Galloping Towards the Princess's Mansion (A Five-Thousand-Character Chapter)

From the matter of Sun Ming.

Yang An deeply understood a truth.

When you're out mingling, you need to rely on your background!

Princess Anle, this super invincible beautiful leg, couldn't be used directly. Changing his face, Yang An knocked on the door of Wang Gou'er's house.

Afraid of danger inside.

He roughened his voice, altering his original vocal cords.

Using a tiger's skin as a banner, he shouted loudly, "I am a student under Chief Jiang of the Imperial College, specially here to assist the Martial Marquis Guard in investigating a case! Open the door quickly!"

Yang An's shouting was loud.

Keke, sitting in the bronze carriage, heard it clearly.

She, who was taking small sips of water, couldn't hold it back and choked out a snot bubble.

Lifting the curtain of the carriage.

Looking at Yang An, who was standing in front of Wang Gou'er's door with his hands on his hips and his head held high, Keke laughed and chided at the same time, "I didn't expect Big Brother to be this kind of person! I thought he was as serious as he looked on the outside!"

After shouting.

Waiting for a while, there was no response at all from Wang Gou'er's house.

The door remained tightly shut.

Yang An recalled the information about Chief Jiang that he had just coaxed out of Keke in the bronze carriage.

He continued to shout arrogantly, "Our Chief Jiang Chunxi is the head of the Elixir, Military, and Law Academies of the Imperial College! Are you looking down on our Chief Jiang by not opening the door? I've long heard that your Wang family has done all kinds of bad things! Seeing it today proves it's true! If you don't open the door, I'm going to force my way in!"

Keke in the bronze carriage laughed so hard her stomach hurt.

"Hahaha, why is Big Brother like this? He's so bad!"

Shouting like this for a while.

But no one in Wang Gou'er's mansion paid attention to Yang An. It was as silent as an empty residence.

Could it be that no one is there?

Or are they deliberately pretending not to be?

Something was very wrong.

Yang An exercised extreme caution, drew the dagger from his waist, slipped it through the crack in the door, and slashed hard. The bolt blocking the door was easily cut like soft paper!

With a clang!

It broke in two and fell to the ground.

Afraid of a sneak attack, Yang An immediately jumped back a zhang. Seeing that there was still no movement at the door, he emboldened himself and pushed it open.

The moment the door opened.

A faint smell of blood drifted over. A bad premonition immediately rose in Yang An's heart, and he immediately raised his guard.

He gripped the dagger tightly in his right hand.

Holding a blue talisman paper in his left, he walked into the courtyard.

After a few steps, he saw several corpses of servants lying in the snow from a distance, the snow beneath them dyed red with blood.

Someone died!

Yang An's expression changed drastically. Carrying his dagger, he hurriedly ran towards Wang Gou'er's mansion. On the way, he saw corpses of young servants and maids lying in pools of blood.

More dazzling than the winter plum blossoms!

Without looking further.

Yang An quickly ran past the courtyard to the main house of the Wang family. The door of the main house was not closed. Walking into the house, he saw that the maids and young servants in the house were also dead.

Besides them.

Yang An also saw a young woman dressed in a brocade dress lying on the table. There was a bloody gash as deep as a finger on the woman's slender neck.

Blood gushed from the wound.

Wetting the table and dyeing half of her dress.

Although this woman was dead, it could be seen that she looked good when she was alive. Yang An thought to himself: This must be Wang Gou'er's wife, the woman who filed a false complaint against him.

He walked closer.

Turning over the woman lying on the table to check her breathing, she had completely stopped breathing and was already dead.

Dead through and through.

"I'm still too late. Wang Gou'er's wife is dead. Now the clues are completely cut off. I can't determine if someone is plotting against me behind the scenes anymore."

Touching the bloodstains on the woman's body.

Yang An's eyes widened slightly, discovering that despite the cold weather, the bloodstains on Wang Gou'er's wife still had some warmth.

"She died recently!"

Realizing this.

Yang An's heart stirred, and he immediately ran out of the courtyard.

Returning to the bronze carriage.

Seeing him return in such a hurry, Keke thought he had encountered some danger in the courtyard. She asked nervously, "Big Brother, what happened?"

No time to explain to Keke.

Yang An panted heavily and said, "I'll tell you later! Keke, accompany me to a place, Zheng Huaiyi's house! Quick, otherwise it'll be too late! Quick!"

With the death of Wang Gou'er's wife, the clues were completely cut off!

Unless he could directly find the killer!

And Wang Gou'er and Zheng Huaiyi were in cahoots. Since Wang Gou'er had just been exterminated, the killer's next target might be Zheng Huaiyi's house!

The white deer pulling the carriage was extremely intelligent.

