“An Li, what’s the situation?”
Walking back to the entrance of the dark alley, Gu Wangchen spoke to An Li, who was dressed in a waist-cinching, crow-blue martial outfit.
“Master, I have finished tracking those people. They did not return to their lair but are all staying in a shady inn within the dark alley.”
“Hmm.” Gu Wangchen turned his head to look at the dim light of the alley. He narrowed his eyes and fell into deep thought for a moment.
‘These guys scattering… it fits their cautious nature. If they all gathered in one place, they might be wiped out in one go.’
“Are they about to make a move?”
An Li lowered her eyes and replied, “According to my observations, they are resting in their rooms, sharpening and oiling their blades, and eating heartily. There are indeed signs of an upcoming operation.”
“Can you distinguish the one who is different from those Anxi soldiers?”
Based on his judgment, if the Xiao family of Ling City was the mastermind, they would never fully trust these Anxi soldiers. Instead, they would send a trusted family death soldier to supervise them. He would also serve as the final insurance for their plan.
After recalling for a moment, An Li spoke, “There is indeed one person who is somewhat different from those Anxi soldiers. His speech, behavior, posture, and physique are all different. Furthermore, unlike the other Anxi soldiers, he stays in a room alone.”
“That person is likely the backup sent by the Xiao family to supervise,” Gu Wangchen nodded. After some thought, he asked, “Did he discuss the plan of action with those Anxi soldiers?”
“The Anxi soldiers only said they intend to achieve their goal in a single blow. It is possible they do not plan to split their forces and only intend to focus their energy on attacking one location,” An Li replied.
Hearing this, Gu Wangchen nodded slightly and looked up at the shady inn where the Anxi soldiers were staying. “A reasonable arrangement. These people’s goal is to avenge their comrades. Aiming at a core target is the most effective method.”
“Come, An Li, follow me to listen closely to their specific plan.”
***
“Master, is it uncomfortable?”
Clinging to the outer wall of the shady inn, An Li pressed her body tightly against Gu Wangchen. A faint, orchid-like fragrance wafted into his nose.
“It’s fine, though I don’t think it’s necessary to hold me this tightly. After all, your shadow ability has quite a large range.”
Feeling the softness against his back, Gu Wangchen subconsciously shifted his shoulder blades and responded in a low voice.
At this moment, their posture could only be described as ambiguous. An Li held him completely with her body, one hand resting on his chest while the other gripped the inn’s eaves. Even their legs were tightly intertwined. Soft, firm skin slowly rubbed against the side of his leg through two layers of fabric.
“Master, as a precaution, please… bear with it for a moment.”
An Li suppressed her slightly trembling voice. Her head rested on Gu Wangchen’s shoulder as she whispered in his ear, making it itch uncontrollably.
‘I feel like… something is a bit off with An Li?’
Gu Wangchen subconsciously turned his head. The distance between their faces was less than 2 inches; they could even feel each other’s warm breath. He carefully studied An Li’s pretty face and found her expression calm, without the slightest hint of abnormality.
‘Had I overthought it?’
That made sense. An Li had been with him for so long, after all. There had been countless instances of close physical contact between them. She was even the one who served him during his baths most of the time. At this thought, Gu Wangchen’s mind was put at ease, and he turned his head back.
Seeing her master set aside his suspicions, An Li finally dropped her facade. Her beautiful eyes gazed softly at his profile. She couldn’t help but press herself up a little more, striving to increase the area of physical contact with her master.
An Li half-closed her eyes, carefully savoring everything about her master and feeling this “private time” that belonged only to the two of them.
As for monitoring those Anxi soldiers? Of course, she had set aside a sliver of her mind to listen intently.
“We cannot split our forces; we must concentrate our strength to attack one location.” A familiar voice reached Gu Wangchen’s ears from inside the room.
It was the man with the tied-back hair.
“Long Heng, have you forgotten what you promised me? All operations are under my command. You are only responsible for the implementation of specific tactics.” Another unfamiliar voice rang out.
