Chapter Thirty-Eight: Imperial Twilight

"What if, this rat is the last soldier?"

"The last soldier? I didn't expect your old man to be the last soldier. โ€

"I don't know him, but I need to find him. โ€

"Is it for Jin Huang?"

"You know Jin Huang, it seems that you pay more attention to the last soldier than I thought. โ€

"Of course, he is so big in Yisang, we don't want to pay attention to it. It's just that what are you looking for Jin Huang for? Since he is already dead, Jin Huan has inherited the throne. You are looking for Jin Huang, did Jin Huanchen send you to cut the grass and eradicate the roots? No, you just said that it was for personal matters, but what private affairs do you have?"

"Don't bother with it, we're just talking about the deal now. โ€

"Okay, don't ask what you shouldn't. In that year, Yan Hong surrendered to the Xiling Empire, left his sister Yan Yu in Yisang as a hostage, and led the remnants of the Jiyan mercenary group to operate in the border areas of the empire, as a subsidiary organization of the Mei Ministry. โ€

"Later, during an operation outside the empire, the charm was attacked by the Jiyan mercenary group, and one of the charms was killed and the target was snatched. Yan Hong betrayed the empire and established the Jiyan War Mercenary Regiment, and later joined the war of the Three Kingdoms Coalition against the ancient kingdom of Jingchuan. The empire is very annoyed, and the charm department gathers men and horses, preparing to get rid of this guy once and for all and recapture the target. Just then, the Last Soldier approached us, hoping to make a deal with us in order to unleash the Rain. โ€

"The rest of the story will be clear. The last soldier infiltrated the coalition camp on the night you were born, killed Yan Hong, retrieved the target, and came to Yisang to exchange for Yan Yu. On that night, Jin Huang was given to Yan Hong by Jin Huan, and the last soldier also rescued her. โ€

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Qian Ying interrupted Xi suddenly.

"What?" Xi was stunned for a moment, "I said, the last soldier also rescued her." โ€

"No, the previous sentence. โ€

"Jin Huang was given to Yan Hong by Jin Huan. You don't always think that Jin Huang went to assassinate Yan Hong by himself, right?" Xi suddenly realized and sneered, "I really think highly of Jin Huanchen's trust in you. โ€

"Y-How do you know?" found her voice trembling.

"Who am I? I am the Imperial Envoy. You know better than me how chaotic Jingchuan was at that time, how can you resist the infiltration of the charm general. โ€

"Then why did he do it?"

"How can you ask such a question? First, to get rid of your own competitors, and second, to try to reach an agreement with Yan Hong to let the Ji Yan mercenary group withdraw its troops. In the face of power, there is no room for affection. โ€

"Are you provoking?"

"What?" Xi thought the guy in front of him was weird, "What do you mean?"

"No, nothing. Let's move on to the last soldiers. โ€

Xi glanced at Qian Ying with strange eyes, of course he wouldn't know that the Qian Ying in front of him was Qi, and there were only five people in the world who knew this secret: Qi, Jin Huang, Jin Huanchen, Qi Rang and Mo Cang. No, there is one more missing, that is, Min'er, who was told all the secrets by Qi Rang, that is, Yanyu. As for whether Yan Yu told the last soldier about this, no one knows.

"When the last soldier came to Yisang, Jin Huang was also by his side, and he also brought a companion. Later, his companions brought Jin Huang out of Yisang safely, and covered the retreat of the last soldiers. After the last soldier picked up Yanyu, he still stayed in the Xiling Empire and fought with my people. He seems to be investigating us, and he wants to know our purpose. โ€

In other words, the last soldier is still in Xiling. โ€

"No, he just left. โ€

"Just left?"

"Did you contact the envoy of the Ministry of Industry who fornicated with Jingchuan? You also released the news? Just to see me?"

"Yes. โ€

"That's a coincidence. Calculate the time, when you arranged all this, the last soldier had just left Xiling. I've answered everything you want to ask, and it's time for you to pay for it. โ€

"Oh, does the Admiral want to be paid? The Admiral shouldn't have told me everything first. โ€

"I'm telling you those things first to show my sincerity in the deal. I have more valuable information for you to trade with me, but you have to pay first. โ€

"What's the pay?"

"Come with me to Yisang, help me kill someone, but before the time comes. โ€

"Sounds dangerous, what information is worth the risk?"

