Knife splashing

Chapter 725 Nighttime Murder

In the dead of night, the moonlight was like water.

Near the Three Mile Pavilion outside the city, in the darkness of a towering, abandoned watchtower, Luo Mingzi stood silently.

Moonlight streamed through the cracks in the tiles, outlining his sharply defined profile.

His cold eyes pierced through the darkness, locking onto the silent area below, swallowed by the locust grove.

Behind him, there was a deathly chill.

The elite soldiers of the Commandery were all hidden in the shadows, their crossbows cocked and their muskets loaded, suppressing their murderous intent.

Meanwhile, behind the bushes, beside the mounds, and among the haystacks nearby, were scattered the experts of the Enforcement Hall.

They concealed their aura, some holding magic swords, others with talismans between their fingers, holding their breath and concentrating their energy.

The group had been waiting there for two hours, but Luo Mingzi was not in a hurry at all.

The clamor of the grand opening ceremony in the capital had not yet completely subsided, but the undercurrents stirred up by the "divine artifact" steam engine were already surging and spreading under the cover of night. Southeast Asia, the Oirat Mongols, Persia, and some other forces lurking in the shadows all coveted this thing.

The imperial court had naturally taken precautions against this.

The steam engine can be promoted, but the blueprints and key technologies must not be leaked.

At the very least, the Xuan Dynasty must maintain its advantage.

This kind of thing is not under Luo Mingzi's jurisdiction, and he doesn't have the time for it.

However, this morning, someone inexplicably delivered a letter saying that Japanese pirates who colluded with the Jianmu Demon had infiltrated the city and were plotting to acquire steam engine technology, and were also connected with a group of Southeast Asians.

Therefore, Luo Mingzi became the commander of this joint operation.

Not far away, a master of the Enforcement Hall lay prone on the ground, his earlobes pressed against the ground, his left hand forming a hand seal, and he listened carefully with his ear-powered abilities with his eyes closed.

"coming!"

He suddenly looked up and gave a low shout, which immediately alerted everyone.

Before long, several figures appeared on the desolate path in the distance.

They looked around anxiously, their steps frantic and disorderly in the moonlight, not even daring to light a lantern.

The leader was short and stout, his brocade robes were wrinkled as he ran, and his forehead was covered in sweat.

"It's Wu Anfu from Dongcheng."

A captain stepped forward and whispered, "This man is a grain merchant from the East City. He also owns many restaurants. He used to work for the steward of the Prince of Ying's mansion. After the mansion was shut down, he lost his backer and his business is being eaten away by his cronies."

Luo Mingzi frowned slightly. "Where did he get the blueprints?"

Qiankun Academy is promoting the use of steam engines, but this first batch of opportunities is not available to everyone.

All parties involved must pay a price to gain the upper hand.

Because of its involvement in the Tianjin artillery bombardment and the "Peach Banquet," the entire Prince's Mansion was exiled to the army, and the rest scattered like monkeys after the tree fell.

A down-on-his-luck person doesn't have that ability.

The captain hurriedly whispered, "This subordinate is incompetent and unaware of this matter."

"It doesn't matter."

Luo Mingzi said in a deep voice, "Seize him and interrogate him again!"

He had a strange premonition that he would definitely gain something this time.

As they were speaking, those people approached.

The portly merchant Wu Anfu, who was at the head of the group, clutched a bundle tightly as if it were a lifeline. Surrounded by several guards behind him, he cautiously entered the pavilion three miles away from the locust grove, looking around anxiously, clearly waiting for something.

Not long after, several more figures appeared on the official road, and the sound of horses' hooves came from the other end of the woods.

Two groups of people arrived almost simultaneously, yet remained clearly separated by a distance.

A group of short, muscular figures with dark skin, some with strange, scale-like tattoos on their faces, wearing oddly shaped silk robes over short brown coats, and with eyes as sharp as night owls, were the secret envoys of a powerful Southeast Asian nation.

