Секретный агент Винд Бой

Глава 82

His rain hat was pulled down low, obscuring Feng Yangxi's expression, but his tone was laced with sarcasm: "In the way of martial arts, the victor reigns supreme. I did use some tricks to fight you to a draw eight years ago, but I was merely opportunistic. General Yi is a peerless master, while Marquis Yong'an is a sickly man with no strength to even kill a chicken."

Feng Yangxi would resort to opportunism? Yongye recalled how he lied about not associating with the powerful, yet secretly helped Li Tianyou. He thought disdainfully, "I have nothing to be ashamed of instigating this conflict between the two of you to profit from it."

She peeked out from behind Feng Yangxi and said with a grin, "He's my bodyguard, it won't be easy for him to kill me! But General Yi, don't you know the consequences of me dying at the Chen State post station? Wow, you're blatantly provoking hatred between our two countries, you don't even respect the King of Chen?"

Before Yi Zhongtian could answer, she suddenly shouted, "General Yi Zhongtian of the Left of Chen State is attempting to assassinate me! Guards, come quickly!"

Knowing that reinforcements had arrived, they dared to act so recklessly?! Yi Zhongtian struck with a sword, its momentum sharp and fierce. Feng Yangxi raised her hand to block, and Yi Zhongtian used the force of the two swords clashing to somersault, his body as lithe as a dragon, disappearing into the rain. Feng Yangxi followed closely behind, and the two figures vanished in an instant.

"My lord!" Lin Hong led his soldiers in upon hearing Yongye's call.

With a stern face and his hands behind his back, Yongye asked, "How are the two guards at the gate?"

Lin Hong lowered his head: "Dead."

"Hmph!" Yongye sneered. Yi Zhongtian, you thought you had it all figured out, yet you didn't even bother to cover your face when you killed someone. "Go and fetch Lord Xie! This Marquis demands an explanation!"

The courtyard where the Anguo envoy resided was brightly lit. Lord Xie was at a loss, unsure what to do with the hostages. Upon hearing that Marquis Yong'an had been assassinated by General Yi, he was terrified and hurriedly dressed. Seeing Yongye sitting in a chair, his face full of anger, with two corpses lying below him, he stammered, "Marquis, Marquis, are you alright?"

"Nonsense! If I were in trouble, would you still be standing here? Don't forget, this was an assassination attempt at the post station, and two guards died. Lord Xie, your country invited me to Chen, so you didn't come to see the living prince consort, but to see the dead one?" Yongye scoffed.

Lord Xie trembled: "This humble official will immediately order reinforcements..."

"Aren't you going to catch the assassins anymore?"

"Arrest...arrest whom?"

Yongye smiled and said, "I saw it with my own eyes. The assassin is Yi Zhongtian, the Left General of Chen! Lord Xie, everyone knows that General Yi is in love with my fiancée, Princess Yuxiu. He has a motive for murder, and I am a witness. These two wrongfully killed guards are the physical evidence. With witnesses, physical evidence, and motive all present, tell me, what should we do?"

Sweating profusely, Lord Xie remained silent for a long time. Then a cold voice rang out from the doorway: "Lord Xie, I personally witnessed Feng Yangxi attempting to assassinate Marquis Yong'an. I failed to catch him, and these two Anguo guards also died at his hands."

Yi Zhongtian, his gray robe soaked with sweat, appeared at the door with several attendants.

What a brilliant frame-up! Yongye really wanted to applaud.

Lord Xie visibly breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It turns out that the Marquis misjudged; it was Feng Yangxi, not General Yi."

Lin Hong and his leopard riders were so angry they were about to draw their swords, but Yongye raised her hand to stop them. Looking at Yi Zhongtian's soaked appearance, she wondered if the two hadn't fought.

Yongye met Yi Zhongtian's gaze for a moment, then smiled: "Oh, so it's Feng Yangxi! I was playing the zither when I suddenly heard a noise behind me. I turned around and saw General Yi and Feng Yangxi fighting. It turns out I was calling a deer a horse and mistook you for an assassin. Yongye thanks you for saving me, General. I wonder if you have any good plans to capture Feng Yangxi and avenge my two poor guards?"

Seeing that Yi Zhongtian denied everything, Yongye knew his own version of events wasn't convincing either. He thought to himself, "Go ahead and fight Feng Yangxi. Both are unparalleled masters. If you kill Feng Yangxi, I'll have one less threat. If Feng Yangxi injures you, Chen will lose a great general. Either way, I won't lose out!"

Yi Zhongtian's eyes flashed: "I have already issued the order to issue a warrant for Feng Yangxi's arrest! Marquis Yong'an can rest assured."

Yongye said with a bitter face, "But Feng Yangxi's martial arts are extremely high. What if he sneaks in again to assassinate me?"

"Rest assured, my lord, with me here, I guarantee your safety."

Yongye beamed, "With General Yi's protection, I can rest easy. By the way, those bandits aren't also with Feng Yangxi, are they?"

"Feng Yangxi has already killed them to silence them," Yi Zhongtian said, each word distinct, his heart burning with hatred. Lu Da was right; this Marquis of Yong'an was indeed cunning and ruthless. Not only had he inexplicably become enemies with Feng Yangxi, but he had also forced him to kill several of his subordinates. Recalling the scene of Lu Da kneeling to bid him farewell, Yi Zhongtian felt a surge of resentment.

