The official road leading toward Anping County stretched beneath the afternoon sun, its surface worn smooth by the endless passage of carriages, merchants, travelers, and martial artists. From a distance, Anping County looked almost like a small city rather than an ordinary county seat. Its thick stone walls rose several dozen feet above the surrounding plains, reinforced in places with dark iron plates, while watchtowers stood at regular intervals along the battlements, allowing the guards to observe the roads stretching in every direction.
The reason for its prosperity was obvious.
Anping County occupied a strategic position between several major routes. Merchants traveling toward the neighboring prefectures passed through here, caravans stopped to replenish supplies, and martial artists frequently entered the county before continuing toward more distant territories. Although it could not compare with the magnificent prefectural city, where towering mansions, large martial halls, and powerful clans could be found throughout the city, Anping County was still considerably more prosperous than most county seats.
Its streets were wide, its markets crowded, and its inns were numerous.
Unfortunately, today, most of those inns were already filled.
A long caravan finally arrived outside the city gates.
Among the many carriages was one carrying three exhausted figures.
When the carriage stopped, Su Yang carefully climbed down while carrying Tu Bing on his back.
The unconscious escort's body remained limp against him, his face still pale from the injuries and poison he had suffered.
Li Wei followed.
Although he was injured as well, he had recovered enough strength to walk without assistance.
The two looked at each other.
Neither spoke for several breaths.
After everything they had experienced in the forest, even reaching Anping County felt like surviving a disaster.
Su Yang turned toward the carriage driver and handed him the agreed payment.
"Thank you for bringing us here."
The driver glanced at their battered appearances before hurriedly accepting the silver.
"You're welcome."
He clearly didn't want to involve himself with whatever had happened to them.
The carriage soon continued along the road, disappearing into the flow of travelers entering Anping County.
Su Yang adjusted Tu Bing's position on his back.
"Let's find an inn first."
Li Wei nodded.
"We should."
Su Yang lowered his voice.
"You take the package to the meeting point after that."
Li Wei hesitated.
"You're certain?"
"We can't carry him around forever."
Su Yang glanced at Tu Bing.
"His injuries are too serious. We need somewhere to let him recover."
Li Wei sighed.
"Fine."
He looked toward the crowded streets.
"Once I deliver the package, I'll return immediately."
Su Yang nodded.
"Be careful."
Li Wei gave a bitter smile.
"After what happened in that forest, I'm afraid being careful isn't enough anymore."
The two separated.
Li Wei disappeared into the crowd carrying the package.
Su Yang carried Tu Bing deeper into the county.
Unfortunately, finding an inn proved far more difficult than expected.
The first was completely occupied.
The second had only one room available, but the owner demanded an outrageous price.
The third didn't even have a vacant stable.
After asking around for nearly half an hour, Su Yang finally found an old inn tucked away in a relatively secluded alley.
The building had clearly seen better days.
The wooden sign hanging above the entrance was faded, and several roof tiles were cracked.
The courtyard was small, the walls stained with age, and the floorboards creaked whenever someone stepped on them.
But there was an empty room.
That was enough.
Su Yang paid for it without hesitation.
After placing Tu Bing on the bed, he immediately checked his condition.
Still alive.
Still breathing.
His complexion, however, remained frighteningly pale.
Su Yang sat beside the bed and silently circulated his Qi.
He wasn't skilled in healing techniques, but he could at least use his Qi to help stabilize Tu Bing's condition.
Time passed slowly.
One hour.
Then another.
The light outside gradually changed.
The noise of the county streets became quieter as evening approached.
Su Yang looked toward the door.
Li Wei still hadn't returned.
His brows gradually furrowed.
"What's taking him so long?"
The meeting place shouldn't have been far.
Even if something had gone wrong, Li Wei should have returned by now.
Su Yang stood.
His hand instinctively moved toward the weapon at his waist.
Something was wrong.
Then—
"Huff..."
A heavy breath suddenly came from outside.
Su Yang's eyes sharpened.
"Li Wei?"
Bang!
The wooden door exploded inward.
A figure stumbled through the doorway.
Blood sprayed across the floor.
Li Wei collapsed heavily onto his knees before falling forward.
The package he had been carrying struck the ground.
Its wrapping tore open.
Su Yang's pupils contracted.
Inside...
Nothing.
Empty.
The package contained absolutely nothing.
His face instantly turned pale.
A terrible realization struck him.
Before entering Anping County, Li Wei had quietly approached him.
The two of them had already suspected that the enemy might know about the package.
So they had made a desperate gamble.
The original contents had been removed.
Su Yang was carrying the real item.
Li Wei had taken an empty package to the meeting point.
They had hoped to deceive whoever was waiting there.
But now—
The empty package had been brought back.
That meant their little trick had already been discovered.
Li Wei struggled to raise his head.
"Run..."
His voice was barely audible.
Su Yang's expression changed.
"Brother Li—"
A cold flash suddenly appeared.
Swish!
Li Wei's head flew into the air.
Blood erupted from his neck like a fountain.
His body collapsed.
For a moment, the entire room seemed to freeze.
Su Yang stared at the corpse.
His hands tightened.
Then his survival instinct screamed.
Danger!
Several shadows appeared outside the doorway.
Black-clothed figures entered the room one after another.
Their faces were concealed.
Their movements were silent.
There was no unnecessary conversation.
No threats.
No explanation.
They had come here to kill.
Su Yang immediately grabbed Tu Bing and threw him over his shoulder.
