Outside Ning'an City, a caravan of armored ox carts was making its way along the road, hooves clopping and dust flying, no different from an ordinary merchant caravan.
Inside the fifth armored ox cart sat three men in wealthy gentlemen's robes, all bearing themselves with imposing dignity. The bearded old man in the middle sat with his legs planted wide, looking less like a man in his seventies or eighties than a fierce mounted bandit.
"General... are you really going to do it yourself? Why not cut off the Temple of Sages' literary qi and let us handle it? This is different from an ordinary assassination of a scholar. At worst, the Sacred Academy will exile the two of us to the Ancient Land. From the day we joined the army, we were prepared to die, let alone face a punishment as trifling as this!" said the Metropolitan Graduate on the left.
"Exactly. With the Literary Star descending from the heavens, you'll be able to advance to Grand Academician in no time, and you're certain to become a Great Scholar in the end."
The bearded old man chuckled, revealing a mouthful of white teeth. "When I, Zhang Poyue, want someone dead, of course I do it myself! He dared to stir up trouble in Ning'an and slander Fang Yun. This grudge can't wait overnight, and I won't let anyone settle it for me. Though disguising myself really isn't my style. I'll take it off once I've killed him."
"That means you won't be able to return to the Saint Origin Continent for at least ten years."
Zhang Poyue looked delighted instead. "After tempering myself in the Ancient Land for ten years, I'll come back and kill Liu Shan! Once I've killed him, I'll go back to the Ancient Land and