"Everyone is seated?" Xia Houlu asked in a low voice.
He bowed and squatted in the dark alley, the black splatter almost merged with the night, only the goose ling knife around his waist showed a gleaming luster when he inadvertently moved. Behind him were two rows of people squatting against the wall. There were about fifty people, and all of them were motionless, like black stone statues.
"Everything is in place. There are three hundred people in total, ready to be called at any time." The head class replied.
"Okay." Xia Houlin said.
The voices were sent along the evening wind, and the ups and downs of shouting and shouting were mixed together. This is Xishi Street. Three hundred steps to the north is Huangcheng Root. At the foot of Huangcheng Root is the most prosperous horse market in the capital. Xia Houlin took out the geese ling knife, the back of the knife stretched out against his elbow, and the bright blade reflected the shadow of Chulou's archway. Black scale tiles, gray-white doorposts, and a brick-carved shadow wall on each side. The runners stood at the bottom of the gate building to greet them. It was a cold day, only wearing a short jacket, but his face was red from the heat of running.
He is the captain of Xia Houlin's hands, and a short blade is hidden under his short jacket. While welcoming him, he glanced at Xia Houlin and nodded slightly.
If you look carefully, you will find that passers-by in front of Chulou have passed by more than once. They walked to the end of West Market Street, turned around and walked back. The tea shoppers at the tea stalls, the artisans at the bakery shops, the street sellers, and even those who sold their bodies to bury their fathers were all made up of fans from the East Factory in disguise.
Tonight, Shen Jue and first assistant Zhang Zhao were scheduled to have dinner in Chulou. The day before yesterday, Xia Houtong received a new report from Tang Shiqi that the Garan assassin would assassinate Shen Jue tonight. Now there are two doubles sitting inside. They will go out and ride the carriage at the beginning of the day, and the assassin will also fall from the sky.
Xiahou rubbed the cold handle of the knife and slowly adjusted his breathing. He felt the heart beating faster and faster in his chest, and the blood was slowly boiling in the veins. He knew that he might meet Garuda, his successor, and now Garan's strongest assassin.
"Sir, the Governor has instructed you not to fight in person." The head class reminded in a low voice, "Gentlemen of the Galan Tiger and Wolf, if you have an accident, I won't be able to explain it."
"It's okay, we have a lot of people, so don't be afraid." Xiahou Rin said.
"But..." The head class wanted to persuade again.
The voices from Chulou suddenly boiled, and it was Shen Jue and Zhang Zhao's stand-ins who came out. The head class stopped, and everyone held their breaths and stared at the door of the Chu Building.
"Shen Jue" and "Zhang Zhao" are doing their usual humility, discussing who gets on the carriage first. The factory guards surrounded them, their right hand holding the hilt of the knife betrayed their vigilance. Xia Houlin frowned slightly, they shouldn't be so nervous, assassins are sensitive, they are easy to be discovered like this.
There was the sound of wheels grinding the ground in the distance, and the clatter of horses' hooves. Xia Houlin was stunned for a moment, then stuck his head out to look. A four-horse carriage came from the end of Xishi Street, with a carved fence, a tassels on the roof, a wind lamp on the lintel, and illuminated the handlebar style of the driver below. Like a crumpled cardboard.
"Whose car is this motherfucker?" Xia Houlin frowned.
"There are four chariots, belonging to the royal family."
"Is there any way to stop it? The assassin will come later. The carriage is in the way here."
The head class said: "I can't stop it, my lord, it belongs to the royal family."
The handlebar style waving the whip to drive the horse, the carriage was getting closer and closer, and it was about to go under the gate of the Chu Building.
Xia Houlin scolded secretly and said, "It doesn't matter who he is. Send someone over and say that the governor is here, and the king of heaven is not allowed to pass."
Doing this was really bad for Shen Jue's reputation, but there was nothing he could do. The head class responded and was about to go out. The moon climbed out of the dark clouds, the dark sky was a little brighter, and the lingering light came down, and a very thin metal cold light flashed at the moment when the handlebar-style raised his hand and waved the whip, and a knife cut through Xia Houlin's eyelids like a knife.
He has a knife in his sleeve!
Xiahou was startled and shouted, "Stop the car!"
Everyone drew their knives out of their sheaths, and the light of the knives was woven into a piece, and the night seemed to be white for a moment.
