PDLP Chapter 39: Delivering the letter
Chapter 39: Delivering the letter
The candlelight flickered uneasily in the dimly lit pavilion, distorting and twisting the shadows of the people inside.
The room was eerily quiet!
After a long silence, Bai Wen finally spoke, his voice sounding particularly hoarse.
"This trip will naturally be led by the Grand Master, but Your Majesty..."
"good!"
He had barely uttered a few words when Zou Yun abruptly interrupted him.
"Since you know that I will be in charge of this mission, I have an urgent task that you need to complete immediately."
Bai Wen glanced almost imperceptibly at Meng Xuande, a cloud of confusion clouding his heart.
Although he was completely confused, he quickly composed himself and bowed in response.
"If the Grand Master has any matters to discuss, please speak frankly, and I will certainly do my utmost to fulfill them."
"Very well, I need Your Majesty to return to Xianyang immediately and personally deliver this item to His Majesty for him to open."
After speaking, Zou Yun solemnly took out a dark-colored pouch from his bosom and handed it to Bai Wen.
"This is... the pouch that the Grand Master prepared in the carriage!"
Feng Zhixue, who was standing to the side, felt a sudden jolt in his heart and almost held his breath.
The image flashed through his mind of the Grand Master mysteriously carving words on a bamboo slip and tucking it into his pouch on the carriage.
"this..."
Berwin instinctively took the pouch, but he didn't act immediately; instead, he seemed to be nailed to the spot.
He surveyed the armored soldiers around him, then shouted in a deep voice, "Yao Cen, where is Shao Lin?"
"Chief of Guard!"
Two burly men stepped out from among the armored soldiers.
"I hereby order you to ride at full speed and return to Xianyang immediately to present this item to His Majesty."
"only!"
As he spoke, Berwin raised his arm, intending to solemnly hand over the pouch in his hand.
Just as the pouch was about to leave his hand and touch Yao Cen's outstretched fingertips—
A sudden change has occurred!
Berwin's outstretched arm suddenly froze in mid-air, the entire movement as still as a stone sculpture.
A chilling cold swept over him without warning, not from the depths of his heart, but rather like a tangible cold wind that swept over his entire body.
That was a survival instinct, almost like that of a wild beast, forged through countless trials amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
At that moment, a frantic scream echoed in his mind.
In an instant, the most dangerous alarm bells rang in Berwin's heart!
His stiff neck slowly turned, and he looked back with difficulty.
As far as the eye could see, Zou Yun, who had been sitting upright in the main seat, had silently stood up at some point.
His expression remained calm and composed, without the slightest ripple.
But the unsheathed sword in his hand reflected a cold, sharp glint in the flickering candlelight.
It pierced straight into Berwin's eyes!
"Whoosh—!"
The sword light, like a white ribbon tearing through the air, suddenly erupted without warning.
There was no roar, no warning, only pure speed and power!
"Crack—bang!"
The ear-piercing sound of tearing fabric and the sound of something falling to the ground rang out almost simultaneously.
The thick wooden table between Bai Wen and Zou Yun, along with the heavy bronze candlestick on it, was cleaved in two by this astonishing sword strike.
The fracture surface was as smooth as a mirror, shimmering with an eerie glow under the candlelight.
"What?! How is this possible?!"
Witnessing the smooth, mirror-like broken edge of the wooden table and the cleaved bronze candlestick, everyone in the room felt as if they had been struck hard by a heavy hammer.
In utter terror, everyone's pupils contracted sharply, and even their breathing stopped.
It wasn't because they weren't elite enough that we were impressed.
On the contrary, it was precisely because they were elite enough that they understood how terrifying the scene before them was.
The candlelight flickered violently, and in the distorted shadows, Bai Wen suddenly realized that he could hardly see Zou Yun's face.
That once familiar face now seemed shrouded in an invisible mist.
The initial shock faded, replaced by a suffocating sense of oppression.
He felt that the person in front of him had suddenly become incredibly huge, not in terms of physical size, but as a colossal being formed from his aura and killing intent.
It was like a towering mountain, blocking his way.
quiet!
Deathly silence!
Time seemed to stretch out infinitely under this suffocating pressure.
For a long, long time...
It was so long that Bai Wen felt like he was about to suffocate that Zou Yun finally spoke, breaking the agonizing silence.
"Perwin..."
Zou Yun's voice was still not loud, but it contained an unquestionable determination.
That oppressive aura, for that instant, even reminded him of His Majesty.
"I order you to ride at top speed and personally present this item to His Majesty. Depart immediately without delay!"
"Did you... hear me clearly?"
After speaking, Zou Yun remained expressionless, as if the earth-shattering sword strike had merely brushed away a speck of dust.
With a slight turn of his wrist, accompanied by a soft metallic scraping sound, the longsword slowly slid back into its sheath, as if it had never been drawn.
However, the murderous intent and oppressive aura permeating the air did not dissipate in the slightest.
"But...this defense rate...still needs..."
Berwin's throat bobbed as he struggled to squeeze out a few words, making a final stand.
However, his words were once again ruthlessly cut off.
"Lord Meng".
Zou Yun turned his gaze to Meng Xuande, "Temporarily assume the position of Commander of the Guard. As for you..."
His gaze, sharp as a knife, pierced through Berwin again, and he spoke each word with deliberate force: "Depart immediately."
"Do I need to... say it again?"
A sharp glint suddenly flashed in the depths of Zou Yun's eyes.
Under the overwhelming pressure that could crush everything, all of Berwin's persistence and plans crumbled instantly.
He felt as if his spine had been pulled out, and could only manage a hoarse reply.
"Yes...yes...!"
The voice was as dry and hoarse as sandpaper.
After saying this, he bowed deeply to Zou Yun.
With his bow, the tense atmosphere in the room instantly eased, as if nothing had ever happened.
Bai Wen took a deep breath and turned to leave the room.
As she brushed past Meng Xuande, her gaze seemed to glance at him unintentionally, but Zou Yun saw it all.
"I was right," Zou Yun thought to himself.
However, having established his own prestige, he has already achieved his goal, and there is no need to worry about anything else for the time being.
"Tap...tap..."
A moment later, the sound of horses' hooves came from outside the pavilion.
The sound traveled further and further away, eventually fading into the cold wind.
"Alright, everyone, go your separate ways."
Zou Yun's voice returned to its usual calm. He stopped looking at anyone and turned straight towards the inner private room.
Only after that figure completely disappeared did the remaining people in the room breathe a long sigh of relief, as if they were drowning people finally surfacing.
"Great Master, that was truly... truly terrifying!"
Feng Zhixue nudged Zheng Ze beside him with his elbow, seemingly complaining, but the corners of his mouth that were turned up could not be turned down.
"See? That guy didn't dare say another word and slunk away."
All the pent-up anger from that day, caused by that rude person, was swept away by a hurricane and vanished without a trace.
He felt light as a feather, and an unprecedented sense of exhilaration rushed to the top of his head.
"That's only natural!" Zheng Ze said in a deep voice.
"The majesty of the Great Master is only now being witnessed."
Meng Xuande had also joined them at some point, and standing beside them, he looked at the two halves of the wooden candlestick on the ground with a sigh.
"snort!"
However, Feng Zhixue and Zheng Ze also had some complaints about him, but they only gave him a cold glance and did not respond to his words.
After exchanging a glance, the two turned around and went to find a place to put their luggage.
Meanwhile, Meng Xuande, who had been rebuffed, was not embarrassed. He just stared at Feng and Zheng, who were busy at work, with a strange expression.
Then he looked at the wooden table and bronze candlestick that had been split in two, and sighed softly.