It was raining heavily, thundering, and the roof was crackling with raindrops. Hu Bowen looked anxious and asked, "Master Marquis, what did they see?"
Qining sighed: "If I knew, I wouldn't have to worry so much."
Hu Bowen glanced out the door, turned his body slightly, and whispered: "Master Hou, if he was killed by an acquaintance, there are only a handful of people with such skills. Even if the three guards saw an acquaintance, they would not be wary of what the other party would do. If you use ruthless attacks, the opponent will catch them off guard, but if you don't have extremely powerful martial arts, it will be extremely difficult to kill three people instantly without any resistance."
Qi Ning nodded slightly and whispered: "What did Mr. Hu have in mind?"
Hu Bowen smiled bitterly and said: "Master Marquis, you are confiding in the official, and the official can also say something from the bottom of your heart. You also know that the emperor has just ascended the throne, and the situation in the court is not stable. Now the power of the Sima family in the court is overwhelming, and the king of Huainan Unwilling to be pressured, both sides have their own activities, and each ministry has their people embedded in it. Our Rites Department is Qingshui Yamen, so we are relatively quiet...!"
Qi Ning sighed lightly and said nothing.
"The mission to Dong Qi this time is the emperor's intention, but some people may not agree with the emperor's will in their hearts." Hu Bowen sighed softly and said with emotion: "Our mission may not all be united."
"Oh?" Qi Ning said with a smile: "Master Hu also sees the problem?"
Hu Bowen said in a low voice: "To be honest with you, Lord Marquis, I felt a little uneasy when I found out that Wu Dalin was leading the team. Wu Dalin was originally transferred from the Tiger God Camp to the border because of the impeachment of General Qi. He is not the same as your Jinyi Hou. There are some festivals in the government. I am just worried that because of old grudges, Leader Wu may cause some trouble on the way."
Qi Ning said softly: "Master Hu just said that there are not many masters in the mission who can kill three people in an instant. Is Wu Dalin among them?"
Hu Bowen thought for a while and then said: "I dare not make random guesses. However, after I knew that Wu Dalin was the leader, I inquired carefully and found that Wu Dalin's kung fu was indeed not weak. He was born in a poor family and relied on his true ability to become what he is today." Status. If he were to surprise and kill three people in a row, it is quite possible." He paused and whispered: "But Liang Xiong's martial arts is not weak, so he should be able to do it."
Qi Ning frowned and said, "Master Hu doubts Liang Xiong?"
"That's not the case." Hu Bowen waved his hand and said: "I just feel that among the mission, these two are the only ones capable of killing three people in a row. And they are the chief and deputy leaders of the mission. If they really launch a sneak attack , those three guards will definitely not be on guard. However, Liang Xiong is a veteran of the Yulin camp and has a quite open-minded temperament, so I don’t think he will do anything strange."
Qi Ning was thoughtful, and Hu Bowen hesitated before saying softly: "Master Hou, you have to be more careful. If someone really sneaks in, it may be detrimental to Master Hou."
Qi Ning smiled and said, "I'm worried about you, Sir Hu. Sir Hu, you've been tired on the way. You should go back and rest first, so as not to lose energy on the journey tomorrow."
Hu Bowen stood up and held his hands, sighed, and retreated.
As soon as Hu Bowen left, Liang Xiong's voice came from outside the door: "Master Hou, I have something to report for my humble duty!"
Qi Ning asked him to come in. Liang Xiong, covered with rainwater, stepped forward and bowed: "Master Hou, we have checked inside and outside the village, and there is no trace of anyone sneaking in. Leader Wu has sent additional guards, and he is guarding it himself. He asked his subordinates to guard the goods around the Marquis' house to be on guard against assassins."
Qi Ning nodded slightly, looked at Liang Xiong, and finally said: "Liang Xiong, when the accident happened just now, do you know where Leader Wu was?"
Liang Xiong was startled, hesitated, and then said: "Master Hou, after entering the village, we arranged for guards. I was worried that there might be some oversights, so I checked everywhere. I didn't pay attention to Leader Wu at that time. He might be resting in the house."
Qi Ning said: "I don't have to worry too much here. Deputy leader Liang, Mr. Hu must be strictly guarded over there. You can take people to guard there and make sure nothing goes wrong with Mr. Hu."
Liang Xiong was startled, but he still cupped his hands and said, "I humbly obey my command." Without saying much, he turned around and walked out the door.
It was raining heavily at night, and Qining walked to the door. It was dark outside, and the rain was like fog, making it impossible to see clearly the details in the night.
The killing of three guards naturally caused a stir in the team. The deaths of these three people were strange and strange. The soldiers only thought that there was indeed an invasion from a foreign enemy, so they all cheered up and were extremely cautious. In order to ensure nothing went wrong, Wu Dalin Extra manpower was deployed for night patrol. At first, there were only twenty or thirty people on patrol. After the incident, more manpower was doubled.
Qi Ning originally thought that Xia Yu came quickly and would not leave slowly, but this rain seemed to pour out the anger that had been accumulated for a long time. For several hours, the roads in the village were full of water.
In the middle of the night, he suddenly heard a cry of surprise. Qining reacted quickly, rushed out the door, and ran over following the sound. He saw only a dozen figures running in the same direction at this time, arriving at a house. Qining frowned and immediately recognized the house where Hu Bowen lived.
