Blazing a Trail of Survival

The main building of the embassy was a large mansion with six courtyards, and it also had an independent garden on the west side. The overall area was extremely large. It took Sun Shaozong more than three miles to walk from his room to the front hall, winding around.

Sun Shaozong couldn't tell what style the exotic flowers, rare herbs, pavilions, towers, flying waterfalls, green ponds, and artificial hills were, but the word 'luxury' was definitely appropriate. According to the memories in his mind, the Qian Xiang Country's king had specially allocated a huge sum of money to build this embassy, and all the arrangements were made according to the specifications of the royal palace.

Tsk~

Qian Xiang Country doesn't seem to be very wealthy, at least it's far behind Da Zhou, but it used the people's hard-earned money to build such a luxurious embassy. No wonder people say that Qian Xiang Country is a loyal dog raised by Da Zhou.

Because it took a lot of effort to put on his clothes earlier, by the time Sun Shaozong arrived at the living room carrying the Gold Thread Great Ring Blade, the courtyard was already crowded with people, at least a hundred or more.

Most of those standing in the front row had solemn faces as if mourning their parents. They should be the official members of the Da Zhou delegation, that is, the unlucky ones who were about to be implicated and questioned. Although those behind them were also silent, there was no fear on their faces. They were the handymen hired by the embassy.

Sun Shaozong first glanced around expressionlessly, then called Feng Xin over and asked, "Is everyone here?"

"Almost."

Feng Xin smacked his lips and added, "Only the kitchen is missing a kitchen helper, who seems to be called Ruan Wenhao."

A kitchen helper?

As expected!

Sun Shaozong understood in his heart, and then raised his voice and asked loudly, "Does anyone here know the whereabouts of Ruan Wenhao?"

Before he finished speaking, a wealthy-looking fat man flashed out from the front row and cupped his hands, saying, "Reporting to the Commandant, that Ruan Wenhao asked me for leave this morning, saying that he was going back to deal with some family matters—he should still be at home now."

Left in the morning?

Sun Shaozong looked up at the sky. It was obviously past noon, and he was immediately a little disappointed—there probably wouldn't be enough time to pursue him.

"Commandant."

At this time, Feng Xin came up and asked with some incomprehension, "Lord Niu was assassinated in the Ruan residence, what's the use of you looking for this Ruan Wenhao?"

Sun Shaozong glared at him, and then showed the blood on his right hand, and sneered, "Lord Niu was indeed killed in the Ruan residence, but I was poisoned in the embassy!"

These dark purple bloodstains were flowing from Sun Shaozong's mouth and nose.

At first, because his mind was in a mess, he didn't examine it carefully, but later, after hearing Feng Xin mention that he might hinder the assassination, he immediately connected these bloodstains with 'transmigration'.

Obviously, the real Sun Shaozong and Ruan Wenhao had been poisoned to death, so Sun Yi, the transmigrator, could borrow the corpse to return his soul and become the new owner of this body.

Therefore, he concluded that there must be accomplices of the assassin lurking in this embassy!

And a kitchen helper is undoubtedly a very suitable identity for poisoning—if Niu Yongxin hadn't been cooking separately all the time, he might not have needed to risk an assassination. Ruan Wenhao alone could have taken care of him.

Feng Xin wasn't completely stupid. He stared at the blood for a moment, and his face turned liver-colored. He cursed, "Damn it, this bird Wenhao is actually a spy sent by the assassin. If I catch him, I'll tear him apart!"

"Then what are you waiting for?"

Sun Shaozong slashed towards the gate with his hand and ordered decisively, "Choose twenty shrewd and capable brothers to change into plain clothes and come with me to arrest Ruan Wenhao!"

"Understood!"

Seeing his superior being so heroic, Feng Xin was also infected and couldn't help but get excited. He agreed neatly and prepared to gather his troops.

But just as he was about to open his mouth, he suddenly remembered that there were heavily armed guards outside the door. The little bit of pride in his chest immediately disappeared, and he stammered, "Sir, there are hundreds of officers and soldiers outside..."

"Given our current situation, what is there to be afraid of?"

