Facing the more than a dozen chess pieces shot at her, Yue Ruogou used all her strength to dodge left and right. Each chess piece she dodged exploded upon hitting the courtyard.
Half a minute later, Yue Ruogou had dodged all the chess piece attacks. However, already injured, and after being severely wounded by Kong Wudao's sneak attack, her strength was now completely depleted. She finally knelt before Kong Wudao.
"Young Master Kong's martial arts have progressed very quickly during this time…"
Yue Ruogou looked at Kong Wudao, her words sounding like praise, but with a mocking undertone.
"Everyone is a blade. As long as the whetstone is good enough, the blade will be sharp. I used to progress slowly because there was no one like Shen Lang. Since that bastard appeared, I've suffered losses repeatedly. Therefore, I reflected deeply and immersed myself in martial arts, practicing for at least fourteen hours a day, apart from attending to other matters."
Kong Wudao said, "Good talent, sufficient effort, combined with the guidance of a group of renowned masters, my progress is beyond your imagination."
"To be ashamed and then strive for progress, truly worthy of Young Master Kong. However, such strength should be used against Shen Lang, not against your own people."
Yue Ruogou looked at Kong Wudao and sneered, "A sharp blade is meant for enemies, don't you think?"
"Don't worry, I will definitely kill Shen Lang. I will chop off his head sooner or later. However, that doesn't mean you don't have to die."
Kong Wudao looked at Yue Ruogou coldly and said, "You already know about Qingcheng Yue's matter, so this mission failure was clearly intentional, and you would then conspire against me with Shen Lang."
"I will not let go of any hidden danger, even potential ones. Therefore, you can die now."
As Kong Wudao finished speaking, he moved like a phantom to Yue Ruogou's front, grabbed her right hand, and plunged the dagger into Yue Ruogou's heart.
"Pfft—"
Suffering such a heavy blow, Yue Ruogou immediately spat out a mouthful of blood, then collapsed heavily, her life force extinguished.
"Young Master Kong, be thorough. Don't be like last time with Qingcheng Yue, where she ended up playing dead and coming back to life."
Qi Tuojiang, standing nearby, saw Kong Wudao probing Yue Ruogou for a breath and smiled, adding this remark.
"Don't worry, Young Master Qi. I won't make the same mistake as last time. Even if Yue Ruogou wanted to fake her death and return, I wouldn't give her the chance."
With that, Kong Wudao pulled the dagger from Yue Ruogou's heart and then, with a backhand strike, pierced her throat, pinning her to the ground.
Two minutes later, Yue Ruogou had bled dry and was irrevocably dead. Kong Wudao clapped his hands, and soon an elder appeared with over a dozen young people. They skillfully removed the body, even cleaning the bloodstains on the ground and spraying perfume to mask the smell of blood in the air.
It was evident they had done this before, and Kong Wudao was no stranger to killing.
"Wasting time."
After his subordinates had finished dealing with Yue Ruogou's corpse, Kong Wudao washed his hands and finally returned to the pavilion five minutes later.
The Kong family servants, seeing the dozen or so chess pieces scattered on the ground, had already wisely replaced them with a new set.
"Young Master Kong, Shen Lang now knows that we leaked the news about the Emperor's Villa to Tian Yangsheng. With his vengeful nature, he will definitely target us if he stays in Longdu. Although Yue Ruogou failed, we cannot stop here."
Qi Tuojiang and Kong Wudao sat back down in the pavilion and resumed their game of chess, one with black and the other with white. Qi Tuojiang calmly placed a chess piece and said.
"Why worry, Young Master Qi? The Qi family and the Kong family have an abundance of experts and countless revered powerhouses. Why fear a mere Shen Lang?"
Kong Wudao said with a relaxed smile, "Shen Lang is arrogant and has made countless enemies. Many people want him dead, and there are many such people in Longdu."
"I've already had my mother inform Old Master Zhao about Shen Lang's arrival in Longdu. I believe Old Master Zhao will make his move soon. We'll just stand by and watch as the Zhao family and Shen Lang battle it out."
Kong Wudao's eyes showed a sinister and cunning calculation. "If the Zhao family can eliminate Shen Lang, that would be best. If they can't, we'll strike when they are both weakened, first eliminating Shen Lang, then tearing off a piece from the Zhao family."
"No, perhaps we can be even more audacious with our plans. Not just tear off a piece, but even devour it whole."
Qi Tuojiang suddenly spoke, "Of the five major families today, the Qin family is in constant internal strife, and the Ye family remains aloof. Only the three of us are truly powerful. If we fully annex the Zhao family, we will then have the strength to annex either the Qin or the Ye family."
"If that happens, the five major families will become three. Then, by finding a way to absorb the Ye family, we two families will divide the world."
"There are no eternal friends, nor eternal enemies in this world. We don't know what the future holds for the Qi and Kong families, but for now, our cooperation to annex other families is mutually beneficial."
Ordinary people might value sincerity and friendship, but noble families do not. They only care about interests. As long as there are interests, they will do anything, even if Qi Tuojiang and Kong Wudao, who appear to be brothers now, would turn on each other when necessary.
"Good. Then let's throw Shen Lang into the vortex of Longdu and let him stir up trouble for us, muddying the waters of Longdu so we can profit from it."
Kong Wudao said with a smile upon hearing Qi Tuojiang's words.
The pattern of the five great families in Longdu had been formed over centuries. Theoretically, it should be impossible to reach the current state. However, Qi Tuojiang and Kong Wudao were confident that with Shen Lang's appearance, the pattern of the five great families would soon be broken, and they would establish a new order.
Shen Lang was unaware of the schemes of Kong Wudao and Qi Tuojiang. After some revelry with Wang Yuyan at the hotel, they fell into a deep sleep.
When Shen Lang awoke, it was already 5:30 PM. Shen Lang took Wang Yuyan out, and they drove to the Great Wall.
The Great Wall scenic spot closed at 7 PM. When Shen Lang and Wang Yuyan arrived, it was not yet 6 PM, leaving them over an hour to enjoy themselves. They took many photos, of the scenery, and selfies of Wang Yuyan and Shen Lang.
At 7 PM, after leaving the Great Wall, Shen Lang and Wang Yuyan went to a Peking duck restaurant, ordered a whole duck, and began to eat.
While they were dining, in an ancient courtyard, a seventy-year-old man with white hair and beard, but a volatile temper, also learned of Shen Lang's arrival in Longdu.