Chapter 56

Task: 1. Protect Liang Wenjing's safety. Complete the task to receive 1,000 main god points; fail and lose 1,000 main god points.

2. Ensure the assassin of Prince Huai'an is brought to justice. Complete the task to receive 3,000 main god points; fail and lose 3,000 main god points.

3. Participate in the battle under Hezhou City, charge into and out of the Mongol army three times. Optional task. Complete the task to receive 5,000 main god points; fail and receive 1,000 main god points.

After analyzing the three tasks, the first one seemed almost a freebie. Even without Li Wucheng's protection, Liang Wenjing wouldn't die; it was just necessary to prevent any accidents.

The second task was a bit more challenging. As a disciple of the great master Xiao Qianjue, Xiao Leng's skills were formidable, and Li Wucheng had no confidence in defeating him.

The third task was even more absurd. Charging into and out of an army was something Li Wucheng simply couldn't do; it would be a matter of risking his life.

At that moment, the mountains were silent, the birds and insects were still, and the stream flowed silently. From a distance, voices could be heard, sounding particularly clear in the quiet mountains. The voices grew louder, and soon a man and a boy could be seen approaching along a winding path.

The older man was about fifty, tall and robust, with a vigorous spirit and bright eyes. The younger one was somewhat slender, with a round face, clear features, and a smile on his lips.

Li Wucheng recognized them as Liang Tiande and Liang Wenjing. Upon entering the world of Iron Blood Hero, he had encountered them, and it was clear he was being taken care of.

"Father, this place is called Immortal Crossing. I don't think it's that impressive. It's far inferior to the 'Thousand-Foot Gorge' and 'Hawk's Turn' on Mount Hua," Liang Wenjing said.

"Wenjing, you only know about natural dangers, but do you know about human disasters? This place has always been a haunt for bandits. Many merchants have left their bones in this ravine," Liang Tiande said, sighing.

"Such is the danger here. Alas, why do people from afar come here?" Liang Wenjing recited, swaying his head.

"Brat, what are you spouting now?" Liang Tiande glared.

Liang Wenjing stuck out his tongue and said, "This is a line from Li Bai's 'The Hardship of the Sichuan Road.' It means: Since the Sichuan Road is so perilous, why do people from afar come here?"

"You know nothing! Who would willingly abandon their wife and children to come to this godforsaken place? It's just to find a way to make a living."

"Then... will we encounter bandits?"

"You seem to want to..."

Liang Tiande stopped, looking at Li Wucheng ahead with a wary and cautious expression.

Liang Wenjing also noticed Li Wucheng and stopped speaking.

Silently observing Li Wucheng, Liang Tiande saw that he was dressed in a green robe, stood about eight feet tall, had a straight spine, and carried a long sword at his waist. Based on his initial impression, Liang Tiande believed this person was a martial artist.

Li Wucheng did not follow them, and Liang Tiande breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much more at ease. He quickly called to Liang Wenjing and quickened his pace.

After walking a considerable distance, they suddenly heard the harsh cawing of crows in the distance. Liang Tiande stopped, surprised: "Why are the crows cawing so fiercely?"

"Is something happening ahead?" Liang Wenjing looked forward.

Liang Tiande glanced back at Li Wucheng, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Let's go and see."

Their steps quickened, and they soon disappeared at the end of the mountain path.

Only then did Li Wucheng move forward, following the direction they had gone. He had not interacted with them earlier because he had noticed Liang Tiande's suspicion and caution.

After walking about three miles, the view suddenly opened up, and a clearing appeared ahead. Upon closer inspection, Li Wucheng was shocked.

On the lush green grass, about twenty bodies lay scattered, each with a gaping mouth and wide eyes, and a deep cut on their necks, the blood congealed into a dark purple-black pool in the cold mountain wind.

This scene, though shocking, was not unexpected. At the beginning of Iron Blood Hero, this exact scene occurs, where the imperial supervisor, Prince Huai'an, is assassinated.

Li Wucheng arrived silently, and Liang Tiande and Liang Wenjing did not notice him, continuing their conversation.

After the initial shock, Liang Wenjing's courage grew, and he began to examine the bodies, saying, "Why are all these people injured on their necks? The wounds are all the same depth, as if measured with a ruler."

"Indeed. From what I can see, this is the work of one person."

Liang Wenjing was startled but heard Liang Tiande say in a deep voice, "Look at the footprints on the ground. Besides ours, there are only two types. One is the imprint of tiger-head boots, which are worn by wealthy people when climbing mountains. The other is the mark of thin-soled boots, which are used for leaping and climbing, rarely for walking on mountain paths. I noticed that all the dead were wearing tiger-head boots."

Liang Wenjing examined the ground closely: "Father, your insight is truly divine. However... however... I didn't see any marks of thin-soled boots."

Liang Tiande squatted down and pointed to a small indentation on the ground: "So shallow!" He slowly stood up: "This person's martial arts are truly terrifying. Not to mention his sword skills, just his lightness of movement is something I, Liang Tiande, have never seen in my life..."

His face turned pale, "From the traces of the fight, none of these dead were ordinary. Some of their martial arts skills were even better than mine."

Liang Wenjing was speechless, cold sweat trickling down his back. After a while, he said, "Father, since we've encountered this, why don't we bury them?"

"No." Liang Tiande said, "These people are important. If we bury them quietly, it could cause serious problems."

"We could report it to the authorities," Liang Wenjing suggested, only to receive a sharp rap on the head.

"Song Dynasty officials are no good," Liang Tiande said angrily, "Getting involved in this is like inviting trouble."

Though he said this, he kept rubbing a jade pendant, his brows furrowed, as if hesitating about something. After a while, he sighed, placed the pendant on the body of a young man in white, and turned away.

Liang Wenjing watched him walk away and secretly picked up the pendant. It was crystal clear and intricately carved with nine coiling dragons and four gold-embossed characters.

"Imperial... Presence... In... Person!" he whispered, but then heard his father calling. Startled, he quickly tucked the pendant into his robe.

"Hurry up!" Liang Tiande shouted, "What if someone comes?"

"Father is such a coward," Liang Wenjing muttered as they walked.

"What did you say?"

Liang Wenjing's face turned green, about to defend himself, when he heard a song from the distance: "Oh, how perilous and high! The difficulty of the Sichuan Road is greater than ascending to the blue sky! The ancient kings of Shu, Silkworm and Fish, founded their kingdom in obscurity. For forty-eight thousand years, they had no communication with the Qin region..."

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