Film and Television: The Collector Who Rampages Across the Heavens

Chapter 82 The Vanished Chu State Mission

In ancient times, traveling was always the most time-consuming activity, let alone crossing two countries.

The Chu delegation set off from Jinling and traveled for a week, passing through bustling cities and remote, uninhabited mountain areas, occasionally finding lodgings at inns.

"Your Highness, ten miles ahead lies a place called Luoshan. It is a desolate place with no inhabitants, except for a government-run post station."

Yuwen Xuan rode his horse to the carriage and discussed it with his sister, Yuwen Nian.

Then he ordered them to proceed at full speed and reach the post station before nightfall.

Yuwen Nian drew back the carriage curtain and looked at Xiao Jingrui, who was riding a horse on the other side, asking, "Brother Jingrui, how much longer until we reach Southern Chu?"

"At our current pace, it will take at least 10 days to reach the border."

"It's so slow! So slow!"

Yuwen Nian pouted and muttered a few words of dissatisfaction. Then, her beautiful eyes lit up and she said, "How about the few of us ride back to Chu first, and the delegation follows behind?"

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Xuan retorted, "Stop joking, Niannian. Have you forgotten the bandits we encountered on the way here? Anyway, we'll be back in Chu sooner or later, so just bear with it."

"How boring!" Yuwen Nian rested his chin on his hands, his eyes aimlessly scanning the mountains.

Soon, the Chu delegation of over a hundred people arrived at the post station. Because they had a pass issued by the emperor himself, this group of people were of noble status, and officials came downstairs to greet them.

"Sir, this way please—"

"This post station is located in such a desolate place, does anyone usually pass by?"

Xiao Jingrui asked curiously.

As a scion of a prominent family, he mostly stayed in a few prefectures and counties in Jinling, rarely traversing the entire Daliang.

The official said with a smile, "Normally, it's just some caravans. A few groups of people pass by each day, take a short rest, and then set off again."

"Our Great Liang is vast but sparsely populated, we don't even have a fire to burn—how about your Southern Chu?" Xiao Jingrui asked, looking at his younger sister.

"Southern Chu is similar to Daliang—but it has so many more fun places to visit, let me tell you—"

Night fell unexpectedly, and the inn's kitchen prepared a sumptuous dinner for the mission, including some game that had been hunted.

After everyone finished eating and took a shower, they began to rest.

Since it was his first time leaving the capital, Xiao Jingrui couldn't sleep for a while. He opened the window on the third floor and looked out at the deep night sky, which was in the direction of Jinling.

"Hmm, what's that noise?"

He narrowed his eyes and glanced into the distance, where he could vaguely make out—a number of people.

Moreover, the surroundings were too quiet, and his instincts told him that something was wrong.

Just then, a soft "Ugh!" sound came from inside the post station, instantly putting him on alert. The sound was extremely weak, like the last gasp of someone on their deathbed, and then the mouth was covered.

"wrong!"

Xiao Jingrui immediately picked up the long sword from the bed, pushed open the door, and his expression suddenly changed drastically.

The corridor outside was filled with men in black, and several Chu soldiers on night watch lay on the ground with their throats slit.

"Men, get up! There's an assassin!"

"Get up now!"

Xiao Jingrui roared, instantly waking up the Chu people who were either asleep or awake. Yue Xiuze, the most skilled martial artist in the delegation, reacted the fastest.

He burst through a window and stabbed a black-clad assassin who was trying to launch a sneak attack.

With a clang, the longsword pierced the opponent's chest, producing a crisp metallic clang.

He dodged the longsword that the other man swept towards him, and with a swift slash of his own sword, the man's black clothes were torn, revealing the dark, gleaming armor underneath.

"The standard armor of Daliang attacked the army?" Yue Xiuzhe's expression changed drastically.

Yuwen Xuanyu and Wen Nian also woke up from their sleep. Two or three Chu soldiers clutching their stomachs came out of the other rooms, but many more did not come out of their rooms.

"The food tonight is poisoned." Yuwen Xuan immediately understood the reason.

"But why is it okay for us to eat it?" Yuwen Nian asked, puzzled.

"That's because Lord Yue was there. To avoid revealing their weakness, the other side only poisoned the soldiers."

Cold sweat broke out on Xiao Jingrui's forehead. This group of people were very cautious and waited until nightfall to make their move.

He pierced through the gap in the armor with his sword, killing a soldier, and watched as more and more soldiers poured in.

Xiao Jingrui asked coldly, "You are from Daliang, why did you attack the Chu delegation? What is your purpose?"

