Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
When Yan Liang and Lin Bao heard what Yun Zhonghe said, they stared at him as if they were looking at a dead man. They thought to themselves, “Nowadays, many people take the road to ruin, but this is my first time seeing a man so determined to run headlong into trouble. Why don’t you just bang your head against the wall? It would be a faster and easier way to die.”
The Black Dragon officer was shaking like a leaf. He fixed his angry gaze Yun Zhonghe, almost bursting with the desire to tear him into a thousand pieces.
After a few seconds, he calmed down and said in a level voice, “The test has come to an end. Congratulations to one of you who answered everything correctly. He will live and execute the mission in the City of Torn Gust, while the other two have to die.”
Pride crept into Yan Liang’s scholarly face instantly. He bent his knee and said, “Thank you, My Lord, for your grace.”
The Black Dragon officer asked, “Yan Liang, how can you be so sure that you won?”
“Because of my wisdom, of course,” Yan Liang said. “The teacher and the student think alike. My Lord, you must be lonely… There are too few who could keep pace with your wisdom. It is very hard to find someone who really understands you.”
The officer sighed. “Yes, it is difficult.”
Yun Zhonghe, who was standing at the side, recited a phrase as an accompaniment. “A song that wrenches the heart, where do I find a knowing ear?”
Three pairs of eyes were immediately on Yun Zhonghe again. Was Yun Zhonghe mentally ill?
“My Lord,” Yan Liang said, “even though I won, I am also lonely. My rivals were too weak, and competition without comparable opponents is mundane.”
It had to be said that Yan Liang was getting better at gloating.
“I have one request,” Yan Liang said.
“Do tell,” the officer responded.
Yan Liang announced, “I would like to kill the two of them with my own hands to signify that I am ready for the mission from this moment on. After taking this first step, I will be a member of the Order of the Black Dragon. My life is going to be a trail of blood and a pile of corpses.”
“That’s easy.” The officer handed him a saber.
Yan Liang lifted the saber as he stalked toward Lin Bao.
The soldier, Lin Bao, looked in the direction of the officer and hissed, “My Lord, do I really have to die?”
The officer didn’t move a muscle.
Lin Bao’s eyes turned red, and he said, “Pardon me. I just want to live, so I have no other choice.”
Then, he raised his fist out of the blue and sent a savage strike toward Yan Liang, not wanting to wait helplessly for the end.
Whoosh!
Yan Liang, however, was as fast as lightning. Lin Bao’s head flew off.
As a scholar, Yan Liang had learned kung fu and was actually quite good at it. He was even better than Lin Bao had been before his strength and blood flow were sealed. He hid it well.
“My Lord, pardon me.” Yan Liang bowed and said, “I have actually been practicing kung fu, but sometimes, one must… not reveal too much.”
The officer of the Order of the Black Dragon said, “Well, that was pretty good.”
“Liu Jifen is a good person,” Yun Zhonghe said. “Why would you want to destroy her?”
The Black Dragon officer and Yan Liang exchanged a look. They didn’t understand what Yun Zhonghe had just said.
Next, Yan Liang lifted the saber and languidly approached Yun Zhonghe.
“Yun Zhonghe, you are nothing more than an insect. You don’t even deserve to die by my hands, but since fate has brought us here today, what are your last words?” asked Yan Liang.
Yun Zhonghe thought for a moment and said solemnly, “Brother Yan Liang, you can rest in peace. From now on, I will treat your son like my own, and your woman will be mine. As long as I am still breathing, I will not let her sleep alone.”
Yan Liang was furious. He sneered, “Still showing off your eloquence in your last hour, huh? Go to hell!”
Then, he swung the trenchant blade at Yun Zhonghe, wanting nothing more than to cut him open.
Whoosh!
However, before his blade landed, Yan Liang felt a piercing coldness in his chest. He lowered his head to discover a length of metal protruding from his chest.
The officer’s blade had pierced through Yan Liang’s heart in utter silence.
“Oh, why…?” Yan Liang collapsed to the ground and died before he could finish his sentence. He died with everlasting regret.
At that moment, a cold chill washed over Yun Zhonghe. Yan Liang’s saber had been half an inch from slicing into him.
A few seconds later, he couldn’t contain his laughter any longer.
“Is it that funny?” asked the officer.
“I don’t know why, but it reminds me of something that happened when I was a kid,” Yun Zhonghe said.
“What happened?” the officer said.
“You won’t get it even if I tell you.” Despite what he said, Yun Zhonghe still answered the man’s question. “A tiny little circumcision.”
