Chapter 117: Night Attack!
Chapter 117: Night Attack!
Twenty li outside Chuyun City, in a patch of dense forest, violent sounds of combat erupted.
Thud!
Thud!
“Argh!”
“Argh!”
Clang clang!
The dull thuds of blades chopping into flesh, along with cries of agony, and the metallic clashes of swords meeting swords.
If anyone had been there, seeing the bloody scene, they would likely have vomited instantly and fainted from sheer terror.
Because over this area tens of zhang wide, twenty or thirty corpses were strewn haphazardly on the ground, each covered entirely in blood. By the dimly smoldering bonfire’s glow, the earth itself appeared stained a dark red.
As for the original water buffalo, startled by the chaos, they had bolted into the dense forest. Only the carriages remained on the ground, and someone bumped into the cargo during the fight, spilling chunks of gold the size of chicken eggs all around. At this critical life-and-death moment, though, nobody noticed the fallen gold, instead focusing all efforts on confronting the immediate danger.
“You go to hell!”
“You go to hell!”
Just then, two Black-Clad Assassins leaped out from the shadowy dense forest, their target fixed, advancing with lightning speed straight toward Captain Wang.
“You cursed bastards!”
At this point, Captain Wang leaned against the carriage without moving an inch. Seeing two more reckless souls charging at him, a savage expression distorted his demonic face; he let out a fierce battle cry and lunged forward— he had personally slain six such Black-Clad Assassins by now.
Of course, he was injured too. Earlier, due to his own negligence, Captain Wang had been wounded by two infiltrators, but fortunately it wasn’t serious, just superficial cuts.
Swish!
Captain Wang’s face twisted with brutality; he casually snatched a body off the ground, one he had struck down earlier, and hurled it like a sandbag toward the attackers.
“Hmph!”
The two Black-Clad Assassins who appeared simultaneously, upon seeing the flying corpse, flashed a mocking smirk. With contemptuous sneers, they didn’t evade, instead raising their right arms against their chests to reveal daggers and slashed directly at the oncoming corpse.
Thud!
After throwing the corpse, Captain Wang didn’t halt; driving power through his legs, he transformed into a gray blur and rushed after the corpse himself.
Slash! Slash!
But just as Captain Wang began his move, the daggers in their hands seemed forged of diamond, remarkably sharp. With two swift slices, the corpse was carved into three sections like scrap paper and sent flying away.
“What?”
Seeing the daggers in their hands were so incredibly sharp, Captain Wang’s eyelids fluttered wildly; he stopped abruptly, twisting to avoid their assaults.
“Hmph, you brought this on yourself!”
Watching Captain Wang’s expression shift dramatically, their faces curled with deeper contempt. With perfect, seamless coordination, they instantly split apart and attacked Captain Wang from two directions.
Swish!
Without needing a single shared glance, right after separating, one leapt high, his dagger instantly slicing toward Captain Wang’s neck.
Thud!
The other person attacked at an extremely tricky and vicious angle. As the man lunged at Captain Wang’s upper body, he abruptly sank his body, almost lying flat on the ground, and slid his dagger toward Captain Wang’s calf.
“What?”
Captain Wang had only just twisted his body, intending to dodge sideways, but seeing how perfectly the two coordinated shocked him even more. However, he didn’t wait to be killed. Instead, he also abruptly sank his body, dodging the first attacker coming straight for his neck.
“Humph, not that easy!”
When the man noticed Captain Wang suddenly sink, he froze briefly, but immediately reacted. Turning his hand backward, he shifted from a slicing motion to a stabbing one, driving it directly at the already descending Captain Wang’s head.
“Ah!”
But just as the man’s wrist began to move, Captain Wang, who had just crouched down, suddenly stood up. His head, like iron, slammed straight into the man’s wrist. With a crack, the dagger-holding wrist snapped, eliciting a groan of pain. Simultaneously, the man’s airborne body wavered unsteadily, almost flying away.
“Die for me!”
Captain Wang reacted lightning-fast. Upon feeling with his head that the man’s hand bone had been broken, he instantly grabbed backward, seizing the dagger that had slipped away from the Black-Clad Assassin’s grasp. With a thud, he plunged it straight into the Black-Clad Assassin’s heart.
“Ah!”
The Black-Clad Assassin let out a horrid shriek, but before his cry could end, Captain Wang kicked him like a sandbag. With a bang, the body flew over ten meters away, landing in the Dense Forest.
“What?”
The attacker sliding along the ground toward Captain Wang hadn’t paused at all, but for the first time, he realized how terrifying Captain Wang’s speed and reactions were. A flicker of fear appeared in his eyes. For the first time, time seemed to pass so slowly. If before, with their teamwork, killing would have been a mere blink, but now, he inexplicably panicked.
“Hehe!”
Exactly when a hint of retreat flared in his mind, Captain Wang wore a cruel smirk. Swaying, his whole body vanished instantly like an afterimage from the remaining Black-Clad Assassin’s sight.
