When Xiang Qingniu saw Fang Jie's eyes, now completely crimson, his heart seemed to skip a beat. He had never seen anyone's eyes so terrifying, nor had he ever seen any ordinary person possess such eyes that could only be described as eerie.
Fang Jie had survived many ambushes before, but thanks to the presence of skilled guards, he had always escaped unscathed.
Today's assassination attempt, seemingly equally risky and even easily resolved, was actually the most dangerous he had ever faced. Had his reaction been even half a second slower, he would now be one of those corpses lying on the ground.
The nearest assassin was less than twenty paces away. The crossbow bolt fired at that distance failed to kill him due to his reaction and a bit of luck.
As the assassin leaped, the sunlight reflecting off the bolt momentarily blinded Fang Jie.
If not for this small warning, Fang Jie wouldn't have had time to draw his sword.
Today's assassination attempt was the most nerve-wracking Fang Jie had ever experienced. The muscles in his arms were still as hard as iron, the bulging muscles possessing a powerful beauty. His right hand gripped a knife, while his left hand clutched Xiang Qingniu's collar, almost suffocating him.
"I heard what you said, who exactly are those people!"
Fang Jie asked, staring directly into Xiang Qingniu's eyes.
This seemingly ordinary boy, incapable of cultivation, whose Qi Sea was even weaker than an average person's, suddenly unleashed an aura of power. Xiang Qingniu had felt the invincible aura of his second senior brother when he killed with a single thought—a majestic and chilling aura. But his second senior brother's aura was an unparalleled pressure, while Fang Jie's was a cold, cruel, and terrifying presence, like a snake, a knife, a demon.
"Your…your eyes."
Xiang Qingniu didn't answer Fang Jie's question, but subconsciously pointed to Fang Jie's eyes.
This question also made Mu Xiaoyao and Daquan notice Fang Jie's change.
Fang Jie paused, his tense nerves relaxing slightly. The crimson light in his eyes gradually faded, returning to their original clear black and white.
"What's wrong?"
he asked.
Only then did he realize that Xiang Qingniu was being strangled to near death in his grasp.
He slowly released his grip, taking a step back. In an instant, he felt as if all the strength had been drained from his body. He didn't know if this feeling was due to the relaxation after extreme tension, or something else. He even felt so tired that he wanted to lie down; his legs were so weak they could barely support his body.
But he didn't fall. Instead, he used his sword as a crutch, poking the ground.
"Tell me first, who are those people?"
As he asked this, the carriage procession of the Red Sleeve Pavilion stopped far ahead. A moment later, the old cripple with a large gourd of wine tied to his waist arrived. The old cripple glanced at the corpses lying haphazardly on the ground, his expression gradually becoming serious.
"If..."
Xiang Qingniu swallowed hard, his expression pained. "If my memory serves me right, there seems to be only one type of person in this world who can almost completely conceal themselves from the world. Although their cultivation level might be low, even top-tier experts would find it difficult to detect their presence. Therefore... they have created many myths of killing powerful experts while remaining ordinary."
"But... that's impossible."
"Why is it impossible?!"
Fang Jie gasped for breath, his mind a jumbled mess.
His mind was filled with questions, yet he overlooked something he should have been paying attention to. He dismounted, rolled on the ground, and instead of dodging, charged into the assassins. Was it an instinctive reaction, or did he realize the assassins weren't particularly skilled at the moment of the attack? If it was the latter, how calm and collected would that require?
But right now, he didn't seem like a calm person at all.
Xiang Qingniu shook his head, still offering no answer. The old cripple squatted down to examine a corpse, sighed, and turned to Fang Jie: "If this young Taoist's guess is correct, then I really should question your background. Because these people never target ordinary people. Their targets are always highly specific; they never interfere in unrelated matters. These people are assassins who kill assassins, scouts who kill scouts..."
Big Dog and Mu Xiaoyao exchanged a glance, both seeing deep worry in each other's eyes.