The handlebar style whipped the whip violently, and the four horses neighed at the same time, pulling the carriage forward like crazy. Xiahou Rin pushed aside the head class, rushed out of the alley, cut off the bridle of Shen Jue's carriage, and turned on his horse. The factory guards took a step slower and rushed to catch up.
The cold wind was blowing against his face, and the sound of horse hooves was like drumming, and Xiahou Lin heard his sharp panting. The carriage ran very fast, the wheels of the carriage turned frantically, the carriage swayed constantly, and it made a clanging sound, as if it was about to fall apart in the next moment. Xia Houlin slowly approached the rear of the carriage, and the snow particles splashed by the wheel almost hit his face.
In front of it is the end of Xishi Street, and it is also the boundary of the ambush of the factory guards. The carriage must not be allowed to leave the street.
Xiahou Rin rode his horse to catch up with the side of the carriage, the factory guard behind him shot short arrows, and the crossbow arrow dragged the thin iron lock with a sharp whistle and nailed it to the siding of the carriage. At the moment of nailing, the arrow that penetrated the wall panel opened, and its hook claws stretched out, as if a beast opened its sharp claws and firmly grasped the inside of the wall panel.
"Pull!" Xia Houlin ordered.
All the factory guards reined in their horses at the same time, the iron locks tensed up in an instant, the siding on three sides collapsed, sawdust flew horizontally, and countless arrows shot out from the carriage, densely packed like a swarm of bees coming out of the hive. Xia Houlin quickly ducked down to avoid the sharp arrow, and some factory guards were shot off their horses, but more factory guards overtook their companions to catch up. Looking at it from a distance, it looks like a tattered carriage dragging a turbulent black tide, galloping on West City Street.
The horses of the factory guards caught up with the carriage, and the claws shot out again. Countless claws hit the bodies of the assassins on the carriage, dragging them out into the air. The assassins were dragged to the ground screaming, and long bloodstains slid out of the snow. The red color could not be seen in the night, and the bloodstains looked like countless shabby trails. bleak ink marks on the snow with his brush.
Many heads appeared on the roofs on both sides of the street, and it was Dongchang Tiqi who was ambushed on the side. Everyone held their bows and arrows, and the tip of the arrow was condensed by the cold moonlight, which was strikingly bright. The captain of the team gave an order, and arrows roared out from the sky, and the air was pierced by the whistling noise, which was like a ghost screaming, and the sharp profit could penetrate the head.
However, at the critical moment, the assassin shot a crossbow, hit several factory guards on the side of the carriage, and dashed into the night like an owl with astonishing bouncing power. Three other assassins cut the bridle with a handlebar style and flew on their horses.
The sharp arrows went empty and all plunged into the chassis of the car. The broken chassis slanted and blocked the factory guard's path. Xiahou leaped on his horse, jumped over the wreckage of the carriage, and continued to pursue.
"My lord, they escaped the ambush!"
West City Street had already left, and the assassins fled forward in the dark. Xia Houlin looked back to see the number of remaining factory guards, about thirty people, and the factory guards caught up behind. Xia Houlin made a decisive decision: "Continue to chase! Follow the path the assassin has walked, and pay attention to pulling the wire!"
The factory guards shouted in unison to chase after the horses, the crossbow arrows kept shooting, and the assassins kept falling off their horses. Immediately, the factory guards caught up with them came forward to capture the people, but when they caught people, they found that the assassins had committed suicide. There were fewer and fewer assassins left, and in the end only three people were left running wild in the night.
"Only they are the real Garan Assassins, the others are scumbags." Xia Houlin ordered sharply, "Chase!"
The moon was gradually blocked by dark clouds, the streets were terrifyingly dark, and there were shadows everywhere, as if there were countless dangers hidden. The sound of the assassin's hooves came from afar, very rhythmic, like the sound of drumming coming from the ground, da da, da da, as if beating on the heart. The assassin disappeared around the corner, and Xiahou Rin caught up with his horse, just in time to see the corner of the clothes of the assassin fleeing into the alley, like the leftover wings of a moth.
"Raise the fire! The sword is in front, and the person is behind!" Xiahou Lian shouted loudly.
