Chapter 45: Ling Yunkai's Death!

"Someone is here." As the sky had already grown dark, Shen Lian and Ling Yunkai appeared outside Bei Zhai's courtyard.

Ling Yunkai lowered his voice and said, "That's even better. They might be Bei Zhai's accomplices."

Shen Lian remained silent. Ling Yunkai waved his hand and said, "Let's go inside first and see."

The two entered through the main gate and quickly hid behind the wall of the room near the entrance.

Shen Lian and Ling Yunkai frowned simultaneously; both of them had spotted the group of people in the courtyard.

"Why are there so many people? Is Bei Zhai planning a rebellion?" Ling Yunkai cursed under his breath.

Shen Lian spoke in a low voice, "The Qianhu's order was to kill Bei Zhai, but just now I saw Bei Zhai seemingly confronting this group inside the house. They don't appear to be on the same side."

By this time, Ling Yunkai had already grown hesitant.

There were simply too many people!

This was starting to look like a small-scale military battle!

They were here to carry out an assassination, not to fight a war.

Even though he was desperately eager to rebuild his reputation, Ling Yunkai was unwilling to throw his life away for nothing.

"Should we go back and report to the Qianhu, and wait for his decision?" Ling Yunkai suggested.

Meanwhile, Shen Lian had already drawn his Force-Piercing Crossbow, quickly loaded two bolts, and said, "There are seven of them in total. We might still have a chance."

"Shen Lian!" Ling Yunkai tried to dissuade him. "I know you hate me because of the incident with Yin Cheng, but now is not the time to throw a temper tantrum. With this many people, we stand no chance!"

"Whether we have a chance or not, we'll only know after trying. Shen Lian only knows how to fulfill Lord Qianhu's orders. If you're scared, you can go back first." Having said that, Shen Lian immediately began to take aim.

He had to manage a double-kill in one go; only then would he have a chance to deal with the remaining five.

Though under pressure, Shen Lian did not feel the paralyzing fear that gripped Ling Yunkai.

He had faced odds of ten to one on the battlefield before; right now, there were only seven people.

Ling Yunkai could not afford to lose face, so naturally, he could not just leave like this.

It would be fine if Shen Lian died, but if Shen Lian actually succeeded in killing Bei Zhai and made it back alive, even if he, Ling Yunkai, managed to keep his life, he would never be able to hold his head high again.

In short, social death.

"The silver is right here."

Just as Shen Lian was about to strike, Ding Tai emerged from behind the wall where they had been hiding, holding a wooden box in his hand and stepping into the courtyard.

Shen Lian quickly released his finger from the trigger.

"Bring it over. What are you waiting for?" Wang Lu said with a smile, his other hand already gripping the clothes at Bei Zhai's waist.

Ding Tai stepped forward, quickly reaching Wang Lu's side.

"Open it," Wang Lu commanded.

Ding Tai glanced at Ding Baiying. With a helpless nod from her, Ding Tai had no choice but to open the box, revealing the bank notes inside, and lifted them one by one to show Wang Lu.

"Hand it over, you can keep the box," Wang Lu said with a chuckle.

Ding Tai stepped forward to hand the bank notes to Wang Lu, but Wang Lu did not take them. Instead, he nudged Bei Zhai and said, "Hold them."

Ding Baiying and Ding Tai both looked puzzled, while Bei Zhai asked with a blank expression, "Me?"

"Mm." Wang Lu answered calmly.

Bei Zhai took the bank notes, looking somewhat at a loss.

At that exact moment, a thunderous shout suddenly rang out from behind: "Kill!"

It was neither the seven men in the courtyard nor Shen Lian and Ling Yunkai.

Another group of people had appeared on the rooftop. As their leader shouted the command, crossbow bolts were already unleashed. Ding Tai stepped in front of Bei Zhai and was instantly pierced through by a crossbow bolt.

Wang Lu pulled Bei Zhai aside in a flash, dodging the remaining momentum of the bolt, and then casually grabbed something and whipped it behind him.

"Tai'er!" Ding Baiying roared with fury. Her long saber deflected the incoming crossbow bolts, and while blocking the projectiles, she swiftly pushed Ding Tai hard underneath a table.

As Ding Baiying turned to face the enemy head-on, Wang Lu's slightly mocking voice sounded: "The cunning hare isn't dead yet, but they're already boiling the hounds. Ding Baiying, are you an idiot?"

The men on the rooftop were not Embroidered Uniform Guard; they wore the same attire as the seven men in the courtyard. Wang Lu knew very well that besides that "Lord Ming," there could be no one else.

"You're not Ding Xiu!" Ding Baiying rushed forward, slammed the door shut, and said while hiding behind the wall.

"Heh, isn't it a bit too late to realize that now?" Wang Lu snatched the bank notes from Bei Zhai's hands, shoved them into his own pocket, kicked open the window, and resumed his normal voice as he said, "My silver is already in hand, I won't get mixed up in your dog-eat-dog fight."

