Chapter 1: Young Master Qin's First Arrival in the Treasure Land, A Preliminary Test of Wolf Prevention Techniques
One of the assassins regained his senses first, stepped forward with a swift motion, and raised his knife to strike down, intending to split this embarrassing bastard in half. Just as the crowd braced themselves for the bloody scene of being cleaved in two, the assassin wielding the knife suddenly let out a cry of "Ah..." and collapsed to the ground, clutching his lower abdomen with both hands, curling up like a shrimp, his entire body convulsing.
Seeing the dead suddenly rise, even those assassins with hearts of iron could not help but feel a tightening in their chests, their hands slackening, leaving them somewhat at a loss.
Leveraging the inertia from the roll, Qin Lei propped himself up with his left hand, elegantly resembling a swallow skimming the water, and quickly stood up. In that fleeting moment, he had already decided on the technique to confront these assailants—though somewhat embarrassed, it was the most suitable for his current physical condition
... ...
Lightning cleaved through the densely clouded sky, instantly illuminating the night as if it were day.
Words were on the tip of his tongue, yet he swallowed them back down. The giant nearly choked himself, muttering a few words under his breath. He clasped his fists together and said in a deep voice, "I take my leave, my lord." He pulled out the torch that was propped against the window frame, tiptoed out of the room, and slowly closed the door behind him.
Resolutely determined, the giant glared with his bell-like eyes and let out a roar, wildly swinging his longsword in a frenzy, targeting the vital points of his enemies while completely abandoning defense, seemingly intent on taking down as many as he could. The assassins, seeing their main target seemingly on the verge of collapse, were unwilling to engage in a desperate fight and were instead thrown into disarray by his single-handed assault
At this moment, on the roof of the eastern room of the inner residence, two individuals stood. An elderly man in brown clothing held an umbrella for the person beside him, who was dressed in white. The rain was pouring heavily, and despite the umbrella, the shoulders of the white-clad individual and the books he carried were getting wet. However, the white-clad individual remained completely still, intently focused on the scene in the courtyard
Whenever the assassin felt confident that victory was assured, Qin Lei would employ some peculiar techniques to narrowly evade capture, often gaining an advantage in the process. His strength was not great, but he targeted areas that were difficult to train, such as the groin, nose, and soft ribs, making him quite a challenge. For a time, the assassin was at a loss to deal with him
Gradually, consciousness returned to Qin Lei's mind. He only heard the giant speaking to the bearded man, saying things like "Your Highness," "No harm done," and "Please return." Then he saw the bearded man casting a gloating glance at him before leaving with his troops, saying something to the giant that made the giant's face turn dark with anger
Not only was his reaction slow, but he also seemed to have lost all strength, and even his legs appeared to have shortened by a segment. Qin Lei shook his head slightly, realizing that he was seriously ill, even experiencing hallucinations. Before he could make further judgments, three assassins lunged at him again. Qin Lei executed an old bull's tail whip, propelling himself away.
A bearded man in armor came over to speak, but he did not listen to a word; it was the giant beside him who helped answer.
The "dead person" on the ground opened their eyes at this moment, looking around in confusion.
The defenders in black watched as their companions fell one after another, yet they remained unwavering, continuing to fend off the powerful enemy's attacks with sword and blade. They seemed oblivious to the notion of retreat, much like the oblivious soldiers of the Western Qin.
The assassins did not witness the scene from a moment ago, too preoccupied to think deeply. They immediately split into three, advancing together to swing their blades down. The person who had seemingly risen from the dead rolled and crawled to evade the attack
Qin Lei's physical condition is terrible right now; he feels sore and weak, and his head is pounding. He struggles to lie down on the bed, adjusting his position to make himself a bit more comfortable. Only then does he look at the other person in the room, discovering that they are staring at him with a strange expression, as if they have something to say but are hesitant. Qin Lei slowly closes his eyes and softly asks, "Do you have something to say?"
The man in white let out a soft hum, placed his hand to his lips to whistle, and then vanished with the old man into the curtain of rain
The giant nodded, just about to speak, when he heard the half-conscious person on the bed mumble: "I'm tired, let's talk about it tomorrow..."
The young man behind him seemed terrified, and amidst the giant's shock, he realized that today was a certain death: once the person he was protecting died, even if he managed to drive off the assassins, there would be no way for him to survive. Now, the only option was to sacrifice himself for his master, perhaps ensuring the safety of his family thousands of miles away.
The first thunder of spring immediately erupted. Accompanied by the deafening roar of thunder, raindrops the size of beans began to patter down onto the ground. In an instant, the rain intensified, enveloping the capital city in the night.
Resolving a situation, Qin Lei did not pursue the victory, truly feeling powerless! His body was extremely weak, and after several movements, he was nearly exhausted. The other two assassins, witnessing his ruthless attacks that severed others' lineages, involuntarily slowed their offensive, leading to a standoff between both sides
The area of this courtyard is not large, and the mottled wall surface silently narrates its long history and the history of books. The courtyard is spacious and open, with independent houses on all sides, connected by corridors, embodying the traditional Eastern courtyard structure.
