Hot flashes

As the third clapper sounded at the fourth watch of the night, the usually quietest alleys in the south of the capital were suddenly shattered by a flurry of footsteps.

There weren't many people, about thirty or forty, all dressed in black, with masks covering most of their faces, only revealing pairs of eyes that shone in the night.

These people infiltrated the capital under various identities. Some disguised themselves as peddlers, some as porters, and some stayed in an inn in the south of the city for ten days straight, going out early and returning late every day, learning the width of every alley, the height of every wall, and the direction of every door around Zhou Heng's residence.

They had been waiting a long time for this operation. When news of the palace fire arrived, these men were waiting in an inconspicuous house in the south of the city.

The leader of the group was surnamed Jiang. He was in his early forties, with a lean face and a pair of triangular eyes that gleamed coldly in the candlelight.

He worked for the Cui family for twenty years, from Jiangbei to Jiangnan, from an open manager to a covert leader of assassins. Most of the Cui family's shady dealings passed through his hands.

After hearing the message from the messenger, he downed the cold tea in his hand, stood up, and said only one word: "Go."

Thirty or forty people split into five groups and approached Zhou Heng's residence from different directions. The group led by Chief Jiang went through the main gate, while the other four groups climbed over the walls on the east, west, and south sides respectively.

Their plan was simple—a feigned attack on the main gate to attract the guards' attention, while the other four groups would take advantage of the chaos to flank from both sides, rush into the inner courtyard, find Zhou Heng, kill him, and leave.

The Cui family's order consisted of only one sentence: Zhou Heng must die.

Chief Jiang waited outside the main gate for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

He listened intently to the sounds coming from inside the wall—a muffled thud came from the east, as if someone had jumped down from the wall, their boots landing on the stone floor;

The same sound came from the west, and then from the south.

All three routes were in position, awaiting his signal. He took a deep breath and raised his hand to wave forward.

The person behind him lit a torch, and the orange-red light suddenly shone brightly in the darkness, illuminating the entire alley as if it were daytime. Chief Jiang kicked open the door.

The sound of the door hinge breaking exploded in the silent night like a thunderclap.

The torchlight streamed into the gate, illuminating the blue brick floor of the front yard, the pillars under the eaves, and the people who were already standing between the pillars.

A whole row of them, from beginning to end, completely blocked the front yard. They wore black soft armor, long swords hung at their waists, and shields were held in their hands, the edges of which gleamed coldly in the torchlight.

Standing at the front was Chen Shen, one hand on the hilt of his sword and the other hanging by his side. His expression was as calm as a still pond, as if he were waiting not for a group of assassins, but for a group of late guests.

Chief Jiang's pupils contracted sharply. He instinctively took half a step back, and the person behind him bumped into his back, letting out a short gasp.

He wanted to shout "retreat," but before he could utter the word, hurried footsteps echoed from the alley behind him.

He turned around abruptly and saw even more people pouring out from both ends of the alley, all wearing the same black soft armor, the same long swords and shields, and the same expressionless faces, like two iron-gray walls, completely sealing off the entire alley.

The battle ended faster than expected.

Chief Jiang was the last to fall. He killed two guards, wounded three others, and his own left arm was severed, with only a few tendons connecting it, hanging limply at his side like a snake whose spine had been broken.

He gritted his teeth and swung the knife with his right hand, but Chen Shen parried it with a single blow, and then plunged a second knife into his abdomen.

The knife tip emerged from his back, carrying warm blood.

Chief Jiang looked down at the tip of the knife that had pierced through his body. His lips moved, and blood gushed from his mouth, drowning out all sound.

He knelt down, face down, and collapsed onto the snow, which was soaked with blood, turning into a dark, almost blackish red.

The front yard fell silent. Chen Shen pulled the knife from Chief Jiang's corpse, wiped the blood on the sole of his boot, and glanced back towards the inner courtyard.

The lights in the inner courtyard were still on, the light shining through the paper windows in a hazy, indistinct way, as if seen through a thin mist.