561 Arrestmen

"Jie is a Shang citizen and if he falls in with them, it will be detrimental to my cause!"

Young Master Wu had calmed down and he spoke coldly.

"Ge Mo, I want you to bribe the personal guards of the King. Tell them to turn the arrest warrant into a death warrant. Turn the King and Jie against each other."

"It shall be done, Young Master!"

There was a glint in Mo Ge's eyes as he retreated.

Mo Ge could not help but laugh inwardly.

"Jie...so what if you are a gifted swordsman? You have offended our Young Master and will suffer a terrible death. Your death will contribute to Western Zhou's grand ambitions!"

As long the Shang King fell for the calumny about Jie and fell out with him, Western Zhou would benefit no matter who won.

'This is how our Young Master conducts his affairs!"

Mo Ge walked out of the hall and wiped the sweat off his brows.

Young Master Wu was bright and ambitious, not to mention that he also had a vicious streak. Mo Ge was finding it increasingly difficult to serve him.

Nevertheless, working under such a lord was the way to survive in these chaotic times and to accomplish the enterprise of overthrowing the Shang Dynasty!

"Young Master Wu will become our future King! No one will stand in his path...much less a lowly swordsman…"　　　　　　　

Mo Ge muttered to himself.

"Sir Zou!"

Young Master Wu stood alone in the great hall with his arms placed behind his back. He suddenly posed a question to the air.

"Having met this person, what are your thoughts?"

"There are so many kinds of people in the world and I can never be sure about someone. One thing is for sure though. He is definitely not a simple man!"

A white-haired old man emerged from behind the walls. He wore a large robe and had a long beard that touched the ground. He looked very sprightly for his age and wore a foot-long hat on his head. He was definitely a man with special talents.

"A man who can defeat Sir Cao is obviously not a simple man!"

Young Master Wu waved a hand dismissively.

"What else?"

"Also...this person has achieved a high level of cultivation. He is not a common swordsman, nor is he a realm energy practitioner. On the contrary, he looks like he is from the witch race…"

The old man stroked his white beard.

"Witch?"

Young Master Wu looked perplexed.

"Have you heard about the Jiuli Disturbance? The people of Jiuli were witches...the God of War, Chi, that they worshipped was also a witch…"

Sir Zou let out a sigh.

"Unfortunately, the world underwent a major upheaval 500 years ago and the witch race disappeared off the face of the earth. It is wholly unexpected that we were able to meet a member of the witch race today...besides, seeing how he had glanced directly at my hiding spot, he must have discovered my spying on him."

"Really?"

Young Master Wu did not know what to feel about that.

...

"There was probably a fourth person present in the talent house!"

As Fang Yuan left Juxian Hall, he turned his head around and caught sight of a touch of purple energy. He could not help but smile.

When he had first arrived in Shangyi, he had felt the presences of three difficult people. The Sword Sage Sir Cao was one of them. The second person was right here.

"I'm guessing that the third person is in the imperial palace. After all, a legacy of 500 years would probably result in a formidable Shang royal…"

Fang Yuan was walking back to his lodgings when he suddenly frowned.

A group of Shang soldiers had surrounded the building. They were obviously targetting Hei Zhong, Ge Nie and company!

"They've made their move in so short a time?"

Fang Yuan grumbled but he did not back down.

"Jie...as a Shang citizen, you have committed treason by disrespecting the King. Surrender now!"

An army commander stepped forward and railed at Fang Yuan. It was Gentleman Jiu. At his side were Meng Kuo and the other soldiers who had partaken in the operation against Dongyi.

It was clear that Young Master Wu's camp had gotten to them first.

Of course, it was probably thanks to Meng Kuo and a few others that the soldiers had not yet rushed into the building to make their arrests.

"Jie...sigh…"

Meng Kuo stepped forward and bowed.

"Do have a care for the general situation and follow me back to the palace to meet with the King. I will run the risk of getting punished and defend you...besides, now that you have the reputation of emerging victorious over Sir Cao, the King won't make things difficult for you."　

Meng Kuo was unwilling to see Fang Yuan resist arrest for it was a path of no return.　　　　　

However, someone did not share his sentiments.

"Men, make them put down their weapons and take them down!"

Gentleman Jiu pointed at Fang Yuan and unsheathed his sword.

Dozens of soldiers rushed forward menacingly with their spears.

'Resist!'

Gentleman Jiu stared at Fang Yuan morbidly. To him, if Jie did not resist arrest, he would teach him a lesson that he would never forget. He would then kill Hei Zhong in revenge for having suffered humiliation at his hands.

If Jie resisted, he would be a dead man!

In the Shang capital, resisting the civil force was a capital crime. Even it was Sir Cao and all his disciples, the state would see to their deaths.

"Really...you have no idea what you're in for!"

Fang Yuan flicked his sword and a metallic sound rang through the air.

"Buzz!"

As the sound rang out, Fang Yuan smashed his way through the surrounding Shang soldiers like a tornado, leaving them lying about like broken ragdolls.

"Shield!"

Gentleman Jie let out a roar and a dozen shield-bearing soldiers spread out in front of him. Another dozen bowmen emerged from behind the shield bearers.