Yongye thought with satisfaction that Yi Zhongtian had assured him of his safety in front of Lord Xie and the people of Chen, so he was not in immediate danger. Now that he knew Feng Yangxi was someone he had invited, he probably wanted to kill Feng Yangxi more now. A great hero who had witnessed his attempt to kill him, and whose martial arts were just as good as his own, was always a threat if kept alive.

Yongye clapped his hands and said, "It's late. Now that General Yi is protecting me, everyone can rest assured. With General Yi's abilities, what assassin would dare to act so recklessly?! Commandant Lin, have someone escort these two guards home. The people of Anguo, even in death, want to return to their roots!"

The Leopard Rider was deeply moved upon hearing this, his eyes filled with tears, and he wished he could repay Eternal Night with his life.

Yi Zhongtian coldly observed this scene, offering another assessment. This man was not only quick to change his tune and adaptable, but also adept at using leverage to his advantage. It was quite interesting that Anguo had such an opponent.

He turned and left, saying coldly, "His Majesty will hold a birthday banquet in the palace in three days. Envoys from Qi and other countries have already arrived in the capital. As the future son-in-law of the Prince Consort, it is inappropriate for the Marquis of Yong'an to be late. Let's set off tomorrow."

After Yi Zhongtian and Envoy Chen left, Lin Hong anxiously asked, "My lord, Yi Zhongtian is shameless! This trip is in danger."

Yongye pondered for a moment and said, "You may all go down now; there is no danger for the time being. Prepare your belongings; we will depart tomorrow."

Yi Hong looked at Yong Ye with concern. Seeing her delicate brows furrowed slightly as if she were pondering something, she was about to speak when Yong Ye looked up and smiled, "You go to sleep too. I'm waiting for someone."

She waits for the wind to rise.

If Feng Yangxi chased after him, he must have fought with Yi Zhongtian. And then Yi Zhongtian returned so quickly. What about Feng Yangxi? He couldn't possibly have died under Yi Zhongtian's sword so soon.

Injured? According to Yi Zhongtian, Feng Yangxi used underhanded tactics to achieve a draw eight years ago. So, eight years later, will he be Yi Zhongtian's opponent?

Yongye walked to the window, gently pulled back the bamboo curtain, and opened the window to let the wind and rain blow in.

A sudden storm raged, and the road ahead was pitch black. Yongye thought regretfully, "Feng Yangxi hasn't even fought Yi Zhongtian to the death yet; it would be too much of a loss if he died or was injured."

"He's cunning!" a lazy voice came from behind.

Yongye turned around and saw Feng Yangxi leaning against a pillar. She was somewhat surprised that she hadn't sensed his presence. Was it because her thoughts were in disarray? Or was Feng Yangxi's martial arts skill higher than she had expected? A bright smile bloomed on her face, and Yongye hurried forward, asking with concern, "Are you alright?"

Feng Yangxi leaned against a pillar, sword in hand, his black body soaked through. A small puddle of water had formed at his feet, but he seemed completely unconcerned. Seeing Yongye's worried expression, he suddenly smiled: "Are you worried about me?"

Yongye nodded heavily, blinked, and smiled: "To be honest, I'm not particularly worried. He came back so quickly, I doubt he could have hurt you in just a few moves. I have confidence in you as my bodyguard!"

"Hehe!" Feng Yangxi laughed heartily, his eyes still sharp in the dim candlelight. "You're very clever. Even without martial arts skills, you still made General Yi wary. You wiped out Fenglin Village with just a hundred men, killed Lu Da's three hundred guards, a trusted confidant of Yi Zhongtian, and even captured him alive. This forced General Yi to kill this loyal subordinate, and he was so angry that he didn't hesitate to personally enter the post station to kill you. Once this reputation spreads, no one in the world will dare to underestimate Marquis Yong'an of Anguo."

Yongye looked at him innocently. She had noticed more than once in the mirror how clear and bright his eyes were. When he looked at people with focus, he felt that they were pure and touching. "Brother Feng, have you forgotten what you said? Last time by the river, you said that people don't necessarily have to rely on force."

"You taught me yourself?" Feng Yangxi let out a low laugh: "Your Excellency is too modest. I would never dare to admit that I taught you. Just the fact that Your Excellency could predict that I would come to your rescue is something I can only dream of."

"Huh? Didn't Hero Feng strike the character 'wind' into the stone vat in the courtyard? Could I have seen wrong?" Yongye was extremely surprised.

"Truly clever! An exceptionally sharp eye! Seeing her innocent and carefree way of throwing the chess pieces, I was seized by a childlike impulse, casually crushing moss from a tile and flicking it into the water to write the character 'wind,' only to have it instantly swallowed by the surging fish. With such keen eyesight, such meticulousness, and such decisiveness, you really don't need bodyguards!" Feng Yangxi looked at Yongye with a hint of admiration. "I imagine that for Marquis Yong'an to dare turn his back on General Yi, he must be wearing a protective vest, right?"

"You can tell from that?" Yongye blinked and said, "Yongye has always been in poor health, which has worried Lin Duwei a lot. So he made a set of armor and insisted that Yongye wear it. Actually, with Feng Daxia here, there's no need for it at all."