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墨書 Inktalez
It is said that it is harder for a chancellor to endure than for a jailer to be esteemed. Even a fallen chancellor, when imprisoned, can only swallow his anger and endure. However, the Xu Zhen is not an ordinary envoy of the Tang Dynasty; he is a legend. His deeds are still sung throughout India, Nepal, and Tuguhun to this day.
Even though these jailers are from the Qiang Bang Se, they do not dare to mistreat the Xu Zhen, especially since these jailers are officials of Lhasa.
The Xu Zhen does not understand weapons and is not bound; he is held in solitary confinement, separate from other prisoners. His daily meals are provided according to envoy standards, and he has not faced any harassment or abuse, except that no one is allowed to visit him.
The jailer responsible for guarding the Xu Zhen is an elderly man in his sixties. The Xu Zhen has never seen him speak or anyone converse with him; he seems to be mute.
The Old Mute only smiles, always friendly to everyone, making it hard for anyone to bully him. It is said that he has been a jailer in Lhasa for many years. Among the many jailers who have come and gone, one who started working with him retired from his position as Minister of State two years ago, yet he still remains in this prison.
Tuguhun only has Barley Wine and Kumis, unlike the Tang Dynasty which boasts various famous wines such as Three-leaf Juice and Jian Nan Shao Chun. On a small table are a few side dishes and some crispy flatbreads. The Xu Zhen waved at the mute man, who grinned widely and glanced outside before sitting down across from the Xu Zhen.
The Xu Zhen does not drink much and cannot converse with the Old Mute. He wonders if the mute can understand his words; he even suspects that the mute might be deaf. However, this does not prevent him from admiring the Old Mute.
The most difficult thing in life is to remain steadfast. Whether the Old Mute is forced by circumstances or for other reasons, being able to serve as a jailer for most of his life has already earned the respect of the Xu Zhen.
The Old Mute does not hold back; he eats and drinks freely. No matter what the Xu Zhen says, he just smiles. The Xu Zhen once jokingly asked him what he liked to eat so that he could send some next time, but the Old Mute just smiled.
Regardless of what the Xu Zhen eats, he always saves a portion for the Old Mute, who enjoys everything. During this time, all of the Xu Zhen's food and drink have benefited the Old Mute.
"Old Black," said the Xu Zhen, "looking at your features, you must be from Central Plains, but you have a pair of blue eyes and hair that seems dry yellow but should actually be reddish. Where exactly are you from?"
The Xu Zhen did not eat much; he only wanted some company to pass the time. He knows his questions will never receive answers, yet he cannot help but ask in hopes of reading something in the Old Mute's expressions. Unfortunately, the Old Mute merely smiled, pointed to his ears, then to his mouth, gesturing that he could neither hear nor speak.
The Xu Zhen does not mind at all; it is not that he finds anything special about the Old Mute but rather that in this entire prison, only this Old Mute can interact with him—only this Old Mute can communicate.
After finishing their meal, the Old Mute tidied up and left. The Xu Zhen then sat down to practice the Enhanced I Ching Cleansing Inner Power Technique. After a short while of adjusting his breath and stabilizing his meridians, he began to assume various extraordinary postures on the grass couch—his joints bending and twisting as he practiced Yoga Techniques and Seven Sacred Blade Secret Technique.
He has already had Lu Dongzan deliver the Secret Letter to Caesar. If they can prepare adequately according to the instructions in the Secret Letter, Xu Zhen need not worry about Qiang Bang Se plotting against him. However, this is still his first attempt, and he feels uncertain.
Fortunately, he has been diligently practicing these techniques every day, not just cramming at the last minute, which has given him some confidence. After finishing his training, two hours have already passed. The prison is brightly lit, yet there is no sunlight, and no one is on duty to keep watch. Old Mute cannot speak, so Xu Zhen can only use a charcoal stick to mark the days on the wall.
With nothing else to do in the cell, he initially spent time analyzing the situation of Tuguhun, but after two days of thorough contemplation, he decided to stop thinking about such matters. He couldn't sleep much anyway, as most of his time was devoted to training.
Although there have been fewer battles in these two years, he still hasn't been able to calm his mind to focus on honing his skills and sword techniques as well as Illusion. This period is just right for recharging.
Seeing that he still has energy, he unsheathes the long sword at his waist and begins practicing his sword techniques in the cell.
His swordsmanship has been guided by Li Dejiang and Zhou Cang, and later he received true teachings from Li Jing. Li Dejiang's sword technique is grand and powerful, filled with the carefree spirit of a martial artist; Zhou Cang's technique is extremely domineering, straightforward and lethal without any embellishments; while Li Jing's technique balances tension and relaxation, somber yet elegant.
With plenty of time on his hands, Xu Zhen practices repeatedly, gradually synthesizing the essence of all three sword techniques into a new understanding of swordsmanship.
Just as he is immersed in his practice, the door lock makes a slight sound. Normally, Xu Zhen would notice immediately, but today he is so absorbed in his sword technique that he doesn't stop.
Old Mute, like a corpse that has lain in a tomb for hundreds of years, quietly enters without making a sound. His face still bears an extremely honest smile, but when he sees the sword in Xu Zhen's hand, the smile freezes. His eyes suddenly ignite with a spark of fire before quickly dimming again, leaving only that characteristic smile on his face.
This is the first time he has seen Xu Zhen practice with a sword and also the first time he has seen him draw this long sword. Although Xu Zhen harbors no suspicion towards him, practicing secret techniques and swordplay is something done in silence during the night. If it weren't for Old Mute receiving an official document indicating that Xu Zhen was to be taken to the Execution Ground, he wouldn't have come at night to meet with him.
