Chapter 664: Meeting Second Brother Wang Bei Again (1/2)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
The air was suffused with the thick stench of blood, but the two black-robed figures continued to sit across from each other and drink as if nothing had happened.
If Solitary Wolf were present, he would definitely have been given a shock. The dress of these people and the aura they exuded were exactly the same as the people who had pursued him in Jiange.
No one could have expected them to follow the trail all the way from the southwest to the capital.
”It seems like we'll have to request Lu Wu's help.”
Nearby, a third figure in black was standing on a corpse, suddenly speaking as he cleaned the blood off his sword.
The moment he said this, the entire restaurant turned deathly still, the faint smell of fear beginning to drift through the room.
”Oh, you're not willing? Don't forget, if the mission fails, we'll all be killed.”
The third black-robed figure sneered at the silence of his comrades.
”But… Lu Wu is too bloodthirsty. If he makes too much of a ruckus and provokes the notice of that person in the Imperial Palace, we still might all end up dead,” one of the black-robed figures at the table said in a shaky voice.
The capital of the Great Tang was said to be the most dangerous place in the world precisely because of that supreme existence of the world presiding over Taiji Palace, the Great Tang's Son of Heaven.
The third man instantly fell silent, deep apprehension in his eyes.
”…Hmph, relax, we're just a few shrimps. How could someone like him pay attention to us? And as Emperor, he has countless matters to deal with every day. Would he really throw aside government affairs and come to deal with minor players like us?”
Although he seemed to be speaking to the other two figures, the third black-robed man was actually trying to convince himself.
”In any case, we still have to do it, even if we don't want to. If we don't want to die, we have to unleash Lu Wu. As long as that brat is killed, we'll have made a great contribution. When the time comes, we just need to leave the capital as quickly as possible… Do you think we have any other choice?”
As he spoke, the third figure's voice grew increasingly resolved.
The expression in the eyes of the pair began to change. After a long silence, they both nodded.
”Let's do as you propose. Once Lu Wu is released, that brat's death will be assured. But if we do this, we'll have to leave as quickly as possible.”
With these final words, the restaurant gradually fell back into silence.
……
The assassination attempt on the road had merely been a minor interlude to Wang Chong. Something that could make his heart thump a little was very hard to come by.
Seating himself in another carriage, Wang Chong changed course for the palace gates.
”Take me to the Death Prison.”
Wang Chong flashed his marquis token, allowing him to smoothly proceed toward the Death Prison. Wang Chong was the Son of Heaven's disciple, and the token displaying his Young Marquis title had the insignia of the five-clawed dragon. This was unique amongst the marquises, a special gift the Sage Emperor had conferred on Wang Chong.
Other than the harem and a few special places, Wang Chong could use his Young Marquis token to freely travel through the majority of the Imperial Palace.
The Death Prison held convicts guilty of serious crimes, and few people were ever able to come out. But when compared to the imperial prison, which one could only leave alive with a pardon from the Sage Emperor, imprisonment in the Death Prison was a far lighter punishment.
Wang Chong proceeded toward his second brother Wang Bei's cell.
”Lord Marquis, please proceed!”
It was still the same set of guards, but they appeared much more respectful to Wang Chong this time, their heads bowed and their eyes fixed on the ground as they spoke.
By now, Wang Chong's reputation was well-known even to these guards of the Death Prison deep within the Imperial Palace, and they held an incomparably deep respect for him.
This was not Wang Chong's first time entering the Death Prison. He gave a slight nod to these guards and proceeded through the gate, walking the familiar path into its depths.
The dark cell was silent, the surroundings brimming with the dreadful stench of death. It was like he had walked into some dangerous netherworld.
However, there was no chill in this gloomy cell. On the contrary, a burning hot strength filled the place, as if an active volcano lay underground.
Everything about this place had changed since Wang Chong's first visit.
”Second Brother,” Wang Chong called. As he looked at that long-haired figure in the cell with its back toward him, a hint of concern flashed through his eyes.
This sort of continuous release of heat was not normal. Wang Chong could sense that the Berserker Syndrome his second brother suffered from was getting more and more serious.
The cell was quiet and still. Nothing came from it except the endless heat.
After what seemed like ages, Wang Bei finally spoke, his voice flat and devoid of emotion. ”You went to see Xu Qiqin?”
”Yes.”
Wang Chong nodded, a thin smile on his face.