Chapter 655: Sudden

But it wasn't just lingering fear that made his face look so terrible. Liu Yong glanced at Yu Zhiyuan not far away, deliberately lowered his voice, and said, "The Qingjiang Great Market sees far too many people coming and going. The fire was probably set during the dispersal market—back then there were even more people, even more chaotic, and the shops with informants weren't the ones burned. Here in the Great Market, I'm afraid we won't be able to find anything at all. I have no good solution. I can only lock down this area tonight and go shop by shop tomorrow. Big Brother, if it's convenient, I'd like to transfer a few constables and runners from the Xuzhou yamen. They know this work better."

Zhao Jin could understand what Liu Yong meant. All these measures were nothing more than doing what little one could. Trying to actually uncover anything would be far too difficult.

"Investigate. Investigate thoroughly. Outsiders don't work as meticulously as we do. As long as there's a flaw, we'll catch it." Zhao Jin spoke with absolute finality.

Liu Yong sighed, but still nodded in agreement.

Yu Zhiyuan noticed that Zhao Jin and his companions all had grim expressions. Tactfully, he walked farther away. Only Niu Jinbao still stood with his hands at his sides behind Zhao Jin, paying no mind to whatever secrets were being discussed.

As they were talking, they rounded a street corner and suddenly heard someone ahead cry out in alarm. A flash of light could be seen somewhere, and immediately after, someone shouted at the top of their lungs: "Fire!"

"Get over there and fight the fire! What the hell are you standing there dumbstruck for!" Liu Yong roared, his voice turning shrill. They could see the glow from here—the fire was definitely not small.

"Don't let it be something soaked in oil that caught." Liu Yong said through gritted teeth. The various groups of Zhao Character Battalion men busy on the street rushed over in a hurry.

Zhao Jin drew a deep breath. The dinner with Yu Zhiyuan had been relaxed, and his mood had been good, but suddenly this incident had occurred, and the atmosphere had instantly turned tense. He had thought Qingjiangpu was firmly in his grasp—he hadn't expected such chaos to erupt. Besides the Embroidered Uniform Guard, how many more enemies with malicious intent were lurking in the shadows.

"If the fire can't be controlled, tear down the surrounding shops. Better to destroy one than let the entire Great Market suffer." Zhao Jin instructed.

The street was already in chaos. People were running out of the burning shop and the surrounding ones, while Zhao Character Battalion men were rushing toward it, pushing and shoving against each other—a great mess.

"Fire, fire, it suddenly caught fire!" A young shop assistant, utterly distraught, came running over, shouting incessantly. He looked scared out of his wits. Zhao Jin and his group had already moved aside toward the roadside, yet this assistant ran straight at them.

The two household guards standing in front of Zhao Jin reached out to block him, but unexpectedly, the assistant suddenly burst forward with a surge of speed, directly crashing through the barrier. When he appeared before Zhao Jin's eyes, there was already a dagger in his hand.

There were lanterns and such on the street, so it was still fairly bright. Yu Zhiyuan had a good tolerance for alcohol and hadn't drunk too much earlier. Now he reacted very quickly. He could clearly see what was happening. Realizing the murderous intent and danger, Yu Zhiyuan instinctively moved to retreat.

As he retreated, Wang Zhaojing moved forward. The moment that man broke through the two household guards, Wang Zhaojing had already stepped forward. As he stepped, he drew his sword in a reverse grip and thrust—one fluid motion. The sharp blade stabbed straight at the "assistant's" heart. The sword pierced in, and the "assistant's" movement came to an abrupt halt as he collapsed to the ground.

Wang Zhaojing shook the blood from his sword and returned it to its sheath. Behind Zhao Jin, Niu Jinbao had already gripped his short blade, poised to throw it. Only when he saw the assassin in front had been dealt with did his motion stop.

"So the fire was set for this..." Zhao Jin said with a cold laugh. At this point, what was there left not to understand?

He had only spoken half the sentence. The men around Zhao Jin had just drawn their weapons when several people who had been running to fight the fire by the roadside suddenly struck. They were holding buckets of sand and water, and at that very moment they splashed them toward Zhao Jin and his group. Taking advantage of the confusion, they charged straight in.

Sand and dust blinded the eyes. The moment they splashed it out, Zhao Jin used his hand to shield his eyes, instinctively retreating two steps, and directly drew his saber. He looked up and saw that Liu Yong and Wang Zhaojing had already positioned themselves on either side of him. Behind him were the two household guards, and standing in front of him was Niu Jinbao.

When the ambush was launched, Niu Jinbao had no time to get in front of Zhao Jin. He did not close his eyes or shield them with his hand. He merely squinted. Short axe in one hand, short blade in the other, he hurled them directly at the two men charging toward him. The two were caught completely off guard—one was struck in the forehead by the axe, the other had his chest pierced through by the short blade. Both toppled backward.

As Zhao Jin retreated, Niu Jinbao sidestepped and circled around to stand in front of Zhao Jin. The third assassin had already charged forward. The assassin saw Niu Jinbao before him and did not hesitate in the slightest. The short blade in his hand slashed upward, while his left hand flicked—an iron spike dropped from his sleeve, and he viciously stabbed it toward Niu Jinbao's thigh. The assassin had already seen that Zhao Jin was right behind Niu Jinbao.

Niu Jinbao did not dodge. He was now bare-handed. His left hand chopped downward, directly striking the opponent's wrist, while his right fist drove straight forward.

Tall with long arms, swift and fierce, the simple motion was extremely effective. Just as the short spike was about to touch Niu Jinbao, the assassin's entire movement froze, and he crumpled softly to the ground. Niu Jinbao's punch had directly shattered his Adam's apple. The force was so great that it snapped his neck outright.

