Yefutidaolu

Chapter 327 Kill!

Gao Jian saw that barely perceptible nod, as if he had received a silent contract.

He didn't say anything more, nor did he even glance at Qin Long again. He simply turned around, and his figure quickly disappeared into the howling sandstorm at the border, as if he had never existed.

After a while, Qin Long stood still, letting the wind and sand lash his face, causing a slight stinging sensation.

He didn't watch Gao Jian leave; that slight nod seemed to have exhausted all his energy at that moment.

A heavy, rusty sense of destiny weighed on his shoulders, the weight of surrendering himself completely to the unknown torrent. He needed time for his cracked heart to solidify again, to seal the newly opened fissures.

But time was running out. He took a deep breath of the sandy air, a burning sensation in his lungs that jolted him awake. He turned abruptly, his steps steady yet tinged with a barely perceptible urgency, and headed towards the core area of ​​the border reconstruction. He was going to find Yang Ling.

From afar, Yang Ling's figure could be seen. He was standing beside a newly built, still rough earthen wall, holding a yellowed map in his hand, pointing something to several soldiers and clerks in charge of supervising the construction.

His voice wasn't loud, but it reached Qin Long's ears clearly. It was well-organized and detailed, covering everything from the allocation of earth and stones and the rotation of laborers to the deployment of defensive points and the distribution of supplies. The soldiers and clerks listened and nodded repeatedly, their eyes filled with trust and even reliance.

"Yang is right!"

"I will do as you say!"

"With you here, this wall will surely be completed soon!"

Qin Long slowed his pace. He stood silently in an inconspicuous corner, watching that familiar yet unfamiliar figure. Yang Ling was still the same Yang Ling, possessing an admirable ability to coordinate and command, seemingly a born general.

If it weren't for this ability, if it weren't for this genius who could always find a glimmer of hope in desperate situations and turn scattered sand into a fortress, how could so many people be willing to follow him and entrust their lives to him?

But now, the soul that drives this body has cracked.

Qin Long's gaze was as sharp as a hawk's, piercing through Yang Ling's outward composure and competence. He clearly caught the lingering, unfathomable confusion in Yang Ling's eyes. That confusion, like a layer of gray mist, shrouded the depths of his once fiery eyes.

His fingers, pointing at the map, remained steady, and his words, though still logically clear, were unfocused and empty. It was as if he were merely mechanically reciting the knowledge in his mind, while his soul had drifted into some unknown abyss filled with chaos and questions.

He looked at the blueprints, at the earthen wall, at the people awaiting his instructions, but the light in his eyes, once illuminating the darkness, called "belief," was gone. Only a deep weariness and confusion remained, a sense of not knowing where the road ahead lay.

Qin Long felt as if his heart had been squeezed by an icy hand.

He understood this kind of confusion all too well. It wasn't the bewilderment of losing one's way in the wilderness, but the utter disorientation of standing on the ruins of cognition after the pillars of one's entire spiritual world had collapsed. Just like back in that filthy tavern, when the aristocratic guard casually said, "Tear it down and feed it to the dogs," when all his "assassin's dignity" and "chivalrous fantasies" shattered into dust in the face of the aristocratic family's view that it was worth less than a dog's life—that immense confusion and nihilism of falling from the clouds to the dust, of fundamentally doubting one's own value.

My faith collapsed for the first time when I realized I was even less than a dog.

Yang Ling's downfall stemmed from the realization that the path he had strived for throughout his life might have led from the very beginning to a wrong, or even darker, abyss.

For Qin Long, Yang Ling held a complex mix of emotions. Was he a guiding light? A comrade-in-arms? Perhaps both. But now, as Yang Ling mired in self-doubt, Qin Long clearly realized that Yang Ling was the only person he could truly call a "close friend" in this cold world. They had weathered the deepest darkness together and fought side by side under the same banner. This bond was not about right or wrong, but about understanding—understanding the wounds and struggles deep within each other's souls.

The wind and sand blew, stirring up dust from the ground. Qin Long took a deep breath, temporarily suppressing the heavy contract that Gao Jian had brought him deep in his heart. He straightened his back, his face still bearing that frozen, hard expression, but deep in his eyes, there was a hint of unseen gravity and resolve.

He strode forward, no longer hiding in the corner, and walked straight toward the man standing by the earthen wall, pointing at the landscape with an empty gaze. His boots made a clear and steady sound on the gravel, step by step, breaking through the howling of the wind and sand, toward the silent fog of confusion that shrouded his dear friend.

