Chapter 1
Zheng Fan felt that these assassins really lacked professional ethics and ambition.

If you're going to assassinate someone, just assassinate them; what's with all the yelling and cursing?

And even if you're going to curse, you have to shout the name of the person you want to kill so clearly, as if afraid others wouldn't know.

It made things so awkward for him.

Xu Wenzu and Zheng Fan stared at each other for a full three seconds.

The long-awaited reunion of two comrades hadn't even had a chance to spark its own unique flames of joy before being interrupted by this sudden assassination.

Xu Wenzu himself looked completely dumbfounded.

To the point where he couldn't figure out whether he should thank Zheng Fan or curse him. The words were stuck in his throat, unable to come out or go down.

"Protect the Lord!"

Zheng Fan had seen the world. He directly drew his saber and shouted at Xu Wenzu's personal guards.

One of the guards had already died. At this point, Xu Wenzu's guards wouldn't be concerned about who the assassin's target was. When someone jumped down from the courtyard wall, the guards proactively charged forward.

"Lord, let's go inside first."

"Alright!"

The courtyard was a scene of chaos. Xu Wenzu didn't act pretentious and immediately ran towards the house with Zheng Fan. At the same time, Zheng Fan closed the door and unhesitatingly kicked over the table in the house, blocking it behind the door.

"Lord, crouch over here."

Zheng Fan pointed to the pillar and shouted.

The defensive capabilities of ancient wooden doors and windows were really too poor. If an assassin shot arrows from outside, it wouldn't provide any obstruction at all.

Xu Wenzu followed his advice and immediately stood behind the pillar.

"Lord, lie down!" Zheng Fan shouted.

The originally sturdy pillar suddenly felt miniature after Xu Wenzu hid behind it.

"Oh, okay!"

Xu Wenzu immediately lay down under the pillar.

Zheng Fan also crouched down behind Xu Wenzu, holding his saber.

Xu Wenzu looked towards the door and then back at Zheng Fan.

"Colonel Zheng, no, Commandant Zheng, you…"

What Xu Wenzu wanted to ask was, why are you hiding behind me?

Actually, the second time Zheng Fan saw Xu Wenzu, which was when he reported to the yamen, Zheng Fan had thought about how, if a group of assassins suddenly appeared, Xu Wenzu would be a natural sandbag of defense.

However, Zheng Fan certainly couldn't say directly that he was using him as a bulletproof vest. He just quickly made a gesture to be quiet and looked up.

Xu Wenzu was shocked. He looked up at the roof beams and pointed upwards, indicating that there were also assassins on the roof?

Zheng Fan nodded seriously, weighing the saber in his hand a few times, and assumed a posture of being ready for anything.

Xu Wenzu continued to lie silently on the ground, very obedient.

The sounds of fighting outside continued to come, and it wasn't clear which side had the advantage. Zheng Fan didn't know exactly how many personal soldiers Xu Wenzu had brought with him this time.

As for Xu Wenzu's current appearance, Zheng Fan didn't think there was anything shameful about it. Wasn't it normal for a civilian official who didn't know martial arts to hide in this kind of situation?

Yes, it was also normal for a civilian official to have a military officer protecting him to ensure his safety.

Zheng Fan knew that Blind Bei and Xue San would definitely be looking for opportunities to act on the periphery. He trusted the strength of these two subordinates, so he should also keep a low profile for now.

However, were the assassins shouting about killing him earlier?

Zheng Fan thought to himself that his decision to come to the post station to meet Xu Wenzu in advance today was actually made while eating tofu at noon.

If the other party's real target was him, either they had discovered him in the refugee crowd or they likely had informants and arrangements around Green Willow Fort. But his decision to see the refugees today was also a random one. Therefore, it was very likely that he had been targeted for a long time.

Who exactly wanted to kill him?

Finally, the sounds of fighting outside died down.

Zheng Fan and Xu Wenzu looked at each other, both guessing which side had won. But after waiting for nearly two minutes, no one came to knock on the door, which meant that Xu Wenzu's personal soldiers had probably been wiped out.

