Chapter 379
Chapter 379
Inside the Grand Sheng Tower in Raging Tide City.
Zhang Yu'yin, a female scholar from the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion, was thoroughly annoyed. Some time ago, she had received a handwritten letter from Shen Lang. It stated that the Jin Clan, having taken control of Raging Tide City, had discovered ancient texts in the pirate Qiu Tianwei's treasure vault and wished to donate them to the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion. They requested that someone be sent to retrieve them. Zhang Yu'yin had been ecstatic. That young, devastatingly handsome man was not only good-looking but also fun; last time, she'd nearly plopped herself right onto Shen Lang's lap. Handsome young men weren't rare, nor were geniuses, but a man who was a genius, handsome, and young was a true rarity.
Soon, unable to wait any longer, Zhang Yu'yin personally organized an entourage and came to Raging Tide City to receive the ancient texts plundered by the pirate king Qiu Tianwei. She also intended to take her 'friendship' with Shen Lang a significant step further. But upon her arrival, she discovered that Shen Lang was not in Raging Tide City. So what was she to do? It wasn't as if she could chase him all the way to the capital for a tryst. In the end, she was left in a bind, spending her days in the treasure vault of Raging Tide City's Grand Sheng Tower, cataloging and collecting various ancient texts. It was an utterly dry and tedious task. Had she known Shen Lang wouldn't be here, she would never have come for this job.
*How much youth does Zhang Yu'yin have left? I don't have time to waste here!*
But she had no choice. Having come all this way, she had to see the job through. Without Shen Lang, facing Marquis Jin Zhuo's face every day, the beautiful scholar Zhang Yu'yin couldn't be bothered to dress up in the slightest. She washed her face and brushed her teeth daily, so it wasn't as if she was filthy, but her clothes were disheveled and her hair was a mess. She couldn't help it. The task of organizing ancient texts was not one that allowed for a clean appearance. Who knew how long these texts had been lying here? Dust was everywhere, and spiderwebs draped over everything.
Today, after sorting through several dozen more volumes, the beautiful scholar Zhang Yu'yin had her attendants carry the texts. She was on her way to have Jin Zhuo, the lord of Raging Tide City, personally inspect and accept them. She met with Jin Zhuo once a day for this purpose, but she found him too old and had no desire to see him. A young, handsome man like Shen Lang was more to her taste. The fact that he was married made it even better. Seducing a young man and leading him astray was truly an amusing pastime.
"Hurry, hurry! You're all so slow. We need to finish this handover quickly so I can go back and take a bath."
The beautiful scholar Zhang Yu'yin snapped irritably. The attendants beside her bowed their heads so low they wished they could hide them in their trousers, not daring to utter a single word of protest. This beautiful scholar was incredibly difficult to serve. If they moved quickly, she'd scold them for being distracting; if they moved slowly, she'd ask if they hadn't eaten. In any case, Zhang Yu'yin acted as if everything annoyed her, and the attendants, in turn, were annoyed by her temper, which was like that of a woman going through menopause. This was the true, detestable face of Zhang Yu'yin, the so-called goddess of the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion. She marched imperiously toward Marquis Jin Zhuo's study.
***
Gao Duhuan was plastered against the wall like a lizard. Yet, even with the wall between them, he could sense every movement inside the study. He was a master of supreme martial arts, but his plan was to wait until Marquis Jin Zhuo was alone before making his move. Su Nan had told him that for this assassination of Jin Zhuo, Gao Duhuan's identity must not be revealed under any circumstances; he had to disguise himself as an assassin from the State of Wu.
However, at present, Jin Zhuo was accompanied by three masters: Jin Shiying, the alchemist An Zaitian, and the physician An Zaishi. So, Gao Duhuan revised his plan, intending to strike as soon as at least one of them left. Of course, with his skill, facing multiple opponents was no issue, but when he killed, he preferred to do it with a single, fatal strike, ending a life in the blink of an eye without anyone knowing.
After a full half-hour, Jin Shiying finally departed. He had to personally fetch Marquis Jin Zhuo's evening meal. The time had come. It was his turn to act.
*Crash!*
In an instant, Gao Duhuan shot through the window like a bolt of lightning, thrusting the sharp blade in his hand toward Jin Zhuo. His speed was extreme. The physician An Zaishi was so shocked he didn't even have time to draw his sword to block.
"My lord, be careful!"
He threw himself toward Marquis Jin Zhuo, intending to block the assassin's sword with his own body. Gao Duhuan's sword easily pierced through An Zaishi's body. The physician's martial arts were considerable, but before Gao Duhuan, he was utterly defenseless. However, Gao Duhuan hesitated for a moment. The physician An Zaishi had saved countless lives; he was not a man who should be killed. He then shifted his sword to the side and lightly retracted it. The movement sent the physician An Zaishi flying. At that moment, a flash appeared before Gao Duhuan's eyes as a shower of thorn-like needles rained down on him. It was a Torrential Pear Blossom hidden weapon, practically invincible at close range. The alchemist An Zaitian had quickly moved to shield Jin Zhuo, continuously unleashing the weapon's needles at Gao Duhuan.
*Swish, swish, swish.*
The sharp sword in Gao Duhuan's hand danced wildly, creating a massive vortex. All the fine needles from the Torrential Pear Blossom were swallowed by the vortex; not a single one touched his body. His martial skill was truly, damnably superb. Soon, the hidden weapon in An Zaitian's hand ran out of needles.
"My lord, flee quickly!"
