Chapter 65: I’m Coming to Kill You
Chapter 65: I’m Coming to Kill You
Ling Yi sat in the passenger seat of an off-road vehicle, talking on the phone with Luo Xue.
The driver was Gu Tong, while Qin Hao sat in the back seat. Qian Luoying and her two disciples, along with the others, were in several other vehicles.
Their convoy, heavily guarded by a large number of special forces soldiers from the northern Black Tortoise Legion, sped along the northern highway of Great Qin toward the Capital City!
There were six other convoys exactly like this one!
Each traveled on six different roads.
“The news has already been spread, right?”
“Qingqing and Jian Ying said there’s no problem on their end? Good!”
“It’s fine, the timing is ripe now. Don’t worry, I definitely won’t be in any danger.”
“Even the fierce and terrifying people in the Chaos Zone couldn’t kill me, and I even earned some money in the process…”
“Yes, I’m going to make my move!”
“Consequences? First, I don’t want to be an official. Second, I don’t want to become a national idol. I don’t care about that.”
Ling Yi chatted with Luo Xue with a relaxed expression, watching the scenery rapidly passing by outside. He had already made his decision in his heart.
Zhao Tianping—he absolutely had to kill him!
After killing Zhao Tianping, the greatest enemies left would be the Grand State Preceptor of Chu, Lu Qingming, and his lackeys.
Therefore, Ling Yi decided that after dealing with Zhao Tianping, he would go to the Heaven’s Gate Sect with Qian Luoying.
Of course, before that, he needed to get his hands on the final batch of Spirit Stones.
With that batch of Spirit Stones, it should be enough for him to cultivate to the Golden Body Realm.
When the time came, he would make the Grotto Abode that once belonged to the Enchantress his home. He would not emerge until he broke through the nine levels of the Golden Body Realm and entered the Dao Enlightenment Realm. Only then would he emerge to kill Lu Qingming!
Regarding this decision, although he hadn’t discussed it with Gu Tong and Qin Hao yet, Ling Yi felt there wasn’t much to discuss.
Qin Hao’s return to the capital this time should resolve all the previous troubles once and for all.
Because the key point in this matter actually lay with the Aged Monarch!
As long as he showed himself publicly and placed Qin Hao in that position, the rest… would have nothing to do with him anymore.
A person only worth eight million on an assassin’s website obviously couldn’t influence the wider situation.
After hanging up the phone, Qin Hao, sitting in the back, couldn’t help but ask the same question Luo Xue had just asked—
“Ninth Brother, are you really going to kill Zhao Tianping publicly?”
Ling Yi didn’t deny it. He nodded and said, “I said I would publicly chop off his dog’s head and then go pay respects to my father!”
Gu Tong, while driving, said, “You… really don’t want to hold any office in Great Qin anymore.”
Indeed, no matter how heavy Zhao Tianping’s crimes were, or how many times he deserved to die, under normal circumstances, he should be judged by the laws of Great Qin.
If Ling Yi stubbornly insisted on bloodline revenge, doing it secretly might be one thing, but doing it openly… that was truly shocking.
After all, these were not wartime years where the people were full of fighting spirit.
Great Qin had been peaceful for too long, so much so that many young people not only lacked any fighting spirit but even appeared more feminine than women.
Shaping eyebrows and applying makeup was nothing; men dressed as women were everywhere, taking pride in it rather than feeling shame.
If Ling Yi killed Zhao Tianping publicly under such circumstances, his reputation in Great Qin would probably instantly become controversial.
Such a person, no matter how talented, would be difficult for the court to employ.
Qin Hao also asked with a worried look from the back, “Ninth Brother, tell me the truth. Are you using this method to completely cut off any possibility of helping me?”
Ling Yi smiled and said, “You’re overthinking it. Also, Qin Hao, didn’t we already agree? You be in the court, I’ll be in the wild. If one day you need Ninth Brother’s help, I’ll definitely come without hesitation!”
Qin Hao sighed, leaning against the car window dejectedly, murmuring, “I really don’t want you to go, Ninth Brother… If you give up on killing Zhao Tianping publicly, I promise you, after we capture him, I’ll let you slice him a thousand times!”
Ling Yi, however, slowly shook his head. “That’s unnecessary. He’s the type who loves grandeur and always considers himself a respectable person. He cares deeply about his public image and likes to create big news. So, I’ll give him the biggest news possible!”
With that, Ling Yi checked the time and urged Gu Tong, “Drive faster. He’s preparing to hold a press conference over there.”
Cabinet.
Small conference room.
A heavy tension filled the air.
Qin Xu’s face was pale and his expression extremely unpleasant.
Sun Qingbo sat at the head of the table, frowning deeply, remaining silent.
Everyone else kept their heads down, looking serious in their seats.
The atmosphere in the entire conference room was oppressively heavy.
Click!
The sound of a lighter being flicked.