The other group consisted of burly, robust men wearing felt hats and carrying curved knives at their waists, their faces etched with the marks of time.

They were none other than steppe knights from the Oirat Golden Horde!
The Southeast Asians carried a heavy wooden box, while the Oirat people led a strong horse laden with bulging leather bags.

The two groups of foreigners who arrived were clearly somewhat surprised.

The Oirat leader looked at Wu Anfu with a gloomy expression and spoke in broken Mandarin:

"Mr. Wu, what do you mean by this?"

Wu Anfu hurriedly cupped his hands and smiled obsequiously at the two men, his voice trembling as he said, "Sirs...sirs, this thing has been brought here...it has opened up countless roads, it was a life-or-death deal, we can't let myself lose out."

"court death!"

The Oirat leader's eyes immediately filled with rage, and he placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Clang clang!
Wu Anfu's men also drew their weapons.

"Don't do it!"

Wu Anfu suddenly roared, took out a caltrop from his pocket with his left hand and a tinderbox with his right hand, looked at the crowd and gritted his teeth, "I'm doing this with my head on the line, I never intended to sell only one copy."

"To tell you the truth, I will leave the capital after tonight's transaction!"

"Furthermore, I've already arranged for my men to wait for the signal in the city. If anything happens to me, they'll immediately run to the Commandery to inform on me. Even if you kill me and get the blueprints, you won't be able to leave Shenzhou!"

His eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was hoarse and frantic.

Often, falling down is more painful than climbing up.

He toiled for decades, serving the steward of the Prince of England's mansion like a turtle's grandson, and finally managed to accumulate this huge fortune. Now, seeing it about to turn to ashes, he no longer wanted to live the hard life he had as a child, so he had no choice but to take a risk.

The two sides were on the verge of war, and the air was so heavy it felt like it could drip water.

"Don't be like this, let's talk this out."

The leader of the secret envoys from the South Seas spoke Mandarin with a heavy retroflex consonant. He smiled and tried to smooth things over, saying, "Mr. Wu is after money; there's no need for him to risk his life."

Then he looked at the Oirat leader and said, “Lord Choros, this is nothing special. However, since the people of Shenzhou have kept it from us, it wouldn’t hurt for each of us to buy one. Besides, our two countries are separated by north and south. Let’s not fight amongst ourselves and let the Great Xuan benefit.”

Before he finished speaking, he raised his hand and waved it, and his attendant suddenly lifted a corner of the wooden box.

Instantly, a dazzling display of jewels emanated from the box, revealing neatly stacked gold ingots and a massive South China Sea pearl inside!
The Oirat leader was clearly impatient, but he didn't argue. He patted the leather bag on his horse's back and said in a deep voice, "Gold! The finest gold dust! Take the stuff."

"well…"

Upon seeing the wealth, Wu Anfu's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He nodded hurriedly and, with trembling hands, carefully unwrapped the blue cloth bundle from his back.

Under the moonlight, inside were several drawings on tough animal hides and thick Xuan paper.

It contains geometric lines and dimensions of the steam engine, as well as hastily written annotations.

Clearly, the person who stole the blueprints was in a state of panic at the time.

"Let me see!"

The envoy from Southeast Asia was even more anxious and stepped forward to snatch the blueprints.

"what are you doing!"

Wu Anfu's men were terrified and immediately raised their weapons.

"Gentlemen, what are you afraid of?"

A hint of disdain flashed in the eyes of the envoy from Southeast Asia. He waved for his subordinates to carry the items over, then took the blueprints from Wu Anfu's hands. After examining them carefully, he said in a trembling voice, "Yes, it's exactly the same as what I saw..."

Seeing this, the Oirat leader on the opposite side couldn't help but pat his horse's rump, and the horses carrying Jinsha headed towards Wu Anfu.

"wrong!"

As soon as he took the map, the envoy from Southeast Asia opposite him exclaimed in surprise.

The Oirat leader's eyes flashed with a fierce light. He grabbed Wu Anfu by the neck and lifted him up, gritting his teeth as he said, "You cunning southerner, how dare you try to deceive me with fake stuff!"

