"Yo, Master Ma, what's with the little girl?" The leader of the thugs, with a lewd grin, leered at Zhan Feiyu and the others in the cell, his gaze lingering on He Nuan.
"Haha, Brother Dao, we're in for a treat," a thug on the left nudged his companion, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground with a thud.
The remaining thugs burst into laughter. "Old Five is so weak-kneed at the sight of a pretty girl, tsk tsk, he can't even walk."
"That's not right!" Brother Dao leaned against the cell door, his eyes fixed on He Nuan. "How can a man's knees go weak at the sight of a girl? A real man should be hard as a rock!"
Another round of boisterous laughter ensued. Such vulgar and crude remarks would have shamed any ordinary girl, perhaps even driven a spirited one to dash her head against the wall.
But Jailer Ma and Liao Xiaodong observed that He Nuan remained unfazed, her expression as calm as if she hadn't heard the taunts. Zhan Feiyu sat demurely on the straw, her clear eyes observing the men as an innocent child might.
In contrast, the thugs outside the cell were like actors putting on a show, yet they had no audience to applaud them.
"All of you, shut up!" Jailer Ma bellowed twice. Liao Xiaodong produced a key and opened the cell door.
After the six thugs were locked inside, Jailer Ma issued a perfunctory warning, "No fighting or causing trouble, or the officers won't be polite to you!"
The cell was not large, and the addition of six thugs made it feel cramped. However, the two groups maintained a clear separation.
Zhan Feiyu, with a quilt spread on the straw, sat cross-legged by the corner of the wall.
He Nuan stood to Zhan Feiyu's right, the carriage driver to her left, and He Sheng stood directly in front, forming a triangular formation to protect Zhan Feiyu in the innermost position.
The six thugs occupied the front left of the cell. Three leaned casually against the wall, two sat on the ground, and Brother Dao stood by the cell door, rattling the chain lock with a clanging sound, his intentions unclear.
As time passed, the six thugs resumed their vulgar chatter, discussing which young maiden was delicate, which young wife had a full bosom, or which courtesan was most alluring.
He Sheng silently gestured to He Nuan.
After a moment of shock, He Nuan's expression remained unchanged. She took the robe placed beside her and draped it over Zhan Feiyu, who was sitting cross-legged. As she drew closer, He Nuan whispered two words into Zhan Feiyu's ear: "Assassins."
In the dim cell, after the candle on the wall was lit and then extinguished, plunging the space into darkness, just as the six thugs were about to make their move, He Sheng kicked the wooden cell door on the right. "Go!"
"Kill!" Almost simultaneously, the six thugs attacked.
However, they hadn't anticipated that the cell door had been tampered with. With a kick from He Sheng, four or five wooden planks snapped, creating a narrow opening. He Nuan immediately scooped up Zhan Feiyu and rushed through.
"Someone's setting a fire!" But as they reached the cell door, He Nuan sensed something was wrong. "It's sleeping gas, young lady, be careful!"
The prison of Huaian Prefecture was difficult to attack and easy to defend. Its internal passages were narrow, and if smoke was released from the outside, escaping would be exceptionally difficult. Moreover, Zhan Feiyu's group was caught in a pincer movement.
"A'nuan, I'll follow you," Zhan Feiyu said in the darkness. With her vision impaired, she broke free from He Nuan's grasp, clutched the dagger she carried, and declared, "We'll fight our way out!"
Thick smoke billowed, carrying a choking scent. The large space of the prison wouldn't incapacitate them, but it would cause obstruction. He Nuan's only solace was that two guards were still outside, who must have already sent a signal. This meant the enemy couldn't easily trap them. As long as they could break out of the prison, they would be safe.
In the darkness, Zhan Feiyu heard the clash of swords and the sounds of fighting. The smell of blood assailed her. She knew He Nuan had dealt with three of them, and she had just stepped over a corpse.
As she emerged from the corner, the smoke intensified. Inmates from other cells, it seemed, had also escaped, creating chaos. People jostled, shouting and shoving.
"Young lady, stay close to me!" Leaning against the wall and letting the frenzied inmates pass, He Nuan firmly gripped Zhan Feiyu's hand. The chaos was the most dangerous, as one couldn't distinguish between prisoners, guards, or assassins.
Zhan Feiyu's right hand dripped blood from the dagger. An escaping inmate had tried to snatch her dagger, and she had stabbed him.
