Chapter 147 Driven to a Frenzied Killing Spree

In an instant!

Everyone’s eyes turned red with murderous intent!

Driven by the promise of astronomical rewards, they threw caution to the wind and lunged desperately at Luo Tong!

"Playing this trick again!"

Luo Tong knew all too well that the aristocratic families only knew how to throw money at problems.

For the sake of money, these swordsmen were capable of anything—they would even throw away their lives.

"If you don't want your lives, neither do I!"

"Come on then!"

Steeling his heart, Luo Tong redoubled his offensive with even greater ferocity.

……

Both sides fought with absolute desperation.

Ignoring the wounds inflicted upon their own bodies, they focused solely on striking down their opponents.

Before long, the Golden Sabre Guards were reaching their limits.

Luo Tong was also covered in wounds and suffering from severe blood loss.

Watching the spectacle from the sidelines, the members of the aristocratic families grew jubilant. "It's finally coming to an end..."

"Kill Luo Tong quickly!"

Swish! Swish!

Over a dozen withered arrows whistled toward Luo Tong's chest.

Luo Tong was completely spent.

He was utterly incapable of defense.

The incoming arrows were now impossible to block.

At this critical moment, the Golden Sabre Guards looked over, their faces fraught with anxiety. "My lord..."

They desperately wanted to save Luo Tong, but were powerless to do so.

Every single one of them was too exhausted to even stand.

Clang, clang, clang...

At the very last split second, a miracle occurred.

Countless flying daggers rained down from the sky!

In the blink of an eye, they deflected and scattered all the incoming arrows!

Immediately following that...

Over a hundred figures clad in black leaped down from the rooftops, plunging straight into the fray. These people possessed extraordinary martial arts and slaughtered without batting an eye, quickly thinning out the already exhausted swordsmen until barely any were left.

"This!"

The aristocratic families panicked.

"Why have so many more people appeared?" Li Dejiang looked up toward the rooftops, where it seemed many more figures remained hidden.

"Could the imperial authorities have intervened?"

"Jinyang Prefecture shouldn't have fighters of this caliber... Could it be that Luo Tong was concealing his true strength all along?!" Everyone was utterly baffled.

"These people are too fierce!"

"My lords, we must retreat immediately, or it will be too late!" Li Dejiang turned back and urged.

"Just let Luo Tong go like this?"

Having gone to such great lengths to set up the ambush and push Luo Tong to the brink of death—sacrificing hundreds of elite fighters from the aristocratic side—how could anyone be willing to leave without seeing Luo Tong die with their own eyes?

However...

These sudden men in black were intensely mysterious and terrifyingly formidable!

They were already charging right toward them.

If they didn't leave now, they would all die here!

After weighing the pros and cons, they seemed to have no other choice. "Let's go... hurry up and go!"

A dozen elite fighters escorted the prominent figures of the aristocratic families as they fled through the back door.

"Don't even think about escaping!"

A masked youth wielding a pair of steel maces gave a low shout and pursued them in that direction. However, halfway through the chase, seeing Luo Tong collapsed on the ground, he immediately turned back.

"Luo Tong, Luo Tong..."

"Quickly finish off the remaining enemies and take Luo Tong to the Governor's Prefecture!"

From his voice, Luo Tong recognized him and asked with a faint smile, "You must be Qin Huaiyu, right?"

"Save your breath!"

"Hang in there!"

Qin Huaiyu hoisted Luo Tong onto his back himself and charged toward the Governor's Prefecture.

Governor Li Longjiang had already received the news and mobilized a dozen physicians, having everything prepared for treating severe external injuries.

"What on earth happened here? How did it end up in such a miserable state?" Standing in the courtyard, Li Longjiang was dumbfounded as he watched Luo Tong and his Golden Sabre Guards being carried in.

He knew that Luo Tong possessed peerless martial arts.

The Golden Sabre Guards were practically matchless.

How could they have almost been killed?

What kind of enemy could possibly pull this off?

"Need you ask? The aristocratic families did it, of course! If I hadn't arrived in the nick of time, they probably wouldn't have made it back alive!" Qin Huaiyu snapped.

"And you are...?"

"Qin Huaiyu!"

Startled, Li Longjiang hurriedly cupped his fists and bowed deeply. "So it is Young Lord Qin! Forgive me for failing to welcome you properly!"

