Legend of Zhan Zhao

Chapter 92 The Beginning of a Legend

"Han Zhaoye, I'll fuck your old man..."

"Blackwater Palace has harmed us!!"

"Kill! We must fight our way out!!"

When Guo Huai arrived at the imperial prison with his men, sweating profusely, he was met with a one-sided situation.

Incredibly, it wasn't the Song Dynasty that was at a disadvantage, but rather the powerful enemy group that stormed the imperial prison, determined to succeed.

Su Wuqing, sitting in her wheelchair, looked down at the group of people, watching their joy turn to shock and anger, and finally to despair under the trap set by the Heavenly Net. Her eyes were indifferent, as if they were empty.

It wasn't until the night breeze blew and a figure swept to his side that he seemed to wake from a dream, turned around, and bowed, saying, "Steward Guo."

Guo Huai glanced at the elites from the Six Doors' Mystery Hall and Wind Falcon Hall in the arena, then at Su Wuqing and Li Wuxing standing behind him, and understood much more. He said calmly, "Detective Su really surprised us! It seems the Imperial City Guard will once again be relegated to a supporting role..."

"I wouldn't dare! Cough cough! I wouldn't dare!"

Su Wuqing said, "The patient is in dire need of Steward Guo's help, Second Brother!"

Li Wuxing was eight feet tall, with broad shoulders and a wide back. His muscles were bulging and his knuckles were large. Although he was not wearing armor, he had a kind of iron-blooded aura. The oppressive feeling he exuded was not the brute force of an ordinary warrior, but the chilling aura tempered by years of killing and the power of punishment and judgment. It was like a heavy axe, heavy and without edge, yet it was terrifying and soul-stirring.

But at this moment, the head of Zhenyue Hall looked at the Liao enemy not far away, his eyes filled with suppressed anger and sorrow, and took out a thin scroll and handed it over.

Su Wuqing explained, "These five strongholds are five carefully planned escape routes for the Liao people after they successfully rescue the prisoners. Cough cough! At present, the Six Doors are short of manpower, so we request the Imperial City Guard to send troops to assist in suppressing the bandits and upholding the prestige of the nation!"

Guo Huai himself didn't need these credits, but the Imperial City Guard certainly did. He handed them to his godson Guo Huaiji, who was following behind him, and said indifferently, "Then I won't stand on ceremony. Thank you, Detective Su!"

"Steward Guo is too kind. The Six Doors are truly grateful."

Su Wuqing remained humble, but after making the arrangements, he turned his attention to the battlefield.

The two sides are not enemies, but they will not be allies either. So all they need to do is maintain a superficial respect and courtesy, distribute credit at crucial moments, and maintain a stable and tacit understanding.

Guo Huai understood this as well. He came to Su Wuqing's side, looked at the battlefield where the outcome was no longer in doubt, and asked directly, "What exactly happened?"

"Zhao Wujiu pursued the Liao spy a thousand miles away, a story that has been told throughout the world..."

Su Wuqing closed her eyes: "But the one who came back wasn't Fourth Brother."

"What? What did you say? When did you find out? How come you only found out now..."

Guo Huai was deeply moved and asked a series of questions, but stopped abruptly halfway through. After thinking for a while, he slowly said, "Did the Marquis stay in Xixia for a while this time?"

Su Wuqing said, "Before the Marquis left, the sick guest told him the truth, so the Marquis spent more time in Western Xia... cough cough! cough cough cough!"

'Well done, Su Wuqing! You really did foresee everything!'

A chill ran through Guo Huai's heart.

He had thought that the seemingly impenetrable Six Doors had finally revealed a weakness, and that there were even internal and external troubles. He thought that he could take advantage of the fact that "Divine Marquis" Zheng Guowei was not in the capital to keep this power firmly in his hands for the Empress Dowager, or at the very least win people's hearts.

It turns out that they were setting a trap for the Liao experts. If he really went too far, Su Wuqing would not hesitate to give the Imperial City Guard a good talking-to.