Just then, Zheng Fan suddenly heard a series of footsteps.

"Thump…"

Zheng Fan immediately leaned against Xu Wenzu's body and lay down behind him. Xu Wenzu's large body, even when lying on the ground, was an excellent trench and sandbag.

"Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!"

Bolts shot in, piercing directly through the wooden doors and windows.

Because Zheng Fan and Xu Wenzu had both proactively lain down on the ground, the bolts flew over their heads and didn't cause any harm to them.

However, in the next moment, the door was kicked open from the outside, and five men with injuries and large sabers rushed in.

At this point, there was no escaping.

Zheng Fan slammed his palm against the floor tiles, and his whole body bounced up. Immediately afterward, black light was released from his body, and he directly slashed out with his saber.

Shooting Ah Ming with arrows every day and sparring with Liang Cheng, Zheng Fan had made a lot of progress these days. At least, he wouldn't shout while attacking like he used to.

With one slash, the burly man at the front used his saber to block, but he probably wasn't ranked and couldn't withstand the fierce force of Zheng Fan's slash. His arm twisted, and Zheng Fan's saber cut down along the man's right arm. It didn't directly sever the man's arm, but it still sliced off a piece of flesh.

The men around the burly man immediately raised their sabers and charged towards Zheng Fan. Zheng Fan, having succeeded in one strike, began to retreat.

"Buzz!"

Suddenly, the burly man on the far left inexplicably slipped and fell to the ground, his head right at Zheng Fan's feet.

The burly man's companions were stunned for a moment, and Zheng Fan's eyes narrowed.

Was this an act?

But how could he refuse a free kill like this?

Zheng Fan slashed with his saber, the blade wiping across the man's neck, creating a spray of blood.

Xue San's figure suddenly appeared behind these men like a ghost. He held a dagger in each hand, stabbing them into the backs of two assassins. Two screams immediately rang out.

Zheng Fan didn't stand on ceremony. He swung his long saber again, and when the remaining two men faced the attack, their bodies suddenly swayed, as if they had a sudden attack of anemia. They were hacked down by Zheng Fan with one slash each without much resistance.

"Are there any more assassins outside?" Zheng Fan asked.

Xue San shook his head and replied, "Master, that's what Blind Bei and I find strange. A group of assassins charged in, rampaged for a while, and then only these five small fry were still alive. So Blind Bei and I waited a little longer, but we didn't see any other backup."

Hearing this, Zheng Fan nodded, then bent down and helped Xu Wenzu up.

Xu Wenzu was just a little out of breath, but it wasn't as if he was particularly frightened. After all, he was a man who had seen some storms. However, he was a civilian official who didn't know martial arts, so it wasn't a big deal to be a little cowardly when he should be.

The three of them walked out of the house and saw more than twenty corpses lying horizontally in the courtyard. Near the entrance, there were seven or eight military crossbows thrown on the ground, probably discarded by the five people who had charged in earlier after they had fired all their bolts.

Blind Bei was sitting on the steps, playing with a military crossbow in his hand. When Zheng Fan and the others came out, Blind Bei said,

"It's a Qian country military crossbow."

The generals and chief civilian officials in the border areas of the Qian Kingdom were more like merchants, busy making money. Not to mention military crossbows, but warhorses, armor, and other military equipment were all sold. The fact that the fort chief of the fort that Zheng Fan had taken down last time had to rely on opening red tents to earn money roughly showed the atmosphere here.

Therefore, what Blind Bei said meant that it was difficult to identify where this group of assassins came from based on the military crossbows.

Zheng Fan then looked at Xu Wenzu and asked,

"Please instruct me, Lord, should we enter Yin City now, or should I escort you directly to Nanwang City?"

This post station wasn't located within Yin City, but in the suburbs. Although the suddenly appearing assassins had been killed, it was clear that this place was no longer safe.

Hearing these words, Xu Wenzu's lips moved.

He seemed to really want to say: Little Zheng, these assassins seem to be here to kill you. What does it have to do with me?

