Chapter 141: Turmoil in Chenzhou

Miss Lin pointed at Zhang He and said, "Look, he has a total of five wounds on his body. One is on his chest, which proves he was attacked from the front. There are also two sword wounds on his thighs; the one on his left leg is quite peculiar, slanting from the lower-left to the upper-right, and it is deeper at the bottom and shallower at the top. This shows that he was either attacked from mid-air, or his assailant was someone who wields a sword with their left hand."
Wudi shook his head and said, "I know Su Susu; she has always been a right-handed swordsman."
Miss Lin continued, "As for the sword wound on his right leg, it looks as though a layer of thin ice has frozen over it. This is a fatal wound, inflicted by icy sword qi. There are also two pinprick-like wounds close together on his legs, clearly caused by a hidden weapon such as a bramble wreath. The wounds are blackened, which proves he was attacked by more than one person and also poisoned..."
When the others looked closer, sure enough, there were two other patches of blood at the cabin door and in the center of the cabin. Those were left behind by Meng Yanqing and little Tian'er, which proved Miss Lin's deduction was extremely accurate.
Zhang He also secretly marveled in admiration. Even if your deduction wasn't entirely spot-on this time, you've pretty much guessed the whole picture.
Miss Lin paused and sighed slightly, "Life and Death Judgment always dispatches a team to ambush and assassinate a single player. Not only are their plans meticulous, but their methods are also ruthless. It is already no small feat for this person to have survived and held on until now. Since the ones he dealt with are from Life and Death Judgment, we cannot sit by and watch him die. Traveling out in the world as we are, we should help out whenever we can. It's just a matter of lifting a finger."
As soon as she finished speaking, the blue-robed young man's flattery arrived promptly: "Miss Lin is not only sharp-eyed as lightning, but also possesses a heart of gold. We truly feel ashamed of our own inferiority. Although I also felt something was amiss, my analysis is still far from being as piercingly accurate as Miss Lin's."
This piece of flattery hit two targets at once and was truly marvelous to behold. It praised Miss Lin while simultaneously adding a glowing halo to his own face.
Wudi could not help glaring at him, but the blue-robed young man remained completely pleased with himself.
Miss Lin turned her head and called out, "Qiaoqiao."
The female player with a sword on her left side immediately replied, "Miss Lin."
Miss Lin instructed, "Go and get a pellet of the lesser flame pill that dispels ice seals, and help this brother out."
Qiaoqiao agreed without a second word and strode away. Within a moment, she leaped down lightly from the ship's rail, reached out, and pressed a small, red pill onto Zhang He's thigh. Zhang He instantly felt a warm current spreading from his thigh throughout his entire body. Looking down, he saw his movement technique recovering at a rate of 3 points per second. In less than a minute, he was able to stand up, fully recovered to his original state.
As an apothecary himself by secondary profession, Zhang He knew that such pills were extremely precious and could only be refined by at least a Grandmaster-level apothecary. Yet, they had actually used it on him.
By this time, half of the painted boat had already sunk into the water and was on the verge of submerging completely.
Zhang He stepped out of the cabin, looked up at the people on the dragon boat, and then cupped his fists in salute to Miss Lin.
Miss Lin smiled faintly and returned the gesture with cupped hands.
Zhang He nodded and said, "Until we meet again!"
Miss Lin nodded and said, "Take care!"
With that, Zhang He turned around, channeled his movement technique, and unleashed the "Song of Treading Waves." He flitted across the river's surface like a dragonfly skimming the water, rising and falling, and within a few bounds reached the bank, his figure quickly vanishing into the peach blossom grove.
Not until he had gone far away did the blue-robed young man finally complain, "This fellow doesn't seem like a good person. Miss Lin, you helped him, yet he didn't even say a single word of thanks. Isn't this rather impolite?"
Before Miss Lin could answer, Wudi chimed in first, cutting him off: "This is what they call a great debt needing no words of thanks. If he were to say those kinds of things to Miss Lin, it would be too vulgar."
Miss Lin clearly agreed, "Indeed, this brother is truly extraordinary. Not only is his movement technique entirely his own style, but he is also a person of principle. I can tell that although he didn't voice his thanks out loud, he has engraved his gratitude in his heart."
This time it was Wudi's turn to feel smug, and he glanced sideways at the blue-robed young man, as if to say: *See? There are times when even your flattery hits a brick wall, isn't there?*
However, there was still something he didn't understand about the scene just now: "But Miss Lin, this fellow left the moment he was done, seeming rather abrupt toward you as well, no?"
This time, before Miss Lin could reply, the blue-robed young man jumped in first again: "Hah, that's where you don't understand. After he recovered, he observed us for a moment and then ran off using the *Water-Gliding* technique. It's because he could tell we are on a quest and it wouldn't be convenient for him to hitch a ride on our boat, so he left."
Miss Lin still smiled and said, "That's right. As I said just now, this brother is indeed a person of principle. Not only did he perceive this, but he only uttered the words 'until we meet again.' I could also tell from his expression that he didn't want to owe anyone a favor, hoping instead to meet again in the future to repay it properly. That is why he said farewell. It seems this brother is a straightforward and decisive man."
Wudi was displeased once more, as the blue-robed young man was acting all smug again. He wished he could smash that fellow's nose in with a single punch.
While the two grown men were still bickering and fighting for the favor of a great beauty, over in a pavilion on the outskirts of Baifan Town in the Yuezhou District, Su Susu, Meng Yanqing, and little Tian'er were all seated on stone stools.
Su Susu's expression was silent, though not dejected, whereas Meng Yanqing and little Tian'er kept their heads down, looking thoroughly crestfallen.
Su Susu was now flagged with a red criminal name, and she had barely managed to evade the pursuit of the town constables before fleeing all the way here. Exhausted, the branch protector had no choice but to follow them to this spot.
