Chapter 1359: Bad News

Chapter 1345: Bad News

Rushing forward, Situ Yu and his guards were instantly blown into the air, soaring several yards before splashing into the water. Despite his multiple layers of protection, directly facing such a violent explosion at close range was still too much to bear.

Situ Yu's vision was scorched by the blinding flash of the explosion, leaving his eyes temporarily filled with static – it was a miracle he wasn't blinded on the spot. Three protective artifacts shattered simultaneously, having served their purpose to the fullest. His face, neck, and limbs were all injured by the blast, and the water immediately turned red where he fell into the lake. Not to mention the explosive force that shook his internal organs; an ordinary person would have died instantly from being thrown through the air.

Situ Yu's cultivation was not weak. Although his vision went black and his body was wracked with excruciating pain, after bobbing in the water for a few breaths, he still managed to muster a surge of internal energy and swim towards the shore. Though his eyes were in intense pain and he couldn't see, he could still feel the breeze on his face. Situ Yu's mind remained clear at that moment; he knew the wind blew from the south during this season and that the lake shore was also to the south, so he swam in the direction the wind came from, confident he would reach land.

Undercurrents churned beneath the surface, and danger approached. Situ Yu grabbed his spear and thrust it fiercely backward and diagonally. His reaction was undeniably swift, but he was unaccustomed to underwater combat, and his spear thrust was slower than it would be on land. The crocodile-like monster dodged the attack with a flick of its head and tail, then opened its mouth to bite his head and face.

As the water currents shifted, Situ Yu knew something was wrong and immediately pulled out his shield to block in front of him. The monstrous crocodile crashed into the shield, sending him reeling back several yards, then spun around and finally bit his leg, pulling him desperately toward the bottom! Situ Yu thrust his spear, striking the monstrous crocodile right in the eye. The creature cried out in pain and released its grip. He immediately swam towards the surface.

Just as he surfaced, he heard shouts of alarm from nearby:“The Marshal is in the water!”“There’s a monster in the water!”“Quick, save the Marshal, hurry!”Then came the splashing sounds of water, suggesting someone had jumped in to rescue him. However, with so much commotion and turbulent water, Situ Yu couldn't discern the movements of his attacker. Fortunately, his vision was recovering, and the scene before him gradually became clear.

Two guards swam to his side, reaching out to help him while shouting, “My lord, quickly, to the shore!” Situ Yu was gravely wounded and had been fighting a monster underwater; he was, in fact, already exhausted. The monstrous crocodile had torn several bloody holes in his right leg, severing an artery. After just a few strokes, he could no longer feel his right leg. Besides blood loss, the monster's fangs were likely venomous. But help had finally arrived, and Situ Yu felt a surge of relief.

Just then, another personal guard swam over, coming from behind to help him to shore. This man's movements were stiff and precise, and his swimming stroke was rigid, but who would pay him special attention at such a moment? As he helped Situ Yu, another personal guard turned and saw him, exclaiming in surprise, “Ah Xun, what are you…”

This newly arrived guard was Ah Xun, who had earlier had a worm burrow into his brain. When Situ Yu fled, Ah Xun was writhing on the ground, but now he was able to swim to protect his master. However, blood was oozing from both his ears, eyes, and nose, and his eyes were a terrifying dark red.

Hearing this, Situ Yu immediately knew something was wrong. He tried to shake off the guard behind him, but it was too late. He felt a sudden chill and sharp pain in his back, and heard the startled cries and curses of his personal guards.

It was over; he had still been outmaneuvered by the enemy.

The personal guards killed Ah Xun with two strikes, then helped Situ Yu to shore. Only then did everyone on shore see the glinting tip of a blade protruding from Situ Yu's chest!

He was laid flat on the ground. A personal guard put a pill into his mouth, but Situ Yu grabbed his hand, saying, “Everything I have is to be inherited by He’er. He must remain calm, and not be blinded by hatred. Also, Yang Shan…” He spoke no further, his last breath spent.

Situ Yu's vision went black. His last thought was whether his son could bear this heavy burden and chaotic situation. He resented not being able to wipe out Bixia and restore his homeland.

The personal soldiers around him collapsed in tears. Someone noticed a beetle, surprisingly blue, slowly crawling out of the nose of the deceased Ah Xun.

Dong Rui’s dark circles seemed contagious. After he left, He Lingchuan unconsciously yawned several times and rubbed his eyes. His right eyelid kept twitching. Should he perhaps take a short nap? Hmm? Right eye?

Outside, a cawing and squawking noise broke out. He Lingchuan pushed open his window to see two crows fighting over two fruits, their black feathers scattering everywhere. “Shoo, shoo, go away!” The gardeners quickly came to shoo away the birds. In the Glimmergold Plains, crows were also considered omens of bad luck.

Just then, a servant rushed in to announce:“Young Master Situ is here to see you!”At this time, shouldn't Situ He be at the front lines? “Show him in immediately.”

He Lingchuan felt an inexplicable unease deep in his heart, as if something bad had happened.

About a dozen breaths later, Situ He arrived. He practically strode in, his eyes red and swollen. The moment he saw He Lingchuan, he cried out mournfully, “Brother He, my father has been assassinated!”

He Lingchuan was shocked: “What did you say?!” Situ Yu assassinated?

But he quickly composed himself. Noticing Situ He's unsteady steps, he reached out and supported him. “When, where? How did it happen?”

