From bone collectors to the supreme ruler of humanity

Chapter 68 Lin Yan, unable to enter the capital

Lin Yan did not answer immediately.

After a few breaths, he said, "Does the General mean I should keep all this inside me?"

"What I mean is, once we get to the capital, we need to know what we should say and what we shouldn't say."

Jiang Bufan said, enunciating each word clearly, "Some words, once spoken, can kill. Not only will you die, but many others will be implicated. The brothers who fought alongside you at Zhenbeiguan, the veterans you just recruited into the supply battalion, and your mother and your sister."

Lin Yan lowered his eyes.

After a moment, he raised his head and nodded calmly: "I have remembered what the General said."

Jiang Bufan stared at him for a while, then finally sighed and patted him on the shoulder: "Go on. Be careful on the road."

Lin Yan clasped his hands in a fist salute once more, then turned, mounted his horse, and galloped away.

The four people disappeared at the end of the official road.

Jiang Bufan remained restless after returning to the General's Mansion.

He sat behind his desk and flipped through half of the military newspaper, but couldn't absorb a single word.

Lin Yan's "I've got it" seemed off no matter how you looked at it. He had been in the Zhenbei Army for over a year and knew Lin Yan's temperament all too well.

This young man, who climbed his way up from humble beginnings as a bone collector, had bones harder than iron. Once he set his mind on something, not even the Crown Prince or the Heavenly King could stop him.

In Jiang Bufan's view, his words at the city gate were less of a statement and more of a perfunctory response.

This kid has no intention of shutting up.

Jiang Bufan became increasingly restless as he thought about it, and got up to pace back and forth in the hall.

Just then, a fire talisman exploded in the hall without warning.

The flame, no bigger than a fist, hung in mid-air and burned, from which came an aged voice: "Lin Yan, you cannot enter the capital."

The fire talisman went out, leaving not even ashes behind.

Jiang Bufan stood there, his face turning ashen instantly.

He recognized the voice.

After a long silence, he closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, there was no hesitation in them. He turned and walked towards the door, shouting, "Someone come here!"

A dark figure appeared silently under the eaves.

"Take the secret guards and go after Lin Yan. Ten True Qi Realm cultivators and one Unending Qi Realm cultivator. You lead the team yourself." Jiang Bufan's voice was as cold as a northern winter. "Make sure it's done cleanly, leave no trace."

The dark figure bowed and disappeared into the corridor.

On the official road, Lin Yan and his group had traveled less than twenty li out of the city. Zhang Dabiao drove the mule cart at the rear, humming the Zhenbei Army's military song. Xiong Kuo rode on horseback, his thick-backed sword held across the saddle, glancing back at the official road every now and then. Sun Dayong urged his horse forward alongside Lin Yan, muttering to himself about how many bowls of braised pork they would eat in the capital.

Lin Yan suddenly pulled on the reins. "Turn around and take the mountain path."

Xiong Kuo was taken aback:

"Taking the mountain road would add at least a day's journey, and the official road is much more convenient, so why go up the mountain?"

Lin Yan had already turned his horse around and descended the official road:

"Taking the official road is fast, but it also leads to a quick death."

He spurred his horse onto the side road before continuing his explanation, "What did I promise Jiang Bufan? I promised nothing, I just said I remembered it. How could he not see that? The moment I left the city, he would send someone to silence me."

"Moreover, the people in the Eastern Palace now definitely know that we have already set off."

Sun Dayong scratched his head: "Then why didn't we take the mountain path earlier? Why did we have to go up the main road first?"

"It's for him to see."

Lin Yan spurred his horse across a ditch, "Let him think we're taking the official road as usual, and that's why the pursuers are following along the official road. Once they find there's no trace of us on the official road, they'll turn around and search the mountains, which will take at least half a day."

Xiong Kuo didn't ask any more questions.

Having followed Lin Yan for so long, he was already used to Lin Yan's way of thinking things through before taking any action.

The mule cart bounced violently on the rugged mountain road, and the iron box rose and fell with the horse's back as Lin Yan rode along. The four of them walked along the ridge for more than an hour, going from the mountainside to the valley entrance on the other side.

Lin Yan glanced back at the path he had come from, and then spread out the [Viewing the Mountain] skill.

