novelden Chapter 929 The Death of Yuantong
Chapter 929 The Death of Yuantong
Li Chengye watched this scene with great interest, but didn't rush to make a move. After Zhong Zheng finished speaking, he asked, "It seems that your relationship is not simple. Let me guess, are you perhaps this monk's illegitimate child?"
Having his sore spot stepped on, Zhong Zheng's expression changed, but he remained silent. Yuan Tong ignored him completely and prepared to leave.
These little tricks won't hurt him.
"If you're planning to go find the Second Prince, I advise you to save your time; he's already dead," Li Chengye's calm voice came from the other side again.
Yuantong kept walking; he was quite skilled in light footwork, and in no time he had covered a great distance.
Li Chengye sneered and stopped talking. He reached into his pocket, took out a jade pendant, and tossed it over. Yuantong caught it without turning his head.
Only after seeing the design of the jade pendant did his expression truly change. He turned around and said, "Did you kill him? Who are you? What is your background? Even if you die, you must let this humble monk die knowing the truth!"
“I told you, you don’t need to know!” Li Chengye leaned forward.
“Monks have four fundamental precepts: first, do not kill; second, do not steal; third, do not engage in sexual misconduct; and fourth, do not lie. You can’t even do one of them, yet you dare to call yourself a monk? Killing you wouldn’t be unjust at all!”
Although Yuantong was also skilled in martial arts, Li Chengye looked like a weak scholar, but his movements were much more agile and deadly. Before long, Yuantong was at a disadvantage.
Zhong Zheng watched the two fight from a short distance away, without moving his feet or showing any panic.
A moment later, Yuantong suddenly clutched his chest and collapsed, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "You...you..."
Li Chengye, however, remained calm and composed.
Things didn't go as he expected, and Zhong Zheng's expression changed.
Seeing Yuantong fall, Li Chengye was about to take his life when Zhong Zheng suddenly stepped forward to stop him. His eyes were filled with doubt, his lips moved, but he suddenly pursed them and did not speak.
Li Chengye seemed to know what he was thinking. "You want to ask, why didn't I fall?"
Zhong Zheng lowered his eyes, paused for a moment, and then nodded.
Li Chengye smiled and even reached out to pat his shoulder, explaining, "I was born in a Miao village in western Hunan. My father was a corpse driver in western Hunan. In addition to driving corpses, he would also go up the mountain to collect herbs to supplement his livelihood. I have been going up the mountain with him to collect herbs and make medicine since I was a child, so I am very sensitive to the smell of various medicinal herbs."
Although the medicine you're using has a very faint odor, almost negligible, it can't fool me. Besides, I've been taking medicinal baths and taking antidotes since I was a child, so I'm immune to all poisons. These medicines have no effect on me.
After saying that, he looked at Yuantong, who was lying on the ground clutching his chest and whose face was gradually turning purple, and continued calmly: "Besides, even if I don't kill him now, he won't survive."
“The medicine I use won’t kill anyone,” Zhong Zheng argued, looking up.
“Oh, I forgot to mention, besides the sleeping potion you just secretly used, I also added aconite during the fight. This medicine is highly poisonous; even a god couldn't save you! But just in case, it's best to finish him off and shut him up now. The pursuers are almost here, and I don't want to expose myself yet,” Li Chengye shrugged.
Taking advantage of a pause in conversation, he suddenly and unexpectedly stabbed Yuantong in the throat with a needle.
Yuantong was so shocked that his pupils dilated, but his whole body was numb and he couldn't move. He could only watch helplessly as the needle was inserted.
Even on his deathbed, he kept his eyes wide open, gazing at the sky before dawn, clearly unable to die in peace!
Li Chengye acted too quickly, and Zhong Zheng was stunned, muttering to himself, "He...he's dead? He just died like that?"
There was a hint of disbelief in his tone.
Li Chengye carefully put away the needle and nodded calmly: "Yes, dead, completely dead. Human life is very fragile. In front of the strong, it's no different from a cat or dog. All struggles are in vain."
He then picked up his bow and arrows and prepared to turn and leave.
Before leaving, he looked at Zhong Zheng and asked, "Are you going to stay here to collect his body? I'm afraid that's not a good idea. The soldiers will be here in no time, and by then you won't be able to explain yourself no matter how hard you try."
Zhong Zheng looked at Yuan Tong with a complex expression, yet also a sense of relief.
Without much hesitation, he reached out and searched Yuantong's body, finding several seals. Then, he tossed the bundle over his shoulder and followed Li Chengye without a second thought.
Li Chengye glanced at him, said nothing, and let him follow.
A hint of admiration flashed in his eyes: "I thought you were going to be there crying and wailing as you collected his body!"
Zhong Zheng's dark face was taut as he waved his hand to clear away the weeds. "They're already dead, what's the use of crying!"
“That’s right!” Li Chengye nodded in agreement.
