"An honored guest has graced our humble abode. You're most welcome..."
A strange feeling welled up inside Shi Qingjue. It wasn't just because hundreds of fully armed Iron Mountain soldiers surrounded him on all sides. It was because everyone was listening quietly to him, even the enemies.
"First, let me make some introductions." Shi Qingjue pointed to several men in black on his right. "These seven are swordsmen sent by the Tianshan Sect, representing the Unrivaled King." Then he pointed to several people on his left. "These six are subordinates of the Dragon King. Night has fallen, and the battle between the Dragon King and the Unrivaled King is about to begin inside the city. I hope that here, in the Iron Mountain camp thirty miles away, there'll be no enemies or allies—only friends."
The Iron Mountain soldiers cheered in unison.
Nie Zeng let go of his sword hilt. Though he'd stayed on guard the whole time, he'd still fallen for it. Old Wild wasn't a loyal follower of the Dragon King at all. He'd spread false information just to lure the six assassins into the camp.
But the trap wasn't what Nie Zeng had imagined. As soon as they entered the ambush, Old Wild had knelt to apologize, then solemnly assured them that the six were in no danger of losing their lives. Most importantly, Shangguan Cheng had already been hidden away. They'd never find him.
That meant the first step of the military strategist's plan could no longer be carried out. Without Shangguan Cheng, the nominal Iron Spear King, killing Shi Qingjue would only plunge Iron Mountain into greater chaos.
Ambushers emerged from all directions, torches blazing. Nie Zeng realized he wasn't the only one who'd been tricked: the seven Golden Peng Assassins had been fooled too.
Shi