Kill!

At a quarter past the Hour of the Dog, just as the west gate was closing, three carriages rolled out of the city.

This was the last batch of men mobilized by the County Yamen. Four batches had already departed before them.

After the carriages reached the area near Yulin Academy, they would dismount, pass along the forest trail, travel five or six li beside the River of Wrath, and rendezvous with the main force.

Six Doors had devised a plan to split their forces into three groups. One group would sail down from the upper reaches of the River of Wrath, destroy the boats belonging to the Zhao and Lin estates, and cut off their escape by water. The other two groups would encircle them from the front and rear. If there was no resistance, they would seize them on the spot; if there was resistance, they would surround them from all three sides.

The men dispatched by the yamen had the easiest task: blocking the outskirts and guarding the small paths leading in every direction. Once Six Doors was done, they would enter, tie up the criminals one by one, and escort them back to Fengxian County.

The task seemed easy, but it was anything but. If the criminals escaped through this route, Six Doors would show no mercy. If the thieves got away, they could slap accusations on the constables, claiming there were traitors colluding with outside criminals among them. Investigation upon investigation, interrogation upon interrogation—none of them would have a good time.

Xiang Yuan understood this well. The mission definitely wouldn't go as smoothly as planned. If nothing unexpected happened, the two estates would break through via the path they were guarding, and he would die on the spot, fulfilling that prophecy of Disaster of Bloodlight.

At that moment, the Bagua Heart-Protecting Mirror was like a calming pill, filling him with anticipation for tonight's sudden twist.

Turn misfortune into fortune!

He knew what the misfortune was. But where was the fortune? And what was this opportunity for divine arts?

Even so, Xiang Yuan decided to mention it. He wasn't a cold-blooded man. He wouldn't simply accept the grievous deaths and injuries of his fellow constables for the sake of his own opportunity, especially not the four boys around his age.

At fifteen or sixteen, in his own world, they would still have been students in school.

He wasn't afraid of losing his opportunity because of this. Old Daoist Quexin had taught him to act according to his heart. Even if changes arose, those changes would surely be an indispensable part of the opportunity's arrival.

Just as Xiang Yuan was about to speak, the carriages came to a stop. He followed Old Liu down, sword slung at his waist, umbrella on his back, rope tied around him, and hurried onto the forest path.

The group of more than twenty all knew martial arts. They hastened onward with their qi raised, and covering five li in the time it took to drink a cup of tea was effortless.

"Old Liu, my heart's pounding like mad. Do you think there's a chance we'll have a fierce battle tonight?"

"What, you're afraid the plan might change?" Old Liu asked with a grin.

"Yeah."

"You should be afraid. There'll definitely be changes. In all my years as a constable, I've hardly had a single operation go smoothly."

Old Liu said, "But don't worry. Captain Liu is leading the team tonight. He's a Foundation Establishment expert. Whenever Lord Sima went on inspection tours, he often had Captain Liu guard him at his side. So long as we don't run into powerful men from the Five Poisons Cult, it won't matter how many bandits the two estates bring. They won't be able to touch a hair on his head."

From his tone, it was clear he held Liu Jingsheng, captain of the Third Squad, in the highest regard.

Xiang Yuan secretly curled his lip. Thanks for clearing that up, Old Liu. He'd just been wondering what form the danger would take. So it was the Five Poisons Cult.

He pressed, "What if we do encounter the Five Poisons Cult?"

"How could that happen? Six Doors isn't staffed by useless fools. Even if the Five Poisons Cult's fiends broke out of the encirclement, they should flee toward the Southern Border. Our defenses are set up in the north. At most, one or two small fry might slip out, and Captain Liu could easily deal with them."

"But there are mountains to the north, and roads leading everywhere. Their chances of escape are greater."

"Heh, you're arguing with me now?"

Old Liu shot Xiang Yuan a glare and told him not to spout nonsense, lest he shake their side's morale.

Xiang Yuan had done his best. His caution couldn't sway Liu Jingsheng, and Six Doors' towering image in Old Liu's mind only made Xiang Yuan seem timid and cowardly. If he kept talking, Old Liu would truly lose his temper.

As for explaining the stakes to Liu Jingsheng face-to-face...

Xiang Yuan considered it. He'd probably get a scolding, plus two hard slaps across the face.

A line from a physiognomy manual surfaced in his mind: "Those of low status shouldn't advise others; the poor shouldn't argue reason." It sounded somewhat sensible at first glance, but only in practice did he realize it was a true maxim.

