Chapter 111 The Scholar Who Favored His Concubine Over His Wife (Part 3): Carrying on Pure Love to the End...
Xiao Yunzhan's expression was solemn as he spoke in a deep voice, "It seems that the divination of that gentleman was indeed accurate. Lianyun, quickly pass down the order: the wind is strong and the dark clouds are thick, there is a risk of heavy rain. Have everyone find a safe place to take shelter from the wind and rain."
"Yes, Master!" Lian Yun accepted the order and quickly turned to leave.
At this moment, the leader of the assassins, who was lying in ambush behind the rocks, darkened his eyes. He looked up at the gloomy sky, waved to his trusted subordinate, and asked with a frown, "Why is the Fourth Prince and the others still nowhere to be seen? It's been so long, could something have happened to them?"
A trusted subordinate quickly stepped forward and explained, "Leader, I have already sent men to scout ahead. I expect news will arrive soon."
The leader of the assassins nodded slightly, then instructed his trusted subordinate, "Alright, the weather doesn't look good; something might go wrong. Go and check it out yourself. We absolutely cannot fail the important task entrusted to us by our master. Otherwise, none of us can bear the responsibility."
"Yes, leader!"
As soon as the leader of the assassins finished speaking, large raindrops pelted the ground, and a torrential downpour instantly engulfed the world. A thick curtain of rain suddenly covered the sky and earth, and everything became hazy and indistinct.
Xiao Yunzhan and his group were prepared and hurriedly ran towards a nearby cave where they could take shelter from the wind and rain. Lian Yun followed closely beside Xiao Yunzhan, scanning the surroundings warily while urging the group to speed up.
The rain quickly soaked through the clothes of the assassins who were hiding there. The leader of the assassins wiped the rainwater that kept sliding down his cheeks and cursed the damned weather under his breath.
Just then, the two assassins who had gone to scout ahead rushed back. They were both soaking wet and quickly ran to their leader, kneeling on one knee.
"Chief! The road ahead has been washed away by the heavy rain! Several sections of the mountain have been loosened by the downpour! If the Fourth Prince and the others are still behind, they are very likely to be caught in a landslide!" the messenger reported, panting heavily.
Before the leader of the assassins could speak, his trusted subordinate beamed with joy and whispered, "Leader, this is truly heaven's help! If the Fourth Prince and the others had perished in the landslide, we wouldn't have needed to take action ourselves! Once the rain subsided, we could return to the capital to report. Even if the Fourth Prince miraculously escaped, we could claim it was a warning from heaven. I'm sure our master has his own plans."
"Fools!" The leader of the assassins glared at his trusted subordinate and said sternly, "What if the Fourth Prince and his men have avoided this landslide, or changed their route? How will we then complete the crucial mission of intercepting and killing them entrusted to us by our master?" After saying that, he quickly turned to the two scouts who had come to report the news and said coldly, "Have you seen the Fourth Prince's group?"
The two assassins exchanged a glance. One of them hesitated and said cautiously, "Leader, the rain is too heavy, and our vision is obstructed. It is really difficult for us to find any trace of the Fourth Prince and his party."
"Do you know if there's any other way for them to get through this place?" the leader of the assassins demanded.
"Reporting to the leader, as far as I know, besides this main road, there is also a rugged mountain path. However, that path is extremely narrow and rarely used. In this downpour, I'm afraid it will be even more difficult to traverse," another person quickly replied.
The leader of the assassins gazed at the rain on the horizon, secretly calculating in his heart: Time is of the essence now. If they wait for the Fourth Prince and his party to leave this place, it will be much more difficult to find another opportunity to strike.
A moment later, the leader of the assassins sternly ordered his trusted subordinates, "You immediately select ten brothers to search along that path for any trace of the Fourth Prince and his men. I will lead the rest to guard this place; we must not let them leave alive!"
The trusted subordinates received the order, quickly mustered their men, and hurried toward the path. Soon, the group disappeared into the rain.
At this moment, Xiao Yunzhan and his group had already hidden in the cave.
