Two hundred Luanyang City warriors protected the heavily wounded Tu Lingduo, fleeing madly back to the royal capital, Zhidu.
At this time, the vast majority of nobles and great houses attending Zhili’s wedding were still in the royal capital.
After entering the ducal mansion, Tu Lingduo informed Duke Tu Lingtuo that Suo Lun had sent assassins to kill Tu Liyang.
Immediately, in front of everyone present, Duke Tu Lingtuo smashed his commander’s chair to pieces with one punch, and immediately ordered three thousand cavalry to Black Crow Valley to capture Fen Mo and his assassin squad.
Of course, by this time the assassins had long since fled.
Therefore, what was more important was bringing back the bodies of Tu Liyang and the Tu Li family warriors!
Then Tu Lingchen personally led three thousand cavalry, galloping like the wind to Black Crow Valley.
Duke Tu Lingtuo, of course, knew the truth of Tu Liyang’s assassination perfectly clearly. Indeed, some of the assassins had been sent by him himself.
At this moment, his eyes seemed about to split with grief, his appearance of sorrow and fury seemingly without the slightest pretence, as if he were truly devastated and enraged by his son-in-law’s death.
Life is a play, all depending on acting skill, and Duke Tu Lingtuo’s acting skill was undoubtedly up to standard.
Immediately following, carrying this grief and indignation, Duke Tu Lingtuo took the wounded Tu Lingduo to Zhili’s Young Lord mansion, informing Young Lord Zhili that Tu Liyang had been assassinated by Suo Lun.
At this time, Zhili was entertaining Marquis Fu’e and other great houses, holding a small banquet.
When Tu Lingduo saw Zhili, she knelt down in grief, weeping blood as she said, “Your Highness, my husband is dead, assassinated by Suo Lun’s men, struck by several arrows!”
“What?” Zhili was struck with utter horror, the wine cup in his hand falling to the ground and shattering.
Truly damned, these people’s acting skills were one better than the next.
Most of the assassins who killed Tu Liyang had been sent by Zhili himself. At this moment, his horror truly showed no sign of pretence whatsoever, as if he had truly been struck by thunderous news.
However, Marquis Fu’e still detected some flaws.
As the second greatest house of the Nulang Kingdom, plus his daughter already being a judge at the Zhidu Tribunal, his status was precious and special. These past days he had received Zhili’s warm hospitality.
Every time, Zhili drank from his Obsidian Dragon Ring Cup, his personal cup. Yet today he had used a fragile glass cup.
Marquis Fu’e was an extremely observant man. At first glance he had found it somewhat strange. Why was Zhili not using his personal cup today?
Now the mystery was solved. His personal Obsidian Dragon Ring Cup was too sturdy. It would not shatter, unable to achieve his effect of being struck with horror.
But a glass cup, falling to the ground, would shatter directly, better expressing his inner emotions.
After the shock, Zhili’s voice trembled, “Tu Liyang is truly… truly dead?”
Tu Lingduo knelt on the ground, wailing, “Your Highness, my husband is truly dead, leaving only me and our unborn child. I beg Your Highness to seek justice for the Tu Li family.”
Zhili staggered, collapsing into his chair, tears sliding from his eyes, murmuring, “This very morning, Tu Liyang came to bid farewell. I could not bear to part with him, so I urged him to stay again and again. But he said that blocking Suo Lun brooked no delay, and he must immediately return to Luanyang City to deploy related matters. I never thought misfortune would befall him. He was my left arm and right hand. The pain is unbearable!”
Zhili clutched his heart, his agony beyond description.
Marquis Fu’e sneered inwardly, but rose respectfully and said, “Your Highness, please restrain your grief.”
“He died for me,” Zhili wept. “Tu Liyang was utterly loyal to me. He was a man who loved and hated clearly, who could not tolerate a single grain of sand in his eyes. So he repeatedly offended Suo Lun, and the other day was the first to blockade Suo Lun, thus inviting this fatal disaster. He died for me.”
Zhili tilted his face to the sky, not letting tears continue to fall, and said, “Young Madam, are you certain this was Suo Lun’s doing?”
“Certain,” Tu Lingduo said. “That lead assassin, though wearing a mask, his figure, his voice, and his arrows, I could all recognise them. It was Suo Lun’s trusted general, Fen Mo.”
Duke Tu Lingtuo said, “I have already sent men to the assassination site to search for all evidence. Results will be forthcoming shortly.”
…
The next day, an unprecedented bloody scene appeared in the royal capital, Zhidu.
