Chapter 223: Fleeing for Life

Chapter 223: Running for Their Lives

Cheng Ge was forced back into the room, his back slammed hard into the door with a muffled *bang*.

Before he could catch his breath, a sudden burst of noise and chaos broke out downstairs.

"Fire! Everybody run!"

"Stop them!"

Then, a scorching wave of air mixed with the sharp, acrid stench of lamp oil surged upward from below.

The orange-red glow of the flames instantly lit up the staircase like daylight.

Ling Feng and Jiyue, who had just chased outside, were driven back by the sudden flames, retreating to the corridor and quickly taking up positions to guard Cheng Ge's door.

"Master! The entire lower floor is filled with their men! They've poured oil! The fire is raging!" Ling Feng said urgently, his words rapid, his face lit with anxious red from the flames.

This is insane! Absolutely insane!

When their assassination attempt failed, they would burn down the inn and roast them alive inside!

The fiery tongues were already licking at the wooden banisters of the stairs, crackling and popping, thick smoke billowing upward.

The entire second-floor corridor was rapidly engulfed in heat and smoke, flames leaping, casting flickering light on Cheng Ge's face, now dotted with blood.

He shot a quick glance at the staircase, now sealed by a sea of fire—

The enemy hid in the shadows while he and his people were exposed; their escape route was cut off!

"We can't wait to die," Cheng Ge snapped, his voice sharp. "Out the window!"

He spun around, rushed to the room's window, and shoved it wide open.

Icy wind carrying snowflakes blasted in, and the ground was pitch-black below.

"Ling Feng! Go first!" Cheng Ge ordered without any hesitation.

Ling Feng didn't hesitate. With one hand on the windowsill, he vaulted out nimbly.

Using small bumps in the wall to slow his descent, he landed steadily.

Then, scanning warily, he called up in a low voice: "Master! Hurry!"

Without a word, Cheng Ge followed suit, rolling out. He was a seasoned wall-climber, his movements frighteningly fast.

"Lü Rou! Funiang! Quickly!" Cheng Ge shouted up toward the floor above.

Lü Rou and Funiang were both pale with terror, their legs shaking like leaves, teeth chattering.

Driven by the approaching flames and the urgings of the shadow guards, the two women, eyes squeezed shut in fear, trembled as they crawled out of the window.

"Jump! I'll catch you!" Cheng Ge called from below, arms outstretched, his voice carrying an unshakeable calm.

Lü Rou looked down at him, clenched her teeth, screwed up her courage, took a deep breath, and let go.

Cheng Ge caught her precisely. The impact staggered him a step, but he quickly steadied himself and gently set her down: "You're okay! Move aside!"

Funiang was also helped down by a shadow guard who had followed closely.

Jiyue, carrying the still unconscious Dahuang on his shoulder, along with several other guards, climbed down, one after another.

"Go!" Cheng Ge barked out, shielding the shaken Lü Rou and Funiang as he led the way toward the stables on the side of the inn—perhaps their only hope of survival.

But they had barely taken ten steps when—*BANG!* A loud, heavy crash!

The iron-bound wooden door at the main entrance of the inn was suddenly barred shut from the outside by a massive beam.

At the same time, over a dozen dark figures appeared on top of the walls on both sides!

Under the moonlight, arrowheads gleamed with cold, deadly light.

"Ambush!" Wufeng shouted. He was the emperor's own Imperial Guard and had been stationed outside, but now he too was forced back.

Cheng Ge's pupils contracted. On pure instinct, he yanked Lü Rou and Funiang behind him.

At that moment, crossbow bolts rained down like a furious storm from the walls.

Cheng Ge was unarmed. With a glint of cold light in his eyes, he smoothly and naturally drew the sword from Ling Feng's waist.

Ling Feng felt the sudden emptiness at his side: "!!!"

Cheng Ge's wrist flicked, and his blade swept out like a flash of light, precisely cutting down two bolts flying straight at him.