An Zaitian shouted, throwing himself at Gao Duhuan. It was a move made with the resolve to die. An Zaitian's martial arts were not weak, but against Gao Duhuan, it was like an egg hitting a rock—a certain death. Yet, An Zaitian charged forward without hesitation. But just then, Marquis Jin Zhuo grabbed him and pushed him aside.
"If you've come to kill me, then kill only me. Do not harm the innocent."
Marquis Jin Zhuo roared, drawing his precious sword and charging at Gao Duhuan.
*Stab!*
In the next moment, Gao Duhuan's sword plunged directly into Marquis Jin Zhuo's heart.
"My lord!"
An Zaitian, who had been pushed away by Jin Zhuo, screamed madly at the sight and charged at Gao Duhuan again. Gao Duhuan struck him lightly with his palm, sending An Zaitian flying over ten meters before he lost consciousness. Jin Zhuo looked down at the red blood seeping from the sword embedded in his chest. He was actually wearing a tough inner armor that should have been impervious to swords and spears. But even that could not stop Gao Duhuan's blade.
"If you've come to kill me, then kill only me. Do not harm the innocent."
Jin Zhuo repeated the same words, and once again, a powerful emotion stirred in Gao Duhuan's heart.
*Why would he say such a thing? Wasn't Marquis Jin Zhuo a man who had risen to a high position, wielding immense power and holding the lives of others in contempt? Why, at this perilous moment, would he protect his subordinate, pushing him away to keep him from harm? Must I really kill a man of such noble character? If I kill such a man, what makes me, Gao Duhuan, any different from a beast? But can I refuse Su Nan's request?*
Gao Duhuan was faced with a difficult decision. The tip of his sword had already penetrated half an inch into Marquis Jin Zhuo's chest; just a little further and Jin Zhuo would be dead.
*No. I cannot kill a man of such noble character.*
*No. I must obey Su Nan's words.*
Gao Duhuan was trapped in an ultimate conflict. But suddenly, the door burst open, and the beautiful scholar from the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion, Zhang Yu'yin, strode into the room.
"Marquis Xuanwu, please hurry and accept these books. Otherwise, I won't even be able to eat on time."
Her voice arrived before she did. The moment Gao Duhuan heard it, he couldn't help but shudder. It was the feeling an elementary school student who was terrible at their studies would get upon hearing their math teacher's voice. The kind of terrifyingly strict math teacher whose voice alone could make you wet yourself in fear.
As the beautiful scholar Zhang Yu'yin entered the room, she came face to face with the assassination attempt—and with Gao Duhuan.
*Isn't that my student, Zhuo Yichen? The one with incredible martial arts but was absolute trash at academics, who I had to scold and beat every single day?*
The moment she realized this, Zhang Yu'yin's presence swelled as she bellowed in a furious voice.
"Zhuo Yichen, what are you doing here?! Do you have a death wish?"
*'I... I am not Zhuo Yichen.'*
Gao Duhuan wanted to shout it out loud, but in reality, no words left his mouth. His voice was very distinctive; one word would give him away. During his years of study at the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion, he had been beaten and scolded by Zhang Yu'yin so often that it had become a conditioned reflex; the mere sight of her filled him with terror. Gao Duhuan knew the true face of this so-called goddess of the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion better than anyone.
Zhang Yu'yin had been in charge of his arithmetic and classical studies, and she would fly into a rage whenever he failed to finish his homework, whenever he got an answer wrong, whenever he ate too loudly, or even when his clothes were not neat. In short, during his years at the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion, Zhang Yu'yin was a nightmare for Gao Duhuan and many other students. To this day, Gao Duhuan often woke up startled from nightmares.
*Oh no. I didn't finish my arithmetic homework. I'm going to get scolded and beaten to death again.*
Whenever he had these nightmares, Gao Duhuan would bolt upright in bed, intending to light a candle and do his homework. It would take him a second to realize that he was no longer studying at the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion.
*Damn it, that scared me to death.*
Readers, you surely know this feeling all too well. This author still has nightmares from time to time, dreaming of college entrance exams, midterms, and finals. The bell signaling the end of the test would ring, but I would have barely solved half the problems, nearly wetting myself in fear even in my dream.
For Gao Duhuan, that nightmare had just become reality. Paralyzed, he stood frozen on the spot. The beautiful scholar Zhang Yu'yin pulled a teacher's cane from her sleeve, rushed at Gao Duhuan, and began to beat him mercilessly. Where did a teacher's cane suddenly come from, you ask? While others might hide a flexible sword in their sleeves, why would she hide a cane? You would have to ask her attendants. They were, in fact, all her former students, and every one of them had been on the receiving end of that very cane.
*Smack, smack, smack!*
As his body was struck repeatedly, Gao Duhuan felt a sense of familiarity. His heart ached terribly. It was a past he couldn't bear to look back on, yet it was also one he missed more than anything. In his entire life, from childhood to the present day, the days he spent at the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion were the happiest. Even if he was beaten and scolded every day.
Zhuo Yichen was an orphan. He was around ten years old when he drifted into the Tiannan Province of the State of Yue. Like other war refugees, he had lost his parents, and a severe blow to his head had left him with no memory of his past. He was later taken in by the Estate of Count Anding, which was quite fortunate. Because he was born with an exceptionally outstanding bloodline, Count Anding, Zhuo Guangfu, who was then a General of Pacification, adopted him as his son.
Raised by the Zhuo Clan, Zhuo Yichen achieved meteoric success. He passed the military service examination at thirteen and claimed the title of top scholar in the military examinations at eighteen. At the time, his achievement caused a great stir. Until then, no one who had earned the title of top military scholar in the State of Yue had been younger than thirty.