All good-looking men simply deserve to die!
So long as anyone was eighty percent as good-looking as me, Yun Zhonghe, that hatred would be an irreconcilable and universal one.
"Brother Yun, please take no offense." Whenever Chu Zhaoran spoke, he always gave his audience the feeling of basking in a spring breeze.
Yun Zhonghe sneered and said, "What's the meaning of this?"
Chu Zhaoran said, "Brother Yun, after all, you are going to enter the City of Torn Gust as an official very soon. This is a very normal identification procedure. Please don't take it to heart."
This man was truly sinister. He made his men pretend to be warriors of the Order of Black Dragons just to trick Yun Zhonghe into revealing his true identity.
If Yun Zhonghe had not been scheming enough just now, he would have admitted his identity. If he had, he would have been a dead man by now.
This man, Chu Zhaoran, standing in front of him, would have severed his head and then reported back to Jing Zhongyue.
Jing Zhongyue already had Lady Cold Jade working for her, why would she still need Chu Zhaoran? What had changed in the midst of everything else happening?
Or perhaps this was a typical mind trick used by kings and emperors. The job of a secret agent should never be handed over to someone else, and there had to be mutual checks and balances of power.
This was why after the Ming Dynasty set up its army of Embroidered Uniform Guards, it also had to establish an East Branch, and after that, even a West Branch, and eventually, an internal Branch.
But undoubtedly, at this point in time, Chu Zhaoran and Lady Cold Jade were the right-hand man and right-hand woman of Jing Zhongyue.
This man was simply remarkable. He had just returned and had already pulled off a great coup. He had truly pulled off such an astonishingly brilliant feat that it caused even Lady Cold Jade to pale in comparison.
Yun Zhonghe said, "Are we done with the identification?"
"It has already ended," said Chu Zhaoran with a smile. His smile really was very warm and sunny.
Yun Zhonghe asked, "Can I go back now?"
"Of course!" Chu Zhaoran said, "Please."
Then the door of the secret chamber opened.
Yun Zhonghe walked out and discovered that this secret chamber was actually located within a small house that was not too far away from the residence of the castellan.
He looked back and saw Chu Zhaoran mounting his horse. The man even waved at Yun Zhonghe with great enthusiasm.
***
Yun Zhonghe walked back to the residence of the Castellan.
At the main entrance of the residence of the castellan, he saw Jing Wubian, who was crouching on the ground like a dog. He paid no heed to this image at all.
At that time… it was already late at night. Jing Wubian was actually still waiting there.
"AoTian, are you alright?" Jing Wubian said, "You don't look too good."
"I'm fine," Yun Zhonghe said.
Jing Wubian said, "Since you're fine, then I'm going to rest."
Then, he walked away.
After taking a few steps, he turned back again and said, "Right, AoTian. You won today, and I will honor our bet. I will find an opportunity to knock Sister Cold Jade unconscious so that you can kiss her on her lips. I'm someone who keeps my word, so I will see to it that I fulfill whatever promise I've made. Hmph!"
Then, he left in a huff.
Because Sister Cold Jade was still his dream lover.
Yun Zhonghe looked at his receding back, and his cold heart felt an extra trace of warmth.
However, Yun Zhonghe suddenly asked, "Brother, where's Lady Musk? Is she back? When will she be back?"
Suddenly, Jing Wubian trembled and said, "AoTian, you're too much!
The three great beauties of my house, a beggar like you actually wants to mess around with them all?
Because of her love for the art of the guqin, Lady Musk was the best person to step forward and intervene to save Sister Xu Antiing.
***
Back inside his disgusting smelling little courtyard, Yun Zhonghe headed straight for his bed and lay down, as though he wanted to sink himself into the soft cotton blanket and empty out all the jumbled thoughts gathered in his mind for the day.
Then he suddenly sat up again.
Because there was someone else in the room.
"Don't light the lamp. It's me," the voice said.
Yun Zhonghe was instantly shocked. It was actually… Lord Feng Xingmie.
Previously, Yun Zhonghe did not really know much of anything about Lord Feng Xingmie.
