Chapter 935: Chapter 540: Assassination, Citywide Manhunt (5k)
Three days?
Zhao Douan nodded imperceptibly: "Alright, I’ll send someone to contact you later and deliver the letters that need to be sent."
This sentence concealed a piece of information, that Zhao Douan already had knowledge of Feng Xiaolian’s lodging location.
Feng Xiaolian, adept in the worldly affairs, was not surprised and couldn’t help but say:
"Governor, I will do my best in this matter to show the sincerity of the Huai Royal Mansion. However, I must humbly remind you, if you intend to instigate Zhao Shixiong, it might not be a good choice and could easily lead to a perilous situation."
Zhao Douan maintained a calm expression, glancing at him: "Are you trying to teach me how to do things?"
Oops, this line seems to be used a bit too often...
Feng Xiaolian chuckled, tactfully fell silent, and after some faux pleasantries, excused himself to return to the world of pleasure.
Zhao Douan was not in a hurry to leave either, continuing to listen to the music and drink.
After the third round of drinks, he left before Wang Qi arrived, and then took a few turns in the city to ensure all tails were shaken off. He entered a secluded alley, took out a palm-sized silver scroll, and gave it a gentle shake.
With a "clatter," the prepared clothes fell to the ground. He swiftly changed his outer clothes, wiped his right hand across his face, activating the mask called "Nine Changes," transforming once again into a completely new appearance.
At this moment, as the sun set and the sky turned dark again, Zhao Douan walked out of the alley, gazing at the plumes of smoke under the twilight, which were straighter than the men from Sichuan in his previous life.
A killing aura hid in Zhao Douan’s eyes as he headed towards the place he scouted earlier, deciding to make his move tonight to kill Wang Qi.
Back then, the Thousand Illusion God of the Kuangfu Society had once infiltrated the Capital to assassinate the court’s military generals, which Zhao Douan emulated today.
"It’s time to stir up some trouble."
...
The night grew deeper.
Once night fell over Yongjia City, it gradually entered a state of curfew, with only a handful of people allowed to move around at night.
Among them, naturally, was Supervisor Wang Qi.
7:45 PM.
Inside the brightly lit Yunshao Courtyard, the music and licentious words were as they always were.
The corpulent Wang Qi, surrounded by guards, walked out the main gate and stepped into the carriage outside.
Afterwards, the carriage was escorted by heavily armed soldiers along the chilling streets back to the barracks.
Although Wang Qi was lecherous and indulged in brothels, he almost never stayed overnight outside and would leave the place of pleasure promptly at 7:45 PM every night. His actions were exceedingly predictable, as if specifically tailored for an assassin.
However, tonight his eyelids kept twitching, and a vague unease grew inside him.
"Is it because I didn’t sleep well?" Wang Qi thought to himself, leaning back in the carriage and closing his eyes to rest.
Meanwhile, on a five-story restaurant further away beyond a street corner on his inevitable route.
Zhao Douan sat silently on the tiles, cross-legged, gazing at the moon veiled by clouds.
Beside him lay a small hourglass, and as the last grain of sand flowed away, the time had come.
Like a spirit cat, Zhao Douan stood up, turned, and ascended to the roof ridge, raising his gaze to overlook crossings and rooftops, finally fixing on the slowly moving convoy on a distant main road.
With no idle onlookers in the curfew city, it was easy to lock onto the target.
"It’s up to you now," Zhao Douan murmured, caressing an ancient and mysterious bow in his hand, its wooden base as light as air, inscribed with the ancient characters "Taibo."
The Taibo Bow!
The weapon left behind by Lu Tong after his death!
Nie Yurong had advised against approaching Wang Qi, so Zhao Douan would use this weapon for a long-distance assassination tonight.
He drew an arrow from the quiver, pulling back the bowstring, as strands of Qi Mechanism flowed from his fingertips into the bowstring.
Strands of Qi Mechanism were extracted, and flecks of light emerged segment by segment, forming an illusory arrow as he drew the bow.
The illusory arrow merged with the real iron arrow.
In his ears, the wind’s whistle echoed, mingling with the haunting whimper of ancient trees swayed by the breeze, like whispers.
Locking his sight on the approaching carriage, he knew that once released, this arrow would surely hit.
However, apart from Wang Qi’s hidden aces, the guards beside him would first intercept the arrow, greatly diminishing its impact.
For this reason, he hadn’t immediately thought of using the Taibo Bow for sniping before.
Until inspired by Pei Niannu’s words from the Silver Armor version of the Big Dream Scroll.
"How do Martial Artists snipe enemies from afar?"
Suddenly, Zhao Douan raised the longbow, aiming the arrow at the sky, and released an arrow with a whoosh!
This arrow, wrapped in white turbulence, soared into the night sky, seemingly off course from its target by a mile.
However, the Taibo Bow possessed a "sure hit" attribute, so even if the arrow initially missed, it would self-correct and re-lock onto Wang Qi.
But this meant that by taking a detour, the arrow’s arrival time at Wang Qi would be prolonged.
This was exactly what Zhao Douan needed.
He didn’t pause, continuing to reach into the arrow quiver at his feet and pulling out arrow after arrow, releasing them frequently.
With each shot, he adjusted the "misaligned" angle.
Zhao Douan closed his eyes, recalling Pei Niannu’s demonstration with a self-made bamboo bow and arrow in the dream, and the words she spoke to him then.
He murmured softly:
"All fear stems from insufficient firepower."
"This arrow will not fail."
...
On the long street, the moonlight was icy like water.
At this moment, as the wind moved the clouds, temporarily covering the moonlight, Wang Qi’s caravan rounded a street corner.
Suddenly, several strong figures near the carriage twitched their ears simultaneously, sharply turning towards a distant direction, instinctively drawing their blades, and shouted loudly: