Rustle, rustle~
The river breeze whispered through the bamboo grove along the bank.
Gongsun Duan lay beneath the bamboo leaves, saber and shield in hand, carefully scanning the riverbank for the slightest stir as he waited for prey that might arrive at any moment.
Since he had no idea whether Xie Jinhuan would take the bait, or when, this stakeout was tedious work.
After scanning for a long while, Gongsun Duan saw no movement by the river. Meanwhile, two quarters of an hour had passed since Zhou Ming'an had last entered the house, and he still had not shown his face again.
As time passed, an ominous feeling inevitably arose in Gongsun Duan's heart. After a little consideration, he quietly rose, approached the perimeter wall, and jumped up slightly to look.
He discovered that the residence's study was lit and its door stood open. From atop the wall, all he could see was a pair of legs dangling in the middle of the room...
"Gasp?!"
Gongsun Duan's expression changed drastically. He rushed into the room and found Zhou Ming'an hanging all alone from a ceiling beam, his tongue protruding, long since dead. His final letter lay on the desk.
The other four elite men lying in ambush arrived outside the study. Their eyes filled with astonishment at the sight.
"What happened?"
"We didn't see anyone come over just now. How did Lord Zhou die?"
"From the looks of it, he killed himself out of fear of punishment..."
"Bullshit! How could he possibly kill himself?!"
Gongsun Duan had spoken with Zhou Ming'an only a short while ago. He absolutely refused to believe that such a corrupt official could silently take his own life, yet they had been lying in wait around the residence and had not noticed anyone approach.
Their mission