"How about I help you find the last soldier?"

"Sounds like a good deal, help you kill someone?"

Xi whispered a word in Qian Ying's ear. Hearing this, Qian Ying's fingers holding the trident suddenly tightened, looked at Xi and asked, "This, is what Shan Huai Yi meant?"

"No, that's what I meant. You also said that this trip is for private matters. You don't represent Jingchuan, and I don't represent Xiling. Xi was very calm.

"You're the Charm Minister. โ€

"I joined the Charm Department to be today, and I'm not a loyal servant. By the way, are you?"

"Who the hell are you?"

Xi took off her ghost mask, revealing a disgusting face.

"I'm a sinner. โ€

ยทยทยทยทยทยท

Yisang Palace City, Shouming Palace, red petals are chaotic. In the courtyard, Qianying danced with a wide wooden sword, and the sword qi drove the fluttering falling flowers, like a red silk flying on the stage against the backdrop of the setting sun.

"It's beautiful. A voice came from the fence.

Liu Xiaoya stopped from the sword dance, looked at Ying Yanshu lying on the wall, flicked her long hair, and asked pretending not to care, "Is it me or flowers?"

"Of course it's spent. What kind of flower is this?" Ying Yanshu smiled heartlessly.

"I don't know. Liu Xiaoya rolled her eyes at Ying Yanshu, "This is the red luan willow that only exists on the border of the empire." When I returned to Yisang from the border guards, I deliberately brought its seeds back as a memory. โ€

"It turned out that it was not a tree species from the Chuoze River basin. No wonder, even the floral scent is different. โ€

"You came just in time, and some of the flowers are still starting to thank. If it is the first time that the flowers are blooming, the fragrance of pollen is strongest at that time. Liu Xiaoya stuck the wooden sword on the ground, "Why did you come so early this time? It's not dark yet, aren't you afraid of being discovered by the guards?"

"I'm not a bad person, I'm just coming to see my friends, so why do I have to come at night. Speaking of guards, if you don't let me in, I'm going to be discovered. โ€

"Then you just come in, I didn't stop you, inexplicable. โ€

"You close your eyes. โ€

"What do you mean?"

"I'll give you a gift. โ€

"You're almost twenty-five, aren't you? โ€

"You close your eyes first. โ€

"You brought my Soul Sword with you?" Liu Xiaoya smiled helplessly.

Hearing this, Ying Yanshu's expression froze, his head silently disappeared from the wall, and after a while, he turned over from the wall with a heavy sword on his back.

"Give it to me, childish. โ€

Ying Yanshu handed the heavy sword to Liu Xiaoya expressionlessly. Liu Xiaoya picked up the heavy sword with just one hand and cushioned it.

The evening breeze blew, and a few fallen flowers fell from the red luan willows in the courtyard. The tips of Liu Xiaoya's ears moved, and her delicate body turned, bringing up a sharp sword. The cold light flashed, and the falling flowers were cut in half and fluttered in the wind.

"Long time no see, old friend. Liu Xiaoyan stroked the blade of the Cangluo Sword, "You stole it, did you leave any flaws?"

"Am I that stupid? I stole a bunch of other unnamed weapons and set them on fire. No one else can see that I'm going for the Firmament Sword. โ€

Liu Xiaoya put the Cangluo Sword behind her back, walked up to Ying Yanshu, straightened his collar, and said, "Thank you." โ€

"When have you been polite? I'm not used to it. โ€

"You've been coming to me every few months for the past few years, why?"

"Isn't that what you agreed when you saved me?"

"Really. Liu Xiaoya rolled her eyes, "This is not the answer that women want to hear." โ€

Ying Yanshu smiled awkwardly and pretended not to understand.

"You brought the Cangluo Sword this time, can you still agree to my request?"

"What?"

Liu Xiaoya hesitated for a moment, then made up her mind and said, "Find an opportunity to take me away from this place." โ€

"Uhยทยทยทยทยทยท" Ying Yanshu stammered suddenly, "This, I'm afraid, I'm afraid it's difficult." โ€

Seeing this, Liu Xiaoya's eyes showed a hint of disappointment, and she pretended to smile naturally: "When I didn't say it." โ€

"Yes, I'm sorry. โ€

"Forget it, tell me the story of the bridge tonight, but remember to leave before the hour. โ€