But no matter which condition was met, it didn’t seem to be good news for them.
Just then, the plump matron appeared at the railing of the second-floor corridor. The powder on her face was still as thick as ever.
"Oh, ho, ho. You lot are a bit slow. You’ve made this old lady wait so long I almost fell asleep."
My lord, this woman is probably not from the same group as the previous assassins, Blind Bei’s voice echoed again in Zheng Fan’s mind. They may have collaborated, but they are not from the same family. There is likely another assassin waiting in ambush at the inn’s back door.
These were all conclusions Blind Bei had analyzed from the woman’s words.
Previously, Blind Bei and Xue Three had been waiting, not making a hasty move. They felt that the assassins who stormed the Grade A Courtyard had merely relied on the element of surprise with their crossbows and their numerical superiority to kill Hui Wenzu’s relatively few personal guards. In truth, those assassins weren’t very powerful; none of them could even glow.
Now the answer was clear. If the previous group were just minions, then the BOSS was here.
Moreover, this fat woman didn’t seem to care at all about the life or death of those assassins, as she hadn’t intervened earlier. Therefore, she was likely not on their side.
Furthermore, they had chosen to use the front door, but they could have also used the back door. The fact that their opponent was waiting here so unconcernedly suggested she wasn’t worried about them using the back door. This implied there was another contingency plan in place at the back entrance.
"Young master, I’ve found all four horses you asked for. Please, take a look."
The fat woman clapped her hands.
A harsh scraping sound was heard.
As if suspended by silk threads, four women descended from above.
They all had their eyes closed, and their clothing and adornments were entirely different. There was a noblewoman in Chu attire, a woman from the Yan region in leather armor, a Qian State woman in a dancing skirt, and a gracefully slender woman from Jin State.
Who was Xue Three? Of course, he wouldn’t get stage fright. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵⟡𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⟡𝓷𝓮𝓽
At that moment, Xue Three proactively strode forward a few steps, one hand on his chin, inspecting them with appreciation. He said, "Tsk tsk, they look pretty good. Come, come, hurry up and have the ladies come down and serve your grandpa!"
Hui Wenzu looked with some surprise at Xue Three’s small back, then turned to Zheng Fan. Zheng Fan took a step forward, positioning himself in front of Hui Wenzu.
Seeing this, a warm current flowed through Hui Wenzu’s heart. He’s protecting me!
Actually, Blind Bei had reminded him there was likely another assassin at the back. With such a large human shield like Hui Wenzu in front, I can prevent a sneak attack from behind, Zheng Fan mused.
The fat woman on the second floor covered her mouth.
Her laughter was filled with a greasy sort of charm.
"Sir, look at you, so impatient. The night is long; we have plenty of time to amuse ourselves."
Blind Bei put his hands in his pockets and yawned.
Xue Three laughed and said, "Come, come, come... I’ve played with Pet Seven Dolls before, but I haven’t tried such high-end, realistic ones yet."
"What are Pet Seven Dolls?" Hui Wenzu asked Zheng Fan, who stood before him.
"A secret Eastern puppetry technique."
"Alright, girls! Serve them!"
The fat woman’s voice suddenly became shrill.
The four women dangling above abruptly opened their eyes. Their sockets were empty, devoid of eyeballs or whites, but soon, a red flame flickered to life within them.
Their bodies also began to stir, as if warming up, ready to rush down at any moment!
Xue Three thought to himself, Blind Bei, pave the way for me! This damn woman is a puppet master! I’ll take out the controller first!
The fat woman was standing on the second floor, having already created distance. Plus, while she appeared to be leisurely waiting to ambush them, who knew if she wasn’t actually using the time to "prepare her home ground"? Tangling with a puppet master’s puppets was the most foolish course of action. Take out the queen ant first, and the swarm will fall into disarray.
Blind Bei conveyed via mental force, I feel it might not be that simple. If I were the puppet master, I might hide my true self among these ’four horses.’ The one on the second floor is very likely bait to lure you in.
Blind Coin began his tactical analysis for Shorty Coin.
It’s not as complicated as you think! Xue Three retorted mentally. Just give me a boost. I’ll go up and run her through with my dagger!
That sounds really ominous, Blind Bei thought.
Xue Three began to prepare, then started to sprint.
After dashing about ten meters, he leaped powerfully into the air. Blind Bei, his hands still in his pockets, pointed his two index fingers upwards.
A mental force was directly applied to Xue Three, launching him forward like a small cannonball. In the next instant, he appeared right in front of the fat woman on the second floor.
The dagger in his hand, aimed at the fat woman’s face, he threw it directly.
The fat woman seemed petrified by this, standing frozen on the spot.
"Come back!" Blind Bei let out a low growl, his hands shooting out from his pockets, two index fingers pointing down, then sharply pressing downwards.
Xue Three, still in the air, was yanked back down by the mental force.
At that moment, the dagger Xue Three had thrown pierced the fat woman’s face. A spray of acrid, corrosive black liquid erupted. If Xue Three hadn’t been forcefully pulled back by Blind Bei, he might have been drenched and turned into a human-shaped honeycomb coal.
A Ming could turn into honeycomb coal and still be fine, casually drinking water and strolling through the flower garden, even watering the flowers.
If that happened to Xue Three, he would be completely finished.
After landing, Xue Three retreated several steps. He wasn’t scared; instead, he looked almost ecstatic.
"Ha, that was damn exciting! Blind Bei, I want more!"