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Ren Ruyi's drastic change in attitude made Zhao Ji's mind reel with frustration! As Wei Tingyu led Ren Ruyi into the Ning residence, the you
Ren Ruyi's drastic change in attitude made Zhao Ji's mind reel with frustration!
As Wei Tingyu led Ren Ruyi into the Ning residence, the young Yuan Lu hadn't been defeated yet; in fact, relying on his familiarity with the layout of the house, he was gradually suppressing the Six Paths Hall warriors! This sight made Zhao Ji's mouth twitch. This is utterly humiliating! So many people against one, and they can't even win? Wei Tingyu and Ren Ruyi have been watching the whole time!
And this young man, Yuan Lu, seeing Wei Tingyu lead Ren Ruyi in first, immediately flung two hidden weapons from his sleeve. These two hidden weapons, after flying into the air, dispersed again, turning into dozens of smaller hidden weapons, shooting directly at Wei Tingyu and Ren Ruyi. Wei Tingyu easily tilted his head to dodge the hidden weapons aimed at him, but Zhao Ji, who was following behind him, didn't react in time. By the time he saw them clearly, the hidden weapons were already close, and he instinctively turned his face away, yet was still cut with a large gash on his face. Accompanied by a sharp pain entering his mind, Zhao Ji's eyes widened! At this moment, he truly felt murderous intent towards Yuan Lu! And of course, towards Wei Tingyu, this fellow! He could have easily parried the hidden weapons but deliberately only dodged, letting these hidden weapons shoot towards him. It was hard to say this guy wasn't doing it on purpose!
Ren Ruyi was indeed angry at this moment! This boy threw hidden weapons at her and Wei Tingyu without a word; how could she tolerate that? Thinking this, she lunged forward, and without even drawing her sword, she merely struck Yuan Lu directly in the chest with the hilt. This boy had just knocked down two Six Paths Hall warriors, and then took such a blow to the chest, causing him to fall to the ground with a thump. Ren Ruyi then directly stepped on his chest, and her scabbard pressed against his throat. In just this short exchange, Yuan Lu's heart was completely shocked! Ren Ruyi's martial arts were far stronger than he had just expected, and he even felt they might be stronger than Ning Yuanzhou's! Does this Great Wu actually have such a person? But then, recalling the scene of Ren Ruyi obediently following Wei Tingyu like a small woman, his heart felt a moment of daze. How powerful could this man, who never made a move, truly be? Yuan Lu dared not even imagine!
"Ruyi!" At this moment, Wei Tingyu called out to Ren Ruyi: "After all, this is Wuguo, we should still give Master Zhao some face! This is his official business; we, as outsiders, should not easily interfere!"
"Yes!" Ren Ruyi, hearing Wei Tingyu's words, glared fiercely at Yuan Lu, who was lying on the ground being stepped on, then turned and returned to Wei Tingyu's side. Yuan Lu's expression became even more colorful after seeing this scene. Such a formidable woman actually obeyed with just a single word from the other party...
Zhao Ji had completely lost face. His subordinates had just barely been able to restrain Yuan Lu, and he himself had been cut on the face by the hidden weapons thrown by the other party. For him, this was an even greater humiliation! If others asked him later how he got the scar on his face, he wouldn't even dare to tell the truth! However, at this moment, he couldn't afford to think about future matters. He simply waved his hand, and several Six Paths Hall warriors immediately lifted the fallen Yuan Lu. This boy had just taken a blow to the chest from Ren Ruyi and was now basically unable to resist.
As Zhao Ji led the group into the mourning hall of the Ning residence, Yuan Lu kept cursing at him. Zhao Ji, of course, was completely unconcerned. He walked straight to a coffin inside, and with a little force, lifted the lid.
"Zhao Ji! You're a damn animal!" Yuan Lu was naturally very anxious, because the coffin was empty! So, without a word, he immediately started swearing! However, precisely because his curses were so vile, the two Six Paths Hall warriors holding him simply kicked him behind the knees, and Yuan Lu lost his balance and knelt on the ground with a thud.
