Death… and me

As soon as Diwu Qing Rou saw the IOU note, he became very bemused.

Having destroyed Heaven Reaching Tower with the attempt to capture people there, Diwu Qing Rou was already prepared to pay a definite price to Jun Xi Zhu! Otherwise, he would not be able to face her!

However, Diwu Qing Rou felt that being able to capture King of Hell Chu was not worth paying just one or two million taels, he was even willing to pay ten million taels! But alas, they were unable to capture him.

Diwu Qing Rou second thoughts were that the price of one million taels was too ridiculous as they did not even manage to capture him! They had wasted their efforts and had caused a ruckus, but they did not even touch a single strand of his hair. Moreover, they were also insulted. And now they had to pay one million taels?

The third thing that annoyed Diwu Qing Rou the most was that one million taels was just one million taels… But… why did they have to write an IOU? Would a King level leader of Golden Horse Riders not pay his debt?

What was worse was that his name was even written on it!

"Good!" Diwu Qing Rou gritted his teeth and praised sarcastically, "I did not realize that King level leader Jing is not only talented in leading Golden Horse Riders Department and martial arts, but is also talented in the literary field! Your writing is so impressive and you wrote the IOU with such flair! You are so talented!"

Jing Meng Hun bowed his head in disgrace. He was too ashamed to look at anyone.

"Good! Very good!" Diwu Qing Rou took a deep breath. He could feel his fury surging. How long has it been since he last felt like this?

"I sent you to capture someone, and you dare to bring back an IOU?" Diwu Qing Rou's chest was heaving and he was breathing heavily. His voice was controlled, but his gaze was murderous.

"Prime… Prime Minister, please forgive me!" whimpered Jing Meng Hun.

"Hmf!" snorted Diwu Qing Rou. He was no longer feeling angry, or perhaps he had managed to control his fury.

"Let me see what is in this letter," commanded Diwu Qing Rou as he snatched up the letter. He closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath to calm himself.

This letter could be from his greatest enemy. He had to deal with whatever was written on it carefully! He had to have a clear mind before reading this letter!

After a brief moment, he opened his eyes and stared at the letter.

"Dear Prime Minister Diwu, Chu Yang thank you." Diwu Qing Rou scanned the entire letter. He even slapped his thigh once in admiration.

"These words are written in a very dignified manner, but if you analyze each word, it seems to carry a menacing tone, like a sword that can pierce the heavens!"

"You must look at the brush strokes in order to judge people. The person who wrote this likes to take the offensive!" remarked Diwu Qing Rou in a wise tone.

Han Bu Chu stepped forward and frowned, "Prime Minister, although these brush strokes seem menacing, they also appear to be very calm! Plus… they are very cautious. This…"

"Exactly. This person will strike forward to attack and retreat back to defend! He is a very calculative person." Diwu Qing Rou said, "But there is also a hint of surprise moves in his brush strokes, which mean this person is fond of carrying out sneak attacks!"

Diwu Qing Rou continued staring at the words before he resumed his analysis, "His words flow smoothly without showing any signs of rushing, it does not seem fake. Perhaps he had time to prepare. It also meant that he left right after he ran into us! It is understandable that King level leader Jing had failed…"

Diwu Qing Rou opened up the envelope and took out the letter.

Yet another beautiful set of brush strokes.

"Brother Diwu…

I have heard of your fame often but resented the fact that we are unable to meet. However, this time, little brother will travel thousands of miles from the north to come to Great Zhao's Continent Center to visit you.

Last year, we were fighting just a few thousands of miles away from each other. There were some triumphs and some losses. I have missed you greatly. Brother Diwu, you are careful and can plan flawlessly. Your strategies from thousands of miles away have become my inspiration!

Thousands of cold, lonely miles and long, rough roads.

I was finally able to meet Brother Diwu the other day.

Life is meaningful again! The fate of Continent Center is controlled by Brother Diwu. Your fate lies in your own hands and your foresight is admirable. The fact that you were able to figure out my identity is truly commendable!

Things are closing in in Continent Center. I have to flee in a hurry in trepidation. One wrong step and I will become your prisoner.

This is but a hasty goodbye. The letter is short, but our bond is strong. Great Zhao is magnificent, and Continent Center is vast and opulent. I will remember this for as long as I live! If fate allows, we will meet again and drink together until we drop!

Looking at the heroes of the world, I see only Brother Diwu and me! When we are fighting on the battlefield, I will remember your kindness towards me and repay it with sincerity.

Little brother is still young, but people dubbed me the King of Hell. I could not help but feel embarrassed. I vow to not let my reputation down and take Brother Diwu's head with my own blade!

Goodbye from thousands of miles away. Until we meet again, I will be the victor and you will be my prisoner. I will greet you then. I did not have the opportunity to bid you goodbye, and you do not have to see me off. Prosperous Continent Center has been destroyed and I apologise for that. We each have our own leader to work for!

