Chapter 132: Assassination in the Dark Night (Part III)

Clang, clang, clang, clang!

The sound of gongs echoed through the residential buildings of the militia. Sweating profusely, Ma Daha ran for his life while frantically beating the bronze gong. Having drilled this dozens of times before, he knew this was the emergency alarm reserved only for grave crises.

Urgent sounds erupted from within the two-story building as doors flew open.

One by one, men armed with thick wooden cudgels and wooden shields fell into orderly formation, forming neat ranks of phalanxes.

In the dead of night, even with the lanterns lit, visibility was poor, yet these thousands of soldiers clearly radiated an unmistakable, simmering excitement.

Ma Daha struck the bronze gong so hard it cracked, the sound turning hoarse and strained. The cold sweat blanketing his body seemed to wash away the alcohol in his bloodstream, finally clearing his sluggish mind.

"Listen up, everyone! Intruders have dared to run amok in the Princess's Manor! Let's go teach those bastards a lesson!"

A collective silence was followed by an eruption of fierce cheers. These men had been undergoing rigorous military training day in and day out, and the pressure built up within them was not something that could dissipate easily. It had been festering in their chests, and tonight's commotion shattered the giant boulder that had been suppressing the raging fire in their hearts.

"Oorah! Beat the crap out of them!"

At first, only a few scattered voices rang out, followed immediately by thunderous roars. Their marching steps fell in unison as the military formation advanced, instantly accompanied by the synchronized thumping of wooden sticks beating against wooden shields with every step.

***********

Prior to this, Cen Shen's spear was hooked and deflected by Wolf Claw's twin claws. The fiercely gleaming spearhead merely grazed Hu Xu's arm, leaving a thin line of black blood-ink in the dim light.

"Watch out! That fellow is the one who used the spear the other night!" Sikong Ming's eyes brightened when he caught sight of that sharp and agile spear shadow, and he shouted out a warning.

Yet this warning earned him side-long glances from Tuomanshan and the others, a glaringly amateur mistake.

Seeming to realize his slip of the tongue, Sikong Ming's previously excited scholar-white face instantly turned awkward. With a single sentence, his true identity had been exposed.

"Manichaeism! Brother Gao, kill them! Show no mercy!"

"Understood!"

Steadying his stance, Gao Shi charged forward wildly, his long saber dragging across the ground with a rustling metallic screech against the sandy earth. Sweeping from bottom to top, the strike was destined to cleave Hu Xu diagonally.

His arm wounded and burning with a fiery pain, Hu Xu glared fiercely, the bulging muscles on his arm writhing like coiling dragons as he gripped his iron staff with both hands and leaped downward to smash his opponent.

Clang! Rising and falling in succession, the instant blade and iron staff crossed, the impact sent both men's weapons rebounding and flying from their grips.

Gao Shi caught his breath, channeling his strength from his dantian. His small fist erupted with intense, coiled tension as he crossed his arms to parry close to Hu Xu, throwing a punch straight ahead. Both were forced back by each other's hidden internal energy. Feeling the enemy's crushing force invade his bones right down to his elbows, Gao Shi was knocked back a few steps, having secretly suffered the worst of the exchange.

Seeing the enemy charge aggressively toward him, Gao Shi nimbly flipped over, dropping flat to the ground to grab the legs lunging at him while executing a handstand, kicking upward with both feet straight at Hu Xu's chest.

He landed a few solid kicks at first, but soon Hu Xu, unable to endure the agonizing pain in his chest and abdomen, could only counter the soles of Gao Shi's feet with his fists. The two traded blows until one had bruised, aching soles and the other had torn, bloody knuckles.

Borrowing momentum, Gao Shi dropped to the ground, released his grip, and rolled away to dodge a stomp. He twisted sideways and delivered a powerful elbow strike that sent Hu Xu flying. At the same time, using a single palm to block Hu Xu's knee strike, Gao Shi was sent airborne, his internal blood surging violently before he forcefully suppressed it down.

Seizing the few moments when Hu Xu and Gao Shi were locked in fierce combat, Tuomanshan, Sikong Ming, and Luo Yishi all drew their weapons and rushed forward to join the fray.

Gao Shi scrambled up from the ground, grabbing his long saber to sweep horizontally. Luo Yishi and Sikong Ming, who had been lunging forward with bended bodies, were forced into rapid retreat by the blade's fierce wind, daring not to take the full brunt of the slash.

Gao Shi wielded the heavy saber as smoothly as an extension of his own arm. Whether executing full-moon crescent arcs or horizontal chopping draws, his saber technique was fierce, powerful, and as fast as lightning.

Tuomanshan had always prided himself on having three times the arm strength of an average martial artist, but now he found it somewhat difficult to withstand this direct blow, forced back step by step. Just how ferocious was this fellow? When on earth did the Princess's Manor acquire such a savage warrior? For a moment, he was left speechless with grievance. He had planned to take the Badges' dogs while the Insubordinate Commander was poisoned, thinking that three grandmasters plus two top-tier martial artists could easily secure the victory. Never in his wildest dreams had he expected this Princess's Manor to be a veritable dragon's pool and tiger's den!

