New Mission Issued

Chapter 25: New Mission Issued

When he arrived at the Hundred-Household Office, an Imperial Guard strongman came over, clasped his hands, and announced:

"Greetings, Lord Bai. The Thousand-Household Commander requests your presence."

"Oh? Is there another new mission?"

Bai Yan swallowed half a sesame flatbread in two or three bites, brushed the crumbs from his hands, and followed the strongman to the Thousand-Household Office.

"Your subordinate Bai Yan greets the Thousand-Household Commander."

After entering the Thousand-Household Office, Bai Yan bowed in salute.

"Bai Yan, you've got some nerve!"

The moment they met, Zheng Haihan threw that line at Bai Yan.

"What does the Thousand-Household Commander mean? This subordinate doesn't quite understand."

Zheng Haihan let out two strange laughs, his tone laced with sarcasm:

"Lord Bai still doesn't understand?"

"You were promoted to Hundred-Household Commander only yesterday, yet you beat Zhao Gaozhong. You tell me—doesn't that show some nerve?"

"The Imperial Guards have ironclad laws: colleagues must not fight, nor slaughter one another. Could it be that you, Lord Bai, didn't know?"

Bai Yan could hear the teasing in Zheng Haihan's tone. There was no real anger there, so he replied frankly:

"Zhao Gaozhong provoked me first and threw the first punch. This subordinate merely acted in self-defense."

"As for injuring him, it was unavoidable. Besides, this subordinate already showed him mercy."

"Showed him mercy?"

The corner of Zheng Haihan's mouth twitched slightly. Bai Yan's words had nearly made him laugh in anger:

"You broke one of his arms and three ribs, and even shook his internal organs badly enough to cause varying degrees of internal injury. You call that showing mercy?"

"By your logic, if you hadn't shown mercy, were you planning to kill him with a single palm strike?"

Bai Yan nodded silently inwardly. If we'd been somewhere else, I could've killed Zhao Gaozhong with one palm and even scattered his ashes to the winds afterward.

"This subordinate wouldn't dare."

"This subordinate keeps the Imperial Guards' laws in mind at all times and would never knowingly break the law."

Bai Yan spoke with righteous conviction.

"You'd better!"

Zheng Haihan snorted and stopped dwelling on the matter, changing the subject:

"Let's put Zhao Gaozhong aside for now. We'll discuss business."

"In seven days, the Bozeguo delegation will arrive in Yongtang. This time, Bozeguo is sending a princess to marry into our Great Yu."

"According to protocol, the Imperial Guards will escort the delegation. They'll only be allowed into the city after their identities have been verified outside Yongtang City."

"After that, the Ministry of Rites will choose an auspicious date and send the princess into the palace to serve His Majesty."

"Your mission is to rendezvous with the delegation outside the city, escort the Bozeguo delegation safely into Yongtang, and deliver them to Huitong Hall."

Bai Yan frowned.

"With the Imperial Guards handling the escort, there shouldn't be any need for us Imperial Guards to get involved, should there?"

The Imperial Guards might not have as many experts as the Imperial Guard, but they had numbers.

When ants swarmed in sufficient numbers, they could even bite an elephant to death.

Once the Imperial Guards formed a battle formation and charged as one, even a Grandmaster could be slain. Handling a minor mission like this was more than enough for them.

Bozeguo was merely a small country, with less territory than even one upper province of Great Yu.

It was only an escort mission. Having the Imperial Guard and the Imperial Guards work together was using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

Zheng Haihan said calmly:

"For this mission, the Imperial Guard is only going there to go through the motions and pick up some credit along the way."

"Originally, this was a task Zhao Gaozhong begged for. But after you injured him so badly that he'll have to lie in bed for at least a month, the mission naturally fell to you."

Bai Yan suddenly understood. So I'm the one who gets to pluck the peach.

Zheng Haihan's expression turned solemn as he said in a deep voice:

"Don't get smug yet, boy. This is indeed a meritous assignment, but it carries risks too. You should know who stands behind Zhao Gaozhong."

