Plan

Before Gu Jia left, he also told Li Shiming a piece of news: Prince Shun would go to Baoen Temple outside the city tomorrow to pray for blessings.

Li Shiming naturally knew what he meant by telling him this news. This was the other party doing him another favor.

After seeing Gu Jia off, Li Shiming began considering how to kill a protected person without using cultivator methods, while leaving no traces behind.

In the database of the IBMz15 Mainframe, there were far too many ways to kill mortals. What he needed to do was choose.

Choose the method that best met the requirements and was most effective.

With the speed of his thoughts enhanced by 190 CPUs, a plan soon took shape.

He gave Mo Yan some instructions, then returned to the study to look over the map Gu Jia had left behind.

The map marked the location of the Market, as well as the method for entering it.

In fact, the entry methods for almost all Markets were more or less the same. What Markets restricted were mortals; they were not meant to restrict cultivators from entering.

Gu Jia knew Li Shiming was a newcomer, so he had even given him the entry method for the Market as well. It could be said that he had considered things with extraordinary care.

The Market was not inside Central Capital City, but twenty li north of it.

Li Shiming frowned slightly. Riding a horse or taking a carriage to the Market was unrealistic.

His current physical constitution was extremely strong, but he had never tried long-distance running. Even if he could run that way, it would be equivalent to telling the other cultivators how weak he was.

"Looks like I'll need to use a Low-Grade Body Lightening Talisman!" Li Shiming murmured to himself.

He only had eleven Low-Grade Body Lightening Talismans, but thinking that he was going to the Market and might be able to buy talismans there, using one or two Low-Grade Body Lightening Talismans was not something he found unacceptable.

The next time the Market opened was five days later. The first thing he needed to consider was the matter of Prince Shun and Li Wenfeng.

Li Wenfeng's situation was not hard to inquire about. Mo Yan had found out the location of Li Wenfeng's residence. It was some distance from the Imperial City and was not within Gu Jia's range of protection.

He could kill Li Wenfeng at any time. As long as he did not use cultivator methods and left no traces of Spiritual Power, Gu Jia could turn a blind eye.

Li Shiming even suspected that even if he did use Spiritual Power, there was a high chance Gu Jia would shield him.

Of course, if he did that, then he would owe Gu Jia even more favors. He did not want to owe too many favors.

At the East Gate of Central Capital City, a resplendent procession rode out of the city.

This was precisely Prince Shun's traveling procession. There were three carriages in all, escorted by fifty cavalrymen.

In the luxurious carriage at the very center sat Prince Shun, and beside the carriage were four expert retainers on horseback protecting him.

With such a security arrangement, as long as they did not run into a large army, they could handle things calmly. Even if they did encounter a large army, they could hold out until reinforcements arrived.

Prince Shun's journey could be said to be foolproof. At least, everyone in their party thought so.

The cavalrymen were all well trained, and the entire procession maintained an unhurried pace.

Four cavalrymen rode back and forth in pairs to scout ahead, acting as scouts. This was a typical military style.

Li Shiming had left the city even earlier than Prince Shun. He was also going to Baoen Temple to fulfill a vow, and when Prince Shun set out, he was returning to the city from Baoen Temple.

There were quite a few people in his party as well: four guards, Si Qin, and Mo Yan.

Outside the city was a straight road, and the carriage traveled down the middle of it.

"Young Master, there's a royal convoy ahead. Should we move aside?" One guard noticed the banner on the convoy ahead and hurriedly reported.

When carriages met on the road, under normal circumstances they had to give way according to rank.

Li Shiming's side did not even have a rank, so naturally they had to give way when encountering a Royal Family convoy.

"Move to the roadside and keep going!" Li Shiming had already observed the convoy through the carriage window and gave the order in a low voice.

It was not as if the emperor were traveling, nor had the streets been cleared. The carriage only needed to move out of the center lane.

Just as the carriage moved aside, an inconspicuous Flat Stone dropped from the bottom of the carriage onto the ground.

Amid the sound of wheels contacting the ground, none of the others, including the four guards, noticed the Flat Stone.

Prince Shun's procession paid no attention to the carriage that had moved aside, and the procession maintained its previous speed as it continued forward.

"That's the Prefect of Nanling's carriage!" Li Wenfeng, who was sitting beside Prince Shun, saw the familiar mark and could not help but say in surprise.

How could he possibly forget the Prefect of Nanling's mark? If he had not suppressed his elder brother, how could he have gained Prince Shun's favor to such an extent, and how could he have become a senior third-rank Steward?

"Don't let hatred blind you. There will be plenty of chances to deal with him in the future!" Prince Shun said, waving his hand.

He picked up a cup of wine, and there was no change on his face because he had heard news of Li Shiming.

A little Li Shiming was far too beneath him. If it were not related to the auspicious omen and he feared displeasing his royal father, dealing with Li Shiming would be something he could do casually.

He did not want to let a tiny insect spoil his mood. He was someone who would accomplish great things, and in the future, he even wanted to become the emperor of Great Xia.

The two carriages brushed past each other. Li Shiming saw Li Wenfeng. He had previously seen this person's portrait from Steward Zhang, and with the addition of their blood relationship, he recognized Li Wenfeng the instant he saw him.

A faint smile appeared on Li Shiming's face as he looked at Li Wenfeng. He had not expected Li Wenfeng to also be in Prince Shun's carriage.

Thinking about it, it made sense. As Prince Shun's Estate Steward, it was extremely reasonable for Li Wenfeng to travel together with Prince Shun.

At that moment, Li Wenfeng also saw Li Shiming through the carriage window, as well as the smile on Li Shiming's face.

Li Wenfeng only felt a chill in his heart, and all the hair on his body stood on end.

He clearly knew that Li Shiming was a frail scholar, but in his senses, Li Shiming was like a wild beast, a wild beast staring at weak prey.

Li Wenfeng wanted to say what he felt, but then he thought of the experts accompanying the carriage, as well as the fifty cavalrymen. With that kind of force around him, he could not help feeling much more at ease.

The carriage windows crossed past each other, and the two carriages separated. Prince Shun's procession went on for nearly another hundred meters, while Li Shiming's carriage was now about two hundred meters away from Prince Shun's.

Prince Shun's procession reached the area where the Flat Stone lay on the ground. The cavalrymen clearing the way up ahead paid no attention to the stone on the road.

As long as a stone was not especially large, it would not affect the procession's advance, so naturally no one bothered with it.

If even flat stones like this had to be cleared away, then they might as well stop traveling altogether.

When the carriage Prince Shun was riding in passed over the Flat Stone, the Flat Stone gave a crack, and then a tiny flame sprang up.

The moment the flame appeared, it triggered an even greater blaze.

The flames were white and carried a pungent stench, engulfing the entire carriage.