Ying Rushi's schedule today was very tight. She had to complete the inspection of Ping City's affairs before noon, otherwise, it would delay the Thief's House meeting at noon.
Flipping through the account books casually, Ying Rushi knew how much this group had embezzled. But as long as it wasn't too excessive, Ying Rushi didn't intend to pursue it. Or rather, pursuing it wouldn't help. If you want to manage the place, you have to use this group, whether they were Central Plains People or Northern People, it was the same; no matter how high the salary, they would still be corrupt. Ying Rushi could at most kill a few with no background, while those with background... they would throw a few without any backing for Ying Rushi to kill.
Of course, this was limited to things like land, gold, and silver that had nothing to do with cultivation. If someone dared to embezzle the Spiritual Jade from the Secret Realm, Ying Rushi would dare to summon nearby troops to suppress it—Your Majesty would even support her decision.
Looking at the officials in front of her who tried their best to please but showed no concern for the people's livelihood, Ying Rushi sighed in her heart. However, this trip wasn't without surprises; she actually met a talented Central Plains person who became a First-Turn Messenger at a young age. The value of such a messenger was much higher than those 'Noble Messengers' who relied on secret manuals to climb up.
With a little more training, in five years he should be able to reach Second-Turn, and if he reaches Third-Turn within ten years, he would surely become a pillar of the Qi Kingdom. Ying Rushi considered whether to inform Your Majesty; if Your Majesty knew about this person, he might be entrusted with important responsibilities, but there was also a possibility...
Clang!
A sharp blade's cry and the ripples from the burst of spiritual power made Ying Rushi immediately realize what had happened—someone was using a token!
"There's an assassin!"
"Protect the County Duke!"
Ying Rushi remained fearless, as she carried a Body-Protecting Token with her, and even the typical Third-Turn could hardly break through her defense with a single strike. Her gaze passed over the throng of people, and she saw in the open space at the door of the side hall, a tall and imposing man had drawn a straight saber, and in the direction where the saber pointed, several Baibao Guards were cut in half, with their entrails and blood spread all over the ground!
Yet the Evil Ghost Knight pointed at by the blade still stood, cloaked in black mist like armor, blocking the sharp blade light!
"How dare you assassinate a Baibao Banner Master!" In Wuwan Liu's furious voice, there seemed to be a hint of joy: "Crossbow Team, don't mind me, shoot him!"
As he spoke, he pulled out a Spiritual Jade from his arms, and in just a breath's time, four pieces of Spiritual Jade turned into powder and dispersed, indicating that Wuwan Liu had recovered 4 points of spiritual power!
"Yan San, stop!" Ying Rushi's voice reverberated across the fortification: "If you stop now, I can still spare you!"
Clang!
The blade light was the man's answer!
At the moment of being slashed, the mist on Wuwan Liu's body grew denser. Realizing something, he attempted to retreat and escape, shouting: "Shoot him!"
Whoosh!
Dozens of strong crossbows fired from the fortification, and Ying Rushi did not stop them—putting aside that Wuwan Liu was a Northern person and Yan San was just a Central Plains person, even if Wuwan Liu made a mistake, she couldn't just watch him be slain in public.
Wuwan Liu represented the Baibao Guards and the majesty of the Royal Forbidden Army. He could only die in battle and under judgment, never in a vendetta that tainted the dignity of Great Qi!
Clang!
The strong man caught up with Wuwan Liu and unleashed a third blade light! Though many arrows were blocked by the blade light and Wuwan Liu, more than ten still pierced the strong man, instantly turning him into a porcupine!
A scream rang out in the air, but it was not from the strong man, instead, it came from Wuwan Liu!
"His token stacks damage, each strike stronger than the last!"
A terrifying wound appeared on Wuwan Liu's abdomen, with intestines spilling out from the cut. But by then, Wuwan Liu had turned ferocious, drawing a long sword from his waist. Originally a valiant Northern Border Hundred Guard, he had felt that Yan San couldn't possibly break his defense, which is why he fled, but his being injured ignited his ferocity.
