Han Ji

After extracting information from the prisoners about the location and method of the next supply handover, Liu Bei immediately returned to the prefectural government and reported to Lu Zhi.

Lu Zhi had not yet rested; he was looking at the map under the lamp.

After listening to Liu Bei's account, a glint flashed in Lu Zhi's eyes: "As expected, there's still a traitor among us. Wang Hong and Li Ben are merely pawns in the open."

"Teacher, should we immediately go to the handover site and ambush them?" Liu Bei asked.

Lu Zhi pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "No. Going now would at most catch a few small fry, alerting the enemy. This mastermind is well-hidden and won't show himself easily."

He traced his finger across the map: "The barbarians lack salt and medicine, which means they're not having an easy time either. This rendezvous failed, and they must be anxious and will try to contact us again."

"What the student means is," Liu Bei interjected, "that we... perhaps turn the tables on them?"

Lu Zhi looked at him: "Go on."

"We'll disguise ourselves as these captured barbarian spies and follow their methods to complete the handover. We'll gain the mastermind's trust and lure them out."

"The risk is considerable." Lu Zhi looked at him. "The appearance, accent, and codes of the barbarian spies could be easily exposed if anything goes wrong."

"Of the three captured, one is cowardly and could be used. Students can select a few alert and reliable veterans from Lujiang who are somewhat fluent in the local dialect to accompany us. As for their appearance... it's late at night, so be careful and we might be able to deceive them," Liu Bei analyzed. "If we can find this mastermind and cripple the barbarians, it's worth a try."

Lu Zhi pondered for a long time before finally nodding: "Alright! You'll be fully responsible for this matter. You can choose the personnel yourself. Remember, safety first. If things become unworkable, withdraw immediately!"

"The student understands!"

The next day, Liu Bei began preparations. He selected five of his most capable and skillful veterans, one of whom happened to know a few words of the local barbarian language. He also interrogated the cowardly prisoner overnight, obtaining detailed information about his secret codes and mannerisms.

He even specially found the coarse hemp clothes that the barbarians often wore, and had everyone change into them, using mud and grass juice to slightly alter their appearance.

The agreed-upon meeting day has arrived.

Nighttime, an abandoned land temple in the south of the city.

Liu Bei, accompanied by five veteran soldiers disguised as barbarian scouts and carrying packages containing genuine salt and medicine, sneaked into the dilapidated temple ahead of time. Three of them lay in ambush in the shadows, while Liu Bei and two others waited for the culprit.

The moonlight was obscured by dark clouds, and it was pitch black all around, with only the chirping of insects.

Time passed little by little.

Around midnight, three hoots of owls came from outside the temple—the agreed-upon signal.

Liu Bei gestured to the old soldier who knew the local dialect, and, mimicking the way the prisoners had instructed, he responded with two frog croaks.

A moment later, a dark figure crept into the temple. He was dressed in ordinary people's clothes, his face was covered, and he was carrying a basket.

"Did you bring the goods?" the masked man asked in a low voice, speaking in Mandarin with a local accent.

The veteran replied in a broken mix of local dialect and Mandarin: "I brought it. Salt and medicine."

The masked man stepped forward and eyed them warily for a few moments. Liu Bei and the others lowered their heads, pretending to be exhausted.

"Why is one missing?" the masked man suddenly asked.

Liu Bei's heart tightened.

Following his prepared explanation, the veteran mumbled, "I was defeated... on the way, I encountered a night patrol."

The masked man seemed to believe him and didn't ask any further questions. He crouched down, examined the salt and medicine in the package, and nodded. Then he handed over the basket he was carrying: "This is Black Hand's payment for you, along with the location and signal for our next meeting."

Just as the veteran reached out to take the basket, something unexpected happened!

The masked man flicked his wrist, and a cold glint flashed in the basket—a poisoned dagger—which he thrust straight at the old soldier's heart!

At the same time, a sharp whistle rang out from outside the temple!

"Attack!" Liu Bei shouted, using the short sword he had already gripped to deflect the poisoned dagger aimed at the veteran, while simultaneously kicking the masked man in the abdomen!

Several other veterans who were lying in ambush also sprang up instantly and pounced on the masked man.

The masked man was surprisingly agile; with a roll, he dodged Liu Bei's attack and slashed at another veteran with his poisoned dagger, letting out a mournful whistle!

Loud footsteps sounded outside the temple, clearly indicating an ambush!

"Retreat!" Liu Bei decided immediately, realizing he had fallen into a trap.

Several well-trained veterans, two of whom brought up the rear, and two others protected Liu Bei and the veteran who understood the local dialect. They smashed through the dilapidated back window of the temple and rushed out!

The sounds of clashing weapons and screams came from behind.

Liu Bei and his companions rushed out of the dilapidated temple and, taking advantage of the darkness and their familiarity with the terrain, ran wildly through the abandoned houses.

