A Plan for Assassination

"Keep a close eye on things, and don't let it delay your mother's treatment," Luo Qianshan said to Zhuzi, reminding him to be careful.

Zhuzi dared not show the slightest disrespect toward Luo Qianshan, quickly replying, "Many thanks for your concern, Officer. The doctor said that as long as my mother recuperates carefully for another month or two, she will be completely recovered."

"Let us hope so." Luo Qianshan nodded and said no more. Since Zhuzi trusted Zi Bofeng so implicitly, he saw no reason to play the villain.

Zi Bofeng and Little Stone exchanged a glance and chuckled. Zi Bofeng had already figured out the mystery behind that beam of light. While Feijianzi might be a harbinger of disaster, he had also brought a stroke of good fortune; had that sword strike not shattered the giant boulder, the eagle egg would never have fallen from the sky.

The day's various coincidences made Zi Bofeng feel that fate was truly a wondrous thing.

The only thing worrying him now was the Little Fox; he wondered how she was faring.

Luo Qianshan summoned a personal attendant to help Zhuzi carry his mother into the house. He brewed a pot of tea himself, chatted with Zi Jian, Zi Bofeng, and the others for a while, then excused himself to sleep.

Deep in the night, the dew grew heavy. Zi Bofeng woke up with a full bladder and rose to relieve himself, only to find Luo Qianshan standing in the courtyard, one hand on his saber, head tilted toward the sky.

"These stars are not of last night; for whom do I stand in the wind and dew of midnight?" Zi Bofeng had just recited the line when he immediately turned his head and spat twice. This was a poem of lovesickness, and the preceding lines were even more scandalous—a veritable classic of erotica. It would have been fitting to recite to a top-tier courtesan, but to recite it to a rough-hewn man like Luo Qianshan, a good buddy of his, might lead to some truly awkward misunderstandings.

Though Luo Qianshan didn't quite grasp the flowery language, he understood that Zi Bofeng was asking why he was still lingering in the courtyard so late. He sighed and said, "Bofeng, tomorrow may well be our final farewell."

"What?" Zi Bofeng was shocked. Why this sudden, ominous talk of parting?

"Tomorrow, I intend to assassinate the Immortal," Luo Qianshan said in a low, heavy voice. He kept a hand on his saber and turned to look at Zi Bofeng. "The Prefect has treated me with boundless kindness, yet I am unable to ease his burdens. This is the only thing I can do."

"Surely not? Is assassination really necessary? Isn't it just about the Jade Tax? Can't you just drag it out?" Zi Bofeng asked in astonishment.

"You weren't here today, Bofeng, so you don't know. That Immortal actually threatened the Prefect's life. How can I allow such a man to walk this earth!" Luo Qianshan gritted his teeth.

"And how do you plan to assassinate him?" Zi Bofeng reached out to wipe away the night dew, sat on a stone stool in the courtyard, and watched Luo Qianshan, who was still striking a pose.

"With my steel blade, of course..." Luo Qianshan looked heroically indomitable.

"Alright, enough with the posturing. Waiting for me in the middle of the night—I was wondering why you were being so attentive, brewing me tea before I went to bed." Zi Bofeng had long since seen through Luo Qianshan's little tricks. Though one was an officer and the other a scholar with little common ground—often undermining or mocking each other—Zi Bofeng understood the man's temperament well enough. He looked like a brute, but in truth, he was quite cunning.

Having been exposed, Luo Qianshan didn't even blush. His skin was like the armor he wore, forged from fine steel and not easily pierced.

"Give up on that idea. The man can shatter a mountain boulder with a single sword strike. Your little bit of skill is fine for dealing with a weak scholar like me, but you're a hundred thousand miles away from being a match for him." Zi Bofeng yawned, stretched, and stood up. "If you really want to kill him, you'd be better off buying half a catty of arsenic and mixing it into his food. You might just poison him to death."

"Go to sleep, and stop thinking about such nonsense." Zi Bofeng pushed open his door and waved a hand over his shoulder. "Goodnight!"

"Arsenic?" Luo Qianshan's eyes lit up. That was worth a try. Immortal or not, since he still had the word 'man' in his title, he had to have weaknesses. If he died from it, so be it; if he didn't... he could just pretend he knew nothing.

Luo Qianshan was a bold man; he acted as soon as he thought of it. He went to the woodshed, kicked his attendant awake, and ordered him to go find poison in the middle of the night.

Zi Bofeng was naturally unaware of this. When he rose the next morning, he saw Luo Qianshan sharpening his blade with a rhythmic hiss, while his attendant squatted nearby, watching and yawning.

As soon as Zi Bofeng stepped out, he saw Luo Qianshan hold the blade up to the sun. The steel was bright and snow-white, the edge perfectly straight and flawless; it was clear Luo Qianshan cherished this weapon dearly.

"You aren't actually planning to assassinate the Immortal, are you?" Zi Bofeng was startled. "If you kill him now, you'll only be bringing trouble to the Prefect."

"I naturally won't strike just yet," Luo Qianshan grinned, showing his teeth. "This mountain man has his own clever plans..."

Zi Bofeng leaned in instinctively, waiting for him to share.