The room fell silent once more, with only the crackling of a torch that the soldier had just inserted into the wall.
Countless question marks surged forth, turning his mind into a tangled mess, with a continuous buzzing sound in his ears
Apart from a four-courtyard residence located in the eastern part of the city
These assassins are ultimately exceptionally skilled, and with their overwhelming numbers, they quickly regained the initiative after just a few exchanges, turning defense into offense. As swords clashed, the weapon of the giant was parried by one assassin, while almost simultaneously, another assassin's sword struck towards the giant's left chest like a venomous snake darting its tongue, piercing through his leather chest armor in the blink of an eye, seemingly unavoidable. The giant's eyes widened in fury.
Darkness once again enveloped the room, as Qin Lei focused intently on the sound of the rain pattering outside, not opening his eyes again
The body feels very weak, as if suffering from a serious illness, and all movements have become distorted. Just a moment ago, I clearly aimed a kick at that person's abdomen, but it fell short by three inches
A burly man with a thick beard stood by the floor, holding a long sword and dressed as a guard, staring in astonishment at the pale young man lying on the ground. Even the assassins who had burst in and screamed upon seeing the frail youth were momentarily stunned, falling to the ground in a daze.
The battle outside continues, and the defenders in black have gradually become accustomed to fighting at night. Just like the scene inside the house, they are in a state of disarray yet persist with remarkable tenacity. The man in white on the roof furrows his brow, just about to say something to the elder beside him, when the elder listens intently for a moment and slowly shakes his head in response to the man in white.
Qin Lei forcefully restrained his emotions; the qualities of a top special forces instructor compelled him to suppress the absurdity he felt and focus intently on the crisis at hand
Following his gaze downward, he was astonished to see a group of individuals in black clothing engaged in a fierce battle around the northern house. There were approximately thirty people, divided into two factions fighting against each other. The attacking side clearly had a greater affinity for combat in the darkness; their weapons were all coated in black. Only when lightning flashed could the opponents see the dark yet sharp weapons aimed at their vital points, often leaving them with no time to evade. With each sound of the sharp blades piercing flesh, a vibrant life or a part of a body would be taken away.
At that moment, the "dead man" lying behind the giant suddenly kicked out with his right leg, striking the back of the giant's ankle. The giant stumbled immediately, falling backward as the long sword grazed his chest, splitting his leather armor in two, yet allowing the giant to narrowly escape disaster
This move, "Waving Sleeves in the Wind," appears exceedingly vicious in the eyes of onlookers: first striking the groin, then elbowing the ribs, even an iron man would be rendered incapacitated.
Ultimately, strength prevails over tenacity. The attacking side, taking advantage of their numerical superiority, tightly entangled the black-clad defenders in the northern room, dispatching several powerful assassins to break open the door—accompanied by a distorted scream from within, the defense was breached.
The knife lost control and flew horizontally, heading towards the giant man who was just about to get up from the ground where a recently deceased person lay. The giant instinctively executed the Iron Plate Bridge technique, lying back down heavily and straight. With a sharp "clang," the knife embedded itself deeply into the wood, just an inch away from the giant man's forehead.
Even though Qin Lei has undergone hellish training, his thick nerves are on the verge of breaking down—Is this a movie? Did I just go too hard? It seems I am not an actor after all
Upon hearing the whistle, the assassin launched a few strong attacks and then retreated like a tide, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye. Those defenders in black also left silently, as if they had never been there.
At this moment, the giant had already risen to fend off the remaining assassins. Upon seeing that his master was unharmed, he was overjoyed and, filled with great vigor, managed to hold off the other four assassins.
Moments later, the sound of heavy footsteps and the clanking of armor echoed. Qin Lei saw a large group of soldiers rushing in, armed with torches, clad in leather armor, bow in hand and knife at the ready, their faces filled with fierce expressions
In the entire yard, only the heavy and light breathing sounds of two men remain, reminiscent of a bellows.
Compared to the terrifying shouts of killing outside, the silence inside at this moment is suffocating
The assassins surrounded Qin Lei in a fan shape. With his left hand guarding his chest and his right hand protecting his lower back, he assumed a defensive stance. The assassins attacked simultaneously, with the one on the left wielding a knife being the first to strike. Qin Lei sidestepped to avoid the blow, then charged towards the left assassin's arm, closing the distance and entering the assassin's embrace. He threw a left punch and raised his left elbow, executing the move "Waving Sleeves in the Wind"—immediately incapacitating the eight-foot-tall strongman, who then writhed on the ground like a snail.
The bustling city during the day is particularly quiet in the rain, as raindrops fall on the eaves, in the courtyard, and on the road, producing a cacophony of sounds that converge in such harmony, lulling one to sleep. The vast majority of people have indeed long since fallen into a peaceful slumber.