Zhu Tian: A journey of spiritual practice starting from Joy of Life

Chapter 254 The Murder at Feixue Pavilion

Feixue Pavilion is the largest den of iniquity in the Yan Kingdom. The musicians and dancers inside are unparalleled not only in the entire Yan Kingdom, but also in the other six kingdoms of the world today.

Especially after the renowned Zhao Kingdom's number one dancer, Xue Nu, joined Fei Xue Pavilion, the pavilion's value increased more than tenfold.

At this time, Feixue Pavilion also released news that it would arrange a splendid performance for Xue Nu in the latter half of this month.

As soon as the news broke, all the powerful and influential people in Jicheng rushed to spend money to reserve seats at Feixue Pavilion.

The fifty seats were sold out in less than ten days.

Although Ji Yan was not fond of singing and dancing, he was somewhat interested in the title of the world's number one dancer, so he paid to reserve a room for her.

In a room separated by a screen on the third floor of Feixue Pavilion, Leng Feibai looked around at the decor and shook his head.

Leng Feibai rarely visited places like brothels and entertainment venues, and couldn't say whether the decor there was good or bad.

On the contrary, he could tell that the stage below, carved from the finest jade, was quite expensive; in the context of "Joy of Life," it could be equivalent to a year's income of the Imperial Treasury.

"If Fan Sizhe saw that stage, he'd probably rush up and hug it!"

Leng Feibai muttered to himself, then casually picked up a peach from the table beside him and took a bite.

Although it was the Warring States period, fruits such as peaches, plums, apricots, dates, pears, and persimmons already existed and were widely cultivated because they were used exclusively for sacrificial purposes.

As for grapes and bananas, those things definitely wouldn't exist in the Warring States period.

"Quite a few familiar faces have come!"

Ji Yan glanced around, his eyes narrowing slightly, and said calmly, "Even that guy Yan Yi is here!"

Upon hearing this, Leng Feibai's expression also turned rather unpleasant.

Yan Yi, the Grand General of Yan, was the most important military figure in the court.

Although Ji Yan also holds a position in the army, even though he is a first-rate commander, he has been overshadowed by Yan Yi for many years.

Of course, Yan Yi wouldn't dare to use his status as a general to give Ji Yan a hard time.

However, since Yan Yi is also here, there's a 93% chance that this performance will be disrupted by that old scoundrel, Yan Chunjun.

At that moment, a melodious piano tune drifted from inside the house.

Ji Yan said in a low voice, "The musician playing the zither is Gao Jianli, the foremost musician in the six kingdoms. What do you think?"

Leng Feibai listened intently for a while, realizing that Gao Jianli was playing "Yangchun Baixue," one of the ten great guqin pieces. He said calmly, "It is indeed a masterpiece, on par with my own."

Upon hearing this, Ji Yan was momentarily speechless. But after thinking about it carefully, he didn't say anything more.

In recent years, Ji Yan has also paid great attention to Leng Feibai's education, personally teaching him not only martial arts.

In literature, he was personally taught by a famous master in Jicheng.

But less than six months later, the master resigned and left.

After Ji Yan inquired further, the Master finally revealed the reason with a wry smile.

It turns out that he had already taught his younger brother everything he could, including all of the Six Arts of a Gentleman, except for the Way of the Emperor.

The teacher also said that if Ji Yan wanted to find someone to teach Leng Feibai, he could only send Leng Feibai to the Little Sage Village in the Qi-Lu region.

Therefore, Ji Yan personally examined Leng Feibai for a while, and in the end could only admit that his adopted younger brother was a genius.

As for sending him to Xiaoshengxianzhuang, Ji Yan would never dare to do so.

After all, the relationship between Tianzong and the Confucian scholars of Xiaoshengxianzhuang is not good. If he really dares to send Leng Feibai to Xiaoshengxianzhuang...

Maybe in a few days, his senior uncles and senior masters from the Heavenly Sect will form a group to come to Yan Kingdom and beat him up.

Seeing his brother's discomfiture, Leng Feibai turned his head and smiled.

As for his earlier statement that he was neither better nor worse than Gao Jianli in terms of music, it wasn't just boasting. After all, in his previous life, he had the Eight Friends of Hangu Pass by his side, eight individuals who excelled in their respective fields.

So before leaving in his previous life, Leng Feibai had mastered seven miscellaneous martial arts besides Fan Bailing's. Later, he comprehended a divine skill called Heavenly Sound Divine Art from the thirty-fourth sound wave stone carving in the War God's Manual. He could kill people invisibly by playing music, and he could even use this martial art to enhance the power of other martial arts of the same kind by 60%.

Gao Jianli played for about half an hour until several clusters of golden mechanical lotus flowers rose around the white jade platform.

At the same time, the melodious sound of the xiao flute mingled with Gao Jianli's zither music.

