Chaos in the Governor's Office
"Pat...pat..."
The sound of footsteps approached from afar.
Hearing the noise, Jie Xiangsi, whose eyes were bound, subtly shrank back. But the next second, footsteps approached rapidly, and a loud "bang" shook her ear as she was choked and slammed against the wall.
Her back slammed heavily against the wall behind her, the violent impact causing a dull pain in her chest.
In an instant, a bloody aura enveloped her.
The person pressed their hand against her neck, and Jie Xiangsi felt like she was suffocating.
Through the dark strip of cloth in front of her, Jie Xiangsi strained to open her eyes, trying to see the person opposite her. Her neck was being pressed down hard, and she couldn't speak, only managing a few muffled hissing sounds from her throat.
"Who are you……?"
The newcomer remained silent, but the hand pressing on Xie Xiangsi's neck loosened slightly, and instead grabbed her chin, forcing a bottle of medicine down her throat.
A moment later, Jie Xiangsi's struggles lessened.
In the moments before losing consciousness, she had some inappropriate thoughts: these past two years have truly been plagued by bad luck; she's either been unlucky or on the path to bad luck.
...
At the same time, Zhou Yanzhi, inside the inn, waded through the blood and walked step by step to the outside of the inn, raising his hand to release Wu Goulang.
The next moment, a high-pitched eagle cry pierced the sky.
A storm is brewing.
A moment later, Ji Feng led a group of people to Zhou Yanzhi. He was really surprised to see his black clothes stained with blood. He bowed his head and said, "My lord."
Wiping the blood from between his brows, Zhou Yanzhi calmly said, "Miss Biao has been kidnapped. Go find her now."
Hearing this tone, Ji Feng was startled and couldn't help but look up at Zhou Yanzhi, only to see a terrifyingly cold and stern expression on his face. He quickly replied, "Yes!"
Suddenly, a small figure descended from the sky.
Wu Goulang descended swiftly from the sky with a piece of cloth in his mouth. Zhou Yanzhi took it down, his brow furrowing slightly as he looked at Wu Goulang and asked, "Where did you see that?"
This piece of cloth is gauze, and there are bloodstains on it. It must have been taken from Jie Xiangsi's left wrist.
Wu Goulang's small eyes darted around, and he made two soft "coo-coo" sounds before flapping his wings and flying away. Every now and then, he would turn back to look at Zhou Yanzhi, signaling him to follow.
A moment later, the group stopped in front of the governor's mansion.
Looking up at the plaque in front of him, Zhou Yanzhi's eyes were filled with murderous intent. With a slight gesture, everyone except Ji Feng quickly surrounded the governor's mansion.
The two exchanged a glance, then Ji Feng, knife in hand, stepped forward, knocked on the door, and called out, "Open the door! An envoy from the capital has arrived!"
No one answered.
A few breaths later, a knife was inserted through the crack in the door, directly prying open the latch. Ji Feng kicked the door open, and Zhou Yanzhi strode into the governor's mansion.
The lanterns under the eaves flickered on and off, swaying constantly in the wind.
Zhou Yanzhi drew his sword and looked around the mansion. The strange feeling in his heart continued to rise. The noise of their group breaking in was not quiet, but from beginning to end, no one from the governor's mansion came out.
quiet.
It's too quiet...
Suddenly, the wind began to blow.
Suddenly, several men in black, armed with crossbows, appeared from the surrounding eaves.
"careful!"
Zhou Yanzhi pushed Ji Feng, who was beside him, under the gatehouse, and with a backhand swing of his knife, he knocked down the arrows that were shooting from all directions. For a moment, the clanging and banging of metal could be heard incessantly.
As he swung the last arrow, a woman's cry of pain rang out from above. Hearing this, Zhou Yanzhi abruptly looked up at the tall building in the governor's mansion and shouted sharply, "Come out!"
As soon as the words were spoken, a woman's figure appeared on the high platform.
Jie Xiangsi's hands were bound behind her back, her eyes were still covered with a black cloth, an arrow was sticking out of her right shoulder, and her right side of her clothes was stained with blood.
She didn't know what the man had fed her, but she felt cold all over, as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.
The pain was so intense that the veins on Jie Xiangsi's neck bulged, and even breathing was excruciating. Unable to see, she could only look in the direction of the sound and shake her head with difficulty at the person.
Don't...come any closer...
Seeing her like this, Zhou Yanzhi's pupils shrank. He was about to step forward when, in the next second, a sharp arrow landed at his feet, and a sinister voice came from behind him.
"Master Zhou."
Zhou Yanzhi stared intently at the high platform and said coldly, "Zhang Xu."
A dark figure emerged from the shadows. In the dim firelight, Zhang Xu's lips curled slightly, making him appear even more terrifying, like a man-eating demon from legend.
The cold arrow grazed Xie Xiangsi's neck, the chilling touch making her involuntarily shrink back, but the space behind her was occupied, leaving her unable to move forward or backward.
Looking down at the people below, Zhang Xu slightly raised his head, his eyes filled with smugness.
"Lord Zhou, do you still remember me?"
Zhou Yanzhi remained silent.
He has never seen this person before, so how can he say whether he remembers him or not?
Seeing the unfamiliar look in Zhou Yanzhi's eyes, Zhang Xu's smile faltered, his lips gradually flattened, and a shadow fell over his eyes. He slowly said, "It seems that Lord Zhou doesn't remember. It's true that important people have bad memories."
