Chapter 580: Secret Meeting
Chapter 580: Secret Meeting
September 25, 2017
In Jiuzhou, at the outskirts of Weichou, there was a small mountain forest located outside the town of Quliang.
This secluded mountain forest was usually deserted, even during the day, but unexpectedly, in the middle of the night, it welcomed visitors.
After midnight, when the town was quiet, four riders on light horses arrived at this place from the direction of the Quliang military camp.
The four seemed to be visiting this place for the first time. After arriving, they carefully identified the area and finally stopped under a large tree with distinct features, easily recognizable by its size.
In the moonlight, it was evident that the four were none other than Dong Zhuo, Lu Bu, Hua Xiong, and Li Ru, who had arrived not long ago.
This was somewhat strange. In the dead of night, what were Dong Zhuo and his men doing in this secluded mountain forest?
"Is this the place?" Dong Zhuo asked.
"Yes, my lord. There's only one large tree around here, so it must be the right place," Hua Xiong replied.
"Good. Then let's send the signal!"
After Dong Zhuo's words, Hua Xiong took out a bamboo flute and repeatedly blew it three times in a pattern of three long and two short notes. As he prepared to blow it a fourth time, Lu Bu raised his hand.
"He's here!"
Indeed, as Lu Bu spoke, a person wearing a cloak emerged from the depths of the small mountain forest. With their head lowered, they were wrapped up tightly, making it impossible to see their figure, let alone their face.
Dong Zhuo narrowed his eyes as he looked at the person before him, "So, you're Zhang Daosheng? A Yellow Turban Sect leader?"
The visitor shook their head, "No, I'm not a Yellow Turban leader. I'm just a simple person who wants to survive."
"Oh, sorry. I spoke nonsense. Let's get to the point. Since you're here, Lord Dong, it shows that you're interested in my proposal. So, let's talk about the deal."
As they spoke, the person lifted their head, revealing themselves to be Zhang Daosheng, a Yellow Turban Sect leader.
This situation became intriguing. One was a Yellow Turban leader, and the other was a Han Dynasty general. What were these two doing, meeting in this secluded place in the middle of the night?
Zhang Daosheng raised his head, and a chill ran down his spine as he spoke, "I have the head of Zhang Jiao, the Yellow Turban leader. What price do you want to offer, Lord Dong?"
At this moment, Zhang Daosheng's face showed madness, like a desperate gambler willing to stake everything on one last bet.
Three days ago, the Battle of Guangping had just concluded, and Zhang Daosheng had contacted Dong Zhuo through special means. As a Yellow Turban leader, he had arranged to meet Dong Zhuo today to propose a significant business deal.
However, what Dong Zhuo didn't expect was that the so-called big business deal was far more significant than he had anticipated. Zhang Daosheng had opened with the head of Zhang Jiao, the biggest boss of the Yellow Turbans.
Dong Zhuo and Li Ru exchanged a glance, shaking their heads.
"I'm not interested in Zhang Jiao's head, but I am interested in you!"
With those words, Lu Bu and Hua Xiong simultaneously attacked, rushing towards Zhang Daosheng.
Zhang Daosheng's face changed, seemingly unprepared for this turn of events. He turned to flee, but as a mere outsider, not a freak like Lu HaiKong, how could he possibly escape from two top-notch experts like Lu Bu and Hua Xiong?
Before he could even take a step, Lu Bu and Hua Xiong surrounded him, one in front and the other behind.
Zhang Daosheng's face paled, and as he reached into his pocket, seemingly about to take something out, he felt a sharp pain in his arm. He then realized that his arm had been severed from his body.
Hua Xiong pounced and quickly restrained Zhang Daosheng.
However, despite having Zhang Daosheng under control, Li Ru frowned at this moment.
"Lord Dong, what are you doing?" Zhang Daosheng, with one arm severed and under control, looked at Dong Zhuo with anger and confusion.
"You're a Yellow Turban, I'm a Han Dynasty officer. What am I doing? Take this guy back for interrogation, Wen You. I'll leave him to you, make sure you question him thoroughly."
To Dong Zhuo's surprise, Li Ru shook his head, "My Lord, no need for that. Just kill him. He's of no value for interrogation!"
Dong Zhuo was taken aback, and Li Ru didn't elaborate, "He's not a Yellow Turban leader. At most, he's just a pawn, or even a disposable piece, used to test the waters."
"Lord Dong, don't listen to his nonsense. I'm Zhang Daosheng, please don't kill me. I can help you kill Zhang Jiao, that's a huge merit. Please don't kill me!" Zhang Daosheng pleaded urgently.
With tears and snot, Zhang Daosheng begged for mercy, but Hua Xiong, understanding his plea, swiftly beheaded him with a single strike.
A 6 to 9, a book, and a mistake-free version!
As expected, after Hua Xiong beheaded Zhang Daosheng, his face transformed, becoming a different person.
"Although he had many flaws, his biggest one was his cleverness. Using sorcery to disguise himself as Zhang Daosheng, he didn't consider that we might have met the real Zhang Daosheng. What's the point of this wasted effort? It only adds to his flaws." Li Ru said with a cold smile, looking at the dead man.
"Even if he's an imposter, why do we need to kill him directly? Keeping him alive might allow us to extract useful information. Why do you want to kill him?" Lu Bu asked, puzzled.
Li Ru smiled but didn't answer Lu Bu's question.
Seeing this, Dong Zhuo shook his head, "Wen You, stop keeping secrets. Just tell me."
"What could I possibly think? I just have a vague feeling that we shouldn't get involved in this matter." Li Ru seemed to glance into the depths of the forest as he spoke.
Lu Bu was dissatisfied with Li Ru's response, feeling that he was being deceived. However, Dong Zhuo and Hua Xiong understood that Li Ru might be telling the truth, or perhaps he had indeed sensed danger.
"Forget it, let's just kill him. We've been busy all night, let's go back and rest." Dong Zhuo shook his head and said.
"Wait!"
At this moment, Li Ru suddenly dismounted and approached the fake Zhang Daosheng, who had been struck down by Hua Xiong's blade. He left behind a letter and then turned to leave, leaving Lu Bu and Hua Xiong puzzled by his actions.
Although Lu Bu had just touched his nose in embarrassment, both were curious about the letter's content, but neither spoke up to ask.
The group departed, leaving only the corpse of Zhang Daosheng, beheaded by Hua Xiong's sword.
Soon after Dong Zhuo's departure, a figure cautiously approached the beheaded corpse, carefully retrieved Li Ru's letter, and then vanished into thin air.
In an instant, the small forest returned to its original tranquility, as if no one had ever been there, except for the presence of the corpse.
(End of Chapter)
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