Chapter 142: There is Someone Underwater

"Bai Qiulian's daughter is called Bai Tingting, rumored to be the illegitimate child of Bai Qiulian and Grand General Jing Tianlie."

"Long Chengen has a deep feud with both of them. Bai Tingting attempted to assassinate Long Chengen and even threatened to report him to the Empress."

"This matter seems logical and completely sound," said Monk Fayin, rubbing his bald head.

Xu Zhi said, "If Bai Tingting really reports him to the Empress, our plan will fall through."

Monk Fayin chuckled and said, "Bai Tingting has already fallen into Long Chengen's hands. He will silence her."

"I suggest the family head immediately consult the Second and Third Grand Patriarchs regarding tomorrow's matters. We need to reach a consensus on our bottom line—how much money is acceptable."

Thinking this made sense, Xu Zhi immediately instructed the steward to invite Yuan Tengfei and Wang Zhong to the mansion for consultation.

....

Inside the city, at the Fayuan Inn.

A lean man entered the room. Wuming sat by the window, peering through the gap at the pedestrians below.

"General, Bai Tingting has been captured," the lean man said.

Wuming said coldly, "It has nothing to do with us. Bai Qiulian was merely a chess piece for the Grand General. Now that Bai Qiulian is useless, Bai Tingting has no connection to us whatsoever."

The lean man hesitated, "Didn't the Grand General want the Second Young Master to..."

Mid-sentence, the lean man realized how foolish he sounded. Jing Heng was already dead; Bai Tingting and the Jing family had parted ways completely.

Wuming looked at the lean man as if he were an idiot. "Has your brain been kicked by a donkey?"

The lean man smiled awkwardly and asked, "General, when do we make our move?"

Wuming looked out the window, calculating the most suitable time and place to strike.

Long Chen residing in the military camp outside the city meant a direct assault would be unwise. As covert guards with a total force of only 150 men, it was impossible to engage the army in a frontal clash; assassination was their true specialty.

"No rush. The right opportunity will present itself."

....

Inside the city, at the Tongfu Inn.

A clean-shaven young man in plain clothes hurriedly entered a room where an older, equally clean-shaven man was seated.

"Sir, the Imperial City Bureau plans to infiltrate the prefect's mansion and poison Long Chengen," the young man whispered.

The older man nodded slightly. "We must not let them succeed. Go and find out how the Imperial City Bureau intends to poison him."

The young man immediately went back out.

These two were operatives sent by Li Chengtong, the Crown Prince of Southern Liang.

....

At the military camp outside the city.

Long Chen personally brewed some heat-relieving herbal tea, poured two bowls, and set them aside.

"Go fetch Dugu Jiali so we can drink some herbal tea together. You two have excess internal heat."

During his morning urination, Long Chen had noticed a yellowish tinge in their urine, so he had bought honeysuckle and chrysanthemum when heading out of the city.

Zhang Xi immediately went to call Dugu Jiali.

"What are your orders, sir?" Dugu Jiali asked, cupping her fists in a salute.

Long Chen pointed at the herbal tea and said, "I noticed you had excess internal heat this morning. Drink a little to cool down."

Zhang Xi picked up a bowl, blew on it until it cooled, and drank it down.

Dugu Jiali drank her tea as well, set the bowl down, and asked, "Sir, are we still going to raid the villages and towns tonight?"

Long Chen waved his hand. "No need. The raiding was just for show. As long as they believe I am greedy for wealth, that's enough. Rest well tonight."

Dugu Jiali understood, saying, "So that was your intention, sir."

Long Chen smiled. "Did you take me for a corrupt official too?"

Dugu Jiali quickly replied, "No, this subordinate wouldn't dare."

Long Chen glanced at the small stream nearby and asked, "Can you swim?"

Dugu Jiali shook her head. "This subordinate cannot."

Long Chen smiled. "Fighting against sea bandits without knowing how to swim won't do. I will teach you."

With that, Long Chen grabbed Dugu Jiali and led her toward the riverbank. Zhang Xi followed closely behind, cursing silently in her heart: *You dead eunuch, if you want to undress someone, just say so. What swimming nonsense!*

Arriving at the riverbank, Long Chen laid his clothes on the grass, revealing his taut, powerful muscles.

"Why aren't you undressing? You can't swim in clothes; the resistance is too great, you won't be able to move."

With great enthusiasm, Long Chen reached out to untie Dugu Jiali's sash.

Having her sash undone by someone else for the first time, Dugu Jiali panicked and stepped back. "Sir, I don't know how. It's not warm enough yet, I'm not going in."

Long Chen smiled. "Don't be afraid. I'll hold you, nothing will happen."

Dugu Jiali kept retreating while Long Chen kept advancing. The two circled a tree, much like Jing Ke chasing the King of Qin.

Speechless at the sight, Zhang Xi said, "General Dugu, he just wants to see what you look like without clothes."

Uh...

Long Chen was rendered speechless.

Zhang Xi spoke too directly, scaring Dugu Jiali into running back to the camp.

"What do you mean by that?" Long Chen asked, slightly displeased.

Zhang Xi snorted. "Dugu Jiali isn't familiar with you yet, and you tried to strip her. Do you understand a girl's heart at all?"

"You men treat undressing as the ultimate goal, but we girls treat undressing as the natural result of emotional connection."

"When the time is right and you're familiar enough, she will take off her clothes herself."

Thinking for a moment, Long Chen asked, "We had just met not long ago, yet you took off your clothes and bathed with me. Why was that?"

Left speechless by the question, Zhang Xi snapped, "Hateful! Wash by yourself!"

She had originally intended to swim and bathe with Long Chen, but now she had changed her mind.

"I don't need to understand a girl's heart; understanding how to undress is enough."

Gazing at the clear river water, Long Chen plunged right in.

Splash!

Diving beneath the surface, Long Chen opened his eyes and watched small fish dart past the riverbed.

As a general of Southern Liang, swimming was a fundamental skill, and Long Chen moved through the water as agilely as a fish.

Surfacing to catch his breath, he dove back down, swimming deeper into the water.

Suddenly, two shadows flickered in the water. Startled, Long Chen immediately darted toward the surface, chased by the dark figures behind him.

Sensing trouble, Long Chen realized there were ambushes in the water—most likely men from the Imperial City Bureau.

He had entered the water stripped of his clothes, carrying no weapons whatsoever. The enemy undoubtedly carried daggers, and the wisest course of action was to surface and cry for help.

The moment he broke the water's surface, he spotted a figure standing on the bank operating a crossbow mechanism, sending a bolt flying toward him.

Cursing inwardly, Long Chen plunged back underwater as the bolt grazed his back and embedded itself in the water.

The underwater assassins swam in from both sides. Furious, Long Chen reached out, grabbed a stray floating crossbow bolt, and swam straight toward one of the assassins.

The assassin thrust his dagger forward. Parrying the blade, Long Chen drove the crossbow bolt straight into the attacker's neck. The assassin struggled violently, bubbles escaping his lips as dark red blood billowed into the water.

Having dispatched one, Long Chen turned to face the second assassin. As a dagger lunged at him, he blocked it with one hand and drove the crossbow bolt deep into the attacker's chest before violently yanking it out.

The assassin convulsed, a stream of bubbles rushing from his mouth as his body slowly sank to the riverbed.

Having killed two assassins in quick succession, Long Chen found his breath running critically low, and a profound sense of distress washed over him.

Fighting to keep his wits about him, he guessed the position of the remaining assassin on the bank and silently crawled toward him along the river bottom.