This swordsman from Japan had traveled with merchant ships from Eastern Chu to the Sui Dynasty. Because the Eastern Chu ships traversed many places, it was a year later when he arrived in the Sui Dynasty from his homeland. Therefore, he had learned quite a bit of the language of the Han Chinese from the Central Plains, although he spoke it very poorly, at least he could express himself clearly, and of course, he could understand most of the spoken Chinese.
So, he understood what Sanjin Hou meant by "Your father is dead?"
This arrogant dwarf immediately flew into a rage, drawing his longsword with a whoosh. The Japanese longsword was similar to the Sui Dynasty's horizontal sword. It was said that many years ago, Eastern Chu merchants sold the Sui Dynasty's horizontal sword to Japan, and Japanese workshops immediately adopted it as the model for weaponry, thus beginning to imitate it. However, to distinguish it, they made slight modifications to the swords they forged.
For example, the double-edged sword in the Japanese swordsman's hand looked similar to the horizontal sword, only slightly curved, and the position of the blood groove was also slightly different.
"Baka yarou!"
He cursed, pointing his longsword at Sanjinhou's forehead and roaring, "Insulting the warriors of our Rising Sun Empire is a capital offense! I challenge you to a duel!"
Sanjinhou's lips curled into a smirk as he looked at the old man sitting to the side and asked, "Are you coming together, or one at a time?"
The old man scoffed, "I don't mind if you take out this idiot first."
Sanjinhou nodded with a smile.
The Japanese swordsman was furious, turning back to glare at the old man and shouting, "We're on the same side now! How can you collude with the enemy!"
The old man smiled and said, "Idiot, I do share the same goal as you, but first of all, you're a barbarian from another race. I can't bring myself to team up with a barbarian to kill someone from the Great Sui. I must kill this person, but certainly not with you. If he kills you, I'll be happy, maybe even applaud. If you're lucky enough to kill him, then I'll kill you to avenge him." "Enmity. Because I am a Sui person, the struggles between Sui people are our own family matter. I will not interfere in your fight with him, but I will not stand by and watch you kill a Sui person and leave."
The Japanese swordsman was taken aback: "What kind of logic is that? Those who stand on the same side are friends!"
The old man sneered: "What right does a barbarian who traveled thousands of miles to serve as a dog in the Great Sui for a few taels of silver have to be my friend?"
"I'll kill you first!"
The Japanese swordsman was furious and pointed his sword at the old man.
The old man frowned and said: "If your sword is pointed at me again, I will kill you immediately."
Perhaps this Japanese swordsman had witnessed the old man's cultivation, and although he was furious, he still had some reservations about him. He muttered a few curses in his own language, then pointed his sword at Sanjinhou again.
Sanjinhou pointed at the old man and smiled, saying: "I mean the same thing as him, but I won't warn you."
After saying this, Sanjinhou disappeared. The Japanese swordsman was startled, not expecting his enemy to be so fast. However, he was a renowned samurai in Japan, with extensive combat experience. So, the instant Sanjin Hou disappeared, he whirled around and unleashed a counter-attack. This Japanese swordsman's swordsmanship was simple and direct, without any fancy movements. Almost all his sword strikes followed a single, swift, and powerful line.
But this strike missed.
After his counter-attack, he realized he had miscalculated; the enemy hadn't appeared behind him. Startled, he quickly turned around again. He found Sanjin Hou, who had vanished, still standing in the same spot, having returned after his brief flash. The Japanese swordsman's pupils dilated instantly, for he saw a fist the size of a bowl hurtling towards his face.
He immediately swung his sword upwards, attempting to sever Sanjin Hou's wrist. The blade swept across, but Sanjin Hou's arm suddenly twisted as if it had broken itself—a completely illogical act. How could a person's arm break by itself? The longsword missed its mark, but the fist did.
The punch landed squarely on the Japanese swordsman's nose, with a loud thud, like a soy sauce bottle shattering, and blood gushed from his nose. Sanjin Hou seemed to have deliberately held back, not killing him with a single blow, but instead, in the instant the Japanese swordsman's head snapped back, he lunged forward and slammed his shoulder into the swordsman's chest.
Like a struck bell, the Japanese swordsman's body was sent flying like a cannonball. The old man sitting behind the Japanese swordsman immediately dodged, leaping to the side like a hawk. With a crash, the Japanese swordsman's body slammed heavily into the large rock the old man had been sitting on.
With a crack, the Japanese swordsman's waist bent backward at a ninety-degree angle, countless bones broken.
Sanjinhou slowly walked to the fallen Japanese swordsman, looking down at the dying man. "You really shouldn't have left your country," he said. "This world is different from another. The so-called Rising Sun Empire is a joke in our Sui people's eyes, and not a funny one at that."
The Japanese swordsman didn't understand the meaning of his words.
Only the speaker understood.
Sanjinhou bent down, grabbed the Japanese swordsman's collar, and lifted him up, saying calmly, "I really wanted to let you go back, so you could tell your compatriots not to come out and embarrass themselves anymore. But I'm not a Buddhist, nor do I have any compassion. So… you can die."
He grabbed the Japanese swordsman's collar and shoved him forward violently. The Japanese swordsman's head slammed against a rock, exploding instantly like a watermelon hitting a stone.
At that moment, no one knew why Sanjinhou would use such a bloody method to kill.
A steward standing inside the moon gate suddenly exclaimed, pointing at Sanjinhou and shouting in a trembling voice, "You...you're not Wu Yidao!"