Amidst the brilliant light, a figure gracefully descended from countless shimmering particles and stood atop the stone platform.

Looking at the snow woman who had appeared, Ji Yan said teasingly, "See? This is one of the reasons I brought you here. The snow woman has white hair, just like you. Maybe you're related!"

As soon as he said that, Leng Feibai felt extremely embarrassed. After cursing the idiot in his heart, he focused his attention on the stage below.

The snow maiden danced gracefully, her figure beautiful and her dance moves captivating.

At this moment, all Leng Feibai could think of was Cao Zijian's "Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River".

Light as a startled swan, graceful as a flying dragon. Brilliant as the autumn chrysanthemum, luxuriant as the spring pine. Like a light cloud obscuring the moon, drifting like snowflakes blown by the wind...

Inside the dark space, the four goddesses watching the show displayed different expressions.

Sang Wen and Si Lili were fine; they continued eating fruit while commenting on the Snow Maiden's dance.

Haitang Duoduo and Qin Hongmian gritted their teeth, wanting to jump out and give Leng Feibai a good beating.

"No wonder she's one of the three female characters you absolutely must romance in Qin's Moon!"

Leng Feibai silently commented to himself, "What a pity, this kind of ice beauty isn't my type. There's no need to waste time on her!"

Thinking of this, Leng Feibai put down the peach pit in his hand and picked up a few apricots to bite into.

These days, fruit is a rare commodity.

Even if Ji Yan is the Marquis of Pingnan, it's impossible for him to eat fruit every day in his mansion.

Why not take advantage of this time and eat more to satisfy your cravings?

Seeing his younger brother's expression, Ji Yan didn't say anything. He grabbed a few red dates from the plate next to him and they enjoyed them together.

But less than a quarter of an hour after Xue Nu started dancing, just as the atmosphere in Fei Xue Pavilion reached its peak, a loud round of applause rang out, causing Xue Nu, Gao Jianli, and the others to stop and look in another direction.

When the dance was interrupted, the people below began to murmur among themselves.

Among them, Yan Yi, who had the most fiery temper, stood up and cursed, "Who dares to disturb my refined pleasure? Get the hell in here..."

Ji Yan and Leng Feibai upstairs exchanged a glance, their eyes revealing amusement.

The moment the applause began, the two realized that someone they neither wanted to see had arrived at Feixue Pavilion.

The next moment, a squad of guards escorted a sedan chair carried by sixteen men into the room.

"It really is Uncle!"

Ji Yan said gloatingly, "Looks like Yan Yi is in big trouble!"

Upon seeing this, Leng Feibai stood up and took a few steps forward, coldly observing the scene below.

He had met Yan Chunjun before; he had seen him once on the street half a year ago when Ji Yan and Yan Chunjun were shopping together.

At that time, that old scoundrel Yan Chunjun actually said that he wanted Leng Feibai to enter his mansion and become his musician, but Ji Yan sternly refused.

If Leng Feibai hadn't been forcibly taken out by Ji Yan to train troops shortly afterward, Yan Chunjun would probably have been killed by him.

Therefore, Leng Feibai swore in his heart that he would find an opportunity to kill this guy in the future.

Upon seeing the sedan chair, Yan Yi, who had just finished swearing, nearly fainted. The person arriving was none other than Lord Yanchun, the most senior member of the Yan royal family.

Even the Prince of Yan, Xi, in his time, had to respectfully address him as "Uncle."

However, this old scoundrel, relying on his status as a senior member of the Yan royal family, did a lot of things in Ji City, such as bullying men and women.

If this guy had encountered that stubborn Bao Zheng, he'd probably have to lie under the guillotine once too.

As the sedan chair came to a stop, Yan Yi stumbled out and knelt on the ground, saying in a panic, "This humble general, Yan Yi, was unaware of Lord Yan Chun's arrival. I spoke nonsense in my drunken state. Please, my lord, forgive my rudeness and spare my life!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Chunjun, inside the sedan chair, said in a completely emotionless voice, "Tell General Yan what crime he committed!"

Upon hearing this, the guards beside him flashed behind Yan Yi, brandishing their swords and placing them against his neck, saying, "Insulting the royal family deserves death!"

Upon hearing this, Yan Yi was so frightened that he trembled like a wet chick.

Leng Feibai coldly looked at the two people below; neither of them were good people.

Yan Yi was cunning and treacherous, opportunistic, and abused his power to bully innocent people.

The guards behind him had often helped Lord Yanchun abduct women and kill them to cover their tracks.

This rare dog-eat-dog scene is quite a spectacle!

However, at this point, he didn't mind adding a little something extra to the play.

Thinking of this, Leng Feibai snapped his fingers as he held them up.

"whoosh"

With a whooshing sound, a sword aura shot out from a stone pillar on the first floor of Feixue Pavilion, instantly piercing through the bodies of Yan Yi and the guard behind him.