""

No one answered him; only the cold sounds of fighting filled the air as the vast post station was completely surrounded.

The archers who followed closely behind fired a volley that instantly riddled the few remaining Chu soldiers with bullets.

Yue Xiuzhe stood guard alone, blocking the advance of some black-clad assassins upstairs. With a grave expression, he said, "Quickly think of a way, I can't hold them off for this long."

Yuwen Nian's pretty face was anxious, and she said quickly, "Go and steal the horses from the backyard. As long as we get the horses, we can rush out."

"No, what we can think of, these people can't. Going there will only lead to a trap."

Yuwen Xuan shook his head and refused without hesitation.

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

The four men kept using their weapons to block the incoming arrows while talking behind a pillar.

"They've left! These people have left!"

All the assassins in black filed out of the inn, and before anyone could even catch their breath.

Then came the sound of arrows piercing the air, and a dense barrage of rockets shot towards the post station from all directions.

The wooden post station, lit by a fire, gradually began to burn, emitting thick smoke.

The people in the post station, surrounded by thick smoke and flames, coughed several times, and Xiao Jingrui's face was grim.

"If we don't go out, we'll be burned to death; if we go out, we'll be met by a large number of soldiers. Their commander has thought of everything."

"Stop with the nonsense, are you going out or not?"

Yuwen Xuan was quite angry and speechless, and at the same time, he was somewhat confused as to why these Liang troops would attack their Chu delegation.

Do they want to start another war, or are they subordinates of Xie Yu, the Marquis of Ningguo, who is already dead, seeking revenge for him?

"Get out. Staying here will only lead to death."

Yue Xiuzhe's face showed a look of self-sacrifice, and he said, "Later, I will go alone to attack their commander and try to capture that guy. Whether I succeed or not, while I draw their attention, you all should escape!"

"Lord Yue, how can you do this?"

"Stop arguing! We have to get this message out no matter what. Who mobilized the army to kill us? What are their intentions? And if you manage to escape, don't go back to Chu. Go back to Jinling first—"

"That's right, we must get to the bottom of this; there may be more traps ahead."

"Listen to me, everyone jump together!"

Suddenly, a cracking sound came from the second-floor window, and a six-sticked wooden stick, still burning, was struck out and slammed into the surrounding soldiers.

Then several figures jumped down from the air. As soon as they landed, they quickly stepped on the shoulders of some soldiers and used their lightness skills to try to pass through the encirclement.

"Set up the formation!"

A cold shout, accompanied by the sound of orderly footsteps, was heard. Square shields large enough to cover a normal man were raised in front, followed by gleaming spears and lances that exuded a deep chill in the moonlight, and a large number of archers followed closely behind.

This is the most commonly used military formation when the army wipes out a small number of enemy troops. Martial arts masters also fear this tortoise shell formation the most.

"Stop resisting. Surrender and you'll be spared."

The general, positioned at the rear of the army formation and mounted on a tall horse, spoke in a cold voice.

As Xiao Jingrui watched the encirclement shrink, he shouted at the general, "Which army of the Great Liang are you from? Why did you attack the delegation? What is your purpose?"

Do you know that if the delegation dies here, conflict will reignite between Liang and Chu?

"Surrender and you'll be spared death!"

With a gentle wave of his hand, the general caused the encirclement to shrink, leaving the four with less and less room to move.

Seeing that they would be riddled with holes if they didn't act, Yue Xiuzhe roared, "Run now while you still can!"

With a single sword stroke, he cleaved two or three spears in two. Stepping on his shield, he leaped into the air and used his lightness skill and agility to charge towards the general in command.

"Release the arrows!"

shhhhhh!

A dense rain of arrows shot towards Yue Xiuze in the air. He kept parrying, and suddenly a large group of spears pierced through the enemy formation in front of him.

He took a deep breath, used his inner strength to unleash a powerful strike with his longsword, and cut the spear in two with a single blow.

Yue Xiuzhe swiftly moved through the scattered army formation, each sword strike slitting the throat of a soldier.

Even when in the midst of a battle formation, he is still incredibly lethal, truly deserving of the title of a master on the Langya List.

As the general who was commanding him drew closer, but the other side remained unmoved as if he hadn't seen him approaching, Yue Xiuzhe's eyes narrowed slightly. However, he had no way out and had no choice but to bite the bullet and charge forward.

Sure enough, as soon as he got close, two or three guards beside the general drew their weapons and used their light-footed skills to attack him.

Clang clang!

