Zhou Gu felt a sinking feeling in his heart. He knew that bringing these two back to the Capital City wouldn’t be easy. He drew his sword ’Frost’ from his belt and immediately unleashed a ray of Sword Light, killing the assassin in front of him. Simultaneously, Ziye struck, killing another before him. Despite Zhou Gu and Ziye’s swift and decisive action, the death of two assassins did not deter the others who continued their assault without fear. Countering their attack had no effect, it was as if they had been given a stern order to risk their lives to kill Wang Su and Guang Zhen, even if it meant killing Zhou Gu in the process.
Zhou Gu undertook his journey urgently, bringing with him only more than ten guards from the Duke Residence. Similarly, He Zheng had also chosen a small team of Imperial Guards he trusted. The remains were left behind in the Capital City. Now, both their forces combined numbered in the mere twenties, whereas there were hundreds of black-clothed assassins who, judging from their reckless attacks, were clearly prepared to die for their cause.
Such assassins would not cease until they achieved their objective.
He Zheng shouted with a pale face, "Zhou Gu, you go first!"
Zhou Gu glanced at him from the corner of his eye. If he could escape, he would naturally take Wang Su and flee. But considering their number advantage, the assassins were effectively encircling them. He feared that he might not be able to escape unless he handed over Wang Su and Guang Zhen to be killed. Perhaps then they would spare him and He Zheng.
But being a coward was not in Zhou Gu’s nature. He couldn’t just hand over people to be killed without putting up a fight.
He could only hope that upon receiving the news, the Crown Prince would send aiding troops. He would resist as long as he could.
The abilities of He Zheng and the Imperial Guards were naturally not on par with Zhou Gu, Ziye, and the elite guards of the Duke Residence. Zhou Gu’s guards were all brothers in arms who trained together since childhood, working in unison. The Imperial Guards, although well trained in martial arts, were mostly the competent sons of officials. They were no match for specially trained assassins, especially not when outnumbered.
Therefore, He Zheng and his Imperial Guards were the first to falter, while Zhou Gu and Ziye were injured trying to protect Wang Su and Guang Zhen strapped on their horses.
After his right arm was stabbed, Zhou Gu skillfully shifted his sword to his left hand, surprising the assassins by killing two more with his swift moves.
The Imperial Guards could no longer bear the onslaught and began to fall. He Zheng, gritting his teeth in pain, saw Zhou Gu’s dangerous situation and shouted, "Zhou Gu, go! Don’t worry about those guys on the horses, just leave!"
Zhou Gu, a young master of the Duke Residence, had been investigating with him. If He Zheng were to die here, it would cause an uproar.
Therefore, he would rather lose Wang Su and Guang Zhen than have Zhou Gu be harmed. Because if Zhou Gu was hurt, even if He Zheng survived, it would be as good as death to him.
Zhou Gu gritted his teeth; the Crown Prince’s reinforcements had not arrived. They either hadn’t received the news quickly enough, or they had been held up. Was he really going to die here for the sake of these two monks?.
He didn’t want his life to end so meaninglessly. If he died for this cause, he would fail his grandfather who had invested a lot in him. He would fail his grandmother, mother, and siblings. And, above all, he would disappoint Su Rong, who had broken off their engagement.
As he thought of Su Rong, unwilling to let things go down this way, he untied Wang Su from his horse and threw him towards the edge of the Official Road. The throw was long and hard, and with a "thud," Wang Su hit the ground and lost consciousness from the impact.
Ziye did the same, throwing Guang Zhen in the opposite direction to Wang Su. After another loud "thud," Guang Zhen too passed out.
With both hands free to fight, Zhou Gu shouted "Run!" But before his words fell, the black-clothed assassins were already lunging forward with their swords. Clearly, they had no intention of letting him escape.
Zhou Gu realized the gravity of the situation. Whether these people could kill Wang Su and Guang Zhen or not, it had become clear that they were determined to kill him. Thus, he concluded that they were after the monks and him alike.
He Zheng’s expression changed at this, as he was stabbed in the waist and fell off his horse, nearly losing the strength to stand.
Zhou Gu managed to break off, swiftly moving to He Zheng’s aid and quick to draw his sword, he successfully saved him.
Before He Zheng could Zoudout a word of thanks, several more Sword Lights were already coming toward them. He shouted, "Zhou Gu, you run! Don’t mind me."
How could Zhou Gu leave him behind? He killed another assassin and seized his weapon, wielding two swords simultaneously. Despite the injury to his right arm, he managed to slay several more assassins.
Seeing that Zhou Gu refused to leave, He Zheng gritted his teeth and readied his sword to fend against the encircling assassins. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺
For a time, blades flickered and blood clouded over the scene, it was a do-or-die battle. An intense fight ensued, with lives hanging in the balance.
Fen Ling and his men rushed to the scene only to find the desperate situation Zhou Gu and He Zheng were in. Although they had only stopped for breakfast on their journey, the matter had escalated to such dire straits.
He breathed a sigh of relief, glad that their master had cleverly predicted the danger Zhou Gu would face upon his return to the capital, sending him and his men as reinforcements. As he assessed the precarious situation, he realized that if they had been even slightly delayed, Zhou Gu’s life would have been in grave danger.
Fen Ling reached the scene immediately and dismounted from his horse. He first used his sword to rescue Zhou Gu, then quickly spun around to rescue Ziye. In an instant, he threw several gold needles, killing more than ten black-clothed assassins, thereby temporarily suspending the crisis for Zhou Gu, He Zheng, and Ziye.
This dramatic turn of events astonished He Zheng, who blinked at Fen Ling, his eyes wide in disbelief. He could not understand how Fen Ling had managed to kill so many assassins in a blink of an eye.
Zhou Gu was also taken aback. He hadn’t expected Fen Ling to be the one to rescue him. He pursed his lips but remained silent.
With Fen Ling’s arrival, the tides of battle changed. Fen Ling’s guards quickly encircled the black-clothed assassins, reversing their roles. The situation abruptly shifted, and the assassins found themselves on the receiving end of an attack.
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