At that, Bai Yan paused slightly before understanding.

The mission had originally been assigned to Zhao Gaozhong as a good opportunity to pick up easy credit. But now that the person had changed—and Wang Zheng was pulling strings behind the scenes—something unexpected could easily happen.

"Secondly, this mission may prove very troublesome. The people of Bozeguo have always bullied the weak and feared the strong. His Majesty once described them as narrow-minded without realizing it, possessed of petty virtue but lacking great righteousness. You may well find yourself harassed by them."

"If you don't want to go, the mission can be given to someone else."

Zheng Haihan looked up at Bai Yan and added in an indifferent tone:

Although the provocation was somewhat crude, Bai Yan took the bait anyway. He wanted to climb higher, so naturally he had to display his might.

They're just a bunch of brainless people. No problem. If they dare kick up a fuss with me, I'll teach them how to behave on the spot.

"No need! Lord, you can safely leave it to this subordinate!"

Just then, the system's notification chime rang out in his mind.

Ding! The host has triggered a mission: Escort the Bozeguo delegation

A mighty nation receives tribute from all under heaven

Please escort the Bozeguo delegation safely into Huitong Hall in Yongtang City

Mission reward: Max-level Spiritual Rhinoceros Finger

Though the body lacks the paired wings of a phoenix, the heart understands with a single point of connection.

This was Lu Xiaofeng's signature technique. It was said that with just two fingers, one could clamp down on every weapon and sharp blade under heaven. It was absurdly powerful.

Its might was unmatched, but more importantly, it looked incredibly cool.

What a treasure!

Bai Yan's eyes lit up. He clasped his hands toward Zheng Haihan in salute, then turned and left.

Just as Bai Yan had expected, Zhao Gaozhong nearly fainted when he learned that the mission had been snatched away.

Wang Zheng naturally wouldn't say much to a lackey, which left Zhao Gaozhong believing that someone had stolen the peach he had cultivated. He was nearly driven mad with rage.

A shrill roar suddenly rang out from the Pacification Bureau's infirmary.

"Bai Yan, you've gone too far!"

"If I don't avenge this grudge, then I, Zhao Gaozhong, swear I'm no man!"

Pfft—!

Lying on the sickbed, Zhao Gaozhong spat out a mouthful of blood, his face instantly turning deathly pale.

The little vital energy he had finally recovered was completely exhausted, and the injuries to his internal organs had not only failed to heal but had worsened.

He never could have imagined that the hard-won opportunity he had fought tooth and nail to obtain would actually be snatched away by Bai Yan.

"Please calm down, my lord. You must take care of your health."

Seeing him spit blood from anger, one of his lackeys hurried forward to comfort him.

"That's right, my lord. If you want revenge against Bai Yan, you'll have plenty of opportunities once your injuries heal. There's no need to rush."

Another lackey also spoke up to console him.

The two of them watched Zhao Gaozhong gasp for breath, afraid that he might stop breathing and die of anger right there.

Zhao Gaozhong lay on the sickbed, gasping heavily, his eyes fixed furiously on the ceiling, endless hatred seething within them.

"Bai Yan, just wait. Enjoy your triumph for a few more days!"

"Once my injuries heal, I'll make you pay!"

Bai Yan had not only injured him but also stolen his chance to earn merit. It was practically akin to the hatred of a murdered father and the grudge of a stolen wife. Such enmity could never coexist beneath the same sky; even draining the waters of the Five Lakes and Four Seas would not be enough to wash it away.

The Zhen residence, deep into the night.

After learning that Bai Yan no longer intended to pursue the matter concerning Zhen Xiaoren, Father Zhen finally let out a sigh of relief.

But he had no idea that Bai Yan was far from the only person who wanted Zhen Xiaoren dead.

Zhen Xiaoren had committed countless evils over the years. The people who wanted him dead could probably line up from the Zhen residence all the way outside Yongtang City...