A Clean Sweep

Clang!

Wang Shu twisted around and parried, precisely catching a weapon that had come slashing at him from behind. His wrist flicked, knocking it aside, and he followed through with an upward slash that swept out a streak of icy swordlight.

With a thud, a man clapped a hand to his neck, but vivid red liquid still seeped slowly through the gaps between his fingers.

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He crumpled to the ground and began to convulse.

Wang Shu paid no attention to the enemy behind him. Staying on guard, he quickly surveyed the area and saw figures clashing all over the mountain forest, their silhouettes flickering between the trees.

He stood still, his thoughts racing:

Where had things gone wrong?

These people had actually seen through them ahead of time.

Just then, one of his subordinates hurried over, his chest heaving violently. He was clearly exhausted:

"Chief, the brothers are starting to suffer casualties."

Wang Shu's expression tightened.

If they lost too many men in this operation, it would be difficult to explain.

Without hesitation, he pulled a Whistling Arrow from his robes and yanked hard. With a whoosh, a vivid red streak of light shot into the sky, visible for a dozen miles in every direction.

"Senior Brother, Senior Brother! Let's go!"

A young swordsman came rushing over, helped the tall man finish off his opponent, then pointed at the flare blazing overhead:

"They've got a backup plan, reinforcements, more people coming! We're no match for them. Let's go, get out of here! As long as the green hills remain, there'll be no shortage of firewood..."

The young man looked frantic as he urged him loudly.

The tall man had naturally seen the flare too. He understood what had happened