Armor-Piercing Dart Technique, Chess Pieces Discarded!

Su Yang walked at the back of the convoy, maintaining a safe distance of three to five zhang from the convoy in front, his eyes scanning the deepening twilight on both sides of the road.

He turned aside to avoid everyone's gaze, his hands wrapped in burlap, and reached into the bundle behind him, touching the ball of cloth tightly wrapped in coarse burlap.

As he walked, he took advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention to untangle the cloth and quickly count the "gift" from his mortal enemy.

A leather waist pouch, it feels substantial in the hand.

Three uniquely shaped bronze triangular darts, cool to the touch.

A thin book carefully wrapped in oilcloth, with four characters in bold silver strokes on the cover: "The Art of Armor-Piercing Darts".

The small, coarse cloth money bag felt heavy in my hand. Inside were several irregularly cut pieces of silver, weighing about four ounces, plus several dozen polished five-zhu coins.

Two small porcelain bottles, each about an inch tall, with a warm, smooth surface, sealed with corks. A red paper label was affixed to each bottle, the ink characters of which were somewhat blurred, but the words "wound medicine" could still be discerned.

"Four taels of silver...and armor-piercing dart technique!"

"This trip was incredibly fruitful! It was definitely worth it!"

Su Yang's breathing quickened almost imperceptibly.

This four taels of silver was his salary for two whole months at the Huang residence.

Especially that book, "The Art of Armor-Piercing Darts," was exactly what he needed!

What he needs now is martial arts!

Su Yang suppressed his urge to look through it and put it into his bag, his eyes gradually brightening.

With the Armor-Piercing Dart Technique Manual, the top panel is a sure thing!

.........

As night fell, around 7:45 PM, the convoy finally staggered to Liujiazhuang.

The gates of the manor were tightly shut, and the lanterns newly hung on the wall cast a dim yellow halo in the thick night, illuminating the blood-stained armor and the panicked, exhausted faces of the convoy members in a dark and unclear way, adding to their sense of desolation.

"Who goes there? State your name!"

The greeting from the gatehouse was colder and more wary than expected, lacking any of the warmth one would expect when welcoming guests late at night.

"Wang Tiezhu, the bodyguard of the Huang family in Jingling, has been ordered to deliver goods here!"

Wang Tiezhu looked in the direction of the gate tower and called out in response.

A short while later, the gate opened a crack, and an old servant with gray hair and beard, dressed in clean cloth, peeked out. Seeing the bloodstains and disheveled state of the caravan, his face showed genuine pity: "Oh dear! What a disaster! Come in quickly, come in quickly! This old servant will go and report to the master of the manor right away!"

The old servant deftly led the caravan into the manor, loudly instructing the other servants to help arrange the carriages and horses, while he himself jogged off to report to the inner courtyard.

Just as the gate was slowly closing and about to be completely shut, Su Yang, who had been on high alert, caught a sharp glimpse out of the corner of his eye—in the shadows inside the gatehouse, there seemed to be several figures holding bows, silently flashing by.

The roads in the village were clean and the houses were tidy. Several servants who were passing by stopped and looked at the village with curiosity and sympathy, whispering things like "How miserable" and "What a bad year" to each other.

soon.

A middle-aged man dressed in a brown silk shirt, slightly plump, and with a prosperous appearance walked briskly in, surrounded by a group of people. It was none other than the manor owner, Liu Shiyuan.

His face showed concern and anxiety, and his gaze swept over everyone, lingering longest on Chen Le, whose arm was broken and whose face was pale.

"Guard Wang! Brothers! You've suffered on the journey!"

Liu Shiyuan stepped forward and grasped Wang Tiezhu's hand, his voice heavy with sorrow: "This world...sigh! Steward Li, quickly fetch Doctor Li! Be quick! Check on the other injured brothers as well!"

He then turned to Wang Tiezhu and said sincerely, "Guard Wang, your brothers are seriously injured. You absolutely must not travel any further tonight. If you don't mind, please stay at our manor and recuperate properly. Once your injuries have stabilized, you can return to the city tomorrow. All expenses and medicines will be covered by our manor!"