Then—
Boom!
An enormous explosion erupted behind him.
The entire inn shook violently.
Wood splintered.
Stone cracked.
Flames burst through the room.
Su Yang didn't even look back.
He smashed through the window and leapt outside with Tu Bing on his back.
BOOM!
The inn collapsed behind him.
Flames swallowed the building.
Smoke billowed into the night sky.
Su Yang's expression became ugly.
"They're trying to make it look like an accident."
If an entire inn collapsed and killed everyone inside, who would investigate carefully?
Especially if the people inside were merely travelers.
It would be easy to blame an unstable building, an overturned lamp, or some accidental explosion.
These assassins weren't merely trying to kill him.
They had planned everything.
Su Yang gritted his teeth.
"Fuck."
He couldn't stay here.
He ran.
His movement technique erupted to its limit.
His feet struck the ground repeatedly as his body shot through the narrow streets.
Tu Bing's weight pressed heavily against his shoulders.
Normally, carrying another person wouldn't have been enough to slow him significantly.
But after the injuries he had already sustained and the battle in the forest, his physical condition wasn't at its peak.
Behind him—
Whoosh!
Several figures pursued him.
Their movements were terrifyingly fast.
Su Yang suddenly turned into an alley.
A black-clothed assassin followed.
Su Yang abruptly changed direction.
The assassin followed again.
Another turn.
Then another.
Su Yang's movement technique wasn't fast enough to completely shake them off, but his ability to change direction was excellent.
He used the narrow streets to his advantage, slipping through alleys and cutting around buildings.
Every time the assassins thought they had cornered him, Su Yang would suddenly appear somewhere else.
But he couldn't maintain this forever.
His breathing became heavier.
Sweat ran down his forehead.
Tu Bing remained unconscious.
Su Yang gritted his teeth.
"Why hasn't the Yamen reacted?"
An explosion large enough to destroy an inn should have attracted the attention of the county authorities.
Yet no one had appeared.
No patrols.
No soldiers.
Nothing.
A terrible possibility surfaced in his mind.
Could the Yamen...
also be involved?
His expression darkened.
Then he emerged from another alley.
Ahead stood several Yamen officers.
Su Yang's heart sank.
The officers immediately spotted him.
"Stop!"
Su Yang's eyes narrowed.
One of them raised his hand.
"Fire!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
A volley of arrows tore through the air.
Su Yang's expression changed.
"I knew it!"
He twisted his body.
Several arrows passed beside his face.
One nearly grazed his cheek.
Su Yang accelerated.
Ahead was a high wall.
A dead end.
He had no choice.
He bent his knees.
BOOM!
His feet exploded against the ground.
His body shot upward.
He caught the edge of the wall and vaulted over it with Tu Bing still on his shoulders.
He landed heavily on the other side.
But the moment his feet touched the ground, Su Yang's chest heaved.
His breathing was becoming increasingly ragged.
He had been running for too long.
His injuries were beginning to affect him.
And carrying an unconscious person was consuming his stamina.
Su Yang looked back.
The assassins had already crossed the wall.
He had bought himself only a few breaths.
"Damn it..."
He continued running.
But after another turn, he suddenly stopped.
His lungs burned.
He needed to breathe.
Just one moment.
One moment was all he needed.
Su Yang slowed.
His chest rose and fell violently.
That single moment of hesitation...
Was enough.
Several powerful figures appeared around him.
One.
Two.
Three.
Five.
Su Yang's expression sank.
The surrounding pedestrians immediately realized something was wrong.
They looked at the black-clothed figures surrounding the young man carrying an unconscious person.
Then they turned around and fled.
No one wanted to become collateral damage.
The street quickly emptied.
Su Yang slowly placed Tu Bing down.
He moved her behind himself.
His eyes swept across the surrounding assassins.
There were five of them.
And the aura coming from each one was terrifying.
True Essence.
At least five True Essence martial artists.
Su Yang's palms began trembling.
Not from fear.
From the residual force of the attacks he had endured.
He slowly clenched his fists.
He couldn't run anymore.
Then—
Swish!
A figure vanished.
Su Yang's pupils contracted.
A brilliant Qi-colored slash tore through the air.
The blade wasn't merely cutting flesh.
The True Essence condensed around it was sharp enough to split the air itself, producing a faint tearing sound as it traveled toward him.
Su Yang didn't retreat.
There was no time.
His Qi-Blood erupted.
Boom!
His powerful blood energy surged through his arm.
He immediately fused his Qi-Blood into his forearm and raised it.
Clang!
The Qi blade struck.
The collision produced a violent metallic sound.
Su Yang's body was instantly blasted backward.
His feet scraped across the ground, leaving two deep marks.
His forearm trembled violently.
But he had blocked it.
Su Yang's eyes became solemn.
The opponent's True Essence had entered his body through the point of contact, attempting to penetrate his muscles and disrupt his internal organs.
Fortunately, his powerful Qi-Blood resisted it.
He forcibly circulated his blood energy and expelled the foreign True Essence.
His expression became extremely ugly.
Five True Essence martial artists.
And none of them were ordinary.
The leading assassin slowly raised his sword.
The cold blade reflected the moonlight.
Su Yang took a deep breath.
Behind him lay Tu Bing.
Ahead of him...
Five enemies.
There was nowhere left to run.
He slowly lowered his stance.
His Qi began circulating through his meridians.
His muscles tightened.
His Qi-Blood surged like a roaring river.
If he wanted to survive...
He could only fight.