gnovel Chapter 108 Naiyi Makes Special!
Chapter 108 Naiyi Makes Special!
Chapter 108 Naiyi Makes Special!
The next morning, Lin Zhou didn't waste any time. As usual, Cao Wenda took him to the academy, where the two even had breakfast together.
Cao Wenda didn't say what he was planning, but from the few words he revealed, he should have already started to take action.
"Ha, that fellow. Little brother, let me teach you a trick. When you become an official in the future, never put in your full effort. Leave seven-tenths as a backup plan. Being too diligent in your work will only make you disliked."
"You mean that guy surnamed Zhang?"
"Heh." Cao Wenda's face showed a hint of disdain: "Even if that guy puts in ten times the effort, he's already lost all humanity. Just wait and see what I do with him then."
"Give me a little hint."
"Don't rush, let me teach you another trick. Don't tell anyone before things are done. There's no perfect plan in this world. Success and failure are common in war. If you tell others and it succeeds, it's nothing special. If it fails, you'll just become a laughing stock. Don't rush, don't rush." Cao Wenda waved his hand with a smile and said, "Alright, go to the academy and listen to the lessons. I'm just not well-read enough and lack official rank."
Lin Zhou had just stepped into the academy when he suddenly heard a loud bang in the distance. He turned around and looked into the distance, and saw Cao Wenda also turning around and searching in surprise.
"What's that noise?"
"Spring Thunder, right?" Lin Zhou added, "Brother, I'm going in."
Just ten minutes ago—
Lu You disguised his gun case as a book box and arrived at the designated location ahead of time. This place was about 150 paces away from the street where the target would appear. They had scouted the area yesterday and confirmed that it was absolutely safe, because nothing other than a crossbow could reach that range. Therefore, the Palace Guard had no need to set up defenses or controls in this area.
The location they chose was also very clever. This area was sparsely populated, mostly consisting of blacksmith shops and workshops run by people from other places. Since it was the first month of the lunar calendar and these people wouldn't be back until after the Lantern Festival, the place was deserted, and they hadn't seen many people along the way.
Lu You found a spot and quickly climbed up, quietly lying on the roof tiles. He then took out his weapon from the box and assembled the hidden weapon according to the method Lin Zhou had taught him the day before.
Then he took out a dark oilcloth and covered himself with it, and a gun barrel protruded from the gap.
At this moment, spring rain is drizzling and spring thunder is rolling. The morning sky looks like dusk, and the occasional flash of lightning seems to split the heavens and the earth in an instant.
Braving the rain, they waited until 7:45 AM, and their target finally appeared. The man came from the west, dressed in the regular uniform of the Palace Guard, accompanied by seven or eight guards. They walked slowly, chatting and laughing along the way, showing no fear on their faces, and unaware that his destiny had arrived.
As Lu You watched them come into view, he confirmed his target through the goggles, and Lin Zhou's words from the previous night echoed in his ears: "Make your move only after you've made your choice; you only get one chance."
When the group of people walked to the spot directly opposite the wonton stall, Lu You slowly lowered his head, pressed his face against the butt of his gun, and brought his eyes close to the scope.
In the mirror, the person's face was magnified. The scar on his left cheek, the beard on his chin, and the smirk of his mouth when he spoke were all clearly visible. Today was a lucky day; it was raining but there was no wind, and the distance wasn't too far. After silently calculating in his mind for a while, Lu You took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. The small cross in the mirror was steadily positioned slightly to the left of the line extending from the target's chest and forehead.
A bolt of lightning struck, followed by a muffled clap of thunder; almost simultaneously, his fingers clenched down.
Across the street, the man was chatting and laughing with others when a sudden clap of thunder abruptly stopped him. His head shattered like a watermelon smashed by a rock, red and white matter flying out in all directions, his brains splattering everywhere like solidified fat. He collapsed straight down without even a chance to react.
The guards nearby froze for a moment, then erupted into chaos. Some drew their swords and looked around, some rushed to check on their fallen comrades, and some screamed and retreated. The street instantly descended into chaos as pedestrians screamed and scattered in all directions. The entire street was thrown into disarray in an instant, and the imperial spies lying in ambush all revealed themselves, their faces filled with bewilderment and astonishment.
At this moment, Lu You had already disassembled and put the gun away. He closed the box, then lifted the oilcloth off his body and tumbled a few times along the spot where he had come up before getting off the roof. His movements were as nimble as a cat's.
He walked halfway down the street, his clothes already soaked by the rain, but he still went over to take a look. There was already a crowd gathered there. The Imperial City Guards were shouting loudly, while the Palace Guards were running around like headless flies. The corpse on the ground was covered by a piece of clothing, but the blood underneath was mixed with the rainwater and flowing into the ditch by the street.
After confirming that his target was doomed, Lu You did not linger and simply left with the crowd being driven away.
He quickly entered a small alley and was already far away in a few flashes. He picked up the shell casing that had just been thrown out, looked at it, and then carefully put it in his pocket.