"A'nuan, I have a way to protect myself," Zhan Feiyu said, catching her breath. She tightened her grip on the dagger and looked at He Nuan, continuing word by word, "You just fight your way out. We'll meet outside."
"No!" He Nuan's right hand swung her soft sword horizontally, and blood splattered from its blade. Two prisoners flinched in fear and ran forward in panic.
Zhan Feiyu coughed, wiping away tears of pain. She once again broke free from He Nuan's grasp. "If we're attacked from both sides, we'll surely die. I won't risk my life. A'nuan, fight your way out!"
The sounds of combat intensified again. Darkness was the best cover.
Perhaps trusting that Zhan Feiyu could handle herself, He Nuan fought her way towards the prison entrance. She knew that only by eliminating the assassins outside could Zhan Feiyu be safe. Otherwise, as the sleeping gas grew thicker, it would become truly dangerous.
"Release the arrows!" The crossbows were activated. Small arrows pierced the night sky. Anyone who rushed out of the prison gate was killed by the palm-sized arrows.
The stench of blood became overwhelming, and at the same time, three figures vaulted over the wall and joined the fray.
"Go save the young lady!" With a bloody shoulder, Ying San blocked an incoming attack and shouted at the three newcomers, "We'll hold them here."
Ying San and another blocked five assassins. Both were injured, but they were more concerned about Zhan Feiyu inside the prison. The enemy had deployed at least twenty to thirty assassins, a force capable of assassinating a prince in the capital.
Ying Wu and two others immediately broke away and charged towards the prison gate. At least eight archers were positioned on the walls to the left and right.
The crossbows were fast. Concealed by the night, the narrow passage of less than thirty feet became a death zone. Those who ran out were shot, and it was equally dangerous for Ying Wu and his companions to break through.
Without a word, Ying San and Ying Wu leaped onto the high walls, one on the left and the other on the right. Ying Si, the fastest, darted through the passage like a shuttle.
He Nuan was in a bloody frenzy. An arrow whizzed towards her. While fighting, He Nuan couldn't defend herself in time. Fortunately, Ying Si rushed over and deflected the arrow with his sword.
"Where is the young lady?" Ying Si asked quickly. Several inmates ran towards He Nuan. They were shrewd and, seeing He Nuan's actions, followed her. Now, they were all rushing out.
Glancing back, He Nuan gripped her sword hilt. "The young lady and I separated!"
He Nuan's objective to kill was too obvious. Zhan Feiyu following her would immediately become a target for the enemy. By separating, and with the prison in chaos, Zhan Feiyu's small stature and the cover of darkness meant she was safer for the moment.
However, if they didn't find her immediately, a lone Zhan Feiyu would surely meet her end if discovered by the enemy.
...
In the darkness, leaning against the wall, Zhan Feiyu gasped for breath. She touched her right calf, feeling a sharp, piercing pain.
Hearing the distant barking of dogs, Zhan Feiyu wiped her face fiercely and ran forward again.
"Isn't that girl a scholar?" a man in black asked angrily, looking at his companion who was examining bloodstains on the ground. Thinking of how his hunting dogs, trained for three years, had their throats slit by Zhan Feiyu, the man in black wished he could find Zhan Feiyu immediately and tear her to shreds.
Rubbing his fingers, the man in black squatting on the ground stood up. "The bloodstains aren't dry yet. She must have just escaped."
The man in black released the rope around the neck of the black hound and patted its head. "Sniff harder, go get revenge for your brother."
Xinglong Inn, back alley.
No matter how fast Zhan Feiyu ran, she couldn't outrun the hounds. Especially in the darkness, these specially trained hounds were not only skilled at tracking prey but also fierce. They were raised on raw meat.
Zhan Feiyu's right leg was injured, and the scent of blood was the best lure. Even with her invisibility cheat, it was useless against the hounds' pursuit.
"Dry weather, be careful of fire... my gong..." The watchman stared blankly at his empty right hand. In the dim light of the lantern, no figure was visible. The gongs had disappeared from thin air, yet footsteps echoed in the narrow alley.
"A ghost..." The watchman cried out in terror, turned around, and ran towards the alley entrance like a madman.
Leaning against the wall, panting, Zhan Feiyu clutched her dagger in her left hand and the gong in her right. The dagger was too short to deal with fierce hounds.
