Great Zhou Wensheng

Chapter 200 [Searching for him a thousand times in the crowd, a night of fish and dragon dance]
Gu Zhimian, Li Pan, and dozens of other scholars were fighting desperately, their flying swords piercing the air and runes exploding, but they were still forced to retreat by the wolf demon horde.

suddenly--

Jiang Xingzhou's poem "Qing Yu An: Lantern Festival" is a masterpiece of poetry and prose.

[The east wind blows at night, releasing a thousand trees of flowers.]

The wind blew down, and stars rained down!
Above the sky, starlight poured down like rain!

"Chuck! Chuck! Chuck!"

One after another, rebellious scholars were pierced through the heart by a hail of arrows; the wolf demon generals bled from their throats; and the savage demon assassins were pierced through the chest—

In an instant, the streets of the heavens were littered with the corpses of the demon and barbarian assassins!

The swords held by the scholars froze in mid-air, their pupils trembling.

"This...this is..."

"Just the very first line, and it's already a masterpiece of poetry?!"

What an astonishing piece of poetry!
Not far away, Ambassador Niu Man slammed his heavy hammer on the ground with a clang, his eyes wide open.

Princess Niu Man parted her red lips slightly, and a halberd slipped from her palm.

She finally witnessed firsthand the brilliance of this legendary scholar, whose fame had already spread throughout the Niu Man Kingdom, and whose words were renowned throughout the nation!

Young Master Jiang's poems are so incredibly beautiful!
Only two words remained in the minds of the barbarian generals—

“Awesome!!!”

The Snow Wolf Demon Lord's claws tore through the air, hurtling straight at Jiang Xingzhou, but at the last moment, its demonic pupils suddenly contracted—

The scholar in the blue robe feinted with his spear, then his back was frantically fleeing towards the north of the city!

He left it behind, facing Jiang Xingzhou, the scholars, and the barbarian delegation alone.

"Despicable human!"

It let out a furious roar that exploded in its throat, but there was no turning back.

It was abandoned!

This traitorous scholar dares to use the seventh prince of the Snow Wolf Demon Kingdom as a scapegoat?!
Regret and anger are too late!
The demon's blood boiled, and its fangs were menacing.

Since there's no escape... then kill these ants and you'll have a chance to survive!

"roar--!
die!!"

Wolf Lord's demonic body transformed into a silver hurricane, his claws as sharp as knives, instantly tearing the protective shields of the three scholars' literary treasures into shreds!
"Form ranks! Form ranks now!"

Li Pan's face turned deathly pale. He shot out the jade pen in his hand, but it broke with a crisp "crack".

The Bull Warriors' heavy hammers slammed down, but were swept away by the Snow Wolf Demon Lord's wolf tail, sending them and their weapons flying several feet away!

Despair was spreading—their combined forces of dozens of scholars and fierce warriors were still no match for the Snow Wolf Demon Lord, who was now in a frenzy and struggling for his life!
Jiang Xingzhou's expression was cold, his eyes sharpened, and a green light flashed from his fingertips like a sword as he wrote ink in the void—

"[The BMW's carved carriages fill the road with fragrance.]"

The sound of phoenix flutes stirs, the jade pot shines, and fish and dragons dance all night!
boom--!
The sky above Luoyang suddenly cracked open.
A dazzling display of light!

A magnificent, pure white steed, brimming with talent, descended from the sky, its neighing like thunder. Behind it, a chariot with ancient and simple carvings stood, resembling a war chariot from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. Wherever its bronze wheels rolled, a sense of literary energy reverberated!
Amidst the sound of phoenix flutes, a shimmering light of bright moonlight and fine wine flowed.

"Uu——!"

"[Moths and willows, golden threads, laughter and lingering fragrance...]"

As the poems fell, the talent and energy of heaven and earth surged and boiled!
Zheng——!
A burst of golden light erupted, and golden threads spread across Jiang Xingzhou's body, instantly covering his dazzling battle armor—

His face was covered in golden-threaded armor, and his arm armor was wrapped with moth-patterned snow willow branches!

Beautiful as a poem, yet sharp and unseen!
He held a bow in his left hand and flicked his right, sending a three-zhang-long (approximately 10 meters) dragon-patterned spear flying through the air. The spear's body was covered in dragon patterns, and its cold light was terrifying!

“Hiss Yu Yu——!”

Warhorses reared up and neighed, chariots rolled across the heavenly street.

Jiang Xingzhou, his green robe fluttering in the wind, stood on his chariot, his icy eyes fixed on the Snow Wolf Demon Lord ahead.

