Chapter 422: Assassination

The next day’s midday meal really was eaten at Sun Lianren’s place.

Of course, only Zheng Fan and Sun Lianren actually sat down to eat. Siniang remained beside Zheng Fan, using silver threads to test the food for poison. Even so, Count Zheng barely ate anything. He merely went through the motions.

Sun Lianren was genuinely enthusiastic.

He even proactively offered his own concubine to accompany Count Zheng during his afternoon nap.

Count Zheng naturally declined.

Then the force continued on its way.

Everything they had seen and heard along the road made one thing increasingly clear: the Fan Clan’s influence and control over the region stretching from the Lian River to Mengshan ran extremely deep.

If you dared engage in smuggling, you naturally needed official backing. Otherwise, sooner or later someone would drag you out and cut off your head as an example.

Boatmen, guards at waterside strongholds, Squad Leaders, Centurions, garrison officers at the various forts—nearly all of them stood somewhere along the Fan Clan’s smuggling chain and took their share of the profits.

Someone born from the same mother as you might not treat you like a brother.

But someone whose interests were tied to yours could often become a companion willing to share life and death.

Absurd.

Yet very real.

Count Zheng, a general commanding troops for the State of Yan and a titled Count, had actually led an armed force into Chu territory and been treated as an honored guest.

The journey continued for another two days.

Because the mountain paths were rough, many places simply could not support cavalry moving at speed. Naturally, their marching pace remained slow.

Zheng Fan had thought about the possibility of attacking through this route before, but only in passing.

It was the same reason the Savage King had been forced to gnaw on Snow Sea Pass rather than simply take the old route through Shengle City.

Could you travel this way?

Yes.

But a large army needed logistics, supply lines, protection, efficiency, and countless other guarantees. Those realities made it impossible to use this path as the main direction of attack.

At times, even moving Zheng Fan’s force of only one thousand men together through the mountains was somewhat difficult.

If a larger army came, the problem would become far worse.

Forget everything else. If the Chu people stationed one elite force somewhere ahead and blocked the route, they could choke the entire army in place and leave it unable to advance or retreat.

“Count, once we cross Mengshan, we’ll reach Xiayong. My Fan Clan’s main household is in Xiayong.”

Zheng Fan glanced at Fan Yongxin.

“From the sound of that, you want this Count to visit the Fan Clan?”

“Since the Count has already come this far, how could we fail to offer proper hospitality? Our clan head has been waiting respectfully for some time.”

“Heh.”

The Fan Clan really did possess courage.

An ordinary great merchant household might have been willing to put on a polite show and offer some flattery.

But staking this much and lowering themselves this far required more than money.

It required nerve.

From the Chu perspective, people like the Fan Clan would naturally be considered unforgivable traitors.

But from Zheng Fan’s perspective the Fan Clan was rather lovable.

When a “dog” behaved this sensibly, you almost felt embarrassed if you did not toss it a bone.

You might even feel awkward stripping every bit of meat from that bone yourself.

You ought to leave a little more on it.

That night, they camped at a horse ranch.

A horse ranch in the middle of the mountains.

The place sat in a low basin between two peaks, one of the rare stretches of level ground inside the region.

There were not many horses there.

The ranch mainly existed because this area served as a transfer point along the Fan Clan’s commercial route through Mengshan.

Having a horse ranch here made transport far more convenient.

Some Fan Clan people were stationed at the ranch, but the Snow Sea Pass armored troops still established their own camp under Jin Shuke’s command, exactly as they had on the previous nights.

Outer sentries.

Four-sided protection around the command tent.

Every detail was handled in proper order.

Zheng Fan sat inside his tent as usual.

Siniang was cooking noodles.

The scene had a faintly modern feeling to it, like a man returning home and collapsing onto the sofa while his wife busied herself making dinner.

Their experience since entering Chu had diverged wildly from what Zheng Fan originally imagined.

Still, once they crossed into Xiayong and paid the Fan Clan a visit, they would finally leave the rugged mountain terrain behind.

After that they could truly ride.

A’Ming lifted the curtain and walked inside.

He yawned like an addict in withdrawal and looked utterly listless.

“Master, San sent someone ahead with a message. There are no signs of troop movements around Xiayong.”

Zheng Fan nodded to show he understood.

Siniang looked toward A’Ming.

“The ranch gave us some congealed blood. Once Master finishes his noodles, want me to cook some for you?”

A’Ming gave a dry laugh.

He was just about to answer when his and Siniang’s expressions hardened at the same time.

At that exact instant the Demon Child inside Zheng Fan’s chest abruptly trembled.

*Hummm!*

“Master, careful!”

Siniang spread both hands.

Fine silver threads shot outward, rapidly extending toward the roof of the tent.

At that exact moment, an enormous arrow tore through the tent canopy and plunged downward.

