The moment Wu Qian finished speaking, the door to the lounge was kicked open. Amid flying wood splinters, Zheng Xiuyuan entered with Zhang Qi, Sun Hao, and more than a dozen men in fitted martial attire.
All of those men wore standard-issue curved blades at their waists and stood as straight as pines. One look was enough to tell they were elite palace fighters who had trained in martial arts for years.
Zheng Xiuyuan's gaze swept over the porcelain bottle and the stitched notebook on the table, and his expression darkened completely. All his previous pretense fell away, leaving only malice. "Lin Taichu, I underestimated you. You actually found what was hidden in the secret compartment."
Lin Taichu immediately tucked the notebook into his clothes and pulled Wu Qian behind him. Wang Xiaohu happened to enter from outside with food. Seeing this, he grabbed the food box in his hands and hurled it at them, roaring, "You old bastard, you dare bring people here to bully my Senior Brother!"
The food box struck one of the experts, splashing steamed buns and vegetable soup all over him. Yet the man did not move an inch, merely drawing his curved blade with icy calm.
Zheng Xiuyuan sneered. "At this point, words are useless. This notebook and poison are irrefutable evidence. Today, either you die, or I do. Attack!"
The instant he spoke, two experts charged first, their curved blades aimed straight at Lin Taichu's face. Though Lin Taichu's medical skills were superb, he only knew the bare basics of martial arts. He could only dodge awkwardly to the side, but the blade wind still grazed his shoulder, leaving it burning with pain.
Wang Xiaohu had practiced fighting techniques with hunters in Qinghe Town since childhood, and his reactions were incredibly quick. He