Chapter 28: The Assassination Case (Part Two)

Along with Itoda Tsuyoshi, old General Liu of Jiuhu Bay was also assassinated. However, unlike Itoda Tsuyoshi, the old general had his throat slashed on the spot, and the assassin used the unique blade-drawing technique native to the Dwarf Nation.

Jiuhu Bay was a very famous river route exit in Guangdong Province, leading directly to the border between Fujian and Guangdong. The water current twisted and turned through eighteen bends, making it extremely complex, secluded, and optimal for concealment; it had always been the main highway for pirates invading the inland.

Old General Liu had guarded this place for thirty years, surviving the entire maritime disaster. Even before Grand Marshal Hong, he was already known as the Southeast Iron Wall. Regrettably, instead of dying in battle with his corpse wrapped in horsehide, the general perished at the hands of petty scoundrels.

It was certain that early tomorrow morning, this would cause a tremendous uproar.

Sure enough, the next day, the mourning citizens practically surrounded both banks of the river. Heads and figures were densely packed, every single one of them draped in coarse white mourning hemp, weeping bitterly with tears that refused to stop.

"Old General Liu's prestige in Lingnan is unmatched by anyone," the Consumptive Ghost sighed among the crowd.

"This is not the time to care about that," Kou Li said with a gloomy expression. "The opponent's intentions are too vicious. Once they stir up trouble amidst this, the citizens will inevitably clash with the official post station. At that time, blocking them will be wrong, and not blocking them will also be wrong. No matter what we do, a huge disaster will happen. Are you really sure the delegation didn't do this?"

The Consumptive Ghost shook his head and said earnestly, "The few people you asked me to keep under close surveillance never left their quarters. Even the only one, Itoda Tsuyoshi, had an airtight alibi. The probability of anyone else slipping past our layers of surveillance, assassinating Old General Liu, and returning before midnight is far too low."

"Then it is basically certain that someone is plotting in the shadows. Let's go back and discuss this!"

By the time Kou Li and his companion hurried back into the city, quite a few citizens had already gathered successively near the official post station, and some even began throwing broken eggs and rotting leaves.

Kou Li gave a subtle signal with his gaze, and the Luan brothers, disguised as fruit vendors, quietly walked over.

"What's the situation?"

"The Dwarf merchants in the embassy are extremely dissatisfied, and the officials from the yamen are currently trying to appease them. Fortunately, everyone is currently attending the old general's funeral, but once the coffin is lowered and the crowd gathers more densely, something is bound to happen."

Kou Li's ears twitched slightly. He heard the sound of dense footsteps coming from the direction of the yamen, along with some official patting his chest and making guarantees—

"Esteemed envoys, please rest assured. Once the yamen runners arrive, those unruly rabble will naturally scatter obediently. The Central Plains is a land of hospitality and will never delay normal exchanges between our two countries. By the way, I wonder if the Master has any surplus of that 'rejuvenation elixir'?"

A murderous glint flashed in Kou Li's eyes. Instead of spending effort to investigate the case, they were resorting to such tactics; calling them useless wine-sacks and rice-buckets was already a compliment.

"Send the first squad to intercept the yamen runners. Regardless of who instigated them, beat them back for me. Also, have the Phoenix Guard take over the security here and drive out all other yamen officials. If the Dwarf Nation's envoys dare to provoke trouble at this juncture, execute them without mercy!"

The Luan brothers were both stunned by Kou Li's murderous words. After a long while, Luan the Second hesitated and asked, "Grand Superintendent, shouldn't we ask Her Highness the Princess for instructions first? Besides, this can only treat the symptoms and not the root cause. If the citizens clash with the county yamen—"

"Just do as I say. If treating the symptoms is all we can do, we treat the symptoms first. I'll take the blame if anything goes wrong. Right, contact Xu Kaishan or Old General Liu's subordinates to see if we can requisition a few iron cannons from the regular troops and mount them pointing toward the post station. If we don't even put up a front, aren't we blatantly encouraging trouble? A bunch of trash!!"

Kou Li looked at the newly renovated and painted official post station not far away and sneered, "The bigger picture, it's always the bigger picture."

Upon returning to the Phoenix Mansion, they saw Young Master Huang throwing a tantrum at several officials. "You were told to investigate the case, so what did you find? The one who used the blade-drawing technique is a Dwarf assassin. If I draw my sword and kill you right now, would that also be considered the work of a Dwarf assassin?"

