Chapter 59
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Zheng San was a trained dead soldier of the Wang family, and every ten years, the assassins were trained and arranged according to their surnames and ranking.
When Wang Yi and Sun Er graduated, they were both ranked higher than Zheng San, but when it came to the final test, out of the seven assassins from their batch, only Zheng San survived.
From then on, Zheng San had a special status in the Wang family and no longer had to carry out missions. He was responsible for training the next batch of assassins.
Zhao Yuan arrived at the meeting place in Wuliang Mountain late at night, and the wind howled in the forest, as if there were fierce beasts lurking in the dark.
“Master Zheng.”
Zhao Yuan called out to the empty space, and Zheng San appeared out of nowhere like a ghost.
“Fifth Young Master has made great progress. I congratulate you on your hard work during these years in the capital.”
Zheng San’s appearance was plain, and at first glance, he looked no different from a middle-aged woodcutter. Only those with similar martial arts skills could see that he had already reached a level of martial arts mastery, just with a return to simplicity and authenticity.
“Master, I hope you’ve been well.”
Zhao Yuan greeted him with respect as a disciple.
Zheng San returned the gesture with a nod.
Zhao Yuan not only respected Zheng San for his martial arts and character, but also had a special affection for him.
When Dian Nan Wang wanted Zheng San to teach Zhao Shen martial arts, Zheng San chose Zhao Yuan instead, even though he knew it would offend both the previous and current kings of Dian Nan.
When everyone else had already ignored Zhao Yuan, only Zheng San didn’t look down on the Shizi and chose only him.
Zheng San and Zhao Yuan had no formal master-disciple relationship, but they had the reality of it.
“What brings you to me, Master?” Zhao Yuan asked anxiously. Only a serious matter could have prompted the death squad instructor from the Wang mansion to travel all the way from Dian Nan to the capital.
Zheng San spoke like he fought – either still and silent, or with deadly precision and not a word wasted.
“Only the consort knows of my coming. A mother knows her child best. She and I share the same concern that the young master might make a fatal mistake due to his soft-heartedness.”
Zhao Yuan had been standing under the tree, listening intently to Zheng San. But when he heard the phrase “a mother knows her child best”, he lifted his head. When Zheng San said that he and the consort shared the same concern, Zhao Yuan tensed up silently.
As soon as Zheng San uttered the phrase “fatal mistake”, Zhao Yuan struck lightning fast. Before he even finished saying the word “mistake”, Zhao Yuan’s person and his fierce moves had already attacked.
Zheng San had come for Li Yi, and Zhao Yuan had no choice but to fight. Not only did he have to fight, but he also had to do so as quickly as possible. Only by catching Zheng San off guard and attacking him unexpectedly did Zhao Yuan have a chance to win.
Zheng San let out a long sigh. This was a good disciple he had picked – someone who waited patiently like a wild beast, made quick decisions in times of crisis, and acted bravely and decisively when he struck. He was no ordinary person.
How could he bear to let such a good disciple be dragged down by a “dead man”?
In Zheng San’s eyes, Li Yi was already a dead man.
Zheng San had only two moves. The first made the opponent vulnerable, and the second forced Zhao Yuan to retreat several steps.
Zhao Yuan had known since he missed the first move that the difference in skill was insurmountable, but he could not back down.
Now that Zheng San had come in person, was there any hope left for Li Yi?
Zhao Yuan tried his best to launch another attack, but Zheng San calmly said, “Young master, how did I teach you? It’s difficult to defeat a strong enemy, so you must defend yourself.”
Zhao Yuan stopped his hands abruptly, realizing that his futile efforts were foolish.
“Fifth Young Master!” Zheng San exerted his strength, trying to wake up Zhao Yuan. “Young Master, you have sunk too deep, it’s better to let your subordinates handle it for you!”
“No!” Zhao Yuan’s heart was in pain and he was already numb. His blood was boiling, but he didn’t bother to protect his heart pulse. If he couldn’t save Li Yi, it might be a good thing for him to die soon.
