent for a moment before saying, "The person you mentioned must be of very high status. I'm afraid accepting this job might be somewhat dangerous."
“Brother, business has only gotten a little better these past few years. A few years ago, the imperial court was cracking down so hard that we didn’t dare to step forward. Recently, those brats from Linzhou have gone too far, actually breaking into our house, killing people, and robbing us. This is a serious offense. I think the imperial court is about to send people down to suppress us. Shouldn’t we do a big job before that happens to avoid trouble? Otherwise, we’ll all end up getting caught in the crossfire.” A round-faced man suggested.
"Yes, brother, what the second brother said makes sense. We know the court is going to send people to besiege us, so why don't we take this opportunity to run away? But business hasn't been very good lately. If we have to hide like this, our livelihood will be in trouble in the future. It will be difficult to do business if we don't have any big deals."
Upon hearing this, Gui Sha took a deep breath: "Alright, let's do it tonight. The brothers have done countless deals on that road, they know the terrain very well. Let's take advantage of their unpreparedness and make a big profit today. This group obviously has some resources and influence, so let's be efficient and clean when we do it. Then we'll dump the work on those ignorant brats in Linzhou, and we'll grab the goods and leave immediately!" Gui Sha's face hardened, his eyes filled with murderous intent. He was originally the leader of the Bloodthirsty Alliance, and sometimes killing people could earn him more than stealing a single business. Unfortunately, his stronghold was destroyed by the First Killing Alliance, and his attempt to take revenge failed, leaving him injured instead. In the end, he had no choice but to turn to the business of killing and robbing. Actually, this wasn't unfamiliar to him; before he started doing the killing business, he was a bandit, and it was a family tradition!
"Grab your tools and get to work!"
"oh!"
That night, the moon hung in the sky like a white jade plate, radiating a soft light. The twinkling stars all around vied to shine their own light, making the night not too dark. Baili Cheng was camped outside. The wind occasionally blew, disturbing the tranquility of the forest. The rustling of branches and grasses made the trees sway from time to time. So for a while, Baili Cheng's men did not notice the group of men in black slowly approaching from the opposite side.
"Who is it!" someone suddenly shouted, startling everyone. They looked straight ahead and saw only darkness, but there were pairs of glowing eyes that seemed particularly eerie in the night.
"We've been discovered! Kill! Finish them off quickly!" A chilling voice suddenly rang out. Before Baili Cheng's troops could react, several arrows shot through the air, their arrowheads seemingly carrying a murderous aura, catching Baili Cheng's troops completely off guard.
"Protect our master!"
"Kill them!"
Hidden in the shadows, Ghost Killer sneered, "The trap is ready."
"Don't worry, boss, it's already taken care of."
"Now send a team to follow me and kill the leader first. These are just a rabble. Prepare poison and sprinkle it on them later!"
Baili Cheng was fast asleep when he was suddenly awakened by shouts outside. But when he looked up, he saw a sinister, cold blade and a terrifying, ghost-like face. He exclaimed, "Ah, stop!"
☆、247、The Death of Baili Cheng!
Baili Cheng was terrified. Although he had seen a lot since he was a prince, anyone who could remain calm and collected with a knife to their neck was either crazy or stupid. Someone like Baili Cheng, who was crazy enough to not value his life, was naturally afraid. His face turned ashen.
Baili Cheng, seemingly lacking strength, suddenly kicked at the precious sword, rolling on the bed and landing with a thud. Ignoring the pain, he scrambled to his feet and tried to run away. But Gui Sha wouldn't let him go; he brandished his sword and charged at him. Baili Cheng screamed, feeling a whooshing sound as it slashed down on him from behind. Baili Cheng was filled with shock and anger. His departure from the capital was solely to dispel Emperor Mingxian's dislike of him. Otherwise, why would he concern himself with the bandits and thugs? What did it have to do with him? Was he really going to die here without a clear explanation? He was unwilling to accept it!