After learning the address from Yang An, it began to run towards Zheng Huaiyi's house. Zheng Huaiyi had made a fortune by monopolizing medicinal materials in Yunzhou, and lived in a high-class neighborhood.

Although it was not close to the Jinfeng Neighborhood.

In just a few quarters of an hour, the bronze carriage rustled through the snow and wind, rolling over the slushy ground, bringing Yang An and Keke to Zheng Huaiyi's door.

Just as they arrived.

Yang An hastily jumped off the carriage. Looking around, the situation at Zheng Huaiyi's house was exactly the same as Wang Gou'er's!

In broad daylight, the doors were tightly shut.

Thinking that the killer might be inside killing people right now.

Yang An didn't knock on the door anymore.

Drawing his dagger, he slashed the door bolt with a swish and rushed into the courtyard.

Unfortunately, he was still a step late!

The servants in Zheng Huaiyi's house were already dead, and there were also corpses with warmth lying in the snowy courtyard.

Just as Yang An thought he was too late.

A scream suddenly came from the inner courtyard!

The killer hasn't left yet!

Yang An, holding the blue talisman paper, hurriedly rushed towards the sound. Running out of a small path and turning his head, he saw the young servants and maids serving tea clutching their necks, lying haphazardly on the ground in a pavilion next to a rockery!

Blood flowed all over the ground!

In the pool of blood, a man in black was holding a boy of about fourteen or fifteen. The boy's left arm was twisted like fried dough twist and dripping with blood. The scream just now was obviously from him.

The man in black interrogated, "Where is the account book? Speak quickly!"

As soon as he finished speaking.

Hearing the footsteps, the man in black suddenly turned his head, locking eyes with Yang An who had just run over!

He didn't expect there to be survivors in the Zheng family.

The masked man in black was astonished, but the long knife in his hand didn't hesitate at all. With a "puchi", it pierced the boy's heart. Pulling out the knife, he threw the boy aside like a broken sack!

Then he jumped out of the pavilion.

Leaping several zhang.

Slashing down from mid-air towards Yang An's forehead. The man in black attacked extremely decisively, using a killing move right from the start. Yang An had no time to think and hastily activated the ten-times combat power of [Offending Tai Sui], raising his dagger to block!

However, even with the ten-times combat power boost.

At the moment the long knife collided with the dagger, the opponent concealed his identity and didn't even activate his Divine Aspect. Under the huge gap in strength, Yang An felt that his right hand holding the dagger was about to be shattered!

In an instant, he was sent flying several zhang away.

His back smashed heavily onto the floor tiles, creating a spider-web-like crack a zhang long!

His internal organs were severely shaken, and Yang An bled from his nose and mouth!

The masked man in black had a look of disdain in his eyes.

Before Yang An could get up, he had already chased up to Yang An at a speed almost invisible to the naked eye, the long knife in his hand piercing towards Yang An's neck!

If this strike hit, he would definitely die!

Feeling the threat of death!

Yang An reversed his wrist, and before the long knife fell, he threw out the blue talisman paper he had kept in his hand, ready to be activated at any time!

Swish!

The moment he threw it.

The "Cold" character, as aloof and chilly as its owner, on the blue talisman paper instantly burst forth with an awe-inspiring light as pale as snow.

Within the light lay an unimaginable chill.

In just the blink of an eye, it froze the surrounding air, forming an octagonal ice flower in front of Yang An!

The black-clad, masked man's arm, thrusting his saber downward, was instantly frozen by this octagonal ice flower!

With a crack, the ice flower began to shatter. Terror filled the eyes of the black-clad, masked man. He hastily stomped on the ground and sprang away from Yang An with a whoosh.

But he was ultimately half a step too late.

The moment the ice flower shattered.

His saber-wielding left hand, along with half of his arm and the long saber itself, shattered alongside the octagonal frost, turning into a sky full of icy mist!

In the blink of an eye, he had lost an arm.

When the black-clad man looked at Yang An again, his eyes were brimming with horror. Who was this yellow-faced brute?! He hadn't even cultivated True Essence, yet he possessed a Spirit-grade dharma talisman! And it was of the highest quality, damn it!

Yang An did a kip-up and rose from the ground.

Panting heavily, he stared at the black-clad, masked man and thought to himself: The blue talisman paper is used up. I absolutely cannot let this guy see through my bluff right now!

Otherwise, I'm definitely dead!

Yang An shouted coldly, I am a student of Chief Jiang of the Imperial College! Who are you, thief?! State your name and prepare to die!

The black-clad man was startled again upon hearing this.

How did the Imperial College suddenly get involved, and a disciple of Chief Jiang at that?! Does the Imperial College have nothing better to do?

While he was lost in shock and doubt.

Yang An reached into his robes and actually launched a fierce, suicidal charge at the black-clad man.

Thinking Yang An was going to use another dharma talisman.

