In my dream of returning to the Tang Dynasty, I snatched Wu Zetian from my lap.

Rattan armor can defend against swords and blades, but it can only protect the upper body. Li Yuanchang, on the other hand, is a master archer, aiming every arrow at the opponent's throat.

Each arrow is capable of precisely taking down an assassin.

Gradually, more and more assassins died, more than half of them.

Coupled with the fierce and bravery of the guards, they were so badly beaten that even the guards panicked. In the end, at the shout of an assassin, they fled in disarray.

They abandoned their companion's body and fled into the woods.

"Stop chasing!" Li Yuanchang shouted to stop.

Everyone stopped in their tracks; several of them were injured, and their eyes were filled with murderous intent.

"Your Highness!"

"Stop the bleeding first, then check if there are any survivors."

"yes!"

The guards quickly stopped each other's bleeding.

Li Yuanchang approached a corpse, pulled back the black cloth covering its face, and confirmed that it was undoubtedly a Japanese pirate.

He then searched the bodies, examining all ten corpses, but found nothing—not a single hair, no letters, or any tokens of identification.

They finally found a killer who wasn't quite dead yet, but the killer pulled out a dagger and stabbed himself in the abdomen, committing suicide on the spot.

"this……"

Li Yuanchang's eyes were deep and sharp.

"This isn't an ordinary assassin; they've undergone extensive training, at least to the level of a suicide squad!"

Upon hearing this, everyone tensed up.

Suicide squad?

This kind of existence cannot be cultivated simply by trying to train it.

That means the person behind this must be someone with a powerful background and considerable influence.

"Why would they attack us when we have no grudge against them?"

"These assassins wouldn't risk their lives for a little money, would they?" Guo Chao frowned.

Li Yuanchang said in a deep voice, "They weren't after the valuables. They didn't even glance at the supplies. They just wanted to kill people."

"That's really strange."

"We've just arrived, and we don't know anyone here. How come there are so many assassins?"

The entire team was completely baffled.

Suddenly, a group of people appeared and started killing people.

This is like in the 21st century, you go on vacation abroad, and the moment you land, the mafia attacks you without any reason or warning.

Seeing that they couldn't find anything, Li Yuanchang looked at everyone and asked, "Is everyone alright?"

"Your Highness, they're all fine, just minor injuries."

"Let's go, it's not safe here. Let's go back to the port and rejoin the main force."

"yes!"

"..."

The group sped back, and thankfully, after repelling the assassins, there was no second wave of ambush.

Li Yuanchang arrived at Dayuan Port smoothly.

But as soon as the person arrived, he immediately sensed that something was wrong.

"return!"

He grabbed his subordinate and hid in the haystack.

Everyone was startled and quickly hid.

"Your Highness, what's wrong?"

Li Yuanchang stared intently at the port: "Something's not right."

Suddenly, the situation at the port changed dramatically, as if martial law had been imposed. Large numbers of samurai patrolled the area, checking every passerby and even arresting many overseas merchants.

"Your Highness, it seems our treasure ship has encountered an accident!" Pei Xuan exclaimed, noticing with sharp eyes.

Li Yuanchang quickly took out his binoculars.

The two treasure ships docked in the harbor were filled with Japanese samurai, all wearing rattan armor, who looked like regular samurai, equivalent to the Tang Dynasty's imperial guards.

Lao Hu and a large number of sailors were detained on the spot and knelt on the deck in rows.

His heart sank suddenly!

Coupled with the recent attack, it's hard not to make the connection!

"Your Highness, our ship has been seized. What should we do?"

"It seems to be targeting us."

"Those bastards!"

"How dare you seize my Tang Dynasty ship!" The guards were furious and wanted to reveal their identities and step forward to negotiate.

"Don't move!"

"Going there before we understand the situation is just walking into a trap." Li Yuanchang frowned, sensing that things weren't so simple.

If it's just a simple challenge, revealing your identity will definitely be fine.

But this is no longer just a simple predicament.

He was completely baffled. Who was targeting him? He had no enemies or conflicts of interest here!

After much deliberation, seeing that the crew members on the treasure ship were not in any danger, he decided to play it safe.

"Scatter everyone. There are still some who haven't returned. Stop all the brothers who come back later, lest they walk into a trap."

"Ji'an, you and Guo Chao go over there and find out what happened on the ship."

"yes!"

"..."

Over the next two hours, the fleet's guards who had gone out to purchase supplies and rest gradually returned, but were stopped halfway.

Upon learning of the incident, they did not immediately return to the port. Instead, they gathered together in a forest outside the port and used binoculars to monitor the port's every move.

What was originally an ordinary supply replenishment suddenly took an unexpected turn, leaving the supplies homeless.

Another hour passed, and the sun was about to set.

Ji'an and Guo Chao have returned.

"Your Highness!"

"How is it?" Li Yuanchang asked seriously. This was not the Tang Dynasty after all, and he was too far away to intervene.

He had just discovered through his binoculars that no fewer than five hundred warriors had gathered at the port, which was the size of an army.

Even with the strength of the Imperial Household Department, it would be very difficult to defeat them.

The most important thing is that the other side has several hundred hostages, and almost all of the sailors are on board.

"Your Highness, those people are searching for a wanted criminal."

"They say that our treasure ship is harboring a wanted criminal, and the Japanese have issued a reward, saying that anyone who sees a Han Chinese must report it to them."

"Many people have been arrested at the port," Guo Chao said.

"A wanted criminal?" the crowd murmured.

"Are they trying to steal our goods?"

"Where did this wanted criminal come from?"

"that is!"

"..."

Li Yuanchang remained silent.

A series of events that happened today flashed through my mind, from disembarking to make purchases, being attacked, to the treasure ship being seized, and then the bounty being offered.

All of this happened so fast!

Even if the criminals were actually on the ship, let alone having no idea what they were about to commit, these Japanese wouldn't have been able to react so quickly.

He even wondered if it was the force behind Ijiro and his group, but that didn't make sense; the news couldn't have come back so quickly.

A wanted criminal, a wanted criminal...

They are all from the Tang Dynasty, and this is their first time here. What could they possibly want to do?

Thinking of this, he suddenly paused, and a person came to mind.

His gaze suddenly fell on Ji'an.

Ji'an felt the gaze and instinctively looked away.

Li Yuanchang's brows furrowed instantly!

"Master Ji'an, is there something you're hiding from me?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked on, somewhat bewildered.

Ji'an remained silent and lowered his head.

Li Yuanchang walked over with an unfriendly look in his eyes. He recalled that when they were attacked, it was Ji'an who was the first to give a warning, which was not right.

Ji'an, a monk, was far too vigilant. He didn't even realize what was happening until he had taken precautions.

Based on his current reaction, Li Yuanchang was pretty much certain of the situation.

"Master Ji'an, are you still going to remain silent?"

"What exactly happened?"

"What about the wanted criminal those people are after? Is it you?"