20demayo Page 42
Page 42
As soon as he finished speaking, the shoulders of the masked group trembled slightly, and suppressed chuckles escaped from beneath their masks.
Mu Qinghan slightly raised his eyes, and behind the eye holes of the fox mask, his gaze was as indifferent as the surface of a frozen lake.
He did not intervene, because in his eyes, the struggles of these inspectors were nothing more than the last futile efforts of a trapped beast.
"Kill out!"
With their leader's shout, the remaining inspectors rushed towards Mu Qinghan like madmen, their longswords flashing coldly, their desire to survive making them temporarily forget their fear.
Just as the person at the front was about to rush in front of Mu Qinghan, the figure in white suddenly moved.
No one saw how he drew his sword; they only felt a cold, clear sword light flash by, like moonlight piercing the night.
"Pfft-"
A crisp sound of flesh being pierced rang out, and the head of the inspectors' bodies suddenly stiffened.
He looked down at the long sword that had pierced his chest, the hilt still in the white-clad man's hand. Then, he was lifted up by a tremendous force and slammed against the vermilion gate behind him.
Blood flowed down the door panel, spreading a large patch of dark red under the plaque of "Supervision Department". His eyes were wide open, and the last glimmer of life vanished in astonishment.
All the inspectors stopped what they were doing and stood frozen in place.
Their gazes were fixed on the corpse on the gate, then suddenly shifted to the man in white.
In the blink of an eye, he had sheathed his sword and stood quietly beside the corpse, his clothes still pristine white.
"White, white clothes... swordsmanship...you, you are...Mu..."
In the crowd, someone shakily raised their hand and pointed at Mu Qinghan. Before they could finish speaking, another flash of sword light appeared.
His voice stopped abruptly, his head rolled to the ground, and his eyes still held a look of terror.
The remaining people completely collapsed. Some threw down their swords and knelt down to beg for mercy, while others turned around and tried to break through again, but none of them could escape the ridiculously fast longsword.
Screams, pleas for mercy, and the sounds of swords piercing flesh mingled together, but fell completely silent after three minutes.
The masked group slowly walked forward, and when they saw the mountain of corpses piled up at Mu Qinghan's feet, they couldn't help but swallow hard.
The moonlight peeked out from behind the clouds, illuminating the blood and corpses scattered on the ground, and also the figure of the man in white.
He stood amidst the mountains of corpses and seas of blood, his expression calm, his body still unstained by a single drop of blood.
That's ridiculously strong...
Mu Qinghan raised his hand, and his long sword drew an arc in the moonlight, shaking off all the blood on the blade, which dripped onto the ground with a "drip-drip" sound.
He raised his hand and removed the fox mask, revealing a handsome yet cold face. His gaze swept over the mess on the ground, and he spoke calmly.
"It's over, let's go."
As soon as he finished speaking, his figure vanished into the night like wisps of smoke.
The masked group exchanged glances and then used their movement techniques to disappear in the blink of an eye.
The night wind blew, carrying the stench of blood from the ground. The corpse on the vermilion gate remained nailed in place, and the plaque of the Censorate gleamed coldly in the moonlight.
From then on, the Censorate was completely destroyed.
Chapter 53 Chessboard
The Inspection Department was completely wiped out overnight.
The news spread like wildfire, quickly igniting a prairie fire.
From remote border towns to central cities, wherever there are people, they are talking about this matter.
Some people couldn't hide their joy in their eyes, while others had their brows furrowed.
Many more people were utterly shocked.
This top-tier power, established for hundreds of years, was uprooted overnight.
Upon hearing this news, Wang Quan Shou Zhuo, the current leader of the Dao Alliance, was furious.
"Investigate! Investigate thoroughly! No matter who it is, even if they're buried underground, find the murderer! How dare they commit massacres right under the noses of the Dao Alliance! I'll make them pay!"
Everyone fell silent, no one daring to speak.
The silence inside the room was like a heavy boulder, making it hard to breathe.
The number of entities capable of destroying the Surveillance Department overnight can be counted on one hand throughout the entire Dao Alliance.
There is that motive...
The group exchanged glances, all harboring the same answer, yet no one dared to voice it aloud, silently contemplating in their hearts: the fate of the Dao Alliance is about to change.
One day later, at Wangquan Manor.
In the center of the courtyard, there is an antique chessboard.
The black and white pieces are arranged in a staggered manner, outlining a complex chess game.
Wang Quan Shouzhuo sat on one side of the chessboard. He had lost his usual majesty and was now just squinting, staring intently at Mu Qinghan opposite him.
Mu Qinghan, dressed in a moon-white long robe, sat upright on a futon, holding a white chess piece between his fingertips, his expression indifferent.
The wind blew through the courtyard, swirling up a few fallen leaves that landed on the edge of the chessboard, but he remained focused.
“Little Qinghan,” Wang Quan Shouzhuo broke the silence first, his voice carrying a hint of solemnity, “you really gave me a… quite a scare.”
Mu Qinghan raised her eyes, her gaze clear as a stream, as if she couldn't understand the deeper meaning in his words, and said softly, "What is the Alliance Leader saying? Qinghan doesn't understand."
"Hehe," Wang Quan Shou Zhuo chuckled softly, his laughter tinged with helplessness, "Little Qing Han, it's just the two of us here. What's the point of hiding anything between us?"