Tu Lingchen brought over two hundred corpses into the royal capital.
Every corpse was a mangled mess of flesh and blood, arms severed or legs broken, horrific beyond bearing, completely unbearable to look at directly.
These corpses were, without question, all Tu Li family warriors.
This blood-drenched scene gave the people of the royal capital unprecedented shock. At the same time, rumours spread like wildfire.
Everyone in the royal capital knew that Suo Lun, over a private grudge, had openly assassinated Tu Liyang, a future great house of the kingdom.
Had Suo Lun not been lecherous, wanting to capture Tu Lingduo alive, she too would likely be dead. And dying alongside Tu Liyang were over two hundred loyal Tu Li family warriors.
Of course, this time Tu Lingchen brought not merely over two hundred corpses, but also one surviving witness.
This survivor swore before a spirit master of the Divine Dragon Temple that he had personally seen the assassin leader remove his mask, and personally heard him admit his name was Fen Mo, Suo Lun’s trusted general.
Moreover, a painter from the Divine Dragon Temple, based on his verbal description, drew the assassin leader’s face.
Ironically, this painter used Suo Lun’s three-dimensional sketching technique, as realistic as a photograph.
Many people recognised it at a single glance. This was Fen Mo.
Furthermore, Miss Tu Lingduo also swore before a spirit master of the Divine Dragon Temple that she absolutely recognised the assassin leader’s voice and figure. It was Fen Mo. It was definitely Fen Mo.
Then, medical practitioners from the Divine Dragon Temple personally dissected the corpses for examination.
From the fatal arrow wounds on the Tu Li family warriors’ bodies, the conclusion could be drawn that the killer was a dragon archer, and moreover a dragon archer possessing divine archery talent.
Why was this said?
Ordinary dragon archers aimed for the head, because the spiritual energy overflow from the head area was most obvious, making it the easiest target to aim at.
But dragon archers with divine archery talent shot by instinct, and most preferred to aim for the heart.
And these deceased had all been struck in the heart, killed with a single blow.
And what was terrifying was that every arrow had passed directly through the exact centre of the heart. Only one with divine archery talent could accomplish this.
Then the arrows were dug out and weighed. Seven taels, three mace, and two candareens!
Every arrow was seven taels, three mace, and two candareens. Though the arrow’s appearance did not match Fen Mo’s usual arrows, the weight was exactly identical, and the length was also exactly identical.
Every archer was extremely particular about the weight of their arrows. And because Fen Mo possessed divine archery talent, his arrows were actually slightly lighter than other dragon archers’.
The Tu Li family warriors who had escorted Tu Lingduo back also testified one after another, having personally seen that lead assassin unleash several volleys of Nineteen Linked Arrows.
In a short three days, the Divine Dragon Temple and the kingdom’s Cabinet Criminal Law Department obtained a dossier of evidence exceeding two hundred pages.
Human testimony and physical evidence were both present. There were at least several dozen witnesses, over a dozen pieces of physical evidence.
And over twelve medical practitioners, fifteen spirit masters’ signatures, ensuring the authenticity and authority of this evidence.
Ironclad proof! Absolutely ironclad proof! The assassin who killed Tu Liyang was Suo Lun’s trusted man, Fen Mo!
Then Zhili dispatched several hundred messengers, several hundred flying goshawks, spreading the truth of Suo Lun’s assassination of Tu Liyang to every province, every great house territory, every prefecture and county of the Nulang Kingdom.
Moreover, the kingdom’s Criminal Law Department also dispatched a team exceeding three thousand men to Tianshui City to capture the assassin Fen Mo!
…
After learning the truth of Suo Lun’s assassination of Tu Liyang, all great houses and nobles truly shared a common hatred, utterly furious.
This assassination raised towering waves!
That Suo Lun would assassinate a great house of the kingdom completely overturned political traditions of over a century.
Of course, assassinating a great house was nothing extraordinary. Zhili had assassinated Suo Lun not merely once or twice. But Zhili and Suo Lun were in direct confrontation. Whereas Tu Liyang had merely chosen to pledge loyalty to Zhili.
If great houses could be assassinated merely for choosing different sides, would that not throw the world into chaos?
Because if Suo Lun could assassinate Tu Liyang today, he could assassinate other great houses tomorrow.
Thus, every great house felt endangered, their lives and safety unguaranteed.
What had Tu Liyang been killed by Suo Lun for? Certainly not for verbally attacking Suo Lun, but because he had led the blockade of Suo Lun’s economy.
Cutting off someone’s wealth was like killing their parents. That was why Suo Lun had violently killed him.
