Black Myth: Starting from the Destined One
Chapter 92 - 88: The Arrow is on the String!

Chapter 92: Chapter 88: The Arrow is on the String!

With Zuo Qianhu’s bold move of shattering the coffin, his subordinates finally gathered enough courage, and fifty of them split into five teams to meticulously search for traces of the Xiao Family members within Zhengqi Villa.

"What? An order from the State Preceptor? How would the State Preceptor know my whereabouts? Could it be..."

Xiao Wangba, having heard something else in the orders from Zuo Qianhu, immediately furrowed his brow and looked towards Chang’an City, his mind filled with numerous thoughts:

"Could it be him? Did he betray me? Impossible, right?"

Meanwhile, all the other Xiao Family members held their breath and tensed up, gripping their sword hilts tightly. With the enemy being numerous and strong while they were few and weak, should Zuo Qianhu’s men discover them, it would be a fight to the death to carve a bloody path out!

Zuo Qianhu sat in the main hall as soon as he entered the compound, while his subordinates searched around. Suddenly, one of his subordinates came back to report:

"The State Preceptor is indeed a divine strategist, and Sir is truly wise. I just searched the kitchen and found the stove still warm, indicating someone was cooking here before our arrival!"

"Not good!"

Xiao Qingfeng and Xiao Yuechi then remembered that they had received news of Zuo Qianhu’s arrival and were erasing their tracks. In their nervousness, they had unfortunately overlooked the stove they had just used for cooking, thus exposing their location.

"Hmph!"

Zuo Qianhu smirked triumphantly:

"No mistake, they are here!"

As soon as Zuo Qianhu’s words fell, a scream rang out from a side room adjacent to the main hall.

"Ah! There’s someone here!"

Following that was a clashing of weapons.

"No need to hide anymore! Break out! We must protect the master’s safety and help him escape from here!"

The Xiao Family members could no longer hide and immediately burst from their hiding spots, clashing with the men Zuo Qianhu had brought, fighting fiercely in the dark, abandoned villa.

A Xiao Family member leaped out from a water urn at the entrance of the main hall, aiming straight for Zuo Qianhu’s head. Zuo Qianhu simply smiled faintly, and with a backhand motion, he wrapped a whip around the Xiao Family member’s long sword and with great strength pulled him close, kicking him directly in the chest, causing him to fall and cough up blood continuously. Zuo Qianhu then drew his Tang Sword and placed it at the man’s throat.

"Where is Imperial Censor Lord Xiao?"

"What Imperial Censor Lord Xiao? I don’t know!"

The Xiao Family member replied in pain, clutching his chest.

"Spirited! Just for that sentence, I will spare your life!"

Without probing deeper, Zuo Qianhu instead commanded his subordinates who were fighting the Xiao Family members:

"Keep them alive; the matter with Zhuge Weiwei has already slipped by. Now we must achieve a feat, capture all the Xiao rebels alive, not damaging any of them. Put them in prison carts, give them some food and drink to nourish their bodies, don’t let them starve, it would not look good."

"After capturing Xiao Wangba, take him along to Chang’an to be paraded through the streets. This will serve multiple purposes: first, to warn those harboring disloyal intentions, second, to admonish the court officials who reject the State Preceptor’s authority, third, because I respect the Xiao Family members, it will allow them to live longer, and fourth, to make a name for us across the world, showing how formidable Zuo’s Private Army is, bringing honor to both of us."

"Yes!"

Upon receiving the command, the subordinates refrained from lethal blows due to their numerical advantage, overwhelming the outnumbered Xiao Family members. After suffering injuries, all nineteen were captured alive and were made to kneel outside the main hall for public display.

Without turning, Zuo Qianhu stared into the darkness ahead, seemingly aware that Xiao Wangba was hidden there, and demanded:

"Speak quickly, where is Xiao Wangba? Confess now, and I will spare his life and let him go. If you refuse, there will be no survival!"