Wang Tiezhu glanced at the listless Chen Le, then at the other wounded brothers, and clasped his hands in a fist salute, saying, "Then we'll have to trouble Master Liu. I can't thank you enough for such a great favor."

"Not at all! The Huang family and the Liu family have a long-standing friendship; this is only natural!"

Liu Shiyuan waved his hand and personally directed his servants to arrange guest rooms and prepare hot water and meals, showing his thoughtfulness and enthusiasm.

.........

Night, 7 PM.

Why am I so unlucky?

Chen Le lay pale-faced on a simple bed in the large room, his fractures already bandaged and treated by Doctor Li.

Besides the excruciating pain, he was filled with lingering fear.

I almost died on that trip!

"How did that bastard Su Yang become so powerful?"

"He and I entered the Huang residence together!"

"Similar age, similar starting point! Why is it that you get the better deal?"

Chen Le's gaze involuntarily drifted to the next room, his eyes revealing deep jealousy and disbelief!

To know.

When he first entered the manor, Su Yang was thin and timid. He didn't dare to utter a word when I gave him a nickname!

Available today.

Su Yang was able to move freely in and out of the ambush by the men in black, and could take a life with a flash of his blade.

But here I am, lying here like a piece of trash.

The difference is... too big!

This moment.

Jealousy gnawed at his heart like a venomous snake. He angrily pounded the bed, but the blow aggravated his wound, causing him to grimace in pain and attracting the attention of the three guards in his room.

..........

Su Yang sat back on the wooden bed in the two-person room, the seat next to him was empty—Wang Tiezhu had just gotten up to go to the outhouse.

He was alone in the room, the oil lamp dim.

"The Armor-Piercing Dart Technique is in the bundle..."

He suppressed his impulse.

Wang Tiezhu may turn back at any time.

This dart-throwing technique must not be revealed.

"You can't watch it now... Just bear with it..."

Su Yang took a silent breath, forcefully suppressing that burning desire deep in his heart.

Immediately, he remembered the pebble that had saved the day, and how the men in black seemed to be looking for something.

Not for money, but to find something.

Those who dare to touch the Huang family, who are connected to the Duba Manor, must be seeking something extraordinary!

"And... the young master's unusual return to the manor and the transfer of elite guards... replaced with newly recruited guards to escort the cloth... could it be...?"

Su Yang's eyes showed a thoughtful expression. All the clues suddenly connected at this moment. In his mind, the answer was no longer something that was about to emerge, but rather something that fell coldly down.

"I see."

There was no anger, only a profound and deep-seated understanding.

Their convoy is probably just a front.

The genuine article has probably already gone elsewhere.

Their life or death, from the moment they received the goods, was no longer on the minds of those scheming individuals.

He suddenly felt something was absurd.

In the eyes of those who orchestrated this, the lives of these guards were like that cart of cloth—consumable materials that could be discarded at any time.

From the moment they left the Huang residence, they became pawns in the game.

And this is one of the laws of this world.

Weakness is the original sin.

The fate of a chess piece is never in its own hands.

Su Yang reached out and touched the knife beside his pillow, feeling the solid texture of the hilt.

He closed his eyes, and the last bit of tenderness from the past seemed to be completely sealed away along with the blood and enlightenment of this night.

He had no evidence; it was merely his speculation based on clues, and he could never reveal it.

Not only would it be of no benefit to tell others, but it could also bring unnecessary trouble or even death.

In this world, knowing too much and being powerless to protect oneself is a path to death.

He forcefully suppressed these turbulent thoughts, and his gaze returned to calm.

In any case, improving one's own strength is the only talisman in this chaotic world, and it is an irrefutable truth.

..........

The lamp wick popped with a "pop".

After relieving himself, Wang Tiezhu pushed open the door and came in, then bolted it shut behind him. Instead of returning to his own bed, he stood on the edge of the dim light between the two plank beds. The feeling in his chest was heavier than the hastily bandaged wound on his arm, making it difficult for him to straighten up in the low room and to breathe.

Su Yang leaned against the headboard of his bed, looking at the old nurse.

