Chapter 7

Wei Xiaobao and Suo Etu walked out of the palace gate, preparing to go to Ao Bai's residence to confiscate his property. A few attendants were helping them mount their horses.

Feng Xiaoxiao followed them to a deserted alley, leaped from behind, and with a light press, Suo Etu fainted. Then he turned his hand to hold the reins, preventing the horse from continuing to run, and whispered, "Brother Wei, it's me."

Wei Xiaobao was pleasantly surprised and quickly jumped off the horse to ask, "Brother Feng, how did you end up here? He... what happened to him?"

Feng Xiaoxiao smiled and said, "He just fainted and will wake up in half an hour. I saw him leave the palace with you and assumed you were friends, so I didn't hit him hard."

Wei Xiaobao let out a sigh of relief, looked around, and then asked anxiously, "Where is Brother Mao? Is... is he okay?"

Feng Xiaoxiao nodded inwardly, thinking this kid was indeed quite loyal. He waved his hand and said, "Brother Mao is fine. He is searching for the heroes of the Heaven and Earth Society to ask for their help to rescue you from the palace. Unfortunately, the Heaven and Earth Society is very secretive, and he is still searching every day."

Wei Xiaobao was deeply moved and choked up, "You guys are so good to me! Brother Feng, you found me as soon as I left the palace. Did you wait for a long time?"

Feng Xiaoxiao sighed and said, "I was careless at the time, which led to you being trapped in the palace and suffering a lot. I'm just making up for my mistake."

He then looked Wei Xiaobao up and down, with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, and asked, "What's your situation now?"

Wei Xiaobao shivered and quickly recounted his experiences since entering the palace.

Not long after entering the palace, Hai Dafu had him impersonate Little Guizi to steal a scripture. Then he described how he gained Emperor Kangxi's favor, how Ao Bai was disrespectful, and how he and the young emperor worked together to capture him. This time, he was about to go with Suo Etu to confiscate Ao Bai's property.

Feng Xiaoxiao smiled and said, "Brother Wei, you are truly capable and impressive. What are your plans for the future?"

Wei Xiaobao hesitated and said, "Even if I want to leave, I want to say goodbye to Little Xuanzi first."

Feng Xiaoxiao nodded and said, "Although you are close to the emperor, you must be careful of Hai Dafu. He may not dare to act openly, but he might try to poison you. Be careful with what you eat in the future."

Wei Xiaobao nodded, understanding but not fully comprehending.

Feng Xiaoxiao asked, "Does the emperor not want to kill Ao Bai?"

Wei Xiaobao shook his head and said, "Little Xuanzi said that although Ao Bai is guilty, he is a regent minister, and it would be inauspicious to kill him. Imprisoning him for life is enough."

Feng Xiaoxiao's face turned cold, and his eyes flashed with determination. He said with hatred, "Ao Bai has been in power for many years, cruel and tyrannical, and has killed countless people. In the case of the Ming history, the Zhuang family, with dozens of members, had all the males executed, and the women and children were sent to Shenyang to be slaves to the Manchu soldiers. Even the people who printed, read, or sold the books, and even those living next to the book sellers, were arrested. Thousands of people were arrested, nearly a hundred were beheaded, and eighteen were executed by slicing. Therefore, Ao Bai must die. If the emperor doesn't kill him, I will."

Wei Xiaobao dared not meet his gaze and thought, "Brother Feng is so angry, it's no wonder Ao Bai, you old turtle, will die."

After a moment, he said, "So Ao Bai deserves to die. I know he is now imprisoned in Prince Kang's residence. Brother Feng, you are so skilled, even Hai Dafu, that old turtle, said you are better than him. But..."

Feng Xiaoxiao laughed and said, "I'm not stupid; I have my plan. Ao Bai has been in power for many years and must know some secrets that the emperor doesn't want many people to know. You are the one who captured Ao Bai and are close to the emperor, so you will be sent to see him alone. There won't be any guards around you then. I just need to get past the outer guards to have a chance to kill him. And with my skills, even if I can't kill Ao Bai, I can still escape. Just give me a signal before you go."

Wei Xiaobao thought, "Brother Feng is so good to me; I must help him with this small favor."

He nodded and said, "Brother Feng, I can't write much, so I'll just draw a circle on the letter."

Feng Xiaoxiao smiled and said, "Alright, it doesn't matter if you can't read. You still captured Ao Bai. But it wouldn't hurt to learn a few more characters. I'll teach you when you leave the palace."

Wei Xiaobao's eyes were red, but he didn't say anything more. He resolved to repay Brother Feng well. However, Feng Xiaoxiao had forgotten that he himself could only write simplified characters and was also half illiterate.

After a long conversation, Feng Xiaoxiao checked Suo Etu's pulse and said, "Brother Wei, he's about to wake up. Have you thought about how to explain this to him?"

Wei Xiaobao smiled and said, "I'll say it was done by Ao Bai's accomplices, and I later drove them away."

Feng Xiaoxiao nodded and gave him the address.

That night, Feng Xiaoxiao told Mao Shiba about Wei Xiaobao's situation and instructed him not to tell anyone.

Mao Shiba laughed and said, "I never thought I would be so lucky to have two capable brothers."

Feng Xiaoxiao teased, "When you first came to the capital, didn't you say you wanted to challenge Ao Bai? This time, the three of us will work together to make him understand why flowers are so red. In the future, everyone in the江湖 will call you the great hero who made Ao Bai look like a flower."