Qin Xu lit a cigarette, took a fierce drag, then immediately stubbed it out in the ashtray, twisting it forcefully a couple of times. He looked at Sun Qingbo. “Prime Minister Sun…”
Sun Qingbo let out a gentle sigh, looking calmly at Qin Xu. “Why panic?”
He glanced at the others and suddenly smiled. “Actually, this might not be a bad thing.”
Qin Xu, his mind full of worries, looked at Sun Qingbo. “At a time like this, even the Black Tortoise Legion is involved. Can you explain clearly, sir?”
Sun Qingbo looked at Qin Xu. “The Black Tortoise Legion’s involvement isn’t called ‘participating’; it’s called ‘providing reasonable escort.’ Qin Hao escaped quickly last time. Those charges can only be truly confirmed when both the criminal and the evidence are caught. With only evidence… and no person, we can’t convict him. So, theoretically, he is still a member of the Cabinet—oh, one who has been absent without leave for many days. Therefore, he has the right to request the Black Tortoise Legion to escort him.”
“I said this might not be a bad thing because his return this time… how is it any different from walking into a trap?”
Sun Qingbo looked at everyone present. “The treaty will be signed tonight! On the Monarch’s side, the person in charge of the Seal is one of ours. Even if the Monarch opposes… at a time like this, hehe, he won’t have a choice! Our Great Qin is about to change!”
Everyone present perked up.
Sun Qingbo said calmly, “After years of preparation, success or failure depends on this one move. What can he do even if he returns? Not only will we not let him see the Monarch, but even if he did, what could he do? The tide has already turned. He holds no military power, and the Monarch hasn’t crowned him. What can he possibly do?”
“On the Military side… won’t there be problems?” Qin Xu still asked with some concern.
Sun Qingbo chuckled. “Second Prince, people… they change. Those who suppressed the Military before… weren’t you or me. The mastermind behind signing the treaty with the Chu and Zhao Diplomatic Mission this time isn’t you or me either. All of this… was the Monarch’s intention!”
Qin Xu was slightly taken aback.
Sun Qingbo said, “When the time comes, after Second Prince is crowned, as long as we promise the Military to increase military funding, withdraw the proposal to reduce the army, and promote those who deserve promotion, what problems do you think could remain?”
“Those Military leaders are loyal to Great Qin, just like us!”
“They aren’t loyal to any single individual.”
“What problems could there be?”
A bright light gradually appeared in Qin Xu’s eyes, and he looked at Sun Qingbo with great admiration.
“Prime Minister Sun, you are really… brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!”
Sun Qingbo smiled slightly, then his expression turned serious. “However, once their group enters the city, they must be controlled immediately! The assassination attempt on the scale of the Chaos Zone failed, which shows that Qin Hao isn’t only protected by Wang Tingjian and… that damned Sect woman.”
Mentioning Qian Luoying, even an old fox like Sun Qingbo couldn’t help but gnash his teeth in hatred.
If that woman hadn’t inexplicably switched sides all of a sudden, why would this matter be so troublesome?
Qin Hao’s bones would already be cold!
But what does that matter?
Now, the entire economic lifeline of Great Qin was in the hands of their group. What kind of experts couldn’t they attract?
Sect experts and Dao Enlightenment experts might seem unattainably high in others’ eyes, but in Sun Qingbo’s view, they were nothing special.
As long as they were human, they definitely had weaknesses!
For the vast majority of cultivators who paid no attention to worldly affairs, their greatest weakness… was cultivation resources!
No matter how wealthy a Sect might be, could it compare to the wealth of Great Qin?
If those Sects were truly so detached from the Mortal World, why would they deploy their own forces within it and painstakingly cultivate those spokespersons?
So, they were just a bunch of simpletons pretending to be above it all, having seen little of the world.
Easy to deal with!
At that moment, someone entered, approached Sun Qingbo, and whispered, “Chancellor Sun, Zhao Tianping has contacted many media outlets. He wants to hold a press conference to clear his name, claiming someone is deliberately smearing him on foreign websites… I’ve brought the information about Zhao Tianping from those foreign sites. By the way, that information has already spread from foreign sites to our side. The internet is now in an uproar, with countless people furiously denouncing Zhao Tianping. If we forcibly shut down those social media platforms now, I’m afraid…”
Sun Qingbo glanced quickly at the news, his brow soon furrowing tightly. He couldn’t help but curse, “That useless fool who ruins everything. That recording aside, how could he say such things to Ling Yi at the Graduation Ceremony? I even reminded him…”
“Never mind, don’t worry about him. Let him do as he pleases. This person… we abandon him. Let him sink or swim on his own.”
Sun Qingbo sighed somewhat helplessly and said, “He was once a student I highly valued, very outstanding back then. But in the end, his abilities were limited, his ambitions grand but his talent meager… Enough, let’s not talk about him!”
With that, he looked at Qin Xu and the others. “Second Prince, everyone, let’s prepare now. The signing ceremony later must not go wrong!”