Yang Ling saw Qin Long.

Then, he forced a smile, put down the blueprints in his hand, and said to the soldier next to him, "Do as I say now, and get the Qilin tribe to help. They have high cultivation levels and can work quickly. Once the border is built, everything will naturally fall into place."

"Okay, we'll do as you say, Chief Yang!" the soldiers immediately said, patting their chests.

Yang Ling nodded, then turned and walked towards Qin Long.

“Qin Long.” Yang Ling smiled.

“I agree to your suggestion,” Qin Long said.

“Yes, that’s how it should be. I don’t know what to do now, but he does. And what he’s doing is actually similar to what we’re going to do. I’m even serving him now.” Yang Ling smiled. “After this, I’ll probably be stationed at the border to guard the gate for him. But… he’s too big a target and needs someone to help him. Qin Long, you can go and help him. That’s perfect.”

“Well, I’m not very bright, I can’t compare to you. Even after cultivating for so long, I still have a lot of impulses in my mind, and I don’t know which one is right. But… will the people of Liangzhou be better off in the future? Will the ‘Star Clan’ you lead no longer need to go to their deaths and cause chaos?” Qin Long asked.

"No, the people of Liangzhou... will live very well, I promise." Yang Ling nodded deeply.

"That's good." Qin Long nodded.

This is wonderful, so wonderful.

Yang Ling is still the same Yang Ling.

------------

Meanwhile, Gao Jian returned to Liangzhou City.

He was really exhausted. He ran back by himself, without Yang Ling following him. It took him a full eight days to get back!
Eight days! I'm exhausted!

"Qin Long!" Gao Jian roared weakly, his voice hoarse like sandpaper rubbing against a broken gong, "You son of a bitch... come out! I know you're here! Can't you come out and catch your breath? I've been working like a donkey pulling a millstone for the past eight days, and you just sit here watching the show?"

A gust of wind blew by, swirling a few withered leaves that landed at Gao Jian's feet. All around was silent.

Gao Jian rolled his eyes and almost fainted.

He had long since discovered that from the day he left the border, Qin Long, a grandmaster of nine realms and two passes, had completely entered "shadow mode." During the day, Gao Jian would huff and puff as he traveled, while Qin Long seemed to melt into the shadows of the sunlight, or simply disguise himself as an inconspicuous, moss-covered stone by the roadside. At night, Qin Long would crouch in the darkness beyond the reach of the campfire, clutching his precious short sword, like a silent, tomb-guarding stone statue.

no way.

Qin Long followed him back, but this man was really strange. He just quietly followed Gao Jian from behind, without saying that he would use his cultivation to carry Gao Jian. Clearly, he was very fast, and if he had carried Gao Jian, they might have arrived long ago, but he just secretly hid in the shadows and wouldn't come out no matter what. When Gao Jian tried to communicate with him, he didn't speak and just silently followed.

Many times, Gao Jian wondered if he had made a mistake.

It's outrageous.

But there's nothing we can do about it, so let it be.

Eight days later.

Upon returning to Liangzhou City, the first thing Gao Jian did was turn around and look at Qin Long.

He sighed resignedly, dragging his leaden legs, and shuffled unsteadily toward the city.

Even for him, running around for eight days must have been very painful.

As soon as he stepped through the city gate, the familiar smell, unique to Liangzhou City, a mixture of spices, livestock, cooking smoke, and a faint hint of blood wafted towards him. Gao Jian took a deep breath, feeling slightly refreshed.

Just then, he felt a chill on the back of his neck, as if he had been licked by the gaze of some cold-blooded animal. Gao Jian jolted and whirled around!

From the deepest shadows inside the city gate, a figure in a dusty old fur coat silently "emerged" as if peeled off the wall. Qin Long, clutching his dark, matte short sword, leaned against the cold city wall, almost blending into the shadows. Only his frozen, earth-like eyes calmly watched him in the dim light, as if they had never left him.

Gao Jian: "..."

He felt the veins on his forehead throbbing. The resentment from eight days of travel, being treated like he was invisible, and the shock of this sudden appearance all surged into his heart at once.

“I say, Brother Qin,” Gao Jian took a deep breath and tried to force a forced smile.

Qin Long remained silent, but his cold eyes showed nothing.