Before the time it took to drink a cup of tea had passed, they joined the main force. There were around eighty people, all constables in black uniforms, carrying sabers and ropes. They waited in silence for movement from the two estates not far away.

Six Doors handled matters cautiously. They had searched the surrounding area long ago and confirmed there were no scouts or ambushes before handing this place to Liu Jingsheng and having him lead the guard.

The constables each found a spot to sit on the ground. Their discipline wasn't as strict as an army's, but they sat back-to-back in a tight formation.

Under the moonlight, Liu Jingsheng leaned against a tree, his eyes fixed rigidly on the direction of the two estates.

In such circumstances, whoever dared speak would immediately draw eighty pairs of eyes. That thoroughly killed Xiang Yuan's desire to say anything.

About half an hour later, ink-black clouds spread across the sky, blotting out half the light. Shouts of battle suddenly pierced the heavens. Firelight flickered in the distance, and cries of grief came one after another.

The constables rose as one, hands gripping their sword hilts. Following Liu Jingsheng's orders, they spread out to guard several sections of the narrow, straight paths.

The battle cries continued for a long while before converging in one place from all directions. Compared to the scattered fighting at the start, the enemy might have had numbers on their side, but they lacked courage and tenacity. A trapped beast had reached the end of the road. It could struggle for only a little longer before it could no longer stir up any waves.

The overall situation had been decided!

Seeing a signal flare burst high in the sky, Liu Jingsheng called the constables together. "Follow me into the estate. Don't ask questions. Tie up everyone you see. Don't let children or women stab you in the back with hidden blades!"

His words were brief and clear. The constables answered in unison.

Just as everyone started forward, Liu Jingsheng's expression changed. He suddenly drew the saber at his waist, sending out a magnificent arc of blade qi that slammed into the shrubs ten meters away.

Earth collapsed and the ground caved in, revealing a large pit. A scream rang out from within.

A tunnel!

Liu Jingsheng was deeply startled. Six Doors' constables and he himself had inspected this place one after another. By all rights, there shouldn't have been a tunnel here.

Buzz buzz buzz!!

The flapping of mosquitoes and flies suddenly erupted. A mass of black mist poured from the tunnel and rose into the air. Like spilled ink dispersing, it transformed into ghostly hands that lunged at the constables.

"Such petty tricks, and you dare show them off!"

Liu Jingsheng shouted. Several seasoned constables stepped forward, Old Liu among them. Their long sabers scattered white gleams, whipping up fierce winds that blew the ghostly hands apart.

Liu Jingsheng himself charged forward with saber in hand, moving as swiftly as lightning. He drove his blade into the ground, and screams immediately rang out.

The instant he pulled his saber free, he flipped and leaped aside, stomping down the tunnel with all his strength while avoiding the splattering foul blood and the short arrows shooting toward him.

After landing, Liu Jingsheng located his targets by sound. His saber repeatedly pierced the ground as he hunted through the tunnel, cutting down its occupants amid shrill screams.

The sight left Xiang Yuan awestruck. No wonder Old Liu admired him so much. If Xiang Yuan had a leader like this, he too would be wholeheartedly convinced.

When there was trouble, he truly stepped up!

Inexperienced greenhorns like Xiang Yuan could only marvel at how terrifying this was. The veteran constables were different. They listened carefully in all directions, guarding against more tunnels and against powerful enemies surrounding them to launch a hidden attack or poison them.

Boom!

A figure burst through the ground at the far end of the tunnel. With a shake of both arms, he unleashed powerful palm force, forcing Liu Jingsheng to withdraw his saber and block.

The man used the force to drift backward. Looking closely, they saw one dirt-covered "local" after another crawl from the ground.

They were dressed like ordinary villagers, honest and unassuming. Walking down the road, they wouldn't draw a shred of suspicion. But their accents were stiff and unnatural—they had clearly come from the Southern Border.

"Even people of Chu are here..."

The leading burly man's face was an iron-blue, as though it had been painted onto wood. He looked more like a corpse than a living person, though no one knew what martial art he cultivated.

They had come tonight to transport goods, only to be suddenly encircled by Six Doors. Unwilling to fight, they had taken their own people into the tunnel. To be safe, they had deliberately headed north, and to be even safer, they had released poisonous insects at the tunnel's end and dug an additional stretch of tunnel.

Yet unexpectedly, they still hadn't managed to break through the encirclement.

The situation had erupted too suddenly, and neither side had been prepared. But in one regard, they shared a tacit understanding.

When enemies met on a narrow road, the brave would win!

"Kill!"