The 15th year of the Tianji era, September 9th, the Double Ninth Festival.
As night began to fall, Wei Changtian climbed into the horse-drawn carriage waiting at the entrance of the Wei Manor.
This time, he wasn’t going to the Xuanjing Bureau or the Fengqi Pavilion, but rather to actively step into the “trap” set for him.
After waiting for over ten days, Xiao Feng finally contacted Yang Liu again, asking her to lure him to a hill called “Yu Du” in the southern part of the city to admire the chrysanthemums together.
Wei Changtian, known for his “lustful heart,” naturally wouldn’t refuse. The carriage wheels kicked up a cloud of dust, and soon he disappeared from the sight of several scouts.
“Chirp, chirp, chirp…”
The weak cries of the cicadas on the old tree at the entrance of the Wei Manor echoed back and forth.
These little creatures were only concerned with singing their hearts out in the last moments of their lives, without noticing the large praying mantis blending in with the green leaves behind them.
Just like the praying mantis, which was completely focused on its prey, didn’t notice the yellow sparrow on another branch.
“Whoosh!”
The praying mantis swung its front legs, and the sparrow’s wings fluttered.
The praying mantis and the yellow sparrow almost simultaneously launched their attacks, dashing towards their targets.
The yellow and green leaves rustled, but the cicadas continued to chirp foolishly.
…
…
Yu Du Hill was located about ten miles outside the city, named for its resemblance to a fish belly.
Although it wasn’t far from the capital, the hill was off the main road, so even on the Double Ninth Festival, there weren’t many people who came here to climb and admire the chrysanthemums. Only a few scattered literati would come to showcase their individuality by drinking alone on the mountain.
As the Wei Manor’s carriage turned off the main road and entered a dirt path in the forest, the sky had already darkened by half. The surrounding forest was shrouded in shadows, and the four lanterns on the carriage barely illuminated a small area.
The moving light wasn’t very fast, and the sound of the horse’s hooves echoed loudly in the night.
At this time, there were over a dozen masked men hiding in the trees on both sides of the dirt path, each with a black cloth strip embroidered with a white dragon on their left shoulder.
Any Green Forest member present would recognize what this cloth strip represented.
Xuantian Society, ruler of the heavens and the earth.
“Master, the scouts along the way have confirmed that Wei Changtian is indeed on this carriage, accompanied only by his servant Wang Er, aside from the coachman.”
“Mm.”
Xiao Feng, hiding in the darkness, nodded and whispered, “Tell the brothers to make it quick, Wei’s family must have hidden guards following behind.”
“Master, we’ve brought twenty high-ranking warriors this time, what’s there to fear…”
“…”
A cold gaze swept over, and the person speaking immediately swallowed the rest of their sentence, remaining silent for a moment before putting their index finger and thumb into their mouth.
“Chirp, chirp ~”
The night wind rustled, and a gentle whistling sound, like a bird’s chirp, echoed.
Xiao Feng refocused his gaze on the firelight, his hand gripping the hilt of the Xuantian Sword tightly.
Although he told Yang Liu Shi that he wanted to lure Wei Changtian to the mountaintop, that was just a ruse. In reality, he had always planned to ambush him halfway.
After all, it was unknown whether Yang Liu Shi was trustworthy, and even if he was, Wei’s family would definitely set up an ambush at the mountaintop.
Xiao Feng didn’t want to confront Wei’s family head-on; instead, he preferred to ambush Wei Changtian and kill him quickly, then escape.
To achieve this, he had almost brought all the high-ranking warriors under his command, even borrowing one from the Liu family.
From noble mtl dot come
This person might not take action, but with him present, Xiao Feng was confident he could kill Wei Changtian.
You took something from me that day at Wei’s mansion; I’ll get it back a thousandfold!
“Clatter, clatter, clatter…”
The distant sound of horse hooves grew closer, and the two figures reflected on the window became visible.
Just as the horse carriage approached, the Xuantian Sword flashed out of its sheath with a “clang,” and a loud shout echoed through the forest.
“Kill!!”
“Whoosh! Whoosh!!”
Xiao Feng was the first to leap out from his hiding spot, followed by countless arrows shooting out from all directions, flying straight towards the horse carriage.
“Pfft! Pfft!”
“Thud!”
“Hee! Hee!!”
In an instant, the coachman’s eyes widened, and he fell off the carriage, while the two horses let out a loud whinny, their bodies pierced by multiple poisonous arrows, leaving them on the brink of death.
However, Xiao Feng didn’t care about their fate; his eyes remained fixed on the figures in the carriage.
Until the blood splattered on the window, and the two figures slumped over, he revealed a hint of a smile.
But this smile only lasted for a moment before disappearing, replaced by a thread of doubt.
Something’s off; it’s too easy…
Even if Wei Changtian was unguarded, why didn’t he even shout?
Could it be a decoy? A fake?
Why? Was it Yang Liu Shi who leaked the secret? Or was there a mole within the Xuantian Sect?
Countless speculations flooded his mind, and Xiao Feng didn’t wait any longer. He sprang into action, transforming into a black shadow as he rushed towards the already overturned carriage.
“Whoosh! Crash!”
With a swift sword strike, he beheaded the still-struggling horse, followed by another slash at the carriage body.
The sword energy almost instantly shattered the carriage into pieces, revealing the two bodies lying in the pool of blood.
The two were riddled with arrows, already dead beyond salvation.
The pungent smell of blood wafted through the air amidst the scattered wooden fragments.
Xiao Feng’s face turned iron-blue as he gazed intently, expecting to see the corpses of two strangers.
But when he finally saw the people he had meticulously planned to ambush…
The lantern lying nearby still flickered with firelight, illuminating the two familiar faces.
“Old Liu…”
“Ying, Little Ying…”
“…”
The moonlight was bleak, and old acquaintances reunited.
Xiao Feng stood still, as if he had lost his soul, repeatedly muttering “Little Ying” in his mouth.
The girl with a voice like a sharp arrow was naturally unable to respond to him, only staring with her lifeless eyes, which still seemed to hold a hint of terror from the moment before her death.
“Little Ying! Little Ying!!”
“Ah!!”
The leaves trembled, and countless birds flew out of the forest.
Xiao Feng hugged his head in agony, letting out a crazy scream, but the other members of the Xuantian Sect only briefly froze before hurrying over to persuade him:
“Master! Let’s retreat quickly!”
“If it’s not Wei Changtian in the car, then it must be a trap, and the Wei family will probably arrive soon!”
“Let’s go! If we don’t leave now, it’ll be too late!”
“…”
These few sentences exploded in Xiao Feng’s ears like a bolt of lightning.
Right!
If the Wei family had already known about their plan, how could they possibly let them go easily?
No longer looking at the lifeless girl, he took a deep breath and issued a difficult order:
“Go! Disperse and retreat into the forest, and we’ll talk about it when we get back to the sect!!”
“Yes!”
The crowd responded in unison and prepared to scatter and flee.
However, just as they were about to do so, torches suddenly lit up on all sides of the forest.
In the firelight, nearly a hundred strong men with knives had already formed a circle, their military-grade crossbows gleaming with a cold light, like venomous snakes ready to strike at any moment, taking lives.
Seeing this scene, the members of the Xuantian Sect were all shocked and terrified, their faces pale and sweaty.
They hastily raised their weapons to defend themselves, and then heard a voice full of mockery.
“Leave?”
“I think you should take a walk on the road to the underworld instead!”