But it was not merely Tu Liyang who had blockaded Suo Lun’s economy. Other great houses present had done so as well.
What if Suo Lun wanted to use terror assassinations to force the great houses into compromise? How terrifying would that be?
Because it concerned their own lives and fortunes, all the great houses and high nobles expressed fury one after another, declaring that Suo Lun’s actions completely trampled the kingdom’s bottom line and must be severely punished.
…
On the fourth day, the people of the royal capital, Zhidu, once again witnessed an unprecedented scene of tragic grandeur.
A team entirely in white, carrying over two hundred coffins, began marching through the streets!
At the forefront was Tu Lingduo, dressed entirely in white, mourning for Tu Liyang.
The two hundred surviving Tu Li family warriors were also all clad in white robes, mourning for Tu Liyang and their fallen brothers! Every warrior carried a coffin on his shoulder, containing the corpse of a deceased Tu Li family warrior.
This time, Tu Lingduo wore no veil, but revealed her face.
Yet this face was no longer beautiful. Five deep wounds marred it, completely destroying her beauty.
“I have destroyed my own appearance, vowing never to remarry for life!” When she spoke these words, she conquered everyone present, and also conquered all the surviving Tu Li family warriors.
Her face had clearly been disfigured by Tu Liyang after he discovered her adultery, clawing and tearing it. Yet now she claimed it was self-inflicted to preserve her chastity.
But by doing so, she indeed made the entire royal capital remember her name.
Originally mocking and ridiculing gazes all transformed into admiration and reverence.
Indeed, some men were already calling her a saint!
Tu Lingduo led over two hundred warriors, carrying over two hundred coffins. In her hand she held a blood-written petition. Every nine steps, she would kneel and kowtow, weeping as she shouted, “I beg the royal house to campaign against Suo Lun, to seek justice for my husband Tu Liyang!”
From the Tu Ling ducal mansion to the royal palace was several thousand metres.
Thus Tu Lingduo, before everyone in the royal capital, every nine steps a kowtow, a weeping cry.
“I beg the royal house to campaign against Suo Lun, to avenge my husband Tu Liyang!”
Thus, after walking several thousand metres!
Her forehead was already bloodied from kowtowing. The cloth at her knees was completely worn through, her knees bloodied from kneeling.
The people of the royal capital, men and women, old and young, commoners and nobles alike, wept at the sight!
Barely half an hour had passed when several thousand, even tens of thousands of commoners, spontaneously followed behind Tu Lingduo to petition the royal house!
This journey of several thousand metres took several hours, finally reaching the gates of the royal palace.
Since the king had fallen gravely ill, Young Lord Zhili had never again entered the royal palace to attend to state affairs. Yet now he entered the palace for the first time.
Moreover, all high nobles, cabinet ministers, high officials of the command department, and all great houses of the realm were gathered in the Nulang Great Hall of the royal palace!
Only when evening fell did Tu Lingduo finally kneel and crawl her way to the gates of the royal palace.
And behind her, tens of thousands of commoners had already gathered, the sound of weeping shaking heaven along the way.
Hundreds of thousands of people in the royal capital shared a common hatred. Suo Lun was pointed at by ten thousand fingers.
And Zhili stood waiting before the gates of the royal palace!
Coming before Zhili, Tu Lingduo knelt once more, presenting the blood-written petition with both hands, weeping blood like a cuckoo as she said, “This blood petition was written with my own blood, bearing the blood seals of the surviving Tu Li family warriors. I beg the royal house to campaign against the traitor Suo Lun, to avenge my husband!”
Then Tu Lingduo bowed deeply, raising the blood petition high in her hands.
“I beg the royal house to campaign against the traitor Suo Lun, to avenge my master!” Simultaneously, the over two hundred Tu Li family warriors behind Tu Lingduo knelt in unison, shouting mournfully.
Several dozen commoners also knelt, roaring in unison, “I beg the royal house to campaign against Suo Lun, to seek justice for the Tu Li family!”
Finally, tens of thousands of commoners all knelt before Zhili, saying in unison, “I beg the royal house to campaign against Suo Lun, to seek justice for the Tu Li family!”
“I beg the royal house to campaign against Suo Lun, to seek justice for the Tu Li family!”
“I beg the royal house to campaign against Suo Lun, to seek justice for the Tu Li family!”
Tens of thousands of commoners’ grief and fury shook heaven, their inner sense of justice surging, their blood boiling, petitioning again and again for the royal house to dispatch troops to campaign against Suo Lun.
