At the same time, while the wealthy young men of the capital were suffering, a few equally unremarkable people checked into an inconspicuous inn in Qihuai County.
Inside a room deep in the upstairs corridor, the door was tightly shut.
Six people were sitting around the central round table.
They were dressed in clothing common in Qihuai County, and one of them even wore the same fur coat as Tang Huan.
If it weren't for their unusually cold and serious demeanor, they wouldn't have been noticed even walking down the streets of Qihuai County.
"Where's the fox? Hasn't it arrived yet?"
A round-faced man spoke up, asking coldly.
The others exchanged glances and all shook their heads.
Early this morning, the group dispersed and slipped into Qihuai County on their own. Of course, this was all the story they told each other after meeting at the inn; no one knew how they had managed to evade the checkpoints at the city gates.
The tiger in the lead had a gloomy face, and the fat on his round face trembled slightly.
"Greedy Wolf died by gunfire yesterday. If Fox also dies, there will only be six of us left!"
Taking advantage of Cui Yuanzhao's visit to Qihuai County, the Prime Minister specially dispatched eight of them to accompany him, and had privately instructed them to act according to circumstances.
As the bodyguards that Cui Renshi had raised in his mansion since childhood, they knew what their mission was and came here with great determination.
Before they even saw Tang Huan, two of them had already been killed, which angered the leader of the tigers.
"Is it safe here?" asked the man codenamed Leopard. "With Wolf dead, if something happens to Fox, Tang Huan could easily find out."
"It should be safe. The young master said that this shop is in a relatively remote area of Qihuai County. Not only are the prices high, but the service is also not good, so there are usually very few people coming here," one person said uncertainly.
Since returning from Qihuai County, Cui Yuanzhao has often talked about the situation there.
This store has been mentioned several times, and each time it gets criticized.
Their only knowledge of Qihuai County was this place, so they settled here.
"We can't wait any longer. Leopard, you stay at the inn. The rest of you go out and look for opportunities. Keep your eyes peeled and strike as soon as you get a chance. There's no need to wait for the others."
The tiger spoke in a grim tone, giving the order.
"clear!"
As the tiger got up, the remaining four people also stood up and then walked out of the room one after another.
Less than fifteen minutes later, there was a knock on the door in the corridor.
The voice also contained a faint, painful inquiry. Upon hearing this, the leopard's expression turned cold. He cautiously approached the door and then opened it a crack.
Upon closer inspection, they discovered someone approaching the door of the room they had booked next door, peering over to listen to something.
Without hesitation, the leopard attacked, closing in on its opponent.
It wasn't until it reached the enemy that the leopard recognized the bruised and battered man before it as its accomplice, the fox, whom it hadn't yet joined.
But the fist was already out of control and hit the opponent's abdomen directly.
After a painful cry of "Ouch!", the leopard helped the person into the room.
The two told each other about their situations and learned what their companion, who had been separated from the group for so long, had gone through.
According to him, he was targeted shortly after entering Qihuai County. The other party noticed that he was an outsider and kept sneaking around trying to sell him something.
The fox had no patience to listen, and later casually swung his hand, smashing the thing the other party was trying to sell.
Now look what's happened! They've been ripped off and are demanding two hundred taels of silver right off the bat.
As Cui Renshi's dead bodyguard, the fox was not one to be trifled with and immediately retaliated.
Unfortunately, the other party was a skilled vendor who later summoned two passing accomplices, forcing the fox to flee in a sorry state.
"If they hadn't held back and hadn't gone all out, I'm afraid I wouldn't be seeing you now," the fox said, still shaken.
His words, spoken from his miserable state, undoubtedly carried great persuasive power.
Leopard stroked the bluish stubble on his chin and pondered, "It seems this matter is not so simple. There are many dangers hidden in Qihuai County. We must proceed with caution."
After leaving the inn, Lion, the assassin, broke away from the group and inquired about the location of the county government office as he approached the area.
This was a young man who was nearly thirty years old, very tall, with a long face.
His appearance and physique are more like a giraffe than his codename, Lion.
After approaching the government office, the lion sat down not far from it.
He carefully observed his surroundings while quietly approaching the entrance of the government office.
To avoid attracting attention, he deliberately smeared mud on the ground and then on his clothes and body, not even sparing his face.
After dressing up like this, he looked even more like a beggar.
Wearing this lion-like appearance, he arrived at the entrance of the government office, intending to pretend to be a desperate person trying to find out some information.
In his view, the officials in the government office would surely lend a helping hand to someone as down on his luck, which would give him an opportunity.
At this moment, there was only one idle man at the entrance of the government office. He stood there looking around aimlessly, and when the lion approached, he immediately turned his gaze towards it.
His gaze was somewhat gloomy.
The lion suspected it had been exposed, but felt it didn't make sense.
He steeled himself and approached, pleading, "My lord, please help me..."
He had barely uttered a few words when the man opposite him suddenly attacked.
The lion was bowing its head to curry favor, and caught off guard, it was kicked in the shoulder, staggering back several steps.
"Where did this idiot come from? Do you really think I, Du Ruhai, am as stupid as you? If you're going to pretend, at least do it convincingly. There aren't any beggars left in Qihuai County these days. Tell me, who are you?"
Because of his previous mistakes, Du Ruhai angered Tang Huan and was banished to guard the city.
You can earn some money, but there's no room for advancement.
Later, after Du Ruhai pleaded for him repeatedly, and Qin Yuyang said a few words out of consideration for their previous kindness, Tang Huan finally allowed him to stay and guard the gate of the government office.
Du Ruhai was already feeling rather troubled lately, and then this fool of a man pretended to approach the government office. Of course, he didn't give him a friendly look.
"So that's how it is..."
The lion straightened up and looked over with a gloomy gaze.
At the same time, he reached for his waist and pulled out a dagger.
“Even if I kill you, I can still get into the government office.”
Du Ruhai asked irritably, "Really?"
As he spoke, he pulled a dark weapon from his pocket.
The lion opposite took one look and ran away without turning its head.
With a loud bang, the lion felt a chill run down its spine.
His body trembled briefly, then he continued to flee forward in an awkward posture, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.
Du Ruhai glanced at the bloodstains on the ground and said in a deep voice, "Could it be that the assassins have found their way to Qihuai County?"
He didn't think this person approached the government office for anyone else's sake; it could only be for the sake of the officials.
"We absolutely cannot afford to make a mistake this time!"
Without hesitation, Du Ruhai turned and walked into the government office, intending to report the news and have his punishment revoked.
"Damn assassins, I'll make it all my doing!" Du Ruhai muttered as he walked.
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