His pace was much more relaxed than Zhong Zheng's, and he even had the leisure to chat with Zhong Zheng casually as he walked. "I thought you were going to plead with me not to kill him! But you're smart, you didn't say anything in the end."
“If I open my mouth, you’ll kill me too, won’t you?” Zhong Zheng retorted.
Li Chengye smiled, not denying it, but a sharp glint appeared in his eyes. "Yes, it's a good thing you didn't say anything, so I wouldn't have been put in a difficult position."
The two walked for more than half an incense stick's time until they reached another hilltop. Looking back, they saw many torches lit up at the secret passage where Yuantong had come out earlier, and there was a lot of noise. It seemed that the pursuers had caught up with them.
"Alright, let's part ways here. There's no danger here anymore," Li Chengye said, dusting off his sleeves. He seemed to be in good spirits.
Without waiting for Zhong Zheng's reply, he strode away.
Only after turning another corner and seeing Zhong heading towards Zhangjiajing's outskirts did Li Chengye feel relieved and leave.
He did not return to the city immediately, but went to a hot spring resort on the outskirts of Beijing.
It's called a hot spring resort, but it's really just a place for pleasure-seeking. As long as you have money, you're the boss. Nobody cares where you are. It's a great place to hide and stay away from others.
I'm not afraid even if I get investigated.
Meanwhile, at the Great Xiangguo Temple, Yuantong's sudden death was something the pursuers had not anticipated.
Moreover, it wasn't an ordinary death; it was clearly a case of poisoning after a fight, which suggests that someone had intercepted the plan beforehand. It's all very strange.
When the family retainer in charge of the matter reported it to Li Chong, Li Chong remained silent for a long time.
After a long pause, he continued, "Did they find anything on him?"
The servant bowed and replied, "There's nothing there; someone must have gotten there first."
“The capital is a dangerous place,” Li Chong sighed.
He then instructed: "Just say that Yuantong committed suicide by poisoning himself during the pursuit, seeing no hope of escape. Report it as such, and don't cause any more trouble."
"Understood!" The servant was a quick-witted man; he knew what to do as soon as he heard it.
Meanwhile, at the palace, Zhang Ping'an and Zheng Ping only had time to rest when it was fully light.
After the palace servants washed it, no bloodstains were visible on the ground, only a lingering smell of rust in the air, and everything seemed to have returned to calm.
Zhang Ping'an squinted at the rising sun, "No wonder they say it's a dark and windy night for murder. Under this bright and clear sky, one can't do anything that goes against heaven and reason."
Zheng Ping smiled and said, "I thought this year would be a cold winter, but it turned out to be a warm one."
The two looked at each other and smiled, saying nothing.
In the inner palace, things weren't going so well for Cui Ling.
Zhou Pu had asked him to be his personal bodyguard, but in reality, he had something to warn him about. He understood perfectly well that after hearing this news, if he didn't kill him right away, he would naturally have to bring him into his own ranks. So, he was feeling very uneasy at the moment.
However, he could not take the initiative to express his loyalty; he could only wait for Zhou Pu to speak first, as was the rule.
Even if Zhou Pu was useless, he still grew up in the palace and knew a little about the basic art of managing people. He wasn't in a hurry, but instead instructed the palace servants to make his bed and then got a good night's sleep.
Whether or not one can fall asleep is another matter.
He didn't get up until it was fully light, and had someone help him wash up, and then had someone bring him his meal.
"General Cui has worked very hard to quell the rebellion this time. He must be hungry after a busy night. Sit down and have a meal with me," Zhou Pu said calmly.
He then turned and ordered, "Someone, bring a seat for General Cui."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Cui Ling bowed and expressed his gratitude.
“General Cui has rendered meritorious service in quelling the rebellion and deserves to be rewarded,” Zhou Pu said.
Upon hearing this, Cui Ling looked terrified. "Your Majesty is too kind. This is merely my duty..."
Before he could finish his polite greetings, Zhou Pu waved his hand to interrupt him, saying, "General Cui is far too modest. In fact, among all the ministers in the court, General Cui is the one I trust the most."
When the late emperor was alive, he praised General Cui highly in front of me, saying that you are loyal and will never betray the Great Zhou. Otherwise, he would not have placed you in such an important position at Juyong Pass, nor would he have ordered you to secretly enter the capital to protect the emperor at the first moment when the rebellion was quelled.
However, the palace has been in turmoil for the past two years, with countless miscellaneous matters to attend to. Now that I have just ascended the throne, I find myself with few capable people by my side.
"If Your Majesty trusts me, I will serve you with my life, even unto death," Cui Ling said solemnly, his face showing a look of resignation to his fate.
"Yes, I value General Cui highly and have always regarded him as my trusted minister. The cabinet is currently empty, and I hope General Cui will not disappoint me!" Zhou Pu reminded him meaningfully.
After saying that, he instructed the palace servants around him to serve the dishes.
Cui Ling understood that this was a warning to him, like offering a carrot to a donkey.
However, upon closer examination, this might also be an opportunity.