My Brother is the Villain 010

These remarks were somewhat unbearable for Zhu Wanli. He understood well enough that as long as these men could throw their weight around and eat and drink to their hearts' content, they had no desire to follow him in a rebellion. He also vaguely guessed Tang Zhilin's intention: the man wanted to gradually erode their fighting spirit! What a vicious scheme!

Right at this critical juncture, a subordinate delivered a piece of news.

The Governor would be arriving in Fancheng for an inspection in a few days.

Zhu Wanli's eyes lit up. If they killed this Governor, he could not only rally his men's hearts once more but also remind the common people of their identity as righteous rebels. As for Tang Zhilin... Zhu Wanli narrowed his eyes. Once the Governor died, Tang would inevitably be held responsible!

By then, Fancheng would fall into chaos once again, and he could seize back control.

That very day, Zhu Wanli used heavy-handed tactics to summon all the ringleaders. The hardliners were thrilled, while the hedonists were visibly displeased. However, under the threats of Zhu Wanli and his loyalists, they reluctantly agreed to the plan.

What puzzled Zhu Wanli slightly was that Tang Zhilin seemed completely indifferent to their movements. But time was running out, so he could only assume that Tang was too engrossed in wine and women to notice.

A few days later, the Governor arrived right on schedule. The procession was grand, but as the entourage marched down the main street, their path was suddenly blocked by an ox cart. Immediately after, several assassins sprang into action.

Zhu Wanli sat on the top floor of a tavern, watching everything unfold. When he saw Fang Zhiyi, who was not originally part of the plan, actually leading the charge against the Governor with a covered face, he felt a flicker of doubt. But a moment later, he shook his head. He had thought this fellow had some brains, but it turned out he was just as naive. Where in this world were there indestructible allies? There were only interests. He wanted more power, and now the Dragon Slaying Society had money. Even if he could not confront Tang Zhilin directly, he would let the imperial court take care of him!

When the time came, the Dragon Slaying Society would rise in revolt once more, and achieving imperial dominance would be but a matter of days! As for this Fang Zhiyi... he had tolerated him for a long time, and he had to die too. So what if his martial arts were formidable? Without a brain, he was nothing.

He picked up his teacup and took a leisurely sip. Tang Zhilin was a meticulous schemer who thought he could trap the Dragon Slaying Society with wealth. Fortunately, he had woken up early. Tang Zhilin, oh Tang Zhilin, you never saw this coming, did you?

Meanwhile, in a teahouse, a hall master of the Dragon Slaying Society was introducing new tea to an honest-looking merchant sitting across from him. Assassinate the Governor? Why bother when making money was so much better? The merchant clearly looked like an out-of-towner, constantly wiping the sweat from his face with a handkerchief.

At the Wanli Pawnshop, a ringleader was receiving two wandering martial artists who had come to join them. We have an operation today, and the Dragon Slaying Society is in need of manpower right now. You two have nothing to worry about. The two raggedly dressed wanderers surveyed their surroundings and nodded.

Inside a low-roofed shack used for human trafficking, a short man was complaining. What is the point of all this fighting and killing? Do they not understand that it is better to enjoy the shade under a big tree? Just then, someone pushed the door open and entered. He immediately stood up. You are here to buy servants, right? Come this way! You are in luck today. My assistants are out running errands, so I will serve you personally.

The Second Boss of the Dragon Slaying Society, a master swordsman, paused in front of a candied hawthorn stall. His sharp eyes gazed at the commotion in the distance. He was here for two purposes: first, to assess the situation and decide whether to provide backup; and second, if the opportunity arose, to intercept and kill Fang Zhiyi or Tang Zhilin! He gripped the hilt of his sword. He had absolute confidence in his swordsmanship.

Inside the teahouse, the merchant slowly withdrew his hand. A few drops of fresh blood dripped from a delicate dagger. The hall master who had wanted to do business slowly slumped forward onto his own tea leaves, his blood gradually seeping into the product.

At the Wanli Pawnshop, the two ragged martial artists walked out the front doors, panting heavily. Behind them lay several corpses with eyes wide open in death. Once outside, the two men split up, one going left and the other right.

The ringleader in charge of human trafficking stared with wide, unblinking eyes. A large hole had been torn through his stomach. The guests who had just entered were shooing the little girls out of the room, signaling that they were free. Before leaving, they set fire to the low, dilapidated wooden house.

The Second Boss clutched his throat, several sugar-coated hawthorns scattered at his feet. The vendor who had been selling the candied hawthorns clutched a wound on his own abdomen, but glared fiercely as he shoved his bamboo skewer forcefully forward. The Second Boss abruptly drew his sword, but suddenly, several other vendors walked past behind him—a pear seller, a sugar-figure maker, and a man carrying a large bundle. By the time they walked past, the Second Boss slowly fell to his knees, several bloody holes appearing on his body.

At that same moment, Zhu Wanli spat out a mouthful of blood. He looked in horror at the waiter walking over with a teapot. You, who are you?

The waiter shook his head. I am the waiter, the one pouring tea.

