Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
After counting to thirty, Fan Xian parted the curtain and walked out. He watched that black carriage with a cold gaze. There was nothing unusual about the carriage; even the trap Wang Qinian had set in front of the carriage door remained untouched. Fan Xian was dealing with a veteran here.
At that moment, a trembling noise sounded throughout the camp. Except for the envoy members who had been drugged into an unconscious stupor, Wang Qinian’s group, which Fan Xian had notified, was now standing behind him. Also behind him came heavy breathing and the sound of something scratching the dirt—that came from three black dogs. They all had muzzles on and couldn’t make any noise.
Fan Xian scratched his head. With a wave of his hand, he ordered,
Open the door and release the dogs.
Wang Qinian signaled with his hand and his subordinates let go of the leashes. Those three black dogs, which had been locked away for an entire month, could not contain their beastly instincts. Picking up faint scents, they went off on a silent rampage as they rushed out like three black shadows.
Suddenly, many chilling flashes appeared! A barrage of projectiles, each laced with poison, flew toward the dogs!
There was a clattering noise as the projectiles were met by a whirlwind of flashing blades, which deflected them far away. Immediately following that, those flashing blades went after two attacking assassins.
Then came the sound of flesh being torn and ripped apart. A few screams later, the two assassins were cut in three. Their heads flew into the air, spraying blood in all directions!
A long blade cut into the armpit of the last assassin. In one fell swoop, that assassin’s arms parted from his body and bounced against the ground a few times.
Gao Da, leader of the Tiger Guards, withdrew his long saber behind his back, his movement natural and unrestrained. The six other Tiger Guards also sheathed their blades. Standing in formation in the night, they looked exceptionally cool.
But it wasn’t the time to make cool poses. In one great leap that could only be described as superhuman, Wang Qinian pounced next to the armless assassin. Being able to cover that many meters in a single leap showed why Wang Qinian was known as one of the
Wings
of the Overwatch Council.
Acting quickly, he jabbed an iron rod into the assassin’s mouth. After some very ugly noises, Wang Qinian reached into the assassin’s bloodied mouth and took out a single tooth which was filled with poison. Carefully, he wrapped that tooth in a cloth. He then took out a wooden ball-gag and stuffed it into the assassin’s mouth in order to prevent him from biting off his tongue.
With blood pouring out from where his arms used to be, the pain was already making the assassin long for death. Now gagged and unable to end his own life, tears, snot, and saliva flowed together into his mouth. It was a most wretched sight to behold.
To think the enemy managed to sneak in.
Wang Qinian frowned as he discovered the assassin was not a stranger.
Fortunately, he used the Council’s old method of hiding poison.
Wang Qinian turned to his subordinate and ordered:
Treat his wounds. He must not die. And treat him well; we have to get a confession out of him.
Wang Qinian’s subordinate answered to the order, but asked curiously,
Sir Wang, you broke all his teeth. Won’t the poison enter his body?
That startled Wang Qinian. Being a civil official for many years had made him rusty. He hurried to take out the ball-gag and washed the assassin’s mouth with clean water. Only after giving the assassin some poison-cleansing pills, which were granted by Commissioner Fan, did Wang Qinian become somewhat relieved.
Seeing that Wang Qinian was about to gag the assassin again, the subordinate couldn’t help but ask,
How can he still bite his tongue with all his teeth broken?
Wang Qinian became angry and lashed out.
I like stuffing his mouth with this wooden ball. Is that a problem?
During the ruckus, Fan Xian tightened his pant legs and sleeves and hid his face by putting on his hood. Camouflaged in this dark outfit, he slipped away into the night. Those seven Tiger Guards with astounding swordsmanship followed Fan Xian’s silhouette. In complete silence, they went in the direction that the three tracking dogs had gone. Only the slight shaking of reeds showed their movements.
The camp was watched over by Council men. Outside the camp there was a group of Black Knights. Fan Xian was confident in them.
The poison he had injected into Xiao En was potent, but most importantly, it left behind its faint scent in the pores of Xiao En’s skin even after he forced it out of his body using zhenqi.
Xiao En could not smell it, but the dogs could. When it came smell, men are inferior to dogs.
A dark cloud passed overhead and the moonlight dimmed. There were only the sounds of the night wind blowing across the great lake and the rustling of reeds.
Fan Xian was wrapped entirely in black. Only his bright eyes showed.
After discovering Xiao En succeeded in eliminating the poisons from his body, Fan Xian planned out this operation on his own. After all, no one in the envoy would dare to oppose him. As for the members of the Council who knew the details, they were even more willing to follow his lead. But it was a dangerous mission. If Xiao En really managed to escape, they wouldn’t be able to bring back Yan Bingyun, and a venomous serpent would lurk forever in the dark, waiting to deal them a lethal strike. Fan Xian absolutely could not afford such great setbacks.
From the dense reeds in front of him came several strange noises. Fan Xian sniffed the air and picked up the scent of blood. Those three extremely ferocious black dogs seemed to have been killed. Being able to kill those dogs in such a short amount of time without exposing himself, Xiao En must have recovered drastically.
Fan Xian stood silently on the damp soil and squinted. He was gauging his distance from Xiao En.
He then raised his right fist. The seven Tiger Guards understood what Fan Xian meant. They made eye contact with each other before dispersing into the dense reeds. They couldn’t afford to get too close to Xiao En.
Xiao En must have noticed he was being pursued. Twenty years in prison hadn’t made him forget all of his survival skills. Under the cover of the night, the reeds, and the wind, he silently made his way northeast, towards Northern Qi’s border.
Fan Xian knew someone must be waiting there to receive him.
Calmly, Fan Xian started to run. His tremendous zhenqi began to circulate. His feet parted from the muddy ground as soon as they made contact with it, carrying his entire body forward at great speeds. Darting like an arrow, Fan Xian forcefully parted the reeds in front of him. Occasionally he stopped and carefully investigated his surroundings, running his fingers over the freshly-broken reeds, casting his eyes over the footprints in the mud.
Xiao En was going in circles.
Fan Xian was following him in circles.
In the night, the hunter followed his prey, not knowing when their roles would be reversed. Xiao En had to free himself from the envoy and meet up with that person. Fan Xian had to grasp this opportunity he had created for himself.
Fan Xian’s gaze became brighter as Xiao En’s trail became more and more obvious. It seemed that the poison and Xiao En’s own old age had taken their toll.
Piercing through the dense reeds, Fan Xian arrived at the edge of a forest of short fir trees. He frowned. With his sharp eyes, he could see the footprints getting messy, even in the dark. Fan Xian dared not act carelessly, so he withdrew a distance and took a detour, entering the forest from the side.
A shrill cry suddenly rang out in the dark. A black rope pounced out from the grass on the forest floor and snared someone’s ankle—it was a Tiger Guard who had followed Fan Xian into the forest! Still dangling in the air, he bounced his body upwards with great strength. Twisting his right hand, he drew the long saber from his back and cut the rope.
The Tiger Guard fell towards what appeared to be solid ground.
A crossbow bolt came flying out, forcing the Tiger Guard to use his saber to deflect it. He then twisted his body backwards, landing about half a step behind his planned landing spot. As the tip of his foot came down, the Tiger Guard discovered a pit in front of him. It was a simple pit trap with sharpened stakes on the bottom.
Fan Xian stood close to a tree and let go of the trigger. He breathed a sigh of relief seeing that Tiger Guard disappearing into the darkness once again.
From the forest came the harsh calls of an owl. Somewhere, a branch moved slightly. Flashes of blades suddenly burst out of the silence; seven beautiful white trails cutting into that space.
Splatters of blood dyed the forest floor. Gao Da lit a special paper torch and took a look at the body. He shook his head. It was not Xiao En.
Putting out the torch, the seven Tiger Guards showed themselves and went deeper into the forest in a semicircle formation.
Fan Xian disappeared into the darkness, moving along the trees. He didn’t think Xiao En would take the one who opened the carriage door with him. Knowing that gave him a strange feeling. But he knew Xiao En was still in this forest, because the poison was still emitting its faint scent.
The moon peeked out from behind the clouds, bathing the forest in its silver light. Fan Xian pressed his palm against a tree, feeling the faint vibrations of his surroundings. He was fully confident that he would kill Xiao En.
Xiao En was in this forest.