Luo Yishi and Sikong Ming danced their swords in tandem, slashing forward with cold light flashing in the hazy moonlight, aiming to ambush Gao Shi from behind at the exact moment his stamina was exhausted from recovering his breath.

Meanwhile, Wolf Claw's arm had taken the full brunt of a heavy blow from the spearhead. His body was sent hurtling two zhang away, rolling several times before he barely managed to stabilize his center of gravity. The wound on his arm had only recently healed, and now it had ripped open anew under the spear's impact. If he wanted it to heal properly this time, it would likely take a great deal more time.

Cen Shen sprinted over in the nick of time, his foot shattering a clod of earth that had been carved open by the saber. Spinning his body mid-air, his spearhead twirled into numerous blossoming points, driving the two attackers back with a flurry of clanging strikes. Landing upright at Gao Shi's back, the heavy sweat of battle had already evaporated his drunkenness. Planting his spear into the earth, he reached for the wine gourd at his waist, uncapped it to gulp down several mouthfuls, and casually tossed the gourd backward to Gao Shi.

Gao Shi likewise thrust his long saber into the ground, caught the wine gourd, and tilted his head back, letting the wine spill over his face. A wave of comfort washed over him, and he laughed heartily as he tossed the empty gourd aside. Burning with battle intent, he channeled his breath to unleash a resounding war cry from his throat. The battle roar momentarily froze Hu Xu, who had been charging out of the battle lines in a manic frenzy, gripping his iron staff.

"Fine wine! Fine wine! Let's fight again! What a thrill!"

"Agreed! Let's beat them black and blue!"

The two men once again tacitly separated by a certain distance. The spear moved like a slithering serpent, its agile blossoming points wondrously intricate, possessing a unique, ingenious craftsmanship.

The saber swung upward, its wide-open and sweeping movements harboring the latent momentum of splitting mountains.

Hu Xu charged forward, fighting two against one, once again trading blows to a standstill with the saber wielder, only to have the back of his hand grazed by the spearhead, leaving his fingers barely able to hold onto the vibrating iron staff.

Tuomanshan lunged forward to hook the spearhead and wrench it aside, but unexpectedly, the spear shaft began to vibrate intensely. The immense rebound force knocked the curved saber from one of his hands, and the long spear thrust forward in a fluid motion. Tuomanshan had no choice but to whirl his cloak to barely wrap around the spearhead, instantly abandoning the cloak to drop into a rolling circle on the ground and snatch up his fallen curved saber, narrowly evading the deadly thrust. His smooth beard trembled from inertia as he froze in place, a cold dread gripping his heart. These two fellows were far too terrifying; they only grew fiercer the longer they fought, and they were simply no match for them right now.

Over on Hu Xu's side, another bearded warrior had appeared, also wielding an iron club. The two quickly engaged in combat, though this newcomer was weaker than Hu Xu by a margin of thirty percent, and was soon beaten back by the jarring impact of the clashing iron staffs.

Just then, torches flared brightly across the parade ground, and deafening battle cries pierced the air. Exchanging glances, the intruders all shared the same thought of retreat. If not now, when?!

Wolf Claw snatched three pouches of ground black pepper from his tunic, tossed them into the air against the wind, and ripped them open. A thick cloud of dust engulfed the saber and spear wielders. Both men sneezed uncontrollably, unable to keep their eyes open, yet immediately recognizing the scent of black pepper. A pang of distress hit them both—this stuff was exorbitantly expensive; a single pouch cost roughly half a piece of gold.

Seeing the enemy attempt to flee, Liang Zixin grew frantic. Watching the two formidable combatants enveloped in the swirling pepper cloud, he had no choice but to step forward and block them himself. To his dismay, he was sent flying by Hu Xu after a mere exchange of blows. His internal blood churned violently, and a mouthful of hot blood sprayed from his lips, leaving him with severe internal injuries.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

"Elder Brother Zhang, the night wind is too strong, we should go inside!"

Hearing the coughs, Qing Yu, sitting in her wheelchair, looked on with worry, speaking to the Insubordinate Commander who had risen to watch the spectacle.

"No, I must watch. I must watch these wicked villains. One day, I will kill every last one of them to vent the hatred in my heart and avenge my brothers!" Zhang Heng's eyes reflected the raging fires ahead, his tone biting, cold, and dripping with hatred. Then, with a faint sigh, his voice softened considerably. "My life now was granted by the Princess's Manor; from this day forth, I shall serve the Princess as a loyal hound, unflinching until death!"

"Qing Yu... Qing Yu likes Elder Brother Zhang, wuwu~ It's a pity Qing Yu is now crippled..."

The Insubordinate Commander pulled Qing Yu into his embrace, a faint, bittersweet smile curving the corner of his mouth. Wasn't he, too, the exact same?

Seeing those men fleeing faster than rabbits, Ma Daha ordered Ma Erha to command the entire phalanx to launch volley after volley of wooden sticks in staggered waves.

Before long, wave upon wave of club rain fell from the sky, pummeling Sikong Ming until he tumbled to the ground, scurrying away like a rat through the drainage ditch.

They had never imagined that the Princess's Manor possessed such overwhelming, crushing might—what kind of waves could mere five people hope to stir up here?