Qin Xu nodded seriously and said, “Chancellor Sun has worked tirelessly for the peace of Great Qin. You’ve toiled hard.”
Sun Qingbo smiled faintly. “For a better Great Qin, this is the shared mission of us all!”
…
Qian Luoying was holding Ling Yi’s hand as they flew.
To be precise, it was high-speed gliding.
They first soared into the air, rising to a great height, then began rapidly descending along a slanting line. The entire process felt almost exactly like flying through the sky.
When the Old Principal was still alive, Ling Yi had experienced this feeling a few times.
Flying in the sky, that feeling was truly marvelous.
This was also why many ordinary people were willing to risk their lives to engage in wingsuit flying.
The moment one leaped from a high place, it felt as if the whole person became one with the sky.
In that moment, life itself seemed to be elevated.
Gu Tong was driving very fast, but Ling Yi felt that even at this speed, they might still not make it in time for Zhao Tianping’s press conference.
He understood what kind of person Zhao Tianping was. He knew that when something like this happened, Zhao Tianping’s first reaction would be to hold a press conference to defend himself.
The previous attacks had been weak and insignificant, but this time was different.
This time, the material had struck him hard.
It had thoroughly enraged him.
At this moment, the gates of Zongwu Academy were wide open, with vehicles of all kinds swarming in.
All were various media outlets that had rushed over upon hearing the news.
The information that had previously only fermented on foreign websites flooded back into Great Qin all at once.
It had already excited the various media like sharks smelling blood. Upon hearing that Zhao Tianping had proactively contacted the media to hold a press conference, they all frantically rushed over.
Under Zhao Tianping’s orders, the gates of Zongwu Academy were opened wide, allowing media from all sides to enter and exit freely.
So when Ling Yi and Qian Luoying entered Zongwu, they encountered no obstruction.
The tall Ling Yi wore a hooded sweatshirt, with the hood pulled over his head and a mask on. Beside him, Qian Luoying also wore a large mask, sticking close to Ling Yi without attracting much attention.
Because people’s attention was almost entirely focused on the media reporters.
Following those media reporters, Ling Yi and Qian Luoying made their way to the school’s small auditorium.
Though called a small auditorium, it could accommodate over a thousand people.
At this moment, Zhao Tianping was already seated behind a table at the center of the stage, his expression looking somewhat stern.
The media reporters who arrived early had long since set up their equipment and started live broadcasts.
Those who arrived a bit later were scrambling to choose better spots, inevitably causing some minor commotion in the process.
So the scene looked slightly chaotic.
Director Wei was shouting and yelling, struggling alongside some other subordinates to maintain order at the scene.
He was actually somewhat apprehensive.
Because the information circulating online this time was extremely unfavorable to Zhao Tianping!
It was indeed a high-tech era, and many things could be faked.
But no matter the fabrication, some evidence remained irrefutable!
And what was even more terrifying was actually public opinion.
This was also why Zhao Tianping was so urgently holding this press conference to clear his name.
This matter could not be delayed.
Otherwise, it would truly be confirmed as fact!
Sitting there, he was still mentally preparing his speech.
Thinking about what to say later, what tone and expression to use to stir people’s passions and win their sympathy.
Sun Qingbo’s evaluation that he was more of a hindrance than a help, that his ambitions were grand but his talent meager, wasn’t exactly wrong, but not entirely right either.
After all, everyone’s position was different, so their perspective naturally differed.
At the very least, Zhao Tianping was definitely not someone who would sit back and wait for death.
He was clear that this was definitely Ling Yi’s doing. Whether it was Wang Fu’s recording or the recording from the Graduation Ceremony, aside from Ling Yi, no one else could possibly know.
But he did not intend to mention Ling Yi’s name in the upcoming press conference!
No, not that he wouldn’t mention it—he would mention it, but not to condemn him!
Not only would he not condemn him, on the contrary, he would express sympathy for Ling Yi and offer that belated apology to him!
He wanted to make everyone feel that these incidents were simply Ling Yi’s revenge against him!
As for the reason, naturally it was because he had “taken” the Old Principal’s position, while Ling Yi was just a somewhat immature child. Everyone really shouldn’t blame him; they should understand him, care for him…
Yes, you kept smearing me, publicly disrespecting me at the Graduation Ceremony—I tolerated all of that. As an elder, I wish you well. Whatever wrong you did, I can forgive you!
Exactly like that!
The more Zhao Tianping thought about it, the more certain he became in his heart.
In the end, he felt it was completely foolproof.
At that moment, the noisy scene suddenly fell silent.
Zhao Tianping was slightly startled at first, but then, with the unique sharpness of a Golden Body Peak expert, he sensed a trace of danger.
He subconsciously looked up. A tall young man in a sweatshirt, wearing a hood, was pulling the hood down from his head and removing his mask.
Then, he revealed a young, handsome, dashing… face.
“I’ve come to kill you,” Ling Yi said.
The deathly silent auditorium erupted into an uproar in an instant.