Mao Shiba laughed so hard that he couldn't finish a sentence.

The next day, the two received the circle drawn by Wei Xiaobao.

Feng Xiaoxiao and Mao Shiba changed their clothes, put on masks, and went to Prince Kang's residence. After looking around, they noticed a dozen people hiding nearby.

He knew these people were from the Heaven and Earth Society's Green Wood Hall and ignored them. He tightened the Golden Snake Sword on his back and instead drew a stolen sword, whispering, "Brother Mao, follow me closely."

Mao Shiba nodded and drew a stolen knife.

Feng Xiaoxiao remembered that Ao Bai was imprisoned in the back garden. So the two of them, under the surprised gaze of the Heaven and Earth Society members, charged into the back garden in broad daylight.

In the center of the back garden was a solitary stone house with a large iron lock on the door. Outside the stone house, a dozen guards were lined up, and a leader was slowly walking forward.

When the guards saw the two intruders, they shouted, "Assassins!" and rushed forward with their swords.

Feng Xiaoxiao accelerated and stabbed a loud-voiced guard in the throat. Before the others could react, he dragged his sword horizontally, twisted his hand, and the tip of the sword moved slightly upward, piercing the neck of a tall guard. At the same time, he punched a long sword aimed at him.

The guard lost control and was thrown to the side, exposing his chest.

Feng Xiaoxiao didn't hesitate and punched him in the chest with a "bang," followed by a "crack." The guard was punched through.

This surprised Feng Xiaoxiao; he had intended to knock the guard back to hit the two guards behind him.

At this moment, several long swords attacked him from all sides, forcing him to retreat quickly and return to Mao Shiba.

It was quiet, very quiet! Everyone looked at the guard who had been punched through, feeling their legs go weak.

The leader suddenly shouted, "Quick! Kill this demon!"

The guards, emboldened, shouted in unison and charged forward.

Feng Xiaoxiao was frustrated; he didn't know that punch would go through. Who knew this guard was so weak.

In fact, these guards were just ordinary soldiers who had learned some basic military sword techniques. They hadn't trained their bodies or learned internal skills, so they couldn't withstand a punch that could penetrate a tree.

Feng Xiaoxiao targeted the guard who called him a demon, raised his sword, and attacked.

The Golden Snake Sword technique was bizarre and vicious. Although the stolen sword reduced its effectiveness, the leader could only block one strike. Feng Xiaoxiao's second strike severed his hand tendons, and he then stabbed him to death. By this time, the other guards had just caught up.

Mao Shiba roared and charged forward with his large knife, slashing left and right, making broad movements.

Feng Xiaoxiao's sword always drew a strange arc. It would aim for the chest but suddenly move upward to pierce the chin. It would aim for the throat but suddenly move sideways to sever the neck's blood vessels. In no time, he had felled seven or eight guards.

Mao Shiba had also killed two people and, looking around, saw that fewer than ten guards remained, hesitating to advance.

At this moment, a large group of guards rushed from the front yard, with a richly dressed old man in the center, shouting anxiously, "Stop them! I will reward you heavily."

Feng Xiaoxiao called to Mao Shiba, "Follow me," and charged straight for the stone house.

The Heaven and Earth Society members suddenly rushed into the yard, killing the guards. A military officer shouted, "Protect the prince!"

The guards quickly tightened their formation. The Heaven and Earth Society members, unable to break through, turned and also charged toward the stone house.

By this time, Feng Xiaoxiao had already cut the large lock on the door and entered.

Wei Xiaobao was crouched in a corner, hiding.

Mao Shiba quickly walked over and called out happily, "Xiaobao!"

Wei Xiaobao smiled and was about to speak when the Heaven and Earth Society members rushed in.

A masked old man in green quickly stepped forward and said, "Friends, are you here to kill the traitor Ao Bai?"

Feng Xiaoxiao nodded and said, "Yes." He pointed to Wei Xiaobao and said, "This is my brother. He is the one who captured Ao Bai."

The old man in green thought Wei Xiaobao had become a eunuch to kill Ao Bai and praised, "Little brother, you are truly loyal."

Feng Xiaoxiao said, "No more talk. Let's kill the traitor Ao Bai first."

The Heaven and Earth Society members nodded, raised their weapons, and started hacking at the iron bars, but they couldn't break them.

Ao Bai, who had just eaten the food laced with something by Wei Xiaobao, was still dazed. The hacking sound woke him up, and he started roaring and jumping, swinging his handcuffed chains at the Heaven and Earth Society members. The chains hit the bars, making a continuous "clang" sound, and his hands were bleeding.

He was known as the first warrior of the Manchu and was incredibly strong. Despite his injured hands, he bent several iron bars outward.

A green-clad man with a steel whip tried to pry the bars. A larger gap appeared, and he lowered his head to squeeze through.

Ao Bai jumped over and hit him on the head with his handcuffed chains. The man's brain splattered, and he died instantly.

Feng Xiaoxiao, seeing the death, shouted, "Let me try."

He pulled Mao Shiba and Wei Xiaobao through the crowd, then let go and grabbed two bars, pulling them apart with a force, creating a gap large enough for a person to pass through.

Ao Bai roared and swung his chains.

Feng Xiaoxiao kicked forward with his right leg, hitting Ao Bai's abdomen.

There was a "bang," and Ao Bai was kicked into the back wall, sliding to the ground, his head drooping, and blood spilling from his mouth. He was clearly dying.