Sanjinhou slowly opened the long wooden box he had placed aside, taking out a long sword as clear as a pool of blue water. The wooden box was covered in a layer of frost. However, the sword itself was free of frost, only a thin layer of moisture.
Sanjinhou gripped the sword, glanced at the moon gate, and smiled, praising, "You're very clever, you guessed right."
...
...
Sanjinhou reached up and scratched his face, peeling off an exquisitely crafted mask. When the mask was removed, his handsome features astonished everyone!
"Fang Jie!"
Several stewards crowded inside the moon gate shouted this name almost simultaneously, their faces immediately turning extremely grim. They were already utterly astonished that Wu Yidao had so easily killed his way into the backyard of Songbai Tower, but upon seeing this young and handsome face, their hearts couldn't help but clench.
When Fang Jie, disguised as the Marquis of Sanjin, stormed in, they assumed Wu Yidao had taken advantage of Songbai Tower's vulnerability while most of his men were chasing the carriages that had left the city, so he had launched a surprise attack. But now, instead of Wu Yidao, it was Fang Jie standing before them. They couldn't help but wonder… where was Wu Yidao?
Fang Jie, having removed his mask, let out a long, comfortable sigh and muttered to himself, "Wearing this thing is really uncomfortable, especially looking in the mirror. Believe it or not, I was startled when I first saw him."
The stewards exchanged bewildered glances, none of them understanding what he was trying to say.
Fang Jie looked at the old man and smiled, saying, "I admire what you just said. Conflicts between Sui people are family matters. That's the point… So I'd like to advise you… to leave. What happened today is not what you think. If you stay here any longer, you will surely die, and die a disgraceful death. Although I don't know who you are, since you have your own pride and are unwilling to associate with barbarians, you naturally don't want to be buried in a mass grave alongside rebels after death, despised by the world, with your descendants forever bearing the mark of shame, living the life of slaves."
The old man He hesitated for a moment, then shook his head: "Since I've promised someone, I can't go back on my word."
Fang Jie nodded: "I know it's pointless to advise you, but it pains me to see so many powerful people die in the Sui people's internal conflicts. You are the pride of the Sui people; even in death, you shouldn't die in such a conspiracy."
The old man's eyes flickered with struggle. After a moment of silence, he asked: "Do you often advise your enemies like this?"
Fang Jie smiled and shook his head: "No… because before I stormed in, I saw someone climb over the wall and go out." "They must have gone to get reinforcements, right? And your men went out of the city to chase those carriages, so naturally they can't be called back in a short time. So... now if you're looking for help, you'll definitely be asking your backer for reinforcements, right? I'm waiting for that person behind you to step forward... How could he easily show himself unless pushed to a certain point?"
Fang Jie pointed his Morning Dew Blade at the stewards inside the Moon Gate: "Although they aren't big shots, and they don't have any particularly glamorous identities, these people know far too many secrets, because they know all the shady things the higher-ups do." "It's our doing. Capturing these people is more effective than capturing those bigwigs. So... what was your backer's reaction when he learned that Wu Yidao had actually stormed Songbai Tower and might even take these managers away?"
Fang Jie answered his own question: "Of course, he couldn't allow that to happen, so he would immediately dispatch his top experts to stop Wu Yidao. In his view, he'd rather kill you all than let you fall into Wu Yidao's hands."
He smiled slightly: "But I'm not Wu Yidao, I'm Fang Jie... So guess where Wu Yidao went?"
He asked the managers.
The managers, of course, didn't know. In fact, even Fang Jie wasn't sure where Wu Yidao was. He only knew that Wu Yidao was definitely in the most crucial place.
"Aren't you frustrated and angry? You've been waiting for the moment your intricate web would tighten, but now you suddenly realize you're the ones caught in it. That must feel awful… If it were me, I'd be so frustrated I'd want to curse, so ashamed I'd want to kill myself."
Fang Jie seemed slightly smug, declaring the enemy's defeat with the air of a victor.
"Don't doubt it, the reason I'm talking so much isn't because I'm talkative, nor because I'm overconfident. It's because I'm waiting for the people your backers send. As for you… you're already turtles in the net, there's no escaping. But don't worry, even if you're captured today, your powerful backers won't be in trouble, because tomorrow is the military expedition… With so many officials missing, the people will be suspicious. The emperor cares about his reputation; he'll wait until tomorrow before killing anyone."
"So, the morning court hasn't ended yet. And it won't end today. The emperor will keep your powerful backers here until tomorrow morning, until…" "Then take them to the military departure ceremony. Of course, they're just there to make up the numbers, but you'll be much more important tomorrow, because after the ceremony I'll be giving your testimonies to the Emperor. Whoever performs well might have their wife, children, and grandchildren spared."
The old man's face changed drastically, and he took several steps back: "You mean, this is all a trap set by the Emperor?"
Fang Jie nodded: "You finally understand."
The old man's expression shifted rapidly. After hesitating for a few seconds, he suddenly leaped off the ground like a kite, soaring out of the courtyard. His figure could be seen rising and falling on the high-rise building before quickly disappearing from sight.
After the old man left, Fang Jie couldn't help but wipe his forehead. "Phew... it's really not easy to fool someone. It's damn hard to survive these days. You have to be able to put on a show and intimidate people. Fighting... how am I supposed to know if I can beat that old guy? Subduing the enemy without fighting is the only way."
He smiled at the stewards. "Wasn't I amazing? I was just lying to you all... The Emperor has no idea what happened today."