Chapter 140: Kill Them All, End It Once and for All

Chapter 140: Kill Them All, End It Once and for All

Night Cat gave a slight nod and didn’t ask further. Instead, he asked, “Princess Consort, is it just discreet tailing?”

Yin Pan’er nodded in reply, “Mr. Night Cat, please keep whatever you see confidential. Try your best not to be discovered by them.”

Night Cat looked confident, “Princess Consort, rest assured. If I don’t want to be found, no one can find me! Also, in this world, the only people who can make me talk are you and the Prince.”

Only then did Yin Pan’er nod with relief and give a slight bow, “Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Night Cat.”

Night Cat also bowed slightly, “Princess Consort, you are too polite. This is my duty.”

After saying that, Night Cat saluted and left.

…

Inside Lingxiao City, Nie Bing arrived by carriage at a slightly deserted alley.

A carriage was already waiting in the alley.

Nie Bing got down from her own carriage.

After checking her surroundings to confirm it was safe, she got off and entered the waiting carriage.

The carriage wandered around Lingxiao City for several more circles, finally stopping outside a private house with its own courtyard gate in a village within Lingxiao City.

After getting off the carriage, Nie Bing looked around.

This house looked recently renovated. A middle-aged woman walked out from the courtyard.

The woman greeted Nie Bing with a smiling face, “Miss Bing, you’ve finally come! The master has been waiting for a long time!”

Seeing the middle-aged woman enthusiastically grab her hand,

Nie Bing instinctively pulled away.

The middle-aged woman didn’t mind and explained with a smile, “Miss Bing, you must not remember me. I am Aunt Wu from the provincial governor’s mansion kitchen.”

Nie Bing frowned slightly as if thinking. After a moment, an image appeared in her mind: Aunt Wu from the kitchen, famous for her donkey meat buns.

“Aunt Wu! Is that you?”

Seeing Nie Bing recognize her, Aunt Wu was also surprised, “Miss Bing, I didn’t expect you to still remember me?”

Seeing an old acquaintance, the wary expression on Nie Bing’s face softened a lot, “You were also my mother’s fellow villager. Back then, everyone in the provincial governor’s mansion loved your donkey meat buns.”

Aunt Wu nodded with a smile, “Miss Bing, I didn’t expect you to remember that. Miss, originally we were all doomed, but thanks to the master intervening, he saved us all!”

Although Nie Bing already knew this before, hearing it from this old acquaintance made her believe it even more.

“Is my mother doing well?”

Aunt Wu nodded, “She’s doing fine, the master has been taking good care of her.”

As she spoke, Aunt Wu saw a little page boy come out of the house. The little page boy said nothing and just stood at the doorway.

Aunt Wu nervously pulled Nie Bing, “Miss Bing, let’s go see the master first.”

Nie Bing glanced at Aunt Wu and followed her inside.

Once inside the house, Nie Bing could clearly see the man behind the screen this time.

The man wore a white monk robe and a bamboo hat with a black veil hanging from it. He held a silver monk’s staff and sat beside an old square table.

This person was Mr. Hidden Dragon.

After looking at Mr. Hidden Dragon, Nie Bing still felt somewhat nervous.

Previously, Mr. Hidden Dragon had asked her to assassinate Xiao Ce. Later, although she told Xiao Ce,

Xiao Ce directly left Lingxiao City, which also gave her a reason not to take action.

Since Xiao Ce left, this Mr. Hidden Dragon had not appeared.

Only a few days ago did she receive a message.

“Master, regarding the task you previously assigned me, it’s not that I didn’t do it. I just never had the chance. Xiao Ce left this area. I tried to find you but couldn’t.”

Nie Bing explained.

Mr. Hidden Dragon nodded, “I know he hid. So, I didn’t look for you either. Now, there is another task for you.”

Nie Bing looked at Mr. Hidden Dragon and asked, “What task?”

“Do you have any news about Xiao Ce?” Mr. Hidden Dragon asked.

Nie Bing nodded, without any concealment, and told Mr. Hidden Dragon everything she knew.

“Xiao Ce has already taken control of the entire Turkic tribe and has captured Yanbei City.”

Nie Bing’s words clearly shocked Mr. Hidden Dragon.

He seemed somewhat incredulous and asked, “What did you say?”

Nie Bing replied to Mr. Hidden Dragon, “Xiao Ce has unified the Turkic rear and has now taken Yanbei City.”