"boom"

The two corpses fell to the ground with a thud, causing panic among the people present.

"Killed!"

"Run! There are bandits in Feixue Pavilion!"

Shouts rose and fell, and Yan Chunjun's guards surrounded the sedan chair, keeping a close watch on it.

The next moment, a figure leaped out from the corner, wielding a 1.9-foot short sword, and charged towards Yan Chunjun on the sedan chair.

At the same time, another figure hiding in the shadows rushed out, wielding two short swords and confronting the man.

Two figures began to fight in mid-air. Their combat strength was similar, and they exchanged dozens of blows in the blink of an eye, but it was still difficult to determine a winner.

But the man in black was prepared to die together with his opponent, even at the cost of injuring himself, in order to leave his opponent there.

Yan Chunjun's subordinate, Jueying, looked at his opponent's moves and felt extremely annoyed.

He was, after all, a master of the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven), otherwise the Luo Wang would not have lent him to Yan Chunjun to help him eliminate those who were detrimental to him.

I never expected to run into such a troublesome guy here today.

"Humph"

The short sword assassin snorted coldly, then used his single sword against two swords, entangled the assassin's sword path, and at the same time, pointed his left hand back at Jueying's heart.

"boom"

A burst of energy erupted, piercing Jueying's heart instantly. A flower of blood bloomed, and Jueying became the third victim of the night.

At that moment, a clap of thunder sounded.

Then another person emerged from the corner, his entire body radiating azure lightning.

The next moment, the man lifted his legs in succession, and streaks of azure lightning bolts vanished, directly slamming into the sedan chair.

"what"

Yan Chunjun screamed in agony, and a series of explosions erupted around him, his sedan chair, and the guards around him.

However, the explosion was not very large; it only turned Yan Chunjun and his guards into a pile of charred corpses.

No one present expected that Lord Yanchun, who held immense power in the Yan state, would die without even leaving behind a complete corpse.

"Got it, let's get out!"

The man who killed Yan Chunjun uttered these words, then leaped out of Fei Xue Pavilion's window and escaped.

The man in black who had been fighting Yan Chunjun's men snorted coldly and rushed out of the main gate with Jueying's sword.

Ji Yan was stunned by the scene below, but quickly recovered and pulled Leng Feibai away from Feixue Pavilion.

Inside the carriage, Ji Yan carefully recalled what had just happened, then turned to Leng Feibai and asked, "Feibai, what do you think about this?"

"I'll just look with my eyes!"

Leng Feibai said in a low voice, annoyed, "How many despicable things has your uncle done? If he weren't a member of the royal family, he would have been killed ten times over."

Upon hearing this, Ji Yan's lips twitched involuntarily, and he turned his head to look elsewhere.

"However, Feixue Pavilion is in a terrible state!"

Leng Feibai continued, "Yan Chunjun and General Yan Yi both died here. Even if they have nothing to do with the murderer, I'm afraid the King will still be angry with them!"

"You don't need to worry about that!"

Ji Yan sneered and said, "Behind Fei Xue Pavilion is my good cousin. If it can't be proven on the surface that Fei Xue Pavilion is related to assassins, then even if Uncle really wants to take action against Fei Xue Pavilion, he'll have to think twice!"

"Speaking of which, with Yan Yi dead, you're now the highest-ranking officer in the military!"

Leng Feibai muttered to himself, "Brother, do you think it's possible for you to take over Yan Yi's position?"

Ji Yan shook his head and said, "It's not certain yet..."

Before Ji Yan could finish speaking, the coachman, who was driving the carriage, suddenly stopped the carriage. "My lord, there is a black-clad corpse on the road ahead."

"What"

Ji Yan was taken aback. He instructed Leng Feibai to stay in the carriage, then jumped down and went to the side of the black-clad corpse. Judging from the wounds on the body and the three short swords beside it...

Ji Yan was certain that this corpse was the culprit who had attacked and killed Yan Yi and Jueying earlier.

Thinking of this, Ji Yan signaled the guards around him to step back, immediately wrapped his hands in a layer of true qi shield, and ripped off the assassin's mask.

Beneath the mask was an ordinary face, but on the neck of this face was a small spider tattoo.

"They're actually from the Luo Wang organization!"

Seeing this, Ji Yan lowered his head and pondered for a moment. He then turned around and said, "Take the body with you, send my second brother back to his residence first, and then go to the palace to see the Emperor!"

Upon seeing this, Leng Feibai quickly jumped down from the carriage and said, "This matter is serious. Brother, you should hurry to the palace to avoid causing any unnecessary trouble!"

Ji Yan thought Leng Feibai's words made sense. After telling Leng Feibai to go home early, he immediately took the corpse to the Yan Kingdom's palace.

Upon seeing this, Leng Feibai also hurried back to the Pingnan Marquis's residence alone.

But before he had gone far, a drunken man walked towards him.

(End of this chapter)