"Not only did you cause Head Ning to be conscripted and die in battle! You won't even spare his remains!"
"The Six Paths Hall has you as its chief; it's truly cursed for eighteen generations!"
Of course, Yuan Lu's character was very stubborn, so he showed no sign of softening, nor fear, and continued to curse loudly! However, these words, heard by Wei Tingyu and Ren Ruyi, who were following behind, made them exchange glances. The current situation of the Six Paths Hall was such that they didn't even spare loyal and good people from Wuguo, having completely reached the point of disrupting the imperial court! It seemed that even if Wuguo could survive this crisis, its dynasty wouldn't last much longer! To allow someone like Zhao Ji to swagger in court, while truly loyal and righteous subjects of the state could only die tragically or even feign death to avoid disaster, such a court was already utterly corrupt!
Ren Ruyi couldn't help but sigh in her heart at this moment. The common people she had seen on the street earlier, living their humble lives, only wished for peace and stability and enough to eat. However, at the moment of national collapse and the fall of the empire, their simplest wish would probably become a luxury!
"You're thinking of your Head Ning, aren't you!" However, a petty person like Zhao Ji had no idea what Wei Tingyu and Ren Ruyi were thinking, nor did he understand how much harm his actions would cause the country. He merely shook his head smugly. "What a pity! Your Head Ning didn't consider you his confidant!"
Saying this, Zhao Ji walked to another coffin nearby. This was the coffin of the old Six Paths Hall Master who had died in battle after accompanying Emperor Wu on the expedition with Ning Yuanzhou! And he even slammed the old Hall Master's memorial tablet heavily onto the ground. This sight made Yuan Lu's eyes burn with rage, wishing he could kill this bastard Zhao Ji to vent his hatred. Although Wei Tingyu did not know this old Hall Master, Zhao Ji's actions still made him feel a chill. Indeed, such a petty person is not fit to be associated with me!
"Ning Yuanzhou! If you don't come out now, I'll set your Ning family's old residence on fire!" Of course, a petty person like Zhao Ji would never feel that his actions were wrong in any way. Instead, he swaggered around the mourning hall with his hands behind his back, a smug smile even on his lips.
Ren Ruyi's eyes at this moment also curiously scanned her surroundings. Since Zhao Ji was so certain that this person named Ning Yuanzhou was still alive, could there truly be such a possibility? If it was true, then this Ning Yuanzhou was indeed a bit too much of a coward! Not only had his old residence been broken into, but even his mourning hall had been completely disrupted by the other party! His most loyal younger brother was currently being held at knifepoint by the enemy, forcibly knelt on the ground. And the memorial tablet of the old Hall Master, who was like a teacher and father to him, was also thrown to the ground by others. This person could actually still hide and not appear? Ren Ruyi hadn't met Ning Yuanzhou yet, but her impression of him had already worsened. If he truly died, then he should be a truly loyal and righteous subject! But if he truly faked his death, as Zhao Ji said, then he was nothing more than a pretentious petty person!
With this thought in her mind, Ren Ruyi looked at Wei Tingyu beside her, for she knew in her heart that if anyone present knew the final answer to this question, it would definitely be her Marquis. And indeed, when she looked at Wei Tingyu, she saw him raise an eyebrow at her, then motioned with his eyes towards a screen behind the mourning hall. The Marquis means... that person named Ning Yuanzhou is hiding behind the screen? Ren Ruyi blinked, then looked towards the screen with a surprised expression. But with her current martial arts level, she couldn't detect if anyone was hiding that far away. Moreover, the other party should also be a master whose martial arts were not inferior to her own!