The black-clad, masked man had no time to think. Having just survived at the cost of an arm, he reacted like a cat with its fur standing on end, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Stomping the ground.

He didn't dare clash with Yang An again. The black-clad, masked man sprang up vertically, leaping seventy to eighty feet onto a distant rooftop. Then, without looking back, he sped off into the distance, disappearing in the blink of an eye!

It took a long time to describe.

But the actual exchange lasted perhaps a single breath. In that brief moment, Yang An had walked right up to the gates of hell.

As the black-clad man completely vanished.

The breath Yang An had been holding suddenly released. In hindsight, he realized his shirt was soaked in cold sweat. Just as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and panted while pondering the identity of the black-clad man.

A faint voice came over: Please... please...

Yang An looked toward the sound.

He saw that the youth who had been pierced by the black-clad, masked man's sword was not completely dead yet, looking at him with a pleading gaze.

This youth looked somewhat similar to Zheng Huaiyi.

Based on his age, about fourteen or fifteen.

He should be of Zheng Huaiyi's grandchildren's generation. Seeing that he wasn't dead, Yang An was overjoyed and hurried over in a few large strides. He tore some clothes from a nearby corpse, balled them up, and pressed them against the wound on the youth's chest.

After applying simple first aid to stop the bleeding.

Yang An asked urgently, Answer my questions honestly and I'll save you! Who was that black-clad man?!

The youth said, Probably... the subordinate of some noble... My grandfather and Lord Gou have always worked for him... I don't know his name...

Why did he kill you?

Yang An was currently wearing the Thousand Illusions Mask, appearing as a yellow-faced brute. The Zheng family youth didn't recognize him and said bitterly, The mission... to kill Yang An and capture... Yang Ning alive failed...

Yang An: !!!

Suppressing the shock and fury in his heart, Yang An asked, Why do they want to capture Yang Ning?

We... we are the noble's dogs... We just need to do it... We don't need to know why... As he spoke, blood gushed from the youth's nose and mouth.

Feeling that he was about to die.

He suddenly pleaded urgently, Please! Please!

Previously, when buying medicine for his brother-in-law, he had been scammed by Zheng Huaiyi, and at the Wang Family Bank, Zheng Huaiyi had stabbed him with a spear.

Yang An utterly loathed that old dog Zheng Huaiyi.

Consequently, he hated his descendants as well. Yang An said coldly, I lied to you. I won't save you, and I can't possibly save you.

To his surprise, the youth shook his head.

With his heart mostly shredded, his eyes could no longer see clearly. He couldn't even make out Yang An's appearance, only seeing a blurry silhouette.

Harboring endless hatred.

The youth used his last shred of strength to pull a palm-sized ancient scroll from his robes and handed it in Yang An's direction, struggling to spit out his final words: No matter who you are... please... help my Zheng family get revenge... please!

After saying this, he just held up the ancient scroll.

And breathed his last.

Yang An remained silent for a moment before taking the rolled-up ancient scroll from the youth's hand and untying the silk thread binding it.

He opened it to look.

Instantly, a burst of dark yellow radiance exploded from the ancient scroll, followed by a fierce bird of prey lunging out from within. It was a small bird covered in crimson flames, spreading its wings and soaring into the sky.

Swirling fiery clouds!

Blazing light filling the sky!

Its radiant presence was like the mythical Vermilion Bird!

Yang An was forced to close his eyes and retreat a few steps by this astonishing, fierce aura.

A moment later, the illusion dissipated.

Opening his eyes, Yang An finally saw clearly that the red bird was drawn on the ancient scroll in his hand. Not only were its feathers red, but its claws, eyes, and even its beak were red, so lifelike it seemed alive!

Beside the ancient drawing was an annotation with its name: Blazing Finch!

Yang An was greatly alarmed and exclaimed, Could this be a Divine Aspect?! Looking at the bright yellow backlight drawn behind it, it should be a Yellow-grade Mortal Aspect, the same level as my brother-in-law's Heavenly Soldier Aspect!

This was his first time seeing a Divine Aspect diagram.

Driven by curiosity, Yang An took a few more glances.

His brain immediately began to sting with pain.

He could also feel a terrifying, scorching heat around his body, as if he were in a furnace that was going to melt him!

Greatly alarmed, Yang An hurriedly closed the Divine Aspect diagram.

He tied the silk cord.

He carefully put it back into his robes, planning to take it back to show his brother-in-law to see if there was any problem with this Divine Aspect diagram and if it could be cultivated.

The Zheng family members were all dead.

Staying here might be dangerous.

As Yang An prepared to leave, he caught from the corner of his eye that the youth, even after death, kept his eyes wide open, staring in his direction. He hesitated for a moment and said, The blood feud between your family and me is as deep as the sea; it's absolutely impossible for me to help your family get revenge. But the bastard behind that black-clad man wants to harm me, and wants to harm my sister. I will definitely kill him!

