Chapter 45 Night Battle
When the red light exploded in the direction of Suzhou, Pei Zhiwei and Xiao Yunzhan exchanged a glance on the rooftop, both seeing astonishment in each other's eyes.
Before they could think it through, the village below suddenly erupted in chaos.
Shouts and footsteps mingled in a chaotic mess as men, carrying knives in one hand and torches in the other, darted in all directions.
Several men in short-sleeved shirts shouted at the top of their lungs, "A white rainbow pierces the sun, let's go! A white rainbow pierces the sun, let's go!"
Pei Zhiwei had never heard such a strange explanation before, and subconsciously asked Xiao Yunzhan, "Is this... a code? It doesn't sound like a normal cry for help during a fire."
Xiao Yunzhan: "Never heard of it. But judging from their appearance, they're definitely not really putting out a fire."
The two men lay on the roof ridge and looked down. Sure enough, they saw that the gang members were running even faster. Some of them had already started setting fires everywhere with torches. There was no panic in their eyes, but rather a fierce look.
"Something's not right." Xiao Yunzhan caught a glimpse of a group of gang members running towards the woodshed with torches in their eyes, and suddenly stood up, bracing himself against the roof tiles.
Pei Zhiwei also stood up, following his gaze.
The three gang members had already surrounded the corner of the woodshed, and the one in front raised his hand and pressed the torch onto the dry haystack.
"boom!"
The hay catches fire easily, and the night wind carries the sparks in all directions.
Immediately afterwards, the same sounds came from the stables in the backyard and the storeroom in the front yard. Flames licked at the wooden beams and shot upwards, thick smoke and sparks rose up, and in the blink of an eye, half of the village was covered.
Pei Zhiwei's heart sank. She grabbed Xiao Yunzhan's sleeve and said in a tight voice, "It's arson! They're going to burn the whole manor down!"
"And the secret passage in the woodshed!" She suddenly remembered something and spoke even faster. "That passage is poorly ventilated. If a fire breaks out, the girls locked up underneath will either suffocate or be choked to death by the thick smoke!"
Xiao Yunzhan immediately gripped the flag fire tube in his hand and spun it sharply.
As a white light pierced the night and exploded against the inky sky, he had already grabbed Pei Zhiwei's wrist.
Although he spoke quickly, he showed no sign of panic.
"I'll stop the people who are going to set fire to the woodshed. You hurry up and open the door in the secret passage."
Remember, don't fight recklessly. If things get really bad, protect yourself first. I'll find a way to support you.
Pei Zhiwei nodded and replied, "I know."
With a light touch of his toes on the roof ridge, his figure darted like a swallow skimming the night sky, and in a few leaps he reached the eaves of the woodshed, bending down and slipping into the secret passage entrance in the corner of the wall.
Xiao Yunzhan went around from the other side and happened to run into the first member of the gang who was about to throw a tinderbox onto the door of the woodshed.
Without any further movement, he raised his foot and kicked the man in the lower back.
The gang members pounced on the haystack. The remaining gang members, seeing his luxurious clothes yet his swift and decisive actions, were initially stunned, but then their faces turned fierce, and they surrounded him with their knives raised.
The knife gleamed coldly in the firelight, making the ruthlessness in their eyes even more intense.
"Where did this brat come from, daring to meddle in the affairs of the Taihu Gang?" The leader wiped his face, pointed his knife at Xiao Yunzhan, and said, "Today we'll make you die in this fire, to be our scapegoat!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than he swung his knife at Xiao Yunzhan's chest, the blade whistling through the air with tremendous force.
Xiao Yunzhan dodged to the side, and taking advantage of the moment when the other party sheathed his sword, he reached out and grabbed his wrist bone, twisting it sharply to the outside.
With a soft "clang," the gang member screamed and let go, the knife clattering onto the stone slab.
Xiao Yunzhan didn't stop. He slammed his knee into the man's abdomen, and the gang member curled up on the ground like a lump of mud, motionless.
Seeing this, the other two gang members exchanged a glance and rushed forward from the left and right. One attacked from above, striking his shoulder, while the other attacked from below, sweeping his ankle, trying to trap him in the middle.
Just then, footsteps sounded from the backyard again, and four gang members carrying torches rushed over, shouting, "Quickly burn down the woodshed! The leader said, don't let anyone inside escape!"
Xiao Yunzhan's heart tightened.
He had to deal with these people quickly; Pei Zhiwei had already entered the secret passage.
This is a woodshed. Once it's lit, it will burn too fast. If it collapses, they won't be able to get out.
With a flick of his toe, he lifted the knife that the gang member had dropped onto the ground into the air and caught it firmly.
Just as the gangster's knife was about to reach him, he used the back of his blade to deflect it from below, stepped forward with his right foot, and slashed horizontally with his hand in an arc. Blood splattered everywhere, and the gangster groaned before falling to the ground.
Suddenly, a flash of fire streaked across the sky. Xiao Yunzhan instinctively dodged, and the arrow, still burning, struck the haystack, causing flames to leap up to about half a person's height.
Just as Xiao Yunzhan was about to put out the fire, a gust of wind swept from his right. He instinctively dodged backward, but his sleeve was still slashed open, and the cold wind rushed in, chilling his skin.
"Damn it, let's fight him!" Seeing their companions fall one after another, the gang members went berserk, brandishing their knives and charging forward recklessly, their blades flashing wildly, truly displaying a fearless attitude.
While dealing with the situation, Xiao Yunzhan retreated towards the door of the woodshed.
He must guard this entrance and not let anyone get close.
On the other side, as soon as Pei Zhiwei entered the secret passage, a strong smell of sesame oil made her cover her nose.
"Hurry up! The master said to burn it clean to avoid trouble, and don't let the little hussy inside escape!" A rough, hoarse voice came from the front.