Of course, Wei Tingyu had already detected someone hiding behind the screen as soon as he stepped into the mourning hall, and this person's martial arts were not low, basically on par with Ren Ruyi when he first met her. However, now that Ren Ruyi had significantly increased her internal energy with his guidance, dealing with the other party should be a sure thing. Based on these judgments, the person hiding could only be this guy, Ning Yuanzhou!
"You're willing to abandon your Ning family's old residence!" And at this moment, Zhao Ji, seeing that Ning Yuanzhou still hadn't appeared, turned his head to Yuan Lu and said with a sinister smile, "But can you bear to abandon your little follower here?"
"Once his collarbone is broken! His skilled hands will be crippled from this moment on!"
"One... two... three!"
Zhao Ji counted three numbers, then directly drew the sword from his waist and thrust it towards Yuan Lu! And just at this moment, a figure quickly flashed out from behind the screen and punched the sword out of Zhao Ji's hand. Then, he grabbed the restrained Yuan Lu and, with a flash, left the mourning hall and entered the courtyard. Of course, when this person came out, he passed by Wei Tingyu and Ren Ruyi, but the two, holding the attitude of "it's none of our business, so we'll just watch," did not intervene.
It wasn't until they stood still in the courtyard that others could clearly see the appearance of this suddenly emerging figure.
"Head Ning?" Yuan Lu, who was closest to this person, first froze, then almost burst into tears: "You're still alive?" And with his confirmation, Wei Tingyu and Ren Ruyi also knew that this person was indeed Ning Yuanzhou, whom Zhao Ji desperately wanted to capture. This guy really did fake his death and come back?! It seems my previous thoughts were correct after all! Ren Ruyi thought to herself, and couldn't help but frown her delicate brows. This person named Ning Yuanzhou didn't give her a good first impression, as she felt that this guy's cunning was not much less than Zhao Ji's, just well-disguised. And now, seeing his physique and appearance, Ren Ruyi felt even more speechless. Even in the night, though his appearance couldn't be clearly seen, just his silhouette gave a feeling of deep cunning!
"Head Ning! Head Ning!" And at this moment, when the Six Paths Hall warriors saw Ning Yuanzhou appear, they all gathered around him, looking at him with admiration in their eyes. Zhao Ji, however, was not flustered, because he was very clear about Ning Yuanzhou's position in the hearts of the Six Paths Hall members. He had anticipated this situation before.
"Coming to my grave in the middle of the night..." Ning Yuanzhou, seeing Zhao Ji, smiled pretentiously, then said, "Zhao Ji! You're getting more and more playful!"
"I knew you wouldn't die so easily!" However, Zhao Ji didn't take Ning Yuanzhou's words, instead, he looked directly at him and said, "As soon as I received a report from the scouts that a man eight feet tall bought thirteen pieces of Zhang's "Yi Kou Su" (a type of crispy pastry) in one go, I knew it was you!"
As Zhao Ji said this, everyone present was stunned, even Ren Ruyi's eyes widened. Logically, this person is very cunning, so why would his actions reveal him in such a childish way? Could there be something wrong with his mind? He likes to play schemes, but he's also particularly stupid, which is why he ended up in this situation?
"Take him down!" Zhao Ji at this moment was unwilling to waste any more words with Ning Yuanzhou and directly ordered. However, the Six Paths Hall warriors exchanged glances. After all, Ning Yuanzhou's status in their hearts was not low! Asking them to draw their swords against him was indeed not an easy task.
"Disobey and die!" Zhao Ji immediately used his trump card. And indeed, as his words fell, the other Six Paths Hall warriors, even if they hesitated, could only grit their teeth, draw their swords, and rush forward! After all, compared to their own lives, their admiration for Ning Yuanzhou was insignificant.