Wu Anfu was terrified and struggled to say, "Spare...spare my life, it's not a lie."

Upon hearing this, the Oirat leader looked at the envoy from the South Seas opposite him.

"It's definitely not a fake."

The Nanyang envoy's face darkened. "The goods themselves should be correct, but what about the materials on them?" "Black gold refined steel, South China Sea mermaid glue, Five Elements copper... What kind of nonsense is this? I've been doing business here for years and have seen a lot, but I've never heard of any of these."

The Oirat leader put Wu Anfu down. The fat man fell to the ground, coughed a few times while clutching his neck, and hurriedly argued, "That's how it's written in the academy. The blueprints I gave you are correct. As for how to get the materials, that's your problem!"

He was a seasoned businessman and knew that he couldn't back down at this point.

"Humph!"

The Oirat leader gave a cold snort and then whistled.

Hurry~
The horses carrying the gold dust turned around and ran back.

"You...you're going to break the contract?" Wu Anfu's eyes immediately turned red with anxiety.

The Oirat leader snatched the blueprints from his hand and said in a deep voice, "It's because you didn't produce the complete document. Go back and continue your investigation, find out more about the materials, and our transaction will continue."

On the other side, the envoy from Southeast Asia also sneered and ordered the gold and silver jewelry to be taken back.

This is a large sum of money. They never intended to let Wu Anfu live. They took advantage of this time to find his backup plan and eliminate him together, so that they could rest easy.

"you…"

Wu Anfu was extremely anxious. The academy was currently the focus of attention in the capital, and he no longer dared to do such a thing.

But before he could finish speaking, a whistling sound rang out in the night sky.

"Watch out for hidden attacks!"

The Oirat leader glared, turned around, and flicked the wool cloak over his shoulder.

His skills were superb; with this flick, he used a clever technique, and the cloak instantly became as tough as iron. With two soft "thuds," two crossbow bolts were revealed on it.

These two arrows were not originally aimed at vital organs, but his men suffered the consequences.

As the saying goes, it is hard to guard against an arrow in the dark. A martial artist needs the ability to hear the wind and locate the arrow, and a sorcerer needs to have the corresponding supernatural power, otherwise they simply cannot dodge it.

These grassland warriors were quite skilled, but those who came to surround them were no ordinary people.

Several Xuanmen sorcerers from the Enforcement Hall, with their left hands forming talismans and their right hands making hand seals, stared intently at them while silently chanting incantations.

In an instant, these warriors felt no effect.

They were surrounded by strange howling sounds, and their vision was filled with dark shadows, making them dizzy and disoriented.

Puff puff!
The sound of sharp blades piercing flesh rang out continuously, and several people fell to the ground after being hit by arrows in the blink of an eye.
The Great Xuan Dynasty has always been tough in its approach to things. Apart from interrogating the two heads of the envoys, it had no intention of leaving the rest alive.

"run!"

The envoy from the South Seas turned around, and thick fog and black smoke billowed out from his body.

This is considered their escape method. There is a small river near the locust grove, so as long as they escape, they still have a chance to survive.

boom!
A gunshot rang out, smoke filled the air, and shattered his hopes.

The envoy from Southeast Asia felt a sharp pain in his knee, lost his balance, and fell to the ground with a scream.

However, it was the sharpshooter from the Commandery who fired, breaking his leg.

Upon hearing the gunshots, these people lost all will to resist and threw down their weapons, kneeling on the ground.

Having witnessed the power of the new firearms, they were clearly ambushed and had no chance of escape.

As for Wu Anfu and his men, they were already terrified, trembling all over and lying on the ground, too scared to move.

The officers from the Commandery and the Enforcement Hall then emerged from the darkness.

Soon, all the survivors were tied up and pinned to the ground.

"They've got some nerve!"

Looking at the envoys from both countries, Luo Mingzi's eyes turned slightly cold. "These things are not for you to touch."