"Soldiers!" Suddenly, the sound of clashing weapons rang out from behind. Baili Cheng didn't have time to look and ran straight out the door. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the secret guards who were protecting him had arrived. Baili Cheng's face hardened. If he knew who these people were, he would definitely not let them go!
When he jumped out the door and saw the scene outside, he was dumbfounded. The fighting outside was even fiercer, with casualties on both sides. The fighting style was extremely ruthless, a fight to the death. Bright red blood splattered out from time to time in the darkness, looking somewhat sinister and terrifying. Coupled with the screams of pain and the sounds of fighting, it made Baili Cheng feel a chill in his heart.
"Clang!" Just then, the fighting inside the tent intensified. Baili Cheng took a deep breath and retreated back into the tent. Clearly, it was more dangerous outside than inside. At least there was only one person who had rushed in, and with the protection of guards, Baili Cheng was much safer here.
Baili Cheng stepped aside, squinting as he watched the Lin family's secret guards fight Gui Sha. Gradually, Baili Cheng's expression grew more solemn. This bandit's martial arts were surprisingly good; he could even fight the Lin family's secret guards to a standstill. With such skill, why did he even become a bandit? Baili Cheng's heart suddenly tightened. Some people knew he had left the capital this time. To ambush and kill him at this time—was it intentional? Otherwise, why would the bandit leader be so skilled in martial arts?
Baili Cheng wasn't unfamiliar with bandits; he thought this way because he had heard of them. The reason those bandits he heard about were able to plunder so much wealth was because they ruled their own territories, knew the surrounding terrain very well, and that leading an army to victory required the right timing, location, and people. Wasn't this the same principle behind these bandits? In a one-on-one fight, most of these bandits were self-taught, some even just ordinary people. What profound martial arts skills could they possibly possess? But this one was different. Baili Cheng knew that this was definitely not an ordinary bandit, but someone who had come to kill him.
Baili Cheng's heart tightened. Who was it? Who wanted to kill him?
Father? Father has always been very kind to him. Even if he went too far this time, women are like clothes and brothers are like limbs, let alone father and son. It is unlikely that Father would take such a step, especially since it is clearly a matter of losing face. Would Father do it?
Emperor Mingxian's specially appointed bandit-suppression envoy was robbed by bandits on the way. How could Emperor Mingxian save face? Baili Cheng thought about it and felt that this was unlikely. That left only a few princes. The third prince, Baili Zhi, had never stood out in court, so it was unlikely, but not impossible. The fourth prince, Baili Chang, was the least likely. He didn't have the powerful background to back him up, and in the palace over the years, he had been dispensable and had no opportunity to gain power. The seventh prince, Baili Chen, was a high possibility. Baili Cheng had just tried to frame them, and the Chen Prince's Mansion was almost destroyed. It was perfectly reasonable to deal with him now. The ninth prince, Baili Mao, was also a strong possibility. This time, Baili Cheng was the main force, while Baili Mao was only an assistant. It was very possible that Baili Mao would have ulterior motives in order to seize the credit.
As Baili Cheng was secretly grumbling, the fight over there had already reached a fever pitch. Gui Sha and Baili Cheng's bodyguards were all making ruthless moves, aiming at each other's vital points and fatal weaknesses. Baili Cheng was alarmed, but at this moment his eyes suddenly opened and he shouted, "Oh no, he has hidden weapons!"
The guard suddenly dodged, but Ghost Killer sneered and his entire body suddenly spun rapidly like a top. He spun so fast that when he suddenly threw the dart, they were a fraction of a second too slow to dodge. The guard, being experienced, quickly twisted his body to avoid it. However, Ghost Killer's hidden weapons were nowhere to be seen, and as he spun, the hidden items were thrown out erratically. The guard had no time to dodge!
"Swoosh!" Although the important part of the hidden weapon was dodged, the guard was still stabbed in the shoulder. Ghost Killer suddenly stopped and saw this scene, with a sinister smile on his face.
