Chapter 89: Trusted Guard

“The weather is dry, be careful of fire!”

The night watchman rang a copper gong with every few steps, striking it and shouting the same unchanging call that had been heard for centuries.

Gu Ning’an and his group stood in a secluded alley, hearing the watchman’s “call.” Li Xunshan lowered his voice and said, “It must be nearing the fourth watch of the night…”

Nearby, the old beggar rummaged around in the dark corner of the alley. After some searching, he pulled out a pigeon from under a basket.

He smeared a small bit of black mud on the pigeon’s right leg, then raised both hands and released the bird.

“Wait a bit, Guard Qian will be here soon.” The old beggar sat down against the wall, his deep eyes lost in thought.

About the time it takes to burn a stick of incense later, a figure in black appeared atop the high wall of the alley.

This person was unmasked, with slightly sunken features and a strong, muscular build, clearly someone who had undergone rigorous training.

“Lord Wen!” The figure in black leaped down from the wall and knelt heavily before the old beggar. “Lord Wen, you’ve finally returned!”

Wen Fuyin supported the man in black, helping him up as he said, “Guard Qian, rise, please.”

Guard Qian stayed kneeling, choking back his words, “Lord Wen, I failed to protect the madam and young master. Please, punish me!”

Hearing this, Wen Fuyin trembled slightly, patting Guard Qian’s shoulder. “You were alone in the enemy camp; it’s not easy. How could you be blamed for this?”

“Lord, you know?” Guard Qian asked, astonished.

The old beggar nodded. “I know a bit. The reason I called you here isn’t for anything else… I just want to ask you the truth about my wife and child’s deaths.”

Upon hearing this, Guard Qian fell silent for a moment before softly speaking, “Madam and the young master… they were whipped to death by that dog thief…”

Crack!

The old beggar clenched his fists, the bones making a sharp cracking sound. “I see… you can go now.”

“Go? Go where?” Guard Qian frowned. “Now that the Lord has returned, isn’t it to gather evidence and eliminate those dog thieves once and for all?”

The old beggar sighed, continuing, “Yes, but these things, I plan to handle personally… After you manage to slip away, leave Jiangling and live a peaceful life.”

“No!” Guard Qian suddenly stood up, his face resolute. “I swear to eliminate those dog thieves, please, Lord Wen, don’t send me away.”

“Besides, Lord, you’re getting on in years, doing such things would be inconvenient for you. You still need help by your side!”

The old beggar pointed to the people behind him and calmly said, “Three people who are not afraid to die and want to follow me—that’s enough… Over the years, you’ve suffered much under Sun Hong, so don’t involve yourself in this matter.”

“Lord!” Guard Qian looked at Gu Ning’an and the others, furrowing his brows. “I may not claim to be skilled in martial arts, but I am still better than they are…”

Wei Hai rolled his eyes. “Hey, hey, hey, kid, speak clearly—what’s wrong with us?”

“Look at this boy, working as a laborer, his arms are no thinner than yours.”

“And then look at our Mr. Gu… He may be a little slower with his hands, but his mind is sharp as can be… Do you think the three of us are inferior to you?”

Hearing this, Guard Qian cupped his hands in a bow. “I didn’t mean that… but more people means more strength, doesn’t it?”

“Fine, I’ve made my decision. Go now.” The old beggar waved his hand and turned to walk toward the alley entrance.

Seeing this, Gu Ning’an and the others were about to leave. However, before they could even turn around, they heard Guard Qian shout loudly, “Lord, be careful!”

Before the words even finished, a series of piercing sounds filled the air!

In the moonlight, a cold gleam suddenly appeared, and three streaks of light rushed toward them at high speed!

Guard Qian took three steps in two, quickly pulling the old beggar into his arms, attempting to shield him from the incoming hidden arrows with his own body.

Meanwhile, Li Xunshan and Wei Hai watched as the streaks of light sped toward their faces, unable to react in time. Li Xunshan raised his blade to block, while Wei Hai stood frozen, staring blankly at the crossbow bolts that were rapidly approaching.

The three hidden arrows were aimed at the old beggar, Li Xunshan, and Wei Hai, leaving Gu Ning’an behind.

Gu Ning’an raised his left hand, casually pushing Li Xunshan aside. There was a sharp “clink” sound, sparks flying as Li Xunshan’s short blade deflected one of the arrows, sending it bouncing to the base of the wall.

On the side, Wei Hai saw everything out of the corner of his eye. Just as he was about to shout “My life is over,” the hidden arrow suddenly curved in midair and grazed his shoulder before hitting the ground.

“The arrow can curve?” Wei Hai glanced back at the arrow partially embedded in the ground in disbelief, then pulled on Gu Ning’an’s sleeve and said, “Mr. Gu, do you think good people are rewarded?”

Gu Ning’an replied, “Not necessarily.”

Wei Hai pointed at the arrow and swallowed hard, saying, “That arrow curved right in front of me!”

Gu Ning’an gave a casual “oh,” then smiled, “So, that means you’re a good person?”

Wei Hai touched the spot on his brow where the arrow nearly pierced and responded, “It must be!”

On the other side, the old beggar hurriedly asked, “Guard Qian, Guard Qian, are you alright?”

“There are assassins! Lord, please run!” Guard Qian pushed the old beggar aside, his face contorted in pain. An arrow was lodged in his shoulder, and blood poured out from the wound.

Clang!

Guard Qian drew his long blade from his waist, turning to the shadows behind him and shouting sharply, “Cowardly rats hiding, come out!”

On the high wall, three figures in black stood silently, one of them sneering. “Guard Qian, the Lord already suspected you of harboring ill intentions… Today, it’s clear that the Lord’s words were true.”

“If you repent now, we might spare your life out of respect for your past service.”

“Bah!” Guard Qian spat, glaring. “You rat scum, are you worthy of fighting me?”

“Hmph!” The figure in black snorted coldly. “Kill them!”

In an instant, four figures dressed in night clothes rushed into a fierce battle, with flashing blades and clashing swords!

Had it not been for the arrow lodged in Guard Qian’s shoulder, the old beggar would have found it hard to tell which of the four was which.

“What should we do? Should we help?” Li Xunshan frowned.

Wei Hai paused for a moment, then said, “How could we help? They’ve already created afterimages with their moves. If we go, we might just get in the way!”

The old beggar frowned deeply, knowing he couldn’t be of much help, but unwilling to leave.

To the beggars watching, the four’s fight was intense… but to Gu Ning’an, it looked more like “a good show.”

Their moves were flashy, fast, but they were feeding attacks directly into the opponents’ swords… Guard Qian certainly had some “style.”

Gu Ning’an waved his hand and said, “Since we can’t help, let’s go… We can’t let Guard Qian sacrifice himself for nothing, can we?”

Not far away, Guard Qian seemed to hear Gu Ning’an’s words, and he immediately shouted loudly, “Lord Wen, you all go quickly, don’t worry about me!”

“Go!” The old beggar gritted his teeth and ran toward the alley entrance without looking back. Gu Ning’an and the others quickly followed suit.

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