Zhou Yanzhi spoke up: "What are you going to do?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Xu snorted coldly and said slowly, "I won't do anything."
He slightly raised his hand, and the next moment, a barrage of arrows swept in once again.
"grown ups!"
Ji Feng hurriedly stepped forward to help Zhou Yanzhi knock down the arrows, but despite their efforts, their strength was still too weak, and they inevitably got injured.
With the sound of blades clashing, people who had been scattered throughout the governor's mansion were thrown in, and everyone collapsed to the ground, trembling uncontrollably.
"grown ups……"
Zhang Xu raised his hand, and the gate of the governor's mansion was slammed shut with a "bang".
"I've taken care of these people for you, Zhang Xu. How are you going to thank me this time?" The person who spoke approached, revealing a gentle and refined face.
A handsome young man, tall and slender, with an elegant and refined air.
As the person approached, Zhou Yanzhi's tone was as cold as ice.
"Song Baiyu".
Dressed in a white robe, Song Baiyu walked slowly to Zhou Yanzhi, bowed to him, and said gently, "Lord Zhou."
His manners and behavior were so polite that no one could find fault with him. If Zhou Yanzhi hadn't been smart, he might have been fooled by his appearance.
Zhou Yanzhi glanced at the person from head to toe without making a sound, and his heart sank.
Logically speaking, he shouldn't be here right now. Could it be that something happened to Su Feng?
Before he could think further, Zhang Xu on the high platform spoke up and asked, "What do you want?"
Song Baiyu raised his eyes and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "I want you to lower the taxes in Danzhou this year. The people have it hard, and we officials should stop exploiting them."
This statement left most of the people present completely bewildered.
Isn't he a bad person? Why is he pretending to be a good person now?
Zhang Xu didn't react much, as if he was already used to it, and nodded, saying, "Okay." Then he added, "You're not allowed to interfere in my affairs."
Song Baiyu nodded readily, "Of course." Then he slowly walked to the side and gestured "please" to Zhang Xu, "Make yourself at home."
Seeing that everyone had left, Zhang Xu pushed Xie Xiangsi down from the platform. Looking at the disheveled Zhou Yanzhi not far away, he sneered, "I never thought that the upright and honorable Lord Zhou would have such a day."
Seeing that he wanted to step forward to snatch Jie Xiangsi, Zhang Xu stepped back slightly, and a crossbow arrow was gently pressed against the woman's slender neck. The person holding the crossbow revealed a wicked smile, "If you want her to live, you are not allowed to come forward."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanzhi paused and stopped in his tracks.
His gaze swept over the people on the ground, then landed on the person in front of Zhang Xu, and he said, "What do you want for you to let them go?"
Zhang Xu raised an eyebrow, his gaze falling on his knees, and said, "Kneel down."
"No!" Ji Feng hurriedly stepped forward to protect Zhou Yanzhi, spitting out, "Who do you think you are?!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Xu clicked his tongue impatiently. The next moment, a person who was trembling on the ground was pierced through the heart by a sharp sword and fell silent in an instant.
Upon hearing the sound, Zhou Yanzhi's lips pursed into a straight line.
Seeing that he didn't move, Zhang Xu raised his hand again, and with a "thud," another person was killed.
"Lord Zhou is truly cold-blooded. They've followed you for so long, and you still won't swallow your pride to save them. I really feel sorry for them..."
"I'll kneel."
Interrupting him, Zhou Yanzhi smirked, raised his eyes and stared straight at Zhang Xu. With a thud, his left knee slammed heavily to the ground.
Just as he was about to lower his right knee, a voice came.
"My lord, you mustn't kneel!"
A man with a blood-covered face stood up unsteadily, smiled at Zhou Yanzhi's gaze, and said, "In the thirty-eighth year of Zhaohua, when I went to the capital to work, I was bullied and it was you, sir, who helped me get justice. When something happened to my family, it was you, sir, who helped me settle my younger sister and elderly mother. From then on, I have been following you, sir."
As he said this, his eyes reddened slightly. "I have no way to repay your kindness, sir. It is absolutely impossible for me to watch you be coerced by villains."
Having said that, he suddenly pulled an arrow from the ground and flew it toward Zhang Xu, but the next second, a cold arrow pierced through his brow and instantly took his life.
Song Baiyu, who had just made the move, put down his bow and crossbow, met the gazes of the crowd, nodded gently, and said, "I'm sorry."
Zhang Xu gritted his teeth, "Why are you making such a fuss!"
As expected, seemingly provoked by the arrow, the people on the ground suddenly sprang up and rushed towards Zhang Xu and Song Baiyu.
"Damn it! Everyone, attack together! Avenge our lord and our brothers!"
"I refuse to be a coward!"
"..."
Zhou Yanzhi also quickly stood up, drew his sword, and slashed at the black-clad man who was attacking him.
The scene quickly descended into chaos again.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Xie Xiangsi also quickly kicked backward, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes as she sensed something.
Without a second thought, she steeled herself, and with a soft crack of bones, she abruptly pulled out her right hand, flicked a signal flare from her sleeve, and gritted her teeth as she pulled the fuse.
"Bang!"
With a loud bang, a dazzling firework exploded in the night sky.
Then, she was suddenly hugged. Xie Xiangsi struggled instinctively for a moment, and heard Zhou Yanzhi's anxious voice in her ear.
"Don't be afraid, it's me."
"Don't be afraid...don't be afraid..."
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