The officer’s face twitched, and he said coldly, “Yun Zhonghe, are you afraid of death?”
He was trying very hard to suppress his desire to kill Yun Zhonghe as he said that.
“Of course I am. I’m extremely scared.” Yun Zhonghe sighed. “But for some reason, the more I fear, the more I wanted to challenge the god of death. I don’t know why. When I see a sharp blade, I want to run my finger over the edge to find out how sharp it is; when I stand on the edge of a cliff, I want to throw myself off; when I see a chunk of metal in the snow, I can’t help but want to stick my tongue out and lick it.”
“You are indeed a madman.” The officer of the Order of the Black Dragon took a breath. “You won. You answered all three of the questions correctly, and you may go to the City of Torn Gust to execute the mission.”
“Got it,” said Yun Zhonghe.
“You don’t seem surprised at all,” the officer said. “Do you know why you won?”
“Dozens of agents were dispatched by the Order to execute this mission, but they are all dead,” Yun Zhonghe replied. “Based on that, I know that executing this mission will be like dancing on the Grim Reaper’s scythe. Only two types of people could survive in that kind of place: a madman or a psychopath. I am the most suitable candidate.”
The officer continued, “But you aren’t loyal to the Order or the empire. You could betray us anytime, so why would we employ you?”
“The Order of the Black Dragon hasn’t given me anything,” Yun Zhonghe said. “Would you believe me if I told you that I am loyal to the Order? In terms of loyalty, I am like a blank canvas; you are free to paint whatever you want on it. I’m also a mirror. If you give me flowers, you will have the reflection of flowers, but if you act like the devil, then you will have the reflection of a devil.”
There was not a hint of humor in Yun Zhonghe’s tone when he spoke about loyalty. He was taking this very seriously.
What he said made perfect sense; the agents who were undercover in the City of Torn Gust were constantly dancing with the devil. Only a lunatic or a psychopath would enjoy such a mission. Yun Zhonghe seemed to enjoy the adrenaline rush of dancing with the devil, so he would probably be able to accomplish the mission with ease.
The other two potential candidates, Lin Bao and Yan Liang, each appeared to be outstanding in military and civil matters, respectively, but they were actually unprepared for what was to come. They wouldn’t last even a fortnight going undercover in the City of Torn Gust.
Yun Zhonghe wasn’t loyal at all, but the Order of the Black Dragon was unequaled when it came to earning loyalty. They offered neither money nor fear, but sacrifice in exchange for your loyalty.
One sacrifice after another!
After hearing Yun Zhonghe’s argument, the Black Dragon officer was quiet for a moment. Then he waved his hand.
The whole prison cell was lit up, revealing his face for the first time. It was a very handsome face, but there were two scars across it. He appeared to be in his forties.
“Well said.” The officer continued, “I am Feng Xingmie. You are a very clever man, evilly clever. I’m not even sure if engaging you was the right thing to do.”
Feng Xingmie was a very cool name, but it wasn’t very suitable for a member of the Order of the Black Dragon. Besides, his face was also too unfriendly.
“Yun Zhonghe, you have no parents,” Feng Xingmie said. “It was like you were birthed by a stone. You have seen too much darkness since you were young, and also too much deception. I will not tell you how loyal I am to the empire, or how loyal the Order of the Black Dragon is to the emperor, let alone how many people in the Order would be willing to sacrifice themselves for the great cause of the empire. You should observe and experience that on your own.”
Yun Zhonghe didn’t react, and neither did he crack any jokes.
Feng Xingmie carried on. “I am the chief officer of the City of Torn Gust mission in the Order of the Black Dragon. The first goal for the two of us is to try to get along with each other. From now on, you are one of my men and a member of the Order of the Black Dragon. Let’s hope both of us will get the chance to manifest the weight of that sentence.”
He then put his palm on Yun Zhonghe’s shoulder and gave it a rather strong pat.
Feng Xingmie’s tone was very calm, but there seemed to be a ball of fire burning inside him. The ball of fire erupted from time to time, especially when he mentioned the words “Order of the Black Dragon,” as if he was ready to give everything for those five words, including his life.
“When do I leave for the City of Torn Gust?” Yun Zhonghe asked.
“Three days from now,” Feng Xingmie answered.
Yun Zhonghe asked again, “That urgent?”
Feng Xingmie said, “Yes, that urgent.”
Time flowed away like a river and flew like an arrow. Days passed in the blink of an eye when one didn’t have a chance to show off, and the three days soon ticked away.