Chapter 20 Forest Ambush

The next afternoon, in a forest outside the south gate of the imperial capital, figures appeared one after another. This was the agreed-upon location for everyone to log in.

"Everyone's here."

Liu Hai looked at the dense crowd before him and nodded. "Here are the cold weapons you ordered! The weapons are numbered from 1 to 163. As for the close-fitting inner armor, you can choose those after we enter the city!"

The 163 cosmic citizen experts stepped forward one by one to take their weapons according to their numbers and quickly armed themselves.

Swords, sabers, spears, halberds, axes, hidden weapons, throwing weapons, shields, and so on—there were only two or three hundred weapons in total. In an era when bandits and gangs roamed rampant, even wealthy merchants with a little property would hire guards. So, these weapons were not worth mentioning at all and were very easy to buy.

"Not bad."

These cosmic citizens examined their weapons. They were now ordinary bodies, and there was not much difference in strength and speed compared to first-rate experts. These weapons could withstand the battle of first-rate experts.

"Don't worry, every weapon has been tested," Liu Hai said. Xu Jingming had specially selected them. Having been a Blood Rain Guard in the imperial capital for so long, he was a local expert and knew very well where to buy some fine weapons.

"Let's set off now." After seeing everyone equipped with weapons, Liu Hai immediately led them out of the forest.

First, they walked from the forest onto the main road. After walking along the main road for more than ten *li*, they arrived at the south gate of the imperial capital.

The flow of people entering and leaving the imperial capital every day was enormous, and almost everyone carried weapons.

Liu Hai and his group were all dressed in ordinary cloth clothes issued to newcomers, and they were all walking on their own two feet! They were inconspicuous in the crowd. After paying the entrance fee, Liu Hai led them forward.

"What a huge imperial capital."

"We've been walking for half an hour." After entering the city, these people also felt the size of the imperial capital.

Liu Hai and Tu Ling led the team and finally arrived at a chaotic area with dilapidated buildings. Gang members were everywhere, swaggering on the streets in groups of three or five.

However, facing a team of more than a hundred people carrying weapons, these gang members watched from afar and dared not provoke them easily.

After turning left and right, they finally arrived at a somewhat dilapidated mansion.

"We're here," Liu Hai said as he pushed open the door.

Xu Jingming and Pang Ze were sitting on the corridor chatting idly. Seeing the door open, they stood up to greet them.

More than a hundred people entered the mansion, and the door closed.

"We've prepared some fine wine and food for everyone." Xu Jingming, wearing a human skin mask, looked no different from a normal person, except that his expression was a little stiff. He stood up and said, "Everyone, eat, drink, and rest first. The action will be tonight."

Fine wine, food, and inner armor were all prepared. All preparations for the operation were very thorough.

…

Night fell.

Pang Ze, dressed in white robes and waving a fan, came to the Yi Cui Tower again with a smile.

"Master, you're here again!" A servant immediately greeted him enthusiastically. As one of the top three pleasure quarters in the imperial capital, the Yi Cui Tower had a very high consumption threshold. Even a cup of tea inside cost five taels of silver!

One had to know that the income of a second-rate expert was generally difficult to exceed 20 taels of silver a month! It could be seen how terrifying the consumption here was!

Therefore, those who could come to the Yi Cui Tower were either rich or noble!

The Yi Cui Tower also attached great importance to repeat customers. Now, Pang Ze had become an 'old customer.'

"This is the Yi Cui Tower. The famous courtesans inside are all stunning beauties. If you can spend a night of ecstasy inside, it's worth dying for." On the street in the distance, young men from gangs watched from afar, very envious.

"A cup of tea inside costs five taels of silver. Spend a night of ecstasy? It costs at least a hundred taels of silver! That's enough for me to visit brothels for a lifetime. Only a fool would go in."

"Can the women in brothels compare to those in the Yi Cui Tower? Do you think those big shots who go in are fools?"

The young men argued, but they also watched enviously as officials and nobles entered one by one.

This was a veritable den of money! Even their gang leaders had to grit their teeth before daring to enter once!

"The human instinct to reproduce makes their genes contain a desire for the opposite sex. Once this desire is stimulated, many people are willing to pay for it. They are even willing to give up all their property," Pang Ze said as he drank wine and watched the performance on the water stage in the distance.

