The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 345 Kill
In the cold moonlight and chilly wind, Li Miao spoke slowly.

“When I was teaching you how to interrogate people before, I mentioned what the so-called ‘those with stable property have a stable mind’ means. This statement is still very relevant today.”

"Everything in this world has weight. The more you hold in your hands, the less you can move forward. The things you care about will eventually become shackles that bind you, making you willingly follow a fixed path."

"Of course, this is not a bad thing. Even I was willingly confined and turned into a 'hypocrite' who had to show up every day."

Li Miao smiled, and although it sounded like self-deprecation, Gao Anyu detected a hint of pride and relief in it.

"But these people are different."

Li Miao gestured for Gao Anyu to go look at the eunuch.

"Eunuchs were essentially a group of people forcibly separated from kinship and blood ties by imperial power."

"From the moment they stepped out of that room, their attributes as 'human beings' were severed along with their bodies."

"Family ties, blood ties, and romantic love."

"Reputation, dignity, recognition."

"All these things were taken away from them, but at the same time, they were freed from their shackles. They are destined to receive no recognition or respect from anyone, and they are also destined to receive no 'legitimate' fame or fortune."

As they spoke, Gu Feixuan's wounds had gradually healed. Li Miao walked up to the middle-aged eunuch, looked into his bloodshot eyes, and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"This is our enemy."

"The most vicious revenge a group can think of is to make their enemy as pathetic as themselves."

Li Miao beckoned, and Gao Anyu understood and came over. Together they looked at the middle-aged eunuch who was standing still, veins bulging, unable to move.

Li Miao reached out and poked the middle-aged eunuch's chest, laughing.

"There's only one thing I want to tell you."

"There are good people among eunuchs, but it's best not to assume that the one in front of you is an exception."

"To deal with these people, it's best not to assume they have any bottom line from the beginning, not to expect to find any leverage over them, and not to let them know what you care about."

"Don't hesitate for a second, just do it."

puff.

Li Miao's fingers, like sharp blades, slowly pierced the middle-aged eunuch's chest, gripped his ribs, and lifted him into his hand.

"I'm leaving this brat and Gu Feixuan to you. Take them back to the ship and keep a close eye on them. I'm going to kill some people."

"If Xiao Yizi and Xiao Cao come back, just set sail for Nanjing. Once you get there, meet up with You Zi'ang. You don't need to wait for me."

"I want to see how far we can advance along this line."

Before he could finish speaking, Gao Anyu's vision blurred.

Looking again, Li Miao, carrying the middle-aged eunuch by the ribs, disappeared into the reeds dozens of feet away.

--------

Qiu Wuying, one of the twenty-eight leaders of the Jiangnan Waterway, known as "River Rat," wiped the bloodstains off his short sword on the sole of his shoe, sheathed the sword, and bowed to the middle-aged man in front of him.

"Sir, it's all cleaned up."

The middle-aged man nodded and looked at the merchant ship slowly sinking in the river.

A group of shirtless men with rolled-up sleeves rowed small boats laden with valuables away from the merchant ship.

Judging by their attire alone, this group looked like bandits. But upon closer inspection, it became clear that they were divided into two distinct factions.

The group of people were covered in black soot, had unusually short hair, and splayed toes, likely from years of not wearing shoes. They also had papules and ulcerated scars from years of contact with river water on their armpits, the back of their hands, and the sides of their necks.

The other group, however, did not exhibit many characteristics of people who made a living by the river. But their gathering and movement showed a certain orderliness, unlike that of river bandits... more like an army.

After a while, the merchant ship sank completely underwater, with faint traces of scarlet blood rising to the surface, which were then swallowed up by the surging river water, leaving no trace.

The middle-aged man said solemnly.

"How much stuff did you collect?"

"River Rat" Qiu Wuying grinned, showing off his apricot-yellow teeth, and held up three fingers to gesture at him.

"Same old rules as before. You keep 10%, and store the rest for now. Transport it to Nanjing at the end of the month. Make sure to clean up any traces. If the Embroidered Uniform Guard finds out—"

Qiu Wuying smiled obsequiously.

