Ning Que pushed aside the thorns in front of him and walked out of the flower garden. He stood at the flat stone ground of the courtyard and looked at Gu Xi sitting in the chair, asking, "I didn't think I've offended you before. Why would you wish to kill me?"

Gu Xi slowly stood up from his chair and looked at him with a smile, saying, "Many things in the world need reasons, and killing people is no exception. But our killing is different from the court's cutting prisoners' heads, so you don't have to offend me. I want to kill you for I think you should die."

Ning Que started to roll up his sleeves slowly and seriously. He stared at Gu Xi, who was not far away, and asked with a calm expression, "I really don't know why I have to die. Do teach me."

The expression on Gu Xi's face seemed a bit strange, and his smile was sinister. His short beard trembled in the cold wind. He looked at Ning Que with a smile and asked, "Were the censor, Zhang Yiqi, and the other related people killed by Mr. Thirteen?"

Ning Que's fingers, which were rolling his sleeves up, suddenly paused, and then he then shook his head, saying, "I haven't heard of this person."

Gu Xi laughed heartily and praised him, giving him a thumbs-up. "Mr. Thirteen is good at killing people without leaving any trace. You don't even bat an eye when lying. You should have joined the court rather than cultivate. Yet..."

As the word "yet" was spoken, his smile suddenly faded away and he then said in an extremely cold tone, "Although Lin Ling and I haven't found any evidence, I know you were at the House of Red Sleeves that day. Especially since I know that Mr. Thirteen intends to kill the general, you already have the reason why you must die."

"To kill a person needs not only a reason but also benefits." Ning Que started to roll up the sleeves of his right arm. He lowered his head and continued, "I'm really wondering what benefits you, as the most trusted subordinate of General Xiahou, can bring to General Xiahou after you kill me, as a core disciple of the Headmaster of the Academy, in Tuyang City."

Ever since Ning Que had left Chang'an for the Wilderness and returned, he often used his ident.i.ty as one of the core disciples of the Headmaster of the Academy while talking to people. Back then, it was because he wanted to oppress them with this ident.i.ty. However, the situation today was different.

He really could not understand why Gu Xi was determined to kill him. Didn't Gu Xi worry that, if Ning was killed, the Academy's and the Empire's wrath might directly turn him and his General Xiahou into ashes?

Gu Xi stroked his beard lightly and whispered, "It's naturally a big risk to kill a student of the Second floor of the Academy, but it'll also bring great benefits. The great benefit is that you'll never threaten the general anymore."

Ning Que finished rolling his sleeves, and his fists that hung down beside his legs could feel the chill of the winter wind.

He shook his head looking at Gu Xi and said, "This benefit is far from enough."

Gu Xi suddenly squinted and then said emotionally, "I have followed the general for half of my life. For what? So that the general can stand on top of the human world. However, after you two people came from the Academy, the general was forced to retire... won't I have to retire as well? Do you think I can accept it?"

He looked at Ning Que's face, with his eyes filled with a sense of calmness and craziness, and then said pensively, "The general wants to retire, but I really don't want him to do so. It's a pity that I'm not qualified to break the agreement between him and Mr. First. To force them to break the agreement, what else can I do except kill you, Mr. Thirteen? Haotian will always be kind, and you're the weakest World Wayfarer in the history of the Academy. It seems the best ending for you is death."

Only then did Ning Que realize that the military counselor was mad. Ning Que slowly furrowed his brows and said, shaking his head, "But have you ever considered that it would be impossible for Xia Hou to come to a good end if you kill me? Everyone in the world knows you are the most loyal to him, so who will believe that killing me was your own decision?"

Gu Xi gently pressed his palms together and sighed in excitement. He then continued, "So this is the best chance. You are weak, and everyone knows Mr. First has never killed people in his life. Therefore, if I kill you, he will most likely not take my life. Then I will stay alive, even living like a dog if I must. I will go to Chang'an City, go to the court, and even meet the Headmaster of Academy in order to take the blame for the general."

Ning Que was slightly stunned upon hearing that Eldest Brother had not killed a person in his lifetime. He immediately thought of Senior Brother's gentle and courteous working style and realized that what Gu Xi had said about Eldest Brother might be true. Yet when Ning Que heard the latter half of his remarks, he could not help mocking him, "Although I don't want to boast, n.o.body will believe that you chose to kill someone with my backing of your own volition."

Gu Xi shook his head and said with regret, "As long as I'm alive, I'll convince the world that Mr. Thirteen of the Academy was killed by me and that it had nothing to do with the general. I shall even convince all the people in the world that I'm a spy from the West-Hill Divine Palace. In that case, the reason why I killed you will have been to frame General Xiahou, to sow dissension between the Academy and military!"

Ning Que gazed at his satisfied expression and continued, shaking his head, "It seems you're insane indeed. Though your plan seems reasonable, even then who would believe you're from the West-Hill Divine Palace?"

The strange smile flashed on Gu Xi's face again. Gu Xi then replied, "People like Mr. Thirteen may not believe it. Yet His Majesty will believe it, so will Her Majesty. The most important thing is that the Headmaster of the Academy will believe it."