These beauties exuded a hazy and seductive beauty, and even had invisible mental fluctuations that influenced people's desires.

"The famous courtesans of the Yi Cui Tower are also unusual. Some are good at mental seduction," Pang Ze said with admiration. "Even if their looks are 90 points, once a guest is affected by mental seduction, in the guest's eyes, they are more than a hundred points, the most perfect dream lover."

"Even officials and nobles are obsessed with it. Most of the money they embezzle or make in business is thrown into this den of money." Pang Ze watched as a rich young master generously took out a blank silver note and chose a courtesan who was performing a dance.

"And today…"

"All the consumption and all the flowing gold, silver, jewelry, and silver notes here," Pang Ze smiled and said, "My brother Jingming and I will accept them all!"

******

"Did you see that?"

After eating, drinking, and resting well, a group of people came to a river bank led by Xu Jingming, Liu Hai, and Tu Ling. Xu Jingming pointed to the dazzling and majestic building in the distance with lanterns hanging high, the Yi Cui Tower. "That building is our target."

The people behind him all stared at it. The Yi Cui Tower was a well-known building in the imperial capital, majestic and beautiful like a fairyland.

"Follow me."

Xu Jingming had already collected detailed information and was too familiar with the surrounding environment. He led the people forward along the alley, turning left and right. In just five minutes, they arrived nearby.

"We will directly jump over the courtyard wall in front, rush through this restaurant, and kill our way into the Yi Cui Tower in front," Xu Jingming said. "This raid on the Yi Cui Tower must be controlled within ten minutes."

Within ten minutes, only one or two teams of Blood Rain Guards would arrive, posing no threat.

But as time dragged on, the number of Blood Rain Guards arriving would increase geometrically! Because the manpower was supported from all directions!

"Action!"

With Xu Jingming's order, he led the charge, protected by three eighth-order Star Cluster lifeforms. They were the sharpest arrowheads in the entire team! Following them were sixty first-rate experts, while Liu Hai and Tu Ling led a hundred second-rate experts at the rear.

*Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!*

This restaurant next to the Yi Cui Tower also occupied a large area and had a prosperous business.

But when a large number of ghostly figures flashed across the sky and rushed out of the restaurant's range several times, heading straight for the Yi Cui Tower, the restaurant's guests and guards were so frightened that their hearts jumped and they dared not intervene at all.

"These fierce people are killing their way into the Yi Cui Tower."

"In the imperial capital, someone actually dares to kill their way into the Yi Cui Tower?"

The people in the restaurant could not believe it.

"Enemies!"

The Yi Cui Tower had black-clothed guards on all sides, and hidden traps were also hidden in the marginal areas. The entire imperial capital knew that the Yi Cui Tower was the most dangerous and safest place.

The most dangerous was for the enemy! The enemy dared to kill their way into the Yi Cui Tower, which was tantamount to courting death.

The safest was for the guests! The Yi Cui Tower would spare no expense to ensure the safety of its guests.

"*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*"

The three eighth-order experts beside Xu Jingming quickly released hidden weapons, destroying the key points of the traps in front of them and rendering them useless.

Eighth-order experts had terrifying mental power. Spreading out, they could reach a range of at least a thousand meters, naturally covering the Yi Cui Tower and knowing all its traps.

"This is an eighth-order expert. The mental power is terrifying." Xu Jingming thought to himself, "But compared to Dean Ming of the Martial Arts Academy, Dean Ming's mental power has no sense of oppression, but is as inclusive as the ocean, making people unable to resist. And the range is ridiculously large. The Martial Arts Academy's twenty-*li* range is completely covered, and this is just Dean Ming's casual mental release, not a deliberate spread during combat."

While thinking, he, as the leader, did not even make a move. The three eighth-order experts beside him led the many first-rate experts to kill their way out.

"*Yo*—"

A signal arrow soared into the sky.

"Stop them!" The surrounding black-clothed guards rushed over, and the nearby blue-clothed guards also rushed over, but they all vaguely felt uneasy, because there were many traps in the marginal areas of the Yi Cui Tower, but this group of enemies rushed over easily without triggering any of them.

"*Pfft.*"

"*Shred.*"

Blood splattered, and the experts on Xu Jingming's side were simply slaughtering these black-clothed and blue-clothed guards.

