Surrounded

From the content of the letter, it can be roughly determined that this Prince Ning is not very peaceful and had long ago brought Qingya County Magistrate Prefect Lou under his control. The reason he chose Qingya County was not because Prefect Lou was outstanding, but because Qingya County had a mine!

The letter didn't explicitly state what kind of mine it was. However, it could be roughly inferred that the value of this 'mine' was extremely high, so high that Prince Ning sent a large number of experts to occupy the place. Eunuch Wei, who was killed by Chen Luo earlier, was Prince Ning's personal eunuch and came here specifically to handle this matter.

'That dead eunuch even pretended to be from the palace to me.'

Chen Luo cursed inwardly and continued to read.

Apart from Eunuch Wei and his group, Prince Ning also collaborated with a martial general from the Southwest. This person was the brute Prefect Lou mentioned earlier, General Fan, the one who sent him away to beg. The remaining content was mostly transaction records, such as tribute money and transported supplies.

Chen Luo only glanced over them.

"What kind of mine is it that makes these people so deranged?"

He flipped through the last letter but couldn't find the information he wanted.

At this moment, some faint sounds could be heard from outside. It seemed the late-night snack Prefect Lou had ordered was ready by now.

"Forget it, I should go find Junior Sister Apprentice He first."

Chen Luo blew out the candle on the table and leaped out through the hole he had broken open.

A moment later, a scream came from the small courtyard where Prefect Lou was located.

After leaving Prefect Lou's courtyard, Chen Luo immediately changed direction and headed towards the location of the last strong aura. There was no one at Prefect Lou's place, so the only remaining place was this one. With his Third Realm perception, the experts in this government office were like fireflies in the dark night, incredibly conspicuous.

After crossing three courtyard walls, Chen Luo's movements became lighter.

This courtyard was even more luxurious than the Nuanqiu Pavilion where Prefect Lou lived. Not only was the courtyard wider, but even the architectural style was much more exquisite. Torches burned brightly in the courtyard, illuminating every area, leaving no dark corners.

Every few meters, there was a soldier in armor on guard. Compared to other places, this was truly heavily guarded.

Chen Luo hid behind the eaves, observing the movements in the courtyard from a distance.

By the stone table in the center of the courtyard, a burly man sat there, carefully studying a booklet wrapped in yellow cloth. Not far away, Junior Sister Apprentice He and several young women were tied up, unable to move like pigs.

Looking at their appearance, they didn't seem to have suffered any harm, they just looked a bit strange.

"Why can't I cultivate it? I clearly followed every step..."

The burly man was completely immersed in the booklet, as if he had encountered some difficulty.

No wonder he didn't notice the commotion at Prefect Lou's place earlier. In his current state, as long as the killing didn't reach him directly, he basically wouldn't bother with it.

This person is probably that General Fan, right?

Chen Luo didn't rush to act but carefully observed the man.

This General Fan's strength was not weak. Although he hadn't reached the Third Realm, the aura emanating from him was definitely not comparable to ordinary Jianghu wanderers. This kind of military martial artist's aura was completely different from that of Jianghu wanderers. If he killed this kind of expert, he would definitely take his brain.

He wondered what the difference was between military martial artists and Jianghu wanderers.

'Danger, duck!'

While Chen Luo was still thinking about how to make a move, the thoughts belonging to the Royal Family Brain suddenly became active. A command appeared in his mind. The next instant, his body instinctively ducked down without any hesitation, rolling over and falling away at an incredible angle.

Bang!!

A black sleeve arrow flew past his cheek, its tip hitting the tile wall on the ground with a fierce impact, embedding itself deep within. The remaining half of the arrow shaft trembled slightly behind it, speaking of the danger just moments ago.

Chen Luo felt his scalp tingle.

'Was I discovered?'

'When!'

An unprecedented sense of danger surged into his heart. If he had been even half a beat slower, or if he had hesitated, that sleeve arrow would have definitely shot through his glabella, piercing his brain.

"Huh?"

A voice suddenly sounded. Following the sound, the burly man who had been sitting in the courtyard reading was now on the rooftop at some point.

His sleeve gleamed with a cold light; the sleeve arrow just now was shot by him.

Besides swords, spears, and halberds, hidden weapons and poisons were the things that killed the most people in the Jianghu.

"Good reaction."

General Fan reached out and pressed a hidden weapon in his sleeve, commenting simply.

At this moment, the soldiers below had also surrounded the rooftop. A large group of archers drew their bows to a full moon and unleashed a barrage of arrows at the spot where Chen Luo had just dodged.

Boom boom boom...

Another round of arrow rain.

No one said any unnecessary words. This General Fan was not like the villains in movies and TV shows who talked a lot. He clearly had the advantage, yet he shamelessly called for reinforcements, completely lacking the demeanor of an expert.

"Careless."

In the room below, Chen Luo's face was a little gloomy.

When he rolled earlier, he wasn't dodging blindly. Instead, following the instinct of the Royal Family Brain, he hooked onto the nearby window and rolled inside. For a moment, he truly felt like he was going to die.

The sense of arrogance brought about by his cultivation breakthrough earlier had completely disappeared.

One-on-one, these people were indeed not his opponents, but the other party didn't engage him in a martial path fight at all, directly resorting to the human wave tactic and long-range shooting. In this way, with his whereabouts exposed, it was difficult for him to exert his full strength.

After all, it was still the martial path; carelessness could lead to death.

After calming himself down, Chen Luo began to ponder his current situation.

There were at least fifty people surrounding this area outside, and the number of people lurking in the shadows was even greater, impossible to ascertain. There was also the unfathomable General Fan. Trying to rescue someone under these circumstances was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

First, get out, break free from the encirclement, and then fight back.

Assassination is the best strategy!

With just a moment's thought, a plan formed in Chen Luo's mind.

Now, all of the more than one hundred brains in his body were active, and his thinking became exceptionally clear. There was not the slightest impulse to use his weakness to attack the enemy's strength.

Bang!!

Before Chen Luo could even move, the door outside was suddenly kicked open.

'Left side, there's a partition wall in the corner of the room, arrows can't reach.'

A brain, skilled in escaping, somewhere in his mind provided feedback. This brain was clearly very proficient in escaping; its thoughts were so fast that even the Royal Family Brain didn't react in time.

Without time to think further, Chen Luo rolled over, grabbing a nearby stool as he did so.

Thud thud!!

Several more arrows embedded themselves in the stool, the cold glinting arrowheads clearly visible piercing through the wood.

Fortunately, Chen Luo finally managed to hide in the corner, where the rain of arrows could no longer pose a threat to him.

"Stop!"

General Fan's voice came from outside again; he also realized that shooting like this wouldn't kill Chen Luo.

"You two, go in and take a look, capture him alive!"

General Fan stood at the doorway, showing no intention of entering. Those in high positions don't venture into dangerous situations; this is the habit of those in high positions. General Fan was clearly a qualified superior.

Two soldiers who heard the command immediately drew their sabers and cautiously entered, keeping close to the door.