The old cripple said nothing more, only giving Fang Jie a meaningful look before leaving. Xiang Qingniu also remained silent, refusing to continue even when pressed by Fang Jie. But Fang Jie could sense that the way Xiang Qingniu and the old cripple looked at him had changed, becoming somewhat unfamiliar, even harboring a hint of hostility.
This annoyed him, even enraged him.
Even though Xiang Qingniu and the old cripple had guessed the identities of these people, their tone towards these assassins showed no hostility, even a hint of respect. It was precisely this subtle respect that made Fang Jie even mistakenly believe he was the one who deserved to die.
And those assassins were heroes.
...
...
The carriage continued its journey, seemingly moving smoothly, but undoubtedly, a thick cloud hung over everyone's hearts. Whether out of fear of Fang Jie's terrifying eyes or for some other reason, Xiang Qingniu, who was too lazy to walk, actually gave up the carriage and struggled to climb onto a warhorse to ride alongside Cui Lueshang. He seemed to deliberately distance himself from Fang Jie, whether out of wariness or hostility.
This feeling was unpleasant.
The group of five, which had just begun, was now reduced to only Da Quan and Mu Xiaoyao.
Cui Lueshang, still somewhat dazed from the shock and shock, rode his horse alongside the carriage, giving the impression that he was sleepwalking. And Xiang Qingniu, the plump little Taoist priest, would occasionally steal glances at Fang Jie sitting in the carriage.
He hesitated several times, seemingly wanting to speak but then stopping, which Fang Jie noticed.
"Fang Jie…"
Big Dog cracked his whip, seemingly venting his frustration: "Shouldn't we skip the trip to the Sui capital? I have a feeling the journey won't be peaceful."
"Are you afraid?"
Fang Jie asked.
"A little, I am."
Big Dog nodded, leaning against the carriage, watching the Red Sleeves Caravan, which had now pulled a good three hundred meters ahead. It seemed the people there were deliberately maintaining their distance, not wanting any connection with their carriage.
"Those assassins earlier… none of them were experts…"
Big Dog sighed. Fang Jie hummed in agreement: "I know. I killed five people in a row. These people are even less skilled than veteran soldiers. In a one-on-one fight, they are no match for the Right Valiant Guard elite infantry we encountered. Their reflexes are first-rate, but their skills simply can't keep up. So, they only had one method to kill me, which was that first strike… After dozens of crossbow bolts failed to kill me, they had already failed. Such a simple method, such low skill level… yet they can kill you with the slightest carelessness. Such assassins… are terrifying."
"Indeed terrifying."
Da Quan, recalling the battle just now, knocked on the carriage and asked Mu Xiaoyao inside, "Have you thought of something?"
Mu Xiaoyao, who wasn't sleeping or lying down, but sitting cross-legged in the carriage with her body ramrod straight, put down her wine pouch and slowly let out a sigh of relief.
"Their cultivation level is low because, in order to completely blend into nature, it's actually harder for those with higher cultivation levels. Higher cultivation makes them appear more special, their aura stronger, and they can't be concealed by nature. Their reactions are superb, a result of long-term training. But their training wasn't about cultivation level; it was about achieving a single, decisive blow. This training must be incredibly brutal… even just this one aspect isn't easily mastered."
"What?"
Fang Jie asked.
"To conceal their emotions, not revealing even the slightest human emotion. When lying in ambush, they become part of nature, a blade of grass, a stone, a handful of sand, but definitely not human. At that moment, they have no human aura, no emotions."
Big Dog nodded: "So before they act, they have no killing intent whatsoever."
Fang Jie was stunned, quickly integrating Mu Xiaoyao and Big Dog's deductions in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more terrifying these ordinary people seemed. If it weren't for a bit of luck, if it weren't for the countless ambushes he'd endured over the past fifteen years, he would surely be dead today.
A group of ordinary people, yet they could suppress all the emotions of a human being. No excitement, no thrill, no trepidation; before they made their move, they weren't even human.
"They're not the pursuers we've encountered all these years."