The Yi Cui Tower's guards were very elite, with about 700 people in total, mainly second-rate experts, and the core backbone were all first-rate experts. Such strength was elite enough.

Moreover, the Yi Cui Tower's daily income would be transferred and stored in the money house. The Yi Cui Tower did not have much cash on hand. In theory, raiding it was not cost-effective.

"What?"

"How can this group of enemies be so strong?"

"Are they all first-rate experts?" The Yi Cui Tower's second-rate guards felt despair. It was a complete crushing! The entire formation collapsed instantly, and at the same time as the formation collapsed, they were strangled one by one!

The leading first-rate expert of the Yi Cui Tower was equally desperate and unbelievable: "Super-class experts?"

The first-rate experts were instantly submerged!

The Yi Cui Tower's first wave of resistance was five first-rate experts leading about a hundred second-rate experts.

What was the result of them facing the charge of three super-class experts and sixty-one first-rate experts? It was that within ten breaths, only three managed to escape with their lives after seeing the situation was bad, and all the others were killed, with blood flowing all over the ground.

"This is a super-class expert, and with a practical combat bonus of at least 30 times." Xu Jingming saw the strength of these three big shots. No one could stop them from advancing.

If it was a one-on-one fight, an eighth-order Star Cluster lifeform would also need a few moves to deal with the leading top first-rate expert of the Yi Cui Tower.

But this was not a one-on-one fight! This was a large-scale melee! Xu Jingming's side was too elite!

The degree of this elite force was enough to rival the experts in the imperial palace, and naturally, a crushing and one-sided slaughter effect appeared.

The guards in this area of the Yi Cui Tower were finished in less than ten breaths. Only three escaped with their lives, and all the others were wiped out!

Xu Jingming and the others, more than a hundred figures, were like ghosts, rushing into the Yi Cui Tower.

"Ah, ah, ah."

"This is?"

"Something big has happened!"

The people inside the Yi Cui Tower, whether they were officials, nobles, famous courtesans, guards, or servants, were all stunned. They watched as a mighty group of people killed their way into the three main buildings of the Yi Cui Tower.

The three main buildings were connected by suspended corridors, and under the corridors, there was a water stage for performances.

"*Pfft! Pfft!*" Xu Jingming and the other experts rushed in, and some blue-clothed guards and secret guards also attacked, but what greeted them was a cruel slaughter! Those rushing in the front on Xu Jingming's side were all super-class and first-rate experts. With their cooperation, who could stop them?

In a few breaths, more than twenty guards fell, and the other people were too frightened to move.

"The trouble is big." The expression of a young noble changed slightly.

A middle-aged man with an extraordinary demeanor sitting in a private room also frowned, with anger in his eyes. An old man sitting beside him gently shook his head: "Second Master, bear with it. These people are not to be trifled with."

"Sect Leader Yu, can't you do anything?" the middle-aged man said softly.

"I can feel a terrifying mental power. There are several people in this team who are no less powerful than me," the old man shook his head. "And the number of first-rate experts is extremely large."

Although he was a super-class expert, he only carried a dagger with him. And this group of fierce people carried shields, large axes, spears, and other weapons… If he rushed up, he would be courting death.

"Close the gates and guard the passes." Xu Jingming swept across the four directions and said coldly, "Anyone in the Yi Cui Tower who dares to move, no matter who they are, will be killed without mercy!"

All the guests in the Yi Cui Tower couldn't help but panic.

They had already seen the strength of this group of fierce people! The corpses on the ground proved everything.

"Kill!"

"Kill them!"

Outside the Yi Cui Tower, a large number of black-clothed and blue-clothed guards were rushing in, and Xu Jingming watched all this indifferently. The first-rate experts under his command were divided into three squads, guarding the three main passes respectively.

"*Bang, bang, bang.*"

The Yi Cui Tower's guards were anxiously rushing in, but the entrances and exits were only so wide! Only seven or eight of them could rush in at the same time, but each pass was guarded by a full twenty first-rate experts.

"*Pfft! Pfft!*" The guards who rushed in were slaughtered as if cutting rice. They fell down in batches, scaring the remaining Yi Cui Tower's guards from daring to break in again.

At the same time, the doors were closed tightly!

The guards outside panicked.

"This group of fierce people must all be first-rate experts. They are too strong."