Baili Cheng was shocked and suddenly shouted, "Who are you? You are just a bandit in the mountains. Do you dare to kill members of the royal family? That is a crime punishable by the execution of the entire family. If you want money, I can give it to you, and you can continue to act recklessly, but you have to think carefully about the consequences. I have so many people. Can you kill them all? Only one of you will escape. All of you will die in the future. Not one of you will escape!"
Gui Sha's previously cold smile suddenly froze. From Bai Li Cheng's words and his self-identification, if Gui Sha didn't know that the person in front of him was the Crown Prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty, he might as well be dead. He was filled with shock and anger. He had originally intended to retire temporarily, so how could he have encountered the Crown Prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty? Could this be...?
Ghost Killer suddenly pursed his lips and said, "A bright moon shines in the mountains."
Baili Cheng looked at Gui Sha with suspicion: "What do you mean by 'bright moon' and 'not bright moon'..." Baili Cheng narrowed his eyes, "You mean to say that Xuan Yuan Yue sent you? That damned bitch, if I had known this would happen, I should have killed her in prison back then."
Baili Cheng said angrily, but Gui Sha's eyes showed a deeper thought. This prince didn't even know the secret code, obviously he didn't know anything. But he brought so many people to besiege Baili Cheng's caravan today. If we let them go today, would they let him go? After committing his crimes, he fled for fear of being silenced. Relying on the considerable sum of money he had acquired, he established the Bloodthirsty Alliance. He accepted any mission, resorting to any means necessary, as long as it was successful. Over the years, he had amassed a considerable fortune. Although some of it was seized by the First Killing Alliance when they destroyed his stronghold, Ghost Killer was a cautious man. He kept his wealth in three separate locations, as well as two other places where he kept his silver. Although the combined amount in these two locations was only the same as what he had in his stronghold, it was enough for him to live on for the rest of his life. Unfortunately, as soon as Ghost Killer left, he encountered a group of bandits, the same group he is now. This group of people were all ruthless characters. Ghost Killer had been the leader of the Bloodthirsty Alliance for many years. Although he could have lived a carefree life by leaving with his money, he did not like this kind of life. So he joined forces with these people and started a business of robbery and plunder.
Ghost Killer suddenly remembered the things those brats in Linzhou City had done before. He figured the imperial court should send people to suppress them, since they had gone too far. And the Crown Prince's coincident appearance here—could it be that he had received this order?
Gui Sha's heart skipped a beat. If this was the case, Baili Cheng couldn't be allowed to live. Even if he let Baili Cheng go, would he let him go? Since the deed was already done, there was no turning back. It was a matter of life or death. If Baili Cheng and his entire army were wiped out, and they managed to do it discreetly, they might still have a chance to escape. Otherwise, they would only be waiting to die. As for that person, he could only apologize. They had only ever been in a relationship of mutual exploitation.
"I don't understand what you're saying. Hand over your valuables now, or I'll kill you all!" Ghost Killer said, deliberately feigning evil.
"Ugh!" Just then, Baili Cheng's bodyguard suddenly clutched his shoulder and knelt on the ground. Baili Cheng noticed that his entire face had turned black, and his heart tightened. The guard said, "Your Highness, run! The hidden weapon is poisoned. I'm dying."
The poison was extremely potent. No sooner had the guard finished speaking than Qi Kong suddenly bled profusely and collapsed to the ground with a thud, his death gruesome and terrifying. Baili Cheng, startled, took a step back, his teeth clenched. Even at this moment, he maintained his composure as the Crown Prince, though the beads of sweat dripping from his forehead revealed his intense tension: "I am the Crown Prince! How dare you commit such heinous acts, murdering members of the royal family and harming the Crown Prince! Not only will you die, but your families will not escape either! You should think carefully!"
"Since neither of you can live, you certainly can't be spared either." At this moment, another voice came from inside the tent, and a man who looked somewhat disheveled from the fight walked in, but his eyes were full of murderous intent. He said to Gui Sha, "Brother, this man can't be spared; he must be killed."