Ling Feng froze for a second, then without thinking, reached out and snatched the sword from Wufeng's waist.

Wufeng: "???"

Feeling his waist suddenly light, he cursed under his breath, threw himself to the ground in a clumsy roll, narrowly dodging several incoming arrows.

The next second, more crossbow bolts came flying in, even denser than before!

Cheng Ge, now wielding the sword that had been Ling Feng's, unleashed fierce sword moves protecting those behind him.

Ling Feng, wielding the sword that had been Wufeng's, blocked the volleys with an impenetrable defense.

Wufeng, unarmed, could only rely on his superb footwork to dodge between the arrows, his face turning green with fury.

The fire spread rapidly. From the second-floor windows, terrifying tongues of flame were already shooting out, thick black smoke rolling, dyeing the night sky an ominous orange-red.

The crossbow bolts from the walls never stopped; instead, they grew denser, clearly intent on driving them back into the fire or killing them where they stood.

"We can't let ourselves get trapped here!" Cheng Ge deflected a stray bolt with his sword, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings.

The stables were lit up too by the fire, with figures faintly moving—obviously also ambushed.

"There!" Cheng Ge pointed to a relatively low corner at the back side of the inn, where a pile of debris sat.

"Break through there! Ling Feng, Jiyue, clear a path! Wufeng, cover the right flank! Everyone else, get behind shields!"

The moment the order came, the well-trained shadow guards moved into action.

Ling Feng and Jiyue cut through like two sharp blades, their long swords whirling so fast that not a drop could pass.

They ripped a hole through the rain of arrows, charging straight for that corner.

Bolts clattered and rang as they were knocked away, and any that slipped through they blocked with their bodies, muffled grunts swallowed by the roar of the flames.

Wufeng, though unarmed, moved with eerie agility, weaving through the gaps between the arrows.

From time to time, he would pick up rubble from the ground or use skillful deflection to redirect treacherous arrows, covering the right flank of the team.

Cheng Ge held his sword in one hand and shielded Lü Rou and Funiang with the other, following close behind Ling Feng and Jiyue.

Jiyue, carrying Dahuang, was slightly slowed down, and a guard immediately stepped forward to help him block.

"Over the wall!" Ling Feng growled as they reached the wall, and he and Jiyue crouched in perfect sync, interlocking their hands to form a boost.

Cheng Ge did not hesitate for a moment, forcefully stomping his foot on Ling Feng's interwoven palms.

Propelling himself into the air, he placed one hand on the wall top and vaulted over in an instant.

He crouched on the wall, his gaze sweeping like lightning to the outside.

Beyond was a pitch-black wilderness; no ambush was visible yet, but torchlights in the distance were rapidly approaching.

"Hurry!" he called down, while deflecting two arrows shooting toward the base of the wall.

Ling Feng immediately hoisted Lü Rou up, and Cheng Ge reached down and grabbed her arm.

He pulled her onto the wall and then, without hesitation, pushed her over the wall into the safe area outside: "Jump!"

Lü Rou cried out as she fell to the ground, but fortunately the outside was covered in soft snow and dry grass.

Next was Funiang, who was likewise sent over the wall.

"Dahuang!" Cheng Ge shouted down; Jiyue struggled to lift the unconscious Dahuang up, thinking, "This damned dog is so heavy!"

Grabbing Dahuang by the hind legs, Cheng Ge called to Ling Feng and the others below: "Go!"

Ling Feng, Jiyue, and Wufeng quickly vaulted over the wall one after another.

When Wufeng came up last, he was still swift—one hand on the wall, using his core strength to vault over.

But in that split second as his center of gravity shifted and his legs had not yet cleared the wall—

"Whoosh!" A vicious crossbow bolt, silent and deadly, shot from the shadows below, slamming into his groin.

Wufeng's eyes went wide in shock—"!!!"