"How many deaths are there for as many people enter, there is no way to fight." These guards also felt chills in their hearts.

Some guards said: "The door is so wide, we can only go in seven or eight people at the same time. Too few people go in! Why don't we smash the walls and rush in?"

"Are you crazy! Smash them? How much silver did it cost to build the Yi Cui Tower? If the Yi Cui Tower collapses, can you afford to pay for it?"

"It's no big deal if some cash is robbed. If the Yi Cui Tower is destroyed, it will be a big loss."

"There are also many distinguished guests inside. It's a small loss if we lose some money. We have to ensure the safety of the distinguished guests."

"Those fierce people shouldn't dare to be unfavorable to the distinguished guests. Our Yi Cui Tower's guests are all officials and nobles from all over the imperial capital… Daring to attack them is to be an enemy of all the forces in the entire imperial capital."

The guards argued, but none of them dared to rush in again. There were too many deaths in a short period of time!

There were about 700 guards, but nearly 200 people died in the blink of an eye! The most important thing was that… the other side was too elite, and none of them had died in battle. They were very sure that the other side were all first-rate experts! Naturally, they were timid and unwilling to rush up.

On the other hand, the cost of building the Yi Cui Tower was indeed astonishing. It was as high as six stories, with extremely high floors, and built like a palace and fairyland, beautiful and magnificent. It was a famous building in the imperial capital.

If they smashed too many walls on the ground floor, causing the entire Yi Cui Tower to collapse, these guards could not afford the price.

"You guys go in quickly. My master is still inside."

"My lord is still inside, hurry, hurry."

"Hurry up and save people, are you pretending to be dead?"

The servants of the officials and nobles were originally leisurely waiting outside, waiting for their masters to enjoy themselves, and protecting their masters back to the mansion, but who would have thought that such a thing would happen. Everyone was anxious.

******

Inside the beautifully decorated Yi Cui Tower, with lanterns hanging high, dozens of corpses were lying on the ground, with blood gurgling and staining the wooden boards red.

Xu Jingming stood there, surrounded by three eighth-order Star Cluster lifeforms, as well as a large number of second-rate experts who were 'filling the numbers'. He glanced at the officials and nobles in the Yi Cui Tower, and also saw Pang Ze mixed among them. Pang Ze also looked nervous.

"I need two of you to search the entire Yi Cui Tower with your people." Xu Jingming said to the eighth-order experts beside him. Immediately, two of them nodded. This had long been planned and arranged. The mental awareness of these two eighth-order experts was large enough. There was nowhere in the Yi Cui Tower that could escape their search.

Immediately, the two of them led fifty second-rate experts to search for gold, silver, and treasures.

Xu Jingming stood in place and said loudly: "Second Master of the Shen Gong family, Young Master Chang, Commander Liu of the Qi Prince's mansion, Master Wang of the Ministry of Rites, and Third Young Master of the Duke's mansion." Xu Jingming spoke casually, but it made those people's expressions change.

Since they were going to take action against the Yi Cui Tower, they naturally collected information on all the people with some status in the imperial capital in advance. With the memory of a Star Cluster lifeform, the appearance and information of each person were stored in their minds.

"There are many big shots present. I know them all," Xu Jingming said with a smile. "If the guards under your command dare to attack the Yi Cui Tower, I can only take your lives first. If you cooperate obediently, I will naturally not kill you. I… only want money, not kill people."

There were indeed many big shots present. If they moved their fingers outside, they could mobilize a lot of power, but now they were in the Yi Cui Tower, and their lives were controlled by this group of fierce people. They were naturally in a bad mood, but they had to endure it.

"Uncle Fu, don't let anyone in. If my people come in, I will have to give up my life," Young Master Chang shouted loudly. "If you don't come in, I will be safe and sound. These experts are very disciplined."

"Young Master Chang, thank you," Xu Jingming smiled slightly.

"You're welcome, you're welcome," Young Master Chang said with a smile.

Xu Jingming nodded with a smile: "Second team, go up and search all the guests for their money and treasures. This money is not worth mentioning to them."

Young Master Chang's face stiffened, and he could only try to maintain his smile. Many of the other guests showed expressions of shock and anger. What courage! They actually dared to rob each of them!

"Yes!"

Tu Ling led fifty second-rate experts forward and began to search them one by one!