Brocade Robe Unparalleled

Chapter 44 Taking advantage of the situation
Lin Xuan breathed a sigh of relief after leaving Wu Baihu's duty room.

Becoming Wu Baihu's son-in-law would certainly grant him more comprehensive protection, but there were still some principles he didn't want to break.

Just as Lin Xuan was about to return to his duty room, he suddenly stopped.

He saw two figures emerge from Shen Baihu's office.

It was Zhang Hu and Chen Bao.

Both of them were dejected and looked worried.

Lin Xuan's heart sank; he had already anticipated what was about to happen.

Sure enough, Zhang Hu walked up to Lin Xuan, sighed deeply, and said with a look of utter despair, "The Xu family's caravan was robbed, and Commander Shen sent the two of us to investigate the thieves' hideout..."

As Lin Xuan expected, with Wu Baihu's intervention, he failed to fall for the trap, and then set his sights on Zhang Hu and Chen Bao.

He could not stand idly by and had no choice but to return to Wu Baihu's duty room.

Upon hearing this, Commander Wu shook his head slightly and said, "I can protect you, but I can't protect everyone. Shen Qingya is the head of the Jingbian Division, and he is in charge of the banner officers' actions. He only sent Zhang Hu and Chen Bao to gather information, not to suppress bandits. Legally and logically, it makes sense. If I were to obstruct them further, that would be my problem..."

If it's just normal intelligence gathering, then that makes sense.

They're eating this meal, so taking some risks is only right.

But this was originally a trap set by Commander Shen to eliminate dissidents. He might have already been in cahoots with the bandits. Going there would be no different from sending himself to his death.

Wu Baihu stood up, pulled a booklet from a bookshelf behind him, handed it to Lin Xuan, and said, "This is intelligence about the bandits near Sizhou. The ones who robbed the Xu family's trading company should be the one from Eagle Beak Mountain. This is a rough outline of their information, but it's from about six months ago. I don't know if their influence has expanded in the last six months. Take a look and have Zhang Hu and Chen Bao make a show of going there, and they can come back and report..."

Lin Xuan took the booklet, flipped through a few pages, noted down the relevant information, and then returned the booklet to Wu Baihu.

Wu Baihu couldn't help with anything else, so Lin Xuan thanked him again and returned to the banner officer's duty room.

Zhang Hu and Chen Bao were sitting at the table sighing.

There were other people in the duty room, but Lin Xuan didn't say much at the moment, only inviting them to come over for dinner that evening.

After leaving the office.

The Lin family courtyard.

When A Luo learned of this from Zhang Hu, her pretty face flushed red, and she said angrily, "How could that Commander Shen be so wicked!"

Chen Bao sighed and said, "You don't understand. That's how it is in officialdom. When the higher-ups fight, it's always us subordinates who suffer."

A Luo couldn't help but say, "Can't you just quit? This is such a dangerous mission, let whoever wants to go go!"

Zhang Hu shook his head and said, "It's not that simple..."

The two of them are now in a very difficult situation.

Go, the outcome of this journey is uncertain.

If they don't go, Commander Shen will definitely accuse them of disobeying orders and disrespecting the law, and their fate will not be much better.

Their current situation is actually similar to Lin Xuan's before.

However, they did not have Lin Xuan's abilities.

Lin Xuan said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I've dragged you into this."

Zhang Hu glared at him and said with dissatisfaction, "What are you saying? Without you, the two of us would have been unable to survive in the Jingbian Division long ago!"

He shoveled down a few mouthfuls of rice, then put down his bowl, patted Lin Xuan's shoulder heavily, and said, "Brother Lin, if anything happens to me this time, please take good care of my wife and children..."

Chen Bao also put his hand on Lin Xuan's shoulder and said, "I'm entrusting my mother to you as well..."

Lin Xuan looked at the two of them and asked, "What are your plans?"

Zhang Hu shrugged and said, "What other plans could we have? Commander Shen gave us three days. Starting tomorrow, Chen Bao and I will go to the site tomorrow morning to take a look..."

Lin Xuan did not hand over the intelligence he had obtained from Wu Baihu. He nodded slightly and said, "Don't rush off tomorrow. Wait for me at Jingbian Division. I have something to give you..."

After dinner, once everyone had left, Lin Xuan sat alone in the room with a piece of paper on the table in front of her.

The paper contained detailed information about the bandits in Eagle Beak Mountain. This band of bandits was not very strong; six months ago, they only numbered about twenty.

Although they were few in number, they committed all sorts of evil deeds, including rape, plunder, and kidnapping.

The bandit leader, nicknamed "Poison Scorpion," possessed the strength of an eighth-rank martial artist. Several other core members were equivalent to ninth-rank martial artists. The rest were nothing more than a rabble and were not worth fearing.

A band of this size could be easily wiped out by two or three banner officers from the Jingbian Commandery, along with their men.

The reason they have remained at large until now is twofold: first, they have not attacked any caravans escorted by the government; second, their hideout is located in an underground cave, which has a complex terrain with many branching paths and multiple exits, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

To completely wipe out these bandits, we would need at least several times their strength.