“Not good!”
As Captain Wang’s body disappeared in an instant, the man’s face paled in alarm. “Not good,” he thought to himself. Forming a hand like a claw, he plunged five fingers deep into the soil. Then with two thuds, his legs kicked fiercely against the ground, halting his advance almost instantly. He tumbled sideways with abrupt stillness.
Boom!
But just as his body rolled away, Captain Wang’s figure suddenly reappeared where he had been standing. A heavy stomp hit the ground, producing a dull thud. Under Captain Wang’s foot, the hard earth sank half a foot deep.
Crack, crack, crack!
After rolling sideways, the Black-Clad Assassin promptly leaned against a giant tree, staring in terror at the ground wrecked by Captain Wang’s stomp. He couldn’t imagine what would have happened if he hadn’t reacted fast enough—that stomp would likely have crushed him to pulp.
Truthfully, from the moment the two emerged from the woods to ambush Captain Wang until now, it had only taken five or six breaths. This demonstrated how extraordinarily seasoned Captain Wang’s experience was and how superb his skill was. Naturally, the numerous wounds all over his body were the best proof.
“Hehe!”
After seeing this Black-Clad Assassin dodge his stomp, Captain Wang’s face broke into a mocking grin as he slowly lifted the foot out.
Thud!
One glance at that smile sent a jolt of dread through the Black-Clad Assassin, and he resolved to flee.
Pat, pat, pat!
Swiveling abruptly, the Black-Clad Assassin grabbed the giant tree with one hand. Light as a swallow, with several soft pats, he smoothly slid up the giant tree.
“Humph, trying to run? Not that easy!”
Witnessing this Black-Clad Assassin attempt an escape, Captain Wang curled his lips into a derisive smile. Instantly shifting, he darted aside, then stomped fiercely down on the earth with his right foot.
Bang!
His stomp sent a fallen longsword flying into the air.
Bang!
Whoosh!
After the longsword flew into the air and before it could hit the ground, Captain Wang swiftly kicked its hilt with another thud. The blade transformed into a streak of ghostly light, shooting straight toward a Black-Clad Assassin climbing the giant tree.
The fleeing assassin sensed danger and spun around, raising his dagger to block. But before he could react, the longsword pierced through his arm and chest—thunk!—pinning him firmly against the giant tree.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Though impaled, the blade didn’t halt. Unrelenting and vicious, it thrust deeper until even the hilt slipped away. Only the gleaming steel continued forward before finally embedding itself entirely.
“Agh!”
Impaled through limb and torso against the tree, the assassin’s dagger-hand now gaped with a flesh-blooming blood hole. A pained roar tore from his throat as he spat a mouthful of crimson.
“Hmph! Seeking death!”
Captain Wang sneered contemptuously, watching the assassin’s raised arm slump lifelessly, head lolling as breath faded.
“Aaaah!”
Nearby, one of Captain Wang’s accompanying guards was run through by another blade, slain in combat.
“What?!”
Nearly fifty brothers had arrived with him, yet half now lay dead or wounded in mere moments. Worse, many still staggered unsteadily, bodies weak from insufficient inner strength to sober up. Fury burned through Captain Wang as he lunged at a nearby Black-Clad Assassin with bloodthirst in his eyes.
“Agh!”
“Argh!”
With Captain Wang joining the fray, the tide swiftly turned against the assassins. A dozen Black-Clad Assassins crumpled within heartbeats.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
“Retreat!”
“Fall back!”
Seeing Captain Wang cut through them like a wolf among sheep, the assassins realized their peril. At a few frantic shouts, they scrambled toward the Dense Forest’s edge.
“After them!”
“Give chase!”
As the assassins retreated, several older guards bellowed, eyes crimson with wrath, and surged forward.
“Fools! Halt!”
Captain Wang’s roar froze them mid-stride.
“Huh?”
“Captain Wang?”
Confusion spread as they turned, weapons quivering.
“Useless lot! All you know is—”
Before Captain Wang’s tirade finished, danger erupted. Showers of arrows hissed from the blackened Dense Forest.
Shhhk! Shhhk! Shhhk!
“Aaaaaah!”
“No—!”
Outer guards caught unaware became pincushions, shrieking as they collapsed. Even those farther back weren’t spared—stray shafts found flesh, drawing sharp gasps of agony.
“Fall back! Use corpses as shields! Protect the Young Lady!”
Spotting the arrowstorm, Captain Wang bellowed, already seizing two bodies to swing violently as living barricades. His reflexes proved astounding—using the fallen as armor amid the chaos.
“Right!”
“Withdraw!”
Surviving guards mirrored his speed, snatching up bodies as makeshift shields while backing rapidly to the Carriage’s side.
Whizz! Whizz! Whizz!
Thu-thunk! Thud-thunk!
Arrows rained like deadly hail, pouring from every shadowed corner of the Dense Forest…