The Demon Lords

Chapter 448 54 Turning Point_1

Actually, Blind Bei had kept his mental detection active ever since they left the palace. Although this consumed significant energy, they were in the capital of an enemy state; was this any time to conserve it?

Events proved that caution was always the right choice.

When assassins' figures emerged on the walls of the residential buildings on either side, Blind Bei reacted instantly. His reaction was so swift it even outpaced the assassins.

"My lord, get up!"

Blind Bei had barely spoken when Zheng Fan felt a force lifting him from beneath. He understood immediately. Using the momentum, he leaped, grabbing the top edge of the carriage and pulling his feet up as well.

The maneuver resembled something from gymnastics on the uneven bars, from a later era.

Blind Bei did likewise, using his mental force to press himself against the carriage's roof.

"What about me?" A Ming asked.

"There's no room left up there, and I can't support three people."

The carriage roof offered limited space. With two men pressed against it, little room remained. Blind Bei's mental force wasn't a magical jack; supporting himself and his lord was already a strain.

But, truth be told, if they squeezed, there was still room; and if he pushed himself, supporting A Ming as well wouldn't have been an issue.

However,

Besides, who asked you to be impervious to arrows?

A Ming gave a dry "Heh." He moved forward but didn't leave the carriage, instead pressing himself into a front corner of it.

Although Blind Bei hadn't spoken, his reaction made it clear what kind of weapons the assassins were using. To step out of the carriage now would be to present oneself as a living target.

"THWIP! THWIP! THWIP!!!"

Instantly, crossbow bolts ripped through the air and into the carriage. Zheng Fan felt numerous drafts whistle past beneath him.

However, the assassins outside hadn't anticipated their targets reacting beforehand by pressing themselves to the carriage roof. Consequently, when they fired, both sides instinctively aimed lower, based on where people would normally be seated.

After the dense volley of bolts, the sounds of combat erupted outside. The Silver Armored Guards protecting the carriage had engaged the assassins.

These assassins, however, all emanated a radiant glow, indicating they were all high-level practitioners. With the element of surprise and the fact that more than half the Silver Armored Guards had been killed or wounded in the initial barrage, the guards were no match for these ferocious assassins.

Zheng Fan and Blind Bei climbed down from the carriage roof.

The two of them looked at A Ming.

A Ming had already hunkered down as much as possible, yet two crossbow bolts were still embedded in his left arm and right leg.

A Ming shook his head as he pulled out a bolt. Vampires truly have no rights, he lamented inwardly.

Just then, an assassin flung open the carriage curtain and poked his head inside. In their minds, anyone inside must surely be dead; he was merely confirming. Time was short, so there was no cautious probing.

A Ming, the ever-reliable 'tool,' having just pulled the bolts from his own body, casually plunged one of them straight into the assassin's eye.

"THUCK!"

The assassin shrieked and recoiled instinctively, but A Ming was too fast. He grabbed the man's shoulders, dragged him into the carriage, and without hesitation, sank his fangs into the assassin's neck.

A GULP! GULP! sound followed, and the assassin's body began to shrivel rapidly, like a leaking balloon.

For A Ming, drinking blood had once been an elegant embellishment to life; now, it was a rapid means of replenishment in battle.

"My lord, use Mo Wan!" Blind Bei shouted in their private mental channel.

The assassins outside, noticing the abnormality within the carriage, were raising their crossbows again.

These assassins were clearly highly disciplined, having even left crossbowmen positioned on both flanks during their initial assault.

Zheng Fan didn't hesitate. With his life on the line, he slammed his fist into his chest, right where Mo Wan resided.

"VMMMM!"

A frigid chill, bone-deep and terrifying, began to emanate from Mo Wan, instantly suffusing Zheng Fan's entire body.

Calamity, curse, nightmare – all manner of negative attributes began to empower him.

A sanguine hue began to seep into Zheng Fan's pupils.

"BANG!"

Zheng Fan kicked off the carriage floor and shot forward. The two assassins at the front of the carriage saw only a figure lunging at them. They had barely begun to raise their sabers when they were sent flying.

Chief Zheng's arms shot out like steel bars, smashing directly into the necks of the two assassins. The sheer force of the impact sent both men flying back seven or eight meters.

At this moment, the crossbowmen on either side reacted instantly, taking aim at the landed Zheng Fan and loosing their bolts.

"THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!"

Zheng Fan snatched up the two assassins he had just downed, using their bodies as shields. The bolts from both sides slammed into them instead.

"'Phew... This must be Mo Wan's first outing since My lord advanced to the Eighth Rank, correct?' A Ming remarked.

"'The favored son is always special,' Blind Bei commented.

Mo Wan had always been one of the most dreaded among the Demon Kings. In other words, it was also the most powerful of the seven.

Such a display, while stunning, was not entirely unexpected.

"'Left or right?'"

"'Right.'"