Faced with Zuo Qianhu’s threat, the nineteen Xiao Family members outside the hall all closed their eyes tightly, clenched their teeth, and remained silent, refusing to betray.

Behind the main hall’s wall, Xiao Wangba, Xiao Yuechi, Xiao Qingfeng, and Yiye Zhiqiu were anxiously watching the events unfold, unable to care about their own safety, only worried about the nineteen subordinates who had been captured. With no plan in mind, they all turned their eyes toward Li Ping’an:

"Strategist, what should we do now? If it comes to it, I will surrender myself to plead for Zuo Qianhu to release my subordinates, how about that?"

"Senior, you are as wise as a god, please save them quickly!"

"Ping’an, you have strategies at your disposal, think of something quickly!"

"Senior Zhuge, just now I heard Zuo Qianhu say they missed capturing you, it seems Senior Zhuge has a countermeasure, please suggest something quick?"

All four of them looked at Li Ping’an simultaneously, only to discover that Li Ping’an had disappeared without a trace. While they were puzzled, a sinister shadow appeared behind Yiye Zhiqiu, and a foot emerged from behind, which fiercely kicked Yiye Zhiqiu’s butt, sending Yiye Zhiqiu, who had been hidden here, flying out directly into a position three meters in front of Zuo Qianhu, which surprisingly gave Zuo Qianhu a scare.

"Who are you?"

Zuo Qianhu, puzzled, stared at Yiye Zhiqiu, who had inexplicably knelt before him, and joked:

"You are quite peculiar, it’s not even New Year’s yet, why are you rushing to kneel and ask for New Year’s money?"

"Hahaha!"

Zuo Qianhu’s subordinates all laughed mockingly.

"That will teach you to gossip about me to my face! Serves you right!"

Finally, Li Ping’an had avenged the rumor Yiye Zhiqiu had spread among the members of the Xiao Family earlier. However, this was all secondary; Li Ping’an did not wish to have a direct conflict with the Imperial Court’s men and preferred to lay low and progress quietly, contributing the bare minimum.

Currently, his identity bound with Zhuge Weiwei and involved with Rebels like Xiao Wangba, even if he explained the situation to Zuo Qianhu, he was certain of being disbelieved. Thus, he had to resolve the issue with Zuo Qianhu without revealing his identity, forcing Yiye Zhiqiu to act.

"..."

Xiao Wangba, Xiao Yuechi, and Xiao Qingfeng widened their eyes in astonishment at Li Ping’an’s act of kicking, marveling at the fact that the esteemed Zhuge Weiwei would behave so disgracefully.

However, Li Ping’an appeared indifferent. Let others think what they would, but out of regard for Qingfeng and Xiao Yuechi being there and for maintaining his own reputation, he immediately approached and impassively explained:

"When I first met Yiye Zhiqiu, before I encountered any of you, he boasted about wanting to spar with Zuo Qianhu, the number one martial artist in the Great Tang’s Jianghu. Seeing Zuo Qianhu right here, resolving this issue had to be done through Yiye Zhiqiu, thus I fulfilled his wish with my foot."

"From this perspective, it still reflects the strategist’s kindness."

Xiao Wangba and the Xiao sisters believed him and didn’t probe further.

Yiye Zhiqiu got up clumsily, dusting the dirt off his face:

"I am Yiye Zhiqiu, a Taoist from the Kunlun Mountains!"

"Even a recluse bothers with worldly matters?"

After his initial surprise, Zuo Qianhu scoffed:

"I don’t care which holy figure you are, just tell me quickly where Lord Xiao, no, I should say the former Imperial Censor Xiao Wangba is hiding?"

Zuo Qianhu stared at the wall behind the main hall, analyzing:

"Lord Xiao must be behind this wall! Come out, Lord Xiao, you can’t escape!"

"Hey, hey, hey!"

Yiye Zhiqiu, with hands on his hips, blocked in front of Zuo Qianhu and taunted: