Cheng Huai jumped onto the roof to avoid the arrows shot at him from behind. His five fingers were sticky, and the dagger in his hand was dripping with blood. The dark robe on his body was already stained with blood.
Cheng Huai knew that someone had been looking for him these days, but he was seriously injured when he escaped from the palace and could only hide from place to place.
The assassins behind him were like a thorn in his side, and they wanted to kill him. Cheng Huai knew that these people did not want his life but the will that was urging him to die.
Those who touched his master now also want to touch him.
Cheng Huai was unwilling to accept this.
His master risked his life to bring out the will. Cheng Huai inherited the will and wanted to make the will known to the world no matter what.
The fire in the hiding place burned more and more fiercely, and in a moment, it spread out. There were screams and chaos in the streets. Cheng Huai stared at the fire, his eyes showed a bit of viciousness. Cheng Huai stared at the fire, a sinister look appeared in his eyes. The red mole on his face made him look like a devil. Cheng Huai thought, Since he couldn’t fulfill his master’s will, it would be better to let everyone know and destroy everything!
Those assassins were not easy to deal with. The leader wore a devil mask and slashed at him with a sword, saying, “Cheng Huai, hand over the will!”
Cheng Huai leaned up to avoid it, blood dripping onto the edge of the tiles, and he sneered, “The will is on me. Kill me, and it will be yours.”
That person snorted coldly, “You are just a lowly eunuch, alone and helpless. What’s the point of holding this will? You might as well hand it over honestly in exchange for wealth and glory.”
Cheng Huai is young and looks thin and frail, but he is very ruthless. He was an eunuch, but he spoke in a low, hoarse voice, “The wealth and glory given by the unfaithful and unfilial people.” He pulled the corner of his mouth and said, “Dirty.”
“How dare you!” That person shouted in ange and pressed the sword. Cheng Huai used a short dagger, which was both short and dangerous. After dozens of moves, Cheng Huai was hit on the shoulder by the sword, and the whole person rolled off the roof, vomiting a lot of blood.
Seeing several people approaching with swords, Cheng Huai gritted his teeth and was about to fight to the death with the other party, but suddenly several arrows shot out from behind him and went straight towards the assassins.
Someone grabbed his hand from the darkness and said, “Go!”
Cheng Huai immediately stopped the dagger that he was about to stab at the other party, and with the help of his strength, the two of them entered another alley.
The assassins were chasing them closely, and Cheng Huai found that this person seemed to be very familiar with Rongxiang Fang. The two of them only chose to walk in the complicated alleys, and the assassins could not catch up with them for a while.
After running for a while, Cheng Huai noticed that the man’s right leg was slightly lame. “Who are you?”
The other party whispered, “I am Zhou Qing, a subordinate of General Cen.”
Cheng Huai thought for a moment and asked, “General Cen Yelan?”
“That’s right.” Zhou Qing looked back. He was holding a spear in his hand. The red tassel was old, but the tip of the spear was still sharp.
When the two of them turned a corner, Zhou Qing suddenly let go of Cheng Huai’s hand and said, “I have already sent a message to the General. The General will be here soon. You keep running forward and don’t look back. I will hold them back.”
“Take care of yourself no matter what, go and see the General alive.”
Cheng Huai frowned and deeply looked at the middle-aged man whom he had never met before, but the man had already rushed out with the spear in hand without even turning his head. Cheng Huai raised his hand and pressed his chest, tightly grasping the dagger, and ran in the direction Zhou Qing pointed.
The sword wound on Cheng Huai’s shoulder was bleeding. He pursed his dry lips and ran away almost dizzy. After a while, another assassin caught up with him.
Cheng Huai’s heart was filled with burning anger and despair. Suddenly, he heard several screams behind him. He fiercely looked at it and saw dozens of black-clothed figures coming from nowhere. They stopped the assassins, and a fierce fight broke out.
“Cheng Huai.” A cold and hurried voice came. Cheng Huai looked over and saw a tall and thin figure appearing a few steps away. He asked him, “Where is Zhou Qing?”
Cheng Huai stared at the other party. “General Cen?”