Gao Jian was completely exasperated. Arguing with this clod of dirt was just asking for trouble. He waved his hand resignedly, like shooing away a stubborn fly: "Fine, fine, if you want to be a shadow, then be one. But..."

Gao Jian abruptly changed the subject, his weariness and mockery vanishing instantly, leaving only a sharp and cold expression. He stepped forward, lowering his voice to ensure only Qin Long in the shadows could hear him:
"Whether you're a shadow or just a backdrop, since you're here, don't just sit idly by."

Gao Jian cast his gaze toward the depths of Liangzhou City, toward the majestic mansion that represented the Jin family's supreme power, yet now seemed somewhat uneasy.

"Alright." Qin Long nodded, his voice flat and emotionless, as if he were agreeing not to slaughter a behemoth that had dominated Liangzhou for hundreds of years, but to chop a bundle of firewood. His figure, carrying the short sword, silently disappeared into the shadows of the doorway once more, as if he had never been there.

Gao Jianchang exhaled a long breath, as if he wanted to expel the dust and absurd "escort" experience of the past eight days.

He tugged at his wrinkled, dusty outer robe—it really tarnished his image as the "behind-the-scenes mastermind of Liangzhou." He walked to a stone trough near the city gate where pedestrians and horses could water themselves, scooped up the cold, murky water, and vigorously rubbed his face with it.

The icy water invigorated him, instantly erasing the weariness and playfulness from his face, leaving only a chilling and focused expression.

He didn't return to the mansion, nor did he gather any men. Gao Jian tidied his wet hair and clothes; though still disheveled, his eyes were now sharp as knives. He lifted his foot and walked straight towards the Jin family mansion. His steps were slow, but carried an undeniable resolve.

His figure passed through the bustling streets of Liangzhou City.

Before long, the Jin family's mansion, with its vermilion gate, gleaming copper nails, and menacing stone lions, came into view. The guards at the gate had obviously been informed beforehand. When they saw Gao Jian approaching alone, their faces first showed surprise, but then they quickly put on a fawning smile.

"Mr. Gao... Mr. Gao!" A steward-like man jogged up to greet him, bowing so low he almost broke. "You're back, sir! You must be tired from your journey! Come in, please! The young master has already instructed that the finest tea and a quiet room have been prepared, just waiting for your return for a chat!"

Their words were enthusiastic, but their eyes flickered with a deep fear.

Gao Jian didn't stop walking, and didn't even glance at the steward, but went straight to the tightly closed door.

"Open the door." Gao Jian's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly penetrated the gate of the mansion.

"Yes, yes, yes! We'll open it right away!" The steward waved his hand hastily, and the heavy vermilion gate slowly opened with a creaking sound, revealing the ornate and luxurious front courtyard inside.

Gao Jian stepped inside. A number of people were already waiting in the courtyard.

"Master Gao, how is the patriarch? How is the fighting going? What is the situation at the border?" At this moment, a young man, the young master of the Jin family, took the initiative to come forward and chat with Gao Jian.

Clearly, in their eyes, Gao Jian had only returned first, and Jin Dafu and Huang Chengshi should also return soon.

But at this moment——

"Jin Dafu, everyone in the Jin family, heed my command!" Gao Jian's voice suddenly rose, cold as iron, carrying an unquestionable authority that instantly resounded throughout the entire Jin mansion.
"Investigate! The Jin family is colluding with the Northern Barbarians, trafficking in weapons, and aiding the enemy in treason! The evidence is irrefutable!"

"Investigate! The Jin family has established a private prison, tortured and murdered innocent people, disregarded the law, and committed numerous crimes!"

"Investigate! The Jin family embezzled military funds and misappropriated public funds, causing soldiers on the border to suffer from hunger and cold, and the people to be displaced and filled with resentment!"

"Investigate! The Jin family plotted to assassinate me; their intentions are despicable!"

One by one, the "charges" were read aloud by Gao Jian in a cold, flat tone, like the reading of a pre-prepared, irrefutable verdict. Every "Investigate!" was like a heavy hammer, striking the hearts of the Jin family members.

Some of these charges were half true, some were baseless, and some were outright fabrications! But at this moment, with Liangzhou now under Gao Jian's control, the truth or falsehood was no longer important!
"Lord Gao?" The young master of the Jin family was taken aback.

"Kill." Gao Jianyi waved his hand.

Behind him, Qin Long appeared.

(End of this chapter)