Zheng San sensed that something was wrong with Zhao Yuan and approached him to examine him. He worked for a while to calm down his blood flow.
Seeing his beloved disciple in such a state, Zheng San thought that Zhao Yuan was just a young man who had experienced a sudden change and couldn’t control himself, and he might even have the symptoms of demonic possession.
He was reluctant to force him further, but he had to make Zhao Yuan understand.
“If you don’t take action, then I will. Even if it’s not me, once His Highness senses that something is wrong, he will send someone else. At that time, you will still die, but you will have committed a big mistake, and it will be too late to regret it.”
“The entire court of Dian Nan is determined to achieve this goal, and no one can stop it. Even if His Highness stands in front of this carriage today, it is likely that you will be trampled by the crowd. This matter is not a private matter between the young master and the hidden prince. The young master is so intelligent, and there is no use trying to change that. It’s better to hand it over to your subordinates while you still can. In the future, His Highness will surely remember the great contribution of the young master.”
Zhao Yuan was silent, but suddenly said, “Master, you don’t need to do it yourself. I’ll do it myself.”
Zheng San stared at Zhao Yuan and asked, “When does the Young Master plan to take action?” He was afraid that Zhao Yuan was just delaying.
Zhao Yuan answered calmly, “During the autumn hunt. It’s only a few more days until the autumn hunt, and I will make my move in the Imperial Hunting Grounds.” He explained slowly, and his previous emotions were completely gone.
“That’s definitely a good opportunity.” Zheng San nodded.
Everyone who had participated in the hunt knew that it was a very energy-consuming season, and the food was coarse and often not carefully prepared.
As Zhao Yuan was about to leave, Zheng San reminded him, “Young Master, now that I’m here, don’t think about some things anymore.”
Zhao Yuan’s body stiffened, he didn’t turn around to face Zheng San, only nodded and left.
Zheng San obviously had figured out his escape plan, and this was a blatant warning. After parting ways with Zheng San, Zhao Yuan walked a mountain path and was too exhausted to return to his sleeping quarters.
The cool wind was blowing through the cold forest, and there was no light. All the roads were blocked, so how could he save Li Yi?
His heart was so painful that it felt like he was being torn apart. His whole body was burning with flames, and he wished he could turn into ashes.
As he walked, Zhao Yuan collapsed in the dense forest. After a long time, he woke up with a low groan. Looking down, he saw that the front of his shirt had been torn and there were cracks.
He saw what seemed like blood on his chest and quickly tore off his shirt. Under the moonlight, a blood-red phoenix was vividly imprinted on his chest. He instinctively reached out to touch it, but the pattern was not on his skin at all, but hidden in his blood vessels, drawn from the blood of his heart.
A blood-red phoenix.
Zhao Yuan suddenly realized that he was probably not going to die. He was awakening his bloodline!
He rushed back to his lodge like crazy, and Zhao Xi was worried when he hadn’t returned for so long. Zhao Yuan saw him enter the room with disheveled clothes and a strange expression.
Zhao Xi wanted to ask him something, but Zhao Yuan ordered, “You go out first.”
Zhao Xi was forced out of the room, and Zhao Yuan went straight to the place where the secret poison was hidden. He picked up a brick under the bed and reached into the gap to take out a sachet.
Inside were two bottles, and he took out the blue one, which was about the size of a palm. He opened the lid, and there were two pills of poison inside.
Li Yi’s life was hanging by a thread, and Zhao Yuan had no time to ask Dian Nan to verify the matter of the phoenix. He had to confirm the bloodline issue but couldn’t let anyone know.
He only had one fastest and most accurate way – to taste the poison.
The bright crimson pill dissolved in the wine and immediately became colorless and tasteless.
Zhao Yuan raised his wine cup. If this poison didn’t kill him, it definitely wouldn’t kill Li Yi. But if he died…
He didn’t think about it anymore, just raised his head and drank the wine, put away the things, and let Zhao Xi come back in.
The next day, as the sun rose again, Zhao Yuan, who had not slept all night, for the first time felt that the morning light was golden and shining, making it difficult to look at.
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