Cen Yelan glanced at him, and the two looked at each other for a moment. Cheng Huai said, “He was covering my retreat, I don’t know whether he is alive or dead.”
Cen Yelan was silent for a moment and said, “Lu Zhao, take him away.”
“Yes.” Lu Zhao, who was right behind him, answered immediately.
Cheng Huai hesitated for a moment and said, “That person is near Donglang Street.”
Cen Yelan ignored those assassins and leaped towards Donglang Street. The night was a little chilly, and the air was filled with the smell of burning water. The shouting of the people and the sounds of putting out fires could be faintly heard.
As expected, Cen Yelan found Zhou Qing on Donglang Street.
Zhou Qing was already dead, his eyes wide open, his body covered in blood, lying in a narrow alley.
Cen Yelan watched quietly for a while, squatted down, supported one knee on the ground, and reached out to close Zhou Qing’s eyes.
When Cen Yelan rushed back, Lu Zhao and Cheng Huai were about to leave Rongxiang Fang. The three of them hid in the dark tacitly, but they heard the sound of horse hooves coming from afar, and someone shouted, “Seal off all the alleys immediately. No one can enter or leave Rongxiang Fang anymore.”
Cen Yelan’s heart sank. It was the city defense battalion of Marquis Ping An.
First the death guards, then the city defense battalion, which showed that Yuan Heng was determined to get the will.
Cen Yelan tilted his head to look at Cheng Huai. He was pressing his shoulder with his eyes drooped. His face was pale from blood loss and injury, which made the red mole between his eyebrows look even brighter.
Cheng Huai raised his eyes and stared at Cen Yelan, his jaw slowly tightened, and there was a bit of vigilance between his eyes.
Cen Yelan said, “Is the will with you?”
Cheng Huai said nothing.
Cen Yelan pulled the corner of his mouth and said, “Hide the will. If there is a fight, Lu Zhao, protect him.”
“No.” Lu Zhao whispered, “General, take him away first.”
Cen Yelan didn’t say anything. In the distance, the soldiers of the city defense battalion had already divided into several teams and were riding towards the alleys. Some civilians heard the noise, opened a crack of the door, and took a peek but were immediately frightened and closed the door tightly again, fearing that they would bring trouble upon themselves.
A group of soldiers was getting closer and closer to Cen Yelan and their hiding place. Lu Zhao was holding a sword at his waist, and his hand had already grasped the hilt.
Suddenly, they heard a few more riders coming, but they were immediately blocked by the city guards. The guards got angry and shouted, “Who dares to block our way?”
“There are criminals in Rongxiang Fang who have set fire and killed people. No one is allowed to enter or leave Rongxiang Fang tonight!”
A man on horseback sneered, “Your city guards are catching criminals, what does it have to do with our imperial guards? Get out of the way! Open your eyes and see whose way you are blocking?”
The City Guard Battalion and the Imperial Guards have always been at odds with each other for many years already. Now that Marquis Ping An is in power, the City Guard Battalion is gaining power and will not allow the Imperial Guards to show off their power in front of them.
The leader of the City Guard Battalion looked at the man who was sitting quietly on his horse, bowed politely, and said, “It turns out to be Commander Xiao. Lord Xiao, this criminal is extremely evil and is a wanted criminal of the City Guard Battalion. No mistakes can be made. We can only ask for Your Excellency’s forgiveness.”
Before Xiao Mengsheng could speak, the people around him were already unhappy and mocked him, “An arsonist caused the Rongxiang Fang to stay lit all night, and the streets and alleys were closed. The City Defense Battalion is really impressive.”
Another person said, “We are on duty, and you are stopping us. Do you want our Imperial Guards to help your City Guards arrest people?”
The leader’s face darkened, but he was afraid of Xiao Mengsheng, and said, “Lord Xiao, we are following His Majesty’s order, and it is of great importance.”
Xiao Mengsheng spoke, “Oh?”
“Then take a look, which one of us is the murderer you are looking for? Or do you think that I am colluding with the murderer?”
The situation was still stalemated, and Cen Yelan thought about it, how could Xiao Mengsheng come at such a coincidence? He didn’t think about it anymore, grabbed Cheng Huai’s arm, and decisively said, “Let’s go now.”