The sound of phoenix flutes stirred, jade pots shimmered with light, and golden snowflakes danced in the air.

And he-

With a golden mask covering his face and wearing magnificent armor, he held both a bow and a spear, his killing intent soaring to the sky!
At this moment, he is a poetic immortal, and also—a peerless war god of the Spring and Autumn Period who has come through bloodshed!
"Roar~!"

The Snow Wolf Demon Lord roared furiously, its silver mane stained with blood, and its sharp claws tore through the last line of defense, heading straight for the war chariot!
"blow--!"

Two afterimages, one green and one silver, collided violently amidst the flowing light of the jade pot!

"Keng——!"

The wolf's claws tore through the air, slamming into Jiang Xingzhou's chest. Sparks flew from his golden armor, and five gruesome claw marks appeared—

But in the end, they were unable to break through the golden armor!

One shot fired!

Fish and dragon dance!
"Pfft!"

The Fish-Dragon Spear flashed with a cold light, its blade slicing across the Demon Lord's heart like a dragon, drawing out a spray of demonic blood!

"Tick."

Blood droplets from the spear tip fell to the ground, blooming into eerie blood flowers on the bluestone slab.

Jiang Xingzhou drove the chariot, his eyes cold beneath the golden mask, the tip of his spear pointing diagonally at the ground.

The human race was unharmed, but the Snow Wolf Demon Lord saw the blood and sweat!

"How can this be?!"

Snow Wolf Demon Lord staggered backward, looking down in disbelief, his scarlet wolf eyes reflecting his shattered chest.

That demonic heart has been pierced through by Jiang Xingzhou's Fish-Dragon Spear!
It stopped beating.

"This lord... has actually been..."

It is a dignified demon lord!
He is comparable to a Hanlin scholar among humans, and his close combat strength even surpasses that of a Hanlin scholar!
Even though it had been imprisoned in a prison cart and had its collarbone pierced, leaving it with less than 60-70% of its strength, it was still no match for a mere scholar!
It made a "plop" sound.
The demon's massive body, weighing a thousand pounds, crashed to its knees, raising a cloud of blood.

Its sharp claws scratched at the ground in frustration, carving five bloody furrows into the bluestone.

The life force of the demon wolf body rapidly faded, and it collapsed heavily onto the ground of the Heavenly Street.

On both sides of the Heavenly Street, the lingering light of the Jade Pot gilded the soon-to-be-cold corpse with a poignant golden edge.

Snow Wolf Demon Lord is dead!

The scholar in the blue robe was terrified and fled even more hastily.

He frantically channeled his literary energy, his figure flashing like a ghost as he flew towards the north city gate—as long as he could break out of the city, with the help of the Palace Master Wuxin, he was sure he could escape.

"Escape! We must escape!"

He dared not turn around, but the murderous intent behind him followed him like a shadow, chilling him to the bone!

He couldn't believe that the mighty Snow Wolf Demon Lord couldn't withstand a single blow from Jiang Xingzhou.

"Puff! Puff!"

My heart was pounding like a drum, and all I could hear was my own rapid breathing.

We had already reached the North Gate.

He couldn't resist turning around to see what was happening on the street.

This glance!
He will never forget it!
But see,

In the center of the Heavenly Street, Jiang Xingzhou stood atop a BMW chariot, his golden armor reflecting the lamplight, with moth-patterned snow willow branches entwining the armor. He held a precious bow in his left hand and a fish-dragon spear in his right!

"[I searched for him a thousand times in the crowd, then suddenly turning around, I found him where the lights were dim.]"

—The next moment!
"blow--!"

A dazzling streak of light instantly pierced through the long street!

The scholar in the blue robe suddenly narrowed his eyes—

"boom--!!!"

The spear struck like a thunderbolt, piercing straight through the chest of the scholar in the blue robe!

His body was thrown by the immense force and slammed against the north gate, blood trickling down the cracks in the city wall bricks!

—The third leader of Wuxin Palace is dead!
Outside Luoyang City.

In the shadows of night, a man dressed in black and wearing a straw hat watched this scene with immense pain and despair.

Snow Wolf Demon Lord, the seventh prince of Snow Wolf Kingdom, is dead! He lies in a pool of blood on the Heavenly Street!
The scholar in the blue robe, his most trusted subordinate, was dead! His figure, nailed to the city gate, swayed in the night wind—

On the night of the Lantern Festival,

He successfully launched a large-scale massacre in Luoyang!
However, his assassination attempt on Jiang Xingzhou, the Jiangnan Dao Jieyuan, which he most wanted to kill, failed—this time it failed.