Gui Sha still harbored some apprehension towards a certain person and was somewhat undecided, but with his men acting so ruthlessly, Gui Sha suddenly made up his mind. There was no mistake; Baili Cheng had to die. This was no longer a matter of worry or not. Letting Baili Cheng go out would only lead to leaks; if he died, they could blame it on those little brats from Linzhou. They'd used this method before: "Pass down the word: leave no one alive, kill them all!"
"Kill them all!" the bandit shouted as he rushed out.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!" At this moment, several more people rushed into the tent. Seeing that they were all dressed in black and nervously looking at Baili Cheng, Gui Sha was also unsure of himself, but things had come to this point and he could not give up: "Second brother, third brother, fourth brother, help me, kill!"
Suddenly, Gui Sha charged towards Baili Chengji. The guard was shocked and rushed over to stop him, but Gui Sha just sneered and said, "Perfect timing!"
With a "whoosh!" sound, a piercing sound rang out, and the guard was now armed with a hidden weapon.
"Boss, we're here to help you." At this moment, several bandits rushed in from outside, and a fierce fight broke out inside the house. Gui Sha, still in the same attacking stance, rolled on the spot and grabbed Bai Li Cheng's foot, pinning him down. Bai Li Cheng was startled and about to cry out in pain when his mouth was covered. The guards also noticed that Bai Li Cheng had been captured. They were about to split up to rescue him when they found that Gui Sha's men were already closing in. This back and forth delayed them.
Gui Sha grinned maliciously, then suddenly swung his arm, revealing a hidden weapon in his hand. The weapon's tip was coated with a black layer, clearly indicating it was infused with potent poison. Bai Li Cheng's heart tightened: "No, don't kill me! I'll give you whatever you want. Don't act impulsively. If you really hurt me, you'll all die no matter where you flee. It won't do you any good. You're a smart man; you should know how to choose." Bai Li Cheng's mind raced, desperately trying to find a way to escape. The more he thought, the more cold sweat poured down his body.
"ah!"
"Fire!"
Suddenly, screams and curses erupted from outside, startling everyone in the tent. They didn't know what was happening outside, whether Baili Cheng's men were in control, or whether the Ghost Killers had already killed most of the people. They wanted to go outside to check, but they were afraid that if the situation changed, someone would take advantage of the opportunity, so for a moment no one moved.
"boom!"
Suddenly, a deafening roar startled everyone. Ghost Killer, with his sharp eyes, exclaimed, "Oh no! The tent's on fire! Get out of here!" He wondered to himself, "Who the hell started this fire?"
At this moment, whether it was the people of Ghost Killer or Baili Cheng, all they could think about was rushing out first.
"Boom!" However, when they rushed out, they saw an even more raging inferno. As soon as they came out, they seemed to be immediately scorched. Most of the troops from both sides outside were dead. Those who fell to the ground were directly engulfed by the fire. Some had their clothes and arms on fire. Those who were seriously injured but not yet dead were rolling on the ground and screaming in pain because of the spread of the fire. In a short while, they were turned into charred figures. The speed and magnitude of the fire filled them with fear.
Their gaze fell upon a raging inferno, with no escape route in sight. A chill ran through each of them; were they going to be burned to death?
Seeing this, Ghost Killer could no longer care about anything else and flew straight over the side of the tent and rolled inside. Although it was a forest inside, when faced with fire all around, he had to risk it even if it was dangerous.
Baili Cheng was startled: "Quickly put out the fire, quickly put out the fire! I need to get out, I need to get out!"
At this point, no one cared about him. Some who had no other choice gritted their teeth and rushed into the fire, hoping to fight their way out. But as soon as they rushed in, they were thrown back into flames. The fire was raging, and the man screamed in terror as he rolled on the ground, but he couldn't extinguish the flames.
Baili Cheng clenched his fists tightly: "Who! Who wants to harm me, ahhh!"
The fire was extremely strange, and its size was beyond anyone's expectations. Normally, even if someone deliberately set a fire, it would take some time for the fire to grow large enough. However, they hadn't been in the tent for long before the fire became uncontrollable, completely surrounding them. He felt that someone must have deliberately set the fire to burn them to death.