It was the kind of massive bolt normally fired from a bed crossbow during fortress defense.

Siniang’s threads caught the bolt almost immediately.

But something had been wrapped around its shaft.

The threads were naturally razor-sharp. As they intercepted the bolt, they sliced open the material around it.

A foul-smelling liquid exploded outward.

“Fire oil!”

Zheng Fan roared:

“Move!”

He kicked off the ground with both legs.

At the same time, the Demon Child exerted force from inside his chest.

Father and son drove backward together.

The tent was not especially sturdy.

Zheng Fan smashed straight through the fabric, tore open a gap, and rolled outside.

A’Ming did not hesitate.

He turned his back and threw himself between Siniang and the splashing oil.

Siniang severed her connection to the threads overhead and rapidly retreated.

**BOOM!**

The oil struck the charcoal fire inside the tent.

Flames erupted instantly.

The entire tent went up in a single breath.

Fortunately, Siniang had warned Zheng Fan and slowed the giant bolt for an instant, while the Demon Child had helped him accelerate.

He had managed to leave the fire zone early.

Siniang also escaped under A’Ming’s protection.

She herself was unharmed.

But the clothes across A’Ming’s back had caught fire.

The moment he got outside, A’Ming threw himself onto the ground and rolled furiously, grinding his back against the dirt until the flames went out.

Once they were extinguished, he lay there helplessly.

Compared with burns he much preferred being shot full of arrows.

Removing arrowheads was simple.

Pull them out one by one.

One, two, three, four clink, clank.

Burns were much more irritating.

Later, he would still need Siniang to pick sand, ash, dust, and scraps of burned cloth from the wounds on his back.

Otherwise, once the flesh healed, his body would become a layered pastry with debris sealed inside.

That would be an exceptionally miserable experience.

“Assassins!”

“Protect the Count!”

“Protect the Count!”

Armored soldiers surged over immediately.

Zheng Fan had only just climbed to his feet when three layers of his own men surrounded him with their bodies.

The troops on the outer ring quickly formed up and pushed outward.

Sabers across the front.

Bows and crossbows raised behind.

The Fan Clan people at the horse ranch were also startled by the commotion and hurried over under Fan Yongxin’s lead.

They were stopped directly by the Snow Sea troops outside the perimeter.

Meanwhile, Siniang cursed first.

“Xue San, that useless bastard!”

Then she clenched her teeth and looked upward.

Her body launched forward.

She actually pressed herself directly against the cliff face.

Silver threads shot out around her, wrapping around stone ridges and corners.

Using them for leverage she climbed at astonishing speed.

The bed-crossbow bolt had obviously come from above the cliff.

At the same time, two men slipped out from among the armored troops.

Like spiders they began climbing after Siniang.

They were men of the Tianji Pavilion.

After Zeng Shulang submitted to Zheng Fan, he brought his disciples and followers to Snow Sea Pass. They worked on fortress defenses while also modifying siege engines.

At the same time, to demonstrate loyalty, two of the Tianji Pavilion’s final three remaining Protectors had accompanied Zheng Fan’s force into Chu.

The only one who remained behind was Zeng Shulang himself.

Jin Shuke reacted slightly more slowly than Siniang.

He still had to assemble troops and issue orders.

But he quickly divided responsibilities.

“You men stay and protect the Count!

“Keyan Dongge, take men up the western route!

“Everyone else, follow me east!

“The assassins are on the mountain!”

The armored troops split into three groups.

Five hundred remained behind to protect Zheng Fan while keeping watch on the Fan Clan people.

The others split in half.

One group followed Jin Shuke.

The other followed Keyan Dongge.

They moved up the mountain from opposite sides.

For a time the sound of armor filled the night.

...

“Niuzi, move! Leave the bed crossbow!”

“Chief, how can we leave it? That thing’s the treasure of our stronghold! We can’t abandon it. No. I’m taking it back!”

“Bullshit! Move your ass! If you don’t leave now, none of us are getting out!”

“I’m not leaving! I’m not leaving!

“I like this bed crossbow more than I like my wife!

“I’m not leaving it.

“Chief, take another look.

“Did that Yan dog official die?

“Is he dead?

“He should be dead, right?

“Probably roasted through by now.”

“Chief! Bad news! Yan dogs are charging up the western trail!”

“Chief! They’re coming up the eastern trail too!”

The man they called Chief was powerfully built.

Even in winter, he wore nothing more than a piece of hide that exposed one shoulder.

After hearing the reports, he roared at the thin man beside the bed crossbow:

“Niuzi! Move! Leave the damned thing!

“If we stay, everyone dies here!”

Niuzi finally nodded.

He stopped fussing with the crossbow and cursed:

“Mother of mine.

“These Yan dogs move damned fast.”