In the distance, the sharp whistles of the Imperial City Guard rang out, one after another, until they became a continuous chorus, piercing the morning air of Lin'an City.
"Have you heard?"
At lunchtime, Kezi rushed into the classroom with her lunchbox: "The newly appointed commander of the Palace Guard has been struck by lightning and died!"
He spoke with great relish, as if he had heard some incredible news.
"What?" Lin Zhou took out his lunchbox and started eating. "What do you mean, 'The Commander was struck by lightning and died'?"
"He was struck by lightning and died. His skull was smashed. It's all over the academy right now. They're saying he betrayed the orphans of Yue Fei's army, and Heaven is punishing him." Ke Zi described the scene vividly to Lin Zhou while eating. "Now everyone in Lin'an is saying that the orphans of Yue Fei's army were secretly living outside the city, but that bastard sold them to Qin Hui. After killing so many loyal people, Heaven is no longer willing to spare him."
Lin Zhou let out a long "Oh," and said, "That's certainly deserved to die."
However, he did not continue to participate in the discussion; the weight that had been hanging over him was finally lifted.
To be fair, this swordsman is efficient, and—and—there's some truth to that. From this morning until now, there was thunder and lightning only around the time Lu You fired his gun. You can't deny that.
While he was relieved, things were in complete chaos on Qin Hui's side. The Ministry of Justice, the Palace Guard, the Imperial City Guard, the Imperial Guard, and Lin'an Prefecture were all in a frenzy. A Palace Guard Commander had been found dead on his way to work, his skull smashed to pieces, his brains splattering like tofu pudding on the ground.
It is said that he was struck dead by lightning, but who would believe that? If God were so powerful, wouldn't He have struck Qin Hui dead long ago?
This is a case of being murdered. Any criminal investigator with a modicum of sense would understand this. Besides, the coroners in the Song Dynasty weren't just sitting idly by; they could tell immediately after examining the body that it wasn't killed by lightning.
But how exactly did they die? There were no special traces around, only some iron filings were found.
The heads of these departments huddled together, but no one could utter a word for a long time. They didn't see any assassins or find any hidden weapons. According to the eyewitnesses around the man, he was walking along peacefully when suddenly there was a thunderclap, and then his head exploded.
Specifically, there was a hole about an inch in the forehead, but a hole the size of a bowl on the back of the head. The brain was completely emptied out in an instant.
They discussed this matter until noon without reaching a conclusion, and then someone suggested, "Could it be some kind of hidden weapon from the martial arts world?"
"How can you say such a thing? If the martial arts world had such hidden weapons, what would it be like? Have you ever seen a hidden weapon that you couldn't even find a trace of?"
""
"uncertain."
At this moment, the Ministry of Justice official in charge of criminal cases narrowed his eyes and said, "This matter is too suspicious and needs to be investigated carefully."
.
"We can't investigate anymore. The people are making a scene, saying he's been punished. Prime Minister Qin's idea is to investigate secretly, without making a big fuss. The public opinion isn't good for the court right now, so we should put everything on hold." The speaker was Yang Cunzhong, the Commander of the Palace Guards, who was also the highest-ranking official present and the one most favored and close to Zhao Gou: "This is truly bizarre. How can a perfectly healthy person suddenly disappear like that?"
Meanwhile, Qin Hui's face was extremely ugly. All eight of his top retainers had gathered around him, and they all hung their heads and didn't dare to breathe loudly in front of him.
"I told you to deal with Yue Fei's faction, and you've done just that! You had someone kill those who surrendered right under my nose. Who will dare to abandon the darkness and join the light in the future?"
"Prime Minister Qin, this matter is too strange," Zhang Caihu said. "General Yang is currently overseeing a thorough investigation."
"I don't want to hear anything strange or suspicious; I want you to find the murderer!"
At this point, Qin Hui suddenly turned his head and gave Cao Wenda a sinister look: "Where is Lin Zhou today?"
"At the academy."
Qin Hui, almost instinctively feeling that this matter was related to Lin Zhou, continued to press, "Where was he at the time of the incident?"
Cao Wenda turned to look at Zhang Caihu: "Prime Minister, why don't you let Brother Caihu speak? He knows better."
Zhang Caihu stepped forward: "Prime Minister, at the time of the incident, Lin Zhou was on his way to the academy with Wen Dala to study."
Upon hearing this, Qin Hui slammed his hand on the table: "What kind of time is this? How can there still be such a rift between you! The Yue Faction's knives are practically at my throat!!!"
The two silently took two steps back and lowered their heads again.
"Investigate! Investigate by any means necessary! I refuse to believe I'm having such bad luck. First, a malevolent star pierced the sun, and they said I was causing chaos in the court. Now that a commander has died, they say I'm being punished by heaven. These Yue clique members are simply lawless!"
Investigate for me!
Qin Hui's head was throbbing with pain, and the veins in his temples were throbbing: "And another thing, if you two continue to fight amongst yourselves like this, get out of here!"
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