"Stop the nonsense and save Luo Tong first! If he dies, don't expect to keep your head either!" Qin Huaiyu demanded.

"Yes, yes, right away!"

Daring not to delay for a second, Li Longjiang summoned the physicians to treat the wounded Luo Tong and his Golden Sabre Guards.

One hour later.

The bandaging was complete.

One of the physicians stepped forward to report, "They have lost too much blood and require complete rest! They must not move around for some time. I will write out a few prescriptions; follow them closely and ensure a month of quiet recuperation before they can fully recover."

"Thank you for your hard work, Doctor!"

Knowing that Luo Tong was out of danger, Qin Huaiyu let out a long sigh of relief.

When he left the capital on this mission, he had signed a military pledge before Li Zhi: not only must he bring Luo Tong back safely, but he also had to help Luo Tong deal a heavy blow to the aristocratic families. If Luo Tong were to die here, he wouldn't survive either.

……

After attending to Luo Tong's condition, Qin Huaiyu dragged Li Longjiang into the adjacent parlor.

"Li Longjiang, give me an honest account. Are you secretly colluding with the aristocratic families? How could Luo Tong be ambushed right under your nose without you knowing a thing about it?"

Qin Huaiyu heavily suspected Li Longjiang.

The local official undoubtedly had a hand in this.

"Young Lord Qin, please do not wrong this humble official!" Li Longjiang looked ready to weep. Why did everyone suspect him? Although he indeed had past ties with the aristocratic families, after experiencing the assassination attempt on Luo Tong, he had thoroughly mended his ways.

"Hmph!"

Qin Huaiyu flatly refused to believe it. With the Taiyuan aristocratic families running so wild, could a local magistrate possibly be completely innocent?

Li Longjiang pleaded, "Young Lord Qin, once Young Lord Luo wakes up, you can ask him yourself! This official truly has done nothing to wrong him, nor would I ever dare to betray the imperial court!"

"Fine!"

Lacking concrete evidence, Qin Huaiyu found it difficult to hold Li Longjiang accountable.

Waving his hand, he said, "Let's set that aside for now. First, give me a roster of the Taiyuan aristocratic families so I can study it thoroughly. Afterward, you will coordinate with us to eradicate these clans in one fell swoop!"

Li Longjiang blinked in surprise. "Young Lord Qin, does that mean... this official can participate as well? Didn't you say this was supposed to be a covert operation and the local government shouldn't interfere?"

"Who said that?"

"Young Lord Luo..."

Qin Huaiyu was not privy to the finer details and objectives of the operation.

In these matters, Luo Tong was the one who understood the bigger picture.

However!

Eradicating the aristocratic families was undeniably the right thing to do!

After pondering for a moment, Qin Huaiyu declared, "Never mind all that. If we gather our forces and clean out the aristocratic families of Taiyuan once and for all, wouldn't that be a great service to the court?"

"This..." Li Longjiang still didn't quite grasp why things had to be done covertly.

Half-informed and desperate to secure achievements to redeem himself, he ultimately replied, "This official will follow Young Lord Qin's lead!"

"Good! Go prepare the roster!"

"Understood!"

Li Longjiang turned and hurried off.

Taking advantage of the time while Luo Tong and the Golden Sabre Guards were recovering from their injuries, Qin Huaiyu and Li Longjiang prepared to make a major move.

They dug out all the intelligence dossiers on the various aristocratic families.

After careful study, they realized that the elite fighters of these clans had already been virtually wiped out in the recent battle.

If they pushed just a little harder now, success was guaranteed.

"There's no time to lose, let's move immediately!" inside the main hall, Qin Huaiyu said with resolute finality.

"Wait..." Li Longjiang remained somewhat uneasy. "Young Lord Qin... shouldn't we wait for Young Lord Luo to wake up and consult him before taking action? I still feel things aren't as simple as they seem! If the imperial government wanted official intervention, the Secretariat would have issued an official decree long ago. Why else would they have sent Young Lord Luo to sneak into Taiyuan covertly to assassinate the heads of these families? If we ruin the bigger picture due to a moment of recklessness, the crime will be unforgivable!"

Fortunately, Li Longjiang still possessed a shred of caution.