Seeing Kou Li, Young Master Huang waved his hand as if tossing away trash. "Scull, all of you scram. You endlessly flatter me on ordinary days, but at a critical moment, you are completely useless. Just looking at you makes me upset."

The two officials hurriedly bowed to the pair, wiping their sweat as they trotted out, clearly having been scared out of their wits.

"I have already used official influence to apply pressure, but the assassin is definitely no simple character. I inspected the scene, and there isn't a shred of clue. Even the top-tier killers from the Blood Poles might not match this skill. I suspect the case cannot be solved in a short time. Could someone with this level of martial prowess truly be a master assassin from the Dwarf Nation?"

In the eyes of the Central Plains people, especially along the southeast coast, the assassination techniques of the Dwarf Nation were renowned, which was why Young Master Huang could not help but harbor suspicions.

Kou Li shook his head, recounted everything that had happened earlier, and then said, "The possibility is not nonexistent, but it's small. The arrangements I made earlier—"

"Your arrangements were very good, decisive and resolute. Even if it offends these corrupt officials now, we cannot let this matter escalate any further. This is our grand undertaking."

Just as they were conversing, the old eunuch hurried in as well, saying with a bitter face, "Master, the task you asked this old slave to handle was botched. The family members of the late General Zhao completely refused our conditions, saying that even if they have to go to the capital to appeal directly to the throne, they will demand justice."

"The descendants of a loyal martyr indeed possess integrity," Young Master Huang praised instead of getting angry.

"Master, please don't be foolish at a time like this! One end is unresolved, and trouble has broken out on the other. Now, the brothers of that dead fellow surnamed Zhao have taken his corpse to the Guangdong Guildhall. The Guildhall's stance now is that since the yamen hasn't issued a final verdict, it is inconvenient for them to take action; they want to maintain the bigger picture."

"Quite a few martial artists from Guangdong are preparing to secretly join forces and kill a few of the Dwarf Nation's envoys to avenge those brothers. If we intervene to stop them, our reputation in the Southeast will be completely ruined. But if we don't stop them, Master, your grand enterprise will be finished."

Princess Feng and Kou Li looked at each other in silence for a moment. After a brief while, Princess Feng slowly spoke, "What a coincidence. The yamen, the martial arts guilds, and the common people are all roasting us on a fire at the same time. If there is no one scheming behind the scenes, then I'll be damned."

………………

On a small hill outside the city, two figures, one large and one small, were gazing into the city with strange expressions—

"You are truly daring beyond the heavens. At a juncture like this, you actually dare to do such a thing. Aren't you afraid of being discovered?" the Vajra Tiger sneered coldly.

"If we did not do this, how could we let the people see the corruption and incompetence of the imperial court, where officials shield and cover up for one another? Even if there are occasionally loyal and righteous ministers, it is of no avail," Kong Sheng smiled lightly. "Senior Brother, just watch. The Southeast will soon descend into chaos, and the Dwarf Nation's delegation will become the final spark. If you and I join forces, our certainty of success in this grand enterprise will increase manifold."

"Don't get happy too early. Didn't that old ghost Fuhai tell you that in doing things, one cannot only look at the beginning and ignore the end? Otherwise, it will end just like the Arhat Temple back then, burned cleanly to the ground in a single fire. For this game, let's first see your own capability."

Leaving behind this impatient remark, the Vajra Tiger turned and walked away, leaving Kong Sheng's gaze to gradually sink. In his amber pupils, thousands of Buddha fires seemed to flicker.

"In this game, the imperial court and the Dwarf Nation are bound to have a falling out. I will make you all understand what kind of karmic retribution comes from destroying the Buddha!"

On this night, very few people could sleep peacefully. The angry citizens, the vigilant Dwarf Nation delegation, the yamen running everywhere to put out fires only to fan the flames, the retreating martial arts guilds, the pugilists sharpening their blades, and the rebels lurking in the shadows—

All were waiting to see who would start this fire first.

Early the next morning, bad news came pouring in from all directions—

The Prefect of Guangzhou Prefecture was assassinated.

The Prefect of Xiacheng Prefecture was assassinated.

The Maritime Transport Commissioner was assassinated.

The Southeast Censor of Inspection was assassinated.

Maritime transport...

In a single night, a dozen officials died within the cities. No one had expected that this was not just a single fire, but a prairie fire blazing across the land in a single night!