Simultaneous Transmigration: The Re-merging of 99 Selves

Chapter 70 Wanyan Honglie's Struggle

The courtyard of the post station was already in a mess.

The ground was littered with corpses, mostly those of Jin guards. The fatal wounds were almost all in the throat, leaving only a thin bloodstain.

A few scattered corpses of Eastern Depot swordsmen lay among the dead, mostly wounded by Jin warriors in their dying counterattacks; their numbers were few and far between.

Clearly, this battle was almost a one-sided massacre.

Wang Huai'an, leading dozens of Evil-Repelling Swordsmen, surrounded a two-story pavilion deep within the post station, their swords drawn, yet he hesitated to give the order to attack.

In front of the attic door stood a burly man, his fists clenched, his eyes wide with anger, confronting the crowd, exuding a fierce and fearless aura.

Upon seeing Zhao Yu approach, Wang Huai'an quickly stepped forward: "Your Majesty."

Zhao Yu's gaze swept over the towering man: "The rest of the area has been cleared, so why leave this place unattended?"

Wang Huai'an trembled slightly: "Your Majesty, the person inside claims to be Wanyan Honglie, the sixth prince of the Jin Kingdom. This matter involves the Jin royal family and is of great importance. This servant dares not make a decision on my own, so I thought I would ask Your Majesty's opinion first."

"Seeking instructions?" Zhao Yu frowned, his tone instantly turning cold. "What were my orders before we set off?"

Wang Huai'an shuddered and quickly clasped his hands in a fist and shouted, "It was my overthinking! I'll lead my men in right now and slaughter all the Jin dogs here, leaving not a single one alive!"

Having said that, he was about to get up and draw his sword.

Just then, the burly man in front of the pavilion suddenly shouted at Zhao Yu in broken Chinese: "Hey kid! You're the leader of these eunuchs? What kind of hero are you, only daring to launch sneak attacks? If you have the guts, come and fight me!"

He glanced Zhao Yu up and down, then suddenly burst into a raucous laugh: "What? Don't dare answer? Or are you also spineless, just like your men? Hahaha!"

"Insolence!" Wang Huai'an roared in fury. "You mere barbarian, how dare you utter such foul language before His Majesty! Even if you are invulnerable to swords and spears, I will make you die here today!"

Before he finished speaking, Wang Huai'an had already drawn his longsword, unleashing the full power of the Evil-Repelling Sword Technique. His movements were as swift as a ghost, aiming straight for his opponent's vital point.

"Well done!" The man laughed loudly, neither dodging nor avoiding, and slapped his large, fan-like hand towards the sword's edge.

"clang!"

Wang Huai'an felt a numbness in his tiger's mouth. The sword's edge was actually blocked by the opponent's fleshy palm, leaving only a shallow red mark on his palm.

Zhao Yu stood still, observing coldly.

That man's martial arts style was characterized by its powerful and unrestrained movements. His external martial arts skills were exceptional, and ordinary swords and knives could only leave shallow marks on his body.

No wonder Wang Huai'an and his men have been surrounding the area for so long without managing to break through. On one hand, they were wary of Wanyan Honglie's status, and on the other hand, they were blocked by this tough nut to crack.

The Evil-Repelling Sword Technique excels in its speed, but against such physically powerful martial arts masters, if you cannot strike a vital point with a single sword strike, no matter how fast you are, it will ultimately be in vain.

Not to mention that Wang Huai'an and others had only practiced for a little over two months, and their hastily learned swordsmanship was even less lethal.

Dealing with ordinary Jin people is fine, but facing such a master of external martial arts is a bit difficult.

Fortunately, his opponent was really clumsy. After a few rounds, Wang Huai'an had used his speed advantage to cut more than a dozen wounds on the man's body, leaving him covered in blood.

Seeing the two locked in combat, Zhao Yu made no move to intervene.

He could see clearly that although Wang Huai'an had not injured the man's vital organs, the man's wounds were increasing, and his vital energy was already depleted.