The torches were lit one by one, Xia Houlin took one, dismounted and entered the narrow alley. There were many shadows in the hutong, and under the firelight, everyone's faces were golden, and they looked like Buddha statues in temples. Assassins fled in the alleys, and they were relentless in pursuit. The alley was so narrow that only two people could walk side by side. There were many urinals stacked upside down against the wall. There was a smell of urine in the air, and there was a constant sound of urinals being knocked over. The assassins went away, and the factory guards also pursued separately. The cobweb-like alleys stretched out, and the fleeing assassins and the chasing horses spread out among the branches like mercury spilling into the alley.
Xia Houlin took the lead, almost a few steps away from the assassin, as if a torch could reach the corner of his clothes, but every time it came close. Xia Houlin reached out and touched the crossbow arrows on his body, but found that they had run out, so he could only grit his teeth and chase after them. There are many corners, and the shadow of the assassin flickers, sometimes hazy and sometimes real, like a ghost that is far and near.
wrong! Something flashed in his mind like lightning and flint, and Xia Houlin stopped abruptly.
This is not right! The hutong is the best place to arrange the pulling wire. Why did I run for so long and I never saw one. Also, Galan should have a sheath. The assassin escaped for so long, why didn't he see a sheath to respond
These assassins, it's not like assassination, it's like leading them somewhere! Xiahou Lin did not hesitate, immediately stopped chasing, and turned back. Only then did he find that the back was empty and there was no one. He ran so fast that he didn't even notice that the people behind him didn't keep up. The torches illuminated a place that was a little bit big, and the darkness lay on his shoulders. The end of his field of vision was dark, and every step he took was like going deep into the enemy's territory. He felt breathless, as if a hoop had been strangled in his throat.
He suddenly felt a little strange again. He was the one who hid in the dark to spy on the prey, but now he has become the prey.
Suddenly, a sharp whistling came from behind, like a poisonous snake spitting out a letter, showing its fangs!
Xia Houlin subconsciously raised the fire to resist, the short arrow hole pierced the torch, and the huge force pulled the torch out of Xia Houlin's hand and brought it into the snow. The red fire flashed like a flash in the pan for a moment, then went out, leaving only the aftermath of Chi Chi. The world suddenly darkened, and the heavy darkness rushed down from all directions, wrapping him heavily. There was silence in the alley, and he could hear his own breathing and heartbeat.
Xia Houlin pulled out his knife and took a few steps forward.
dark. silence.
Soap boots squeaked in the snow, danger came from all directions, and he seemed to feel the cold eyes of the assassin hiding in the dark, stabbing his back like a needle.
Who is his opponent? Garuda? Or Kinnaro
His heart was restless, as if something was about to spring out of the darkness. No, calm down, calm down, he told himself. He took a deep breath, stopped walking forward, held the knife in both hands, and squatted down slightly. He closed his eyes and stopped staring, his vision fell into a deeper darkness, and the night wind was flowing in his ears, brushing his hair, sliding across his cheeks, icy cold. He maintained the starting style of the knife, and the whole person was as stern as a stone statue.
A long time ago, when he practiced Baijia swordsmanship, he practiced a type of sword called the blind sword. The trainees are to be blindfolded in the summer forest and listen to the chirping of thousands of cicadas. The teacher would drop a needle in front of him. He wanted to recognize the sound of the needle cutting through the air amid the overwhelming cicadas, and then slashed it with a knife. Sometimes hearing is more reliable than sight. When the knife is out of sight, only sound can reveal where the knife is.
There are no cicadas now, only silence. Ye Feng will tell him which direction the enemy is in.
There was a clutter of footsteps in the distance, and it was the factory guard running. The wind moved the bamboo pole against the wall, making a clattering sound. The little mouse climbed out of the ditch, squeaked into the cage on the ground, and got out again. From the street outside the alley, there was a sound of beating the clock, three times and three times.
The wind is moving in the ears, and everything is as quiet as thunder.
Suddenly, somewhere, a crack suddenly appeared, like lightning tearing through the darkness. Xia Houlin opened his eyes!
The ghost is behind you!
The two knives collided in the dark, and the sparks generated by the friction of the blades flickered, like fireworks blooming in the dark night. In the glimmer of sparks, he saw the white porcelain mask flowing with a cold luster, and the indifferent eyes behind the mask.
The two knives separated the moment they collided, and the two looked at each other silently across the iron-like darkness.
Xia Houlin's hands were numb from the shock just now. That slash is as fast as a dragon and snake coming out of its hole. Only a very strong expert can have such a speed. He doesn't need to ask to know the name of this assassin.
- Garuda.