The Black Sails of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 101 Killing Talent

Lin Qian gestured to her subordinates.

Three crew members, carrying tools such as pliers, crawled out of their hiding place, rearranged the wooden planks, and crouched down to crawl into the tent.

Two people were responsible for removing the earthenware pot and pouring the molten lead into the water, while the other person was responsible for cutting the red-hot iron railings.

After about two incense sticks' worth of time, two people came out of the tent.

One person held a wooden tray and carried out the broken pottery shards in batches.

Each time the wooden trays were transported, they were briefly dipped in water to prevent them from being ignited by the high temperature of the broken pottery shards.

Another person was holding the cut iron fence with pliers; the cut was still glowing red.

The man placed the iron fence on the ground and covered it with soil.

The moment the soil touched the red-hot iron fence, it stirred up a puff of white smoke, which was then covered by more soil, suppressing the smoke beneath the earth.

The crew then quickly dismantled the tents and placed the iron fencing back in place, so that even if the guards patrolled nearby in the dark, they wouldn't see the hole in the water gate.

After finishing everything, the crew removed the planks from the waterway, and everything returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.

The wooden boards were removed, and most of the guests at the birthday banquet had left. The red paper offerings at the entrance made their final struggles before finally burning out.

Heaven and earth returned to silence.

Lin Qian loosened her grip on the soil and exhaled deeply.

It is now around the beginning of Hai Shi (9-11 PM), not yet time to make a move, so the crew members hiding in the shadows can only wait.

In the late autumn night, as the dew deepened, the ground gradually absorbed the chill from our bodies, and our clothes became soaked with dew, making us extremely uncomfortable. We could only endure it.

As the birthday banquet ended, the hustle and bustle of the Lin residence gradually subsided.

Around midnight, the lights in the Lin residence had dimmed considerably, indicating that everyone inside had gone to bed.

The person had only been lying down for a short time and was still in a light sleep. The guards were still immersed in the extravagance of the birthday banquet and were feeling excited, so it was still not a good time.

Around 1 AM, the lanterns guarding the courtyard wall slowed their movement.

Lin Qian whispered, "Make your move."

As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Qing, Bai Langzai, and a dozen or so good swimmers got up from the ground, quickly walked to the water gate, moved the fake fence, and jumped into the waterway.

A moment later, the lanterns on the courtyard wall swayed, and the back gate of the Lin residence slowly opened.

Lin Qian led the others in through the back door.

The back door latch was lying to one side, and next to it lay the body of a guard, stabbed in the throat, with steaming blood gushing out.

Lin Qian summoned Lei Sanxiang and Zheng Zhilong and instructed them again: "Third Brother, after clearing the western wall, come to the back hall and meet up with the central team. Yi Guan, after clearing the eastern wall, guard the wall and withdraw when the three clappers sound. Understand?"

"Understood!" both of them replied, bowing with their hands clasped.

Having said that, Lin Qian drew her sword and led the twenty men in the middle route into the preparation area.

The alley was narrow, allowing people to walk in a single line.

The two men leading the way, each wielding a goose-feather saber and a shield, and clad in leather armor, cleared the path.

Then Bai Qing, Xie Er, and Bai Langzai followed, with Lin Qian following behind Bai Langzai.

The alley was extremely dark, almost impossible to see, but after countless training sessions, everyone had long since mastered the layout of the Lin residence, and even when moving in the dark, they moved very quickly.

After walking a short distance, the two who had led the way stopped.

A moment later, a lantern came in around the corner.

"Who is it... Waaah..."

The moment the lantern bearer spoke, a shield shattered his throat, followed by a flash of cold light and a knife plunged into his abdomen.

He drew his sword and stained the blue bricks of the workshop dark red.

The lantern fell to the ground, ignited, and was then extinguished in an instant.

The servant was still alive, making hoarse noises as he stretched out his bloody hand to the crew, seemingly begging for mercy.

Then, several more stabs followed, and the servant died completely, no longer moving.

The procession stepped over the servant's corpse and continued onward.

Lin Qian walked to the spot where the servant had entered and saw a rockery, realizing that she had arrived at the Lin family garden.

The group continued on their way, and after passing this spot, the last three members of the group turned into the back garden as planned to clear out the guards and servants there.

The entire household was fast asleep, and most of the servants on night watch were dozing off, allowing the group to move freely through the preparations. They encountered three guards carrying lanterns along the way, but each was swiftly and silently dealt with.

After passing several more intersections, more than ten crew members dispersed to various locations as planned.

At this moment, the two people who were clearing the way suddenly stopped.

There were no footsteps in the distance, nor any torchlight in sight.

Just as they were wondering, the person at the front of the group said, "Captain, there's a bunch of wine jars blocking the way."

"Hmm?" Lin Qian looked at Xie Er.

Bai Langzai pressed the knife against his waist.

Xie Er said in a trembling voice, "The birthday banquet at your residence is too busy. It must be that the servants are being lazy and have put the empty wine jars here."

Bai Qing stepped forward, touched the surface of the wine jar, found no dust, and then smelled the mouth of the jar, which had a strong aroma of wine.

“It’s newly released,” Bai Qing said.

Lin Qian: "Could you move it?"

Bai Qing: "Okay, but it will take some time."

Lin Qian turned around and looked into the depths of the alley. She saw moonlight shining in about ten feet behind her, which was an exit. Presumably, the servants in the mansion had brought the wine jars in from there.

This exit leads to the back of the Lin family residence, and these drinks were likely intended for the women's banquets.

From this point onward, the first few courtyards are all connected by a central axis road, so there's no point in going any further.

So Lin Qian said, "Let's go out from here."

The group left the alley and found themselves in a square courtyard where the women of the main house lived.

Just as Lin Qian was about to continue forward, she heard a woman's voice beside her: "You rascal, what brings you here again?"

The courtyard was completely dark and empty, without a single person in sight.

The sound came from who-knows-where.

Lin Qian quickly told the crew to stop and carefully distinguish the sounds.

After a moment, the woman said angrily, "You scoundrel, didn't I just make you eat tonight? Why are you craving it again now?"

Lin Qian heard it clearly; the sound was coming from the side room beside her.

A man, panting heavily, whispered, "Good aunt, I don't know why, but I feel incredibly hot today."

"Please speak softly..." the woman pleaded.

"What are you afraid of? Everyone else is already asleep." The man's voice grew heavier. "My dear aunt, I've missed you so much."

"No...don't call me 'aunt,' just hurry up and get on with your business..."

……

Lin Qian listened for a while by the wall and, confirming that the two inside had finished their business and were temporarily unable to leave, waved her hand towards the room, signaling her men to deal with the two.

His men were about to enter the room and take action.

Suddenly, flames and chaotic footsteps came from outside the courtyard wall.

"...This servant saw the eldest young master enter the courtyard with my own eyes."

"Someone, surround the yard and don't let them escape."

Lin Qian realized something was wrong and ordered her men to retreat into the guardhouse and hide temporarily in the shadows.

Footsteps approached from outside the courtyard.

The man inside stopped, panting, and said, "Damn it, someone's here."

"Quickly, let's get ready!" the concubine said.

"No, the wine jars have clogged the container. I'll make sure someone notices when I get back."

Because the male servants' courtyard was located in front of the mansion, the man said he was going back.

"You should go hide first!"

After saying that, the door opened, and a disheveled man was pushed out. Seeing that there was no way to escape, the man gritted his teeth and headed towards where Lin Qian and the others were hiding.

(End of this chapter)