The Six Doors is a crucial law enforcement agency. Although the official rank of the Divine Constable may not seem high, he is backed by the Divine Marquis and supported by the Eighth Prince, making him no ordinary person.

With such a prominent figure guarding the area, it's truly like adding wings to a tiger.

But after glancing at Su Wuqing's face, which was whiter than snow, and hearing his suppressed cough, Guo Huai's heart calmed down.

Extreme wisdom can be harmful. Su Wuqing's constant toil and various schemes are unlikely to last long.

This is certainly a pity, but it also puts a person like him who has a secret at ease, doesn't it?

Leaving aside Guo Huai's myriad thoughts, Su Wuqing quietly observed the battlefield, listening to the shouts and curses gradually subside, and suddenly sighed: "Let's close the net."

Upon hearing this, Li Wuxing's expression changed immediately: "Brother, although there are many experts here, the key is 'Garuda'!"

Su Wuqing said, "'Garuda' won't come."

Li Wuxing was puzzled: "But how could the Heavenly Dragon Sect give up on that person when he's inside? Every time they discuss the Dharma with the Great Xiangguo Temple, they can't help but subtly probe about that person's situation!"

“'Garuda' is different from others.”

Su Wuqing didn't explain further, but said to Li Wuxing, "Second brother, I know what you're thinking, but with so many sacrifices, we absolutely cannot let our efforts be in vain because of our own selfishness. Let's close the net!"

"Big Brother!!"

Li Wuxing's burly body swayed, his voice mournful, almost pleading, "Let's wait a little longer. You didn't arrange any manpower for Han Zhaoye to avoid arousing his suspicion. Now that he realizes something is wrong, he must have already left the capital... If we don't capture 'Garuda' soon, how can we exchange him for our fourth brother with the Liao people?"

Guo Huai, who was listening in, had already thought of this.

But seeing Li Wuxing, such a tall and imposing man, pleading so earnestly, Su Wuqing still shook his head firmly, which seemed rather heartless. He interjected, "There's no need to worry about Constable Li. I just heard from my godfather that the fake Constable Zhao took Constable Zhan away..."

"what!"

Su Wuqing was shocked, and upon hearing this, he finally reacted strongly: "Not good! Cough cough! Quickly send someone!"

"Detective Su, there's no need to rush."

Guo Huai comforted him, "With Zhan Shenbu's martial arts skills, this person won't escape so easily!"

"We absolutely cannot let Han Zhaoye harm Zhan Zhao!"

Su Wuqing said urgently, "If it weren't for Zhan Zhao, the Six Doors would never have been so stable. He protected many people, and he will be able to protect even more people in the future. We absolutely cannot allow him to be lost!"

"Big brother..."

Li Wuxing felt extremely distressed, sensing his elder brother's expectations and nervousness.

His rational mind told him that his elder brother was right. If Zhan Zhao hadn't temporarily taken over as the Divine Constable, stabilized Luo Shijun externally, and secured the Six Doors internally, thus eliminating many conflicts, the chaos and even casualties within the Six Doors would have been far greater.

But emotionally, he found it hard to accept. His elder brother had almost given up on the last chance to save his fourth brother, and now he was preparing to let the other party fill the void left by his fourth brother.

Before he could hesitate, Su Wuqing spun around, and he and his wheelchair flew out.

The wheel spun, leaving afterimages, and in a flash, it left Li Wuxing and Guo Huai, who had followed, behind.

"Big Brother!!" "Master!!"

They happened to run into Zhou Wuxin and his group on their way. Zhou Wuxin was dumbfounded, and Su Wuqing didn't have time to explain to his third brother. He simply confirmed the direction and continued his high-speed ride in his wheelchair. Fortunately, not long after leaving the capital, Guo Huai and Li Wuxing finally caught up with Su Wuqing.

Because Su Wuqing stopped on his own.

At the end of the long street, a vermilion figure slowly emerged.

Stepping on the bluestone, each step was hesitant and the sound of footsteps was dull, like the beating of a drum.