Facing the impassioned tens of thousands of commoners, Zhili was moved to tears, his limbs trembling.
And Tu Lingduo also wept uncontrollably, as if moved to the utmost prostration.
However, in Zhili’s heart there was only utter contempt and mockery. Looking at these tens of thousands of righteously impassioned commoners, two words surfaced in his mind: “Idiots!”
And at this moment, Tu Lingduo felt unprecedented satisfaction, as if a door to a new world had opened.
So the common people were actually this stupid. With just a little incitement, they could be driven like pigs and sheep.
Thus, listening to the righteous and passionate shouts of the tens of thousands of commoners behind her, Tu Lingduo also cursed softly in her heart: “Idiots!”
Truly ironic, it was these very commoners who had cheered and shouted for Suo Lun when he created miracles at the royal capital academy two years ago.
Truly, the hearts of men are like water, the movement of the people like smoke!
Thus, whether the emotions of the common people were anger or excitement, they were brief and cheap.
Zhili bowed deeply to the tens of thousands of commoners, his voice choked with tears, “When the kingdom has righteous people, though the king lacks virtue he does not lose his realm! You are the immortal backbone of my Nulang Kingdom!”
These words moved the commoners present beyond measure, yet they did not hear that Zhili was already attacking the king.
Zhili continued, his voice trembling, “Justice may be delayed but never absent! Rest assured, Madam Tu Lingduo. Rest assured, people present. I shall certainly mobilise the entire nation’s army to campaign against Suo Lun, this traitorous villain!”
“Long live, long live, long live!” The countless commoners present, as if having obtained the victory of justice, shouted excitedly one after another!
…
Tianshui City waters!
Suo Lun’s fleet was conducting final practical exercises. In a few days, the naval decisive battle with Yan Mo would erupt!
Suddenly, from the northeast sky, two griffins flew in.
On one of them sat an expert from the Shadow Pavilion. On the other sat Fen Mo, carrying a sack on his shoulder containing Tu Liyang.
The griffins landed on the flagship. Fen Mo came before Suo Lun and merely bowed in salute, saying, “This general rescued Fen Mo, but he was poisoned, like a walking corpse, without senses!”
Tu Lingduo truly wronged Fen Mo. He treated everyone with this bird-like attitude.
Even before Suo Lun at this moment, he had an incomparably arrogant appearance, speaking coldly, able to use one fewer word and absolutely not wasting breath.
“You have worked hard,” Suo Lun said.
“This is my mission report.” Fen Mo presented a thick stack of papers.
Suo Lun accepted it and said, “Go rest.”
Without another word, Fen Mo left directly, being taken to a cabin to rest.
Suo Lun directly carried the sack into the cabin. Princess Zhiyan also followed in, while Zhuang Zhixuan guarded outside the door, not letting anyone approach.
Opening the sack, he pulled out Tu Liyang inside.
Indeed, Tu Liyang’s life was not in danger. His eyes were open, but his gaze lacked focus, like a walking corpse, completely without senses!
He had been struck by three arrows in the abdomen, but Fen Mo was a born divine archer. These three arrows had not damaged his internal organs at all.
It was merely that the arrowheads were coated with nerve toxin. After being poisoned, Tu Liyang immediately fell into a death-like state. Thus, when Tu Lingduo felt his neck artery at that time, there was no pulse.
Zhiyan put on a hood, stepped forward and lifted Tu Liyang’s eyelids, looking at his pupils.
Then she released spiritual energy, sensing Tu Liyang’s brain domain.
“Demon Continent strange poison, Soul Severing Water.” Zhiyan immediately recognised the poison within Tu Liyang’s body.
“Can it be cured?” Suo Lun said. “Can he still be awakened?”
Princess Zhiyan said, “This is a strange poison that penetrates deep into the brain domain. There is no cure in the world!”
Suo Lun frowned. “Truly no cure?”
If Tu Liyang could not be awakened, then he, Suo Lun, truly could not clear his name even by jumping into the Nu River.
Assassinating a great house of the kingdom was, to some degree, even more serious than assassinating Zhili. Because this already threatened the lives of all nobles and great houses. It was truly making enemies of the entire world.
If it truly reached that point, even if Suo Lun had three heads and six arms, he could not avoid the situation of total destruction!
Zhiyan said sorrowfully, “Truly no cure. Not even within the Divine Dragon Temple!”
Suo Lun closed his eyes. The entire world had no cure for the Soul Severing strange poison. But what about the Demon Star?
Could the Demon Star cure the Soul Severing strange poison? Could it awaken Tu Liyang?