As he spoke, he picked up a black chess piece, applied slight pressure with his fingertips, and the piece landed on the "Tengen" position on the chessboard with a soft "tap".
Mu Qinghan gently placed the white piece on the chessboard, which just blocked the black piece's attack. He looked up at Wang Quan Shouzhuo, his expression still calm.
"Since the alliance leader thinks it's pointless, why insist on asking for the answer?"
"Some things are better left unsaid than known."
"You little rascal, you're really slippery..."
Wang Quan Shouzhuo tapped his fingers on the edge of the chessboard, his gaze fixed on Mu Qinghan. "I still want to know, why did you do this?"
He paused, a hint of doubt in his voice, "Those people from the Inspectorate pose absolutely no threat to you right now."
"If you just endure for a few more years and wait for the academy's power to grow stronger, then plenty of people will be willing to stand up for you and help you get rid of these thorns in your side. Why rush things now?"
Mu Qinghan picked up the teacup beside him, took a small sip, and let the warm tea slide down his throat.
He put down his teacup, looked up at Wang Quan Shouzhuo, and said in a calm tone, "It seems that the Alliance Leader is convinced that I did this."
Wang Quan Shouzhuo leaned back in his chair, his hands crossed in front of his abdomen, his eyes sharp as knives.
"Who else could it be but you, kid? In the entire Dao Alliance, besides you, Mu Qinghan, who else could you find with this kind of strength and motive?"
His voice suddenly rose a few decibels, "You think you've covered your tracks perfectly? But the night before the Censorate was destroyed, those little guys all came back from all over the country."
"You dare say this is just a coincidence?"
Mu Qinghan's white chess piece hovered above the chessboard, hesitant to make a move, but his tone had lost its previous indifference and gained a touch of coldness.
"I did this for two reasons."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the tangled black and white pieces on the chessboard.
"Firstly, their existence is like a poisonous thorn stuck in the skin of the Dao Alliance."
"In recent years, many small and medium-sized families have wavered in their stance because they are wary of the power of the Supervisory Department, which has made it difficult to implement the policies of the Dao Alliance. If this continues, it will only breed more uncertain hidden dangers."
“More importantly…” He looked up at Wang Quan Shouzhuo, a sharp glint in his eyes.
“I have been making arrangements in secret recently. If they notice my movements, given the way the Inspectorate operates, they will definitely scatter and find places to hide.”
"A group of rats hiding in the shadows is more troublesome than enemies in the open; to completely eliminate them is as difficult as climbing to heaven."
Wang Quan Shouzhuo paused for a moment while holding the black pieces, then nodded slightly, a hint of approval in his eyes.
"Hmm...not bad. If you don't nip the weeds in the bud, they'll grow back in the spring, causing endless trouble. Your approach is more far-sighted than I thought."
"Secondly," Mu Qinghan's voice suddenly softened, but carried a ruthless and resolute tone, "I want to kill."
"Huh?" Wang Quan Shouzhuo suddenly looked up, thinking he had misheard, and frowned. "Xiao Qinghan, what did you say?"
Mu Qinghan slowly placed the white chess piece in his hand. The sound of the piece hitting the board was particularly clear in the quiet courtyard. He met Wang Quan Shouzhuo's gaze and spoke word by word.
"I—want—to—kill…them."
Wang Quan Shouzhuo looked at him, opened his mouth, but in the end only let out a complicated sigh.
"You little rascal...you really are..."
Mu Qinghan did not respond, but simply glanced down at the chessboard, then stood up and bowed slightly to Wang Quan Shouzhuo.
"Alliance Leader, the outcome is decided. My chess skills are not good enough, and I am bound to lose this game. There is no point in continuing. I have other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now."
Wang Quan Shouzhuo was stunned for a moment. He looked at the white pieces on the chessboard, which were clearly at a disadvantage, and then at Mu Qinghan, who had a calm expression. He didn't know what to say for a moment, and then waved his hand.
"Um... okay, go ahead."
Mu Qinghan didn't say anything more, but bowed slightly and then turned and left the courtyard.
Yuebai's figure quickly disappeared at the end of the corridor, leaving Wang Quan Shouzhuo standing alone in front of the chessboard.
He bent down to tidy up the chess pieces on the board, and his fingertips just touched the last white piece that Mu Qinghan had placed, when he suddenly froze.
As he deduced the positions of the chess pieces, his pupils suddenly contracted.
If this white stone is shifted half an inch to the side and lands on the "push" position on the right, it can instantly cut off the black stone's retreat and create a killing opportunity!
Mu Qinghan had clearly been hiding most of his strength and had laid out a secret killing move, but he deliberately made a mistake in the last step, handing victory to him.
Wang Quan Shouzhuo was stunned for a moment, then suddenly threw his head back and burst into laughter. His hearty laughter dispelled the previous solemnity.
"Hahahaha—what a clever Mu Qinghan! What a clever way to deliberately lose the game!"
He raised his hand and patted the chessboard, his eyes full of appreciation and understanding.
"Little Qinghan, since you've humbled yourself so much and have such courage and means, then I, as the leader of the alliance, will fully support you!"
The wind blew through the courtyard again, stirring up a few fallen leaves on the chessboard. The black and white chess pieces lay quietly on the board, untouched by anyone.