The group did not try to descend either the eastern or western trail.

Instead, they continued climbing.

The greatest feature of Mengshan was that one mountain connected into the next.

If one slope was blocked then move across to another peak and descend somewhere else.

But the group had only taken a few steps uphill when a terrible scream suddenly rang out.

The Chief turned around.

Niuzi was clutching his own throat.

One of the nearby men reached out to pull him along then froze in horror.

Niuzi’s head had actually separated from his neck and floated away.

Nobody had seen how it happened.

The scene was simply too terrifying.

Then, Siniang’s figure emerged from the darkness.

She had only just climbed over the cliff and was clearly breathing somewhat hard.

But her eyes were filled with killing intent.

“You dared touch my man!”

The instant the words fell, two silver threads shot outward.

They pierced directly into the bodies of two bandits ahead.

Neither man wore armor.

The threads entered their flesh with terrifying ease.

“AAAH!”

“AAAH!”

Both bandits screamed.

Immediately afterward two puppets climbed over the cliff edge.

The moment they landed, they lunged forward without hesitation.

Like two hunting leopards.

The Chief hardened his heart.

He raised his saber, jumped down, and slashed at Siniang.

Siniang did not dodge.

Her own strength had risen together with Zheng Fan’s.

On the surface, she possessed Sixth Grade cultivation.

Combined with the experience and abilities of a Demon King how could she possibly lose to some bandit chief?

*Swish! Swish! Swish!*

Dense silver threads wove themselves into a sheet before her.

The Chief’s saber chopped downward.

The web sank slightly beneath the force and dispersed most of the momentum.

Then, when he tried to pull his saber back he discovered he could not move it at all.

Fortunately, the Chief was decisive.

He released the saber immediately and threw himself backward.

That allowed him to avoid the next wave of threads.

The two Tianji Pavilion Protectors, meanwhile, used their puppets to tear apart two bandits and immediately rushed toward their next targets.

There were fewer than twenty bandits altogether.

They had avoided lanterns and torches earlier to remain hidden.

Now, in the darkness, Siniang and the two Tianji Pavilion Protectors crashed into them like monsters.

The bandits immediately lost all order.

Those still alive began fleeing wildly.

But because of that brief delay, they failed to reach the upper mountain path quickly enough.

Snow Sea armored troops charging up from the eastern and western trails sealed off their escape.

How could these mountain bandits possibly compare with elites who had survived actual battlefields?

They were also overwhelmingly outnumbered.

In moments, bodies fell everywhere.

If Jin Shuke had not shouted repeatedly to take prisoners alive not one of them might have survived.

The Chief had only just managed to escape Siniang’s attack when two armored soldiers trapped his neck with their sabers.

Two more comrades rushed in immediately.

One kicked the back of his knee.

Another pressed his head down.

The Chief was forced flat onto the ground.

No matter how violently he struggled, he could not break free.

And so apart from three or four men captured alive every member of the assassin group was killed.

Siniang walked toward the captured Chief.

Killing intent filled her eyes.

Over the past two years—

Siniang had rarely stood on the front line and fought personally.

Most of the time, she remained behind and managed money and supplies.

But that did not mean her temper had disappeared.

A Demon King was still a Demon King.

That arrogant, domineering instinct inside her had never truly been worn away.

Jin Shuke was obviously somewhat afraid of Siniang in this moment.

Even setting aside her strength she was the woman beside Count Pingye’s pillow.

The mistress of the household.

Jin Shuke would never dare show her disrespect.

Still, he forced himself to step forward and remind her:

“Mr. Feng.

“Shouldn’t we leave him alive for the Count to interrogate?”

Hearing that the sharpness in Siniang’s eyes gradually receded.

She slowly nodded.

Beside her, the two Tianji Pavilion Protectors lifted their heads.

They wore Snow Sea armor like ordinary soldiers and usually looked no different from everyone else.

But now, they crouched on all fours like spiders.

Blood covered their faces.

And both men looked toward Siniang with ingratiating smiles.

...

“So the people who attacked me—were bandits?”

Zheng Fan found the answer somewhat unexpected.

Siniang had just finished interrogating the bandit chief.

She reported:

“Yes, Master.

“This subordinate used torture.

“What he said should be true.”

Zheng Fan knew exactly what sort of methods a Demon King could use when torturing someone.

Siniang continued:

“They have no connection to any outside force.

“They were simply a group who learned Master was from Yan and decided to assassinate you.”

“That pure?”

“Barring some surprise—

“Yes.

“They are bandits from Whirlwind Stronghold.

“Their nest is somewhere in Mengshan.

“They probably saw our column several days ago.”

“Heh.

“Interesting.”

Zheng Fan shook his head.

He had originally assumed some faction had finally made a move against him.

Perhaps one from Chu.

