Translator: Ink Hub

Editor: Yoog

The pitch-black night was completely dispersed by firelight. Dozens of soldiers held sharp blades, strictly searching every abandoned civilian house, but those men in black had clearly come prepared. They left no clues behind, and even their retreating footprints had been wiped clean.

Having heard the news, Pang Fei also rushed over with his troops. Seeing Xiao Shaoyou’s arm covered in blood, he cursed in a fit of rage.

“Dammit, exactly who dares to make a move against you inside Yunyang Pass? If I find them, I’ll definitely hack them into ten thousand pieces!”

“That’s right.” Meng Hu brandished his massive fists. “Those bastards ran fast. Otherwise, I’d have certainly peeled a layer of skin off them.”

“Enough, enough, stop shouting, you two.”

Xiao Shaoyou, who had just finished bandaging his wound, waved his hand. “Go, check the corpses. See if there are any familiar faces.”

“It’s useless. They didn’t take the bodies when they left because they were certain you wouldn’t recognize them.”

Luo Yu’s shoulder was also wrapped in bandages.

“They came prepared. How could they leave any leverage behind?”

Sure enough, Meng Hu and Pang Fei checked all the corpses but failed to find a single familiar face. This group of people seemed to have emerged out of thin air within Yunyang Pass.

“You actually guessed right.”

Xiao Shaoyou was still unwilling to give up. He instructed the two, “Find someone to draw the faces of these fellows. Go to every camp in the city and compare them one by one. See if we can follow the vine to the melon and drag out their accomplices.”

“Understood!”

“Stop worrying so much.” Luo Yu handed Xiao Shaoyou a water skin. “How is the wound?”

“It’s no big deal. I was lucky it didn’t hit the bone. I’ll be fine after resting for a while.”

Xiao Shaoyou gulped down the water, completely disregarding his injury.

“Why did you block that arrow for me?” Luo Yu asked quietly. “If the arrowhead had been even slightly off, your life would be gone.”

“Eyy, I already blocked it, so why talk about it now? Don’t act all girly with me. If you gave me another chance, I definitely wouldn’t block it! I’d let you take an arrow and see if it hurts!”

Despite Xiao Shaoyou’s grumbling and cursing, Luo Yu was deeply touched. In Xiao Shaoyou, he found the feeling of a comrade-in-arms, a brother-in-arms. That life-risking leap meant that Xiao Shaoyou truly considered him a friend from the bottom of his heart.

“On the other hand, you, kid… you’re quite strange.”

Xiao Shaoyou’s gaze was peculiar as he sized Luo Yu up from head to toe.

“You’re clearly a green recruit who hasn’t been in the army long. Even if you’ve killed a few Qiang soldiers, you shouldn’t have such a thick killing intent, right?”

That final strike Luo Yu used to kill the man had even stunned him. It wasn’t that the scene was bloody, but rather that in that moment, Luo Yu seemed like someone who had killed countless people. The surge of malevolence had made even Xiao Shaoyou feel a sense of dread.

He had struggled on the battlefield for years and knew very well that such an aura only came from someone who had crawled out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

Luo Yu spread his hands.

“I was faking it. If I didn’t act a bit fiercer, how could I have intimidated them?”

The nearly dismissive answer made Xiao Shaoyou roll his eyes. He had no choice but to change the subject.

“Who do you think sent them? Since these guys mentioned Walige, they must have deduced that you have the secret letter of surrender in your hands and wanted to silence you.”

“Hard to say.”

Luo Yu pondered.

“I won a battle at Black Ditch and killed a centurion. That’s a matter of public record that everyone knows. But dozens of assassins who have never shown their faces aren’t something just anyone can produce. It must be someone of high status and great power. If I have to name a suspect, Li Chengxiao definitely has the greatest suspicion.”

Luo Yu still remembered how Li Chengxiao had unintentionally mentioned Walige that day. That kind of seamless probing seemed extremely suspicious in his eyes.

“Forget it, let’s not think about it for now.”

