Prince! The political conspiracy is not a play, the show is real

Chapter 146: Hope (Part )

After Tao Yao left, Lu Che stood in front of the window without moving, and stood there until three o'clock in the morning.

Chu Huanjun's words mingled with Tao Yao's, swirling around in his mind like two surging torrents. He was like an isolated island, caught in the turbulent tides and whirlpools. He stood alone on the island, with no one to rely on.

Originally, Lu Che thought Tao Yao would be willing to come to his isolated island and snuggle up with him for warmth. But now, Lu Che discovered that he had been alone on this island for so long that he had become complacent.

He stubbornly insisted on what he thought in his heart, hoping that Tao Yao could also feel his heart, but it was impossible.

He didn't know how long he stood there, so long that Lu Che could hardly tell whether he was awake or asleep, his feet numb and nailed to the ground.

Although it hurt, the pain was dull, unlike the piercing pain of the knives cutting into my flesh in the teahouse.

It is said that humans are animals that are good at enduring. Since we have endured even more unbearable experiences in the past, we can easily accept future pains like drinking water.

Suddenly, a strong wind blew outside the window, blowing the leaves of the peach tree under the attic onto Lu Che's windowsill. Lu Che wanted to close the window, but just as his hand touched the window frame, a dark shadow suddenly flashed before his eyes.

Although it was pitch black in the night, Lu Che could still see the glowing token hanging around the man's waist in an instant.

There were three very conspicuous characters engraved on the token - Zhong Wuyou.

Lu Che came to his senses instantly, quickly took three steps back, and knelt on the ground to salute.

"Pavilion Master... I didn't know you were coming. I'm sorry for not welcoming you."

Zhong Wuyou, the head of Wuyan Pavilion—in recent years, he'd claimed to be in seclusion cultivating, but in reality, he'd been traveling extensively. Zhong Wuyou rarely appeared in Wuyan Pavilion operations, and even the assassins within the Pavilion rarely saw his true face.

Lu Che first met Zhong Wuyou many years ago when he first came to Beijing. Back then, he had just arrived in the capital after a long journey from Mobei. His remaining money had long since been spent, and he was so broke that he had to beg for food on the streets.

That day, it was Zhong Wuyou who gave Lu Che a bag of copper coins. He not only provided Lu Che with food but also bought him a new dress. Just as Lu Che was asking Zhong Wuyou in his broken Central Plains dialect, tinged with a Mobei accent, how he could repay Zhong Wuyou's kindness, Zhong Wuyou unexpectedly replied in fluent Mobei dialect, stating that he didn't need to repay any favor and even asked if Lu Che wanted to follow him.

Zhong Wuyou did not hide anything and told Lu Che directly that he was the leader of the Wuyan Pavilion, a Central Plains assassin organization. If Lu Che was willing, he would take Lu Che back to the Wuyan Pavilion to train and improve his martial arts.

Zhong Wuyou offered Lu Che a generous monthly salary. Entering Wuyan Pavilion provided him with food and shelter, as well as the opportunity to practice martial arts, greatly benefiting Lu Che's revenge plan.

Lu Che didn't think much about it and quickly agreed to Zhong Wuyou's request to become a killer in Wuyan Pavilion.

What Zhong Wuyou valued most was Lu Che's aura of murderous intent, a rare quality in a killer. Because of his admiration and recognition, he bestowed upon him a Central Plains name and taught him martial arts. When Lu Che turned eighteen, Zhong Wuyou even held a coming-of-age ceremony for him in the pavilion.

Zhong Wuyou had been traveling a lot in recent years, and the two hadn't seen each other for a long time. Unexpectedly, when they met again, Lu Che was covered in wounds and looked dejected. Even when Lu Che was begging on the street, Zhong Wuyou had never seen such a dejected and depressed young man.

Zhong Wuyou jumped out of the window and into the house, then took off the black hood on his head.

Lu Che knelt on the ground, not daring to look up. Seeing Zhong Wuyou's boots stepping on the ground in front of him, the stone hanging in his heart instantly fell to the ground.

"You've been injured so badly, yet you still have to stay up all night in the wind and rain. You must be the most disobedient patient Cheng Tianshui has ever treated."

Zhong Wuyou's voice was cold, and no emotion could be discerned from it. In the past, Lu Che had always tried to detect even the slightest hint of emotion in Zhong Wuyou's words, so he could judge whether punishment or reward was the next step, ensuring he wouldn't be caught off guard no matter what happened.

But today, even though Lu Che still couldn't tell the emotion in Zhong Wuyou's tone, he was still fully prepared to be punished - revealing one's identity and whereabouts was a capital crime punishable by execution in the court.

"I have failed to perform my duties properly, please punish me, Master."

"Punish? How?" Zhong Wuyou sneered, unceremoniously walking over to the coffee table and pouring out the remaining cold tea from the teapot. "Lu Che, since you joined the cabinet, you've completed thousands of tasks, and you've never failed. How come you've fallen so easily now?"

Wuyan Pavilion's intelligence network is spread all over the world, and Zhong Wuyou should have known that he was captured by Zuo Tang.

Zhong Wuyou sighed deeply and said, "I trusted you so much and treated you so well, yet you colluded with Zhining and concealed everything from the world... You think that because I've been traveling all these years, I haven't heard of these rumors, right?"

Lu Che sucked in a breath of cold air, his whole body trembling uncontrollably. The wounds on his body suddenly began to hurt violently, and he had to grit his teeth to prevent himself from groaning.

"Please..."

"You still want to ask for my forgiveness like before, right?" Zhong Wuyou interrupted Lu Che sharply, "Do you know that deceiving your superiors and revealing your whereabouts are both punishable by death in this court?"

Lu Che gritted his teeth and said, "I understand."

Zhong Wuyou sighed again, then slowly walked over to Lu Che, helped him up, and said earnestly, "Lu Che, I understand your difficulties. It's been over ten years since you joined the cabinet. I've seen all the hardship you've endured. You've helped me accomplish so many things, and I truly admire you. So, I've always wondered if I could be of any help..."

Lu Che lowered his head, speechless for a moment, and could only reply respectfully, "Pavilion Master, I will never forget your kindness."

"Even if you made a serious mistake, I wouldn't have the heart to punish you. Perhaps you understand this in your heart, which is why you're so reckless."

"My subordinates dare not."

"Forget it!" Zhong Wuyou waved his hand. "I can ignore everything else, but you have to stay away from that woman named Shi Taoyao."

Lu Che's heart trembled, and his eyes, which had been calm until now, suddenly became filled with inexplicable emotions. He was about to kneel down again and said hurriedly, "These things have nothing to do with her. Please don't hurt her, Pavilion Master."