"We've done this job dozens of times, we're all experts, there won't be any problems, sir, please don't worry."

"Of the seventy-three people on this merchant ship, including the elderly, women, children, maids, and guards, all of them have been stabbed in the heart. There is absolutely no one left alive who can go and complain!"

The middle-aged man shook his head. "Better safe than sorry. It seems that the Imperial Guards investigated the eunuch recently, so they may have already noticed something... If you reveal any flaws and implicate the eunuch, don't blame me for turning my back on you."

Qiu Wuying cursed the "corrupt official" in his heart, but smiled obsequiously on his face and swore that nothing would go wrong.

The middle-aged man nodded, waited a while, then frowned and turned to look into the distance.

"Why has Eunuch He been gone for so long?"

Qiu Wuying was also puzzled upon hearing this.

“That kid lost an arm to me, and then you slashed him in the back. He even dropped his weapon… It’s true that Eunuch He has been gone for quite a while.”

"Do you want me to go and take a look?"

The middle-aged man gripped the hilt of the knife at his waist.

“Let’s go together. Eunuch He is the father-in-law’s man. We can’t afford any accidents, or we can’t bear the consequences.”

"This is the direction, isn't it? Let's go."

The two exchanged a few words with their subordinates, then descended the hill one after the other, heading in the direction Gu Feixuan had fled.

Before they had taken more than a few steps, a loud bang suddenly came from behind them.

boom! ! ! ——

The two turned around in astonishment and saw a burst of blood and flesh fireworks suddenly explode in the crowd that had gathered on the opposite bank to divide the spoils.

The collected valuables were tossed high into the air and then fell with a whoosh, splashing a dense spray of water into the river.

"this!"

Qiu Wuying was dumbfounded.

"Heaven!"

The middle-aged man gritted his teeth.

"That kid has a Celestial Being backing him! No wonder he saw through our identities and still dared to attack us!"

"But who is this celestial being who dares to interfere in official matters!"

Qiu Wuying drew his short sword.

"Sir, what should I do?"

The middle-aged man watched the blood splattering across the opposite bank and turned around without hesitation.

"go!"

"Now that there are no experts capable of holding back the Celestials, having more people is useless... The most urgent task is to return to Nanjing and report this matter to the Grand Eunuch!"

"Let's go separately!"

Having said that, he paused, about to slip away and flee.

Qiu Wuying inwardly scoffed at the other man's cowardice. Seeing that the middle-aged man had already darted away, he turned to flee to the other side.

Whoosh! ——

A sharp, piercing sound suddenly tore through the air, and it instantly approached from the opposite bank!
Before Qiu Wuying’s horrified eyes, the middle-aged man’s figure blurred for a moment, then exploded in mid-air in a burst of blood—before crashing into a boulder beside the river!
boom!
Gravel splashes!

The middle-aged man looked down at the long knife that had pinned him to the boulder, blood gushed from his mouth, his head lolled to the side, and he fell silent.

"!!!"

Qiu Wuying was stunned for a moment, her pupils trembling violently.

The long knife was thrown from the other side of the river... and it pinned the middle-aged man to death!
What kind of martial art is this?!
Without further hesitation, he dove to the ground and swiftly crawled away along the lowest path.

As expected of one of the twenty-eight gang leaders, a hero who makes a living in the water all year round! He moves on land as if he were swimming in water, and in the blink of an eye, he has darted several feet!

Once you dive into the water and disappear without a trace, no matter how skilled that person is, they will never be able to find you!
In the blink of an eye, Qiu Wuying had reached the riverbank and was just one step away from diving into the water.

In that instant—a round object fell from mid-air in front of him, blocking his way.

That was Eunuch He's head, his eyes wide open in death.

A pair of boots appeared in Qiu Wuying's line of sight, slowly walked over, kicked the head into the water, and stood in front of him.

"Little one, where do you want to go?"

A mocking yet cruel voice rang out above his head.

(End of this chapter)