At this moment, the protector, dressed in blue, sat on a stone stool. His expression was not only slightly astonished, but also bore a contemplative look: "According to what you three have said, this person called 'Military Force Conquers All' possesses at least two rather formidable hidden weapons and techniques, and he also has a box that can transform into a weapon?"
None of the three answered—not because they dared not, but because they were too ashamed to face it.
The three of them—Su Susu at Tier 4, Level 85; Meng Yanqing at just Tier 3, Level 60; and little Tian'er, who was relatively lower but still higher than Zhang He at Tier 2, Level 52—had all been sent back to the respawn point by Zhang He alone.
For such a lineup to be sent against Zhang He showed that Life and Death Judgment had made very deliberate and profound arrangements.
From a data perspective, the strength of Meng Yanqing and little Tian'er was more than enough to annihilate Zhang He. But Life and Death Judgment always operated on the principle of getting what you paid for: whatever kind of target it was, matching assassins would be dispatched accordingly.
If Zhang He were a renowned expert, the assassins would definitely be Tier 5 or Tier 6; if Zhang He were very ordinary, the assassins wouldn't be overly powerful.
Some might find it strange: why not dispatch top-tier, ultra-elite experts to wipe out Zhang He directly? Perhaps the leader of Life and Death Judgment would think such a question utterly idiotic, because if every single contract in Life and Death Judgment were handled that way, wasting the guild's administrative resources like that, the faction could never have grown to its current scale.
Therefore, this assassination operation against Zhang He consisted of this trio of women. If Meng Yanqing and little Tian'er weren't seasoned or sinister enough, they were paired with Su Susu, a seasoned and steadily powerful Tier 4 operative, making the assassination foolproof. It was like buying insurance—failure was theoretically impossible.
The problem was that now all three had been sent back to the respawn point, turning the impossible into possible. It seemed there was no such thing as absolute insurance in *Dynasty*.
The protector said with a dark expression, "The three of you disguised yourselves as traveling players and boatwomen, even securing a boat and designing such a meticulous plan, yet you still failed to take down this Military Force Conquers All. It seems not only will there be no bounty silver for this mission, but I'm afraid the branch master won't look kindly upon you either."
All three of their faces turned ashen. Life and Death Judgment's reward and punishment measures weren't particularly harsh, but they were almost always executed thoroughly. As the saying goes: *No rules, no standards.*
The protector sighed abruptly and added, "However, this operation cannot entirely be blamed on you. Perhaps our branch simply underestimated this person. We need to reassess his strength; sometimes, strength cannot simply be measured by tier and level."
Su Susu said, "What on earth is that box of his? I have never seen a weapon that can transform like that."
The protector's expression grew somewhat solemn, "I once heard the branch master mention that since the launch of *Dynasty*, a total of ten most powerful weapons have appeared thus far."
Meng Yanqing and little Tian'er could not help asking in unison, "Which ten?"
The protector replied, "They are respectively: Longquan, Gongbu, Tai'e, Yitian, Dragon-Slaying, the Divine Light Sword of Jiuzhou, the Seven Absolutes Spear of Wangliang, the Clear Water Falling Shadow Bow, the Supreme Twin Asuras, and the Pear Blossom Needle in Rainstorms."
Su Susu could not help saying, "Among these ten weapons, there doesn't seem to be a box?"
"You are mistaken!" The protector glanced at her and continued, "There are ten more weapons. Although they have not yet appeared, they are all listed in Afanti's *Dynasty Weapon Compendium* and are said to be coming out very soon. Their might is supposedly no less than the first ten."
Everyone knew that the later divine weapons appeared in *Dynasty*, the more terrifying they were, because the costs required to forge them were exceptionally exorbitant.
Meng Yanqing asked, "Which ten are about to be released?"
This time, even a flicker of fervent heat flashed through the protector's eyes: "They are the Fengming Sword, the Dark Blue Hand, the Saint Emperor's Blade, the Coiling Dragon Whip, the Affectionate Ring, the Peacock Plume, the Deer-Slicing Saber, the Celestial Immortal Qin, and the Xuanyuan Sword."
Although these peerless divine artifacts had not yet made their debut in the world, merely hearing their names was enough to imagine that they would be powerful enough to shake mountains and rivers and alter the winds and clouds. For a moment, the breathing of all four people practically halted.
After a long silence, Su Susu spoke up, "That's only nine pieces though. Where is the tenth?"
The protector replied expressionlessly, "The last one... is a box. It has no name; it is a nameless weapon. If it is truly as you described, then the box strapped to the back of that Military Force Conquers All is, nine times out of ten, this very weapon."
Once these words were spoken, the four of them suddenly fell silent, and the pavilion grew as quiet as death.
With such a weapon in the hands of the enemy, it was undoubtedly a massive trouble. Meng Yanqing and little Tian'er even felt a shred of secret relief—it seemed the failure of this operation truly wasn't their fault.
However, worry surfaced on the protector's face: "You all know that Chenzhou is in chaos right now, and before long, the Chenzhou branch will begin its operations."
Su Susu hesitated and asked, "You mean..."
The protector nodded, "That's right, I'm referring to that matter. Our guild's main strength is currently planning that operation. Since the assassination here has failed, this Military Force Conquers All will soon arrive in Chenzhou. I only hope our guild's upcoming operation won't be ruined by his hands yet again."
"Surely not?" Meng Yanqing couldn't help saying, "How much strength does he even have?"
The protector said indifferently, "We have already made thorough considerations regarding the major figures. What we fear is having things ruined by a small fry like him. Have you forgotten how the Hidden Sword Manor was overturned last time?"
Meng Yanqing instantly fell silent.