After Fang Jie's carriage entered the courtyard of the Marquis of Sanjin's residence, those watching outside waited a full half hour before the gates reopened. They had assumed Wu Yidao and his group would leave Chang'an as soon as the city gates opened, but unexpectedly, they had lingered inside for so long. The moment the gates opened, everyone secretly watching outside was astonished.
Out of the gates emerged not just one carriage, but eight identical carriages in a row. The drivers all wore straw hats and bowed their heads, dressed identically, making it impossible to distinguish one from another. Even their builds were almost indistinguishable, instantly leaving those in the shadows dumbfounded.
The eight carriages filed out, four to the left and four to the right. At each street corner, one carriage branched off, the eight carriages taking eight different routes.
"What do we do?"
Zhang Kuang, sitting at a food stall table, paled and instinctively asked Mo Xidao beside him.
Mo Xidao hadn't expected this situation. After a moment's thought, he instructed his men, "Go tell those officials' subordinates to keep an eye on the four carriages heading left. Our Snake Guards should focus on the carriages heading right. Make our move as soon as we leave Chang'an. Wu Yidao wants to scatter our men, but hasn't his own been scattered in the same way? He doesn't have many men to begin with; if he splits them into eight carriages, how many will he have left? A foolish strategy! If he kept all his men by his side, he might still have a fighting chance!"
"Yes, sir!"
The Snake Guard beside him responded and turned to find the officials' men.
"Let's go."
Mo Xidao stood up, took a handful of copper coins from his sleeve, and placed them on the table to pay for breakfast. He carefully counted them, then picked up the extra coin and put it back in his sleeve. This action made Zhang Kuang's heart ache, and thinking of himself, a strange hatred welled up within him. "Hopefully we won't be able to stop Fang Jie."
He muttered to himself, then stood up and walked to the right side of the street.
Mo Xidao shook his head, glancing at the bundle beside him. Inside was his weapon, the ring-pommel sword that had reaped countless heads in Eastern Chu. He slung the bundle over his shoulder, glanced back at the gates of the Sanjin Marquis's residence, his expression suddenly changing, then walked back and sat down.
"Tell Deputy Captain Zhang to take men and pursue him. I have matters to attend to here. You can all go with Deputy Captain Zhang."
His snake guards nodded and left, leaving him alone. After sitting down, Mo Xidao took the remaining copper coin from his sleeve and fiddled with it in his hand. He waited for over half an hour, then suddenly the gates of the Sanjin Marquis's residence opened again, and two identical carriages emerged from the mansion. The drivers exchanged glances, then cracked their whips, urging the carriages to speed off in opposite directions.
Mo Xidao smiled coldly, carefully examining the two carriages. Judging from the speed at which the slow-moving horses started, the carriage on the left was significantly lighter. He immediately stood up and followed behind it, maintaining a respectful distance. The other carriage headed to the right, seemingly heading out of Chang'an via the eastern part of the city.
Mo Xidao judged which carriage was heavier because he knew Fang Jie was a coward. Fang Jie would never send away anyone he trusted, meaning Shen Qingshan and the others should be in the carriage, hence its heaviness. The other carriage, clearly lighter, led Mo Xidao to suspect Wu Yidao was inside.
The previous eight carriages might have been a decoy.
Zhang Kuang, who had already led his men far away, instructed his subordinates: "Don't kill indiscriminately and cause unnecessary trouble. If killing Wu Yidao alerts the Imperial Guards or the Chang'an Prefecture, today's mission will be difficult. Divide into four teams and intercept those carriages one by one after they leave the city. If Wu Yidao isn't in a carriage, let it go."
"Yes, sir!"
His Snake Guards responded and quickly split into four teams, following the carriages.
Just after Zhang Kuang finished giving his orders, he noticed another carriage approaching from behind. Zhang Kuang's expression changed, and after hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth and followed.
For some reason, His Majesty the Emperor was much later than usual for court today. Moreover, the Emperor seemed very talkative, frequently summoning officials from various departments to inquire about matters. As a result, today's morning court session was significantly delayed, and many people in the Taiji Hall wore anxious expressions, feeling as if they were sitting on pins and needles.
The Emperor refused to announce the adjournment of court, and they could only endure their burning impatience.
The five carriages heading left chose different city gates and exited at varying times. Although the Snake Guards had a considerable number of men, their strength was somewhat insufficient when deployed. Zhang Kuang sent someone back to Prince Yi's residence to request instructions. Half an hour later, a person appeared beside him—someone Zhang Kuang deeply disliked.
This young man, dressed in a scholar's robe, exuded an overwhelming aura of yin energy. Zhang Kuang hated him because he could sense the man's danger.
"The Prince ordered you to guard the courtyard; why did you come along?"
He asked in a somewhat icy voice. Fang Henshui, standing beside him, smiled and said, "The things in the courtyard aren't really important. They're just some flags and markers, buried there. Manager Qin had them all removed and distributed last night, so there's no point in me staying. You asked Manager Qin for help, and he sent me to assist."
Zhang Kuang frowned and asked, "Why did you insist on following me with so many carriages?"
Fang Henshui smiled and said, "Because I know you're an excellent scout. If Fang Jie or Wu Yidao are indeed among the five carriages heading this way, they'll definitely be in the one you chose to follow. If it's Wu Yidao, you can kill him. If it's Fang Jie… I suspect you might hesitate, or even be able to defeat him, so I came."