With a cold sneer, Wang Lu dove out through the window.

The moment he landed, three sharp arrows came hurtling straight toward him.

Wang Lu deflected them with his saber, quickly dodged aside, and his figure soon vanished behind the courtyard wall.

Three men appeared behind the wall. One of them said, "Bei Zhai and Ding Baiying have been completely exposed. Lord Ming has given the order: they must be executed without fail. As for that fellow, he is merely a petty rat; without Bei Zhai and Ding Baiying, he poses no threat to Lord Ming. Pay him no mind for now."

With that, the three of them vaulted in through the window Wang Lu had exited from and closed in on Ding Baiying.

The seven men in the courtyard had initially been at a loss, but soon they recognized their leader as their former superior officer, and immediately knew whose side they were to take.

"No one else is allowed to leave this room alive!" shouted the burly leader. "I'll go deal with those two Embroidered Uniform Guard rats."

As the crowd surged into the house, the leader turned around and strode toward the entrance.

Swish! Swish!

Crossbow bolts were fired, but the burly man blocked them effortlessly with the broadsword in front of him; aside from flying sparks, he suffered not the slightest scratch.

"Heh, come on out, you grandchildren of the Embroidered Uniform Guard!" the big man barked coldly.

Shen Lian and Ling Yunkai then stepped directly into view.

"Both of you, come at me together."

Shen Lian felt a bit conflicted. He had heard every single word the big man said earlier; these people seemed to be here to kill Bei Zhai as well.

In other words, someone else was already taking care of their mission.

Yet, judging by this man's actions, the rule that "the enemy of my enemy is a friend" clearly did not apply here.

Clang!

Shen Lian and Ling Yunkai drew their sabers simultaneously and charged forward without wasting another word.

The flashes of the three men's blades continuously sparked in the dark courtyard, and for a moment, the big man actually gained the upper hand.

Wang Lu poked his head out from the rooftop, looking slightly helpless.

Originally, he had planned to coordinate with Shen Lian after the transaction to rescue Guo Zhen from official prosecution, but just as Ding Tai handed him the silver, the system mission had triggered once again.

The three people locked in combat in the courtyard paused for a fraction of a second as a panel flashed before their eyes.

[Current World: Brotherhood of Blades (Integrated)]

[Identity Information: Wang Lu, Deputy Commander of the Northern Surveillance Prefecture of the Embroidered Uniform Guard]

[Main Quest 1: Game of Thrones (Available for settlement)]

[Main Quest 2: Embroidered Uniform Guard Jinchuriki (Available for settlement)]

[Side Quest 1 (Available for settlement): Severing Karma]

[Side Quest 2 (2/3): Chu River and Han Border]

[Side Quest 3 (Triggered): Forsaken by All]

[Quest Description: Bei Zhai and the Ding family have already become political scapegoats. Execute Prince Xin's men, subjugate the Ding family and Bei Zhai, and make Prince Xin feel absolute despair.]

[Quest Reward: Deduction Points * 10]

[Current Deduction Points: 0]

[Current Martial Arts: Xinyu Saber Technique (Great Accomplishment)]

The long-overdue on-the-spot mission settlement, after a moment of helplessness, brought a wave of joy to Wang Lu.

He could sense that once these ten deduction points were in hand, he would inevitably break through to the realm of transformation. By then, he might even be able to match Ding Xiu and truly ascend to the T0 tier of Brotherhood of Blades.

Down in the courtyard, Shen Lian and Ling Yunkai had reached a white-hot phase of battle with the big man, the sound of clashing blades ceaseless.

Wang Lu was not overly worried about Ding Baiying's side now that the most threatening opponent had left. The big man before them right now was the genuine heart-palpitating threat.

Wang Lu retrieved his crossbow and took aim at the big man.

Right at that moment, the big man had already slashed open two wounds on Shen Lian's chest and arm.

As for Ling Yunkai, since he was already carrying prior injuries, he was in an even more miserable state than Shen Lian.

However, just as Wang Lu prepared to lend them a helping hand, Ling Yunkai, after being beaten back by a strike from the big man's saber, abruptly bolted toward the entrance.

"Lord Shen, hold on! I'm going to fetch reinforcements!"

Just as a killing glare filled Shen Lian's eyes, Wang Lu swiftly shifted his target and aimed his crossbow at Ling Yunkai's back.

"Since you're so impatient to court death, I'll grant your wish!"

Swish!

Just as Ling Yunkai saw the doorway within reach and the feeling of surviving a disaster began to well up in his heart, his back suddenly went numb.

Following that, his throat choked up, and thick blood instantly gushed out. As he looked back at Shen Lian, who had resumed his fierce combat with the big man, Ling Yunkai's eyes were filled with utter confusion.