“Master, judging from the intensity of the rain, it seems unlikely to stop anytime soon. I would like to take a few brothers to guard the cave entrance in case of any unforeseen circumstances,” Lian Yun said respectfully.
Xiao Yunzhan nodded slightly and said in a deep voice, "Go. If there is anything unusual, report back immediately."
"Yes, Master!" Lian Yun accepted the order and turned to walk towards the cave entrance.
On the other side, the trusted subordinate led ten brothers, struggling along a mountain path. The path was already rugged, and the torrential rain had made it even more muddy and difficult to traverse. The assassins trudged forward, their progress extremely slow. Suddenly, one of the assassins slipped and tumbled down a steep slope.
Fortunately, the assassin beside him reacted quickly and grabbed him. After regaining his balance, the assassin hurriedly thanked him, saying, "Thank you, Brother Feng. If it weren't for you today, I'd probably be dead."
The assassin surnamed Feng waved his hand and whispered, "Brother Chen, no need to thank me. In this damn weather, it's best to be careful."
The assassin surnamed Chen, who had almost fallen, complained, "That's right! This path is impossible to walk on. The Fourth Prince is used to a life of luxury; how could he possibly walk in a place like this?"
Upon hearing this, the trusted subordinate glared at the Chen-surname assassin and scolded, "Shut your mouth! The mission our master gave us must be completed, even if it means facing mountains of knives and seas of fire! You all need to pay attention, do you understand?"
"Yes, yes!" the assassins replied in unison.
As the group struggled along the path, the assassin at the front suddenly raised his hand, signaling them to stop. He squinted, seemingly sensing something moving ahead through the rain.
The trusted subordinates hurried forward and looked in the direction the assassin pointed. They saw several warhorses looming in and out of the rain and mist at a bend not far ahead.
"Could it be that the Fourth Prince's men are hiding here?" The trusted subordinate's heart tightened suddenly, and he whispered to the assassin beside him, "Be careful, everyone. You, go back and report to the leader immediately! The rest of you, come with me to investigate, but don't alert them!"
"Yes!" The assigned assassin accepted the order and quickly turned to leave.
The trusted subordinates led the remaining warriors, gradually approaching the location of the warhorses. Upon closer inspection, they found only five or six unridden warhorses, their packs still on the saddles, but no riders in sight.
These were indeed the warhorses of the Fourth Prince's entourage, but why were there only so many? Where were the rest? His trusted subordinate frowned, a sense of foreboding creeping into his heart. He immediately ordered in a low voice, "Split up and search the area. See if there's anyone around here."
Upon hearing this, the assassins quickly scattered and began searching the mountains and forests.
Meanwhile, at the cave entrance, Lian Yun, who was guarding the entrance, ran in with a solemn expression and knelt on one knee to report: "Master, someone from down below just reported that they heard some strange noises not far away. After going to investigate, they found that the warhorses that you had ordered us to leave on the path had been found by someone."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yunzhan suddenly opened his eyes. "Did you see who it was?"
Lian Yun shook his head, looking ashamed: "The rain is too heavy, obstructing our vision. We are incompetent. But we are certain that they have come with ill intentions."
Xiao Yunzhan stood up, paced back and forth in the cave a few times, and after thinking for a moment, said, "Lianyun, you take some men and observe them secretly to see if they have any accomplices. If they are enemies and not friends, then there is no need to show mercy."
"Yes, Master! I will take the iron mines with me immediately. If necessary, I will make sure they never return." Lian Yun sneered.
"Alright, go ahead!" Xiao Yunzhan waved his hand.
Not long after, the assassin who had been sent back to report returned limping to the place where the assassin leader and others were lying in ambush.
The leader of the assassins frowned deeply upon seeing the messenger's pale face. "Did you encounter the Fourth Prince's men? Where are the others?"
The messenger shook his head with difficulty, his breath unsteady, and said, "No...we didn't encounter them. During our search, we found several stray warhorses, and the lord sent his men back to inform you that the Fourth Prince and his men were very likely hiding nearby."
The leader of the assassins nodded slightly and then asked, "If that's the case, how did you get all these injuries?"
