Chapter 107: Incident on Nishan Mountain
Chapter 107: Incident on Nishan Mountain
Early the next morning, the shameless pair, Yang Xin and Xu Xianchun, were already happily gathered together counting Silver Notes…
Actually, it wasn’t that much.
Kong Yinzhi understood their ranks very well and knew exactly how much to give them. In total, Yang Xin only managed to scoop up four thousand taels. This was because Kong Yinzhi had been scared witless. Xu Xianchun got five thousand taels. As for how much Liu Shimin got, that wasn’t their business. But it was certainly more than theirs. Old Liu had to go back and deliver a share to a bunch of people. With Kong Yinzhi’s brains, he naturally knew he couldn’t shortchange the truly powerful eunuchs like Lu Shou. Even Xu Xianchun’s five thousand probably had three thousand earmarked to be passed on to people like Luo Sigong and others later.
The Duke Yansheng’s family knew best how to handle people.
Yang Xin didn’t need to.
His share was purely his own.
The result of Kong Yinzhi and Kong Shangxian’s discussions was, of course, to comply fully. The donation of one hundred thousand taels was quickly boxed up, waiting for them to take back to the Capital City—not using Silver Notes, as notes lacked the imposing presence of real silver. The memorial requesting the establishment of the Martial Temple was sent via the post stations to the capital the very next day. Furthermore, Kong Shangxian personally contributed an additional three thousand taels for the construction of the Yue Fei Temple.
In short, the Kong family completely demonstrated their consistent understanding, using practical actions to show their utmost loyalty to Wanli…
“What a millennium-old noble family, after all!”
Xu Xianchun exclaimed with feeling.
“Millennium?”
Yang Xin said with a strange smile. “Now that might not be so certain!”
“Could there be other inside stories here?”
Xu Xianchun instantly perked up.
“Someday when I have time, I’ll tell you the story of Kong Mo’s rebellion against the Kong family, and some rumors from the time of the Mongols. In short, this ‘millennium-old noble family’ of the Duke Yansheng, we should just take it with a grain of salt! It’s not that there are no real millennium-old families—the Zhang family of Longhu Mountain counts—but the Kong family’s claim is pretty inflated!”
Yang Xin said.
As he spoke, he looked up ahead.
“Eunuch Liu actually has such interests?”
He said, somewhat taken aback.
They were on Nishan Mountain at that moment.
And Eunuch Liu was in a pavilion at the mountain’s peak, composing and reciting poetry with Kong Yinzhi and other scions of the Confucian scholarly families of Qufu. He seemed quite engrossed. Facing the still mostly barren wilderness with little greenery and a few dilapidated villages, they would occasionally chant a few lines, suddenly creating a very literary atmosphere.
Of course, after finishing official business, they had to tour the mountains and enjoy the scenery, even though there wasn’t much to see in winter.
But what surprised Yang Xin was that within Liu Shimin’s incomplete body, there actually resided the soul of a literary enthusiast, who insisted on coming to this Nishan Mountain to get a touch of the aura of the sages.
He wondered where this sage aura came from in this biting wind.
“Eunuch Liu enjoys this very thing. Don’t underestimate him. He’s the writing brush of the Directorate of Ceremonial. He knows many of its secrets. And he’s not from an ordinary family either. He says he’s from a Military Household, but actually his family held a hereditary position as Assistant Imperial Guard Commander. His father even served as a Deputy General of the Liaoyang garrison.
As for why he entered the palace, we don’t know.
But he could read and write from a young age and was quite good at writing. As soon as he entered the palace, he was taken under the wing of the then Seal-holding Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, Chen Ju. After Chen Ju’s death, he remained in the Directorate of Ceremonial. Because of his good writing and with his family’s support outside, several successive Seal-holding Eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial trusted him greatly. Although his rank wasn’t high, his words carried real weight in the Directorate. I suspect he felt some regret, thinking that if he hadn’t entered the palace, he might have passed the imperial exams and become a Jinshi. That’s why he likes to mingle with scholars.”