After hearing Nie Bing’s words, Mr. Hidden Dragon was completely stunned for several minutes.

“Wasn’t he hiding?”

Nie Bing shook her head, “When he left here before, he took a thousand soldiers, saying he was going to Turkic. But after that, there was no news of him! Then, reports of victories came one after another.”

After hearing this, Mr. Hidden Dragon gave a cold laugh, “You have all been deceived.”

Hearing Mr. Hidden Dragon’s words, it was now Nie Bing’s turn to be stunned.

“What?”

Mr. Hidden Dragon said, “I came all the way from Turkic, Yanmen Pass, and then through the Four Northern Desert Prefectures. None of them ever saw Xiao Ce’s army. And, as you said yourself, he only had a thousand soldiers.”

“A thousand soldiers, capturing the Turkic rear. Is that not just foolish talk?”

“And, previously, the tribal leaders also heard that their rear was attacked. Clearly, this was Xiao Ce’s trick to make the Turks retreat.”

“You only received one-sided letters, didn’t you? Without any solid proof!”

Nie Bing was previously completely convinced, but after Mr. Hidden Dragon’s explanation,

she also wondered if this was Xiao Ce’s trick.

After all, looking back now, it did seem rather unbelievable.

When Xiao Ce went, he took a thousand cavalry. Even if they were excellent fighters, they couldn’t possibly unify the Turkic rear.

And now, he smoothly captured Yanbei City, which had defenders.

Nie Bing nodded, “You are right. It’s very possible, and this fits his usual way of doing things. Now that Xiao Ce isn’t here, you want me to kill him, but I can’t do it now.”

Mr. Hidden Dragon said calmly, “It’s not necessary to kill him now. How much food supply remains in your Lingxiao City and the surrounding nine cities now?”

Seeing Hidden Dragon ask this, Nie Bing faintly guessed something.

“I don’t know, I’m not in charge of that!”

Hidden Dragon slowly picked up a cup of tea from the square table beside him, brought it behind the black veil, took a sip, and said, “Nie Bing, since I called you here, I am certain you know.”

After drinking, he slowly put down the teacup.

“I am giving you a chance now, a chance to become one of us. You should understand the situation, right? The Turks breaking into the city is only a matter of time!”

Nie Bing’s face turned cold as frost, “I won’t help the Turks! My father died fighting the Turks. If I help the Turks and become a traitor, how am I any different from those people before? If my father knew, he would never forgive me even in the afterlife!”

Mr. Hidden Dragon said, “You are not working for the Turks. You are working for me. Right now, the Turks are also merely working for me. And, as I’ve told you before, including what you yourself know, the people who wanted to kill your father and wipe out your entire family were never the Turks! They were the Xiao Kingdom People! I am giving you a chance, a chance to join us! Don’t you want to see your family? And, you don’t naively think that if you don’t tell me, I won’t know, do you?”

Nie Bing hesitated. With Mr. Hidden Dragon’s ability, finding out this information wouldn’t be difficult. “If I tell you this information, will you let me see my family?”

Mr. Hidden Dragon shook his head, “Of course it’s not that simple. At the very least, you need to tell me before I can tell you what I want you to do! If you decide to refuse me, let me be clear, your family are all under my control. If you want to stand on the same side as Xiao Ce, you are destined to stand against me!”

Nie Bing hesitated for a moment, “There are still three months left!”

Mr. Hidden Dragon nodded with satisfaction. “Good! I need you to tell me the exact locations of every grain warehouse.”

Nie Bing’s face turned ugly. “What do you want to do?”

Mr. Hidden Dragon didn’t pause at all. “Your defense in Lingxiao City now is even stronger than Yanbei City. I don’t think the Turks can necessarily break through. I cannot wait three months for you to run out of supplies on your own. I can’t wait that long. I need to go burn those grain warehouses. That way, the city will fall without a fight.”

“I really don’t know that. This matter is all handled by Yin Pan’er. Grain is the lifeline; Yin Pan’er wouldn’t tell me casually,” Nie Bing said.

Mr. Hidden Dragon said, “I know you don’t know. That’s why I’m letting you go find out. Don’t worry. You tell me. It absolutely won’t be discovered by anyone! And you won’t have to do anything yourself. Just find all the grain warehouse locations and tell me! I will let you join our organization and reunite with your family.”

Nie Bing felt tempted.

