Scourge Messenger

Chapter 108 Doubts
"Duke Xuanwen is over there! It seems there are assassins lying in ambush!"

"Who dares to plot against the Prime Minister of Liang? Surrender immediately!"

"Father, your son is here!"

The pharmacist sighed, then suddenly rolled forward, picked up the Heaven-Slaying Sword that Shang Xuanwen had dropped, and glanced at Ying Rushi, who was still chasing Shang Xuanwen: "White Fox."

However, Ying Rushi ignored Yaoshi Yuan's cries and continued to press forward, drawing both swords simultaneously. The Xiaojiang Sword and the Guicang Sword covered Shang Xuanwen's vital points, attempting to seize the opportunity for a fatal blow.

Although both wanted to assassinate Shang Xuanwen, the interests of Yaoshi and Ying Rushi were not aligned. In the Central Plains, the Zhou state occupied a strategically important location with mountains and rivers, the Liang state occupied the fertile Jiangnan Plain, and the Qi state had numerous hidden realms and was the most powerful. Therefore, although there were constant conflicts and changing situations among the three states, they always followed the pattern of 'Zhou and Liang resisting Qi'.

Killing Shang Xuanwen would give Yaoshi Yuan a weaker and more easily controlled ally. Success would be good, but failure wouldn't be too regrettable, as the potential gains would be limited. As for Ying Rushi, success would eliminate a major threat to the Qi Kingdom and plunge the enemy court into a power struggle. How could she possibly miss such a lucrative opportunity?

clang!
The pharmacist casually swept his broken spear, and even though Qian Gongyu managed to defend herself with her hands crossed in time, she still couldn't withstand the powerful force of the third-level messenger. She was slammed against the wall, which smashed down half of the brick wall, raising a cloud of dust.

"White Fox!" the Pharmacist shouted sternly; this was her final ultimatum.

Beneath the white fox mask, Ying Rushi gritted her teeth. She watched helplessly as Shang Xuanwen managed to survive the weakened state after his defenses crumbled and reassembled the seven layers of mirrors. Despite her reluctance and unwillingness, she knew they had to retreat. They could no longer kill Shang Xuanwen before reinforcements arrived; any later and they might be surrounded by reinforcements and unable to escape.

But seeing Shang Xuanwen severely injured and pale, yet still gripping his sword firmly, showing neither sorrow nor joy, Ying Rushi felt relieved. This time, they had no excuses. In terms of timing, they, the thieves, arrived at dawn to catch him off guard; in terms of location, they had laid an ambush beforehand, taking advantage of the situation; and in terms of manpower, Shang Xuanwen was in extremely poor condition before entering the ambush area, and had no guards by his side. The dignified Prime Minister of Liang was forced to fight two against one in Jiangnan City.

Despite having all the advantages of timing, location, and support, they still couldn't defeat a retired third-stage player who was in poor condition, which only proves one thing: their strength is not enough to kill the person in front of them.

If you can't beat them, you can't beat them. If it weren't for God's favor, giving them the opportunity to fully utilize their strengths, they would never have had the chance to push Shang Xuanwen to the brink. So what is there for her to regret? This world isn't a game where every effort guarantees a reward.

Watching the two thieves leap onto the roof and disappear into the distance, Shang Xuanwen remained unfazed. He slowly approached the collapsed wall: "Patriarch Qian, how are you?"

"I'm fine!" Qian Gongyu pushed aside the rubble and sprang to her feet, her face covered in dust, looking like a dirty little tiger cub. Standing next to Shang Xuanwen, she muttered to herself, "The head of the Qian family... hehehe..."

Shang Xuanwen didn't know what she was laughing at, which was quite rare. After all, he could usually hear hidden thoughts in other people's words, but Qian Gongyu's laughter was completely undisguised, only pure smugness, sounding rather silly. However, he wasn't surprised. He had found it difficult to understand the thoughts of the younger generation these days, let alone a girl around the same age as his daughter.

"Lord Xuanwen! Your humble general has arrived too late to save Your Majesty!"