Xu Xianchun explained.
Yang Xin immediately wore a look of astonishment.
So, this was a military family scion. That he could still enter the palace showed that those who beat the Petition Drum protesting they couldn’t become eunuchs weren’t exaggerating. What’s wrong with being a eunuch? It was a pretty hot career.
“Who goes there!”
Suddenly, an Imperial Guard shouted from behind.
Yang Xin and the other man quickly turned around. They saw a young man standing not far away among the pine trees sloping down the mountainside. Set against the background of dense woods, he looked rather out of place. Behind him was a deep, dark forest green. The forbidden area of Nishan Mountain, sealed off by the Kong family, resembled a primeval forest.
“Honored officials, which one among you is the righteous Yang who kills the Jiannu? This lowly one heard Righteous Yang was here and wished to join his service, to follow him to Liaodong to kill the Jiannu and bring glory to my ancestors!”
The man bowed respectfully.
“Well, this is a rare occurrence!”
Yang Xin said with a laugh.
This was actually the first time he had encountered someone actively seeking to join him.
The man stood there looking at them. The Imperial Guards who had initially moved to drive him away stopped. Along with Xu Xianchun, they watched him. Yang Xin, unaccustomed to putting on official airs, walked straight over, standing before him and looking him up and down. The latter also looked at him curiously.
“I am Yang Xin. If you want to follow me to kill the Jiannu, I’ll need to see your skills first.”
Yang Xin said, satisfied.
“You are truly Righteous Yang?”
The man asked, sounding somewhat doubtful.
“What, I don’t look the part?”
Yang Xin laughed.
Those folk tales had long fictionalized him into someone almost on par with Lord Guan. It wasn’t strange to be a bit unbelieving upon first meeting.
“If you are Righteous Yang, that’s good. As for this lowly one’s skills…”
The man suddenly revealed a strange smile.
“This lowly one knows nothing else, only how to kill!”
As he finished speaking, he suddenly crouched down.
Almost simultaneously, from the dense woods behind him, accompanied by a faint sound, two crossbow bolts shot out abruptly. One aimed for Yang Xin’s face, the other for his heart. Whistling through the air, they arrived in an instant. The wooden-fletched bolts shot by a powerful crossbow had an initial speed far exceeding that of a strong bow. At a distance of less than twenty meters, even with Yang Xin’s reaction speed, it was a bit late. Amidst the startled cries from behind, he jerked his head sideways almost the moment the upper bolt arrived. That bolt grazed past his ear. But he couldn’t dodge the lower one.
It was just that Yang Xin’s left arm, which had been in front of him, instinctively rose.
The incredibly powerful crossbow bolt pierced straight through his forearm, then plunged into his fur robe, penetrated the cotton padding inside, and drove into his chest, finally embedding itself in his sternum as its force was spent.
Yang Xin was knocked staggering backward.
The crouching man suddenly lunged forward. A Triangular Awl appeared in his hand, streaking with a cold glint as it thrust straight for Yang Xin’s throat.
Yang Xin’s right hand instantly caught the Triangular Awl.
Still off-balance, he violently twisted his body. At the same moment, he wrenched his right hand with all his strength. His immense force actually made the Triangular Awl flip direction.
The hilt also tore free from the assassin’s grasp.
The assassin, unable to halt his momentum, maintained his lunging posture and slammed right onto the reversed awl tip. The Triangular Awl accurately pierced his neck. With Yang Xin’s right hand pressing forward, the man was flipped backward as if he had ridden a bike at high speed into a barrier pole, slamming hard onto the ground.
“Quick, seize the assassins!”
The slow-to-react Xu Xianchun cried out in alarm.