Such a grievous injury would surely cause an ordinary person to collapse shaking all over, but Wuwan Liu was a First-Turn Messenger with nearly 10 points of Qi Blood, his surging Qi Blood suppressed his pain and gave him the strength to counterattack!
But even a savage who had clawed his way out of a pile of corpses like Wuwan Liu, when he saw the man before him—pierced all over by arrows, yet standing unflinchingly and firmly gripping his White Iron Straight Saber—felt an indescribable terror and coldness clutching his heart.
Clang!
The fourth fierce strike!
At the same time, the second crossbow team, rotated in, knew the blade light could swipe arrows aside, so they specifically waited for Yan San to unleash the blade light before firing, and thirty-three steel crossbow arrows all pierced into Yan San's flesh!
Yet the first to fall to the ground was not Yan San's body, but Wuwan Liu's head.
The Evil Ghost Mask still tightly covered his face, as if it had fused into one.
But even an Evil Ghost could not withstand the four consecutive strikes of the Blazing Moon Ring.
Ying Rushi pushed through the crowd, ignoring the generals and warriors' dissuasion, insisted on approaching the center of the open space, where the stalwart man still stood. He could no longer be recognized as human, the crossbow arrows almost pierced through every part of his body, and his face had not a single patch of intact flesh; it seemed as though the iron inside his body might outweigh the flesh.
"Why?"
Ying Rushi truly did not understand, "I cleared your name, gave you justice, made up for your losses, pointed out your future, and fulfilled your requests—why did you have to kill him?"
The strong man gave no answer; for a moment, Ying Rushi thought he was already dead. But just as she turned away, she heard a faint laugh from behind:
"Because I wanted to."
Thunk.
The strong man fell heavily to the ground, blood gushing from his wounds, pooling into a blood pond on the ground. However, the mouth pierced by the crossbow arrows was slightly curved upwards, as if smiling. As Ying Rushi watched this scene, countless people around were talking, but she didn't hear a single word, despite the blazing sun overhead, she felt a chill seeping into her bones.
…
…
"Still not found?"
"County Duke, just give us a little more time, we will definitely—"
"Forget it, there's no need, even if found, it's just a First-Turn Token, you may leave."
Inside the Commander's Mansion at Ping City Military Camp, Ying Rushi waved away the Chief Historian in the army, signaled the warrior to guard the door allowing no one entry, then opened the chest, took off the entire set of clothes and changed into a White Fox Mask along with clothes made of ordinary Qi Kingdom fabric. It was just that while undressing, she seemed distracted, almost taking off her breast binding as well.
The events of today had a profound impact on her.
Someone could disregard their future, even life and death, just to seek justice and vent their grievance.
How many people like this were there in Qi Kingdom?
Moreover, Yan San was a burly man; if I hadn't been there today by chance, he might have been wrongly accused.
Are incidents of framing and exclusion against Central Plains people happening daily across the land of Qi Kingdom? Could there be people like Yan San born every day, waiting for an opportunity to reclaim justice?
In comparison, Yan San's Straight Blade Token, though a new and never-seen token, wasn't that significant.
Weighed down with worries, Ying Rushi closed her eyes, silently chanting 'Thief's House,' and with a slight tremor, when she opened her eyes again, she had arrived at her personal room in Thief's House.
Upon opening the door and going out, Ying Rushi found that others had already seated themselves, so she immediately feigned embarrassment, fanning herself with a fan and smiling: "Sorry, the ladies were too clingy, I'm a bit late—"
Her voice abruptly stopped as her eyes fixed on 'Yellow Dog's direction.
'Yellow Dog' noticed her gaze and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, just seeing you brought a knife, I realized you could bring in weapons here." Ying Rushi casually sat down: "I'll need to bring armament next time too."
"I tried it." Red Snake Shang Xinlei laid out a small tablecloth on the stone table, took out a teacup and kettle, and said while sipping tea, "It's just like the main city here, you can't activate tokens."
"For safety, we should keep at least three steps apart from each other," Black Wolf Pharmacist's Wish stated, "any sudden approaches will be considered hostile."
"Understood, understood." Ying Rushi fanned herself, her gaze briefly skimming over 'Yellow Dog's knife.
It was a White Iron Straight Saber.