The torches and shouts of pursuers were close behind. Judging from the voices, there were at least twenty or thirty of them.

"Split up! Meet at the South Post Station!" Liu Bei roared.

The five people immediately dispersed and disappeared into different alleyways.

Liu Bei was already familiar with this area, and he specifically chose to run along narrow, winding paths with many obstacles. Chi Yun, whom he had left in a safe house a little further away, could only rely on his own two feet at this moment.

The footsteps and shouts of the pursuers were faintly visible behind us. Arrows occasionally whizzed past, embedding themselves in the earthen wall.

He made a sharp turn, hid behind a half-collapsed courtyard gate, and held his breath.

Several pursuers ran past the door, cursing and swearing.

He breathed a sigh of relief once the footsteps faded into the distance, and prepared to leave in another direction.

I had barely taken a step when a gust of wind hit the back of my head!

Without thinking, he lunged forward and rolled over.

"Clang!" A steel knife slammed down on the spot where he had just been standing, sparks flying everywhere.

A dark figure descended from the wall like a ghost, his steel blade sweeping across once more! The blade was ruthless and incredibly fast, far surpassing that of ordinary soldiers or barbarians.

Liu Bei awkwardly raised his sword to parry.

"Clang!" A tremendous force came from the sword, making his arm go numb and almost causing him to drop the short sword. He used the force to roll backward and create distance.

The man didn't pursue, standing in the moonlight's shadow, his face obscured except for a pair of cold, bloodthirsty eyes. He flicked his blade and said in broken Mandarin, "Not bad. Too bad, this ends here."

Liu Bei's heart sank to the bottom. This man was a master! He was an assassin sent by the mastermind! Tonight's scheme wasn't just about eliminating the barbarian spies, but also about luring out and killing the pursuers!

The assassin approached step by step, the tip of his knife scraping the ground with a sickening scraping sound.

Liu Bei gripped his short sword tightly, his muscles tense. He had studied swordsmanship, but mostly it was about routines and physical conditioning; in real life-or-death combat, his experience was far inferior to his opponent's.

The killing move was made! The figure moved like lightning, and the blade flashed like a bolt of lightning as it slashed towards Liu Bei's neck!

Liu Bei gritted his teeth, and instead of retreating, he advanced, crouching low and charging forward, his short sword swiftly stabbing into his opponent's abdomen! It was a fight where both sides would suffer heavy losses!

The assassin hadn't expected him to fight so desperately; his blade momentarily faltered, and he sidestepped to avoid the attack.

That moment of hesitation gave Liu Bei an opportunity! His thrusting short sword suddenly changed direction, slashing upwards towards the opponent's wrist holding the knife!

"Sizzle!" The sleeve tore, leaving a trail of blood.

The assassin grunted, but his blade continued its momentum, changing from a slash to a strike, the blade slamming heavily onto Liu Bei's shoulder!

"Bang!" The sound of the impact was clearly audible. Liu Bei felt a sharp pain in half of his body, his vision went black, and he staggered backward, crashing into the crumbling wall.

The assassin glanced at the wound on his wrist, his eyes growing even more ferocious. "You're asking for death!" He raised his knife again, ready to end Liu Bei's life.

At the critical moment!

"Whoosh—Pfft!"

A crossbow bolt shot out from the darkness on the side, accurately piercing the assassin's throat!

The assassin froze, his eyes widening in disbelief. The steel knife clattered to the ground, and he collapsed, his body convulsing.

Despite the excruciating pain, Liu Bei looked up.

Lu Zhi, accompanied by a squad of personal guards armed with crossbows, hurried from the other end of the alley. The firelight illuminated Lu Zhi's cold, stern face.

"Teacher..." Liu Bei breathed a sigh of relief, leaned against the wall, and cold sweat finally poured down his back.

Lu Zhi walked to the assassin's corpse, kicked off the mask, revealing an unfamiliar face with scars. He crouched down, rummaged through the assassin's clothes for a moment, and pulled out a small wooden plaque. A strange snake-shaped pattern was carved on the plaque.

Lu Zhi stared intently at the wooden sign.

"Clean it up." He stood up and ordered his personal guards. Then he walked to Liu Bei's side and checked his injuries.

"The students are incompetent..." Liu Bei said painfully.

"No, you did very well." Lu Zhi helped him up.

The guards came over to help Liu Bei bandage and stabilize his shoulder.

"What should we do next?" Liu Bei asked.

Lu Zhi gazed in the darkness toward Shuxian, his voice low and menacing: "The snake is startled and will be more cautious. But we have a direction now. Heal your wounds first. This battle has only just begun."

Liu Bei nodded, looking at the assassin's corpse on the ground and the strange wooden plaque. He felt no fear, only an even stronger resolve. He was determined to help his teacher navigate this quagmire of Lujiang.