The mountain wind rustled through the forest, birdsong was scattered, and nothing unusual was found so far.

Xiong Kuo spurred his horse closer and asked in a low voice, "General, who could it be?"

"Jiang Bufan definitely didn't mobilize the Zhenbei Army's open scouts. It should be the group of people that the military government keeps in the shadows. I estimate they are at least at the True Qi Realm, and there are quite a few of them. The leader is probably more than just a True Qi Realm expert. Jiang Bufan is a military talent, but for assassination and silencing, he must have another group of people."

Xiong Kuo thought for a moment: "It's not just the True Qi Realm, then we're no match for them."

"So we can't just confront each other head-on."

Lin Yan urged his horse to go faster, saying:

"Taking the mountain road is a longer route, but as long as we wait until we leave the northern border and get on the official road, they won't dare to make a move on the official road. Once the military government's secret guards leave the northern border, their reach will be limited."

Sun Dayong took the bow off his back and held it in his hand, then moved the quiver to the most convenient position.

Zhang Dabiao stopped humming and pulled a short spear from under the mule cart, placing it on his knees.

After traveling for about half an hour, Lin Yan suddenly reined in his horse.

The bushes at the bend in the mountain road ahead showed signs of recent breakage. The clean cuts were not from a wild animal, but rather from someone cutting them with a knife.

"retreat."

Lin Yan only said one word.

All four men turned their horses around at the same time.

But it was too late.

A person appeared on the mountain path behind them, dressed in a short gray cloth outfit, holding a narrow-bladed long knife.

Xiong Kuo's heart sank when he saw the other man's hand gesture with the knife.

This starting stance is exactly the starting stance of the sword techniques used in the military; it really is a secret guard from the military headquarters.

"Lin Yan," the man said, his tone utterly calm, "The general said you're a smart man, but too smart, and your actions are easy to predict."

Before he finished speaking, seven or eight more figures emerged from the woods on both sides.

They all wore narrow-bladed long swords, their stances were stable, and their breathing was deep and even.

Sun Dayong counted them, his whole body trembling slightly: "Eight True Qi Realm cultivators. Damn."

Lin Yan dismounted, took the iron box off his back and threw it to Xiong Kuo, saying, "You and Sun Dayong take the things and cross the mountain, go around from Eagle Beak Cliff, go through Qing Shi Gully, and wait for me at the dilapidated temple outside Qingyuan County."

Xiong Kuo caught the iron box, his expression changing: "Chief, then you..."

"No need to say anything more."

Lin Yan drew his newly replaced knife from his waist. "I'll hold them off. You guys go quickly. The contents of the iron box are more important than all four of our lives combined. It must be delivered to the capital. No one can stop us."

Sun Dayong's eyes reddened, but he glared back at him.

"Stop being so wishy-washy, let's go."

Lin Yan gripped his knife and walked towards the man in gray, leaving without looking back as he uttered his final words, "If I don't reach the ruined temple within three days, you'll be heading to the capital yourselves. Hand over the items to the Ministry of War, don't give them to anyone else."

Xiong Kuo gritted his teeth, strapped the iron box to his back, grabbed Sun Dayong's arm, and dragged him up the mountain.

Eight True Qi Realm guards moved simultaneously; two chased after Xiong Kuo, while the other six surrounded Lin Yan. The gray-clad man did not make a move, but simply stood on the outside, watching with his sword at his side.

Lin Yan slashed out with his sword, and a thin layer of true energy condensed on the blade.

This is the true energy he refined after obtaining the second part of the Breathing Technique Fragment, and it is much purer and more powerful than his original true energy.

The three meridians converge and return to the sea of ​​qi. The true qi is no longer the brute force that used to be, but rather as dense as silk, layer upon layer.

The man in gray frowned slightly, then suddenly said with amusement, "Your internal energy is quite interesting."

The first strike forced back the two men in front, and the second strike cut off the pursuers' path on the left flank.

Swimming and gliding along the mountain path, it carved a line.

He moved among the six people without falling.

The man in gray slowly drew his sword. "I didn't expect your talent to be so astonishing. In that case, you deserve to die even more."

Lin Yan did not answer, but turned around and forced back two guards who were trying to bypass him to pursue Xiong Kuo with a single slash.