Pei Zhiwei felt a chill run down her spine. Just now, at the top of the secret passage, it was this same voice that said they wanted to "have some fun first and then kill those girls."
She looked up and saw a scarred-faced gang member holding a tinderbox, about to throw it at the iron gate.
Behind that iron gate was the secret room where the girls were imprisoned.
Without thinking much, Pei Zhiwei lightly touched the damp stone wall with her toes, leaped upwards, and landed right behind Scarface.
Taking advantage of his momentary lapse in attention, he snatched the tinder from his hand and slammed it against the wall. The tinder hit the still-leaking wall and went out completely.
"Where did this little wench come from, daring to ruin my business?" Scarface turned around, his scars looking even more ferocious in the dim light.
He placed his hand on the hilt of the knife and yanked it out. "Today I'll show you what happens when you meddle in other people's business!"
The other three gang members also realized what was happening and immediately surrounded them.
The secret passage was already narrow, only wide enough for two people to walk side by side. With four people surrounding them, Pei Zhiwei even had difficulty turning around.
She twirled the short blade in her hand, staring intently at the scarred man. "You lured the girls here, hid them, and tortured them. Now you want to burn them alive? Aren't you afraid of divine retribution?"
"Divine retribution?" Scarface sneered, swinging his knife toward her face.
"When I was in the underworld, you were still nursing in your mother's arms!"
If Heaven truly had eyes, it would have taken me away long ago!
Pei Zhiwei quickly turned to the side, the blade grazing her shoulder before striking the stone wall.
She slashed the short blade in her hand in the opposite direction at Scarface's arm. Scarface cried out in pain as blood gushed from his upper arm, dripping down the blade.
When the gang members saw that Pei Zhiwei had injured Scarface, they immediately rushed over.
One person attacked her waist from the left, and another attacked her legs from the right.
Pei Zhiwei had no room to dodge and could only retreat.
Her back slammed against the iron gate with a thud, and the icy touch had barely touched her when the knife from her right saw her retreat and changed its move in mid-air, cutting a gash directly into Pei Zhiwei's arm at a tricky angle.
Blood immediately flowed out, dripping down his forearm.
Just as she was about to retaliate, a cloud of thick smoke billowed into the secret passage.
Pei Zhiwei couldn't help but cough, tears streaming down her face, and her vision began to blur.
She felt a pang of panic. Xiao Yunzhan was guarding the woodshed alone, outnumbered and outmatched, which was too much for him. She didn't know what the situation was like now.
Seeing her panic, the scarred man grinned even more maliciously.
"Hurry up? Trying to save the little hussy inside? Too late!"
"If the smoke gets any thicker, they'll all choke to death. Then we'll seal the secret passage entrance, and who knows how many innocent souls are buried in this village?"
Pei Zhiwei didn't reply. Enduring the burning pain in her throat, she suddenly rushed towards the gang members on the right.
Caught off guard, the man hurriedly dodged to the side, but bumped into the scarred man, and both of them staggered and almost fell.
She darted behind Scarface and thrust her short blade toward his back.
Scarface hadn't expected her to be so fast. He tried to dodge, but he was still stabbed.
With a scream, he fell to the ground, his hand still reaching for the knife that had fallen to the side.
Pei Zhiwei stepped on the back of his hand with a "crack" sound, and his fingers curled up into a ball, unable to move anymore.
The remaining two gang members looked on in panic as they saw Scarface dead.
They exchanged a glance, then charged forward with their knives raised.
Pei Zhiwei sidestepped the first person's knife and simultaneously used his short blade to parry the second person's knife.
The other person was much stronger than her; the blade pressed down on her wrist until it went numb, and her arm was trembling slightly.
She gritted her teeth and persevered.
Just then, the scarred man on the ground suddenly looked up, grabbed her ankle, and tried to pull her down.
Using the force, Pei Zhiwei flipped herself upwards and kicked him in the face with her other foot.
Scarface grunted and released his grip, blood immediately flowing from his nose.
Before she could regain her footing, a sharp pain shot through her back. Pei Zhiwei staggered forward a few steps and turned to kick away a knife that was coming at her lower body.
The smoke grew thicker and thicker, and she coughed so hard she could barely breathe; everything in her vision began to sway.
She knew she couldn't delay any longer; the girl inside was still waiting, and Xiao Yunzhan was still outside.
She suddenly rushed towards the gang member on her left, her short blade pointed directly at his chest.
The man quickly raised his hand to block, but she suddenly ducked and slashed his knee with her short blade. Blood splattered out, and the man screamed and fell to his knees.
She struck successfully and didn't pause. She took a step back, turned around, and dodged a knife. With a backhand, she severed the opponent's tendons. The man's knife clattered to the ground, and he clutched his hand, howling in pain.
"Open the door! We're here!"
Suddenly, screams and cries of girls echoed from deep within the secret passage: "Help us! Open the door!"
Pei Zhiwei's heart tightened, and she turned around to cut the iron chain on the iron gate.
The short blade struck the iron chain, cutting a crack. Before she could strike a second time, a gust of wind from behind her came.
It's Scarface! He was lying on the ground pretending to be dead, waiting for this opening.
At that moment, he raised his knife and slashed at her back, his eyes filled with ruthlessness, as if he wanted to tear her to pieces.
Pei Zhiwei turned around and blocked, and with a crisp "clang", the force of the two blades colliding made her arm go numb, and the short blade almost slipped from her hand.
She stumbled back two steps, her back slamming heavily against the iron gate, causing her to gasp in pain.
The scarred man grinned maliciously as he pressed forward, his blade still against her short sword, his strength increasing. "Little wench, today I'll make you die with everyone inside! Even in the underworld, someone will be buried with you!"
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