Joy of Life

Hiding the pills, Fan Xian twitched his nose. For some reason, his mind had started racing, and the powerful zhenqi in his body had begun to flow quickly through his vast meridians. All of his pores seemed to open up, greedily absorbing all of the energy that they could.

The faint smell of ephedra leaves had excited him.

He took the Tiger Guard longsword from the table. It had been modified beyond recognition. He felt its weight in his hand, and using a cloth band, he carefully fastened it to his back, making sure that it was at a convenient angle for when he might need to draw it. As for the slender black dagger he carried strapped to his leg, after all these years it seemed like it had become a part of his body, and it required no further attention. With a creak, the door was pushed open. w.a.n.g Qinian walked in, bowed to Fan Xian, and said something in his ear.

Fan Xian nodded, glanced over the leftover tools on the table, and indicated that he had begun.

w.a.n.g Qinian smiled awkwardly. "My craftsmanship is nowhere near yours, sir."

"You never saw my disguise," Fan Xian said scoldingly. "How do you know you"re worse than me? You were a wanted thief in many nations for years; did you never dress up in disguise?"

"Did you not take care of the person in the next room yourself?" w.a.n.g Qinian said, slightly flattering him. "That craftsmanship really is something. n.o.body else knows, but in my view you"re like a G.o.d come to earth."

"Nonsense." Fan Xian sat down on a stool and laughed. "There are clay idols in the roadside shrines of the capital that look better than I do."

One was brazen, one even more so. The two of them swapped flippant words, effectively dispersing the last worries still left behind in Fan Xian"s mind. w.a.n.g Qinian was his closest aide, and save for the tracking outside Cangzhou and his recent responsibility for making contact with the intelligence network, he had never played a major role. Luckily, he was skilled as a comedic fall-guy, and able to help Fan Xian relax.

w.a.n.g Qinian picked up a dagger and shaved Fan Xian"s eyebrows, then scooped up some moistened powder from the table and began to apply it to Fan Xian"s face. The paste-like texture and the color looked somewhat unusual on Fan Xian"s face. He couldn"t help but frown. "Maybe some cornstarch would help."

Fan Xian sighed. "Where would we find some? The other day I snuck into the house of an official and took some powder and rouge. It was pretty effective."

In a large residence in the south of the city, holding their torches high in the vast courtyard, a dozen or so people waited silently, dressed in black from head to toe. To the side of the courtyard, a middle-aged man sat in contemplation on a high chair, his eyes closed. His right hand caressed the sleek jet-black arm of the chair, and his feet rested imposingly on the bluestone tiled floor.

This was General Shang Shanhu, who had led Qi in seven years of fighting against the barbarians of the north. There were few generals whose names were known throughout the land, and he was the strongest and most well-known of all the military men of Northern Qi.

Some time later, Shang Shanhu slowly opened his tiger-like eyes. His cold, piercing gaze penetrated the person kneeling in front of him. "Since the palace leaves me no way out, I will not resign myself to my fate. Take heed in this endeavor. Though those southerners would have me pay a high price, no one knows what I have planned."

His voice was not loud, but it was still deep and resounding, like the sounding of a bell. One could tell that this general was a man of great power.

The one who kneeled before him was Tan Wu, who had pa.s.sed the days gloomily in the capital after he had been soundly beaten by Gao Da in front of the diplomatic mission. He cupped his hands in salute. "Master, the southerners are cunning. Take caution."

"I am taking the appropriate meas

ures," said Shang Shanhu. Today was the last time he would enter the palace. The young Emperor still would not profess his trust in him. The Empress Dowager continued to hold Xiao En in captivity. Shang Shanhu worried for his adoptive father"s safety, and he had no alternative but to prepare for this criminal endeavor.

"We cannot give the young scion of the Zhan family the opportunity." Shang Shanhu laughed bitterly. If it weren"t for the secret his adoptive father knew, then he presumed the young Emperor would grant him this favor. Though the young Emperor was rather soft and effeminate, he still had the awe-inspiring power of his father Zhan Qingfeng. He could not give him the opportunity to strengthen the nation in a short period of time, and even lead troops south to unite the land. So there was no way that Xiao En could leave his prison alive. When he thought of the decades of misery his adoptive father had been put through, tears welled in his eyes.

"Go." He waved a hand, and then returned to the rear courtyard, where his wife was preparing the gifts for the Empress Dowager"s birthday.

"Yes sir." Kneeling on the ground, Tan Wu acknowledged his order and left.