He held the sword in his left hand, the blade pointing to the ground, leaving a trail of tiny sparks on the stone slab;

He was carrying a person in his right hand—the person's face was twisted like a demon, but his limbs were stiff like a puppet. He clearly wanted to struggle, but he couldn't move. He could only let the crimson figure drag him along, leaving a winding trail behind him.

A cold wind rises, swirling up a few withered leaves and sweeping them past the roadside.

In the stillness of the night, only the ever-approaching footsteps resonate in everyone's hearts.

"What did we say? Constable Zhan is fine, Constable Su doesn't need to worry too much!"

Guo Huai, despite having the lowest martial arts skills, was surprisingly calm.

Su Wuqing and Li Wuxing were stunned and even dumbfounded when they realized that the person Zhan Zhao was dragging was actually Han Zhaoye.

Han Zhaoye might be at the bottom of the list of Wan Jue Venerable's disciples, but no matter what, he was still Wan Jue Venerable's disciple and had been taught divine skills by him. Otherwise, he would not have been able to disguise himself as Zhao Wujiu so perfectly.

Now he's actually been captured alive by Zhan Zhao?

How?
Zhan Zhao offered no explanation, stepped forward, and stared directly at Su Wuqing: "Who else knows?"

Upon hearing the seemingly random question, Su Wuqing immediately replied, "Divine Marquis."

"when?"

"Before going to Western Xia."

"What a brilliant strategy."

Both sides understood immediately, without needing lengthy explanations.

The Six Doors that Zhan Zhao came into contact with was a pure version of the Jianghu (martial arts world), with everyone from top to bottom acting in the style of martial arts practitioners.

But the reality is clearly not like that; the previous period was a special one.

Because "Divine Marquis" Zheng Guowei was not present.

The old minister who possessed the divine weapon bestowed by the late emperor went on a mission to Western Xia. Of course, he did not go alone, but brought with him a group of accompanying officials and many civil officials from the Six Doors system.

This made the Six Doors less constrained in their actions, but it also made "Zhao Wujiu" increasingly unscrupulous.

"Therefore, the truth about the 'Zhong Kui Painting' case was known only to the two of you beforehand..."

Once Zhan Zhao was confirmed, there was no more doubt.

But Su Wuqing slowly shook his head: "No! There is still one person!"

Zhan Zhao asked in surprise, "Who?"

Given Su Wuqing's strategy, Shenhou was her superior, and she had to keep him away for a while, which was understandable.

In addition, you shouldn't tell anyone other than Shenhou, as that would increase the risk of exposure.

Su Wuqing remained silent for a moment, then finally uttered a name with difficulty: "Pei Handeng".

"Elder Pei..."

Zhan Zhao was stunned, muttering the final truth: "He knew all along?"

A deep sorrow flashed in Su Wuqing's eyes: "Yes! He knew all along!"

The old man's words and actions, and details, flashed through Zhan Zhao's mind.

Su Wuqing made her move with all the pieces.

Pei Handeng personally joined the game as a pawn.

Even though Pei Handeng knew perfectly well that his fate was death.

Only after his death will the fake Zhao Wujiu truly believe that the entire Six Doors has been deceived and is in a period of decline, beset by internal and external troubles.

Therefore, the old man's strange expression when he was murdered.

He must have been trying hard to suppress that hint of relief...

"Give."

Zhan Zhao took a deep breath and shoved Han Zhaoye into Li Wuxing's hand: "The murderer has been brought to justice, and things have come to a conclusion!"

As he spoke, he took off the right-angled turban on his head, revealing his crimson official robe, and finally untied the jade mirror from his waist.

The group watched this scene unfold.

Li Wuxing's gaze was complicated.

Su Wuqing was not surprised, but her eyes dimmed.

Even Guo Huai was somewhat dazed.

From this moment on, the person before me is no longer the divine constable of the Six Doors.

The interim period has ended.

After handing over the culprit and removing his official robes, a hint of something unreadable flashed across Zhan Zhao's eyes. He ultimately remained silent, simply waving his hand before turning and leaving.

At the end of the long street, that figure gradually faded into the distance.

Yet it also seemed like a legend, officially beginning its prelude.

(End of this chapter)