The One Stealing Our Business

You assassins haven't got a shred of sense! How could you let Fehr use you like this? Did those ten thousand gold coins burn your brains to a crisp? Zhang Yao cursed inwardly from his hiding place. He was so certain this "coachman" was an assassin hired by Fehr, rather than a bounty hunter who had accepted a commission from the Bounty Hunters' Guild, because he had already visited the local guild branch and taken every wanted-list commission involving the Ironblood Brotherhood.

Commissions from the Bounty Hunters' Guild were exclusive. Once someone accepted one, nobody else could take it until that person's allotted time expired or they failed the commission. That was why Zhang Yao was certain Fehr had enticed this "coachman" into killing members of the Ironblood Brotherhood.

Creak! The door opened, and a burly man emerged. He eyed the "coachman" warily and shouted, "Hess! Hess! Where have you two damned bastards gone?"

"Sir, are you asking about your two companions who were outside? When I passed your house just now, I heard them discussing something about a fat sheep. Then my carriage broke down a little farther along. When I came back to ask those two gentlemen for help, I found they were gone! I thought they had gone inside to rest, so I had no choice but to knock. I'm terribly sorry to disturb your rest! Would you be so generous as to help me?" As he spoke, the coachman bent slightly at the waist and gave the burly man a polite bow.

"Is that your carriage?" The burly man craned his neck, glanced at the carriage parked a short distance away, then turned back to ask.

"Yes, sir!" The coachman nodded.

"All right, let's go! I'll come help you!" The burly man turned and shouted into the house, "Leven, you two keep watch! Hess and that other damned bastard have gone off to make some money on the side! I'm going to help this gentleman. I'll be back in a bit!" With that, he stepped outside and headed toward the nearby carriage.

"You truly are generous, sir. I'm sure my master would appreciate a man like you!" The "coachman" walking behind him remained just as courteous as before, but a barely perceptible, vicious smile crept onto his lips.

"Really? Which lord is your master?" The burly man had not noticed death drawing near and asked with considerable interest.

The human nations on Rodos's Western Continent were still in a period of mixed slavery and feudalism. In this era, nobles enjoyed a whole range of privileges over commoners. For instance, a noble could pay money to settle a murder, whereas a commoner had to pay with their life. Moreover, because the present nations of the Western Continent had splintered from the once-unified Holy Light Empire, noble status was recognized throughout them. In other words, as long as someone held noble status, they could receive noble treatment wherever they went.

Because of the Free Alliance's particular structure, its important positions were occupied by wealthy merchants. Although these merchants had spent vast sums to purchase titles of lordship, the established nobility refused to recognize them. Thus, while the Ironblood Brotherhood was at odds with the Free Alliance, it was not at odds with these nobles. On the contrary, it spared no effort in winning them over. With their help, the brotherhood could more easily establish a firm foothold in Andal and expand its influence. That was why this senior subordinate, one of Will's personal bodyguards, had not refused when the coachman asked for help.

"My master is..." the coachman answered unhurriedly. As they reached the carriage parked beside the road, he suddenly struck at the burly man ahead of him. Whoosh! A crossbow bolt sliced through the air. Its tremendous force drove it into the back of the man's neck and sent its tip bursting out through his throat, carrying him several stumbling steps forward.

Disbelief filled the burly man's eyes. He struggled to turn his head and glance at the coachman behind him before finally collapsing helplessly to the ground.

Following his earlier method, the "coachman" tossed this burly man into the carriage as well. After checking that nobody nearby had noticed, he returned to the entrance of Will's building and pounded hard on the door, deliberately bellowing in a coarse voice, "Leven, you two bastards, open the door!" His voice was remarkably similar to that of the burly man he had just killed. Without listening carefully, it would have been impossible to tell that they came from two different people.

"Coming! Coming! What's the damned hurry? You-" The man inside opened the door, grumbling and swearing. Only then did he realize that the person outside was not his companion. He immediately tried to shout, but a crossbow bolt cut him short.

"Leven, what's wrong?" The last bodyguard inside sensed something amiss and immediately asked warily. Unfortunately, his answer was a sharp crossbow bolt! With his question still unanswered, this bodyguard followed his companions into the embrace of death.

"Whew!" After checking that there was nobody else in the room, the coachman let out a long breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He was about to head upstairs to find Will, but just as he lifted his foot, a voice came from behind him:

"Heh, those crossbow bolts of yours are quite something!"

The sweat he had just wiped away immediately sprang up again. The coachman hastily turned and raised his hand to fire a bolt at the person behind him. Unfortunately, a heavy blow to his neck scattered his consciousness. Since Zhang Yao still wanted to learn more, he had not killed the assassin, only knocked him unconscious.

Zhang Yao supported the assassin as he brought him over to a chair and sat him down. He then pulled the cloth off a nearby table and used it as a rope to bind him tightly. Afraid the assassin might shout after waking, Zhang Yao also tore off a nearby bodyguard's clothing and stuffed it into his mouth.

Once he had secured the assassin for the time being, Zhang Yao hurried upstairs. As soon as he reached the upper floor, he heard a man's heavy panting and a woman's faint moans coming from the room on the left.

I was worried the commotion downstairs would put you on your guard! Looks like I was worrying for nothing...

Although the assassin had covered up all the earlier commotion downstairs, Zhang Yao had still worried that Will might notice something wrong. But after hearing the sounds of Will's "baby-making exercise," he knew his fears had been groundless. Never mind that little bit of noise-even if the whole building were torn down, Will might not notice.

Zhang Yao crept to the bedroom door and slowly pushed it open, doing his best to keep it from making the slightest sound.

"Mm... ah." As Zhang Yao pushed the door open, the moaning instantly grew countless times louder. Those seductive sounds nearly made his hand tremble and give him away.

Form is emptiness! Form is emptiness! Silently repeating the Buddhist saying, Zhang Yao pushed the door open just wide enough for a person to pass through, then swiftly slipped into the room.