In a residence outside Chongwu Gate in Shangjing stood a small, unremarkable courtyard. The dense tangle of streets and alleyways that surrounded the houses were so interweaved that even long-term residents of Shangjing could find themselves lost. A short distance away from this courtyard stood a handful of trees which were a common sight in the north. The trees were tall and straight as blades, their off-white bark clearly visible in the dark night. Thanks to the arrival of summer and the plentiful rains, their branches and leaves had flourished.

Fan Xian made careful adjustments to his breathing to control the zhenqi in his meridians. Clothed in black, his body blended in with his surroundings, making sure he could not be discovered. He glanced through the tree"s leaves, which were the size of the palm of one"s hand, peering into the residence below him and to his right. Calmly, he waited for Shang Shanhu"s operation to rescue Xiao En to begin.

Xiao En had been held captive inside a small building. This was information the agents of the Fourth Bureau of the Overwatch Council had expended great effort to discover. But the only ones making a move tonight were Shang Shanhu"s fearless men. Yan Bingyun"s men had already returned to the shadows. And no one knew whether Xinyang would send any sort of experts to a.s.sist the operation.

In breaking such an important prisoner out of jail, Shang Shanhu was breaking the law. Whether or not he was ultimately successful, the connection between the royal family and the army of Northern Qi was on the edge of being permanently ruptured. Fan Xian thought about this as he lay on the branch of the tree like a koala, and he couldn"t help feel some admiration for the n.o.bles of the south.

Although the Eldest Princess was a madwoman, she was a very powerful madwoman. Since the day she had sold out Yan Bingyun, it seemed that no matter what changes had happened afterwards, she had managed to benefit from them. She was a complicated woman indeed.

The night darkened, and the residence below the tall tree remained quiet. In the distance, a child"s cries came from the riverside. Nearby, a horse strapped to a carriage feebly chewed at hay. The stars hid themselves behind the clouds, and the leaves on the tree rustled gently against him in the night wind. It was just like any other night in Shangjing; there was nothing unusual about it.

Without any indication, Fan Xian"s eyes widened as he looked beneath him, still hidden on the tree branch.

The jailbreak had begun!

A carriage slowly pulled up to the doorway of the small building. At the same time, a small cart, covered in a dark grey cloth, quietly rolled up to the rear wall of the courtyard house. The guards in the courtyard did not seem to have noticed anything suspicious, but from his high vantage point in the tree, Fan Xian could clearly see everything that was happening.

A middle-aged man stepped out from the carriage, and at the same time, Fan Xian saw a number of shadows disappear into the surroundings of the building.

"Who is it?" The Brocade Guardsman tasked with guarding Xiao En was on high alert. The top half of his body appeared from above the wall, holding a heavy crossbow pointed at the middle-aged man outside the door.

The middle-aged man was Tan Wu, who Fan Xian had seen once before. He saw him smile. As he opened his mouth to speak, two dark blurs flashed past him. Two deadly crossbow bolts flew from either side of him, sticking firmly in the Brocade Guardsman"s throat. His blood splattered out.

The two iron shafts were lodged in his neck. It was a b.l.o.o.d.y scene indeed.

"Attack!" Tan Wu gave his order, and a loud sound came in response. A st.u.r.dy-looking man came out of the carriage. He was eight feet tall, clutching an iron hammer, and he took long strides as he walked up to the doorway of the house. His meaty right arm smashed against the door. Considering his strength, the wooden door should have shattered to pieces.

There was a deafening crash!

A number of wooden splinters went flying... but the door was still unbroken! It had been reinforced with steel plating. High up in the tree, Fan Xian shivered. The places where the Brocade Guard held the most serious criminals were not easily destroyed.

In an instant, the Brocade Guards inside the house had already responded. They gathered in the courtyard. Under the giant man"s powerful hammer blows, the reinforced door began to creak and tremble. It seemed like it couldn"t take another blow.

With a murderous yell, ten figures in black vaulted over the wall, killing the Brocade Guards inside where they stood. The black-clothed figures were skilled fighters. The most dangerous of them had a clear bloodl.u.s.t in his fighting style, and his every move was like a crack of thunder, striking with no regard for his own life. The Brocade Guards, who had guarded the flourishing city of Shangjing for years, were no match for these men. Their blood filled the night air, and soon they had been defeated.

Fan Xian watched it all from high up in the tree. He knew that Shang Shanhu had broken down the door because Xiao En"s crippled legs left him unable to stand tall. Watching the robust man smash down the door with his brute strength, he couldn"t help but wonder whether he could have just smashed the wall. Yet it seemed that he had forgotten that Xiao En"s legs had been broken on his command.