His face darkened, and he rushed in. He was met by a person, who almost hit him. Fortunately, Qi Ning reacted quickly and dodged sideways, reaching out to grab the person. It was Liang Xiong. Liang Xiong turned around and saw Qi Ning, anxiously He said: "Master Hou, Mr. Hu... Mr. Hu...!" He looked horrified, but was speechless for a while.
Qi Ning said in a deep voice: "What's wrong with Mr. Hu?"
"Master Hu... Master Hu was assassinated." Liang Xiong finally spat out and raised his hand to point to the inner room, "It's right there... right there...!"
Qi Ning quickly entered the back room, and saw only two Yulin warriors holding sabers in the room, waiting in full formation. As soon as Qi Ning entered, the two men pointed their swords at him. When they saw it was Qi Ning, they quickly sheathed their swords and bowed: "Hou Lord!"
Qi Ning had already seen Hu Bowen sitting on an old chair, his face was pale, his expression was dull, and his forehead was covered with sweat. Qin Ning's expression softened slightly, and he stepped forward and asked: "Master Hu, you...?" "
When Hu Bowen heard Qi Ning's voice, he finally came to his senses and said with a wry smile: "Master Marquis, I'm the official... I almost missed you...!" Turning his head and looking out the back window, Qi Ning followed his gaze and said, I saw that the back window had been broken open, it was windy and rainy outside, and gusts of cold wind and rain came in from the window.
Liang Xiong had also come in at this time and reported: "Master Hou, the assassin sneaked in through the back window with the intention of assassinating Mr. Hu. Fortunately, Mr. Hu shouted in time and we rushed in immediately. The man escaped through the back window."
Qining frowned and asked, "How many people are guarding here?"
Liang Xiong said: "I obeyed the order of the Marquis and personally led four brothers to guard here. Two of them were guarding outside the door. The other two brothers and I were guarding the main hall of the house. We heard Master Hu's call from inside. There was a sound, and Beizhi rushed in first, and happened to see the man escaping from the back window. Beizhi immediately followed him out to chase him, but the man was very fast, and it was windy and rainy outside. Beizhi was incompetent, and he escaped. "
Hearing the sound of footsteps at this time, Qining turned around and saw Wu Dalin walking in quickly, dripping with rain all over his body. When he saw Hu Bowen slumped on the chair, he frowned and asked: "Master Hu, can you clearly see the appearance of the assassin?" ?”
Hu Bowen shook his head and said with a wry smile: "I was lying on the bed, thinking about the three people who had been murdered in a daze before, and couldn't sleep. In the daze, I felt that the room suddenly became cold. I turned around and saw that the rear window was actually After being opened, a shadow rolled in from the window. I knew it was an assassin, so I immediately shouted without thinking." He raised his hand, wiped the cold sweat on his forehead with his sleeve, and continued: "Fortunately, Liang Xiong reacted in time, and from Rushing in from outside the door, the assassin didn't seem to realize that I wasn't asleep. As soon as I shouted, he immediately jumped through the window and escaped. When Deputy Leader Liang came in, he happened to see the assassin and followed him out...!" At this point! , there was lingering fear in his heart, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
Wu Dalin saw Liang Xiong and asked, "Deputy Leader Liang, are there no people on duty behind this house?"
Liang Xiong said: "I only thought that there was someone guarding the front door, and we were also in the main hall. No one would dare to sneak in, but... this is all the negligence of Beizhi. Please punish Mr. Hou and Leader Wu!"
Qi Ning said: "Leader Wu, you can't blame Deputy Leader Liang for this. The assassin is really audacious." He looked at Hu Bowen and said, "Master Hu, are you in good health?"
Hu Bowen waved his hand and said: "Master Hou, don't worry. The assassin ran away immediately when he heard the noise, but he failed to succeed. The subordinate was not injured." He waved his hand and said: "It's nothing. Leader Wu, you'd better send someone to the surrounding areas." After a search, the official's life is safe, and the assassin must not be allowed to get close to the Marquis."
Wu Dalin cupped his hands and said: "Master Hu, you have derelict in your duty and deserve to die. I will immediately send people to search for the assassin." He waved his hand and said: "Everyone, go out first. Deputy Liang will lead the team, and then call the brothers over. Master Hu and Hou Yefang All around you, don’t miss a single spot, there must be someone to guard it.”
Liang Xiong said yes and went out with Wu Dalin one after another.
When everyone went out, only Hu Bowen and Qi Ning were left in the house. Hu Bowen got up, walked to the door, looked outside, then closed the door, turned back to the house, with an unusually cold expression, and whispered: "Hou Master, I know... I actually recognized the assassin, but I couldn't say it in public."
Qi Ning was startled and frowned: "Did you really recognize the assassin?"
Hu Bowen said: "Although the assassin escaped in a hurry, I still remember his body movements and will never mistake him for the wrong person." His eyes were cold and he said in a low voice: "Master Hou, your guess is indeed correct. Wu Dalin has a big brother." The problem is, the person who broke into the house and assassinated the official was Wu Dalin!"
Qi Ning was shocked and said in shock: "Is it really him?"
"Xiaguan will never admit the wrong person." Hu Bowen whispered: "He only thought that Xianguan was asleep, so he sneaked in through the back window. Fortunately, Xiaguan was half asleep, otherwise he would have died by his knife now. "