Big Dog said earnestly, "If the people chasing us before had been a group of assassins like this, I'm afraid… we'd all be dead by now. They're close to nature, integrated with nature. When they sit next to you in a restaurant, you won't even glance at them. When they brush past you, you won't even notice them. Compared to those with profound cultivation, these kinds of assassins are truly impossible to guard against. Because you never know where or when they'll strike you fatally."
"So…"
He looked at Fang Jie and advised, "Shouldn't we not go to the capital, Chang'an?"
…
…
"We must go!"
After a moment of silence, Fang Jie gave a resolute answer.
He stroked the horizontal sword in his hand, his voice gradually calming: "No matter how terrifying these people are, there's one weakness we're certain of..."
"What?"
"They dare not kill me in the capital!"
Fang Jie said in a cold voice, "Although I don't know who they are, or why they want to kill me, I'm certain that their purpose in appearing now is to prevent me from going to the capital. Perhaps if I were in the capital, I would pose a great threat to their mastermind. And once I'm in the capital, this person feels it will be difficult to find another opportunity to kill me."
His thoughts gradually became clearer, and after thinking for a moment, he continued, "Once I arrive in the capital, I will have to take the entrance exam for the Martial Arts Academy. If I fail to get into the Martial Arts Academy, I will have to return to the Ministry of War." Report and then either transfer back to Fan Gu or transfer to another army. As long as I leave the imperial capital, they still have a chance to kill me, and as long as I leave, the threat to them is gone... So what they are afraid of is that I will be admitted to the Yanwu Academy. What they are afraid of is that they will not be able to do anything after I enter the Yanwu Academy, and... they seem to be sure that I can be admitted to the Yanwu Academy, so they are eager to kill me. It can be seen that... these people are from Chang'an. "
"Why are they sure that I can get close to the Martial Arts Academy? Did they get any information?"
"Are they afraid of what I will do when I get to the Martial Arts Academy?"
"These assassins are well-coordinated and well-organized. They are definitely not people from the world."
"Whose interests have I touched? Who have I threatened?"
He asked a lot of questions in succession.
"Li Xiaozong?"
The big dog hesitated and replied.
"Li Xiaozong does not have this ability."
Fang Jie shook his head: "It can't be General Li Yuanshan of You Xiaowei. If it were him, then the first time he sent people to kill me, he wouldn't have sent out the Jingbu battalion."
Question.
Too many questions.
Meanwhile, in Li Xiaozong's general's residence in Fangu City, Li Yuanshan, still dressed in plain clothes, glanced at the map hanging on the wall, pointed to the location of Wolf's Milk Mountain, and smiled at Li Xiaozong: "This place may soon become a battlefield. The military might of the Sui Dynasty will be displayed there. So you should prepare well; this will be an excellent opportunity for your advancement. After this battle, there will likely be several decades of peace. Soldiers... ultimately, can only shine brightly on the battlefield."
"Your Majesty has decided?"
Li Xiaozong was startled.
Li Yuanshan shook his head: "This information was brought to me by someone in the capital through secret channels. His Majesty might use my Right Valiant Guard to fight this battle. He's kindly reminding me to prepare."
"Will Fang Jie's matter have an impact?"
Li Xiaozong couldn't help but ask. Li Yuanshan smiled and said with relief, "This matter is no longer something we should be concerned about. As you know, the Ministry of War has already submitted the report on the victory at Fangu to His Majesty, and His Majesty has issued his instructions. Wu Peisheng died in battle, as did the thirty-six officials from the capital. So... this matter has nothing to do with us anymore. If His Majesty suspects anything... who will be the first to suffer?"
"The Ministry of War!"
Li Xiaozong nodded.
"Not just the Ministry of War."
Li Yuanshan smiled and said, "There are also His Majesty's eyes and ears. Those are the people who least want His Majesty to know the truth. They also took my silver notes and helped me lie and fabricate evidence. Once His Majesty finds out and is furious and punishes me, they will be the first to bear the brunt. Don't worry... when those people take action, how could a mere border scout possibly escape death?"