Perhaps Qian.

If he wanted to think in a darker direction even Yan was not impossible.

But now the entire matter had suddenly become so clean and uncomplicated that it almost felt uncomfortable.

A’Ming, sitting beside Zheng Fan, finally spoke.

“Hey, Siniang.

“Can you deal with the wounds on my back?

“I’m forcing them not to heal right now.

“It hurts like hell.”

The wounds had not been cleaned.

So A’Ming had to suppress his natural recovery.

That meant the injuries remained exactly as they were.

Naturally, he had to keep enduring the pain.

If he allowed them to heal now, then later they would have to cut the skin open again to clean out the debris.

That would feel even worse.

So A’Ming preferred to endure it for the moment.

“Siniang, help A’Ming clean his wounds.

“I’ll go see the assassin.”

“Yes, Master.”

By the time Zheng Fan stepped outside the tent the sky had already brightened.

Fan Yongxin had requested an audience several times.

Zheng Fan refused every request.

While Siniang interrogated the prisoner—

Zheng Fan even took another nap.

Perhaps he really had experienced too many battlefields by now.

Perhaps he had truly been tempered.

After all he had not died.

The person injured was A’Ming.

So Zheng Fan’s heart had not fluctuated much.

He had even managed to fall asleep quickly.

Which meant by now it was already noon.

Because of the assassination attempt, security around the camp had been raised to an extreme level.

No Fan Clan person was allowed to approach.

Anyone who crossed the line without permission would be killed on the spot.

Zheng Fan entered the tent where the bandit chief was being held.

Before he even stepped inside he could see drops of blood staining the tent cloth from outside.

Once he entered he found the bandit chief lying there as little more than a bloody wreck.

Truthfully the man was rather pitiful.

When Siniang first began questioning him, he had already answered honestly:

*A grievance has its debtor.*

*A deed has its doer.*

*A true man never changes his name whether standing or sitting.*

*I did it.*

*No one instructed me.*

Then, Siniang did not believe him.

So she tortured him.

And tortured him.

And tortured him.

And tortured him.

And tortured him...

Eventually after no second answer appeared no matter what she did and after the Chief had been tormented so badly that he began calling Feng Siniang “Grandmother” and begging for mercy—

Siniang finally confirmed that his very first answer had been the truth.

Now when Zheng Fan entered the Chief weakly opened his eyes.

He looked at Zheng Fan and seemed to guess who he was.

Siniang was no longer present.

So the man recovered a tiny measure of backbone.

He pulled one corner of his mouth upward and forced out an expression of contempt.

“Why did you want to kill me?” Zheng Fan asked.

“Kill...

“Yan dog...”

“Impudent!” Jin Shuke, who had followed Zheng Fan inside, cursed.

Zheng Fan raised one hand and stopped him.

Then he nodded.

“You can still be called a man.”

They had already been inside Chu for some time.

Unexpectedly the first real danger Zheng Fan encountered came from this bandit.

Zheng Fan smiled faintly.

“How about this?

“I’ll give you a clean death.”

The Chief had clearly been tortured into terror by Siniang’s methods.

The instant he heard those words relief actually appeared on his face.

He even forced out something resembling courtesy.

“I... owe you...”

“No need.”

Zheng Fan turned to Jin Shuke.

“Go ask the horse ranch people for some wine.

“Let him drink.

“Then send him on his way cleanly.”

“Yes, Count.”

After giving the order, Zheng Fan left the tent.

Once the smell of blood disappeared from his nose, he could not help stretching his body.

At that moment, Fan Yongxin shouted from outside the perimeter:

“Count!

“Count...!”

Zheng Fan waved his hand.

The armored soldiers ahead allowed him through.

Fan Yongxin hurried over with two Fan Clan men.

The moment he arrived, he bowed repeatedly.

“Count, this lowly one deserves death!

“This lowly one deserves death!

“The Count suffered a fright last night.

“This lowly one deserves ten thousand deaths!”

“It’s fine.

“It’s fine.”

Since the matter had nothing to do with the Fan Clan—

Zheng Fan had no interest in pursuing them.

Besides, the Fan Clan’s performance along the road had been excellent.

“But please rest assured, Count.

“This morning, the garrisons of several forts ahead already mustered troops and surrounded Whirlwind Stronghold.

“We just received word.

“Whirlwind Stronghold has been wiped clean from top to bottom.

“Old men.

“Women.

“Children.

“Not even the chickens and dogs were left alive.

“Please calm your anger, Count.

“Please calm your anger.”

Hearing that Zheng Fan reached out and patted Fan Yongxin on the shoulder.

Flattered, Fan Yongxin immediately lowered his body a little more.

Zheng Fan turned his head.

He looked back toward the bloodstained tent.

“Heh.”

[End of Chapter 422]