"Shields on!"

The shield bearers slammed their shields on the ground firmly, forming an impenetrable iron wall.

An iron wall with arrows at the ready. In war, any later and this formation would have been surrounded.

Gentleman Jiu was confident that if Sir Cao had been here, he would have ended up like a porcupine with arrows sticking out from his body! Jie was more formidable but there had to be a limit to what he was capable of.

"Ignorant!"

However, in the next moment, he had seen the look in Fang Yuan's eyes. It was a look of condescension and pity.

"I have travelled nearly a thousand miles worth of battlefields and have mowed down thousands with my sword!"

Fang Yuan bellowed out extendedly and appeared before the shield formation with his sword in hand.

"Kaboom!"

In the next moment, a storm raged!

Fang Yuan had managed to channel the power of the winds and thunder into his sword thrust.

The seemingly impregnable shield formation was ripped apart, revealing the frightened bowmen who were standing behind.

"Loose the arrows! Loose the arrows!"

Gentleman Jiu gripped tightly onto his sword but it brought no comfort to him.　

"Swish!"

The arrows rained upon Fang Yuan with metallic clangs before they fell harmlessly to the ground.

"Since you all want to die, I will fulfil your death wishes!"

Fang Yuan strolled up to the bowmen leisurely and slashed his sword about, leaving all of the bowmen incapacitated.

Fang Yuan then walked over to Gentleman Jiu, his sword dripping with blood.

"No…"

As Gentleman Jiu looked on despairingly, Fang Yuan slapped aside Gentleman Jiu's sword with his own sword and plunged it into his throat.

"Poof!"

A red mist exploded from Gentleman Jiu's wound as he collapsed lifelessly onto the ground.

Meng Kuo was horrified. By massacring Gentleman Jiu and his men, he had definitely made an enemy of the Shang regime.

The King had not only lost an important aide but he had also gained a powerful enemy!

'Sigh...it's all Gentleman Jiu's fault. The slanderous remarks made by the traitorous court officials are also to blame. The King himself is too much…'

Meng Kuo tried to suppress what he considered to be treasonous thoughts and eyed Fang Yuan with a newfound hatred.

Meng Kuo was sworn to the Shang King and since Fang Yuan had decided to fall out with the imperial court, he would take Fang Yuan down at all costs and stem the rise of this perceived evil.

Fang Yuan was aware of what Meng Kuo was feeling at that moment.

"What a pity...that this loyal official isn't allegiant to me."

Fang Yuan sighed.

A man like Meng Kuo would have made a wonderful right-hand man. However, he could also become a most troublesome enemy.

However, he was only human.

'If he dares to make any more trouble for me, I'll kill him!'

Fang Yuan had made his decision and exhaled deeply.

"Whoosh!"

The winds howled and whipped up the sands and stones. The skies darkened as a hurricane began to form on the spot.

The Shang soldiers ran amok and screamed in panic.

When the crazy occurrences finally died down and normality was resumed, Fang Yuan, Hei Zhong and company were long gone...

...

The news arrived at the imperial palace an hour later.

"Gentleman Jiu has passed away in an attempt to arrest to Jie?"

The Shang King was named Xin. He was a large man and looked every inch a king. Back when he had been younger, he could lift cauldrons heavier than 1000 pounds and was known for his immense strength.

Not only did he have a Herculean build, but he was also well versed in the art of war. He had scored military victories over the tribes of Dongyi, Jiumiao and more. Under his rule, the Shang empire had reached its greatest territorial extent. He was one of the brightest rulers in the history of the Shang Dynasty.

However, in his middle age, he had become more inclined towards merrymaking and had developed a mercurial temper.

When he heard that Fang Yuan had resisted arrest, King Xin flipped over the table in front of him in a fit of rage.

"How dare he act like this in Shangyi. Does this capital city still belong to me?"

The two servants at his side shared a quiet laugh with each other.

They had taken bribes from Western Zhou and was prepared to slander Jie in front of the King, which would sabotage chances of reconciliation even if Jie had been willing to meet with the King peacefully.

What they had not expected was that Jie was a maniac. They did not even have to sow discord.

"Pass down my orders to lock up all the gates of the city and issue a national arrest warrant for him!"

King Xin bellowed on.

"When I get my hands on Jie, I will make sure that he experiences excruciating torture!"

The wrath of the Shang King had left all the servants in the imperial court trembling.

No one had noticed a figure glide away from the outside of the imperial palace to a princely palace. He then went on to relate what he had seen to a young man.

"Jie?"

This young man had piercing eyes and gave off an exalted aura. He had a more impressive countenance than Young Master Wu.

After all, how could the upbringing of the Young Master of a feudal state compare to that of an imperial Prince?

The appearance and fortune of people in the world were expressions of their strength and potential. These things did not happen by chance.

"It is a great pity that we have fallen out with a master that has inflicted defeat upon the Sword Sage!"

The young man drew his sword determinedly.

"I will leave the palace and personally arrest Jie for Father's sake...Mm, this is what you will tell the King if he asks, is that clear?"

"Yes, my Prince!"

His aides bowed deeply in reply. At that moment, they all shared a sense of helplessness.