Though still empty-handed, Niu Jinbao did not go to pick up a weapon. He simply stood in front of Zhao Jin, scanning the surroundings with extreme vigilance.

In that hasty moment, everyone's first reaction was to protect Zhao Jin. Yu Zhiyuan was directly left exposed outside. Fortunately, the assassins paid him no attention either. He had been doused with a head full of sand and a head full of water, and now his face was covered in mud—utterly disheveled. His panic had just begun to settle, and he was starting to come to his senses. Watching the group surround Zhao Jin, Yu Zhiyuan instinctively tried to squeeze in. The moment he got close, Niu Jinbao shoved him without the slightest courtesy. Caught off guard, he stumbled several steps and sat down hard on the ground.

In just a brief moment, three men had died before Niu Jinbao. This towering, brawny man was simply too fierce. Even the assassins were intimidated. Seeing his companions sprawled on the ground, this man retreated two steps, looking ready to flee. At that moment, Zhao Jin emerged from behind Niu Jinbao.

The remaining assassin actually stopped, then charged forward with a roar, shouting: "Die, demon!"

"Take him alive!" Zhao Jin said only one sentence.

A "Crack!" sounded. The assassin let out a miserable scream—his knife-wielding hand had been broken. Before he could make another move, Niu Jinbao had already dislocated his jaw, and his arm joints were also pulled from their sockets.

The street here had grown quiet. Some people went to fight the fire, but the Inner Guard and personal guards had already completely sealed off this area. Everyone not from Zhao Character Battalion was ordered to lie flat on the ground. The slightest disorderly movement, and blades and spears were pressed against them.

Zhao Jin walked out, patted Niu Jinbao on the shoulder, and asked with a smile, "You've only stayed in the fighting circles of a county town. How do you have such killing techniques?"

"They came in useful back at the temple." Niu Jinbao answered in a muffled voice.

Zhao Jin smiled and did not ask further. He merely thought to himself that his father's eye for people was truly remarkable—the man chosen was indeed extraordinary. Zhao Jin walked directly up to Yu Zhiyuan and helped Second Young Master Yu to his feet. Yu Zhiyuan was not angry about being shoved down; instead, he remarked with admiration, "What a fine guard."

"Get men up on the roofs and high ground—see if there are any archers on elevated positions! Fifteen men are enough to stay here. The rest of you, go fight the fire and stand guard!" Liu Yong bellowed orders. The men around obeyed with a roar. Wang Zhaojing did not move; he simply stood there, hand on his sword, coolly observing the surroundings.

Yu Zhiyuan used his hand to brush the mud from the hem of his long gown, but blood-water mixed with sand and dirt had already stained it—only laundering could clean it now. Yu Zhiyuan simply ignored it. Standing there, he said with a smile, "Zhao Character Battalion has already established proper order. Anywhere else, by now everyone would be desperate to crowd around Brother Zhao. As for the ones who struck this time, does Brother Zhao know which side they're from?"

His composure and lighthearted demeanor earned considerable admiration from Zhao Jin and his companions. Yu Zhiyuan's praise was not without reason. The assassination had just occurred, yet instead of summoning more men, Liu Yong was actually redeploying personnel to fight the fire and handle the emergency. Though this was the most rational course of action, sometimes the most rational was not the most appropriate. Yet everyone in Zhao Character Battalion took it as a matter of course. Liu Yong harbored no ulterior motives, and Zhao Jin and the others did not blame him—this was worthy of high regard.

To Yu Zhiyuan's question, Zhao Jin gave a cold laugh and said icily, "Once they shouted 'demon,' I could roughly guess which side."

After saying this, Zhao Jin turned to Liu Yong and said, "Apply torture. See what you can get out of him."

Liu Yong acknowledged the order. Nie Hei and the others all had grim expressions. They were responsible for Zhao Jin's protection and intelligence gathering, yet they had still allowed someone to set a trap and lay an ambush. If not for Niu Jinbao's ferocity, things might truly have gone wrong this time. Perhaps Zhao Jin and his companions, battle-hardened as they were, could have escaped, but that honored guest Yu Zhiyuan would have been in trouble. After hearing Liu Yong's instructions, they ground their teeth and dragged the captive away.

"Big Brother, it's still not safe here. Let's head back first!" Wang Zhaojing urged. Zhao Jin shook his head. A hint of grimness crept into his tone as he said to himself, "I haven't finished watching yet. Why should I leave? If there are still assassins, if the assassins still have tricks, then there's no point in us staying in Qingjiangpu. We might as well return to Xuzhou early!"

Zhao Jin was somewhat angered, but what he said was also the truth. Zhao Character Battalion had deployed so much in Qingjiangpu, and now the various forces were gradually arriving. Assassins and petty villains no longer had any opportunity to exploit gaps.

"Brother Zhao, a man of wealth does not sit beneath a crumbling wall. The livelihoods of so many people depend on Brother Zhao alone. It's not worth getting angry over this!" Yu Zhiyuan said with a smile. Without outsiders present, Wang Zhaojing and Liu Yong could both say such words; now, only Yu Zhiyuan had the standing to speak them.

"It's fine. I only say this because I'm confident." Zhao Jin exhaled deeply.

Now there were guards shielding him front and back. About twenty paces ahead of and behind the guards, there were household troops. Archers from the bow team, carrying their bows on their backs, began climbing onto the tops of walls and roofs. There were also archers following behind Zhao Jin. Under these circumstances, assassins no longer had any chance. Niu Jinbao had already wiped the bloodstains from his short axe and short blade. He held the short blade in a reverse grip and had returned the short axe to his back, vigilantly scanning in all directions.

Thanks to the two book friends "Shuyou 1287208672" and "Sweet Sugarcane" for their tips. Thank you everyone for your subscriptions and monthly tickets. Thank you all.