Luo Yu, who had finally recovered some strength, stood up and shouted, “Meng Hu, go find a tael of silver in Centurion Xiao’s pocket.”

“What for?”

“Didn’t you say you were going to treat me to mutton soup? What, are you going back on your word?”

Luo Yu glared and waved his hand.

“Meng Hu, dig out a tael from him! Centurion Xiao is treating us today. All the brothers get a bowl of mutton soup!”

* * *

“Bastards! Is there still any law and order in Yunyang Pass? To dare send people to assassinate a centurion in the middle of the street, even mobilizing dozens of assassins… These arrogant scoundrels are simply lawless!”

Early the next morning, Kong Xian rushed to the military camp after hearing the news. The gauze and bandages wrapped around the two men made him fume with rage.

“It is a blessing among misfortunes that you two are unharmed. Dammit, if this General catches that gang of thieves, I will certainly tear them into ten thousand pieces!”

“Thank you for your concern, General. They are just minor wounds, no matter.”

Luo Yu was actually fine. He had only gotten a cut that wasn’t too deep. He didn’t know how many times he had been injured while carrying out missions in the past, so this small wound was trivial to him.

After checking their injuries, Kong Xian dismissed those around him and asked in a lowered voice.

“Are there any clues regarding the identity of the attackers?”

Xiao Shaoyou reported softly, “This subordinate has already had people copy the portraits of the deceased, but they are all fresh faces. I’m afraid we won’t find anything.”

“Search even if you can’t find anything!”

Kong Xian slammed the table.

“Even if we have to dig three feet into the ground of Yunyang Pass, we must find them. Hand the portraits over to me later. This General will send troops to search the entire city. We’re bound to find some clues eventually.”

The two nodded in agreement, but Luo Yu didn’t hold much hope.

“Ahem.”

Luo Yu stepped forward and said in a low voice, “General, before the assassins made their move, they mentioned the Qiang centurion, Walige.”

“Oh? They mentioned him?”

Kong Xian’s eyebrows twitched slightly. “It seems the person collaborating with the enemy behind the scenes has some suspicions and wanted to kill you to keep you quiet. Hmph, traitorous scum! But don’t worry, I’ve already stationed people to secretly monitor all four city gates. Even if he truly wants to open the gates to let the Qiang soldiers in, it will be harder than ascending to heaven! As long as Yunyang Pass remains safe, we have plenty of time to deal with the traitor!”

“That is for the best.”

“Alright, you two rest first. Take good care of your bodies. You are this General’s capable officers; there must be no mishaps.”

“Thank you, General!”

After Kong Xian and Xiao Shaoyou left one after the other, Luo Yu finally sat down and let out a breath. His brow was furrowed as he thought through the sequence of events.

The fact that he killed Walige was known to the whole city, but only the traitor behind the scenes would know of the secret letter’s existence. Therefore, to hide the secret, he sent people to silence him. It was all very logical.

But who exactly was the traitor behind the scenes?

Li Chengxiao, who was the most hostile toward him? Jun Yi of the Jun family, who was obscure and silent? Or perhaps some lower-level officer?

It was a headache. The more he thought, the more his head throbbed.

“What are you doing? Is your injury alright?”

Just as his head was aching, Shen Li’s head suddenly popped in, her face written with a hint of worry and concern.

“I’m fine, just a flesh wound.”

Luo Yu looked up. “Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be brewing wine?”

Early this morning, Han Shuo had sent someone to deliver twenty warhorses. Luo Yu still owed the man twenty jars of top-tier wine. If this debt weren’t paid, the warhorses might very well be taken back.

“The wine is brewing, don’t you worry.”

Shen Li said softly.

“There’s an old man outside the tent holding a child. It looks like they’re here for you. They’ve been waiting in the cold wind for an hour.”

“Ah? Quickly, invite them in!”

Luo Yu was puzzled. It was certainly the Li family grandfather and grandson who sold mutton soup, but what were they doing here looking for him?