He has spent too long in this prison; it has become his entire world. The outside world feels far too unfamiliar for this old man.
However, Xu Zhen's openness allows him to see a reflection of someone else. Watching Xu Zhen practice with the sword further convinces him that there is a significant connection between him and that person because the sword techniques being practiced by Xu Zhen contain the essence of that person's style!
What surprises Old Mute even more is that the long sword held by Xu Zhen belongs to another person. This long sword and Xu Zhen's techniques transport him back to distant memories—back to an era filled with chaos where heroes and tyrants emerged alike. It is Xu Zhen who makes him recall his own name and identity once more!
Perhaps due to the shock he experienced, his steps became somewhat heavy, and the sound of his footsteps caught the attention of Xu Zhen. She paused her actions and, seeing Old Black returning, couldn't help but ask in confusion.
"Old Black, it's so late. Did you come to find me for something?"
Old Black's lips moved a few times, but no sound came out. His smile faded as he pointed at Xu Zhen and then made a slashing motion across his neck. Xu Zhen understood that Old Black was here to remind her that Qiang Bang Se was finally going to kill her!
Xu Zhen's eyes suddenly dimmed, but soon brightened again. She shook her head with a bitter smile and cupped her hands in gratitude towards Old Black.
Noticing that Old Black did not leave but was curiously staring at her long knife, Xu Zhen turned the knife around and offered the hilt to him.
"Want to take a look? This is a treasured blade I obtained by chance, later inscribed by the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. This is Yin Kaishan's knife; he was a great hero! Although I don't know much about his deeds, I still remember that when the Tang's Taizong Wen Emperor saw this knife, he secretly shed tears..."
While Xu Zhen continued to chatter about the origins of the knife, Old Black held it in his hands, flicking the blade with two fingers and stroking the narrow edge while running his fingers over the inscriptions on the hilt. A wave of endless sorrow surged within him, yet he maintained a curious expression befitting an exotic Old Warden.
"Old Black, I suddenly feel like having some wine. Can you get some good wine and snacks for us to enjoy?" Xu Zhen smacked her lips and flashed a mischievous smile at Old Black. Then she remembered that Old Black couldn't hear and made a drinking gesture with her neck tilted back.
Old Black snapped back to reality, returned the long knife to Xu Zhen with a grin, nodded, and went out to fetch food and drink.
While Xu Zhen and Old Mute were drinking in Black Prison, Minister of Justice Qinsuo Luo was commanding craftsmen to build the execution platform at the foot of Red Mountain.
Since Qiang Bang Se had taken control after kidnapping Mangsong Mangzan, Qinsuo Luo had also risen to prominence. He falsely accused various members of the Pro-War Faction of different crimes, leading to their execution. The lords amassed their troops for self-preservation; during their encirclement efforts, there were fierce bloodbaths. The entire Tuguhun was engulfed in chaos and turmoil.
After a period of purging and coaxing, threats and appeasements, the situation in Tuguhun began to stabilize. Qiang Bang Se finally awaited his opportunity to kill Xu Zhen and incite Tang's wrath!
He knew very well that Xu Zhen was not the true culprit behind Anqiao's death. Whether or not she was killed was actually unimportant; logically speaking, he had already grasped control over Tuguhun's situation. It would be wiser to proactively seek goodwill with Tang instead.
However, without a proper name, words cannot carry weight. Although he successfully instigated a civil war by exploiting the death of his son, Qinsuo Luo further manipulated the internal factions within the palace to eliminate Qizong Nongsan, successfully placing Mangsong Mangzan on the throne while he himself seized power. Yet, the people's hearts were not with him.
If he did not kill Xu Zhen, then his initial rebellion would lack justification. Moreover, after establishing friendly relations with the Tang Dynasty, Tuguhun would return to stability, and the livelihoods of the people would improve. Without external threats, the factions and Lords within Tuguhun would once again challenge his authority.
Thus, he needed to provoke a conflict with the Tang Dynasty. Under the intimidation of Tang's formidable military strength, the various tribes' Lords in Tuguhun would rally under his command to resist Tang, allowing him to seize this power for himself.
From this perspective, Xu Zhen, a General of the Guard and Grand Minister of the Tang Dynasty, had to be killed—her death needed to be sensational and widely known!
Since becoming Minister of Justice, Qinsuo Luo had risen to a position of considerable power. Just last night, a Northwest Lord had sent him two Twin Sisters from India. The experience was too delicate to share with outsiders. Seeing that the Execution Ground was nearly completed, he returned home in a carriage surrounded by five Guards.
These five Guards were elite members drawn from the Royal City Guard, riding large horses and clad in armor. They provided comprehensive protection and served as a formidable presence.
The leading Captain of the Guards was a direct subordinate of Qiang Bang Se, transferred from Tibetan Nobility to the royal city. He walked with an air of arrogance and wore a disdainful smile, seemingly more imposing than Qinsuo Luo inside the carriage.
The convoy wound around the foot of Red Mountain; after a few turns, they would enter the street. The Maple Forest on both sides rustled softly in the night breeze, dispersing the day's heat and bringing a slight chill.
A leaf shaped like a goose's palm floated down before the Captain of the Guards. His gaze instinctively followed it until it descended slowly. Only then did he notice a glimmering light, like a dark star in the night sky, gradually enlarging in his line of sight!
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