Chapter -37 Alliance
The Qin-Zhao alliance was officially established. Zhao pledged not to target Qin while they focused on battling Wei, and Qin agreed not to engage Zhao while dealing with Yan.
Additionally, Zhao promised to relinquish the important city of Kankoku to secure the release of Shunpeikun, a significant figure to the Zhao king who was currently imprisoned by Ryo Fei.
At the banquet, beautiful girls danced gracefully while servants served delectable dishes to the guests. Amidst the festivities, a determined young man named Shin boldly declared his intention to seek revenge. Shou Bun Kun, rising to intervene, suddenly halted as an eerie aura enveloped the area, plunging the banquet into an eerie silence broken only by the echoing tap of footsteps.
As all eyes turned towards the approaching figure, they beheld a teenage boy of striking handsomeness clad in noble attire, accompanied by another youth wearing a fox mask. The guests wondered about their identities.
Before Prime Minister Ri Boku, the newcomer introduced himself as Ley Lin of the Storm Eagles. The mention of his name sent a ripple through the assembled ministers. Lin's gaze settled on Ri Boku's plate of food. "Is the meat well fried, Ri Boku-sama?" he inquired, stunning the onlookers. Ri Boku's expression stiffened under Lin's scrutiny.
Turning his attention to Kaine and Ri Boku, Lin continued casually, "When are you two getting married?" Ri Boku, clearly taken aback, responded curtly, "Personal matters such as marriage are of no concern to you, I believe."
"So, the rumors I've heard are true," Lin remarked with a smile, a subtle challenge in his tone, causing Ri Boku's fists to clench in response. The tension in the banquet hall escalated with Lin's unexpected and probing questions.
Before Ri Boku could respond, Lin cut to the chase. "Ri Boku-sama, can Qin win the battle against Wei?" he asked with a serious expression. Ri Boku's gaze hardened as he clenched his fist in response.
"Qin will certainly prevail in the battle with additional effort," Ri Boku replied firmly.
"Very well, thank you," Lin said in farewell, then swiftly exited the room. Murmurs filled the room.
Lin and Zhang moved to a secluded area, where Zhang removed his fox mask and revealed his identity. He looked at Lin with admiration.
"Lin, I must say I admire your tactics in provoking Ri Boku with your words to draw out any slip-ups,"
"Let's set that aside for now. Did you hear what he said about 'additional effort'?"
"Yes, Lin. 'Additional effort.' And it seems there are some eyes watching us here in the capital" cautiously.
"Yeah, It looks like it's going to be a long night".
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As night fell, in a secluded courtyard, an assassin snuck into the room and slowly raised his knife, intending to strike at the figure lying on the bed.
Before he could carry out his attack, however, he was swiftly dispatched by a sword strike from behind. Lin emerged from the shadows behind the assassin, while Zhang approached from the side. Karna pushed open the door to reveal the body of another assassin lying outside.
Karna glanced at Zhang and remarked, "We should have left one alive to interrogate and find out who sent them."
"That wouldn't have helped, Karna," Zhang replied. "They know shit about us. Like who in right mind sent only two assassins to kill a strong soldier , the assassins probably only knows basic information like where we live and how many of us there are." Zhang replied as he examined the assassin's body. There, he discovered a tattoo on the body.
Meanwhile, Lin instructed them to leave the scene to another place.
They arrived at a secluded house tucked away in a corner of the city and entered. Inside, Lin greeted an elderly woman with familiarity. "Hey, grandma, good to see you again. I need some information. I'll pay you double," Lin said.
The elderly woman nodded knowingly and revealed that the assassins belonged to the Koma clan, a new organization specializing in assassinations. She disclosed that there was a house in the market district disguised as a regular medicine shop. Inside, there was a concealed area where one could place orders specifying the target, quantity of targets, and the payment amount.
The group had arrived at the designated location in the market district, with Zhang and Lin discreetly observing nearby shops and houses. Karna, feeling puzzled, placed a hand on Zhang's shoulder and asked, "Hey, shouldn't we be focusing on examining the medicine shop that grandma mentioned? Why are we observing the houses in front of it?"
Zhang looked at Karna's confused expression and explained, "Karna, my innocent boy, if you were the leader of an assassination clan, would you blindly follow the commissions given? The targets cannot be identified without names. If I were the leader, I would definitely assign someone to observe the commissioner, especially since we should not involve in major political conflicts or facing unknown powerful enemies."
Lin discovered a shop with three floors that provided a perfect vantage point for observing the target house. The group ascended to the third floor, where they encountered a young girl attentively watching the medicine shop while eating fruits.
"Wow, you've got a good eye for watching the shop from up here," a voice suddenly spoke near her ear. Startled, the girl turned to see a teenager standing beside her.