But Xu Wenzu obviously couldn't be so foolish as to tell Zheng Fan to stay away from him. His personal soldiers had already been wiped out. What else did he have to rely on at this point besides his three hundred-plus pounds of flesh?

Moreover, he also thought that if the assassins wanted to kill Zheng Fan, they probably wouldn't mind giving him a slash as well. The assassins had clearly shouted "Yan dogs" before they attacked, and he was an even bigger Yan dog than Zheng Fan.

"Go to Nanwang City."

Xu Wenzu made a decision.

Although going to the nearby Yin City seemed the safest option, since the assassins dared to attack the post station outside Yin City, who knew if they had people inside Yin City?

It was better to simply go directly to Nanwang City. Once there, at least the city had the Jingnan Marquis and his Jingnan Army, which could be considered his territory. There, he could obtain a sense of security.

However, at this moment, Blind Bei's voice suddenly came to Zheng Fan's mind:

"Master, the fat woman who knocked on the door earlier wasn't among the assassins."

Zheng Fan looked at Blind Bei, who nodded slightly to Zheng Fan. Zheng Fan also responded, indicating that he understood.

This was Blind Bei warning him that there might still be assassins hiding.

The post station's stables were on the west side of the main gate, where a separate shed was set up specifically for raising horses. The horses of guests staying at the post station and the horses that the post station's cavalry needed to replace were also kept there.

Therefore, the shortest route to get the horses was to go through the Class A courtyard and cross the post station.

When Zheng Fan and the others led Xu Wenzu through the Class A courtyard and entered the first floor of the place where they had been staying, what they saw was a row of corpses neatly arranged on the ground.

Some of them were wearing the clothes of the post station's deputy director, some were wearing the clothes of post station couriers, some were wearing ordinary clothes, and some were even wearing official robes.

There were about twenty corpses neatly arranged there.

Zheng Fan had been wondering earlier why there hadn't been any activity in the front part of the post station when the Class A courtyard had been so openly attacked by the assassins.

It turned out that everyone was already dead.

"Sigh…"

Blind Bei sighed and took two steps forward. When Xu Wenzu had returned, the master had gone directly to the Class A courtyard to find Xu Wenzu, while he and Xue San had left here and gone to the periphery of the Class A courtyard to lie in wait and observe. At that time, he could confirm that the other residents and staff in the post station were still alive when the three of them left here.

In just this short amount of time, they were all dead. This could only mean two things: either there were still many assassins left, or the remaining assassins were very powerful. After all, one of these conditions had to be met to kill so many people in such a short amount of time.

But regardless of which condition was met, it didn't seem to be good news for them.

And at this moment, the figure of the fat mama appeared on the second-floor corridor railing.

The powder on her face was still incredibly heavy.

"Oh hehe, you guys are a little slow. You made this old lady wait here for a while, I almost fell asleep."

"Master, this woman and the previous group of assassins shouldn't be together. They might be allied, but they're not one family. There should be assassins lying in ambush at the back door of the post station."

Blind Bei's voice rang out in Zheng Fan's mind again.

These were all things that Blind Bei had analyzed from the woman's words.

Earlier, Blind Bei and Xue San had been waiting without rushing to attack because they felt that the group of assassins who had stormed into the Class A courtyard were only relying on the advantage of the crossbows and their numerical superiority to kill Xu Wenzu's not-so-many personal soldiers. In fact, the assassins themselves weren't very strong, not even one of them could glow.

Now the answer was out. If the previous group of people were just small fry, then the boss was here.

Moreover, this fat woman didn't care at all about the lives or deaths of those assassins. She hadn't attacked earlier, so they shouldn't be on the same side.

Furthermore, they had chosen to go through the front door, but they could also go through the back door. The fact that the other party was waiting here with such confidence meant that she wasn't worried about them going through the back door.

This proved that there should be another backup at the back door.

"This young master, I've found the four horses you wanted. Please take a look."

The fat woman clapped her hands.