In the darkness, the moonlight was dim and uncertain. The black hound bared its fangs, let out two whimpers, and then lunged ferociously at Zhan Feiyu, who stood by the wall.
Almost as the hound leaped to attack, Zhan Feiyu swung the gong with all her might, smashing it towards the hound's head. Simultaneously, she slashed with her left-hand dagger towards the hound's neck.
Inside the inn, Deng Zhiwu, who had just fallen asleep, sat up abruptly. "Does the inn keep dogs?"
Hearing the fierce barking, Uncle Huang also sat up. The inn's backyard didn't keep dogs, as any disturbance at night would cause the dogs to bark, disturbing the guests' rest.
"Could it be a thief?" Deng Zhiwu frowned as the barking suddenly stopped.
Xinglong Inn was located on Qingdong Street, the most prosperous street in Huaian Prefecture, with many shops. The barking had made Deng Zhiwu suspect a thief had broken in and was discovered by the guard dogs.
Watching Deng Zhiwu get out of bed, Uncle Huang could only follow suit and get dressed. The second young master hated evil and would not let go of a thief once he encountered one.
Dragging the hound's corpse to a corner, Zhan Feiyu glanced at her bloody right hand. Her left forearm was even worse, a piece of flesh torn off.
But at this moment, Zhan Feiyu could no longer care. She raised her right hand, her dagger slicing open the hound's belly. Instantly, its entrails and blood flowed out, the strong scent of blood spreading to mask Zhan Feiyu's own.
Once again concealing herself, Zhan Feiyu stood not far from the hound's corpse. She quickly wrapped her injured left arm with a torn piece of her skirt to prevent blood from dripping.
The two approaching men in black stared in shock at the hound's disemboweled corpse on the ground. At this moment, they finally understood that Zhan Feiyu was not a scholar without the strength to even truss a chicken.
"There are bloody footprints here," Black-clothed Man A ignored the hound's corpse. The owner had set a trap, and if Zhan Feiyu escaped, it would be a huge problem.
Taking a few steps closer to the inn's side door, Black-clothed Man A touched the bloodstains on the door. They were still fresh. "She must have hidden in the inn."
If the hounds were tracking her, Zhan Feiyu could be found no matter where she went. But now, one hound had its throat slit, and the other was disemboweled. Finding Zhan Feiyu hiding in the vast inn would be much more difficult.
Black-clothed Man B remained silent, staring blankly at the hound's corpse on the ground. He was on the verge of madness. Although his skills were average, he was adept at training hounds. The two hounds brought out tonight were the best, but now they were both dead.
"You?" Black-clothed Man A glared angrily at his companion. Perhaps knowing his attachment to the two dead dogs, he said no more.
Without opening the door, which was bolted from the inside, Black-clothed Man A climbed over the wall to search for the person in the inn. Any further delay would make it harder to find Zhan Feiyu once she left the inn.
Holding her breath, Zhan Feiyu gazed coldly at the man in black in front of her in the faint moonlight. If not for the height difference, she would have lunged at him, killing him with a single blow to the throat or heart.
Unfortunately, he was standing, and too tall. Exhausted, she couldn't succeed with a single strike, so she could only wait for an opportunity.
Perhaps due to innate alertness, the man in black glanced around. But in the dark alley, there was no one.
Looking at the disemboweled hound, the man in black squatted down, placed a hand on the hound's head, and stroked it twice. Suddenly, in the silence, a clear sound echoed from behind him.
The man in black turned around abruptly. The emerald hairpin reflected the bright moonlight. The hairpin seemed to have been thrown out of nowhere. Just as the man in black was bewildered.
Zhan Feiyu kicked the bloody internal organs on the ground and then, with the utmost speed, lunged at the man in black who had turned around.
Sensing the movement behind him, the man in black turned back, only to be splattered with blood all over his face. Almost simultaneously, he felt a sharp pain in his neck. As blood spurted out, the man in black threw a punch with all his might in Zhan Feiyu's direction.
With a bang! Zhan Feiyu was sent flying backward, hitting the wall. She curled into a ball in pain, and the bloodstained dagger clattered to the ground.
"You..." The man in black clutched his neck, looking at Zhan Feiyu, who had reappeared, with utter terror. How could she have appeared out of nowhere?
But regardless of his shock and disbelief, the man in black collapsed to the ground, making muffled groans. Blood flowed from the wound in his neck, forming a small stream on the ground.