Before they could figure out their background, even a centurion wouldn't dare to make a move.

Although centurions possess protective qi, the enemy is in the shadows while they are in the open. Protecting themselves with qi consumes a great deal of true qi. Once their true qi is exhausted, even centurions may perish within it, let alone ordinary flag officers.

According to Wu Baihu's intelligence, the bandit leader of Eagle Beak Mountain is Huang Yue's cousin.

This operation was very likely a scheme orchestrated by him and Commander Shen.

If Zhang Hu and Chen Bao really go, their chances of survival are slim.

Lin Xuan has few friends in this world, and he doesn't want to lose any of them.

At one moment, a slight sound came from the half-closed door behind Lin Xuan.

The man in black robes walked up to Lin Xuan, his gaze sweeping over the note on the table, seemingly able to see through his thoughts. He said calmly, "Have you thought it through?" Lin Xuan stood up and said, "I have."

Since they have devised a treacherous scheme, we might as well play along.

For the flag officers of the Jingbian Division, the enemy was in the shadows, while they were in the open.

But for the Nanzhao spies, the night was their domain.

The man in black robes crossed his arms and said, "Very well, after following me for so long, it's time to test how much skill you've actually learned. Let's use them as your first small test..."

……

Eagle Beak Mountain.

Eagle Beak Mountain is located 30 miles west of Sizhou City and is named for its peak shape resembling an eagle's beak.

In the past, whether they were travelers on their way or merchants passing by, they would deliberately avoid the vicinity of Eagle Beak Mountain, because a group of bandits occupied the mountain and often came down to plunder and rob.

Eagle Beak Mountain is surrounded by cliffs on three sides, and there is only one mountain road leading up the mountain on the east side.

It was late at night, but the moonlight was bright, shining on the winding mountain road with a pale hue.

Huang Wu leaned against a boulder beside the mountain path, his eyelids drooping for quite some time, and he casually tossed the large knife in his hand to the ground.

The chief ordered him to keep watch here at night, and if he saw anyone suspicious, he was to immediately take a shortcut up the mountain to report.

It was already past midnight, and he hadn't seen a soul, let alone a ghost. There were still two hours until dawn, and he planned to take a nap before the shift change.

Just as sleepiness was creeping in, Huang Wu suddenly opened his eyes wide. A sharp pain in his throat instantly dispelled all his drowsiness.

He tried to shout, but his throat had already been crushed, and his mouth and nose were tightly covered by a hand, so he couldn't make a sound at all.

Click!

After a crisp sound, his neck turned at an odd angle, and his whole body slid limply down the boulder, disappearing without a sound.

After a while.

On the mountain path.

Liu San sat cross-legged behind a tree by the roadside, his breathing following a unique rhythm, occasionally peeking over to glance at the mountain path illuminated by the moonlight.

He slept all day because he was on guard duty that night, and was now full of energy.

In the last two days, they robbed a caravan, which contained a lot of valuables.

Once the boss sells the goods, he will also get a considerable share. Combined with his savings from the past two years, he plans to buy a bottle of Bone Tempering Liquid on the black market. By then, he will be able to advance to the eighth rank.

Once he was promoted to the eighth rank, he planned to stop.

At that time, whether I work as a bodyguard or escort goods, it will be better than this life of living on the edge...

Suddenly, footsteps echoed along the mountain path, sounding exceptionally clear in the quiet night.

Liu San's eyes narrowed, he immediately held his breath, and leaned slightly forward to look at the mountain path.

The next moment, he relaxed completely, stepped out from behind the tree, and asked in surprise, "Fifth Brother, it's not time for the shift change yet, what are you doing up the mountain..."

boom!
A gust of wind from a punch came whistling through the air, Liu San's eyes bulged out, and his entire chest caved in.

"Enemy attack!"

He was terrified and wanted to shout a warning, but his mouth was tightly covered by 'Huang Wu', and he couldn't make a sound. His eyes gradually lost their light.

Click!

To ensure the victim was completely dead, after shattering his heart with a single blow, Lin Xuan also snapped the man's neck, then dragged his body back behind the tree and leaned it against the tree.

Having lived two lives, this was the first time he had ever killed someone.

Moreover, he killed two enemies with his first move.

Even the original owner of this body, under the protection of Commander Chen, did not have his hands stained with blood for three years.

Lin Xuan stood there, making no further move for a long time.

After calming down a bit, he took a deep breath, stepped out from behind the tree, and slowly walked up the mountain path.

A figure completely shrouded in a black robe walked in the shadows of the forest, trailing far behind him.

She had witnessed Lin Xuan's performance along the way.

He killed two sentries in quick succession, his actions clean and swift, leaving no trace. Few spies can do what he did on their first mission.

What's even more remarkable is that his clean-cut skills are his least noteworthy strength.

He was exceptional in both his learning ability and his political skills.

Not to mention his terrifying talent for mental strength.

This kind of person is born to be a spy.

Given time, he will probably climb on top of her.

She eagerly awaited the day when she could personally train a spy who would surpass her own abilities.

(End of this chapter)