“Alright…” Zong Chen had barely finished answering when he suddenly looked up.
At the same moment, Feng Zhi Wei shouted sharply, “Who’s there?!” With a flick of her hand, the writing brush she held shot through the window like a flying arrow.
With a sharp clang, roof tiles shattered. There was the sound of something heavy falling onto the roof, followed by the sound of it getting back on its feet. Immediately afterward, the sound of rushing wind came from above and from all four directions. Feng Zhi Wei’s hidden guards were already giving chase.
Feng Zhi Wei raised her head and looked at the roof beams and noticed a faint light flashing. Her eyes narrowed, and she leapt onto the beam. Sure enough, she found two small mirrors hidden with extraordinary care. Both mirrors had been placed precisely where the light changed direction, both angled toward her writing desk. There was also a small, round opening on the side of the roof. If someone lay above it and used the mirrors to reflect the light, they would then be able to see what was happening below. Someone with extremely sharp eyesight could even make out what she was writing.
Moreover, the person did not need to lie directly above their heads, avoiding easy detection. The placement of these mirrors was meticulously calculated. Obviously, whoever had done this had come prepared, but for some reason had made a sound just now. Was it because the person had seen the direction in which she had pointed on the map at that particular moment?
There were very few people in the entire world capable of carrying out such an operation right under Feng Zhi Wei’s nose. Whoever it was had to be exceptionally skilled at stealth. Feng Zhi Wei and Zong Chen exchanged a glance. Neither spoke, but their eyes flashed in unison with an intention to kill.
After a long silence, Zong Chen said, “Tonight, the Dragon Slayer Gang behind the Chen Clan will definitely make a move. Do you think it could be…”
Feng Zhi Wei rolled up her sleeves and gazed at the withered bamboo outside trembling in the cold wind. There was a strange expression in her eyes. After a long while, she slowly shook her head.
==========
The night was at its coldest. The winter nights of Jianghuai were different from other places. The cold here was permeated by a bone-deep chill. Even if the day had been clear and sunny, once night fell, pale mists of water drifted everywhere. Moonlight shone down, and the ground reflected a faint, bluish shimmer.
The sound of a night watchman’s clapper sounded in the distance, seemingly stretched long and mournful in the dark night. The wind carried the faint sound of weeping. It was the Chen Clan, the clan reputed to be powerful enough to ‘shake half the city,’ holding a funeral for its patriarch.
*Whoosh, whoosh*
In the darkness, the faint sound of wind rushing through the night could be heard. Several figures silently shot out around the Provincial Administration Office and disappeared into the darkness, moving towards one direction with perfect coordination. Close behind them, several gray-clad figures emerged and kept tight on their trail like ghosts.
Although the figures fleeing ahead appeared to be running blindly in panic, in actuality, they were all making their way toward a certain place in the western part of the city.
And meanwhile, in the west of the city…
The gate of a large, imposing courtyard suddenly swung wide open. A crowd of tough-looking men in short-sleeved shirts, each carrying a blade, surged out. They all wore matching brown short-sleeved shirts, red belts, and black armbands. Their faces were solemn and exuded a faint murderous aura.
At the entrance, a single lantern cast a gloomy light over the couplet on either side of the gate. On the left was written, “The sword dances through eighty thousand miles of wind and rain.” On the right was written, “The sword pierces three thousand feet of mortal dust.”
The couplet was simple, yet its strokes were filled with the tension of drawn weapons and a menacing, murderous aura. Under the lantern light, the characters seemed as sharp as a blade.
The place looked somewhat like a martial-arts school. But in Jianghuai, many people knew this was actually the headquarters of the Dragon Slaying Gang, the power behind the wealthy Chen Clan of Jianghuai. The Dragon Slaying Gang wasn’t originally called the Dragon Slaying Gang, but was called the Prosperous Dragon Gang, and had been nothing more than a third-rate organization. It was said that two years ago, a lone swordsman stormed its mountain gate and defeated the head chief along with thirteen of its leaders, winning the whole gang’s allegiance and becoming the chief boss.
In just two short years, the gang had risen with astonishing speed, becoming the foremost gang in Jianghuai, and changed its name to the Dragon Slaying Gang. Naturally, a gang bearing such a brazen and rebellious name could not be publicly displayed, so there was no plaque above the headquarters’ gate. The couplet alone served as its representation. The Dragon Slaying Gang, colluding with powerful Jianghuai clans, held considerable influence over the local martial arts world. The last two years had certainly been glorious for it.
Someone brought out a large basket. Inside the basket were strips of fine black cloth. Most of the men silently walked over, took one, and tied it around their arms themselves. A middle-aged man stood silently beneath the lantern, staring toward the Provincial Administration Office for a long while, his expression shifted continuously.
The news of Master Chen having been disemboweled alive in open court at Shuiyue Manor had already spread. The young master of the Chen Clan had immediately gone to Dragon-Slaying Gang’s headquarters and dropped to his knees. For the Provincial Administration Office to make such a move was no different than delivering a resounding slap straight across the Dragon Slaying Gang’s face.
If the Dragon Slaying Gang was to swallow this insult, then how would they ever be able to hold their heads up in Jianghuai again?
Never in Jianghuai’s history had commoners dared to contend with those in office. But now, it was time to let those damned officials learn just what the Dragon Slaying Gang was capable of!
After a long while, the man gave a decisive wave of his hand.
Countless men in short jackets let out a low “Hah!” The deep, powerful sound reverberated through the chests of several thousand men at once, seemingly causing the very ground to shake and tremble.
A steady, rhythmic rustle of footsteps arose, rapidly scraping the ground as crowds of people continuously gathered from every direction, silently taking black cloth bands from the men at the gate. Then, like countless streams of black water, they poured into the alleys of Jianghuai’s provincial capital, converging finally in the direction of the Provincial Administration Office.
There were no passionate vows, no rousing slogans. Just silence filled with a somber and murderous aura. Not even a cough could be heard. The only noise was the crackling of flames, illuminating the countless shifting figures in the darkness of the night.
Precisely because of this, the Dragon Slaying Gang seemed to stand apart from ordinary street thugs. They possessed a calm and formidable strength of soldiers forged in blood and iron.
Black shadows, like poisonous water seeping into the blood veins of this city, converged from all directions and poured into the heart of Jianghuai’s provincial capital, the Provincial Administration Office.
By tomorrow, news of this earth-shattering upheaval would spread through the whole realm.
Even the composed man standing before the Dragon Slaying Gang’s headquarters could not suppress the gleam of excitement in his eyes.
The fastest group had already made it within an arrow’s throw of the dark Provincial Administration Office. Although they resembled soldiers more than thugs, but due to their large number and this being their first time carrying out such a bold assault on an official office, a certain amount of excitement simmering among the men was still unavoidable. As a result, none of them noticed that several figures had silently slipped into their ranks, followed by a few more who joined them just as quietly.
A bowshot away, the provincial administration commissioner’s residence loomed like a giant beast, crouching silently in the darkness. The lanterns at the front gate spun lazily in the wind. Beneath the lantern light, two soldiers bundled in thick padded winter coats stood clutching their long sabers, their eyes half-closed as they swayed drowsily, utterly ignorant of the danger that was silently drawing near.
As the night approached the third watch, more and more figures began emerging from the alleyways surrounding the commissioner’s residence, gradually encircling the vast estate.
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