Situ He couldn’t help but shed more tears. “Father had just successfully witnessed the agreement between the Perliu Kingdom and the Kan clan yesterday afternoon. In the evening, he received an invitation to a celebratory banquet at the Drifting Phoenix Pavilion in Yaopo. But… but the assassins were lying in wait there. Father… he couldn’t escape. His heart was pierced, and he bled to death.”

“Whose invitation?” Situ Yu was a meticulous man and held a high position; he wouldn't simply accept just anyone's invitation.

“Yours,” Situ He said, looking at him, enunciating each word, “On Yang Shan Merchant Guild letterhead, with your signature.”

The Soul-Capturing Mirror in his pocket let out a strange cry: “Holy crap!”

He Lingchuan's expression changed. “It wasn’t me.”

“Of course not, Brother He!” Situ He took a letter from his robe and handed it to him. “This was a trap. Father probably never expected anyone to successfully ambush him in Yaopo.” If He Lingchuan had wanted to harm his father and him, he would have had plenty of opportunities long ago.

He Lingchuan opened the letter and saw that it was indeed the special stationery of the Yang Shan Islands, and even the handwriting on it was remarkably similar to his own. “He” invited Situ Yu in the letter to a celebratory feast at the Drifting Phoenix Pavilion.

The Drifting Phoenix Pavilion was the largest restaurant in Yaopo, known for its fine wine, delicious food, and high prices. Allied dignitaries frequently chose it for welcoming guests and sending them off. The last time He Lingchuan enticed Ghost King Xuanlu to attack Rolling Stone Valley, he had hired the entire kitchen staff of the Drifting Phoenix Pavilion to cater a village banquet. He and the Situ father and son were both regular patrons of the Drifting Phoenix Pavilion; the three of them had dined there for casual gatherings more than four or five times. People instinctively relax in familiar places. Furthermore, Yaopo was Situ family territory, with guards inside the city and troops outside. Situ Yu probably never imagined that an enemy would dare to strike him there.

“The enemy even imitated my handwriting and my seal; they truly went to great lengths.” The Yang Shan Merchant Guild had businesses within Yaopo itself. It was perfectly normal for He Lingchuan to come inspect his properties and, while doing so, send someone to invite Situ Yu to dinner. That's why Situ Yu harbored no suspicion. This assassination plot might not have been elaborate, but the assassin's understanding of Situ Yu's psychology was incredibly precise. They truly preyed on the weaknesses of the human heart.

The assassination happened last night. He Lingchuan said, “I haven't even received the news yet.” Situ Yu's death was likely the greatest piece of bad news in the Situ territory, and it's said that bad news travels fast.

“Yaopo has blocked the news. I returned from the front lines to attend to Father's funeral arrangements,” Situ He said, gritting his teeth to continue. “But rumors have already begun to spread. In at most one more day, the allied forces will know!”

Even He Lingchuan had to take a deep breath. “Have the culprits been caught?”

“No, the perpetrators themselves never appeared.”

He Lingchuan was surprised: “Then how did the attack happen?”

“One was a bizarre-looking demonic beast, resembling a crocodile, but its tongue extended onto the water's surface, disguised as a lotus flower, and it could emit a poisonous fragrance that made people drowsy; the other was an insect demon, which dispersed into thousands of beetles.”

An insect demon? He Lingchuan's heart stirred upon hearing this. When he started the Battle of Jade Pivot City in the Dragoncoil World, Fu Shanlie had an insect demon under his command, also a composite of thousands of insects, which silently killed the city's governor. Such a monster has a natural advantage as an assassin. After completing its mission, it can simply fly away into the sky. Conventional search methods like closing city gates or banning escape spells would be entirely ineffective against it.

“Most were black or brown beetles that would directly attack people. But the one that killed my father was this one!” Situ He took a small glass vial from his robe and placed it on the table. “It controlled Ah Xun, my father’s personal guard, and that’s how it succeeded in its sneak attack from behind!” Inside the bottle was a blue beetle, dead.

“Perhaps this is the core of the insect demon,” He Lingchuan said, picking up the bottle to examine it. “Do you mind if I keep it for a while?” He could assign specialists to study it.

Situ He shook his head.

“Is Yaopo's inner lake connected to the outside?”

“There are underwater caverns connecting them, but they were sealed with stone barriers during the war,” Situ He said, his face ashen. “I sent people to check underwater, and those stone barriers have been destroyed.” Otherwise, how could that giant crocodile-like monster have come and gone without a trace?

He Lingchuan placed a hand on Situ He's shoulder and said solemnly, “Brother Situ, please accept my condolences. These are extraordinary times, and the heavy burden of Marshal Situ has now fallen entirely upon you.” An ordinary person losing their father could fully express their grief, weeping for days until the world blurred. But Situ He could not. Situ Yu was the Grand Marshal of the Seven Allied Armies; the offensive against the Bixia people was generally under his command and direction. Without this pivotal figure, could the allied forces still be the allied forces? As the heir of the Situ family, Situ He's responsibilities needed to take precedence over his emotions.

Situ He nodded forcefully. “I rushed here today to deliver this dreadful news to Brother He, and to ask Brother He…” He choked up at this point, needing to pause to compose himself before continuing: “If I were to lead the allied forces, would Brother He still continue his support?”

“As long as the allied forces fight for righteousness, I will continue to support them,” He Lingchuan stated solemnly. “Regardless of who leads them—be it your esteemed father, you, or another capable individual.”

Situ He took a deep breath and said sincerely, “Your great kindness needs no words of thanks!”