You... Another mouthful of black blood spilled from his lips.

Our lord asked me to bring you a message.

Zhu Wanli finally realized that he was doomed. He flailed his hands wildly.

Rebels are ultimately just rebels. Do not always delude yourself into thinking you are good people.

Zhu Wanli's face turned a livid purple, and he completely lost his breath.

Multiple carefully orchestrated assassinations were playing out simultaneously across the city.

The Governor's escort was strong. Some of the Dragon Slaying Society assassins had been reluctant to participate in the first place, and seeing the situation, they tried to flee, only to be killed on the run. The remaining men fought desperately, and for a time, the battle reached a stalemate.

Tang Zhilin! Tang Zhilin, you bastard! To think these rebels dare to attack me in the streets! I will see you punished for this! The Governor was furious.

Tang Zhilin had just demanded troops from him, and now these rebels dared to attack him in broad daylight!

Fortunately, this disorganized mob soon began to lose ground.

Just then, a large contingent of troops rapidly approached.

The Governor breathed a sigh of relief. Tang Zhilin! Do you still have any respect for me? You should know that without me, you would still be begging for food!

Tang Zhilin slowly stood up. He had started with nothing; all he had was a heart that yearned for wealth and glory.

He waved his hand.

The Governor was stunned. What are you doing? Kneel!

Fire!

The Governor's screams were drowned out by a rain of arrows. In the past, these soldiers might not have listened to Tang Zhilin, but now, they were his private army!

The escort guards were extremely loyal, uniformly stepping in front of the Governor to block the volley. This single shower of arrows wiped out both the Dragon Slaying Society assassins and the Governor's escort together.

Tang Zhilin! You ungrateful dog! The Governor was not dead; the guards in front of him had used their bodies to block the arrows. He cursed furiously, never expecting that upon his arrival he would first face a rebel assassination attempt, and then nearly be sent to his grave by his own subordinate!

But he soon stopped shouting. A figure landed in front of him. Fang Zhiyi raised an eyebrow. Hello, Governor. Goodbye, Governor.

In the distance, watching the figure fleeing with a severed head in hand, Tang Zhilin shouted. The rebel has killed the Governor! After him!

After him! The soldiers shouted loudly, but their movements were sluggish. A newcomer ran slightly too fast and was promptly kicked in the backside by a veteran soldier behind him.

Tang Zhilin let out a long breath and muttered to himself, "The stakes were set too high... but I like it." He still remembered how his knees had gone weak with fear when Fang Zhiyi first proposed this insane plan. But Fang Zhiyi had been right; it was the only path to survival. The imperial court was currently riddled with factions, and the emperor was utterly incompetent. Even though Tang Zhilin was a Commander, there was no telling when he might be turned into someone else's scapegoat or stepping stone.

Perhaps, from the moment he decided to walk this path, his fate had been sealed—if it had not been for Zhiyi...

Now, almost all the ringleaders of the Dragon Slaying Society had been purged, and Tang Zhilin had conveniently confiscated all the properties under the society's name. As case after case related to the Dragon Slaying Society was reopened and retried, Tang Zhilin's reputation reached its absolute peak.

He finally began to understand why Fang Zhiyi did the things he did. Yet, despite this understanding, he would still grumble, "Still, using your fists is a bit more direct."

Fang Zhiyi would feel a wave of exasperation at his friend's thickheadedness. If they had truly relied solely on their fists, the grass on their graves would be ten feet tall by now.

In the thirty-first year of the Wei Dynasty, the Governor of Jinan was assassinated by rebels. The soldiers under the Commander of Fancheng suffered heavy casualties. The Commander petitioned the throne for troops and provisions to quell the rebellion, and the imperial court dispatched an army of ten thousand men to reinforce him.

That same year, the general of the reinforcing army was killed by "rebels," and the command of the army changed hands.

The following year, Fancheng Commander Tang Zhilin raised an army of tens of thousands and launched a rebellion.

In the thirty-third year of the Wei Dynasty, the emperor passed away. The political landscape fell into turmoil, and uprisings erupted across the land.

In the thirty-fourth year of the Wei Dynasty, the notorious Dragon Slaying Society was entirely annihilated. Tipped off by the common folk, Tang Zhilin's army surrounded the desperadoes. The outlaws vainly attempted to use their martial arts to resist the military's slaughter, but dozens were shot down by heavy crossbows. The Chief Helmsman, Zhu Qingqing, went missing.

In the forty-first year of the Wei Dynasty, the Wei Dynasty collapsed. Tang Zhilin swept away the remaining rebel factions, established the Tang Dynasty, and ascended the throne as Emperor. His sworn brother, Fang Zhiyi, resolved to resign from official duties. Tang Zhilin bestowed upon him the title of Prince of Changle, making him the only prince of equal standing to the emperor in the entire history of the Tang Dynasty.

Note: Unofficial histories rumor that in the second year of the Tang Dynasty, the Prince of Changle, Fang Zhiyi, borrowed thirty thousand troops to besiege a martial arts sect. What transpired that day remains forever unknown.