"Who is it?!" Baili Cheng shouted angrily, his heart filled with resentment and rage.
"Ah! It's hot, it hurts, ah!" Just then, a bodyguard next to Baili Cheng suddenly felt his buttocks burn. He rolled on the ground and screamed in pain, but the fire did not decrease as he rolled. Instead, it grew bigger and bigger. In no time, amidst the bodyguard's screams, the fire engulfed his entire body and he was burned to death.
Baili Cheng suddenly stopped being anxious. His eyes reddened, and a burning anger was raging in his chest. This was a trap from the very beginning, wasn't it? This was a trap! He had foolishly thought he could get some forgiveness. How ridiculous! How utterly ridiculous!
He, the dignified Crown Prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty, died here! Hahaha, how pathetic! Was he the most tragically deceased prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty? He didn't know, he really didn't know!
Suddenly, tears streamed down Baili Cheng's face. Most children in the world, regardless of gender, harbor a deep-seated admiration and respect for their fathers. Baili Cheng was born a prince, yet he was still a child, and he felt the same way about his father. Moreover, his father was different from others; he was the emperor, the undisputed number one figure in the Great Zhou Dynasty. Baili Cheng harbored immense ambition for that position. From a young age, he was taught that if he couldn't rise above others in his life, he would ultimately be devoured by others.
Living in the palace, there are no good people at all. Everyone is living with a mask on. The emperor has to maintain a balance so that all the concubines can have their share of the spoils. The concubines in the harem have to use all sorts of tricks to frame and harm each other in order to win the emperor's favor. Baili Cheng knew from a young age that if he didn't want to be harmed, he had to kill his enemies first, and then he would be invincible.
He was very lustful, but ironically, Baili Cheng's first woman was one of Emperor Mingxian's concubines, a concubine who wasn't particularly favored. At that time, Baili Cheng was still very young. After graduating from the Imperial Academy, he tried drinking a little wine for the first time and got a bit drunk. He stumbled into a palace, and he couldn't remember how he got there, but he saw a half-naked woman. What followed was naturally very smooth. All the women in the palace were beautiful, even the palace maids were carefully selected; it was difficult to find an ugly one. At most, they were only of average appearance. Having experienced that first time, Baili Cheng gradually developed his lustful nature in this palace surrounded by beauties.
Of course, that noblewoman and Baili Cheng had also enjoyed their company several times. Later, fearing exposure, Baili Cheng poisoned her tea, causing her death. From then on, he had a constant stream of women. Now, Baili Cheng's mind suddenly overlapped that beauty with Fenyan, and he laughed loudly, a laugh that seemed to be tinged with blood and tears. He murmured to himself, "Mother...Grandmother...Actually, we've been wrong all along, haven't we? Hahaha, did you really think you could do it without anyone noticing? We're so ridiculous..."
Baili Cheng could feel the fire slowly rising from the soles of his feet and spreading throughout his body. He felt increasingly hot, and the burning pain on his body intensified, yet he continued to laugh. Tears fell, immediately vaporizing into tiny wisps of steam. Despite feeling the pain, Baili Cheng didn't want to dodge. Even though his body was almost melting, he felt icy cold all over, with chills rising from the soles of his feet. Baili Cheng trembled, his face bearing a sickly expression. He chuckled softly, "Wrong... wrong from the very beginning."
Baili Cheng's eyes were already uncontrollably filled with tears. From childhood to adulthood, he had been ambitious. He had never even considered what would happen if he failed to seize the throne. He was certain he would succeed, because he wouldn't live on even if he didn't. What he wanted was victory, a perfect victory. Surrounded by fire, he knew he had no way out and was doomed. At this moment, he couldn't muster even the slightest thought of escaping. What good would escaping do? He would still die anyway.
Baili Cheng laughed again. The palace was rife with scandalous affairs. He had slept with a concubine in Emperor Mingxian's palace and then with Fenyan; such things were hardly unusual. Yet, they were never exposed. Why did he so ridiculously try to please his father, thinking that his father wouldn't blame him? He was so foolish, so incredibly foolish.
