The death warrior assigned to poison had sensed he'd be silenced ever since Prince Jing sent four guards to "protect" him. Death warriors sold their lives for money - once in this profession, their lives no longer belonged to themselves but to their master Yan Shifan.
Though this mission had failed, it wasn't due to any mistake on his part. His performance had been flawless - he'd merely been unlucky.
Yan Shifan valued talent and didn't want him dead, as this man could still be useful in the future. But Prince Jing, fearing potential leaks, demanded his silence. Yan Shifan couldn't defy the prince's wishes - it was just one less dog to him.
Being silenced like this filled the death warrior with resentment. Skilled in poisoning and nicknamed Poison Master Zhui Ming, he had devised the ingenious method of hiding smallpox scabs in the jade Guanyin's base to quietly eliminate the young imperial grandson, demonstrating his cunning mind.
Poison Master Zhui Ming drugged the guards' wine, knocked them out, then climbed out the window. He stole a Taoist robe and made his escape.
"Only in these mountains, where clouds obscure the path" - in the vast Wudang Mountains, he thought he could quickly escape and roam free.
However, when Prince Jing's men discovered Poison Master Zhui Ming had fled, they immediately sounded the alarm. Horn calls echoed through guard posts as gates of every Taoist temple and palace slammed shut, even the mountain entrance closing tight - trapping him like a turtle in a jar, determined to kill him.
Both Prince Jing and Yan Shifan treated this as a grave threat - if this man "defected to the enemy," their plan to seize the throne would be ruined.
With all gates closed and checkpoints established requiring identity verification, Poison Master Zhui Ming couldn't possibly knock out all the guards at once despite carrying various poisons. In the harsh winter with Wudang Mountains covered in snow, without shelter he would surely freeze to death outside!
What to do? Poison Master Zhui Ming found himself between a rock and a hard place. Passing checkpoints was hopeless without a talisman. Besides surrendering or jumping off a cliff for a quick death, his only option was to take wild paths around the checkpoints.
The massive Wudang Mountains consisted of various peaks and architectural complexes without enclosing walls. Stone steps connected these complexes - one only needed to traverse these steps.
But avoiding the steps meant climbing wild, pathless mountains in snowy conditions, where a single misstep could send him plunging off a cliff.
As Poison Master Zhui Ming hesitated to take the wild paths, hiding behind a rock in despair, he heard soldiers at the checkpoint ahead shout: "Halt! Show your talismans!"
Peering through rock crevices, he saw about a dozen Taoists stopped by two soldiers.
The lead Taoist declared: "We've practiced Taoism on Wudang Mountain for years and never heard of needing talismans just to walk around. This is the Great Yue Wudang Mountain, not Prince Jing's backyard! Step aside!"
The guard replied: "His Highness Prince Jing has lost something and is hunting the thief. We request your cooperation, honored Taoists."
"Aiya," a tall, slender Taoist said sarcastically, "We Wudang Taoists have seen everything. Why would we covet your worthless trinkets? Oh, you're right to stop us - we Taoists are all thieves, and I'm the chief thief. This Taoist master never carries talismans when going out - are you going to arrest me?""If you claim something was stolen, then search for it." The lean Taoist grabbed the guard's wrist and pressed the guard's hand against his own chest. "Come on, search me from head to toe. If you find anything I stole, I'll accept any punishment. If not, let us pass immediately!"
The guard felt nothing but bones—no stolen goods, not even an extra ounce of flesh—and quickly retracted his hand. He recalled that their orders were to apprehend a stocky, dark-skinned, beardless middle-aged man, not a group of Taoists. "Which temple do you belong to? Go back and fetch your talismans. Even if you get past me, the guards at the next checkpoint won’t let you through without them. No talisman, no passage."
The lean Taoist pointed toward a palace on the mountain with crimson walls, green glazed tiles, and an elegant structure shaped like a chair. "Right there."
The guard recognized it as the Purple Cloud Palace and froze. "Are you certain?"
The lean Taoist nodded firmly. "Of course. I’ve practiced here for ten years. How could I forget where I live?"
The guard scrutinized the shabby Taoist, recalling the bony feel from the search, and broke into a cold sweat. Forcing composure, he barked at his comrades, "Stop dawdling! Let the Taoists pass!"
His comrades cleared the path. The lean Taoist chuckled, "Smart move. Let’s go." The dozen Taoists swaggered up the stone steps.
Watching covertly, Poison Master Zhui Ming thought, This actually worked? Well, it makes sense. Wudang Mountain is an imperial Taoist site. Every emperor sends envoys to worship the Dark Warrior upon ascending the throne, and the Jiajing Emperor has dispatched eunuchs multiple times to oversee renovations. These Taoists naturally look down on mere princely estate guards.
I can’t falter. I need to mimic their arrogance and overwhelm the guards with sheer presence to clear the checkpoints.
Bolstering his courage, Poison Master Zhui Ming puffed out his chest and emerged from behind the rocks, intending to imitate the Taoists.
But as he stepped out, he saw a guard raising a bamboo whistle to his lips. An arrow shot through the guard’s neck, severing his windpipe.
Unable to breathe, the guard’s whistle fell silent as it dropped to the ground. Clutching the arrow through his throat—unable to pull it out or leave it—he collapsed and died.
It happened in an instant. Poison Master Zhui Ming hastily retreated, peering through a crevice. He saw another guard pierced through the chest, about to cry out, when the lean Taoist hurled a snowball into the guard’s open mouth, perfectly silencing him.