"today……"

Wang Tiezhu spoke, his voice rough, but lacking its usual deepness, instead sounding weak and unsteady, as if his soul hadn't yet recovered from the glint of the blade during the day: "Thank you."

Two words, yet they carry immense weight.

He took half a step forward, and the oil lamp finally illuminated his face—his usually dark and resolute face was now drained of color, his eyelids twitched slightly uncontrollably, and he looked at Su Yang as if he were looking at a monster that had crashed into his comprehension.

"It's my duty."

Su Yang waved his hand.

"Your blade swept across..."

Wang Tiezhu's Adam's apple bobbed laboriously, as if he were swallowing not saliva but a piece of burning coal: "At least you've reached the Great Completion stage!"

He paused, not to keep everyone in suspense, but because what he was about to say was too hot to handle, too hot to handle, so hot that the belief he had cultivated through fifteen years of hard work was steaming.

"As far as I know, at most you've only practiced the Breaking Edge Blade Technique for two days, right?"

"I practiced diligently for fifteen years, swinging my sword at least two thousand times a day, until last month when I finally reached the point of mastery."

He raised his right hand, calloused and twisted at the knuckles. In the dim light, this hand, once his sole source of trust and pride, now appeared so pale and laughable: "But you...you surpassed me in just two days..."

"And then today, you used the Breaking Edge Blade Technique to behead a seasoned assassin."

He closed his eyes, as if to shut out the cold, moon-like arc of light that flashed through his mind again.

When he opened his eyes again, all that remained was a cold, almost desperate rationality: "In just two days, the Breaking Edge Blade Technique has surpassed the Great Perfection level... Su Yang... you are a genius in the art of the sword!"

Wang Tiezhu lowered his voice even further, like a dull knife scraping bone: "I don't know what happened to you, and I don't want to know. But your talent is too hot to handle."

"From today onwards, in the eyes of those who are truly watching the Huang family and this shipment, you are no longer dust. You are a variable, an accident. In the eyes of a chess player, an uncontrollable piece has only two fates—either your secrets are figured out and you are locked up as a useful knife, or, because you are too sharp and unpredictable, you are directly... broken and thrown away."

"They won't see you as an opponent, they'll just see you as... a 'trouble' that must be dealt with."

He stared at Su Yang, his eyes filled with a certainty that had seeped into his very being: "This is no different from the rags that were overturned on that cart."

"Therefore, today I, as an old soldier who has breathed the blood of battle twenty years longer than you, ask you for a favor!"

"Pack!"

"Go back to being that unassuming Su Yang. Keep everything you saw and guessed today, especially your swordsmanship that has surpassed the peak level these past two days, to yourself! What's under that shipment, who's looking for it, who's hiding it—none of that is your concern! Don't be curious, don't ask around, and don't let anyone think you 'know' anything!"

"...In this world, understanding too much, and appearing to understand too much, is a death knell!"

After he finished speaking, as if all his strength had been drained, his burly body swayed, and he staggered back to his wooden bed, where he sat down heavily.

He didn't lie down; he just stood there with his back to Su Yang, facing the earthen wall, as if trying to shrink himself into the shadows. The light from the oil lamp cast his stiff back on the wall, huge and silent, like a stone sculpture that had instantly lost all its life.

"Thank you for the advice, Brother Wang!"

Su Yang looked at Wang Tiezhu's retreating figure and said.

Wang Tiezhu's warning, a mixture of extreme shock and raw fear, did not reveal what was under the carriage, but rather cruelly dissected a bloody iron law of the world: his swordsmanship, which had "surpassed the Great Perfection in two days," was itself an "anomaly" that was hotter and more likely to bring disaster than any treasure.

— Possessing a treasure is a crime.

Chess pieces can be discarded.

But a piece that doesn't conform to the rules, gets hot on its own, or might even burn the player's fingers will only be ejected from the board more quickly and decisively, or crushed into powder at the fingertips, so as not to smudge the game.

Before possessing the absolute power to set the rules for oneself, or even to overturn this blood-stained chessboard.

"Abnormality" is a path to death.

........

at the same time.

Thirty li outside Liujiazhuang, there is an abandoned mountain god temple.