Before he could finish, Sun Shaozong snatched the words, pointed the tip of his blade at the door, and then at the ground: "If we can catch the remaining assassins before the Qian Xiang people, maybe we can all find a way out; but if we stay here, we'll just be waiting to die!"

Saying that, he suddenly raised his voice: "Brothers, would you rather follow me and fight for a way out, or stay here and wait for death?!"

"We want to follow you and fight for a way out!"

"That's right, let's all charge out together!"

"Whoever dares to stop me, I'll chop him into pieces!"

If there's a chance to live, who would willingly wait for death?!

Therefore, Sun Shaozong's words were met with overwhelming support. Almost all the guards were roused to action, shouting and yelling, some even drawing their swords and slashing wildly, ready to fight to the death.

Feng Xin was no exception. He suppressed his excitement and stepped forward to select twenty men. However, the guards who weren't chosen refused to stay behind, clamoring to go out and investigate the case together.

Feng Xin couldn't control them, so he could only look at Sun Shaozong with pleading eyes.

This guy is really useless!

If only those squad leaders of mine could have transmigrated with me.

Musing to himself, Sun Shaozong took a few steps forward and said loudly: "Brothers, although searching for the assassins is important, this embassy can't be left unguarded—please, brothers, help me protect this home!"

Although the guards were still somewhat reluctant, given Sun Shaozong's assertive performance earlier and his superhuman martial prowess, they reluctantly agreed.

Everyone returned to their rooms to change into plain clothes. Feng Xin led a few people to the stables, and soon twenty-two fine horses were led to the front yard—among them was a tall, sturdy Black Steed Horse, Sun Shaozong's usual mount.

Sun Shaozong was initially worried that he might not be used to riding a horse for the first time, but when he mounted, he was surprisingly skilled, as if he had practiced riding for more than a decade.

He felt relieved. He squeezed the horse's belly with his legs, and the Black Steed Horse raised its hooves and headed straight for the side gate, followed closely by the other twenty-one riders!

As they rushed out of the side gate, they saw the street entrance, a hundred paces away, surrounded by layers of soldiers. Perhaps because they heard the sound of hooves, each of them looked as if they were facing a formidable enemy, raising their swords and spears.

A middle-aged general in bright armor shouted loudly: "This general is ordered by the king to protect the safety of the embassy inside and out. Please return quickly and do not ruin your lives!"

At the beginning of the Da Zhou Dynasty, they had sent troops to occupy the entire Qian Xiang Country and stationed troops there for more than ten years. During this period, the language, measurements, and even customs of the Qian Xiang Country were forcibly Sinicized.

Later, although Da Zhou withdrew its troops, the traces of Sinicization did not weaken in the slightest. Today, almost everyone in Qinglin Prefecture can speak fluent Shuntian Prefecture Mandarin, while the native language of the country is almost extinct.

Therefore, the middle-aged general's shout was clearly heard by all the guards. Coupled with the dense forest of spears and swords in front of them, which could not be resisted by flesh and blood, the guards inevitably felt uneasy, and their horse speed involuntarily slowed down by nearly half.

At this moment, Sun Shaozong waved the Gold Thread Great Ring Blade in his hand against the wind and shouted sternly: "We are envoys of Da Zhou, ordered by His Majesty to protect the safety of the embassy inside and out. We are now going to pursue the remaining assassins. Whoever dares to stop us is despising my Da Zhou, despising His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor. Don't blame this general for being merciless under the blade!"

These series of accusations made the middle-aged general turn pale with fright. Although he was ordered by the king, how could the king of the small Qian Xiang Country be compared with the emperor of the Heavenly Dynasty?

If there was a conflict, and something happened to the Da Zhou envoy, the king would not spare him even before the Da Zhou emperor sent troops to punish them!

The more he thought about it, the more guilty he felt. Seeing Sun Shaozong galloping towards him with his sword, showing no intention of stopping, the middle-aged general finally gritted his teeth and waved his hand, ordering: "Disperse, let them pass!"

After speaking, he seemed to feel that this behavior was too embarrassing, so he hurriedly added stiffly: "Anyway, the city gate is closed, they can't run away even if they want to!"