"Father, blood-replenishing pills!"

"Quickly go to the Imperial Medical Bureau and find Physician Yu!"

The road to Rotten Persimmons and Oranges was teeming with an unprecedented surge of people. Dozens of soldiers and messengers carrying lanterns crowded the narrow path. Some continued running forward to track down the assassin, while others ran out to find the imperial physician. Everyone was busy with Shang Xuanwen. One blood-replenishing pill per bottle, Shang Xuanwen took three in a row and felt the pain in his wound lessen slightly, his whole body filled with a cool sensation.

"Father, my eldest brother went to the military town this afternoon. Should I send someone to inform him?"

“No…” Shang Xuanwen instinctively wanted to deny it, but after thinking for a moment, he said, “Wait until the news is gathered tomorrow, then write him a letter about what happened tonight. Is everything alright at home?” “It’s alright, except a wall suddenly collapsed and burned some trees, but no one was injured.” Shang Qia leaned closer to his father and said in a low voice, “The palace is under lockdown; it seems an assassin has infiltrated.”

"They might not be assassins, they could be thieves," Shang Xuanwen said calmly. "Thieves from a family of thieves."

"A family of thieves!?" Shang Qia repeated subconsciously, his shock evident. Shang Xuanwen glanced at him questioningly, but Shang Qia remained silent, his eyes merely shifting slightly.

Shang Xuanwen understood this expression well. The officialdom of Daliang was full of bureaucrats who did not show their emotions. They knew that the Prime Minister listened to their innermost thoughts and rumors. Whenever Shang Xuanwen asked them questions they were not prepared for, they would remain silent, seemingly considering their options, but in reality, they were fabricating a set of words that would benefit themselves... a set of lies full of truth.

Shang Xuanwen was adept at hunting down these bureaucrats. He could discern the key information 'hidden' in their words, gradually cornering them until they had no choice but to hand over their incriminating evidence. Throughout the Liang Kingdom's officialdom, from the central government to the local levels, he could execute his policies with ease because no one dared to offend him, and no one could deceive him.

This wasn't the first time Shang Qia had tried to hide something, and Shang Xuanwen was already used to it. His son would give him an explanation that he could accept, and then he would nod and let it go... But tonight, he suddenly didn't want to maintain these formalities between ruler and subject, so he reached out and patted Shang Qia's shoulder: "If you don't want to say it, then don't. You've had a hard night."

"Huh?" Shang Qia was taken aback. Hearing his father say this, he was not relieved at all, but instead became a little suspicious: Could it be that his father already knew about Xin Lei? What should he do? Could it be that Xin Lei really brought people to kill his father?

Ironically, the only two people in the world who knew that Shang Xinlei was a thief both suspected that Shang Xinlei was planning to kill her father.

Shang Xuanwen suddenly looked around and noticed that Qian Gongyu had been pushed to the outside by the soldiers at some point. She was jumping and hopping around on the perimeter, seemingly trying to get Shang Xuanwen's attention but not daring to call out. He beckoned to the tiger-faced girl: "Head of the Qian family."

"Head of Qianjia Family?"

"Why does he have a tiger's face?"

"The head of the Qian family? I heard she isn't..."

"Now, Qianjia is going to rise to prominence..."

"Hmph, she's just lucky."

The crowd whispered amongst themselves, quite envious of the young girl who had unexpectedly caught the Prime Minister's eye. Qian Gongyu loved these envious and surprised looks. She deliberately slowed her pace, fully enjoying the attention before stepping forward. Shang Xuanwen handed her a bottle of blood-replenishing pills: "Treat your injuries."

"I'm not injured, just a little sore." Qian Gongyu took the blood-replenishing pill but didn't eat it; instead, she put it in her bag. Then she immediately said anxiously, "Uncle, Xinlei is missing! You should send people to look for her right away!"

"Where is Xinlei?" Shang Xuanwen was taken aback, turned to look at Shang Qia, and asked in confusion, "Where did she go so late?"

　Thank you to the leader of 'Six Paths Azure Mystery'.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)