Legend of Swordsman

“He’s not making it through tonight!” Jian Wushuang stood up, touched the hilt of his sword, and continued, “Dare you bring your men and follow me to Shunshui Town?”

“Why not? I’m still a lieutenant, and the people in Yongcheng don’t yet know about the incident in Qingzhu Town. We can go openly and justifiably. But killing Huang Jiulang might be challenging!” Tang Erhu, though a brute, wasn’t foolish.

Going with just a few men was akin to courting death.

“What, are you scared?” Jian Wushuang taunted. “It’s only a mere eight hundred retainers. If I say he dies today, no one can stop it!”

Tang Erhu slapped his thigh and stood up abruptly. “Of course, I’m not scared. I’m just worried about your safety!”

“Don’t worry about that. If everything goes smoothly, you might not even need to lift a finger. I can handle Huang Jiulang on my own!” Jian Wushuang shrugged.

With that, he gestured for Yizhi Er, who was waiting outside the door, to come in.

“Is everything ready?”

“All set!”

Jian Wushuang’s tone was relaxed. “Then let’s move out!”

A group of dozens mounted their swift horses and headed straight for Shunshui Town.

Along the way, they encountered many refugees from Langshan County, all dragging their families and heading towards Shajia Town.

Jian Wushuang smiled at these people.

With the smile came pressure.

He had to move faster.

The little money he had wasn’t enough to support so many people.

If it weren’t for Xiang Yang’s opportunistic moves, his money wouldn’t have lasted three months.

Now, he needed income urgently.

Spurring their horses for four continuous hours, they finally reached Shunshui Town.

But they didn’t enter directly.

“Tang Erhu, take two good men and change into plain clothes. The rest will rest here. Someone will come later to tell you what to do!” Jian Wushuang ordered. Tang Erhu, without a word, took off his armor.

Yizhi Er was well-prepared, handing them plain clothes.

Thus, a group of five disguised themselves as merchants and entered Shunshui Town.

Shajia Town was a dock town, Qingzhu Town was a military town, while Shunshui Town was purely an agricultural town.

The town had 30,000 households and a population of over 100,000.

Its core area was as prosperous as Yongcheng.

Moreover, being by the canal, there were many inns and brothels along the riverbank.

“Let’s find a place to stay first!”

“It’s already arranged!”

Yizhi Er led them to an inn located on the riverbank.

This inn was several times better than the one in Shajia Town.

Even the staff looked energetic.

Seeing these horseback guests, they greeted them with smiles and helped with the horses.

Jian Wushuang dismounted, casually threw out a silver ingot, and said indifferently, “Arrange two rooms and prepare a good meal and drinks!”

“No problem at all!” The innkeeper, never having seen such a generous guest, smiled even more warmly and led Jian Wushuang and his men to the best private room.

“Wait a moment. The rooms are ready, and the food and drinks will be served shortly!”

The innkeeper then thoughtfully closed the door and went downstairs lightly.

Sitting by the window, Jian Wushuang looked at the calm riverbank, planning the night’s actions in his mind.

Soon, the food and drinks were served, but none of them drank or ate.

Because Jian Wushuang hadn’t moved.

After a while, footsteps were heard outside, and Jian Wushuang finally turned his head, signaling Yizhi Er to open the door.

Two robust men, dressed like martial artists, entered.

Yizhi Er greeted them, introduced them to Jian Wushuang, and said, “These two are brothers from Langshan County, highly skilled and efficient!”

These two were assassins Jian Wushuang had previously asked Yizhi Er to find.

Known in the martial world as “Jackals!”

The taller one was Jackal, and the shorter one was Wolf. Both exuded a chilling aura that warned strangers to keep away—definitely not ordinary folks!

Having them was part of Jian Wushuang’s plan.

Through his investigation, he found that although Huang Jiulang valued loyalty and treated his retainers well, he was indifferent to his own sons.

Perhaps due to past fratricides, he never relinquished power to his sons.

Yet, each of his sons aspired to emulate their father and seize power by killing their brothers.

But with no power, they could only bide their time.

So, if Huang Jiulang died, the Huang family would descend into infighting.

Then, they wouldn’t care how others developed and wouldn’t worry about mutual destruction.

He could retreat and hold Shunshui Town or advance to support a puppet.

This was his plan.

To achieve his goal of support, he first had to ensure that he did not personally kill Huang Jiulang; he needed to find others to do it.

So, he had One Ear find two men from the martial world.

Jian Wushuang stood up, personally poured wine for the two men, and said politely, “I must trouble you two brothers this time. I’ve already arranged your escape route, so just proceed without any worries!”

“No need to be so polite. As long as the payment is sufficient, the two of us will never fail, and you don’t need to worry about our escape!” The voice of the man called Chai was extremely cold, with no hint of emotion.

Seeing this, One Ear quickly tried to smooth things over, “Please don’t take offense; these two brothers have always been like this, and they conduct their business this way too!”

“Good, I will await your good news tonight!” Jian Wushuang didn’t mind at all.

The brothers Chai and Lang drank their wine and then got up to leave.

One Ear followed them.

He explained the specifics once more before returning to the private room.

“Everything is arranged!”

“Good!” Jian Wushuang nodded lightly, then called out, “Don’t just stand there, eat and drink as you please. Tonight, we’ll go relax at the Cuixiang Pavilion!”

Tang Erhu, however, had lost his appetite. He had thought Jian Wushuang would handle it himself, but it turned out he had hired two assassins from the martial world.

He found Jian Wushuang increasingly inscrutable, so he decided not to think too much and focused on drinking and eating. It wasn’t enjoyable anymore!

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, darkness fell.

But the water reflected the lights.

The good show was about to begin.

Leading everyone, Jian Wushuang went next door to the Cuixiang Pavilion. Despite its elegant name, it was actually a brothel.

However, this brothel was somewhat reserved. It didn’t have the kind of women who would accost every passerby; instead, it had demure ladies who hid their smiles behind flowers.

The group entered the Cuixiang Pavilion, crossed an exquisite wooden bridge, and arrived in front of the building.

No one came to greet them. Only after they entered did a still-charming woman emerge. Her face suggested that she had been a beauty in her youth.

Upon seeing Jian Wushuang’s group, she glanced at them and then approached Jian Wushuang.

“Honored guest, are you here to listen to music or to enjoy the scenery?”

“What’s the difference between the two?”

“Hehe, there’s a big difference!” the beautiful woman said shyly. “One you can only listen to, the other you can only see!”