Husband and Wife to Battle – Not a Foolish, Ordinary Man

　　Yang Lianhua's estate. Night time.

　　Yang Lianhua enjoyed a bath then changed into his pink sleepwear with golden seams and flower petals. His legs and chest were forests of hair. He splurged when it came to applying rouge on his face. He had a thin physique but sported a seductress' eyes and demeanour. Still, his Adam's apple stood out. He was a fan of dolling up after baths; in fact, he applied more than when he went out to see guests. Regardless of what others' opinions were, he was pleased with himself. From other's perspectives, he was more feminine than women, but his face was so revolting everyone wanted to punch it in.

　　Yang Lianhua squinted at the letter next to his makeup table. If someone tried to open the letter to read it, they would blow their own mind trying to decipher the contents. However, it was easier than telling flat out lies for Yang Lianhua. Truth be told, it was the writer whose handwriting was atrocious.

　　Evil Spirits created the secret code for communication. Leaders, such as Yang Lianhua, were proficient enough with their secret code to compose refined poems. Some were able to rank writers based on their usage of their group's code. It was one feat that helped establish their uniqueness. It wasn't all glamorous, however, for it posed a challenge for their underground world allies who needed to contact them. Their allies often turned their brains upside down trying to decipher the code to no avail. Mistakes in interpretation and usage would lead to nothing making sense. In a sense, those who could compose a letter using their code deserved applause.

　　The letter addressed to Yang Lianhua came from Secretary Kong. Secretary Kong waned to confirm the details of the operation to a.s.sa.s.sinate Secretary Lie and Lu tomorrow. The plan was for Secretary Kong to invite the two out alone to his private abode, giving his team the opportunity to a.s.sa.s.sinate the two. It was so straightforward that it bordered on fearless.

　　Secretary Kong reminded Yang Lianhua to try and poison Secretary Lie before striking, as the latter was a combat veteran. He also reminded Yang Lianhua to flee to the s.h.i.+p via the pa.s.sageway arranged and so forth. His concern seeped through his own handwriting.

　　Amused, Yang Lianhua remarked, "Heh, imagine Confucius' descendants teaching me, a villain, how to kill people."

　　Yang Lianhua held the letter over the candle's flame to burn it. When he turned back to the mirror, his smile gradually disappeared. A crafty look flitted across his powdered face as he pondered, "The sly Kong Duan is just leveraging Evil Spirits' reputation to gain power. Tiezhen Kingdom has never been amiable with Central Plans. If we kill their officials, the tension will burst. Their Emperor could name our a.s.sa.s.sinations as a reason to declare war on us. What does Kong Duan, a peace advocate, stand to gain from a war between our two kingdoms?"

　　Evil Spirits was a fearless group of thieves in Beijiang. Their motto was "Rob everything and anything you can rob". They lived by that motto to the T. Rumour was that their group had a hand in the chaos in Tiezhen Kingdom six years ago, leading to the reins to the nation changing hands.

　　Evil Spirits consisted of River Monster, Mountain Monster, Ox Demon and Feathered Serpent. As for their leader's ident.i.ty, they were shrouded in mystery. Yang Lianhua was the sly Feathered Serpent. Owing to his character, he was one of their brains. He wasn't the type to help someone out after he was betrayed.