“It is the death soldier sent by the Xiao family,” An Li whispered in his ear.
Gu Wangchen nodded. As expected, there was conflict between these two parties. From the looks of it, the Xiao family’s plan involved attacking multiple locations to escalate the situation as much as possible. Meanwhile, the Anxi soldiers wanted to move against their primary target.
“Xiao Ze, how do I remember… the agreement we reached was that ‘the action plan must be approved by us before it can be executed’? The plan you provided has zero chance of success, and it would harm too many innocents.”
The man with the tied-back hair—Long Heng—responded coldly, “Furthermore, you lied to us yesterday, saying the target of the attack was the treacherous minister’s lackey. But in reality…?”
“…Who knew the Crown Princess would personally go to that porridge shed?” Xiao Ze’s voice faltered for a moment, but then it grew louder again. “And doesn’t this suit your purposes perfectly? To demand an explanation from the Imperial Court… isn’t the Crown Princess the best representative of the court?”
‘Heh, who knew?’ Gu Wangchen smiled faintly outside. ‘This Xiao family death soldier is quite the actor.’
*Bang!*
“Bullshit!” Long Heng slammed his fist onto the wooden table. The resulting vibration was noticeable even to Gu Wangchen outside.
“The only object of our revenge is the treacherous minister, Gu Huaizhang. As for the Crown Princess…” He paused before changing his tone. “In any case, today’s operation will only be at Anfu Gate. If you do not agree, then we shall go our separate ways!”
“You…” Xiao Ze’s voice trembled. He let out a long sigh and regained a calm tone. “Fine. Anfu Gate it is. But you are only allowed to succeed; failure is not an option. Otherwise, never mind yourselves — the entire Anxi Army will be nailed to a pillar of shame.”
“We will not fail your expectations,” Long Heng replied flatly with a cupped-fist salute.
Listening to the argument inside, Gu Wangchen grinned and turned to talk to An Li on his back.
“See that? These two groups really did get into a dispute.”
“Why?” An Li asked, puzzled.
“Naturally, it is because their underlying goals are different, which leads to differences in how the plan is implemented.”
After thinking for a moment, he explained, “The targets of the Anxi soldiers’ retaliation are the Imperial Court and my father. However, the defensive strength of the Prime Minister’s residence is not something they can contend with. Thus, they can only settle for the next best thing: attacking Anfu Gate, which most officials pass through. They want to use this to express their dissatisfaction with the system and the court.”
“Furthermore, Anfu Gate has a large flow of people, which is more conducive to them putting on a show for the world.”
An Li nodded. “I see.”
“As for the Xiao family… An Li, do you know why they want to attack multiple locations?”
An Li thought for a moment, her eyes lighting up. “Is it because they want to ignite the situation to the greatest extent possible? Attacks occurring in multiple places, regardless of success or failure, will certainly throw Sheng’an into more tension than attacking just one.”
“Correct,” Gu Wangchen smiled gently in approval. “Exactly. Even though they both appear to be attacking the Imperial Court on the surface, the fundamental difference in their goals has caused a rift between them.”
“However, the Anxi soldiers are the executors, and they aren’t in as much of a hurry as the Xiao family. So… the initiative for the operation remains with them.”
“An Li understands~”
Hearing Gu Wangchen’s analysis, An Li’s beautiful eyes gazed softly at her master, and little stars practically danced in them. This was… the master whom she, An Li, had sworn to give her everything to follow!
Just then, another familiar voice rang out from the doorway inside the room.
“Wei Yang of the Anxi Guard, I have come… seeking answers!”
Gu Wangchen lifted his head, his voice filled with a hint of excitement. “Alright, the other purpose of my visit is finally about to begin!”
“Master?” An Li didn’t quite understand Gu Wangchen’s excitement.
“Former comrades turning against each other over different ideals… is there any story more interesting than that?” Gu Wangchen said with conviction.