The Path of the Martial Arts BOSS
Chapter 216 - 28 Employer

Chapter 216: Chapter 28 Employer

"Whoosh—"

It was the sound of a crossbow bolt being fired—however, this time it wasn’t from the Exorcism Sword Guards under Qing Yu’s command but from another group of people, onlookers across the shore watching the fire.

The Exorcism Sword Guards, ambushed in the woods on the other side of the path by Qing Yu, fell rapidly to the ground, one after another, under the unexpected attack of crossbow bolts from a third party.

Then, cloaked in black just like the Exorcism Sword Guards and holding crossbows, people encircled Qing Yu and Blood Bat No.1 from all directions, trapping them tightly within their midst.

’Soldiers?’ The thought flashed across Qing Yu’s mind as he looked at the black-clothed people surrounding him.

These black-clothed men had too many bows and crossbows—enough to kill all of Qing Yu’s men who were ambushed on the other side of the path and hadn’t suffered any losses under Xie Lang’s sudden raid.

In this era, bows and especially the more convenient crossbows were regulated by the Wang Dynasty, just like firearms were in Qing Yu’s previous life’s country. Those who manufactured them privately were subject to summary execution.

Just like the Zheng Family in the Linchuan Prefecture, who were dragged into the mire by Lin Tengyuan, they were forced into treason because Lin Tengyuan held evidence of their smuggling of military weapons. After all, treason didn’t necessarily mean death, but if the smuggling of military weapons were exposed, death was imminent. Compared to the two options, the Zheng Family naturally chose the former. One couldn’t expect the Zheng Family, providing firearms to Northern Zhou, to have any sense of loyalty to their country.

Ahem, I digressed. Qing Yu suspected these black-clothed men were soldiers for another reason—their well-disciplined and deliberate approach.

Dozens of men marched toward Qing Yu, keeping the same rhythm; such well-trained quality isn’t something people from the worldly society could possess. Even Qing Yu’s mindless, witless killing puppets could advance together naturally, but moving in such a synchronised manner was a bit too difficult.

The black-clothed men stopped when they were at an optimal range. Not too close, not too far, maintaining the best distance for crossbow attacks without infringing on the typical person’s warning perimeter.

Such quality led Qing Yu to more profound contemplation—ordinary soldiers in the army couldn’t be so elite.

After stopping, the black-clothed men silently parted to create a path, and a young man, also clad in black but without a face cloth, stepped forward, "Gong Ziyu?"

"Another encounter with Innate God Killing Essence—the Azure Dragon Association’s methods are indeed impressive, worthy of admiration."

As he voiced his admiration, the young man’s gaze toward Qing Yu was condescending, filled with the arrogance of someone looking down on an inferior.

"Enough nonsense, hand over the blueprints for this crossbow and those firearms using gunpowder, and I’ll spare your miserable life," the young man said, waving the newly acquired Divine Fire Crossbow in his hand.

’Interested in the Divine Fire Crossbow and other firearms, I see. No wonder!’ Qing Yu secretly mused as he observed the Divine Fire Crossbow in the man’s hand.

These men were, if Qing Yu wasn’t mistaken, dispatched by that hidden employer. Logically, to prevent gossip from Azure Dragon Association members, they should have struck like thunder to quickly kill and bring back the heads.

However, they hadn’t acted but encircled Qing Yu and his companion instead. Now, seeing the Divine Fire Crossbow, Qing Yu instantly realized why they had stayed their hands.

Able to command such well-trained soldiers, this young man was naturally not ignorant of military affairs; his real identity must be that of a military leader.

And what leader wouldn’t realize the purpose of the firearms Qing Yu arranged for his subordinates to use? They were the undisputed weapons of the battlefield.

In this world, due to the prevalence of Martial Arts, although gunpowder existed, it was merely used for fireworks and firecrackers; the term ’firearms’ did not exist in this world. This aspect was somewhat similar to Qing Yu’s past life’s ancient times, and it made one wonder if there was something like Martial Arts back then.

The power of firearms, while capable of threatening those in the Innate Realm at most, didn’t pose much of a threat to those in the Divine Origin Realm. They held no significant advantage in the conflicts of worldly society.

But if firearms were used on the battlefield, their utility would be enormous. Surely not every low-ranking soldier could be an expert at the Innate or even Divine Origin Realm.

With these firearms, Daqian’s military strength would surge, and as the supplier of the firearms, the bright future that lay ahead for this young man was self-evident.

Thinking about the bright prospects that were within his grasp, the young man’s breathing became heavier, his eyes filled with greed as he stared at Qing Yu.

"You’re just in the Innate Realm, and even at your peak, you would perish under the salvo of these many crossbow bolts. Moreover, you used such peerless sword moves to kill Xie Lang earlier, the consumption of your True Qi must not be insignificant."

"Hand over the blueprints, and I’ll spare your life; otherwise, I’ll make you beg for death."

As he spoke, the young man’s face bore a condescending pride, as if Qing Yu was merely an ant whose life he could crush with a flip of his hand.

"You must be from the Forbidden Army..." The startling words were uttered by Gong Ziyu, apparently at the mercy of others, stirring a huge commotion.

"You..." The young man’s complexion changed violently, looking at Qing Yu in disbelief as he easily revealed their identity.

"Although Daqian has become somewhat decadent in recent years, the lingering might of Emperor Daqian still remains. A person of your character is disliked by generals; no one would enjoy a superior who doesn’t regard you as a human. And as a subordinate, no one would favor a leader who looks down on you. It seems that only an elite unit like the Forbidden Army, led by second-generation officials, would have someone like you."

With a matter-of-course tone, Qing Yu spoke the words that twisted the face of the proud young man.

"Of course, all of this is speculation; the reason I could identify you was thanks to you, Young Master Fu. You really aren’t cut out for wrongdoing, brazen enough to face me without covering your face. Are you that confident, or don’t you know your lousy reputation is known by anyone who has been to the Heavenly Capital?"

The young man’s face became even more contorted, as though affected by the Three Corpses Brain God Pill, wishing he could swallow Qing Yu alive for his insults and revelations.

Then, Qing Yu delivered the final blow that completely ignited the wrath of Young Master Fu, "Though the Forbidden Army has become a gilded place for officials’ offspring, to mobilize soldiers and far from the Heavenly Capital to silence this Assassin, an imperial edict from Emperor Daqian is necessary. I never expected that behind the assassination of Xie Lang was the Emperor himself!"

"Kill him, fire the arrows, kill him, I want him dead!!!" Young Master Fu could no longer care about his bright future; if Gong Ziyu, who knew the secret, were allowed to leave alive, not only would his future be gone, but there would be no one left even to collect his corpse.

The Emperor would never order a hit, the only person who would hire an assassin was Young Master Fu himself. If exposed, his entire family would have to join Xie Lang in death.

Therefore, Gong Ziyu had to die, no matter how valuable he was. If he didn’t die, it meant the entire Fu family would.