"Eeya…"

A harsh rubbing sound came.

As if suspended by silk threads, four women were lowered from above.

They all had their eyes closed, and the clothes and decorations they wore were completely different.

There was a noble girl wearing Chu clothing, a Yan woman wearing leather armor, a Qian woman wearing a dance skirt, and a Jin woman with a delicate and graceful figure.

Who was Xue San? Of course, he wouldn't be timid.

Immediately,

Xue San took a few steps forward and carefully admired them with one hand on his chin.

He said,

"Tsk tsk, looks good. Come, come, hurry up and let the girls come down and serve your grandfather!"

Xu Wenzu looked at Xue San's small back with some surprise, then looked at Zheng Fan. Zheng Fan took a step forward and stood in front of Xu Wenzu.

Seeing this, Xu Wenzu immediately felt a warm current flowing through his heart. He was protecting him!

Actually, Zheng Fan had been reminded by Blind Bei that there was likely another assassin in the back, so he was thinking of using Xu Wenzu as a large meat shield to prevent himself from being ambushed from behind.

The fat woman on the second floor covered her mouth.

"Hehehe…"

Her laughter had a greasy sensuality.

"Sir, why are you in such a hurry? The night is long, we have plenty of time to play slowly."

Blind Bei put his hands in his pockets and yawned.

Xue San then laughed:

"Come, come… I used to play with Seven Dolls, but I haven't tried such a high-end and realistic one."

"What is Seven Dolls?" Xu Wenzu asked Zheng Fan, who was standing in front of him.

"Eastern puppet secret art."

"Oh, I see."

"Alright, girls, serve him well!"

The fat woman's tone suddenly became sharp,

The four girls hanging above suddenly opened their eyes. Their eye sockets were empty, without eyeballs or whites, but soon, a ball of red flames flickered from their eye sockets.

Their figures also began to move, as if they were warming up, ready to sprint down at any moment!

Xue San said in his heart:

"Blind Bei, clear a path for me. This is a puppeteer, I'll go kill her manipulator first!"

That fat woman was standing on the second floor, taking the distance first, and seemingly waiting there to catch a rabbit, how do you know she isn't using the time to "arrange the homefield"?

Fighting the puppeteer's puppets is the most foolish behaviour, kill the ant queen first and the ant colony will go into disorder.

Blind Bei used spiritual power to communicate:

"I think, things might not be that simple. If I was that puppeteer, I might hide my real body inside those 'four horses', the one on the second floor might be the bait to lure you in."

Blind Bei was giving the short Bei tactical analysis.

"Where is that as complicated as you think, send me on my way, I'll go up and pierce her with my dagger first!"

"That's inauspicious to say."

Xue San started preparing,

Then began to sprint,

After running for ten metres, he suddenly bounced up, Blind Bei used two fingers to point at the top.

Boom, Boom!

"Buzz!"

A wave of willpower was placed onto Xue San's body, Xue San's entire person became like a small cannonball, accelerating and launching, in the next moment he directly appeared in front of the fat woman on the second floor.

The dagger in his hand, aiming at the fat woman's face, directly threw it out.

The fat woman seemed to be scared by this scene, standing there without moving.

"Come back!"

Blind Bei let out a low roar in his throat, his two hands coming out of his pockets, two fingers pointing downwards, pressing down hard.

"Buzz!"

Xue San was pulled back down by willpower.

"Pfft!"

At this moment, the dagger that Xue San threw stabbed into the fat woman's face, a group of acrid, corrosive black liquid sprayed out, if Xue San wasn't pulled back by Blind Bei, then he might have been showered into a human-shaped honeycomb briquette.

If Ah Ming turned into a honeycomb briquette he would still be like nothing happened, drinking water while walking around the garden while watering the flowers.

If Xue San were to turn into one then he would completely be cold.

After landing Xue San continuously retreated a few steps,

But was not afraid,

Instead, feeling a bit of joy and excitement he said:

"Ha, this is really stimulating, Blind Bei, I want more!"

chun jie di xiao long