The flickering campfire illuminated several somber faces.

A masked man dressed in black knelt on one knee, his forehead dripping with cold sweat.

Before him stood a middle-aged man in a dark purple brocade robe, with a fair complexion and no beard, his hands behind his back, his fingertips slowly grinding over a thin piece of paper that had just been delivered by carrier pigeon and whose secret writing had become visible.

The light from the campfire cast an uncertain glow on his face, reflecting the rapidly shifting emotions from shock to rage.

The intelligence on the paper contained only eight words: "That thing is still in the car."

"Going against the grain... Well done, Huang Zhenggang!"

The voice was squeezed out from between the teeth of the man in the brocade robe, hoarse as sandpaper. The letter between his fingers and an iron plaque engraved with an eagle pattern in his sleeve were simultaneously shattered into dust by the powerful internal energy, falling down in a flurry.

He glared at the kneeling man in black, his eyes flashing with a chilling light: "Our men have confirmed—that item never left the carriage! Right under the noses of you fools, it was brazenly delivered into Liu Family Village like a pile of tattered rags!"

The kneeling man in black trembled violently, as if struck by lightning. "No...impossible...I clearly..."

"Useless!" The purple-robed man kicked over the campfire, sparks flying and casting wildly dancing shadows across the dilapidated temple walls. "Hidden layers in the cart planks, hollow shafts... Huang Zhenggang has a hundred ways to hide things! All you know how to do is tear scraps of cloth!"

His chest heaved violently, but his rage was quickly replaced by a colder rationality. He no longer looked at his limp subordinate, but turned his head to face the boundless darkness outside the temple, and let out a low howl in a strange, short, and sharp syllable.

The whistling sound wasn't loud, but it pierced the night sky like a steel needle.

Before long, seven figures slipped silently into the shadows of the temple's dilapidated windows and doors, like ghosts.

They were also dressed in black, but in a more form-fitting and sleek fabric, with hard leather armor on their shoulders and arms. Most strikingly, on the left shoulder of each of them was an eagle, its wings poised for flight, its gaze icy. They uttered not a word, but silently knelt on one knee, their movements perfectly synchronized, as if they were one person.

The purple-robed man's gaze swept over the seven men, and without another word, his command was succinct and sharp: "Flying Eagle, go to Liu Family Manor, find what the master wants, and bring it back!"

Eagle Guard.

They are the Lord's true claws and eyes and ears, specializing in tracking, assassination, and destruction.

Upon hearing this, the leading eagle guard nodded very slightly, but his gaze was as sharp as the eagle on his shoulder, clearly indicating that he had etched this command into his very bones.

"Yes."

Without the slightest hesitation, the seven figures vanished without a trace, as if ink were expelled from the night itself, instantly merging back into the darkness.

The man in purple robes looked towards Jingling City, a fleeting look of apprehension crossing his eyes.

"If it weren't for the fact that the monopolistic manor is in the way, and the city has too many spies... would we have allowed that brat Huang Zhenggang to live even a moment longer?"

He scoffed inwardly.

The Lord's command was clear: the item must be obtained, but the matter must be resolved outside the city. More than one party coveted it. Most importantly, premature exposure would disrupt the Lord's plan; therefore, the only option was to wait until it left its lair before swallowing it whole, person and goods.

The wilderness is the best place to bury secrets and rivals.

Unfortunately, the Lone Wolf and his gang were foolish and failed to search carefully, missing a golden opportunity!

Only then did the man in the purple robe slowly turn around, his cold gaze falling on the limp black-clad leader on the ground, and the dozens of terrified black-clad men behind him.

"Before midnight, I want Liu Family Village wiped out, and the spoils in hand. As for that kid with the knife... I want him alive." A cold, probing glint flashed in the purple-robed man's eyes in the darkness: "I want to see just what kind of mole Huang Zhenggang has planted."

Having said that, he flicked his purple robe, looked away from everyone, and walked straight out of the temple to mount his horse.

"yes!"

The lone wolf in black bowed in agreement.

The man in purple robes took the lead, followed closely by dozens of men in black, like a desperate gray tide, rushing towards Liu Family Village.