The spring imperial examination is about to begin, and Jiang Xingzhou has been promoted from a Juren to a Jinshi. All is lost.

There will never be another chance!
"Jiang Xingzhou, I cannot kill you tonight! However, you killed the Snow Wolf Demon Marquis, and the Snow Wolf Kingdom, the most powerful kingdom outside the Northern Desert, is your eternal enemy."

The Snow Wolf Demon King and Snow Wolf Demon Saint of the Snow Wolf Kingdom will never let you go; they will personally chew up your literary talent!
Haha~!

"My plans are flawless! *cough* *cough*!"

Fei Wuxin grinned madly, his maniacal laughter startling crows into flight.

A sudden, excruciating pain tore through his chest cavity, and he coughed up blood.

He suddenly knelt down, and the sound of flesh writhing could be heard from beneath his black robe.

He tore open his clothes to reveal his hideous heart, where a strange blue lotus was blooming in his heart chamber!
The lotus seed planted in his heart was now sprouting and growing like a living thing, turning the decaying black energy in his body into nutrients, constantly taking root and sprouting, trying to grow. His entire body was withering and dying at a visible speed.

Jiang Xingzhou, clad in golden armor, stood on his steed chariot, longbow in hand, and glanced indifferently at the darkness outside the city.

Fei Wuxin!

You will die silently in some corner, decaying and rotting, becoming nourishment for a blue lotus!

The night wind howled past, and the laughter abruptly ceased. With a furious roar, the bamboo hat shattered into countless blood-red lotus blossoms, disappearing into the vast darkness outside the city.

The turmoil in the capital city of Luoyang gradually subsided after the deaths of the barbarian assassins.

The wooden doors of the shops and restaurants along the street creaked, and first a few still-shaken faces peeked out, then more and more figures cautiously emerged.

Clutching brooms and sticks, they scanned their surroundings warily, as if they still couldn't believe the danger had passed.

"The demon wolf... is it really dead?"

"The corpse of that traitorous scholar is still hanging on the city gate!"

Someone shouted first, and the crowd finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Some people collapsed to the ground, some covered their faces and wept, and some even knelt down and kowtowed, murmuring "May the Sage of Literature protect us."

On the street, the blue bricks were broken and stained with blood. The remains of thirty-six wolf demons were still emitting wisps of black smoke.

Having escaped a calamity, they were in no mood to celebrate.

The people silently began to clean up the mess.

The woman used a wooden basin to splash water to wash away the bloodstains, the strong men worked together to lift the collapsed beams, and the old scholar shakily picked up the scattered scrolls and gently brushed the dust off the covers with his sleeve.

Occasionally, someone would look up and gaze at the young man's figure on the street.

His gaze held reverence, gratitude, and a complex emotion that was difficult to describe.

Luoyang Imperial Palace.

Outside Chengtian Gate.

Before the embers of the Lantern Festival lights had even completely dissipated, a row of figures in crimson and purple official robes were already kneeling on the white marble steps in front of the vermilion palace gate.

The heads of the three provinces and six ministries, the generals of the Imperial Guard, and hundreds of civil and military officials all knelt down at this moment.

The night wind swept across the palace walls, causing the jade belts around their waists to tremble slightly, yet no one dared to raise their hands to straighten them—the sound of shattering cups and saucers coming from deep within the palace had already sent chills down everyone's spines.

The ink on the lantern above the palace gate, inscribed with "Peace and Prosperity for the Nation," was still wet, yet it stung like a slap in the face to everyone.

On the Lantern Festival, such a great chaos has broken out in Luoyang. How furious His Majesty must be at this moment!
This case will inevitably be investigated, and the entire court may be wiped out in blood—without an inside traitor, how could the rebels and barbarian assassins have launched such a large-scale disturbance!

"crunch-"

The heavy palace gates slowly opened, making a sickeningly loud sound.

Wang Dajian stood on the left, holding a whisk, while on the right was Nangong Wan'er, the head of the female officials.

She was dressed in a plain white palace gown, which looked like frost under the moonlight. Only the red jade pendant at her waist swayed slightly with her steps, casting a blood-like shadow on the bluestone slab.

"Your Majesty asked—"

Nangong Wan'er's voice was colder than the night wind, "What is the enemy situation inside the city? How many civilians have been killed or wounded?"

Zhang Jianzhi, the Minister of Justice, who was kneeling among them, kowtowed heavily, the peacock feather on his official hat trembling violently: "Your Majesty, there are a total of 738 traitorous scholars and barbarian assassins. The bodies have been identified!"