…
…
Chunhe Gate was one of the smaller gates in the eastern part of Chang'an. Normally, it was guarded by the Left Martial Guard of the Sui Dynasty. However, the Left Martial Guard was to be deployed the next day, so the task of guarding the city was handed over to General Xu Xiaogong's Right Guard. A carriage slowly approached from the city. The driver stopped at the gate and showed his pass to the guards. The guards checked it briefly and then let him pass without giving him any trouble.
The driver thanked them, returned to the carriage, cracked his whip, and drove it out of Chunhe Gate.
Shortly after the carriage left, a group of dozens of men escorted two carriages to the gate. The carriages displayed escort flags, clearly belonging to a local escort agency. Escort agencies were registered with Chang'an Prefecture in detail, which allowed them to carry weapons and were subject to thorough checks when entering and leaving Chang'an. Therefore, the guards at the city gates were usually familiar with them. But today was different; the guards were newly appointed soldiers of the Right Guard.
To avoid any mistakes, the guards checked the carriages extra carefully, only to find that one carriage was empty, while the other contained a young man in a scholar's robe and a middle-aged man in a close-fitting outfit.
The soldiers questioned them carefully and learned that the escort agency's convoy wasn't actually on a delivery mission, but rather a pickup mission. Leaving the city empty wouldn't cause any trouble, so the soldiers let them pass. As they exited, Fang Henshui, sitting in the carriage, couldn't help but laugh, though he didn't know what he found funny.
Zhang Kuang rolled his eyes at him but didn't speak.
"Are you nervous?"
Fang Henshui asked.
Zhang Kuang still ignored him, instead drawing his horizontal sword from his bundle and carefully wiping it.
Fang Henshui said gently, "A person only does things that seem trivial when they're nervous, like… wiping their weapon. Your weapon is clean, not stained with blood, what's there to wipe? Actually, you're doing this because you're guilty, because you're about to harm your friend."
"Shut up!"
Zhang Kuang coldly hissed.
"Fine."
Fang Henshui smiled, "If you really can't bring yourself to do it, think about whether your friend will show you mercy when you do it."
South City.
A carriage had to stop about ten miles from the city because the road was blocked. Dozens of men in tight-fitting clothes blocked the main road, their knives drawn. After the carriage stopped, more men rushed out of the roadside woods, blocking its retreat.
This was the fifth carriage heading south of the city, the very one Mo Xidao had personally been watching. The Snake Guards had all gone to the east of the city; those surrounding the carriage were the subordinates of court officials. Regardless of their position, every official kept a number of江湖客 (jianghu ke, martial arts practitioners) in their household. Although Chang'an was relatively peaceful, those in that position were more wary of death.
These assassins often had murder records, and because of their considerable skill, they were secretly rescued and became private bodyguards. They all exuded a fierce aura, their cold eyes fixed on the carriage.
The coachman removed his straw hat, turned back to the carriage, and smiled, saying, "Not many people. Fang Jie's method of dispersing the enemy is good."
The person inside the carriage hummed in agreement and said calmly, "Then let's clean it up quickly; we don't have much time."
"Understood."
The coachman responded, unfastening his straw raincoat and tossing it aside. Once the hat and raincoat were removed, it became clear that the coachman was an unusually fat man. He wore brand-new clothes; many people in Chang'an could tell at a glance that these clothes were expensive, even though they were just plain cloth.
He stood up from the carriage, stretched, and then, with a light step, suddenly flew away like a large ball of cotton. His movements didn't seem particularly fast, but they were unpredictable and elusive. The twenty-odd men blocking his way rushed forward, brandishing their swords, and surrounded the fat man. But the fat man's movements were too strange; the twenty-odd swords couldn't even touch his clothes.
The dozen or so assassins behind the carriage didn't dare charge directly at it. Instead, they drew their heavy bows from their backs and began firing arrows at the carriage. They didn't stop until their arms were numb and sore; each of them had fired at least ten arrows. Although the carriage was sturdy, many arrows still managed to get in through the windows. The carriage looked like a giant hedgehog.
The assassins exchanged glances, then abandoned their bows, drew their swords, and charged forward. Just then, a figure suddenly flew out of the carriage. He was emaciated and wore a tattered fur coat. He leaped out with incredible speed, carrying no weapon but wearing gloves with steel spikes.
Soon, the fat man in front and the thin man behind were surrounded by the assassins.
Just then, a figure darted out from behind the crowd. In mid-air, this person drew a ring-pommel sword from his back and brought it down in a single, swift strike. A sharp, ruthless blade of energy slammed into the carriage, splitting it in two with a resounding crash! The carriage shattered, and Mo Xidao, seizing the opportune moment, swiftly brought down his second strike!
Only one person remained inside the carriage, dressed in his signature royal blue brocade robes.
It was none other than Wu Yidao, the richest man in the Sui Dynasty, the Spreading Gold Marquis!
And at this moment, he had no guards by his side.
A hint of joy flashed in Mo Xidao's eyes; he was always confident in his strike. His records at the Martial Arts Academy listed him as a fifth-rank cultivator. In reality, he had already advanced to the seventh rank three years prior. He could transform his internal energy into powerful, imposing sword energy.
But the instant his second strike landed, the joy in his eyes vanished, replaced by surprise and a trace of fear.
Wu Yidao sat calmly in the carriage, without a single guard.
But there were arrows.
Twenty-odd arrows that the assassins had previously shot into the carriage now floated peacefully before Wu Yidao, as obedient as pets vying for their master's favor. As Mo Xidao's blade struck down, Wu Yidao slowly raised his head to look at the figure in mid-air, then pointed forward.
In an instant, the arrows, like eagles receiving a command, suddenly changed direction and rained down on Mo Xidao!