Bang!
Tongfu Inn's freshly shut doors were violently smashed open, the thick, heavy bar snapping cleanly in two.
A blood-soaked man staggered inside, then collapsed to the floor.
"Sa-save me!"
He let out a heart-rending cry for help, crawling forward with both hands and feet, his face full of terror. "Save me..."
Everyone around him sucked in a cold breath.
This man was none other than the fellow who had just run into Shopkeeper Tong's wall and left with his men in frustration.
No one had expected such a drastic turn of events in the span of mere moments.
Yet what truly sent chills down their spines was not the wretched-looking man on the floor, but the group that now appeared at the entrance like specters!
Astonishment, fear, confusion, shock...
Under the strange gazes of the crowd, more than a dozen men in fitted outfits, long sabers hanging from their waists, filed inside.
They wore bamboo hats and dark red capes trailing behind them. Their movements were swift, their coordination seamless, and an indescribable air of grim slaughter clung to them, instantly cowing most of those present.
"Blood-Clad Guard!"
Someone blurted it out, then immediately clamped his mouth shut.
The name itself seemed to carry a powerful curse, making everyone reveal expressions of utter terror.
All of them fell silent as cicadas in winter.
The Blood-Clad Guard was an exceptionally special force within the Great Liang Kingdom. Internally, they served as the imperial escort guards, responsible for protecting the royal family. Externally, they patrolled, hunted fugitives, and investigated all manner of local crimes.
The Blood-Clad Guard answered only to the Great Liang Emperor, and thus wielded enormous authority. Since the founding of Great Liang, they had rendered countless meritorious services and forged a fearsome reputation that could stop children from