His voice suddenly sharpened as he spoke of the numbers, "There are also... a small number of remaining members who have escaped. The Imperial Guards and the Golden Guards have sealed off the nine gates."

"And what about the common people?"

Nangong Wan'er lightly touched the forbidden step with her fingertips.

"Casualties among the people?"

Minister of Justice Zhang Jianzhi suddenly choked up, his Adam's apple bobbing several times before he managed to utter, "Preliminary statistics show that there are 472 dead and over 1,000 injured."

A gust of cold wind, carrying the smell of burning, swept past the palace walls.

"On the Lantern Festival, evil spirits run rampant!"

The old eunuch Wang's shrill voice cut through the night like a knife, and several elderly civil officials swayed and almost fell over.

"By order of His Majesty—"

Hundreds of official hats touched the ground simultaneously, gleaming with a cold, hard black light under the moonlight.

"The Ministry of Justice is ordered to thoroughly investigate this case within three days!"

These twelve characters, imbued with thunderous fury, crashed onto the steps, causing the bronze bells on the eaves to hum and startling a flock of night crows.

A bead of cold sweat silently slid down the gaps in the armor of the Imperial Guard commander. He saw his shadow distorted and warped by the palace lanterns, resembling those demons and monsters about to be revealed under the iron chains of the imperial prison.

"Reporting!"

No need for a three-day thorough investigation!

Suddenly, Grand Chancellor Chen Shaoqing stepped forward, holding up a list with both hands. "The list of all the thieves involved in this case is here!"

The moment Nangong Wan'er received the roster, her fingertips trembled almost imperceptibly.

On the unfolded scroll, the ink is still fresh:
The Ten Great Feudal Kings!

The entire court of officials and nobles!

The three provinces and six ministries, eunuchs, and female officials—none were spared!

A night breeze suddenly rose, stirring a strand of her dark hair at her temple.

Every name on that scroll weighs as heavy as a thousand pounds.

An incredulous rage flashed in her eyes.

"This"

Wang Dajian stared in disbelief. His whisk fell silently to the ground, leaving a glaring red mark on the white horsehair, stained with undried cinnabar.

Are all the high-ranking officials in the imperial court involved in the case?

Even he, a eunuch, was involved in the case?!

How... how is this possible?

Nangong Wan'er's eyes were icy cold as she lightly tapped the register with her fingertips. Her phoenix eyes narrowed slightly: "Lord Chancellor, this list is indeed timely."

Her voice was icy, "The chaos in Luoyang has barely subsided, and all the evidence has already been gathered?"

Chen Shaoqing bowed deeply, the sleeves of his official robe rustling in the night wind: "Reporting, this matter is extremely strange!"

He suddenly sat up straight, his voice rising abruptly: "All the traitors who were executed openly wore seals, demon tokens, and weapons stolen from various royal palaces!"

Even worse—

He shook out a stack of blood-stained secret letters from his sleeve; the silk glistened eerily blue under the palace lanterns. "Each corpse contained such secret letters, detailing the time and place of their interactions with court officials, even..."

His Adam's apple bobbed. "Even the purity of the silver they bribed was clearly recorded."

Nangong Wan'er suddenly clenched her fingers, and the list groaned under the weight in her palm.

"What about those captured barbarian demon prisoners? What are their statements?"

Her voice was so soft, as if she was afraid of disturbing something.

"All the captured demon and barbarian prisoners confessed immediately, even before being subjected to severe torture."

Chen Shaoqing suddenly sighed, "They are all vying to identify their own mastermind."

He forced a bitter smile, “—From the ministers of the three provinces and six ministries, to eunuchs and female officials, to princes, border garrisons, and governors of various regions, not a single important official was spared.”

In the shadows of the palace walls, the eunuch Wang's whisk had somehow become angrily knotted.

"What is the opinion of the Grand Secretary?"

Nangong Wan'er raised her eyes, her gaze reflecting the still-burning flames in the distance.

"Without a doubt, this is a frame-up!"

Chen Shaoqing suddenly shouted, startling the crows perched on the eaves, "The mastermind behind tonight's Lantern Festival chaos is Fei Wuxin, the Palace Master of Wuxin Palace, who not only instigated this great chaos!"
Furthermore, they must muddy the waters, sow discord between His Majesty and his court officials, and cover up the true traitor within his inner circle!

He pointed to the densely packed list on the roster, "And those traitors and barbarian assassins carry hundreds or thousands of 'secret letters and ironclad evidence' of all kinds, which are impossible to distinguish from the genuine ones. Instead, it makes finding the truth like searching for a needle in a haystack!"

(End of this chapter)