Then, with legs as slender as a crane’s, the lean Taoist flew forward and—crack!—twisted the guard’s neck with his bare hands as easily as plucking cabbage.
What kind of people are these?! Terrified, Poison Master Zhui Ming trembled behind the rocks, his own neck aching as if it had been wrung.
The lean Taoist was Wang Daxia. The archer who’d shot the whistling guard was Lu Ying. The dozen "Taoists" were all Embroidered Uniform Guard spies in disguise—except for Wei Caiwei, who was sandwiched among them.Their party arrived in Hubei by boat, then proceeded to Xiangyang Prefecture. Disguised as Taoist priests, they ascended Wudang Mountain. Their original plan was to make contact at the Embroidered Uniform Guard's hidden stakeout on the mountain. However, halfway up, sudden horn blasts erupted from all directions. All building gates slammed shut, the mountain passes sealed, leaving them no retreat. They had no choice but to press forward.
Their hearts filled with unease, they wondered: Had Prince Jing and Yan Shifan's men discovered their trail? As this thought crossed their minds, they encountered a checkpoint on the stone steps ahead, where sentries demanded their talismans.
Though Wang Daxia had just recovered from serious illness and hadn't regained his full strength, his mind remained sharp and agile. With a few clever words, he managed to bluff the guards into letting them pass.
Just when they thought they'd cleared this obstacle, the observant Lu Ying noticed something alarming: from the Taoist temple Wang Daxia had pointed to - called Zixiao Palace - emerged a female Taoist priest!
Recalling the sentries' suspicious expressions when repeatedly confirming their destination, Lu Ying immediately realized: Zixiao Palace must be where female Taoists practiced Kun Dao on Wudang Mountain! That place was exclusively for women!
The guards must have seen through their disguise.
It seemed Wang Daxia had exhausted all his luck reuniting with his fiancée across great distances. Among Wudang Mountain's five hundred structures containing over twenty thousand rooms, he had pointed to the one and only place dedicated to female Taoist practitioners - Zixiao Palace.
What incredibly "good" fortune!
Lu Ying immediately turned and fired a sleeve arrow at the guard who was about to sound a bamboo whistle alarm, killing him instantly. Wang Daxia took down the second guard.
They couldn't leave the bodies lying in the snow bleeding openly, which would alert patrols.
The group quickly dragged both corpses behind a nearby large rock, planning to dispose of them over a cliff later.
Poison Master Zhui Ming, watching his hiding spot about to be discovered by these unidentified people, immediately took flight.
Just as the group reached the back of the rock, Lu Ying raised her right hand: "Listen! Footsteps!"
Everyone heard it clearly. Wang Daxia said, "Someone was spying on us from behind this rock just now."
Lu Ying pursued with her sleeve arrow raised. Having trained in martial arts for years, she quickly caught up with the fleeing Taoist, cornering Poison Master Zhui Ming at a cliff's edge.
Below the cliff swirled thick mist, its depth unknowable. The Poison Master threw a stone over the edge - no echo returned!
Trapped at a dead end with no escape.
The Poison Master thought: The enemy of my enemy could be an ally. Though uncertain of this group's origins, they'd just killed two of Prince Jing's guards, meaning they must be enemies of the Prince. Therefore, being caught by them might not be bad?
With no other options available anyway.
The Poison Master quickly raised his hands in surrender: "Honestly, everyone, the sudden mountain closure happened because I offended Prince Jing and Yan Shifan. They're searching Wudang Mountain to kill me. I didn't expect to unfortunately disturb your group."
"Since we all appear to be Prince Jing's enemies, why not let each other go? You continue upward, I'll head down - no interference between us."
Lu Ying said coldly, "What proof do you have for your claims?"
Wang Daxia pressed further: "And why did you offend Prince Jing and Yan Shifan? Quite impressive, that."
I thought only I, Wang Daxia, could manage to make everyone want me dead like this!Poison Master Zhui Ming thought to himself: I can't possibly confess now that I nearly caused the death of Prince Yu's grandson!
As he wrestled with this dilemma, Lu Ying said, "Turn around."
Poison Master Zhui Ming had been running with his back to the crowd, nearly falling off the cliff, so Lu Ying hadn't seen his face. However, the man's ears were somewhat protruding, splayed out like two palm-leaf fans, and he spoke with a southern accent typical of Guangdong and Guangxi. This description of his appearance and accent felt somewhat familiar.
Poison Master Zhui Ming slowly turned around.
Seeing a face that seemed familiar, Lu Ying was astounded: Wasn't this the exact description of the southern merchant provided by the Huaging Pool attendant and the Embroidered Uniform Guard sketch artist?
Protruding ears, thick lips, a broken and fleshy nose, slightly dark skin, pockmarks of varying sizes on his face, and sparse eyebrows—it was about fifty percent similar.
Just when you search far and wide without success, the answer falls into your lap effortlessly. Lu Ying suppressed her joy, fearing the man might jump off the cliff and break the clue. Pretending not to notice, she said, "Come over here first. Our people need to throw the body down from here."
Author's Note: Today is the last day of the National Day holiday. How did everyone spend it? I've been down with a cold all week and didn't go out, just stayed home to recuperate. Watched all eight Harry Potter movies, Flying Swords of Dragon Gate, one and a half episodes of Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon, Transformers 1 through 4 (the fifth was too awful to finish), and wrote about fifty thousand words.
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