Xie Ming

On the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival in the second year of the Hongguang reign, in order to prevent the situation in the court from deteriorating further, Qiu Zhizhong conspired with Yao Zuyin to take a risk and assassinate the Third Prince Zhu Cijiong, who was staying in the quiet courtyard of the Chen residence, in order to kill him and eliminate future troubles.

That day and night, the heat was intense, the sweltering summer was unbearable, the cicadas chirped incessantly, and hot fog rose in the evening.

The weather is awful, incredibly hot and humid; the leaves on the high branches of the trees don't even budge.

Everything appeared calm and still, the heatwave stagnant, without the slightest ripple.

And, it was located in the northwest corner of the Chen family's private residence, across the alley.

The fifty-man group of black-clad assassins secretly dispatched by the authorities had already laid an ambush in the deserted garden, taking advantage of the darkness of the night.

Meanwhile, in the shadows on the shady side of the main house's beams and tiles in the secluded courtyard, two men in black, who were in charge, were giving orders and speaking in hushed tones.

"Look, we've been lying in ambush here for most of the day, we should be starving by now, have something to eat."

"Once we start fighting, we won't have time for this."

One of the men, whose heads were wrapped in black cloth, sighed deeply, then took out a sesame seed cake from his pocket, untied the felt cloth, and seemed to hesitate for a moment, but in the end, he still got to the point.

Before leaving, at least exchange a few words, so that if you die together later, you won't even know who was stronger.

Sweat soaked my shirt, and the east wind offered no relief.

The person leaned against the bricks and tiles, originally gazing up at the starry sky, with a lone pale moon shining high above.

However, upon hearing this secret sound, some people turned their attention to look.

The man took the sesame seed cake in a daze, glanced at his comrade with a black turban wrapped around his head, and pondered in his heart.

Despite his strange appearance, judging from his voice, he might actually be a kind and gentle person.

Upon meeting, they couldn't help but feel interested. With a self-deprecating smile, he shook his head, grabbed the wine gourd from his waist, and returned the gesture by tearing off the stopper, taking a couple of sips, and tossing it to the other side.

"Heh, sure."

"People like us, when we don't need it, eat and drink the best food and indulge ourselves to the fullest."

"When things come to a head, they won't even know what death is coming."

"Well, now that you mention it, I'm actually hungry."

"Eating a sesame seed cake before you die is better than going hungry."

"Here you go, I have two more bottles of strong liquor here."

"Have a bite too."

"Pancakes with wine, the more you eat, the more you want."

In fact, the reason why the two leaders of this assassination mission were not acquainted with each other was that they were the ones who led the assassination.

It is said that this was intentionally done by Zhizhong.

The two teams joined forces to carry out the project together.

This arrangement allows for mutual oversight.

This also demonstrates the level of caution and importance that Zhizhong attaches to this plan.

After a few exchanges, the two people on the rooftop started talking to each other.

Seeing that the man with the black turban had exchanged a sesame seed cake for a sip of wine, his eyes lit up.

The black veil that had been covering his face was torn off by him in a couple of swift movements in order to drink, revealing his true appearance.

However, this action revealed his true appearance, which startled the other person.

It's not anything else, but mainly, the appearance of this man in black is truly frightening.

His son's appearance is now completely ruined; in the dim moonlight, his face is covered with burn scars.

It had a huge, fleshy head, but it was completely devoid of hair and beard.

It was originally wrapped in a black cloth, but no one knew what it was.

Once the seal was broken, his face was completely ravaged, not an inch of his skin was intact.

It was a dark and windy night, and everyone was already on edge.

Suddenly I saw this face, how was it any different from a demon?
How could this not be shocking?

"Oh my god."

"Hey, you, your face!"

"How did you do that?"

"It looks rather intimidating."

The skinny man receiving the pancake was caught off guard and was quite startled. After catching his breath, he awkwardly asked the question.

"Uh, oh, you scared me, didn't you?"

"Then, I'll wrap it up."

Even those with disfigured faces would feel embarrassed upon hearing these words.

Clearly, this person was kind and polite, and would not want to bother others, so he felt guilty and tried to cover it up again.

Seeing this, the skinny man who had taken the pancake realized he had spoken inappropriately and quickly tried to make amends. "Hey, hey, hey, that's enough."

"You'll get used to it."

"Just drink yours without worry."

"Well, I'm just surprised. How did that happen?" the skinny man interrupted.

Upon hearing this, Ghost Face paused, his expression complex as if he were suffering unspeakable pain.

After a while, the truth came out.

"Hmm, well, it's nothing much." He took a swig of wine before continuing.

"I went on a business trip about six months ago."

"An accident happened on the way, and he was trapped in a house with his hands and feet tied up and unable to get out."

"By the time others came to help, it was already in this state."

He made a face, looked distressed, and muttered to himself.

Upon hearing this, the skinny man who received the pancakes didn't know how to comfort him, so he simply made up a few random remarks.

"Uh"

"Hey, that's fine too."

"Today is a dark and windy night, and your face is just what you need."

"If you ask me, why bother wrapping it up? If it were up to me, you should just go ahead and do it like this."

"It has a touch of the uncanny about it; anyone who sees it will be startled, huh? Hehe," the skinny man said succinctly.

Hearing the teasing, the man with the funny face didn't say anything, remaining noncommittal. He buried his head in his sesame seed cake, took a couple of bites, and handed the gourd of wine back.

The skinny man, observing his expression, took the pancake and then launched into a conversation, asking another question.

"Hey, right, I can tell from your accent that you're not from around here."

"You're from the north, aren't you?" the skinny man suddenly asked.

Upon hearing this, the ghostly face paused, becoming even more speechless.

After all, those who do this kind of thing can't be brought to the light.

It seems that it's never good to expose the past, no matter when.

Look, the skinny guy seems to have noticed something too; in fact, he understands the rules.

But what meaning does all of this have now?

The skinny man sighed to himself, chuckled, and continued talking to himself.

"Heh, alright, there's no need to be so serious."

"Come on, look up and take a good look ahead."

"Didn't the higher-ups make it clear before we came?"

"Right now, there are over four hundred soldiers of the Imperial Guard guarding the Chen residence."

"They are all elites guarding the imperial city."

"Divided into four bureaus, each responsible for guarding and patrolling the inner and outer perimeters."

"Hoo—" As he spoke, he exhaled a deep breath, revealing a detached and otherworldly demeanor.

"Brother, this time, we're probably doomed. We're not going to make it out alive."

"When the time comes, you and I will lead the men in, and if we want to come out again, it'll be too late."

"Hehehe"

The skinny man who took the cake shook his head and smiled bitterly, indicating that there was no need to say anything more.

Since Ghost Face took over, how could he not know that the odds were against him and that he might never return?

It's just that I was entrusted with this task, and I had to do my duty.

As the saying goes, a worthy person will repay a worthy person's kindness.

Even the ghostly face sighed at the thought of this situation.

Before setting off, I let out a long sigh, and then I decided not to be too reserved or cautious.

"Ah, judging from your appearance, you must be a bit older than me. Working together is a kind of fate from a past life."

"Brother, I need your help with something."

"We'll break in later. If you manage to get out alive after we're done, go check on someone for me."

Unexpectedly, the ghost-faced fellow, despite his kung fu skills, had something to entrust to him.

(End of this chapter)