But now, he knew that this man was a big shot, an extremely important personage.
This man was the special envoy of the Imperial Capital's Order of Black Dragons, and he was in charge of the entire City of Torn Gust's strategic plans.
This person was related to the entire City of Torn Gust, and even to the strategic plans of the Order of Black Dragons of the entire Land of No King.
And such a big shot had, at that point in time, actually snuck into Yun Zhonghe's little courtyard. This… what kind of risk was this supposed to be?
"Lord Feng, you should not have come," Yun Zhonghe said in a trembling voice.
Feng Xingmie said, "I'm worried that if I didn't come, you would get impulsive and do something silly."
Yun Zhonghe said, "Lord Feng, Mr. Wenshan is one of us from the Empire's Order of Black Dragons. He was one of us, right?"
"Yes!" Feng Xingmie replied.
Yun Zhonghe's body trembled slightly.
Then, Yun Zhonghe asked again, "Today, one of our intelligence networks was busted, right?"
"Yes!" Feng Xingmie said, "This is the only larger intelligence network that we have left in the City of Torn Gust. It has laid dormant for sixteen whole years. Originally, we had intended to wait until you stabilized your foothold, then we would have given you the entire intelligence network to use at your disposal."
Yun Zhonghe asked, "How many people died? How many have been arrested?"
Feng Xingmie said, "Over a hundred people died, and over a hundred arrested. Of course, the majority were peripheral members. The number of true core secret agents total to thirty-two."
Such a heartbreaking and devastating loss.
"But all of this has nothing to do with you," Feng Xingmie said. "Wenshan's death has nothing to do with you. The entire intelligence network being wiped out also has absolutely nothing to do with you. You must never, ever be burdened by any such thoughts. Wenshan has long been exposed. Even without you, he would have died."
Yun Zhonghe said, "Why didn't they retreat, then? Back when Tianyu Pavilion was seized, they should have evacuated right away."
Feng Xingmie said, "Tianyu Pavilion is not within our sphere of influence. It's just that there are some of our people in there, that's all. Back then, there was a murder case in Tianyu Pavilion where several sons of highly influential people died in there, and it has caused a huge uproar. So, it was also normal for the place to be seized."
Yun Zhonghe said, "Then you should also have spotted some traces of it."
Feng Xingmie said, "Yes, I should have seen something. But… I… At that time, I was also imprisoned and was being investigated by the Imperial Capital's envoys."
Yun Zhonghe remembered. At that time, a few lords of the No-King Division had lodged a complaint to the Imperial Capital, all because of Feng Xingmie's decision to mobilize a beggar like Yun Zhonghe in the operation.
This was why Feng Xingmie was imprisoned for more than half a month's time.
"After the investigation of my case ended, I immediately sensed that something was not right. Without further delay, I infiltrated the City of Torn Gust as fast as I could. But… it was already too late. The people of this intelligence network were all exposed. The enemy has already laid an escape-proof trap."
Yun Zhonghe said, "Exactly which part of the entire situation has gone awry?"
Feng Xingmie said, "Someone has defected."
Yun Zhonghe said hoarsely, "How could someone be defecting again?"
Feng Xingmie said, "Something like mutiny is very common in the intelligence community. Secret agents of our Order of Black Dragons are certainly loyal, but there will still be occasions where we find some defectors among us. Moreover, we are facing an exceptionally powerful opponent this time. Especially for the women, he is simply too attractive for them to resist."
Yun Zhonghe said, "Who is the defector?"
"Ji Yan, she fell for Chu Zhaoran's seduction ruse," Feng Xingmie said.
Chu Zhaoran again?
Yet, it was also not something worth wondering about. He was definitely a man of first-class beauty, and he had a warm and elegant demeanor that caused people to trust and grow close to him by instinct.
It was very normal for women to fall for men like him.
Yun Zhonghe said, "Lord Feng Xingmie, how many more of our latent forces do we still have in the City of Torn Gust? Who are the other important members still around? I don't want anything like today to happen again."
"They are scattered and dispersed all over. There are still a few latent forces, but they are all small forces. Adding them all up, the number is no more than thirty," said Feng Xingmie.
