Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 24 Rout
Wu San's death dealt a heavy blow to the secret guards.

Who is Wu San? He's a top-tier assassin under the command of the Prince of Wei, infamous even among the secret guards. This team has followed Wu San for years, almost without fail. They know how formidable he is; with such a leader, arson, murder, and escaping on official business are mere trifles.

When they received the mission to rob and kill the women of the Pei family, everyone thought it was an easy task. No matter how capable the Pei brothers were, that was only true when they were alive. With the Pei brothers beheaded, the remaining elderly, women, and children would be like fish on a chopping board—they could be eaten however they wanted.
The only thing they feared were the several exceptionally skilled guards of the Eastern Palace. Fortunately, they had the numbers, and a few of them could easily take down one of them.

Who would have thought they were all mistaken!

They capsized in the ditch!

Thinking itself a stone, it turned out that it was the mantis that was being crushed.

That Pei Liu, that Pei Qinghe! She actually killed Wu San within thirty moves. After that, she continued to kill, like a god of death descending to earth.

Run!

The refugees were the first to collapse and flee.

The guards had no time to attend to the fleeing refugees; they gritted their teeth and continued to wield their swords against the enemy.

His Highness Prince Wei has strict rules; failing to complete the task means certain death. Let's give it a shot; perhaps there's still a chance…

puff!
The gleaming blade fell, followed by a blood-curdling scream, and a tall, muscular figure collapsed heavily to the ground.

puff!
The long knife plunged into his chest, a spray of blood flying up and splattering onto Pei Qinghe's clothes. His handsome and spirited face, under the flickering lantern light, resembled that of a demon.

Guards Gao, Captain Sun, and others also fought bravely, wielding their swords to kill the enemy.

Pei Yun swung her sword and cut down one of the guards, while Pei Yan fought hard to kill another. Mao Hongling's pretty face was still pale, but the spear in her hand became even faster.

After suffering more than half its casualties, the secret guards finally couldn't hold on any longer. Suddenly, one of them turned and rushed out of the inn. The soldiers who had been suppressed all along finally came in handy. They blocked the entrance to the inn, and the broken secret guard rushed forward. Several soldiers worked together to cut the guard down.

Once there's a first one, there will soon be a second and a third.

The guards fled in panic, some rushing towards the gate, some frantically climbing the wall, and others running wildly into the rooms inside the inn.

Pei Qinghe ordered in a deep voice: "Follow me to hunt down the enemy. The rest of you, guard the inn and don't let a single person escape."

"Yes!"

The guard was the first to respond loudly.

Captain Sun was a step slower, but his steps were unwavering.

Pei Yun, Pei Yan, and Mao Hongling need no introduction. Wherever Pei Qinghe's longsword pointed, that was the direction they would charge towards.

The few guards who managed to escape the inn quickly despaired. That killing machine, carrying a blood-stained longsword, had caught up with them.

If they were to face him head-on, they could only last three to five, or even eight to ten moves at most. Fleeing in such a disheveled manner, with their backs completely exposed to the killing god, means that if they are caught, it will be a single, fatal blow.

No, we still have to turn around and fight desperately; maybe there's still a way to survive.

The guards, unable to escape in time, had no choice but to turn around and continue fighting.

What's infuriating is that this killing machine completely ignores the genuine fleeing refugees. She relentlessly pursues and kills only the guards. In the dim light, amidst the flashing blades and dripping blood, how could she possibly discern who were refugees and who were guards? For Pei Qinghe, distinguishing refugees from enemies was as natural as drinking water when thirsty or eating when hungry.

In her past life, the Pei family army was a rebel army primarily composed of refugees. As the leader of this rebel army, she spent her days interacting with this very group of people. Their emaciated figures, sallow and withered faces, and numb and desperate expressions were all extremely distinctive characteristics of refugees.

Do you really think you can disguise yourself as a vagrant by changing into tattered clothes? Do you think you can take advantage of dim lighting?
ridiculous!

Pei Qinghe flashed forward, catching up with one of the guards and swiftly stabbing him, leaving a bloody hole. The guard collapsed in agony, trying to stuff his protruding intestines back in before dying.

Pei Yun witnessed it firsthand, and her stomach churned. However, the battlefield offered her no time or opportunity to vomit. Pei Qinghe shouted sharply, "Keep chasing!"

Pei Yun gritted her teeth, swallowed the surging sourness, and mustered her spirits to charge forward.

Despite her young age, Pei Yan possessed considerable courage; the bloody scene before her eyes did not frighten her. She followed behind Pei Qinghe, finishing off the fallen guards, ensuring that every enemy died cleanly and thoroughly.

Mao Hongling couldn't remember how many people she had killed.

The spear in his hand was stained red with blood, and his palm was also red. He didn't know if it was his own blood or the enemy's blood.

Pei Qinghe was too fast; only the guard Gao could keep up with her pace. The rest of the people were left behind.

We must be quick. We must wipe out all the secret guards.

Pei Qinghe brandished her long sword, but she was not blinded by the victory before her. She remained calm and clear-headed: "Don't let a single one escape! Kill them all!"

The crowd following heard it clearly and responded in varying degrees of intensity.

The guards fought desperately, resulting in considerable casualties. However, when everyone looked up, they could see the slender, fierce and valiant figure ahead, and their panicked hearts quickly calmed down.

People always die in war. The enemy will die, and our own side will suffer casualties. True victory lies in holding out to the very end!
"They've broken in!"

A trembling sob echoed through the inn. It was the inn's cook, holding a cleaver, his whole body shaking: "What do we do?"

Besides the cook, the inn also housed the innkeeper and five innkeepers. In all their years of service, this was the first time they had encountered an attack by refugees. Such a life-or-death situation was also a first for them.

It's too late to escape. Either way, we have to fight to the death!
The postmaster managed to squeeze out a few words: "We can't let them find the cellar."

Miss Pei had previously instructed him not to let the refugees find the cellar. He was promised a large reward for holding the place. If anything happened to the Pei family members hiding in the cellar, all seven of them would be killed.

Pei Liu was only thirteen years old. She was neither tall nor strong nor fierce. When she said these words, her expression was indifferent and calm.

The postmaster, who had lived for over fifty years, broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this.

For some reason, he didn't dare to look Pei Liu in the eye and answered meekly with his head down.

The fighting outside had been going on for a long time, with the sounds of swords and gunfire and screams filling the air. The few people hiding inside had no idea what was happening. Now that the enemy had stormed into the house, what else was there to do?
Of course, we should kill them first and talk about it later!
The postmaster was a retired soldier who had been quite skilled in his youth. Now, however, he was older and his strength had diminished considerably. After hacking down the enemy with his sword, he was somewhat out of breath.

The post station guards were invigorated and were about to flatter him when the postmaster's expression changed: "Someone else has rushed in! Quick, grab your swords! Fight them!"

(End of this chapter)