"Your subordinate... Your subordinate accidentally missed a step and fell down..." the messenger replied cautiously.
"Useless!" The leader of the assassins was annoyed. He immediately stood up, summoned his men to meet with his confidants, and ignored the wounded assassin, leaving him to collapse on the spot.
Meanwhile, Lian Yun and his men stealthily made their way to the vicinity of the path. Although the rain was gradually subsiding, they dared not relax their guard. One of the shorter guards gripped the hilt of his sword tightly at his waist and said fiercely, "If we really run into those assassins, I, Old Tie, will make sure they don't leave alive!"
Lian Yun nodded slightly and gestured for silence. As they approached the warhorses, they could vaguely see several dark figures moving in the rain.
"Commander, when do we make our move?" Lao Tie asked in a low voice.
Lian Yun stared intently ahead and said in a deep voice, "The master instructed us to wait a little longer, as these people may have accomplices."
The group patiently waited in the rain for half an hour. Finally, a sharp-eyed guard whispered, "Look! Someone's coming!"
Sure enough, nearly thirty men in black rushed over. The men in black who had been waiting immediately stepped forward and whispered something to their leader who had rushed over.
"Move!" Lian Yun ordered softly. The group quickly dispersed and deftly placed the iron mines one by one. Fortunately, there was a hidden cave nearby. After lighting the fuse, Lian Yun and the others rushed towards the cave, which they had scouted beforehand.
The leader of the assassins frowned, staring at the several well-fed warhorses before him, his eyes darting around the surroundings with a growing unease. He always trusted his intuition, and immediately shouted, "Something's wrong here! Retreat!"
However, no sooner had he finished speaking than, with a deafening roar, the iron mines that Lian Yun and the others had placed exploded. Immediately afterward, countless rocks and soil tumbled down the hillside, the huge boulders colliding with each other with dull thuds.
The assassins watched in horror at the scene before them. Some shouted, but their voices were drowned out by the deafening roar of the landslide. Others tried to escape, but tripped over the mud and were instantly buried by the surging mudslide.
The once fearless black-clad assassins were now filled with terror. Their leader panicked; he was about to flee when his trusted subordinate grabbed him, crying out, "Leader! Save me! Save me!"
In the midst of this tug-of-war, a flying stone struck the leader of the assassins heavily on the forehead, causing him to scream and fall to the ground.
Upon seeing this, his trusted subordinate was terrified and lost all composure. He no longer cared about his leader who was lying on the ground. He gritted his teeth and ran forward as fast as he could.
He was running too fast and too hastily, and before he knew it, he tripped over another boulder and fell to the ground. By the time he scrambled to his feet, a deluge of rocks was already raining down on him! His eyes widened in disbelief, but there was no escape.
The man-made landslide lasted for quite some time before gradually subsiding. The once tranquil forest was now a scene of utter devastation, littered with buried trees, boulders, and the gruesome remains of the fallen warriors. The once winding path was completely buried by the rocks, reduced to ruins.
After a long time, long enough that the heavy rain had stopped, Lian Yun and the others hurriedly returned to the cave to report: "Master, all those assassins have been buried by the landslide, and there are no survivors."
Xiao Yunzhan stepped out of the cave, his gaze fixed on the ruins. He said in a deep voice, "Lianyun, immediately send men to thoroughly clean up the surrounding area and see if there are any survivors. If we can capture one or two alive, find a way to get them to talk. Once we return to the capital, some people will be getting restless."
"Yes, Master!"
Meanwhile, far away in Qizhou, Song Ce heard the middleman in front of him loudly proclaiming: "Chen Yiquan, a commoner of Qizhou County, has sold his property, calculated at three taels and two qian per foot, based on the land area. The total value of the property is six hundred taels. The property and land were handed over on the same day! Mr. Song, do you have any questions about this?"
Song Ce smiled and shook his head, saying loudly, "No doubt about it."
"Alright! This deal is settled!"
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Author's Note: [Newbie] went out today, a little late (smoothly kneels down)
The final part about buying a house drew some historical inspiration [applause].
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