Ning Yuanzhou had originally been somewhat smug when he saw that the Six Paths Hall warriors were unwilling to capture him, but who knew that things would change so quickly? He immediately frowned and, relying on his excellent lightness skill, passed through the surrounding Six Paths Hall warriors, heading straight for Zhao Ji! Compared to Ning Yuanzhou, Zhao Ji had some brains, but not much! He really hadn't expected the other party to go for the "capture the king first" strategy. Without a word, he drew his sword to fight back. Unfortunately, their martial arts disparity was too great. In just two moves, the hilt of the sword in his hand was grasped by Ning Yuanzhou, and the blade was drawn from its scabbard and placed against his neck.
At this moment, Zhao Ji was truly panicked. After all, if the blade so much as trembled, he would be decapitated! However, it was also fortunate that Ning Yuanzhou was accustomed to showing off. At this moment, he was not in a hurry to kill Zhao Ji, nor did he try to kidnap him to leave. Instead, he smugly raised an eyebrow, looking at the other party with a pretentious expression, not saying a word. It was clear that he just wanted the other party to know how powerful he was!
This behavior, in Ren Ruyi's eyes, made her roll her eyes to the heavens. Stupid! Too stupid! This "show" today is making Ren Ruyi incredibly angry! How can the Six Paths Hall in Wuguo truly have no talent? Such a foolish person was once a Hall Master? But then, thinking that Zhao Ji, this useless person, was now also a Hall Master, she seemed to feel a bit relieved. As an assassin, Ren Ruyi valued speed, precision, and ruthlessness: one strike to kill, then a quick escape! She simply could not understand Ning Yuanzhou's behavior, where he was clearly fighting for his life yet still showing off.
And it was precisely this moment of showing off by Ning Yuanzhou that gave Zhao Ji time to think of a countermeasure, and he actually did. "The whereabouts of the sixteen people from Tian Dao who were under Chai Ming! Do you still want to know?" Zhao Ji looked at Ning Yuanzhou and asked directly, "They are all your sworn brothers!"
These words seemed to have some effect. Ning Yuanzhou's eyes darted around twice, seemingly thinking about something, and then he immediately loosened his grip on the sword hilt. And this scene, in the eyes of Yuan Lu and the other Six Paths Hall warriors, immediately brought forth expressions of emotion. Indeed, Head Ning is still Head Ning! He is truly loyal! Despite having a sure victory, he actually chose to compromise for the sake of the news of those sixteen sworn brothers!
However, Ning Yuanzhou's actions only fooled Yuan Lu and the other Six Paths Hall warriors; for Wei Tingyu and Ren Ruyi, they could only inwardly complain that this guy's acting was a bit too poor. Weren't those sixteen so-called sworn brothers all like Ning Yuanzhou, having accompanied Emperor Wu on the expedition and then gone missing on the battlefield? If you truly cared about their lives, why did you run back alone? With Ning Yuanzhou's skills, it wouldn't be difficult to infiltrate Anguo's military camp! It would be very easy to investigate whether those brothers died in battle or were captured! But this guy just packed his bags, faked his death, and ran back to avoid disaster, and now he's suddenly worrying about those sworn brothers?
And Zhao Ji also sneered coldly at this situation, because he dared to use this as a bargaining chip to gamble his life with Ning Yuanzhou, clearly knowing that this guy was actually a pretentious and petty person. No matter what his true thoughts were, he still had to appear very righteous in front of outsiders! Otherwise, how could he have fooled these younger brothers of the Six Paths Hall and made them still miss this "Head Ning" so much even now?
"Ning Yuanzhou! You'd better understand your current position!" Zhao Ji, seeing that his plan was successful, immediately became smug again, looking at Ning Yuanzhou and saying, "Don't think you're someone important just because you have some martial arts skills!"
"Even if you just injured me, my uncle, Chancellor Zhang, can dig up your Ning family's ancestral grave!"
And at this point, Wei Tingyu finally understood. No wonder Zhao Ji, this good-for-nothing, could manage such a crucial organization as the Six Paths Hall; it turns out he was relying on his uncle, Zhang Song! He then recalled his earlier audience in the Wugu Palace; he had also seen Zhang Song, the Chancellor of Wuguo, at that time.