Before the equally slow-reacting Imperial Guards could move forward, two figures draped in pine branches suddenly burst out from the deep green of the forest. One raised his hand and fired a crossbow bolt, then, without checking if it hit, chased after his companion who had already started fleeing, both plunging deep into the woods. Yang Xin looked down, casually pulled out the Triangular Awl, took brief aim, and hurled it forcefully. The Triangular Awl sliced through the air at a speed rivaling a crossbow bolt, instantly disappearing into the back of the fleeing man. This man immediately let out a shriek and fell. But the one who had fled first vanished into the forest.
“Don’t chase!”
Yang Xin stopped Xu Xianchun who was about to give chase.
Because Nishan Mountain was a forbidden area sealed by the Kong family, it was mostly dense forest. Although Nishan wasn’t large, it was still over ten square kilometers of mountainous woodland.
This area wasn’t exactly a peaceful place.
“Brother Yang, you…”
Xu Xianchun stared in shock at his chest.
The crossbow bolt was still pinning Yang Xin’s left arm to his own chest. This armor-piercing bolt shot from a powerful crossbow had tremendous penetrating force. Although it didn’t hit the bone in his arm directly, it had completely pierced his forearm. Combined with the part embedded in his chest, it was firmly lodged in his sternum. The whole scene looked rather gruesome.
“I won’t die from this!”
Yang Xin said irritably.
This injury was indeed nothing much to him. However, the whole affair was still infuriating. The mighty Righteous Yang, invincible on the battlefield, had been bitten by an ant on Nishan Mountain. This grievance had to be avenged, and with brutal retaliation at that. He remained in that posture, then crouched beside the assassin. This man’s neck was pierced by the Triangular Awl. If it hadn’t been pulled out, he might have lasted a bit longer, but pulling it out finished him completely. The ground beneath him was stained red with blood. Due to rapid blood loss, he was actually in his final moments. His gaze was unfocused, fixed on the sky above. His mouth kept moving, muttering something. Yang Xin leaned down to listen carefully. Soon, the man’s head lolled to the side, and he breathed his last…
“‘Ascend to the Western Heaven’?”
Yang Xin turned his head, puzzled.
“What did he mean by ‘Ascend to the Western Heaven’? Although we’re all used to sending others to the Western Heaven, usually no one uses that phrase for themselves, right?”
He added immediately.
“Ascend to the Western Heaven?”
Xu Xianchun’s face changed.
“The Incense-Smelling Sect. They are from the Incense-Smelling Sect. People of the Incense-Smelling Sect refer to death as ‘ascending to the Western Heaven’.”
He continued urgently.
“The Incense-Smelling Sect? The one from Shifokou?”
Yang Xin said.
“That Wang Sen was arrested and died in prison long ago. Shifokou just has some law-abiding clan members of the Wang family. However, most of his trusted associates and followers fled and scattered. The court hasn’t stopped pursuing them over the years, but with little success. These bandits hide among the common people. Unless they come out and cause trouble, they’re hard to catch. But why would they assassinate you? You have no grudge with them. It would be normal if the Jiannu assassinated you, but they shouldn’t have any collusion with the Jiannu.”
Xu Xianchun said, puzzled.
That Incense-Smelling Sect didn’t just hide among the people; back then, Wang Sen openly took disciples right in the capital!
“They probably also take assassination contracts, right?”
Yang Xin said.
He was already vaguely guessing what was going on.
“You mean someone hired them? That’s possible. These desperate outlaws will do anything. If someone really paid them a huge sum, and their leader gave the order, selecting a few followers who see death as ‘ascending to the Western Heaven to enjoy bliss,’ they could really do something like this. Speaking of which, the Kong family’s work is too sloppy. Their prestigious forbidden mountain actually became a bandit den, and they dared to openly assassinate an imperial envoy. What a bunch of useless fools!”
Xu Xianchun said, with a pointed tone.
By then, Kong Yinzhi, Liu Shimin, and the others had also come running over in a panic.
Without another word, Yang Xin gave Xu Xianchun a meaningful look, then simply collapsed right into his arms…
“Brother Yang! Brother Yang! Quick, quick, save him!”
Xu Xianchun’s heart-rending scream suddenly echoed across the empty expanse of Nishan Mountain.