Only less than thirty people?
That was truly a major decline.
The loss of the Empire's Order of Black Dragons this time was really far too great.
"Those brothers and sisters who were captured, aren't we going to rescue them? How are we going to rescue them? How should I coordinate my help?" Yun Zhonghe asked.
"Rescuing people has nothing to do with you," Lord Feng Xingmie whispered. "Child, remember this. You are the core of the entire mission in the City of Torn Gust. Everyone else can die, and that even includes me, if necessary. You're the only one who can't die. Do you understand?"
Yun Zhonghe said, "Could it be that you're not going to save them at all?"
"Save, of course we are going to save them," Feng Xingmie said. "Our next step is the Empire officially sending an envoy to negotiate directly with Jing Zhongyue. We will use an astronomical amount of money, exchange it for the survivors, and bring them back."
"We are not going to rescue them by force?" Yun Zhonghe asked.
Feng Xingmie said, "Of course not. The entire City of Torn Gust has more than ten thousand troops. Unless the army presses forward, what force can we rely on? It's all through the means of trading where we exchange for captives."
The City of Torn Gust had a population of four hundred thousand people, and yet, it had to provide for more than ten thousand troops. This was, indeed, a high ratio. But it was really no one's fault that the Jing Family was so wealthy.
When it came to the manner in which spies were rescued, it was not just the Great Ying Empire that did it that way. The Southern Zhou Empire did likewise. There was also that superpower in the north.
Usually, it was not a rescue by force, but rather via the means of trading.
In this regard, the Great Ying Empire's Order of Black Dragons was the most generous. It was willing to pay astronomical amounts of money in return for their agents. They did the same for spies who had been crippled.
That was why the spies of the Order of Black Dragons were extremely loyal.
He would not dare say the same for anyone else, but when it came to Xu Antiing, Yun Zhonghe would definitely find a way to save her.
Otherwise, by the time the Empire's envoy arrived to strike a deal, she would have long been tortured to a state of bruises and wounds.
And, Xu Antiing was not really exposed. It was highly likely that the trading list of the Empire's Order of Black Dragons did not have Xu Antiing's name.
"Child, bear this in mind. Your only mission is to conquer Jing Zhongyue. Everything else is of secondary importance," Feng Xingmie said. "After conquering Jing Zhongyue, you have to marry her. This is the only way for you to gain true power in the City of Torn Gust. And only then will you be able to influence and dictate the policies of the City of Torn Gust."
"You have to be mindful of Chu Zhaoran. That man is very powerful."
Yun Zhonghe said, "I have already experienced it."
Feng Xingmie said, "Apart from Chu Zhaoran, the other people that you have to be careful of are the spies of the Southern Zhou Empire."
"Are there many spies from the Southern Zhou Empire in the City of Torn Gust?" Yun Zhonghe asked.
"Many," said Feng Xingmie.
Yun Zhonghe said, "Then why is it that the spy forces of the Great Ying Empire have to suffer heavy losses time and again, but the spy network of the Southern Zhou Empire is not subjected to the same?"
Feng Xingmie replied, "The City of Torn Gust also fights against the spy network of the Southern Zhou Empire. But we suspect that during the reign of Jing E, the City of Torn Gust and the Southern Zhou Empire's Order of Black Ice had established a secret contract and that a secret partnership exists between the two."
Yun Zhonghe said, "Who is the highest commanding officer in charge of executing the City of Torn Gust's strategy from the Southern Zhou Empire's Order of Black Ice?"
"It may be the greatest defector of ours, Yan Pianxian," Feng Xingmie said. "If nothing goes wrong, he is in charge of the secret strategies of the Land of No King."
Yun Zhonghe said, "Then the Southern Zhou Empire will definitely have a powerful spy network in the City of Torn Gust. Does anyone in the Order of Black Dragons' intelligence network have any information about the core figures of this spy network? That is, the most prominent sleeper agent of the Southern Zhou Empire?"
