Chapter 24

The burnt smell permeating the air instantly turned into a pungent thick smoke, which madly rushed into Wang Jin's mouth and nose.

「Boom! 」

Another rocket precisely nailed onto the window lattice of his guest room, flames licking the dry wood like poisonous snakes, emitting crackling explosions. The entire villa, within just a few dozen breaths, had already become a sea of fire!

「Enemy attack! Assassins! 」

「Quick, put out the fire! 」

The manor erupted into chaos. Servants' panicked screams, guards' hoarse roars, and the cracking sounds of beams burning in the fierce fire intertwined, composing a doom-like symphony.

Wang Xiu's mind, however, had become extremely calm at this moment. He, who was controlling Wang Jin's body, did not run about like a headless fly; instead, he immediately tore off the bedsheet, soaked it in the wash water in the bronze basin, and covered his mouth and nose.

「Everyone get down! Cover your mouth and nose with a wet cloth and crawl along the ground! 」

He rushed out of the door and bellowed at the several panicked servants in the hallway. This piece of common knowledge from modern fire drills, at this moment, was like a divine revelation. The few servants choking on the smoke, tears and snot streaming down their faces, instinctively followed his instruction, and indeed felt their breathing become much smoother.

At this very moment, Zheng Hao also rushed out of the main building with a few sturdy retainers. Although he too wore a look of panic, his eyes showed no trace of confusion, evidently a man who had seen great storms.

「Officer Wang, are you alright? 」 he shouted anxiously upon seeing Wang Jin.

「I'm fine! 」 Wang Jin's (Wang Xiu's) voice cut through the smoke, carrying an undeniable calm: 「Zheng Brother, this is no ordinary bandit! They intend to burn us all to death here! Stop worrying about the fire, gather the men, and prepare to break out! 」

Zheng Hao's heart jolted. Seeing the rockets continuously shooting in from outside the walls on all sides, he instantly grasped Wang Jin's meaning. The enemy used fire to seal off every exit, intending to roast and smoke them to death inside!

「Exactly right! 」 Zheng Hao made a snap decision, roaring at the steward behind him: 「Sound the alarm! All guards, go to the armory, take armor and weapons, prepare for battle! Don't worry about possessions, protect the personnel, and break out toward the western pond! 」

「Clang! Clang! Clang! 」

The urgent, heavy bell rang out over the manor, the highest-level alarm of the fortress. The well-trained Zheng family guards, guided by the bell, quickly restored order from the chaos; they abandoned bucket firefighting and rushed toward the armory inside the manor.

Wang Jin (Wang Xiu) grabbed his captain of the guard, the Imperial Guards commandant who had followed him from Luoyang.

「Commandant Li! Take ten men and follow me! The rest, protect the convoy and documents, and break out with Zheng's unit! 」

「Sir, where are you going? It's too dangerous! 」 Commandant Li urged anxiously.

A flicker of icy killing intent flashed in Wang Jin's (Wang Xiu's) eyes; he pointed toward the southeast corner of the manor, where the arrows were sparsest but the terrain was most perilous.

「Break out! I want them to know that I, Wang Jin, am no lamb to be slaughtered! 」

He would counterattack!

Wang Xiu clearly understood that blindly fleeing would only make him a living target for the archers; the only way to survive was to take out the enemy archers!

Commandant Li looked at Wang Jin's eyes, blazing terrifyingly in the firelight, and a surge of hot blood rose in his chest—this was the commander their Imperial Guards should follow! Not those civil officials who only boast empty talk.

「Yes! Your subordinate obeys! 」

Wang Jin said no more, crouched low, and led ten elite Imperial Guards guards, like a group of agile leopards, using the cover of pavilions, terraces, towers, and odd rocks, silently moving toward the southeast wall.

Flames were the best cover, thick smoke the best disguise.

They soon reached the base of the wall. The rammed-earth wall stood two zhang high, with arrow towers on its top, but at that moment the black-clad men outside focused all their attention on the main building, never expecting anyone to approach from this direction.

Wang Jin gave a hand signal to Commandant Li.

Commandant Li understood instantly; he unfastened the specially made flying tiger claw from his back and hurled it forcefully at the top of the wall!

「Swish! 」

The claw hook precisely latched into the gap of the arrow tower.

Commandant Li tugged the rope to confirm it was secure, then nodded to the most capable guard behind him. That guard, like an ape, used hands and feet together to climb silently onto the wall top.

He poked his head out, took a single glance, and began calling out in a series of notes: Ten steps outside the wall, three archers, backs to the wall, no one on guard!

Opportunity!

A flash of cold light crossed Wang Jin's eyes as he drew the horizontal knife at his waist. This was not a civil official's side sword, but a hundred-forged steel blade he had specially selected from the armory!

「Kill! 」

With a low shout, the ten Imperial Guards guards climbed up the rope, moving swiftly as the wind.

The moment the Imperial Guards soldiers scrambled onto the wall top, the three black-clad archers outside finally noticed the movement behind them.

But it was too late.

「Pfft! 」

Commandant Li's horizontal knife, in the firelight, traced a grim arc, precisely slicing across the neck of one black-clad man!

Warm fresh blood spurted out; the black-clad man couldn't even utter a death cry before he clutched his throat and collapsed softly.

At the same time, the other two black-clad men were instantly killed by the arriving Imperial Guards guards—one pierced through the chest by a long blade, the other had his neck twisted. The whole process was clean and swift, without a single extra sound.

Having dealt with these three, they paused not at all; he pointed to another group of archers not far off, who were shooting arrows, and made a charging gesture.

The slaughter, began!

These ten Imperial Guards guards were picked one in a hundred, the elite, the war machine of the Tang Empire.

They used the cover of night and firelight, along the outer perimeter of the wall, to launch a silent hunt.

These black-clad assassins, believing victory was in their grasp, focused their defenses on preventing the manor's occupants from breaking out; they never imagined that the grim reaper would descend from behind them!

One after another, the archers fell, defenseless, to death.

Inside the manor, Zheng Hao was organizing personnel, holding up shields, and moving with difficulty toward the western pond; he had prepared himself to pay a heavy price.

But just then, he stared in astonishment as the rockets shooting from all four directions… gradually grew sparse?

Especially to the east and south, the arrow rain had nearly ceased!

「What's going on? 」 the steward beside Zheng Hao said, bewildered.

Zheng Hao snapped his head back, gazing at the guest‑room area devoured by the great fire—Wang Jin's figure had long since vanished.

A bold thought so daring it even startled himself surged into his mind.

Could it be…

Could it be that that seemingly frail Officer Wang, with his mere twenty guards, had actually… fought his way out?!