As he said this, Gu Xi, a military counselor who was accustomed to take care of everything for the general from within the shadows, looked up at the grey winter sky. On his face appeared a clear smile, and he said emotionally, "Because I really do belong to the West-Hill Divine Palace."

Ning Que was left speechless. He had been struggling on the edge between life and death for survival ever since his youth. He had thought that he had already seen through the darkness and complexities of the world. However, as he witnessed Gu Xi confess his original and real ident.i.ty as well as his crazy devotion to Xia Hou, Ning Que discovered that he still hadn't understood the real depth of the shadows hidden in the world.

He tightened his belt around his waist and confirmed that it would not affect his later battle. After that, he raised his head and asked, "How are you so sure that you can kill me?"

Gu Xi looked at him banteringly and replied, "Because you're the weakest on the Second floor of the Academy."

Ning Que heaved a sigh, predicting that this t.i.tle would probably follow him for many years to come.

He objected, "But my Eldest Brother is in Tuyang City now."

Gu Xi answered, "As you're here in my mansion, Mr. First naturally thinks you came here to kill me. Why would he intervene?"

Ning Que asked, "If so, does that mean that General Xiahou won't intervene, either?"

Gu Xi said with a smile, "That's right. So this is the best chance to kill you today. In fact, previously I was hesitating about whether to kill you or not. Fortunately, you came here on your own. What I can only do now is kill you."

Ning Que said, "For me, this is also the best opportunity to kill you. Actually, I couldn't make up my mind about whether to break into your mansion and kill you. Yet as you happen to wish to kill me, thus I have to kill you."

Gu Xi stared at him with interest and asked, "You already know why I want to kill you. However, I'm still unsure why you must kill me. Could Mr. Thirteen enlighten me?"

Ning Que gazed at his face, remembering the piece of oilpaper.

The guy who wrote the note on the oilpaper had already died, and the oilpaper had been destroyed by Ning Que. However, Ning Que clearly remembered those names on the oilpaper. At the very head of the list were the two words "Gu Xi".

Many years ago, Gu Xi had already been the most loyal and sinister dog of General Xiahou. Both the information found by Darkie and the archives of the Imperial Center Administration that Ning Que secretly saw through his master indicated that this military counselor was the liaison between Xia Hou and the West-Hill Divine Palace.

It was exactly Gu Xi who had made the decision for Xia Hou. He charged the Xuanwei General for treason, and then the Xuanwei General's whole family was executed. In addition, the ma.s.sacre of those villages in the Yan territory was also this military counselor's idea.

These reasons were already enough for Ning Que to kill him hundreds of times over.

However, facing Gu Xi's query, he did not make any explanation.

His sleeves had been rolled up to the elbow, and his naked arms were exposed to the cold wind. His stable right hand reached to his back and held a hilt. Then a clink was heard as a spindly podao was pulled out. The blade was blazing a the frosty light in the cold wind.

Ning Que walked through the courtyard at a steady pace, towards Gu Xi in front of the pine-wood chair.

Gu Xi slowly squinted and his hands in his sleeves at his back were slightly quivering. It was not because of fear, but no one knew what these quivering fingers were doing.

The sharp blade pierced the quiet courtyard, cutting off the cold wind that blew in from outside the wall, moving towards Gu Xi's squinted eyes!

Gu Xi's eyes narrowed even more. As

even more. As quick as lightning, he s.h.i.+fted his focused instead on Ning Que's left hand, that had been hanging beside his body.

In Ning Que's left hand's fingers was an embroidered purse.

The purse emitted a strong talisman intent.

It was the Divine Talisman left by Master Yan Se. In order to fight against Ye Hongyu at the Front Gate of the Devil's Doctrine, he had already used one. Today, in front of Gu Xi, a powerful military counselor of Xia Hou, he used the second one without any hesitation.

However, the Divine Talisman in the purse... could not be activated!

Gu Xi's eyes had narrowed into two slits, and the cold light in his eyes was oppressive.

Innumerable talismans with various auras flew out from the sleeves behind him. Instantly, the Qi of Heaven and Earth in the courtyard was stirred up. Numerous subtle strands of primordial Qi were torn and began to flow within their bodies.

Gu Xi was known for his sinister plots. Unexpectedly, he was actually a rare and powerful Talisman Master of the world!

Those milky pools of spatial turbulence were like black seams on the ground. The Qi of Heaven and Earth was like running water, quickly flowing away from Ning Que. The connection between Ning Que's Psyche Power and the purse was disturbed and could not maintain a smooth connection for a moment!

The s.h.i.+ny and spindly podao in his hand seemed to have fallen into a quagmire in this seemingly transparent s.p.a.ce. It was difficult to move. Although it was not far from Gu Xi's face, it seemed it could never get any closer.

It seemed the air above the mansion could sense the incredibly chaotic talisman intent and the turbulence of the Qi of Heaven and Earth in the courtyard, and the sky turned gloomy. The water in the clouds above condensed into snow that slowly fell down to the ground.

A snowflake drifted over Ning Que's eyelashes and landed on the back of his hand as it slightly shook while holding the hilt. The snowflake instantly melted.

The situation was extremely tense, and Ning Que was in a really dangerous situation. However, when the snowflake fell on him, he did not even bat an eye, and his eyes remained calm and focused.