Chapter 1027

First Volume_Chapter 1027 Night Owl Remnants

Liu Ming furrowed his brows and immediately ordered the Brocade Uniform Guards to take him to inspect; when he arrived at the Lao Fang, even the ruthless Liu Ming couldn't help but cover his nose and mouth.

The stench inside the Lao Fang was several times stronger than outside, making people's heads throb.

Everything within sight was corpses and feces; Liu Ming immediately realized these highly skilled Night Owls had first been locked in the Lao Fang, starved for a long time, and when their strength was exhausted, they had no ability to resist their attackers.

It wasn't hard to guess that the killer must have been Imperial Guard troops sent by the Northern Di King.

But according to the Military Intelligence Liu Ming possessed, the Night Owls were divided into the Imperial Party and the Rebel Party; all the Rebel Party members had already escaped, and the Night Owls remaining in Wang Du were all Imperial Party members—logically, the Northern Di King had no reason to eliminate these trusted subordinates.

Unless the one who struck in the shadows was someone else.

Almost the moment Liu Ming thought this, a clamor arose outside the Lao Fang, followed by the clashing of weapons.

"Trouble!"

Liu Ming's heart sank; he hurriedly led his men out of the Lao Fang, and the scene before him made his scalp prickle.

Dozens of Night Owls had appeared on the walls surrounding the Ting Yuan, each holding Bow and Arrow, arrows aimed at the Brocade Uniform Guards and Tianji Camp Guards below.

"An ambush? Could it be these Night Owls have been lying in wait here, waiting for us to fall into the trap?"

Just as Liu Ming sighed inwardly, sensing dire odds, a slender Night Owl suddenly shouted loudly: "Who's in charge?"

Before Liu Ming could speak, a nearby Brocade Uniform Guard growled: "I am!"

The Night Owl glanced at the Brocade Uniform Guard who had instinctively shielded Liu Ming, then sneered: "You? No."

"To deceive the eyes of a Night Owl is far too naive."

Liu Ming knew he couldn't hide; he waved for his subordinates to step back, took one step forward, and said firmly: "You're lucky—I am Commander of the Brocade Uniform Guards, and under Qin Hou's command—Liu Ming!"

The Night Owl leader stared at Liu Ming for a moment, confirmed he was correct, then slowly spoke: "Our luck truly isn't bad!"

"Never expected to encounter such a high-ranking figure; in the past, this would have meant promotion, wealth, and endless luxury."

"But times change—now, killing you brings us no benefit."

"Don't misunderstand—we know well the fearsome reputations of the Brocade Uniform Guards and Tianji Camp Guards; we draw weapons only to protect ourselves."

Hearing this, Liu Ming breathed a quiet sigh of relief, realizing these Night Owls were not loyalists of the Northern Di King, but the former Rebel Party members who had been driven out.

As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend; Liu Ming smiled and asked: "Didn't you all escape Wang Du long ago? Why are you hiding here?"

The Night Owl leader laughed heartily: "Escape? Why escape? Staying here to be promoted and honored—wouldn't that be delightful?"

"We're all tired of fighting and killing; now we only want our reward, return to our hometowns, buy land, take a wife, and live out our remaining years in peace."

"We just don't know if Qin Hou will grant us this chance."

Liu Ming knew these traitorous Night Owls were in a desperate situation—they faced retaliation from Northern Di and feared pursuit by the Brocade Uniform Guards.

Even those who escaped Wang Du—what good did it do? Their remaining years would still be spent in constant dread.

In that case, staying to gamble was understandable.

Liu Ming didn't answer but asked: "Were you the ones who killed the Night Owls in the Lao Fang?"

The Night Owl leader readily admitted, sneering: "Yes! Those fools knew the tide had turned, even after being locked in the Prison—yet still remained loyal to the Northern Di King. Utterly stupid."

"We killed the guards who brought food, added several locks to the Lao Fang—but even then, it was hard to contain them. Whenever they showed their heads, we shot an Arrow."

"Once they were weak from hunger, killing them became easy."

Liu Ming raised an eyebrow: "Is this your offering to Qin Hou?"

The Night Owl leader leapt down from the wall, smugly: "What's this?"

"We killed them because they deserved it! If not for their sudden betrayal, wouldn't our brothers have suffered such heavy losses? We're all Night Owls, but each serves his own master."

"Now they're down, we return to exact revenge—isn't that reasonable?"

"As for the gift to Qin Hou—ha ha ha—whatever you came here to find, that's the gift."

Hearing this, Liu Ming's eyes lit up: "So all those Military Dispatches are in your hands?"

The Night Owl leader admitted without hesitation: "Correct! Without us, even if you turned the entire Ting Yuan upside down, you'd never find these Jiwei."

"Ha ha ha, may I ask, Commander Liu—does this gift secure your lifetime of luxury?"

Liu Ming didn't hesitate: "Impossible."

"Luxury you cannot have—but peace for the rest of your lives, you can."

"Hand over the Military Dispatches, and you may hide within Shedynasty's borders—my Brocade Uniform Guards will never pursue you again."

The Night Owl leader, deeply suspicious, showed little interest in Liu Ming's offer.

"The value of these secrets is clear to both of us—if Qin Hou obtains them, he'll achieve Half the Effort, Double the Result; if I burn them, what then?"

"This great secret for half a lifetime of wealth—any way you calculate it, it's a profitable deal."

"Let me propose a condition."

"We are thirty-six brothers—each one gets One Thousand Liang, and you must guarantee that the Brocade Uniform Guards will never hunt us again, granting us the chance to retire to the countryside."

Liu Ming frowned deeply: "Thirty-six thousand Liang of Silver is no small sum—I cannot decide this."

The Night Owl leader narrowed his eyes, cunningly: "This price is already fair, Commander Liu—you should know when to stop."

"We're all outlaws now—either we live in comfort for the rest of our lives, or we die."

"As Night Owls, you know we don't fear death."

Liu Ming hesitated, pondered a moment, then conceded: "Show me the letters."

Seeing the Night Owl smile without speaking, Liu Ming raised an eyebrow: "What? Don't trust me? Or don't trust Qin Hou's reputation?"

"If you fear I'll break my word, how can you ever believe the Brocade Uniform Guards will spare you?"

The Night Owl leader weighed it carefully, decided Liu Ming was right, and waved his hand; a nearby Night Owl pulled a Military Dispatch from his chest and threw it to Liu Ming.

Liu Ming carefully examined each sheet, confirmed there was no trick, then tucked the Military Dispatches into his robe.

He looked up at the Night Owls opposite him, his expression suddenly turning icy: "You're right not to trust me—I never keep my word."

"Kill them all."

As soon as the words ended, the Tianji Camp Guards charged forward.