Chapter 131 Guess, guess again
"Who?" Cui Yanwu shouted in a deep voice. As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of figures in black suddenly emerged from the surrounding courtyard walls.
They were all masked, only revealing pairs of fierce eyes, and landed without making a sound.
"Kill!" Someone shouted, and the men in black rushed forward, their blades aimed directly at the people in the courtyard, unleashing a deadly attack without holding back.
Cui Yanwu reacted extremely quickly, drawing his sword instantly. With a flash of cold light, he met the two men in black at the front.
His swordsmanship was bold and unrestrained, carrying the fierce spirit of years of guarding the border. When his blade clashed with his opponent's weapon, it produced a piercing metallic clang and sparks flew everywhere.
A man in black thrust a knife straight at his heart, but he dodged to the side. With a flick of his wrist, the blade sliced across the man's shoulder. With a clang, the arm still gripping the knife fell to the ground, and the man in black screamed as he collapsed.
Xie Ji's moves were swift and fierce, and his attacks were even more intense than his opponent's.
Three men in black attacked him simultaneously, but he was not afraid at all, and his sword strikes were all aimed at their vital points.
Avoiding the two attackers, and facing the black-clad man who was about to slit his throat, he swung his sword upwards with the force of the blow, the loud clang of which shook the surrounding air.
Amidst the flying sparks, the opponent's knife was actually cleaved in two, the broken blade flying out and embedding itself in the bricks of the corner of the courtyard wall, trembling precariously.
"Is that all you've got? You dare to block my way?" he shouted, leaping into the air and slashing at the head of the black-clad leader. The man blocked with his sword but was forced to retreat several steps.
Although Xiao Yunzhan was being protected behind them, he was not to be outdone. As his black robes fluttered, his sword danced, leaving a trail of afterimages.
Precisely intercepting the black-clad men rushing towards the inner circle, they forcefully carved out a defensive line amidst the chaos, blocking most of the attacks in the center of the courtyard and doing everything in their power to prevent the enemy from getting close to Pei Zhiwei and Manager Liu.
Pei Zhiwei and Xu Feng did not participate in the fight in the courtyard, but instead stayed close to the one-eyed man.
A man in black rushed around the battle circle. She bent down to avoid the blade, drew her dagger with lightning speed, and slashed at the man's calf. The man in black's legs buckled and he knelt on the ground. Xu Feng stepped forward and kicked him unconscious.
Although Xu Feng was not as skilled in martial arts as the others, he was calm and collected, and at some point he picked up a horizontal sword.
He used only the most practical fighting techniques from the military, slashing, cutting, blocking, and parrying. Every move was aimed at vital points, while he also perfectly defended his front line.
The one-eyed man was protected by two people, his back pressed tightly against the wall. He showed no panic, but his eyes were fixed on the enemy's movements.
The battle, though it happened in the blink of an eye, was exceptionally fierce. Dark red bloodstains quickly appeared on the stone ground in the courtyard, meandering along the cracks in the stone slabs, and the increasingly strong smell of blood filled the air.
More than half of the men in black were killed or wounded, but the remaining men remained fearless and their offensive showed no signs of abating.
Xiao Yunzhan forced back the man in black in front of him with a single slash, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw more dark figures surging outside the courtyard wall.
Without further hesitation, he bit his lower lip and whistled a sharp whistle.
The whistle shattered the afternoon tranquility, its sound carrying immense power.
Almost the instant the whistle blew, the doors and windows of Luanfeng Tower were pushed open at the same time, and countless guards dressed in tight-fitting clothes filed out.
Immediately afterwards, a large number of guards rushed out from the surrounding houses. They had been lying in ambush and now joined the battle like tigers descending a mountain.
The guards were all agile and worked in perfect coordination, quickly dividing and surrounding the remaining men in black.
The previously stalemate was instantly reversed, and the men in black's offensive was completely disrupted, leaving them only able to defend passively.
Xie Ji cut down the last man in black in front of him, panting heavily as he looked up and his gaze fell on the roof of a three-story building across the street.
There stood a man in black, tall and straight. Unlike the other masked men, he was not masked. His face was cold and stern, and his narrow eyes were fixed on the battle in the courtyard.
"Hey!" Xie Ji called out, his tone tinged with a hint of mockery.
"Guess why all of us are here together when we're just here to collect some evidence?"
The man in black on the roof didn't respond, but just squinted, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the courtyard as if searching for something.
Just then, a rapid sound of horses' hooves approached from afar, growing louder and louder, and the ground seemed to tremble slightly.
The man in black on the rooftop changed his expression and turned to look into the distance. He saw dust billowing as a sizable guard was rapidly advancing in their direction.
Knowing he couldn't wait any longer, he steeled himself, pulled a signal arrow from his waist, and shot it.
The whistling arrow shot straight into the sky, emitting a sharp whistling sound.
As the whistle-blowing arrow soared into the sky, another group of men in black rushed in from outside the courtyard wall.
This group of men in black were even more robust than the previous ones, their figures like iron towers, and their weapons were also heavier. They charged towards Xiao Yunzhan and the others as soon as they arrived.
Ignoring the obstruction of the surrounding guards, he only wanted to risk his life to get closer to the core battle circle.
"Watch out!" Pei Zhiwei suddenly shouted.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw that the man in black on the roof had drawn his bow and nocked an arrow. The arrow was wrapped in strips of oil-soaked cloth and was burning brightly. The target was the burly man in black who was closest to Xiao Yunzhan.
Xiao Yunzhan's eyes sharpened, and instead of retreating, he advanced and suddenly grabbed the arm of the burly man in black.
The flaming arrow grazed his shoulder and struck the ground with a "thud," sending sparks flying.