Having said that, Yang An didn't linger.

When he turned around, the unnamed youth closed his eyes.

Walking out of the Zheng family's main gate.

Keke, who was waiting by the carriage, hurriedly went up to meet him.

Noticing blood on Yang An, she cried out in alarm, Big brother, are you hurt?!

Yang An replied, No, I just took a fall, it's nothing serious. Speaking of which, I really have to thank you for the blue talisman paper you gave me, Miss Keke. I just encountered an assassin. If it weren't for this blue talisman blocking a hit for me, I'm afraid I would have lost my life. It's just that I can't return that blue talisman paper to you anymore.

Hearing that Yang An was assassinated.

Keke's heart instantly leaped into her throat.

Seeing that he was safe and sound, she slowly let it go and comforted him, It's fine, it's just a dharma talisman. My young lady can make as many of these things as she wants. The most important thing is that big brother is alright.

Yang An said righteously, "How could I do that? One thing is one thing, and another is another. Miss Keke, how much is this blue talisman paper worth? Can I pay you back in silver?" Saying so, he reached for the silver pouch at his waist.

Keke blinked her big eyes again and said, "I remember the last time a high-grade spirit talisman of my lady's made its way out of the Imperial Academy, it seemed to have sold at auction for over two thousand taels of gold."

Yang An: ...

He quietly put the money pouch he had just taken out back into his pocket.

He said, "Talking about money is too vulgar for our relationship. I owe you a favor, Miss Keke."

Keke giggled, "Why are you acting like a stranger, big brother? We've gone through life and death together. Forget about favors. As long as you come to the Imperial Academy to play with me when you have free time, I'll be very happy."

Keke was pure-hearted and very endearing.

Yang An, thinking that he would be taking the entrance exam for the Imperial Academy in a few days anyway, smiled and said, "Alright, I'll visit you at the Imperial Academy often from now on."

Keke threw her little hands up and cheered.

After a good while.

She asked excitedly, "Big brother, do you have anywhere else to go? Keke can drop you off!"

He had already bothered Keke for so long.

With his business concluded, Yang An felt bad troubling her further. Plus, his mind was currently swarming with thoughts and he needed some time alone to calm down. "The Imperial Academy is quite far, and it's getting late. I can't keep imposing on you, Miss Keke. You should head back first."

She didn't want to go back and read books in the slightest.

Keke hurriedly said, "Big brother, I'm fine! Let me drop you off!"

"I really don't need it."

"Alright then."

Keke got into the carriage, looking back at him with every step.

As soon as she sat down, she lifted the small curtain, leaned against the window, and pursed her small lips, saying, "Big brother, don't forget to come play with Keke."

Yang An agreed, "I will."

After Keke's carriage departed.

Yang An's expression suddenly turned grim. "Someone really is plotting against our family in the shadows!"

"Within a few days, my brother-in-law injured his waist, then Zheng Huaiyi immediately set a trap with the medicine. After that, Wang Gou'er came to snatch people, and Sun Ming arrested them... Now it seems this entire chain of events is inextricably linked to that man in black and the bastard behind him!"

"Who exactly is that bastard?!"

"Why is he so determined to harm me and my sister?"

"My sister and I have always been honest and dutiful. I'm just a frail scholar, and my sister is an ordinary woman, apart from being beautiful. Why would anyone want to harm us? What is the reason!?"

The warm sun felt freezing cold.

The chilly wind blowing through his hair felt like a knife.

Apart from a stomach full of confusion, the opponent's ability to set up such schemes made Yang An even more uneasy.

The mastermind behind all this hadn't even shown their face yet.

Yet they had nearly claimed the lives of his entire family several times. If it hadn't been for that tough-luck Zheng family youth, he still wouldn't even know of this person's existence!

This formless, invisible method.

It was like a chilling malice creeping out from hell.

It surged from all directions, threatening to drown Yang An. Even the surrounding air felt as thick as a swamp, tightly binding his body.

Yang An's face was so gloomy it looked as if water could drip from it.

He secretly pondered a countermeasure.

"That bastard can command an expert like the man in black, so his status must not be low. I haven't reached the Foundation Establishment stage yet, so I can't deal with him."

"As for the Imperial Academy..."

"Although I saved Keke once, they also saved me this time. We are even. If I go to them for help again, it would be exploiting past favors and showing a lack of tact."

"Right now, the only person I can ask for help is her!"

Thinking of that arrogant and wicked figure, Yang An bolted, sprinting wildly in the direction of Princess Anle's estate.

...

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A super-sized five-thousand-word chapter!

From now on, you're not allowed to say my chapters are too little! And definitely don't say I'm too short!!