Wang Huai'an had the upper hand, and it was only a matter of time before he defeated this person.

This is a good opportunity to train this future head of the Eastern Depot. We can't have him take charge of the Eastern Depot in the future if he can't even perform well in martial arts.

Just as the two were locked in a fierce battle, the door to the attic was suddenly pushed open.

"Donjupa, stop for now."

Wanyan Honglie slowly walked out and stopped the two of them.

There was no sign of panic on his face; he maintained his composure, though a barely perceptible tension lurked deep in his eyes.

Upon hearing this, Dunzhuba let out a loud shout and unleashed both palms simultaneously, the powerful force forcing Wang Huai'an to retreat.

He then leaped forward and retreated to stand in front of Wanyan Honglie, protecting him behind him.

Wang Huai'an sheathed his sword and stood there, watching Wanyan Honglie warily. He then turned to look at Zhao Yu, awaiting his command.

Wanyan Honglie's gaze fell on Zhao Yu, first scrutinizing him from head to toe, then he bowed and asked, "This eunuch addresses you as Your Majesty, may I ask if you are the Prince of Yongjia of the Great Song Dynasty?"

Zhao Yu was somewhat surprised: "Your Mandarin is quite good. Tell me, how did you recognize me?"

"Within Lin'an City, who else could be so young as to be addressed as 'King' by his subordinates, besides the Emperor of Song's own younger brother, the Prince of Yongjia, who is devoted to cultivating Taoism?"

Wanyan Honglie's expression remained unchanged, and his tone even carried a hint of flattery.

"You're quite sensible," Zhao Yu chuckled, stepping towards him. "Showing yourself willingly saves me a lot of trouble. Perfect, sending you on your way will save me the trouble of sending people in to look for you again."

Wanyan Honglie's heart tightened suddenly, and he hurriedly said, "Your Highness, please wait! I have never had any grudge against Your Highness, why must Your Highness put me to death?"

Seeing that Zhao Yu didn't respond, he quickly added, "Your Highness's secret training of assassins is definitely not just a spur-of-the-moment thing! What Your Highness wants is the supreme throne, isn't it?"

"Your Highness, I am willing to cooperate! If Your Highness spares my life, my Great Jin will do everything in my power to help Your Highness ascend the throne! With my Great Jin as your backing, Your Highness's path to seizing the throne will surely be twice as effective!"

In his view, Zhao Yu killed him simply to break the peace agreement, provoke a war between the Song and Jin dynasties, and then seize the throne by taking advantage of the chaos.

Otherwise, why would Zhao Yu attack me? There's no reason for it.

Since it's about power and position, there's room for negotiation.

Rather than being trapped in the attic and waiting to die, it's better to take a risk and gamble. Perhaps by taking advantage of the infighting among the Song people, we can gain even greater benefits for the Jin Dynasty.

But Zhao Yu didn't stop, only saying calmly, "Are these your last words?"

Wanyan Honglie's expression changed drastically, and he abruptly retreated into the pavilion: "Release the arrows! Shoot him dead!"

In an instant, arrows rained down from the doors and windows of the attic, heading straight for Zhao Yu.

But Zhao Yu didn't even try to dodge.

The arrows that shot towards Zhao Yu lost their momentum upon impact and fell to the ground.

"You're courting death!" Seeing Wanyan Honglie in danger, Dunzhuba roared and lunged at Zhao Yu.

Without even lifting his eyelids, Zhao Yu's left hand reached out lightly and precisely grabbed Dunzhuba's wrist.

With a slight twist and push, Dunzhuba felt his meridians ache and go numb, and he couldn't use any of his martial arts skills, leaving him completely immobile.

Seeing the horrified look on Dunzhuba's face, Zhao Yu had a thought: "His martial arts skills..."

With a casual flick of his wrist, he tossed Dunzhuba behind him: "Improve his pressure points, watch closely."

After saying that, Zhao Yu looked up into the depths of the pavilion, and without stopping, walked step by step toward the door.

"Wanyan Honglie, you can't hide now, come out and face your death."