"Yes, there is!" Feng Xingmie said, "There is one such person who has been lurking among the top management of the City of Torn Gust. But this is kept so confidential that almost no one knows who he or she is. We suspect that only a handful of people in the Southern Zhou Empire knows this person's identity as well. In the data obtained by our Order of Black Dragons, the code name given to this person is 'The Swindler!'"
The Swindler?!
This person was the most prominent sleeper agent that the Southern Zhou Empire had planted in the City of Torn Gust?
Who could this person be?
The faces of several people flashed across Yun Zhonghe's mind.
"Child, do you still remember why I wanted you to execute this mission in the City of Torn Gust back then?" Feng Xingmie asked.
"Because I like getting myself into deep trouble that might send me to meet my doom, and I fancy the idea of wandering along the edge of death," said Yun Zhonghe.
"Yes," Feng Xingmie said. "Because you are so unrestrained, so crazy and wild. But… Now, I feel that you're so sad. You are no longer as unrestrained, and this is something I don't wish to see. You have said so yourself, that only a lunatic can survive in the City of Torn Gust. Now that our Order of Black Dragons is getting weaker in the City of Torn Gust, there will be constant occurrences of dangerous events appearing everywhere around you. There are enemies and evil demons everywhere."
"So, my child, you have to continue being who you were before this. Someone who sees life as nothing but a game, with your carefree, calm, unhurried, absurd, and unrestrained attitude as you wander along the edge of death."
"You can feel sad, but you have to get over it very quickly. When you wake up tomorrow morning, you must become your previous self, become that adorable boy you have been once more."
"Also, don't ever hate Jing Zhongyue. Or even Lady Cold Jade. They are not your enemies, got it? Although Jing Zhongyue killed many of our people from the Order of Black Dragon, she is not your enemy. She is the target of your conquest. And if the plan succeeds, she will be your wife."
"Wife?" Yun Zhonghe said.
"Of course." Feng Xingmie said, "We have always had one goal in mind, and that is to make her the spokesperson for the interests of the Empire. And the moment your plan succeeds, the two of you will be married. Could we possibly separate the both of you then? No way! You two will become husband and wife joined in an everlasting marriage."
"Remember, she is not your enemy. She is your future wife. All that you've got to do is to conquer her. Make her fall hopelessly in love with you. I believe you can do it, for you possess such incomparable charm."
"This time, at the Grand Assembly of the Baronage Alliance of the Land of No King, the City of Torn Gust has suffered a great loss. With such a strong personality, Jing Zhongyue will definitely not let things go so easily. She might even face a deadly crisis, and this crisis directly impacts the rise and fall of the City of Torn Gust."
Upon hearing this, Yun Zhonghe could not help pricking up his ears.
Feng Xingmie went on to say, "So next up, you will find yourself with a great opportunity to thoroughly show your talent and establish a truly tremendous contribution. And you will attract her complete undivided attention. Or even, the moment you succeed, your plan to conquer her will be half completed."
Yun Zhonghe said, "What crisis will the City of Torn Gust face? What opportunity will I find myself with?"
Feng Xingmie said, "Our information is not complete at the moment. When we have a clearer picture, I will have someone send it to you."
Then, Lord Feng Xingmie got to his feet and said, "I can't stay for long. I will get going now."
Yun Zhonghe said, "Need me to help you out?"
Feng Xingmie said, "No need."
"How are you going to get out?" Yun Zhonghe asked.
"As the man with the fragrance of the night, who is otherwise known as the dung-hauler," Feng Xingmie replied.
Yun Zhonghe was shocked. Such a big shot like Feng Xingmie actually had to disguise himself as a dung-hauler to get in and out of a place?
When they reached the door, Feng Xingmie suddenly turned back and asked, "Child, can I give you a hug?"
Yun Zhonghe was startled at first, then he nodded.
Feng Xingmie turned around and gave Yun Zhonghe a forceful hug. With a trembling voice, he said, "Child, the last time I carried you, you were just a baby. In the blink of an eye, you have grown up."
Feng Xingmie sniffed deeply then released Yun Zhonghe. Then, he headed straight out and immediately disappeared into the darkness of the backyard.
A quarter of an hour later!
A rickety old man, seated on a wagon full of dung, left the residence of the castellan.
***