"I never said I'd tell you." Luo Qianshan waved him off. "Stay back, lest my hand slip and leave you with a scar the size of a bowl."

As he spoke, he turned and slashed out. The bright blade carved an arc through the air, and with a crack, it split a wooden post standing nearby into two pieces.

The blade passed right by the nose of the dozing attendant, who jumped in terror, landing hard on his backside. He begged for mercy repeatedly, "General, spare me! General, spare me! This one won't do it again! Never again!"

Luo Qianshan had intended to follow through and split the other wooden posts lined up in a row to show off his swordsmanship, but with his momentum broken, he couldn't muster the energy.

"Go, go, go!" Luo Qianshan said, speechless, and kicked him. "If you want to sleep, go back to your room!"

"Ah, Officer, let me do that!" Zhuzi, who had just come out to fetch water, happened to see Luo Qianshan chopping wood and trotted over, pulling an axe from somewhere. "Chopping wood is a job for a lowly person like me. I don't have much else, but I have plenty of strength..."

And so, Luo Qianshan watched helplessly as Zhuzi chopped his practice posts into firewood.

"B-Big Brother, those were for sword practice, not for the fire..." the attendant whispered. Zhuzi let out an "ah," laughed sheepishly, rubbed his head, and walked away.

"Hahahaha..." Zi Bofeng laughed until he was doubled over. Luo Qianshan's face turned shades of blue and white. He turned and kicked his attendant in the backside again. "You talk too much! One more word and I'll send you back to the main camp!"

The attendant looked at Luo Qianshan in confusion, not knowing what he had done wrong.

Zi Bofeng knew this attendant; he was about the same age as him, perhaps even a little younger. Though sturdy, he had a baby face that never seemed to mature, making him look quite unthreatening. He was a fellow townsman of Luo Qianshan's, and Luo had brought him along to keep him from being bullied by the rough soldiers in the camp. He always looked dazed and sleepy, and no one knew what he was thinking about all day. He often angered Luo Qianshan, who would then bully him in return.

Little Stone, however, liked him very much, as he was willing to get on all fours and let Little Stone ride him like a horse.

After being kicked, the attendant rubbed the spot, chuckled, squatted down to gather the chopped wood, and said, "I'm going to make breakfast!" before turning to leave.

"What's for breakfast?" Zi Bofeng's attention was immediately diverted, and he started to follow. The attendant had decent skills and was cut out to be a cook; Zi Bofeng had enjoyed his meals for a week or so two months ago and still missed them occasionally.

Luo Qianshan grabbed him by the arm. "Weren't you asking how I plan to assassinate him?"

"Oh, I almost forgot." Zi Bofeng turned back to look at Luo Qianshan, only for the man to play coy again. "Take a guess!"

"Isn't it just finding a way to lure him out?" Zi Bofeng waved a hand. "Don't mess around, eating is more important."

"Even a fool could think of luring him out. You tell me, how exactly am I going to lure him out?"

"There's nothing to guess here. It's nothing more than desire, obstacles, and action. He came down the mountain to find jade; tell him where a lot of jade has been discovered, and he'll naturally go there obediently... Unless you have some brilliant idea? In that case, I'm all ears!"

Zi Bofeng considered himself well-read in countless novels; every possibility and every idea had already been proposed. While there were certainly things that hadn't been thought of, the probability of such a thing was far too low.

Luo Qianshan held up a finger, wanting to say something, but couldn't get a word out. He deflated and said, "Fine, you guessed it."

He didn't notice Luo Qianshan clenching his fist in secret, chuckling to himself. I knew that fellow Zi Bofeng was full of nothing but wicked schemes! I had thought of several plans, but none were as natural and seamless as this one.

As for the execution, that was for Luo Qianshan to figure out himself; when it came to killing, he was the expert, and he had no need for Zi Bofeng to offer any wicked ideas. In the blink of an eye, he had already come up with a whole heap of ambush plans.

"Go off and play nicely by yourself!" Zi Bofeng waved his hand, dismissing Luo Qianshan with utter disdain before heading straight for the kitchen. Upon reaching the kitchen doorway, Zi Bofeng turned back, looking at Luo Qianshan with great seriousness, and said, "Qianshan, I advise you to think thrice before you act. Assassinating an immortal is absolutely not the best solution."

While they ate, they pondered; Luo Qianshan remained silent, and the others followed suit. Only Zi Bofeng and Little Stone chattered and laughed incessantly, completely disregarding the ancient adage that one should not speak while eating or in bed.

As they were finishing their meal, Zi Bofeng said to Luo Qianshan, "We shall be heading back once we finish eating. I won't go to bid the Prefect farewell; you can do it on my behalf."

"Why are you heading back so early?" Luo Qianshan was taken aback.

"With a matter this significant, I must return to make arrangements and discuss countermeasures with the villagers." As he spoke, Zi Bofeng's tone was heavy, every bit the qualified village head, with none of his usual flippancy. Luo Qianshan nodded; Zi Bofeng had his own responsibilities, and when faced with such a major event, it was indeed necessary to return and deliberate on a strategy.

"Dad, before we head back, let's go buy a horse," Zi Bofeng said, turning to his father.

Record of Raising Monsters