Mr. Hidden Dragon said, “You don’t need to give me an answer right away. I’ll give you three days. If you don’t come find me by then, I’ll find someone else myself.”

Nie Bing fell silent.

Mr. Hidden Dragon also did not plan to press Nie Bing. He said, “Think about it slowly yourself. See the guest out.”

The Little Page Boy walked to Nie Bing’s side and made a gesture of invitation.

Nie Bing looked at Mr. Hidden Dragon. “Even if I don’t tell you, you have a way, right?”

Mr. Hidden Dragon said, “Correct. In your city, including your current official systems, I have my people. I am giving you this chance for the sake of your family.”

Nie Bing walked to the door and said to Hidden Dragon, “If I find out, how do I find you?”

Hidden Dragon said, “You just need to come find Aunt Wu!”

Nie Bing nodded and was then ushered out by the page boy.

After going out, Nie Bing wanted to say a few words to Aunt Wu, but she did not see Aunt Wu anywhere.

She had no choice but to leave by carriage.

Just after she left in the carriage, Night Cat emerged from beside a nearby house.

He looked a few more times towards the house where Aunt Wu was.

Then, he quickly followed Nie Bing’s carriage.

His leg power was amazing. He followed silently behind without seeming strained.

…

The next day.

The Turks, led by Helu, gathered together once again.

Their great army assembled outside the city. A group of prominent families and nobles were still seeing them off at the city gate.

However, these Turks didn’t even give them a direct glance.

At the front of the great army, several Turkic tribal chiefs were all smiling brightly.

Clearly, they had plundered comfortably these past days.

Ashina asked Helu, “Helu, I didn’t lie to you this time, did I? No matter how skilled your men are at fighting, taking these cities would always cost some lives.”

Helu said with a laugh, “Consider that your atonement. However, what comes next is a tough battle. Our scouts have gone to investigate. That useless King of Northern Desert has turned Lingxiao City into a turtle shell. According to the scouts’ reports, it’s even more fortified than Yanbei City.”

Ashina was there buttering him up, “Although their city walls are strong, under the attack of your Helu Tribe, they will surely flee in terror upon hearing the news.”

Helu did not detect the sarcasm in Ashina’s words at all. He actually agreed.

“Right! Our Helu warriors have always been unbeatable in battle! Now let us show you how we attack a city!”

After Helu finished speaking, the other chiefs all bragged and boasted.

Helu waved his hand grandly and announced the departure.

…

Inside Yanbei City.

Wei Wuji was sorting through the equipment left by Han Da and the others.

Xiao Ce patrolled the city once, sealing off most of the hidden tunnels.

After patrolling the city a few more rounds, he returned to the City Lord’s Mansion.

He summoned Yan Jia. Based on the news from the scouts Yan Jia had sent out, Xiao Ce had Xiao Jiu bring Bond over.

After Bond the Turk was brought, he was very respectful towards Xiao Ce.

“I pay my respects, Prince!”

Xiao Ce said to Bond and the others, “You were given a choice before, and you made your choice. Now it’s time for you to do your part! Are you willing to contribute effort?”

Bond nodded. “Prince, we have been ready and waiting, weapons at hand.”

Xiao Ce said to Bond, “I’m asking you to go kill Turks, your fellow tribesmen. Are you willing?”

Bond was stunned for a moment, then gave Xiao Ce a very satisfying answer. “I report to you, Prince. You are our fellow countryman. Those Turks are our enemies.”

Xiao Ce laughed heartily. “Good. Are your families all from Ashina’s tribe?”

Bond was confused by Xiao Ce’s strange question, but he nodded.

Xiao Ce said, “Then you are lucky. I did not kill most of Ashina’s ordinary tribespeople. If you do well… I can free them from slave status! Let you join our Xiao Kingdom.”

Bond listened with a look of gratitude and knelt on the ground. “Prince, whatever you ask us to do, we will charge ahead without hesitation.”

Xiao Ce took out a stack of papers. “First, go to these places and kill all the people from these Noble Clans and prominent families for me!”

Bond took a paper Xiao Ce had written on.

He then took a look and was somewhat surprised. “Prince, these are all Xiao Kingdom People, not Turks. Did you make a mistake?”

Xiao Ce’s gaze shifted, and a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes.

“Of course not! These are not Xiao Kingdom People. I gave them chances. But these Noble Clans and prominent families are absolute cancers… Since they can’t be dealt with, This Prince will learn from Huang Chao and slaughter them all! A clean break!”