The rain was pouring down in torrents!
Chen Ran, Lu Jian Xing, Shen Lian, and Jin Yi Chuan were rushing through the rain on horseback. By the time they reached the outskirts of Fu City, it was already late at night.
"Brother Chen, why didn't you bring those people from the manor?"
Lu Jian Xing was puzzled. There were twenty elite swordsmen in Tianjia Manor, yet Chen Ran had not brought them with him.
Chen Ran smiled faintly:
"Those men are to protect Miao Tong and your mother. As for here, I have other personnel!"
"Other personnel?"
Shen Lian, Lu Jian Xing, and Jin Yi Chuan were all surprised.
The twenty men from Tianjia Manor were not only clad in fine armor and armed with expertly crafted Qi swords, but they were all burly and fierce, their very glances carrying a hint of killing intent.
In the eyes of Shen Lian and Lu Jian Xing, these men were definitely seasoned veterans, each capable of taking on ten opponents at once!
Yet Chen Ran had not brought them, and he was saying he had other personnel!
He was merely a newly appointed Baohu, where did he have so many subordinates!
As the two were thinking, they suddenly heard Chen Ran whistle.
In the rain, a group of shadowy figures emerged from the forest ahead!
Each of them was clad in armor, with a Qi sword hanging from their waist and an iron shield on their back. Their eyes were filled with killing intent!
They were the eighty elite Qi swordsmen Chen Ran had sent ahead!
The man at the front carried a large Imperial Forest Guard sword on his shoulder, had a strange hairstyle, and a rebellious look in his eyes.
Jia Qian Ju Shi, Ding Xiu!
Ding Xiu led his group of elite Qi swordsmen forward and quickly reached Chen Ran, bowing down:
"Greetings, Master!"
Shen Lian and the others were astonished.
Chen Ran actually had nearly a hundred elite swordsmen under his command!
Although only Jin Yi Chuan knew Ding Xiu, Shen Lian and Lu Jian Xing could tell at a glance that he was also a master swordsman, his skill no less than their own!
No wonder Chen Ran was so calm; it turned out he had a hidden trump card here!
Their admiration for Chen Ran grew, and they no longer had any doubts about this mission.
Chen Ran nodded and allowed Ding Xiu and his men to rise:
"Have you investigated Wei Zhong Xian's whereabouts?"
Ding Xiu replied:
"Your subordinate has already gone ahead to investigate. Wei Zhong Xian is currently in an inn outside Fu City!"
"He has already driven out all the guests, and only his close guards and death warriors, about forty in total, remain inside!"
Wei Zhong Xian was a eunuch and had no children.
But he was fond of adopting children, and during his time in power, many officials had sought his favor by becoming his adopted sons, Zhao Jing Zhong being one of them.
In addition to his adopted sons, he had also taken in numerous orphans and trained them from a young age to become loyal death warriors.
Chen Ran nodded:
"Deploy everyone, first surround the inn and eliminate all his death warriors. As for Wei Zhong Xian..."
He paused and looked at Shen Lian and the others:
"Leave him to me. No one is to interfere!"
At this moment, Chen Ran's voice was cold and stern, his words carrying an air of unyielding authority.
This was in stark contrast to his demeanor in the Northern Town Guard Headquarters!
Shen Lian and the others were startled, they immediately bowed:
"Yes!"
…
The rain intensified, falling in a torrential downpour!
Outside Fu City, in an inn, though lights were burning, there was no sound of human voices. Only several teams of men in black, armed with quick swords, were seen darting through the courtyard walls.
From a distance, Chen Ran was crouched behind a haystack, observing for a moment before turning to Ding Xiu.
Ding Xiu said in a low voice:
"There are three teams of death warriors patrolling outside the inn, each team with five men. There are about twenty men in the courtyard on the first floor!"
"Wei Zhong Xian is in the Tianzi room on the second floor, with several personal guards in the rooms on either side!"
Chen Ran nodded:
"Shen Lian, Lu Jian Xing, Jin Yi Chuan, Fang Cheng, you four will each lead a team of twenty swordsmen, first eliminate the patrolling death warriors, then enter the courtyard and eliminate the rest!"
"Ding Xiu, you will come with me and enter the second floor directly from the wall!"
"Yes!"
Shen Lian and the others agreed, then divided the eighty elite Qi swordsmen into four teams, each taking charge of one. They quietly approached the inn where Wei Zhong Xian was staying from the east, south, west, and north.
The night rain was heavy, and the surroundings were pitch black. Using the cover of rain and darkness, Shen Lian and his teams quickly approached the inn wall, less than five feet away!
Although they were very cautious, once they entered the five-foot range, these death warriors, rigorously trained by Wei Zhong Xian, quickly sensed something amiss.
"Who..."
The patrolling death warrior had just uttered a low cry when they heard a sudden sharp sound amidst the rain.
Pu!
A short crossbow bolt instantly pierced his throat, silencing his next word!
As Shen Lian fired his crossbow bolt, he moved like a leopard through the rain, instantly reaching the other four death warriors.
Along with him were several burly Qi swordsmen, armed with iron shields and quick swords!
The four death warriors just tried to signal for help, but Shen Lian's embroidered brocade sword sliced through the rain, instantly severing the neck of one death warrior.
At the same time, the other Qi swordsmen, wielding their iron shields, quickly collided, instantly blocking the attack angles of the remaining three death warriors, forming a wall of iron and slamming into them.
Bang, bang...
The remaining three death warriors were knocked back, but before they could draw their swords, several steel blades pierced through the gaps between the iron shields, silently and swiftly piercing their bodies.
In the blink of an eye, the entire patrol team of death warriors was eliminated!
Meanwhile, Jin Yi Chuan and Lu Jian Xing had already killed two patrol teams of death warriors.
All the death warriors outside the inn walls were eliminated.
And Fang Cheng, the leader of the elite Qi swordsmen, was already at the inn's front gate with his team.
The three death warriors guarding the gate saw a group of shadows suddenly rushing towards them in the rain and roared, drawing their swords to fight.
Swoosh, swoosh...
More than ten arrows pierced through the rain, instantly turning their bodies into pincushions!
The death warriors inside the inn courtyard were also alarmed, and shouts of warning rang out!
More than twenty death warriors immediately grabbed their weapons and charged towards Fang Cheng and his men at the gate.
At that moment, Shen Lian and the others led their swordsmen, scaling the wall and leaping into the courtyard.
Wei Zhong Xian's twenty-plus death warriors were instantly surrounded!
Eighty elite Qi swordsmen, each armed with an iron shield, completely surrounded them!
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh...
Several short crossbow bolts flew from between the iron shields, instantly killing several death warriors.
The remaining death warriors roared in anger and charged at the iron shields with their swords raised.