Chapter 6 Unexpected Disaster
The torrential rain has even prevented the night watchman from appearing.
Wearing a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat, Tao Tao walked briskly down the dimly lit street. It seemed to stretch on forever. The street, which had seemed quite lively during the day, became somewhat eerie and frightening at night.
Dead people aren't scary, so what's so scary about this?
She tried to reassure herself.
Suddenly, she stopped and turned around abruptly, but there was nothing behind her.
She frowned, thinking she was probably being too sensitive, and continued running with her head down.
Suddenly, a series of well-trained footsteps came from ahead, treading through the rain. Then, a group of people leaped down from the rooftop and surrounded Tao Tao in the middle.
They were dressed in black, their faces covered, their eyes sharp as knives, and they held swords. The swords were washed and their blades were even sharper, making one feel a chill run down one's spine and into one's heart.
Tao Tao stopped abruptly and gave a wry smile.
What shouldn't have happened still happened. She was just a lowly funeral director, responsible for preparing bodies for burial so that the deceased could depart peacefully, earning a meager income just to make a living.
Moreover, this industry is already taboo and something people avoid like the plague, and she also has to compete with those male colleagues for a living. It's already very difficult for a young woman like her in this industry.
How did she end up in this state, with her life in danger?
I'm speechless.
"System, you have to save me, or I'm doomed!"
She cried out in her heart.
With so many people, she couldn't even defeat one, let alone a whole group.
If she had known she should have let that fiend send someone to escort her, she would never have refused next time. No, it was already said that he was a fiend, and these people were brought here by him, which just proves the meaning of those two words.
While thinking of a solution, Tao Tao observed them, glancing around out of the corner of her eye.
On this street, she is in a position where there are roads in front and behind her, and roads in the left and right are a little further ahead.
Back off! If you're lucky, you might run into the Privy Council members if you back off.
Just as they all rushed over, Tao Tao immediately turned and ran away, grabbing a stall set up to the side to block their way, and using her slender and agile figure to pass directly through the middle of the swords coming from both sides.
The instant it passed through, a strand of hair was severed, and the cold, piercing blade grazed my cheek and neck, almost severing half my head.
She was immediately terrified and ran forward with all her might.
I ran too fast, it was too dark, and the large raindrops hit me painfully.
Suddenly, she tripped over something unknown on the ground and fell face-first to the ground, her palms and knees hitting the hard bluestone pavement hard, causing her to wince in pain.
Before she could feel the pain, she turned around and looked up to see a sharp sword gleaming with a cold light coming straight down from the sky. Her expression was terrified, and the sharp blade was reflected in her amber eyes.
Suddenly, a sharp whooshing sound rang in her ears, and a sharp sword cleaved through the rain, piercing his heart like a bolt of lightning from above her head with unstoppable force.
The man in black, his eyes filled with disbelief and obvious astonishment, lay dead in the rain, his eyes wide open in death.
Great! It must have been arranged by the system. She's saved!
Just as she was about to get up, a group of people suddenly appeared behind her and started fighting with the men in black. Judging from their clothes, they were clearly...
Tao Tao stood up and turned to look. Duan Gan! And the guards from the Privy Council!
That works too, since it can save her life anyway.
She rushed towards him and hid under his umbrella.
She looked up at the oil-paper umbrella and suddenly felt a cool gaze upon her.
Tao Tao gave him an awkward smile and pointed to the umbrella: "This umbrella is quite big, and the rain is quite heavy. Please have mercy on me, sir." She put her hands together and waved them at him, her eyes showing a hint of pleading.
It's because she just slipped and fell flat on her face, ruining her raincoat.
It's all the fault of these men in black; they made our already impoverished family even worse off.
Duan Gan gave her a very critical look, his expression revealing a hint of disdain.
She happened to catch him, and he immediately felt a little frustrated.
She knew she had just been caught in the rain and looked disheveled, her hair still wet and clinging to her cheeks, water dripping from her clothes, looking like a drowned rat.
But who is responsible for this? It's because he offended someone, and she suffered as a result.
Of course, she dared not say this aloud, otherwise she would end up like those people before her, lying dead in the street.
Chen Jinghe and his guards captured three prisoners alive, and Duan Gan stepped forward slowly upon seeing this.
He was the only one with an umbrella, so she had no choice but to follow him.
He lowered his eyes, looking down at the kneeling men in black, and asked in a calm tone, "Who sent you?"
As soon as he finished speaking, all of them rolled their eyes, coughed up blood, and died.
Chen Jinghe was startled and hurriedly stepped forward to remove their veils. He pried open their mouths with his fingers and touched their teeth with his fingertips, revealing white powder.
He frowned deeply and placed his finger in front of Duan Gan: "Fourth Master, look."
"Their mouths are poisoned; these men are suicide squads."
The practice of keeping assassins is explicitly prohibited in the Celestial Empire. Regardless of whether they are sons of noble families or relatives of the emperor, they will all be dealt with according to the law.
As for those from humble backgrounds? Most of them were low-ranking and declining families. Many people joined together to make a fire, and they relied on the fire for warmth. Among them were four major families: the Sun family of Fanyang, the Wang family of Taiyuan, the Chen family of Xingyang, and the Qiu family of Zhaojun.
Among the four great families, the Qiu family is the most prominent. Although Qiu Yanling was appointed as the chief envoy and his family even had an empress, these poor families were actually dirt poor and would never have raised assassins.
Even the Qiu family has a large number of members, and even distant relatives want to get involved. They also need to support their staff and cultivate their connections, so where would they find the extra money to do anything else?
These once-powerful families, now fallen from grace, barely manage to maintain their status by banding together.
Compared to those from humble backgrounds, the number of aristocratic families was indeed smaller, including the three major families: the Liu family of Pei County, the Li family of Longxi, and the leading Duan family of Lanling.
But apart from the three major families, the other prominent families are also not to be underestimated.
"Take these bodies back and have someone check them for anything on them."
Chen Jinghe cupped his hands in a respectful bow and said, "It is Fourth Master."
The rain gradually subsided and was no longer as torrential as it had been at the beginning.
Tao Tao picked up the straw hat that had been tossed aside in the corner and hurriedly asked, "What about me? What am I going to do?"
If those assassins send more, she'll be the only one left and she'll be dead.
Upon hearing this, the man beside her gave her a half-smile, and she quickly turned her head to look around, pretending not to have seen anything.
She also realized she had been a bit of a coward. She had been so arrogant before, but isn't it human nature to be afraid of death...?
Chen Jinghe glanced back and forth between Duan Gan and her: "Fourth Master, shall I arrange for someone to send her back?"
"You all go back first."
He looked at him in surprise, then lowered his head and said yes.
They quickly left with the body.
On the deserted street, where a light drizzle was falling, only he and she remained.
Tao Tao was puzzled. Why was he staying? Did he intend to kill her to cover it up?
Her pupils constricted instantly, and she quietly retreated.
I didn't discover any secrets, did I? It's not like I had to kill someone, is it? I just held a funeral, and he even hired me.
Duan Gan ignored what she thought and walked forward on his own.
After walking a short distance, seeing that the person behind him had not yet followed, he turned around, frowned, and a hint of impatience flashed in his eyes.
"Aren't you coming?"
"Oh!"
Tao Tao realized what was happening, looked at the pitch-black surroundings, and ran over quickly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com