evening.

Deng Fugui, Chai Xin, and Zeng Peng led thirty Jiangcheng soldiers back to the city from the mine. It got dark when they were halfway there.

A crescent moon hangs in the sky, and the night wind is chilly.

As the group passed through a patch of gravel, they heard rustling sounds coming from behind the rocks on either side.

Chai Xin raised his hand, gesturing to look around.

The two soldiers, holding torches, went around behind the rocks but saw nothing. When they turned back, the flames suddenly flickered.

The two soldiers fell to the ground immediately.

"Be on guard!!" Chai Xin shouted, leading his soldiers to protect Deng Fugui in the middle.

Before long, a hundred or so men in black rushed out from behind the rocks and underground, completely surrounding Deng Fugui and his group.

These people were all dressed in black and moved at night, holding slender swords in their hands, and their eyes and brows exuded an aura of death.

"Who are you? Do you know who you're stopping?" Chai Xin asked knowingly.

"Of course I know!"

A man walked up to the group of assassins facing the firewood. He was clad in armor and had a full beard. He said, "The current governor of Jiangyang County, Lord Deng Fugui! However, he will soon become the former governor!"

Chai Xin roared, "Shang Dongyang, how dare you!!"

Deng Fugui laughed and said, "So it was Commandant Shang who wanted to kill me. Why is that? I have not offended you."

Shang Dongyang said aggressively, "You haven't offended me because you don't dare to yet! But what about those brothers in the prefect's mansion who you imprisoned? Have they offended you?"

Deng Fugui said, "So it was because you felt guilty that you wanted to strike first!"

"I don't need to waste my breath on you, prepare to die!" Shang Dongyang gestured forward and shouted, "Kill!"

The assassins tightened their grip on their swords, ready to strike.

Just then, a long spear descended from the sky, landing in front of the firewood, stirring up a vortex that spread outwards, and the nearby assassins were all forced back.

As the dust settled, Zhao Yan stood on one leg on the bar, arms crossed over his chest.

"The Commandant of Dajing Commandery has the audacity to secretly raise assassins to try and kill the Commander!"

At the same time, a group of people appeared behind Deng Fugui.

Leading the group were Zhao Wu, He Laosan, and Yu Jin, followed by Yu Jin's guards.

Shang Dongyang knew Zhao Yan and Zhao Wu. Although he had expected Zhao Cheng to get involved, he did not expect the matter of the assassins to be exposed. He looked at Zeng Peng next to Deng Fugui and said angrily, "Zeng Peng, you traitor!"

Zeng Peng was stunned and shocked. He shouted, "Shang Dongyang, stop talking nonsense!"

Shang Dongyang said, "If you didn't betray me, then come over here. Otherwise, I'll kill you too!"

"Incomprehensible!" Zeng Peng roared in anger, "I will not associate with traitors and rebels!"

Shang Dongyang sneered. Although the situation had changed from what he expected, he was not afraid at all. He glanced at the two brothers, one tall and one short, beside him, and then stepped back.

"They outnumber us, kill them!"

Upon receiving Shang Dongyang's order, the assassins did not hesitate, tightening their encirclement around Deng Fugui. They were highly trained and unwavering; only those who stood in Deng Fugui's way would attract their attention, preventing them from getting distracted by other enemies.

Seeing their reaction, Zhao Yan became even more interested and decisively stood in front of Deng Fugui and Chai Xin, swinging and sweeping his spear to force the assassins back one by one.

Although the assassins were fearless, their individual strength was ultimately far inferior to Zhao Yan's, and for a time no one could break through Zhao Yan's defenses.

Zhao Wu, Yu Jin, and others also spread out behind Deng Fugui, protecting his safety from various angles.

At this moment, two figures, one tall and one short, flew out from the group of assassins and attacked Zhao Yan from the left and right at the same time.

Feeling the stinging coolness on his skin, Zhao Yan immediately became alert; this was his body's warning of danger as his strength reached a certain level.

He, who had not retreated at all, finally took a step back, gripped the gun barrel with both hands and pushed forward to block the Lu brothers' plan.

Seeing the brothers' strange appearances and vastly different physiques, Zhao Yan licked his lips, his fighting spirit intensifying.

Just then, an extremely powerful blade of energy came from behind Zhao Yan, heading straight for Lu Chang's neck.

Lu Chang remained expressionless, but Lu Duan used his short legs to kick Lu Chang away, then flipped his body backward and jumped, his agile body like a ball, avoiding Zhao Wu's sudden knife strike.

Zhao Wu stepped out from behind Zhao Yan and said, "I'll deal with these two monsters."

"No way, Fifth Brother! We've finally found something fun!" Zhao Yan said confidently, "I can handle them."

Zhao Wu said, "Third Young Master, it's not that I don't trust you, it's just that your gun is more suitable for dealing with those assassins. This is a battlefield, not a fighting ring."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yan said no more, and went to Deng Fugui again, saying to those behind Deng Fugui, "He Laosan, Yu Jin, you two protect Lord Deng closely. I'll kill these assassins on the outer perimeter!"

"yes!!"

After giving instructions to He Laosan and Yu Jin, Zhao Yan no longer stayed in front of Deng Fugui, but took the initiative to leap into the ranks of the suicide squad.

His seemingly reckless move actually disrupted the assassins' offensive rhythm, turning the tables and turning the tables.

Most importantly, he was incredibly imposing, and his spear was like a dragon; no assassin could withstand three moves from his spear.

For a time, the most intense fighting area was not on Deng Fugui's side, but centered on Zhao Yan!

Shang Dongyang realized that things were not going well. If Zhao Yan continued to lead the charge like this, even if all the assassins were killed, they would not be able to reach Deng Fugui.

He drew his knife and charged towards Deng Fugui, shouting, "The target is Deng Fugui! Don't worry about anything else, kill him!!!"

Shang Dongyang's organization was effective; the outermost group of assassins were no longer drawn to Zhao Yan, but instead charged towards Deng Fugui along with Shang Dongyang.

Most of the soldiers who accompanied Deng Fugui had been killed or wounded. Including the men brought by Yu Jin, only about twenty men remained, just enough to form a circle to protect Deng Fugui. Seeing Shang Dongyang charging towards them, Yu Jin and He Laosan took the lead in resisting the soldiers' fierce counterattack.

This hundred-man elite warrior was Shang Dongyang's life's work. Although they didn't seem as formidable in front of Zhao Yan, that was only because Zhao Yan was too strong. However, they put immense pressure on Yu Jin and He Laosan, who were surrounded by the warriors and couldn't spare any attention for Shang Dongyang.

Shang Dongyang led the remaining assassins to continue charging towards Deng Fugui, their eyes resolute, determined to fight to the death.

Apart from the guards Xu An had hired and the soldiers of Jiangcheng, it seemed that no one could stop him anymore.

At this moment, Chai Xin pushed the two soldiers aside and blocked Shang Dongyang's path.

Shang Dongyang sneered, "You?"

Chai Xin drew his sword from his waist, then took out a gun barrel from his waist, and slowly connected the gun barrel and the sword together, assembling them into a long-handled broadsword.

"Before I came here, I was the patrol inspector of Yanchuan City, responsible for apprehending criminals and maintaining order within the city. Although my official rank is far lower than yours as the county magistrate, the young prime minister specifically requested me to come. Do you think I came here to do nothing?"

Chai Xin's eyes were resolute. He raised his hand and ran it across his dark face, stroking his long beard. Then, he gripped his broadsword vertically and stomped hard on the ground.

"If you want to mess with Lord Deng, you'll have to get over me first!"