The few men beside the large figure immediately raised their blades and charged at Zheng Fan. After his own strike landed, Zheng Fan began to retreat.
Suddenly, the man on the far left slipped inexplicably and fell straight to the ground, his head landing right at Zheng Fan’s feet.
The fallen man’s companions were stunned for a moment, and Zheng Fan’s gaze hardened.
Is this some kind of act?
But how could he refuse a head served up so willingly? ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝓷𝓮𝓽
Zheng Fan’s blade flashed, slicing across the man’s throat and sending a spray of blood into the air.
Xue Three’s figure materialized behind the remaining men like a phantom. He plunged the daggers in each hand into the backs of two assassins, and two agonizing screams rang out.
Zheng Fan didn’t hold back either, his long blade swinging out again. As they faced his attack, the two remaining men suddenly swayed, as if an anemic spell had struck them. They offered almost no resistance as Zheng Fan cut them down, one after the other.
"Are there any more assassins outside?" Zheng Fan asked.
Xue Three shook his head and replied, "My lord, this is what Blind Bei and I found strange. A group of assassins stormed in and slaughtered indiscriminately, yet only these five minions remained alive. So, Blind Bei and I waited a bit longer, but we didn’t see any other backup."
Hearing this, Zheng Fan nodded and then bent down to help Hui Wenzu up.
Hui Wenzu was panting slightly, but he wasn’t terrified. After all, he was a man who had weathered his fair share of storms. However, being a civil official unskilled in martial arts, it was no great shame for him to be somewhat unnerved in such a situation.
The three men—Zheng Fan, Xue Three, and Hui Wenzu—exited the room to see more than twenty bodies strewn across the courtyard. Seven or eight military crossbows were discarded near the entrance, presumably left there by the five men who had used them after rushing in.
Blind Bei was sitting on the steps, playing with one of the crossbows. When Zheng Fan and the others emerged, he spoke up:
"These are crossbows from Qian State."
The military and civil officials of Qian State’s border regions acted more like businessmen, preoccupied with their enterprises and profits. It wasn’t just crossbows; warhorses, armor, and other military equipment were all for sale. The fact that the commander of the fortress Zheng Fan had previously dismantled had resorted to running illicit businesses to make money offered a clear glimpse into the prevailing atmosphere.
Thus, Blind Bei’s statement implied that it was difficult to discern the origins of this group of assassins based solely on the crossbows.
Zheng Fan turned to Hui Wenzu and asked:
"Your Excellency, should we proceed to Yin City, or shall I escort you directly to Nanwang City?"
This post station wasn’t inside Yin City but on its outskirts. Although the assassins who had suddenly appeared were now slain, the place was clearly no longer safe.
Hearing this, Hui Wenzu’s lips moved slightly.
He seemed to want to say, "Young Zheng, these assassins seem to be after you. What does this have to do with me?"
However, Hui Wenzu was obviously not foolish enough to say something like asking Zheng Fan to stay away. His personal soldiers were all gone; what did he have left to rely on besides the three hundred-odd jin of flesh on his bones?
Besides, he figured that if the assassins were after Zheng Fan, they likely wouldn’t mind casually dispatching him as well. Before attacking, the assassins had clearly shouted "Yan bastard," and he was an even higher-ranking Yan bastard than Zheng Fan.
"Let’s go to Nanwang City."
Hui Wenzu made his decision.
Although going to the nearby Yin City seemed the safest option, since the assassins dared to strike at a post station on Yin City’s outskirts, who knew if they had people inside the city itself? It was better to head straight to Nanwang City. Once there, with Lord Jingnan and his Jingnan Army present, it would at least be friendly territory where he could feel secure.
However, at that very moment, Blind Bei’s voice suddenly sounded in Zheng Fan’s mind:
"My lord, the fat woman who knocked at the door earlier is not among the assassins."
Zheng Fan looked at Blind Bei, who gave him a slight nod. Zheng Fan nodded in return, acknowledging he understood.
This was Blind Bei’s warning: assassins might still be hiding.
The post station’s stable was located on the west side of the main entrance, where a separate shed had been designated for keeping horses. The guests’ horses, as well as the replacement mounts for the post station’s cavalry, were all kept there.
Therefore, the quickest way to the stables was to go from the Grade A Courtyard through the main building of the post station.
As Zheng Fan, Xue Three, and Blind Bei escorted Hui Wenzu from the Grade A Courtyard into the ground floor of the building where Zheng Fan’s group had been staying, they saw rows of neatly arranged corpses on the floor.
Some wore the attire of the post station’s supervisor, some the clothes of post station attendants, some were in commoners’ garb, and a few even wore official robes.
About twenty or so bodies were neatly laid out there.
Zheng Fan had been wondering: the Grade A Courtyard had clearly been besieged by assassins with such fanfare, so why had there been no commotion from the main post station building up front?
It turned out they were all already dead.
Blind Bei sighed and took two steps forward. When Hui Wenzu had returned earlier, My lord had gone directly to the Grade A Courtyard to find him, while he himself and Xue Three had left this part of the post station to hide and watch from the perimeter of the Grade A Courtyard. He was certain that at the moment the three of them had left this main building, the other guests and post station staff here were all still alive.
Yet, in such a short span of time, they were all dead. This could only mean one of two things: either many assassins remained, or the ones who were left were exceptionally skilled. After all, one of those conditions had to be true for so many people to be killed so quickly.