"Who are you? Why are you here? Where are the guards? I won't let you go if anything happens to me!" the girl exclaimed anxiously, retreating towards a corner for safety.
"Easy, girl. We're just here for information, but if you're this panicked, we might not get what we need," sighed Zhang, observing the girl's distress. Meanwhile, Karna retrieved a bunch of small wooden planks from the corner of the room, each bearing rough charcoal sketches of people.
Lin noticed the charcoal on the girl's hands and complimented her talent. "Wow, you have a great drawing skill. So this is how you identify your commissioners. Impressive," Lin remarked.
Zhang then placed all the planks in front of her. "Listen, girl. I want you to point out the person who ordered a commission on Green Flower Courtyard yesterday. You don't realize how deep shit you're into ...…" Zhang sprouting bullshit story while watching the girl's reactions closely and pointing at the planks.
"I've got it. This is the image of the person who commissioned it," Zhang declared confidently, pointing at a specific wooden plank. Lin marveled at Zhang's mentalism and observation skils and how he read the girl's mind.
They left the room with the wooden plank bearing the sketch and found a secluded spot to eat lunch. As evening approached, Karna joined them in the area.
"I contacted some friends in the black market and got information about the sketch," Karna said, placing the plank in front of them. "His name is Cho Min, a merchant with several connections to Qin ministers. However, he was born in Cho's state, and the crucial detail is that he has a brother who is a minister of Cho."
A sudden realization dawned on Lin and Zhang. "A setup," Lin burst out laughing.
"Karna, if we managed to defeat those low-level assassins, our next step is to determine who sent them. We'll investigate through the black market or any other information sources that can lead us back to the medicine shop," Zhang said, emphasizing the importance of tracing the origin of the commission.
"And what will you do if you discover that your assassins were indeed commissioned from that shop?" Zhang asked, prompting Karna to consider the possibilities.
"I will investigate the medicine shop directly or interrogate the people associated with it " Karna replied.
"Exactly, Karna. The clue leads us to the merchant, and if he refuses to talk, we might resort to torture. Given our soldiers' instincts, we'd likely eliminate him to prevent any future complications," Zhang explained, outlining their typical approach to handling such situations.
Karna listened attentively, then asked, "So, Zhang, are you saying that we actually killed the merchant? What consequences will that bring upon us?"
Zhang's expression grew solemn as he continued, "The Cho minister seeks revenge for his brother's death. He has influenced Qin to appease the state by offering Ley Lin's head in exchange for peace."
"What?!" Karna exclaimed in shock,
"But how could Qin allow this to happen? Can't they intervene, Zhang?" Karna asked, trying to comprehend the situation.
"They do shit , Karna, because this orchestration is being led by none other than Qin ministers themselves," Zhang replied grimly.
Karna looked bewildered. "But why would Qin ministers conspire against us?" he asked.
"It's because Ley Lin killed some ministers to protect Rou clan, which led certain factions to believe that Ley Lin belongs to another faction. Lin is seen as a significant threat by these corrupt ministers who want to eliminate him before he becomes too influential," Zhang explained, revealing the complex web of political motives and internal power struggles within Qin.
Lin gazed coldly into the distance as night fell, deep in thought. Zhang observed Lin's demeanor and asked, "Are you planning to eliminate the ministers to instill fear?"
"No, Zhang. We need to remove the root of the problem," Lin replied firmly.
Zhang nodded, understanding Lin's resolve. With a smile, he looked at Lin , they stealthly vanished from there.
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In Ryo Fui's mansion,
Ryo fui slowly opened his eyes to the sound of some noise. As his vision cleared, he saw three individuals standing before him.
Ryo Fui found himself tied to a pole with a gag in his mouth, unable to speak. He groaned in frustration and fear as he realized the gravity of his situation.
"He's awake, Lin. Let's finish this business quickly. We have much to discuss," said the man in the fox mask
"Minister, I admired your political schemes. But by targeting my head, you've crossed a line, you done something you should not " Lin stated coldly, his eyes filled with bloodlust as he brandished a knife in front of Ryo Fui.
"Consider this your punishment," Lin declared, as he removed the pants of Ryo fui , he cut down little Ryo Fui infront his eyes , the pain caused Ryo Fui to scream but the gag on his mouth stopped the screams , Zhang quickly put some sleeping poweder near nose of Ryo Fui , Ryo Fui fell sleep after that.
As the sun rose on the horizon, rumors began to circulate in the capital suggesting that Ryo Fui was actively engaged in sexual activities and derived pleasure from it, portraying him as a man of culture.
Meanwhile in the Ryo fui mansion , Ryo fui opened his eyes and he quickly removed the pants seeing nothing there , he looked at his hands ,
"LEYLIN!!!!!!!!!!!!" .