As soon as they started fighting, Yue Xiuzhe knew they might not be able to escape tonight; these three guys were actually a step below him in strength.

The three on the other side charged through the enemy lines for a while, but then got stuck in the mud and couldn't move.

"They clearly wanted to capture us alive, otherwise we would have been dead already."

Xiao Jingrui was panting heavily, sweat dripping from his forehead, and several wounds had appeared on his body.

"Brother, what should we do?"

Yuwen Nian was protected and didn't suffer any serious injuries, but looking at the densely packed military formations and countless gleaming spears around him, he couldn't help but feel despair.

Before Yuwen Xuan could speak, they heard Yue Xiuzhe scream, and all three turned to look.

This expert from Southern Chu was covered in blood, slumped weakly on the ground, a gleaming blade pressed against his neck.

"Yue Xiuzhe has been captured. Your Highness Prince Ling, Xiao Jingrui, do you still intend to resist?"

The general changed his grip, and the guard holding the knife immediately grazed Yue Xiuzhe's neck with the dagger.

"I'll count to three, and if you keep going, you'll cut off his head."

'

two""

"Stop, General, we surrender."

After looking at the Yuwen siblings, Xiao Jingrui reluctantly threw the sword in his hand to the ground.

A large number of soldiers immediately surrounded them, tied the three men up like dumplings, and then brought them before the general.

Looking at the cold-faced man with knife scars on his face, Xiao Jingrui felt the gazes of the Yuwen siblings.

He shook his head, indicating that he did not recognize the general and did not know who he served.

"Why did General Shisheng attack the mission?"

You will find out, but not now.

The general gestured, and his personal guard stepped forward, took out a pill, and stuffed it directly into the mouths of the three men.

Before they could even speak, their eyes rolled back and they collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"Clean up the cryptocurrency market thoroughly, leaving not a single arrow behind."

After the crime scene was cleared, the soldiers, on the general's orders, set the surrounding area on fire, and the raging flames extinguished the fire.

Several days later, in He County, near Jinling.

Inside the dark dungeon, Yue Xiuzhe fiddled with the lock on the iron door with both hands, and after working on it for a long time, he could only shake his head.

"No, it won't open."

"Damn it, we've been locked up here for three days already. What exactly is the mastermind behind this?"

Yuwen Xuan paced back and forth in the cell in a very agitated manner. The four of them had been in this cell ever since they woke up.

They had no idea where they were, how many guards were on duty, or what the mastermind behind the arrests wanted to do with them.

Xiao Jingrui sat on the bed, silently circulating his internal energy. After finishing his meditation, he opened his eyes, sighed, and said, "Judging from our current treatment, this person clearly doesn't want to kill us; he must have other plans."

Yuwen Nian gripped the fence with both hands and called out in a clear voice, "I want to go back to Chu. If you don't want to kill us, just let us go. What do you want?"

""

"Stop shouting, no one will come."

Yuwen Xuan lay sprawled on the bed, sighing deeply.

Suddenly, a noise came from the end of the corridor, and the four people's attention was immediately drawn to it. They saw several men dressed in black and carrying swords and knives enter first and stand guard in the corridor.

Then, a young man dressed in the fine clothes of a noble family appeared before them with a smile on his face.

"Your Highness, is that you?" Xiao Jingrui asked in astonishment.

"That's right, it's me. I wonder if the four of you are staying here well? I specifically instructed the cook to make sure you eat and sleep well, and it seems to be going well."

Su Li spoke with a smile, giving off the air of a behind-the-scenes villain.

"Bastard, why are you imprisoning us?"

Yuwen Nian was the first to call out; she was the only young woman here, and she was the most talkative.

"That's a good question. I'm sure you've all got nothing better to do here and have some guesses about it."

Su Li glanced at the four people and asked, "Which gentleman can provide this answer?"

Yuwen Xuan Ningyi said, "You are the one who stirred up the currency dispute between the two countries, aren't you? The Chu delegation disappeared within the territory of Daliang and has not returned for a long time. No matter what the reason is, Chu will never let this go."

"Correct answer!" Su Li clapped her hands.

"What? Your Highness, what good will it do you to instigate a currency war? Don't you know how hard-won the current peace is? How many people will lose their lives on the border once a currency war breaks out?"

Xiao Jingrui, both angry and confused, peered over from the fence.

"As long as the nations of the world are not unified, war will never disappear. All I am doing is for lasting peace," Zuli replied calmly.

"What a joke! You want to start a currency war in the world's peace? Are you kidding me!" Yuwen Nian said angrily.