Chapter 488: Taking a Risk

Wu Biao was a regular soldier from Liaozhen who worked in the Li family's camp, where he could always eat his fill. His eye and judgment in military matters were both sharp. After arriving at He Family Village and stealing a few glances at the Zhao Battalion's regulations, he understood that he probably wouldn't be leaving here alive this time.

But the people over in Yangzhou had made things crystal clear beforehand: if you die over there, the silver still gets paid to your family here. If you don't make a move and come running back, then just wait for your whole family to reunite in the underworld!

A full eight hundred taels of silver, plus what he'd saved over the years — enough for his family to live without worry for two generations.

As Wu Biao climbed upward, he turned these thoughts over in his mind. He figured he could get off two arrows. At this close range, even if Zhao Jin was wearing armor, he could guarantee a kill — after all, there were spots the armor couldn't protect.

"Dried persimmons, big walnuts!" A snack vendor's cry rang out from the street.

The man was here! Wu Biao understood the signal. Just a little higher and he could make his move. But at that moment, he heard a noise from the rooftop beneath him. Before he could react, something thrust violently upward from below.

He had been crawling along the rooftop — there was no way to dodge in time, and he never imagined an attack would come from under the tiles. His entire chest and abdomen were pierced through!

Wu Biao was in agony. He opened his mouth to scream, but only heard a sharp whistle behind him — the sound of arrows tearing through the air. There was no time to turn or evade. Arrows struck his back, his shoulder, the back of his head, pinning his whole body dead to the rooftop.

When he had been crawling toward the roof, he hadn't noticed that behind him, others had just as silently crept to high ground. Three bows had fired from three directions.

The moment the vendor's cry rang out in front of the exchange house, Steward Wang, walking beside Zhao Jin, suddenly seized Wang Tong's right arm in a death grip. At the same time, the two snack vendors pulled daggers from their baskets and charged straight at Zhao Jin!

Zhao Jin's shoulder jerked violently. Steward Wang's entire body seemed to hang from his arm, making it impossible for him to draw his blade.

The guards, having brought the Yangzhou people over, had all been following at a distance. When the attack erupted so suddenly, those wealthy salt merchants and managers were completely at a loss, panicking, and the guards couldn't get close in time.

Wang Zhaojing flipped his hand and drew his sword, already stepping in front of Zhao Jin. With a flick of the narrow-bladed longsword in his hand, one assassin tried to block with his dagger, but the longsword pierced his wrist directly. The dagger clattered to the ground. Before he could make another move, the sword tip had already stabbed into his throat.

But there was no time to deal with the other assassin. His dagger was black streaked with purple — clearly coated in poison. Yet just as this assassin took two steps forward, thinking Wang Zhaojing had no time for him, he heard a great roar behind him. He froze in shock, and his head was already hacked off by a blade!

Blood sprayed wildly. The salt merchants and managers all screamed. Drenched in blood on their heads and faces, many collapsed to the ground, some even losing control of their bowels — the stench was overwhelming.

Zhao Jin swung his left arm viciously, the steel vambrace smashing hard into Steward Wang's face. Blood spurted from Steward Wang's nose and mouth, his head went dizzy, and he could no longer hold Zhao Jin tight. The moment his grip loosened, Zhao Jin seized one of his arms and wrenched it upward — crack! — it snapped. Then he did the same to the other arm.

Steward Wang screamed in agony and dropped straight to his knees. Zhao Jin stepped back, pointed at the rooftop, and said, "No need to wait for that archer of yours. He died before you did!"

Everyone followed his pointing finger. On the rooftop, they could vaguely make out half a head. Another wave of shocked cries erupted, and only then did they notice the head was frozen in place — clearly dead already.

The force of Zhao Jin's vambrace strike was immense, and combined with the hardness of the vambrace itself, many of Steward Wang's teeth had been knocked out and his nasal bone was broken. He too saw the head exposed on the rooftop. Yet at this moment, he showed some grit, grinning as he said, "Master Jin is mighty. I accept my loss!"

People emerged from the exchange house as well, and the street vendors all stood up holding weapons. Only then did the Yangzhou crowd realize the Zhao Battalion had long since set this up.

"Any more accomplices? Who sent you?" Ruhui stepped forward and shouted angrily. All of Steward Wang's earlier humility was gone. He slurred indistinctly, "Who else on the north bank these days could give the orders? None other than Old Master Feng."

His answer was blunt and direct, but it was also within expectations. These days, it was only the Feng family they were locked in mutual attacks with.

Many people kept their eyes on this Steward Wang, while others watched the surroundings warily. Little attention was paid to those Yangzhou visitors following behind Zhao Jin — just a bunch of fat, useless wretches, still in shock and reeking of filth. Why bother with them?

By now the situation had stabilized. Some of the Yangzhou people got to their feet and stumbled forward, perhaps thinking it would be safer closer to Zhao Jin.

After staggering a few steps, one man's pace suddenly quickened. In his hand he already gripped a short spike, gleaming with a dark light — poisoned. The spike was sharp, perfectly suited to slip through the gaps in armor.

The moment this man moved, Steward Wang, still kneeling on the ground, burst into wild laughter. The sound was really no different from howling — brazen and arrogant, drawing everyone's attention.