Our goals differ, and there is only the choice of life or death!

Sincerely, Little Brother Chu Yang."

The details of the letter were as such. Diwu Qing Rou read it with a beam. His tone was crystal clear and it resonated throughout the little courtyard.

"King of Hell Chu is truly delusional!" scorned Jing Meng Hun, whose veins were bulging on his forehead. He banged his fist on his thigh as he gritted his teeth in anger!

Han Bu Chu was frowning, Cheng Yun He was silent, and even Gao Sheng seemed to be thinking.

"What do you think of this letter?" asked Diwu Qing Rou. He was smiling as he gazed at everyone.

"Prime Minister, this letter might not have been written by King of Hell Chu." Cautioned Han Bu Chu.

"That is what I feel too. It is impossible that the King of Hell Chu could have written this letter," remarked Cheng Yun He in a firm tone.

"Oh?" Diwu Qing Rou's smile did not falter.

"If he was fleeing, he should have just left! King of Hell Chu had to come here and create even more chaos in Great Zhao. He had accomplished his goal!" Han Bu Chu said in a low voice, "Moreover, given how cynical King of Hell Chu's character is, it is highly unlikely that he could not have written such a superficial letter!"

"Exactly. He is just gloating after his success. The letter is taunting our demise. His words are so conflicting, like two armies in battle…" Cheng Yun He said, "Surely, King of Hell Chu is not so shallow."

"As for the brush strokes… it could be designed to arouse suspicion." Han Bu Chu continued, "Look, Prime Minister, the words in the letter and the envelope might have been written by the same person, but there is still a slight difference… The brush stroke on the outside is smoother, whereas the brush stroke n the inside is harsher… Even though it tried to portray a smooth stroke, it is still contradicting, it's too tense…"

"King of Hell Chu is so impatient!" Cheng Yun He concluded.

"All of you are wrong!" remarked Diwu Qing Rou in a casual tone, "Thinking like this would only mean that you have fallen for King of Hell Chu's trap!"

"Trap?" gasped Han Bu Chu, his eyes widened in shock.

"This letter was written by none other than the King of Hell Chu!" Diwu Qing Rou insisted determinedly as he raised up the delicate piece of paper!

"Huh?" questioned a surprised Han Bu Chu and Cheng Yun He.

"I know what you are thinking." Diwu Qing Rou continued, "Firstly, there was another huge chaos occurring in the royal court of Iron Cloud. In addition, the officials that were apprehended this time were the ones that had managed to escape last time. The tactics used were not too different."

"Secondly, the rumors that had plagued Iron Cloud were smothered in just a few days by King of Hell Chu's monstrous methods! Because of this, thousands were killed without any mercy!"

"These two things are the workings of King of Hell Chu. And you are all doubting whether King of Hell Chu came to Great Zhao at all!" Diwu Qing Rou said casually.

"Yes, that is it." Han Bu Chu confirmed with a frown.

"But this way of thinking is wrong!" Diwu Qing Rou grunted, "How could the actions in Iron Cloud occur so quickly? And with such perfect timing?"

"If King of Hell Chu was really in Iron Cloud, he would not have carried out things in this way. Based on what he usually does, he would let out the baits for a big fish and make us believe that our rumors were effective. Afterwards, he would then hunt down our people… He is definitely capable of that! But he did not, why?"

"This is the best counter-move. And we have already thought through in great detail about how we deal with this. But nothing was done. It was abandoned… This clearly shows that they were afraid that the real King of Hell Chu would run into mishaps in Great Zhao which was why they had to mislead us!"

"Hence, this letter was intentionally written in a provoking tone to confuse us into believing that the person in Great Zhao was not King of Hell Chu, why?"

"When we put our minds to this, two conclusions come to mind: One, King of Hell Chu has always been in Iron Cloud! And two… King Hell Chu was here, but he has long since gone!"

Diwu Qing Rou laughed coldly, "As long as you have these two thoughts, you will be dragged down by King of Hell Chu! Eventually, you will have no way out. And you will not even know that you were being dragged down by him!"

"If the leader had been you instead of me, I am certain that, even in Great Zhao, you will all fail miserably in the hands of King of Hell Chu!"

Diwu Qing Rou's expression was grave.

Han Bu Chu and everyone around him was sweating profusely.

"Even I, who was able to see through his schemes, have to do everything I could to reduce any potential loss before we can capture King of Hell Chu! I am not even able to avoid any loss!"

"Put this letter in my bedroom," Diwu Qing Rou ordered in a low voice, "I want to inspect the brush strokes of this King of Hell Chu in great detail! You should all know that this is the only writing of King of Hell Chu! These words are priceless!"

"Yes!"

"Golden Horse Riders Department, you will proceed with the evacuation plans. Gather all of the important things first."

"Yes!"

"Pay attention to news of that sword." Worry lines were etched on Diwu Qing Rou's forehead, "One saber was already able to destroy the royal palace, what will this sword be like?"