Chapter 643: The Operation Begins!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
These martial world veterans, skilled assassins who looked at death in its eyes, who would not blink an eye when faced with the matter of life or death, went slowly from enduring the treatment with gritted teeth, to yelling and condemning out loud, from cursing viciously, to moaning in agony, and finally to convulsing until they could not speak a word in Yun Yang's hands.
Then, the cycle repeated until they pleaded in the end, begging for mercy. It came to a point where they crawled forward like dogs, voluntarily reciting their entire family history. Once, a man had mistakenly uttered a word of his ancestor's name when he was being interrogated, thus experiencing another process of being brought back to life from the brink of death.
Much later, Fang Mofei and Lao Mei thought to themselves that if the confessions and intelligence that they gathered could still be false under such circumstances, then the entire world would be a lie!
'Finally, we have some sense of the Four Seasons Tower's presence in the Empire of Yutang! We finally have a clue.' Yun Yang was deep in thought, his eyes glimmering with glee.
It had gone on for so long – over two years of a contest of wits and courage which had resulted in the recent rebellion of Snow, Frost, and Sword. There were also various blows leveled at the imperial court and martial world, in addition to Ling Xiaozui, Heaven's Inquisition, Dugu Chou and other powerful cultivators' alliance. The assassin organizations in the martial world suffered from serious casualties and were a mess while the five empires had almost crumbled during the chaos.
It was only at this point that the Four Seasons Tower's base in the Empire of Yutang was finally revealed!
All the signs had pointed to two individuals who were suspected to be the most crucial figures of the Four Seasons Tower right now – Sir Bi and Wu Ying! Once these two men and their subordinates were uprooted, the Empire of Yutang could be considered entirely at peace.
Yun Yang already had a certain level of understanding of Sir Bi's arrangement and information regarding Wu Ying. Nonetheless, Wu Ying had taken so many precautions that Yun Yang couldn't help but feel somewhat impressed.
The assassins he had captured this time knew only about the presence of such a person. They did not even know his name, identity or any other details regarding Wu Ying.
'How does one take a multi-pronged approach and eradicate such a man?' Yun Yang considered the situation seriously and planned his strategy, only to find that the approach would be too difficult. His abilities had yet to reach a level where he could successfully take down such an opponent.
'Since my abilities are still not up to par, let's not insist on simultaneous attacks on both parties. Concentrate and take one side down first – any side. Then, we can speak of the subsequent actions. For now, a close watch on the other party will do. I don't believe that he'll be able to escape this net.'
Yun Yang made his decision swiftly. It would be a taboo to be hesitant on matters like this. Since it was destined that both sides could not be taken care of at the same time, he would pick one and focus his full ability on it.
If he were to continue being so hesitant, the enemy might be alarmed and he would fail to deal with both.
When this long-awaited day arrived, the day when he could finally take action on the very core of the Four Seasons Tower in Empire of Yutang, Yun Yang felt a rather odd sense that complacency.
The unusual feeling puzzled Yun Yang.
He had apparently gone through so much hardship and flirted with death so many times throughout the terrifying process, but why did he feel that it was going to be easy when it came to this final juncture?
It was unbelievable.
If it were to be a little more difficult, he might have already have been crushed and his soul shattered as well.
"Tonight, well into midnight, let the operation begin!"
…
Deep in the silence of the night, in the study of Sir Bi's residence, a Go board was filled with black and white Go stones. Both sides were engaged in a tough and aggressive battle.
Sir Bi studied the game intently. Toying with a black stone in his hand, his brows were locked into a frown as he contemplated, unable to decide on a move.
"Nowhere works… Everywhere… there isn't a path to survival in all directions."
"I can't even revive it by force… nor is there a knockout move to make… There isn't any room to turn things around."
"What should be done now?"
His finely sculpted face was painted with worry as he pondered upon his next move.
At this time, shadows flashed and three people blinked into existence beside him – three similar people. More precisely, there were four identical duplicates on the spot – because these three people who had suddenly appeared were all indistinguishable from Sir Bi!
They could not be told apart by their faces and body sizes. From a single glance, even their mannerisms and the vibes they exuded were parallel to each other.
It was as if Sir Bi had not noticed the trio's presence. He was still concentrating on the Go board, thinking deeply without a care for anything else. Mechanically, he kept the Go stones one by one and placed them back on the board again; the cycle repeated itself ceaselessly.
Time trickled away. The trio who had appeared stood behind him, unmoving since the moment they came. They did not twitch nor had they spoken; they did not even make a sound. However, the anxiousness etched on their expressions grew unspeakably intense.
After a long, long time, midnight came. Finally, one of the three men could not help speaking out loud, "Eldest, you should make a decision."
Sir Bi trained his gaze on the Go board on the table and replied faintly, "What decision? In this situation where death is definite and there is no hope for survival, it is taboo to act recklessly. Without a confident corresponding tactic, anything about making a decision… will be sending yourself to death's door."
"Aih!"
The three people behind him were so anxious that they stomped their feet. "I'm not talking about this."
"It's all the same," Sir Bi answered; his eyes were still on the Go board, his voice nonchalant as he continued speaking, "The Go board and reality – it's all the same. Messing up your steps and acting recklessly… would make it impossible to win."
He lifted his head slowly, his gaze focused on the white stone in his palm, and he commented faintly, "Life is like a game of Go, the game of Go is like life. As for me, I'm like this white Go stone, currently caught at this precarious juncture."
"I can't advance nor can I withdraw. I can't go left, neither can I go right. Taking a step forward brings me against the most dangerous trials while taking a step back throws me into an endless abyss. Staying where I am to observe the changes, reacting to events by remaining still is perhaps the best choice right now. It's too bad that the game has begun and there's hardly a pause. Everything is because I... am already in the game!"
Sir Bi stared at the white stone pinched between his two fingers emotionally and exclaimed with a soft sigh.
"Eldest brother, you might be painting an overly pessimistic picture. The current scenario is precarious, but we're still able to take both the offensive or defensive stance. Even when things come to an impasse, who can stop us from fleeing free in this world as long as we leave Tiantang City? With the abilities the four of us share, it shouldn't be too hard to break the barricade and escape, even if Yutang besieges. Being in the so-called game is just a limitation – Tiantang City is this limitation. Once we leave Tiantang City, we leave this game. When we're no longer in the game, it's irrelevant whether the game has begun or the game is over!"
The other person spoke up, "Nonetheless, we ask for eldest brother to make a decision soon."
"A decision…" Sir Bi said with a pained stare, "If it had been another time or another situation… what you said is undoubtedly reasonable. It's something we can truly do. By leaving the game – rendering all our previous efforts in vain - we could possibly save ourselves. Hope is there when we are as well... but not during our current limitation! Do all of you know why this Go manual has come to me at this time?"