Chapter 424 - 250: Slaughter

Chapter 424: Chapter 250: Slaughter

Under the shroud of night.

A figure burst through a window, hurtling out.

Several Taiping Captains in Brocade and Ink Shirts followed close behind, their blades glinting in the dark.

The figure was incredibly fast, nearly breaking through the Taiping Captains’ encirclement. If he could just scale the high wall ahead, he could disappear into the labyrinthine streets and alleys to make his escape.

The desperate will to survive blazed in his eyes. He kicked off the ground and shot upward.

He was just about to vault over the wall—his one chance at survival.

Suddenly, a cold gleam of light shot toward him from behind.

PFFT!

Still in mid-air, the man swung his saber back in a desperate slash.

But before he could complete the motion, the cold light had already pierced his chest, pinning him to the high wall.

The Taiping Captains halted, just in time to see Su Mu emerging calmly from the alleyway.

"Sir!"

they said, their faces flush with shame.

’If you hadn’t intervened, sir, we almost would have let him get away.’

"Take the body back. Continue the search,"

Su Mu said flatly.

He was carrying an unconscious man in one hand.

The Taiping Captains answered in unison. Some began to carry the body away, while others quickly started searching the house.

The members of the Taiping Bureau had grown accustomed to such scenes over the past few days.

The men of the Songjiang Prefecture’s Taiping Bureau, idle for many years, were now growing more proficient. They were finally starting to act like a proper branch of the Taiping Bureau.

They were still no match for the Taiping Captains from Hujue Pass or Wuling City, but compared to their former selves, the change was night and day.

’So, people really do need to be tested.’

Ever since the assassination attempt on Zhang Tongxiang, and Yang Yungzhong’s discovery of a Thunder God’s Roar at the construction site for the Songjiang Prefecture Bailu Academy, they’d had plenty of opportunities to hone their skills.

In just a few short days, the Songjiang Prefecture’s Taiping Bureau had relentlessly tracked down assassins from the Golden Wind Tower, either capturing them or killing them on the spot.

......

"You should know that once you’re in the hands of the Taiping Bureau, there’s no escape."

In the main hall of the Songjiang Prefecture’s Taiping Bureau, Su Mu tossed the captive to the floor. "Who hired you to assassinate Zhang Tongxiang?" he asked coldly. "Tell me, and I’ll give you a quick death."

"Kill me if you want, but I will never betray the Golden Wind Tower!"

the man said coldly, his eyes shut.

"Yang Yungzhong, he’s all yours."

Su Mu couldn’t be bothered to waste any more words on him and simply handed the man over to Yang Yungzhong.

A glint flashed in Yang Yungzhong’s eyes as he broke into a wide grin.

’When it came to slaying demons, he might not compare to the Taiping Captains from other regions. But interrogation? That was his specialty. Back when things were quiet at the Songjiang Prefecture’s Taiping Bureau, he would often visit the prefecture’s prison to help the Prison Guards interrogate inmates. It was a hobby of his!’

As Su Mu walked out of the hall, a bloodcurdling scream, like that of a pig being slaughtered, erupted behind him.

About the time it takes to eat a meal later, Yang Yungzhong appeared at Su Mu’s side.

"Sir, I got it out of him."

Yang Yungzhong wore an expression of slight disappointment. ’And here I thought the assassins from the Golden Wind Tower were made of tougher stuff. Turns out they’re not so special after all. He still had several techniques he hadn’t even gotten to use.’

"Go get them,"

Su Mu said flatly, not even bothering to ask who the culprit was.

"Yes, sir!"

Yang Yungzhong replied with a cupped-fist salute.

Soon, a few Taiping Captains departed, leading a contingent of other Taiping Captains and Taiping Imperial Guards.

Just as Yang Yungzhong’s group departed, Shi Ziran appeared behind Su Mu.

"My Lord."

Shi Ziran bowed. "We found four Pure Land Sect disciples who had infiltrated the craftsmen," he reported. "They were the ones who smuggled in the Thunder God’s Roar."

"These rats are impossible to exterminate,"

Su Mu remarked.

’He had faced an assassination attempt right after arriving in Songjiang Prefecture, and they had rounded up a group of Pure Land Sect disciples back then, too. It hadn’t been that long, yet more of them were popping up. Wiping them out completely was proving to be a real challenge.’

"They confessed that the Pure Land Sect has another branch outside Songjiang Prefecture City. I didn’t dare make a move without orders,"

Shi Ziran said.

’It was a hard-won lead, and he was worried it would go cold, so he had rushed back to report to Su Mu.’

"Another branch?"

Su Mu pondered for a moment. "Go see how many men we still have in the bureau. Gather them all. We’re paying them a visit."

......

A fish-belly white spread across the eastern sky.

The group moved swiftly.

Just then, a series of sharp whooshes cut through the air.

The men looked up at the sound, only to see dark, round objects hurtling toward them, landing right in their midst.

’What are these things?’

Before anyone could react, a deafening roar erupted.

Scorching flames erupted, instantly engulfing an area dozens of yards across.

Amid angry shouts, the men scrambled to dodge the searing heat.

Still, some of the men’s clothes caught fire, forcing them to drop and roll on the ground to smother the flames.

But it wasn’t over.

Following the massive explosion, a volley of arrows shot in from all sides. Their tips glinted with strange, multicolored sheens, and they carried a foul, acrid stench that could be smelled from a distance.

The arrows were clearly coated in a deadly poison.

The men drew their sabers, desperately deflecting the dense volley.

A sharp cacophony of CLANGS and TINGS rang out, punctuated by grunts of pain.

"Kill the black-clad dogs! Leave none alive!"

As the rain of arrows subsided, a shout echoed from the distance.

Immediately, a force of forty or fifty men swarmed out from all sides, charging the group.

As they charged, they hurled fist-sized spheres.

The men of the Taiping Bureau instinctively drew their sabers and sliced the spheres in mid-air.

But as the spheres shattered, they burst into clouds of gaudy, multicolored smoke that drifted down over the men.