"Pooh!"

The Oirat leader spat out a mouthful of blood and cursed, "Kill me if you want, why all the nonsense?"

The envoy from Southeast Asia, though his leg was broken and he was in excruciating pain, still pleaded, "My lord, the imperial court intends to promote this product. We, as vassal states, are also subjects of the Celestial Empire, and we will obtain it sooner or later..."

"fart!"

A captain and centurion angrily rebuked, "What vassal state? You are wolfish and ambitious, secretly using witchcraft to control the officials sent by the court. Don't think we don't know. The court just doesn't have time to settle accounts with you!"

Upon hearing this, the envoy from Southeast Asia was immediately alarmed, his eyes darting around uncertainly.

This matter is top secret; I never expected that the Commandery, thousands of miles away, would know about it.

"This matter still needs to be handled by His Majesty."

Luo Mingzi interrupted them, cupped his fists to the two captains and commanders, and said, "Thank you for your trouble, sirs!"

Although the matter sounds hateful, it is not his responsibility to handle.

He was more interested in Wu Anfu than in these ambitious envoys from the various vassal states.

The two commanders were quite sensible and immediately escorted the man away.

After they left, Luo Mingzi looked at the trembling Wu Anfu and said in a deep voice, "Tell me, who in the academy assisted you in drawing up the blueprints?"

Wu Anfu lowered his head, his eyes darting around, and dared not speak.

Luo Mingzi was not in a hurry. He said in a deep voice, "Colluding with foreign invaders, do you know how serious this crime is? It would not be an exaggeration to exterminate nine generations of your family. If you speak up now, you will save yourself some physical pain today. If the information is useful, I will also plead for you."

"Why waste words with him, Senior Brother Luo?"

A sorcerer from the Enforcement Hall spoke up: "Junior brother, if I take action, I guarantee he'll suffer terribly!"

He smiled slightly as he spoke and opened his palm.

Swish!
Countless tiny black spiders suddenly surged out from his sleeves, turning into three black lines that crawled on the ground. In the blink of an eye, they crawled up Wu Anfu's clothes and into his collar and face.

"No, don't tell me!"

Wu Anfu's face turned deathly pale, and he screamed desperately, his crotch quickly becoming wet.

Upon seeing this, Luo Mingzi's lips curved into a smile.

Duweisi's men had previously informed him that Wu Anfu was notoriously afraid of spiders and had even spent a fortune hiring a feng shui master from the capital to arrange things in his home to keep these little creatures away, which became a laughing stock.

"Yes, it's Prince Hai!"

Now that things have come to this, Wu Anfu is filled with regret and dares not hide it.

"Prince Hai?"

Luo Mingzi was somewhat surprised.

This Prince Xiao Chenghai is a notoriously absurd ruler, and is not even well-liked in the Prince's Palace. How could he possibly have such abilities?

Upon further questioning, Wu Anfu stammered out the reason.

"Prince Hai had previously caused trouble by escaping from confinement and was imprisoned in a manor near the capital, thus escaping the calamity of the royal palace. Later, he found a villain and lied that he knew about the royal palace's treasure, so the villain arranged for him to hide it..."

"Later, his scheme was exposed by a scoundrel. He then claimed he could get his hands on steam engine blueprints, and surprisingly, he actually succeeded..."

"Where are they?"

"I'm currently in the capital. Once my transaction is complete, I'll leave to reunite with them..."

call out!
Before Luo Mingzi could continue asking questions, he saw a plume of fireworks rise into the night sky in the distance.

"Something's wrong up ahead!"

Luo Mingzi was startled and quickly led his fellow disciples forward.

Only after the Commandant's Office sent dozens of men, including sharpshooters and sorcerers, did he feel comfortable letting the guards leave.

Unexpectedly, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind!

The group moved swiftly, arriving at the scene of the incident in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

The official road was littered with mutilated corpses, many frozen solid, their faces bearing eerie smiles...

(End of this chapter)