A Ming was the first out of the carriage, darting to the right. Blind Bei followed close behind. Two assassins on the right flank turned to engage them.

Two needles materialized in Blind Bei's palm as A Ming charged directly at the two assassins.

"THWACK!"

"THWACK!"

The assassins reacted swiftly, slashing horizontally with their sabers. Both blades bit into A Ming's body, but he clamped his hands down on the blades embedded within him, preventing their withdrawal.

The next instant, Blind Bei's two silver needles pierced the assassins' temples. They crumpled to the ground.

"THWIP! THWIP!"

Two bolts flew towards them. A Ming retreated swiftly, shielding Blind Bei. Both bolts struck A Ming in the chest.

Blind Bei clenched his fists.

Instantly, a surge of force struck A Ming, launching him like a kite towards the opposite wall, directly above the two crossbowmen.

As he descended, A Ming wrenched the two sabers still lodged in his body free and slashed downwards.

The two crossbowmen, eyes wide with disbelief, were cut down by A Ming. Their bodies twitched for a moment before falling still.

A Ming vaulted back over the wall onto the street. On the other side of the carriage, five assassins' corpses lay neatly arranged.

Zheng Fan tilted his head, looking at Blind Bei and A Ming.

The assassins were all eliminated. Each was skilled, but in small-scale skirmishes like this, the Demon Lords' powers and unique traits could be exploited to their fullest.

It was like Yuan Zhenxing, shot dead by the Ice River. In a one-on-one fight, few in the Yan Army would have been his match, yet under siege, he could only die an ignominious death.

Fortunately, the number of assassins hadn't been overwhelming.

"'The hostiles are eliminated. Let's withdraw quickly. Don't let My lord overexert himself,' Blind Bei urged.

Zheng Fan grinned, a harsh laugh escaping him twice. His eyes glinted with an intensely suppressed malice. But the next moment, his body gave out, and he slumped to the ground.

"Cough, cough, cough... cough, cough, cough..."

Zheng Fan began to cough violently. It felt like finishing a long run in the dead of winter, his lungs aching as if torn, a sweet taste rising in his throat.

"'Is it over?' Zheng Fan asked, looking around at the assassins' corpses littering the ground.

"'It's over, My lord,' A Ming replied, still methodically pulling bolts from his body.

Just then, the sound of heavy, approaching footsteps echoed from both ends of the street. Squads of Qian State soldiers were rushing to the scene.

Leading the contingent from the front was none other than Zu Dongcheng's younger brother, Zu Dongling.

"'What in the blazes happened here!' Zu Dongling roared.

Leaning on Blind Bei for support, Zheng Fan struggled to his feet. He faced Zu Dongling and retorted sharply, "'We should be asking your Qian State what this is all about! If you want to kill us, do it openly! Why resort to such furtive, underhanded tactics!'"

Actually, Zheng Fan knew perfectly well that these assassins were almost certainly not sent by Qian State. They had no motive. Killing him was pointless and would only compel the Town North Army outside the city to fulfill their threat: to begin slaughtering civilians in retaliation the very next day. But while he understood this, it didn't stop him from slinging mud first.

"'Hah! If we truly wanted to kill you, do you think you'd still be alive and talking to me now?' Zu Dongling shot back.

Zheng Fan fixed Zu Dongling with a dark stare and declared, "'Escort us out of the city!'"

"'Impossible! This matter has yet to be thoroughly investigated!'"

Zu Dongling had wanted to ask who knew if this wasn't some drama staged by the Yan people themselves, but seeing the three Yan envoys still very much alive, he refrained. If they weren't dead, how could one frame them or sling mud effectively?

"'Dawn is approaching. If I do not return to my camp by sunrise, one hundred thousand citizens of your Qian State will die because of your decision, General!'"

Zu Dongling's face tightened involuntarily, his effort to suppress his rage palpable. To be threatened on Qian soil, with Qian lives, by Yan people... this was an unprecedented humiliation, an utter disgrace!

"'Escort the Yan envoy out of the city!' Zu Dongling commanded, his voice tight.

Zheng Fan and his companions started forward. As they passed Zu Dongling, the general said in a low, intense voice, "'Yan envoy, I shall eagerly await the day we meet on the battlefield.'"

Zheng Fan smiled. "'Why wait for some future day? Let's not postpone it. How about right now? Open the city gates, and we can have a proper go at it, real weapons and all. Making threats from the shadows isn't what true men do, is it?'"

An unreadable emotion flickered across Zu Dongling's furious face. He suddenly roared, "'All of you, bear witness! This Yan bastard has pushed us too far, insulting the men of Great Qian, calling us cowards! Soldiers, hear my order! Cut down this Yan bastard on the spot!'"

"... " Zheng Fan.

Author's Note: I'm not in good form today and need to recalibrate. I've been sitting blankly before my computer for ages, unable to get into the writing groove. It's agonizing.