People inside the ring of fire tried to rush out to escape, but most of them were burned alive. They didn't know if the others who rushed out survived, but they just wanted to get out, which was much better than staying with Baili Cheng, who now seemed like a madman.
The flames engulfing Baili Cheng grew larger and larger, and soon his eyebrows and hair were completely charred. Baili Cheng collapsed to the ground, his eyes still wide open. The last thing he saw was a sea of fire in the sky, illuminating the entire night. For some reason, many people he had met suddenly flashed through his mind, finally settling on Baili Chen and Ouyang Yue. A complex emotion crossed Baili Cheng's face, and suddenly he murmured, "Seventh Brother, from childhood to adulthood, I've hated you the most. I hated you for stealing Father's favor, I hated everything about you. But now I don't understand, are you really happy... Hehehe..."
Baili Cheng closed his eyes, and with a "boom," a huge fire suddenly erupted, engulfing his entire body, and he made no more sound.
At this moment, many people lay dead outside the fire, covered in blood, creating a bloody atmosphere around them.
"Ah! Fire!"
Suddenly, another person rushed out from inside. With a "thud," the person who had just come out stared wide-eyed in disbelief at the blood-stained longsword in his chest. He opened his mouth but couldn't say anything before collapsing to the ground and dying.
Those inside, unaware of the danger, continued to surge outwards. However, upon their emergence, they were inevitably met with fatal sword wounds. Those who had hoped for a lucky break were instead met with death by the sword at the very moment when they had the best chance of safety. The shock of that moment was so intense that even if they hadn't been killed by the sword, they would have died in astonishment.
The fire burned for a day, and its intensity was so great that even officials from surrounding areas dared not go up to fight it while the fire was still raging. In fact, the fire was extinguished thanks to a timely snowfall. As the snow fell, the fire was gradually brought under control.
A group of men in black, hidden in the woods, gathered together: "What do we do? Two of them escaped."
One of them said, "Those two people did manage to escape, but they were seriously injured and burned. Although they were careful and dodged the attack, they were still wounded by our swords. The swords were poisoned, so they didn't survive so easily."
"Let's go back and report. Did you remember who those two who escaped were?"
“One is the bandit leader of this mountain, and the other is a secret guard sent by the Lin family to protect the Crown Prince. The latter is more seriously injured, and even if he escapes, it is impossible for him to reach the capital safely. On the other hand, the bandit leader is very familiar with the surrounding terrain, so it will be difficult to capture and kill him.”
"Send a group of men to hunt them down first, and I'll take some men back to report."
"yes!"
It turns out this was a classic case of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Ghost Killer led a group to ambush Baili Cheng's team, but these people had already been hiding behind them. When the two sides were fighting fiercely and most of them were dead or wounded, they set fire to the group and burned them all to death.
In the imperial study, Emperor Mingxian was enjoying a cup of strong tea, but he didn't drink it in a hurry. He only took a small sip and then sipped it, clearly savoring the aroma. After a few sips, Emperor Mingxian smiled faintly and said to Fushun, "Today's new tea has an even stronger aroma."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I heard that tea farmers have been researching new tea varieties for the past few years. Some new varieties were presented as tribute this year, but since it is a new stage of cultivation, not many were planted. Only fifty taels of gold were sent to the palace, which is more precious than gold and jade." Fu Shun smiled, his face beaming as he echoed the sentiment.
Emperor Mingxian chuckled: "Wouldn't it be too disrespectful of me to enjoy such precious things all by myself? Go and get thirty catties for the Empress Dowager, and take another five catties to the Empress. Just say it's my gift."
Fu Shun's smile widened, and he replied, "Your Majesty is the most filial son of the Great Zhou Dynasty."
Emperor Mingxian glanced at Fu Shun indifferently: "That's a bit of an overstatement. I haven't done enough."
Fu Shun continued with a smile, "As long as His Majesty wants it, how could it not be enough? Even the Empress Dowager would be very happy to hear that."