There were too many people present. Even distracted, it was only for an instant. The assassin who had suddenly emerged from among the Yangzhou crowd was spotted immediately, and someone shouted a warning at once!

But the distance was too close. At this range, the people on either side couldn't rush over in time, and Zhao Jin had no time to turn around!

Wang Zhaojing turned his head and saw. He too was unable to react in time. He simply slammed into Zhao Jin with all his strength, shoving him aside, and swung his longsword down like a club.

The assassin slowed his step, easily evading Wang Zhaojing's swing, and continued straight for Zhao Jin. In that instant, Zhao Jin had time to react. He had already turned around, drawn the short blade at his waist, and was striding forward to meet him.

The assassin specialized in short weapons. His whole body bent like a drawn bow, and as he closed in on Zhao Jin, he lunged forward with everything he had!

Zhao Jin's body swayed — not to dodge, but to adjust his stance, meeting the thrust head-on with his chest plate. His chest plate was forged from a single piece of fine iron; a short spike could never pierce it. In that split second, the assassin's momentum left him no time to change direction. He had never expected Zhao Jin not to evade, but to crash straight into him.

The short spike struck the chest plate with a sharp, ear-piercing screech, but could not penetrate. Zhao Jin's short blade stabbed cleanly into the assassin's neck, then slashed viciously downward. Half the neck was cut open. Blood sprayed all over Zhao Jin's body and face, and the assassin's corpse slumped to the ground.

"Big Brother!" The various forces lying in ambush on the street had all emerged, but no one had expected two assassins to be hidden among the Yangzhou crowd. Steward Wang had been discovered long ago, but the other man had struck without warning.

Seeing Zhao Jin drenched in blood, everyone's heart seized with terror. Liu Yong rushed over and asked urgently. Zhao Jin shook his head to show he was unharmed, wiped the blood from his face with a hand, and walked over to where Steward Wang knelt.

By now, Steward Wang's laughter had ceased. From the moment he was caught until just now, this man had maintained a reckless, arrogant attitude. Now he was utterly deflated. Though his face was covered in blood and shredded flesh, making his expression unreadable, anyone could feel his despair.

"Tell me everything you should. I'll give you a quick death." Zhao Jin looked down at Steward Wang and said coldly.

Steward Wang kept his head lowered and merely snorted. Zhao Jin sheathed his short blade and said grimly, "Don't think you're made of tough stuff. Since you operate on the north bank, your origins can be traced. If you speak clearly before you die, your family will live in peace from now on. If you keep your mouth shut or lie, starting tomorrow the Zhao Battalion will investigate. We'll find your parents, your wife, your children — drag them here and question them one by one. No one will survive."

When Zhao Jin finished speaking, that "Steward Wang" jerked his head up and glared at Zhao Jin with vicious hatred. Zhao Jin's expression did not change. He only said coldly, "You've surely watched closely these past few days. Do you think I can do it?"

Since he was an assassin who had prepared well in advance, he must have scouted the area very carefully over these days, and would have a thorough understanding of the Zhao Battalion's strength. He naturally knew what the Zhao Battalion was capable of.

The defiant look on Steward Wang's face dimmed. He lowered his head and mumbled, "There are no more accomplices. This was indeed ordered by the Feng family."

Whether or not the Feng family was exposed didn't matter. The two sides were already at each other's throats — one more grudge made no difference.

Zhao Jin bared his teeth in a smile. With his face covered in blood, his teeth gleamed stark white. Steward Wang couldn't help but tremble. He suddenly felt that this Zhao Jin was like a savage beast — a savage beast choosing its prey to devour.

"I raised my banner and built the Zhao Battalion, accomplished all these things. I won't die at the hands of people like you!"

After saying this, Zhao Jin ordered men to take "Steward Wang" away for questioning. Then the assassins' corpses were each carried out separately.

"Big Brother, it was my poor planning. This nearly became a catastrophe!" Liu Yong ran up to Zhao Jin, his face full of shame as he apologized.

Zhao Jin reached out and patted Liu Yong on the shoulder, shaking his head. "Layer upon layer of schemes — even I didn't see it coming. It's not your fault. We were all too careless this time, assuming everyone from Yangzhou was just merchants and managers. We never imagined the Feng family would make their move here. You handle what comes next. Don't be afraid of offending people — do whatever needs to be done."

Liu Yong nodded firmly. Zhao Jin, unconcerned with appearances, sat down directly on the steps in front of the exchange house. Though the fight had been brief, it had truly been lightning-fast, unbearably tense — the exhaustion was no less than that of a great battle.

Wang Zhaojing did not sit. The household guards had retrieved his sword and handed it back to him. Wang Zhaojing stood beside Zhao Jin holding the sword, with several elite guards also standing watch around them.

The assassins' corpses were placed off to one side. The Yangzhou visitors were not going anywhere now — they were all escorted back to the inn under guard by the household troops. They would be questioned later. As for the Yangzhou visitors' servants and attendants elsewhere, they would be rounded up immediately as well; the cavalry had already been dispatched.

The commotion here had not actually affected other areas. This street had been set up in advance, but no one had imagined that besides Steward Wang, there would be another assassin among the guests. That was the most sudden part of all.