Abandoning literature for martial arts, starting by unleashing the beauty's bow.

The sky was beginning to darken.

Along one side of the official road leading to Mao'er Village, in the woods.

Lu Fengnian changed into a set of night clothes, smeared a beard on his face, and wore a bamboo hat. He said to Cao Meng, "Wait for me here. I'll be right back."

Cao Meng nodded. "Be careful."

Lu Fengnian mounted his horse, quickly left the woods, and rode away into the night.

…………

At the same time, Ye Zhengtang directed the constables and soldiers to drive the prison cart into a valley beside the official road, and said in a deep voice: "Everyone be careful, make sure to escort the prisoners well and don't let them escape."

Especially at night, those on duty must be extremely vigilant and cannot afford the slightest negligence.

The constables and soldiers responded in unison and then scattered. Those who set up camp quickly found a place, while those who patrolled went to the outer perimeter, each performing their duties.

…………

As night deepened, most of the people in the camp in the valley, except for the soldiers and constables on duty, had already fallen asleep.

Suddenly, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from the official road, heading straight for the valley.

Ye Zhengtang was the first to wake up, shouting urgently, "Enemy attack! Alert! Protect the prisoners!"

Inside the valley, soldiers and constables were jolted awake from their sleep, immediately grabbed their weapons, and surrounded the prison cart.

At the same time, shouts rang out from outside the valley: "Blackwater Village grants passage to the people to kill corrupt officials. All bystanders must retreat, or they will be killed without mercy!"

Upon hearing the name Blackwater Village, the soldiers and constables in the valley all changed their expressions drastically.

Ye Zhengtang's expression tightened, and after a moment's hesitation, he shouted back, "How dare you, bandit, act so arrogantly in front of me, Ye Zhengtang!"

Since he didn't know how many people had come from outside, Ye Zhengtang wanted to announce his name so that they would back down.

Before he could finish speaking, the voice outside rang out again, "I don't care if you're Ye Zhengtang or Wang Zhengtang, I'll only say this one last time: if you still refuse to see the light, I'll burn this valley down and roast you all like chickens!"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers and constables in the valley all showed expressions of fear.

It is now the season of clear skies and crisp autumn air. If the people of Blackwater Village really set fire, no one in the valley will be spared.

At the same time, two rockets were launched into the valley, quickly setting a patch of dry grass ablaze.

The constables and soldiers who were nearby rushed forward and hurriedly put out the fire.

Seeing this, Ye Zhengtang made a decisive decision and immediately ordered, "Leave a few people to guard the prison cart, the rest of you come with me out of the valley to stop these bandits from setting fire."

As soon as he finished speaking, he took the lead and rushed out of the valley.

The soldiers and constables drew their weapons and followed closely behind.

Soon, Ye Zhengtang and his group rushed out of the valley, only to find that there were not many people outside the valley, just a handful of seven riders.

Moreover, when Ye Zhengtang and the others rushed out, the seven men immediately turned their horses around and fled into the night.

"not good!"

Ye Zhengtang cried out urgently, turned around, and ran back to the valley.

As soon as they returned to the valley, they immediately saw from afar that the people guarding the prison cart had all collapsed unconscious on the ground.

A dark figure stood in front of the two prison carts.

"You audacious bandits!"

Ye Zhengtang roared and sped towards the prison cart.

The dark figure in front of the prison van was Lu Fengnian. He ignored Ye Zhengtang and looked at Wu Sansheng with a smile on his lips.

Because Lu Fengnian was wearing a bamboo hat and had a mustache, and because the light was dim at night, Wu Sansheng did not recognize him, but he could feel the murderous aura emanating from him.

"You bandits from Blackwater Village, I am the magistrate of Qinghe County, an official appointed by the imperial court. If you dare to kill me, the imperial court will surely send a large army to wipe you out!" Wu Sansheng felt death beckoning to him and hurriedly spoke, his voice fierce but his heart pounding.

Lu Fengnian raised his head, removed the fake beard from his face, and smiled.

"It's you! How dare you attack an official of the imperial court!" Wu Sansheng's eyes widened.

Lu Fengnian sneered, "You keep calling yourself an official of the imperial court, but you're already a prisoner, a criminal!"

"If you dare send someone to kill me, you'd better be prepared to die!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he drew the short knife from his waist with lightning speed and plunged it into Wu Sansheng's chest.

The Autumn Sweep Blade was left with Cao Meng and wasn't brought over. Its design was rather unusual, and carrying it would be somewhat conspicuous.

The prison cart was cramped, and Wu Sansheng's head was stuck in the wooden shackles. In addition, Lu Fengnian's knife was fast and ruthless, so he had nowhere to dodge and could only watch helplessly as the short knife pierced through his heart.

"you……"

Wu Sansheng's eyes were filled with resentment. Before he could finish speaking, he collapsed in the prison cart.

After killing Wu Sansheng, Lu Fengnian quickly went to another prison cart and stood in front of Ma Hui.

Ma Hui watched helplessly as Wu Sansheng died right before his eyes, and at this moment he was so frightened that his face turned pale and he trembled with fear.

"Lu Fengnian, it was all a misunderstanding before. If you let me go, I will definitely repay you handsomely in the future."

I have powerful backers in the capital city. If I go there, I can turn my life around and I'll definitely be able to repay you in the future.

Although Ma Hui had never met Lu Fengnian, he recognized him after seeing his portrait.

Lu Fengnian's lips curled up slightly. "You sent someone to assassinate me in the prison, and you still want to live?"

The powerful backer you mentioned, is it Yu Qingde, the prefectural judge?

I'm so sorry, he's been dead for several days now.

If you go to the capital, you'll probably never have a chance to turn your life around and will only be able to spend your life in prison in misery.

I've come here today to offer you relief, to spare you a long prison sentence.

Upon hearing this, Ma Hui shook his head repeatedly, "How could that be? How could Lord Yu be dead?"

Lu Fengnian smiled faintly, "He's completely dead. My arrow hit him right in the forehead."

Ma Hui continued to shake his head, refusing to believe it.

Lu Fengnian didn't waste any more words with him. He swiftly swung his short knife, slicing it across Ma Hui's neck and ending his life.

At the same time, Ye Zhengtang was less than twenty feet away from the prison cart.

Lu Fengnian didn't linger. He sheathed his short sword, urged himself on, and ran into the woods on one side.

Ye Zhengtang chased after them to the prison cart and saw Wu Sansheng and Ma Hui dead. He roared, "Traitors! They deserve to die!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he grabbed his long sword and sped off in the direction Lu Fengnian had gone.

Lu Fengnian traversed mountains and valleys, quickly exiting the valley along the same route he had come from, and continued his frantic run.

After running for five or six miles, they could no longer hear any noise from the other side of the valley. Ye Zhengtang had caught up to within six zhang of them.

"You scoundrel! You dare to kill an official of the imperial court! You will not escape today!" Ye Zhengtang roared angrily.

Just then, Lu Fengnian suddenly stopped, turned around, and took off his straw hat.