Before everyone could breathe a sigh of relief, the second rocket was launched, this time hitting the burly man in black who had been kicked away by Xie Ji.
The moment the man in black was hit by the rocket, a loud bang was heard, and his body was blown to pieces, with bits of flesh and wood flying everywhere.
"It's gunpowder!" Pei Zhiwei exclaimed in surprise.
Only then did everyone realize that these burly men in black, despite their imposing figures, were actually armed with bamboo tubes filled with gunpowder wrapped around their bodies. They weren't there to fight; they were living gunpowder bags.
The man in black on the rooftop launched a third rocket, a mocking smile playing on his lips: "Then, young master, guess why my master didn't see through such an obvious scheme?"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than several more men in black appeared on the rooftop, each with a bow drawn and arrows nocked, the arrows burning with flames, densely packed like fire dragons poised to unleash their power.
"Water it!" Xie Ji reacted quickly and shouted.
As soon as he finished speaking, all the windows of the Luanfeng Tower, as well as the windows of the four rooms, were opened wide at the same time.
The people from Wuhoupu were already waiting there, and now they all brought out water hoses, pouring a continuous stream of clean water into the courtyard.
They are all specially trained, and their watering angles are extremely precise, like a gentle rain falling.
Everyone in the courtyard, whether they were friendly or men in black, was soaked to the bone, their hair and clothes clinging to their bodies, looking utterly disheveled.
At the same time, the people from Wuhoupu quickly occupied the well in the courtyard and installed the pump.
Clear well water was continuously drawn out and sprayed into every corner of the courtyard, filling the air with moist moisture.
Xie Ji wiped the water droplets from his face, pointed the tip of his knife at the man in black on the roof, and shouted again, "Then guess why we had to resort to this tactic?"
Upon seeing this, the man in black on the rooftop's expression changed drastically, his eyes filled with disbelief and rage.
He originally thought that these rockets would be enough to ignite the gunpowder behind the men in black, and even if they couldn't kill Xiao Yunzhan and the others, they could still cause serious damage.
But to his utter surprise, the other side was well-prepared and completely extinguished the possibility of the rocket detonating with water.
There weren't many oil-soaked cloths wrapped around the arrows to begin with, and when they were doused with water, the flames instantly turned into sparks that, when they landed on the wet clothes, couldn't even ignite.
"Attack!" the man in black roared. With a wave of his hand, all the men in black on the rooftops simultaneously released their bowstrings, and a barrage of fire arrows, sparking and flying, shot towards the courtyard.
However, the rockets were greatly weakened by the misty spray, and most of them went out as soon as they hit the ground, unable to ignite the gunpowder behind the man in black.
Just then, the guards leaped up and landed on the roof like swallows, engaging in battle with the black-clad archers.
The guards were agile and coordinated, and quickly subdued the men in black on the roof. Screams rang out one after another, and men in black fell from the roof from time to time.
At this moment, the guards who came to provide support finally arrived. Holding long spears, they lined up and rushed into the courtyard, instantly joining the battle.
The remaining men in black were attacked from both sides and quickly collapsed, suffering heavy casualties.
Seeing this, Xie Ji leaped onto the roof as well.
Together with his bodyguards and guards, he quickly subdued the leader of the men in black.
The man in black was pinned to the roof by the guards, unable to move, his face filled with resentment and anger.
"Take him away!" Xie Ji shouted.
The guards, holding the leader of the men in black, leaped off the roof, brought him to the courtyard, and forced him to kneel on the ground.
The man in black raised his head, glaring fiercely at Xiao Yunzhan and the others, gritting his teeth as he said, "Don't think you've won just like that. This gunpowder..."
"Oh, so you're saying you still have a large amount of gunpowder hidden in the four corners of the city, and some of it is even hidden in the incense burner in the palace?" Xie Ji said casually, speaking before he could finish.
The man in black's pupils contracted sharply, his anger instantly replaced by shock. He stared at Xie Ji in disbelief, his lips trembling, "You... how did you know?"
Xie Ji chuckled, "If we hadn't discovered that the amount of gunpowder we found didn't match up, do you think we would have gone to all this trouble to lure you out?"
With a smile, he looked at the ashen-faced man in black and shouted, "Take them all away!"
The guards responded with a roar, their iron-like hands gripping the man in black, ready to drag him away.
Pei Zhiwei rushed to Xiao Yunzhan's side, her gaze sweeping over him inch by inch, her voice filled with undisguised urgency: "Are you injured?"
Looking at the worry in her eyes, Xiao Yunzhan felt a surge of warmth in his heart, and a gentle smile appeared on his lips.
He deliberately spun around twice, then patted his clothes with a hint of nonchalance: "Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine, not a scratch."
Before the words were finished, a sharp whoosh pierced the air!
A rocket engulfed in flames shot out from some unknown corner in the shadows, heading straight for the black-clad leader who was being escorted.
The arrow came so fast and so unexpectedly that by the time everyone realized what was happening, it was too late to intercept it!
"Watch out!" Pei Zhiwei exclaimed in alarm.
Cui Yanwu was a seasoned veteran who had been through many battles, and his reaction was incredibly fast. He suddenly reached out and grabbed Xie Ji by the back of his collar, and swung his arm hard.
Xie Ji was caught completely off guard and was thrown out, crashing heavily into the entrance of Luanfeng Tower.
Xiao Yunzhan acted almost instinctively, without the slightest hesitation.
He stretched out his long arm and suddenly pulled Pei Zhiwei into his arms, with such force that it seemed he wanted to embed her into his own bones and blood.
His broad back, like a sturdy shield cast in bronze and iron, completely protected the person in his arms, preventing even a wisp of wind from getting in.
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