Chapter 134 Night Exploration

Chapter 134 Night Reconnaissance

Brilliant!

So brilliant it's unbelievable!

Yan Sanhe gave a faint "Hmm."

"Hmm once isn't enough; you need to praise him!"

Xie Zhifei pouted, looking as aggrieved as a child who couldn't get candy.

Yan Sanhe gritted her teeth and looked at Pei Xiao.

Based on his extensive experience, Pei Xiao nodded vigorously, then nodded again: Praise him, lavish him with praise, or this drunkard will cause trouble—big trouble!

Yan Sanhe thought for a moment and reached out to pat the drunkard's head.

"An old saying goes that smart heads don't grow hair. I wonder why you have so much hair?"

Ha!

She returned those words verbatim!

Xie Zhifei was satisfied, content, and with a smacking of his lips, closed his eyes and fell asleep without causing any more trouble.

The remaining three looked at each other, feeling as if they had narrowly escaped a disaster.

Who would have thought that the tall and imposing Third Master Xie, when drunk, would act like this?

"Does he always act spoiled when he's drunk?" Li Buyan asked, covering her mouth, afraid of waking the drunkard again.

Pei Xiao answered, also covering his mouth, "This is mild; the worse... tsk, it's too shameful to hear or see."

Yan Sanhe snorted coldly.

Indeed, it was astonishing!

When the fourth watch drum sounded, the door of the guest courtyard was knocked loudly.

Li Buyan opened the door, and a stern face peeked in.

"Miss, there's an assassin in the government office; please be careful."

"What? Send someone to protect our young master quickly!"

"Rest assured, miss, we've already increased security outside."

"Thank you, thank you. I'll wake up my young master right away."

The door closed, and the bolt was fastened.

Li Buyan walked to the flower bed, picked up a pebble, and threw it far away.

"There seems to be a sound over there."

"Let's go check it out."

As their footsteps faded, two dark figures leaped into the courtyard.

Li Buyan quickly approached, "Quick, come inside. Miss has been waiting for you in the room."

Zhu Qing removed the black cloth covering his face, "How is our master?"

Li Buyan sneered, "He's doing great!"

...

Inside the room, a single lamp flickered dimly.

Yan Sanhe held a teacup, lost in thought.

Pei Xiao chewed on half a cucumber, crunching loudly.

Third Master Xie lay on the table, draped in Pei Xiao's official robe, sleeping soundly.

Seeing Zhu Qing enter, Pei Xiao tossed the cucumber aside, not bothering to finish chewing, and asked indistinctly, "How did it go? Did you find anything?"

Zhu Qing didn't rush to answer but glanced at their master first. "Should we wake him up?"

Wake him up and then soothe him again?

Yan Sanhe refused, "Tell us first!"

Zhu Qing was about to speak, but Pei Xiao couldn't wait any longer. He grabbed the half-eaten cucumber from the table and threw it fiercely.

"I'll call you Grandpa Zhu, now tell us quickly!"

Grandpa Zhu caught the cucumber and said three sentences, each one like a firecracker exploding in the room.

"He knows martial arts!"

"And he's a master!"

"In the woods of Great Qi Country, I think I fought him before. Besides recognizing his moves, the black-clothed man had three deep vertical lines between his brows."

Dead silence!

Dead silence!

Still, silence prevailed!

Zhu Qing replayed the scene in his mind, still shocked.

When he landed in the courtyard, he was still hesitating whether to use a lethal move. If Zhou Ye didn't know martial arts and he couldn't pull back, things would get complicated.

So he broke through the window, holding back some strength when he thrust out his first sword strike.

To his surprise, not only did Zhou Ye dodge his sword, but he also immediately grabbed a knife from beside the desk and engaged in combat with him.

Flickering candlelight;

Sharp blades;

Two figures moving faster than the wind;

The more Zhu Qing fought, the more alarmed he became. Every move this person made was a killing blow, without any hesitation or delay.

As their blades clashed in mid-air, Zhu Qing quickly glanced at Zhou Ye.

At this point, most people would show shock, anger, or desperation on their faces.

But Zhou Ye's face showed nothing.

It was as if being attacked, killing, or being killed were all ordinary occurrences to him.

Zhu Qing decided right then to use his ultimate move to test just how skilled this person was.

However, before he could act, Zhou Ye took the initiative, his blade flashing like lightning.

In panic, Zhu Qing was forced to take a large step backward.

The familiar move, the familiar retreat—Zhu Qing again cast a quick glance at Zhou Ye, his heart pounding.

Three vertical lines between the brows; he vaguely remembered seeing them on the masked man's face.

Daring not to linger another moment, he leaped out the window and fled.

"Miss Yan."

Zhu Qing spoke with difficulty, "What should we do now?"

Yan Sanhe was caught off guard by the question.

She had merely suspected Zhou Ye and wanted to test him, never thinking beyond that. Who could have predicted...

"Miss."

Li Buyan's face showed no trace of a smile, "Make a decision quickly. This is Zhou Ye's territory, and we're in great danger here."

With Li Buyan's reminder, everyone in the room, except for the still-drunk man, turned pale.

That's right.

If he was one of the black-clothed men, then the assassins must be hiding within the government office. If something happens, it would be like closing the door on a trapped dog or catching fish in a barrel.

And they...

Would have no chance of escape!

Yan Sanhe's lips barely moved when she heard someone banging on the door outside.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Huang Qi took a half-step back in fright, "Miss Yan, could it be that Zhou Ye has discovered us and is coming to attack?"

Before Yan Sanhe could speak, Li Buyan snorted coldly, "If it comes to it, we'll fight our way out."

Zhu Qing added, "I'll cover the rear. Huang Qi and Miss Li will lead the charge."

"Shut up!"

At this critical moment, Pei Xiao remained unusually calm, "Don't act rashly. I'll go check the situation first."

"You're the official; how can an official open the door personally?"

Sometime during the commotion, the drunkard's peach-blossom eyes opened, his gaze still hazy with alcohol.

He yawned, "I'll go see."

"Third Master!"

"Xie Wushi."

Xie Zhifei pushed himself up using the table edge, tapping his finger on the teacup, "After drinking the tea Miss Yan poured, I can't just sit idly by."

Yan Sanhe quickly looked up, meeting Xie Zhifei's smile.

"Stay inside and think of a plan. Don't come out without my order. Zhu Qing, let's go."

Yan Sanhe gritted her teeth again.

This time, she sincerely wanted to praise the drunkard.

Good job!

...

Xie Zhifei undid the latch, opened the door, and feigned surprise.

"Ah, Lord Zhou, why is it you?"

"Where is your lord?" Zhou Ye asked, his hands behind his back and his face dark.

Behind him were several bailiffs, all unfamiliar faces.

Zhu Qing looked at the knives in their hands, his heart trembling fiercely—weren't these the same weapons used by the black-clad men in the small woods?

This is deadly!