Chapter 13: Acute Awareness

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Zhao Tieniu looked at this suddenly appearing "ally" with initial joy, soon replaced by deep confusion.

He didn’t recognize any of these people.

Xiao Zhan furrowed his brow.

He keenly sensed that although this new force also shouted vengeance for the Prince of Yan, their formation and targets were clearly not aimed solely at Qin Cang.

Their advance route seemed to be dragging the Prince of Yan’s mansion into the fray.

“Something’s wrong!” Xiao Zhan whispered sharply to the leader of his household guards.

“Alert the brothers! These people come with ill intent!”

At this moment, Qin Cang was overwhelmed.

The several thousand elite Dragon Cavalry he brought were formidable, but first their supplies were raided, shaking morale. Then they were harassed by Zhao Tieniu’s small unit, and now they were fiercely attacked on the flank by this thousand-strong elite force. Their formation was beginning to crumble.

“Hold the line! Hold it for me!” Qin Cang’s eyes blazed with fury as he spurred his horse forward, his longsword slashing through several enemies who had closed in.

Amidst the chaos, from the rear of the new “reinforcements,” a heavily guarded war chariot emerged.

The chariot stopped and its curtains were drawn back, revealing a figure clad in black heavy armor, wearing a ghastly bronze demon mask.

He held an ancient-looking longsword, its blade dull and matte, reflecting no light.

The masked figure climbed atop the chariot, scanning the battlefield.

He first looked towards Xiao Zhan, who was commanding the household guards’ defenses, then at the bloodied Qin Cang, and finally fixed his gaze on the grand "Qin" banner in the center.

Suddenly, he raised his longsword and let out a shrill, grating laugh.

“Hahaha! Qin Cang! Xiao Zhan! Your good days are over!”

His hoarse voice was laced with chilling madness.

“Prince Yan Xiao Yuan, colluding with foreign enemies, plotting rebellion, has already been executed!”

“His son, Xiao Zhan, harboring treacherous intent, shall share the same fate!”

The masked man’s voice was amplified by some device, echoing clearly across the battlefield for all to hear.

“By secret imperial decree! Execute the traitor Qin Cang! Eradicate the remnants of the Prince of Yan’s household, including Xiao Zhan!”

“Anyone aiding the rebels shall be slain without mercy!”

As soon as he finished, the soldiers under his command who had been attacking Qin Cang suddenly split, with the majority turning fiercely towards the gates of the Prince of Yan’s mansion and the position of Xiao Zhan!

At the same time, another portion remained locked in combat with Qin Cang’s troops.

This turn of events stunned not only Qin Cang and Zhao Tieniu but also shook Xiao Zhan to his core.

What the hell was going on now?!

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The Prince of Yan was dead?

Xiao Zhan was to be executed?

And they still wanted to kill Qin Cang?

Who was this masked man?

Under whose secret imperial order was he acting?

The situation instantly spiraled out of control!

Three factions—no, at least four forces—had become a chaotic mess!

And Xiao Zhan with his small Yan Prince’s mansion, along with the unfortunate Zhao Tieniu and a few others, had been swept into the eye of the storm!

The masked figure moved with ghost-like agility, dropping from the chariot’s roof, his longsword pointing directly at Xiao Zhan.

“Kill Xiao Zhan first! Seize the Thunder Cannon!”

“Kill!” the masked man roared.

His soldiers were vicious and ruthless, brazenly splitting into two groups.

One continued their fierce assault on the already chaotic troops of Qin Cang, while the other howled and brandished weapons, charging straight at Xiao Zhan and his men before the mansion gates!

“Damn mad dogs!” Xiao Zhan cursed, unleashing bursts of fire from his AK-47.

“Rat-a-tat-tat!”

A hail of bullets cut a bloody path before him in an instant.

The dozen or so masked soldiers leading the charge didn’t even make a sound before being riddled with bullets, blood mist filling the air.

Yet the masked man pressed forward, weaving unpredictably through the chaos, his dull longsword carving strange arcs that deflected several stray bullets.

“Careful! This guy is strange!” the leader of Xiao Zhan’s household guards shouted urgently from behind, directing their fire.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!” several Desert Eagles roared simultaneously, aiming straight at the masked man.

He responded with a piercing, sinister laugh, neither dodging nor retreating. Instead, he tipped forward, vaulting over one of his own men like a stepping stone and slashing his longsword!

“Pfft!”

The soldier used as a foothold had his throat sliced open, dying instantly as blood sprayed out.

Using the momentum, the masked man surged forward faster, eyes locked on Xiao Zhan!

“Young master, watch out!” Zhao Tieniu’s eyes burned red as he dragged his injured body forward, brandishing a broken rifle to intercept.

Behind him, the few remaining remnants of the Northern Garrison roared and charged, trying desperately to buy Xiao Zhan precious moments.

“Overestimating yourself!” the masked man sneered coldly, swinging his longsword in a wide arc.

“Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!”

Zhao Tieniu and the others were no match; struck by the blade’s wind, they screamed in pain and were flung back, their fates unknown.

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This sudden change happened in the blink of an eye!

“Seeking death!” Xiao Zhan spun his gun swiftly, aiming at the masked man mere steps away.

“Brother!” Xiao Yunshang and Qiu Shuang, never having seen such a fearsome demon, turned pale and screamed.

The masked man had anticipated this, crouching low and sliding along the ground. His longsword struck swiftly and cunningly, stabbing directly at Xiao Zhan’s abdomen!

At such close range!

Xiao Zhan’s AK-47 couldn’t adjust in time!

At the critical moment, Xiao Zhan suddenly leaned back, narrowly dodging the fatal blade by mere inches, releasing the butt of his rifle with his left hand and lightning-fast drawing another Desert Eagle from his waist!

“Bang!”

The deafening gunshot rang out at close range.

The masked man grunted, his body faltering slightly as a burst of blood erupted from his left shoulder!

Yet his reflexes were lightning quick. Using the momentum of the shot, he rolled to dissipate the force and lunged again at Xiao Zhan!

“How many bullets do you have left?” the masked man’s voice was hoarse, filled with fanatical cruelty.

Xiao Zhan was now in grave danger. His AK-47 had fallen, and he had to rely on his two pistols to engage the masked man.

But the opponent’s swordplay was bizarre and elusive, his movements slippery and impossible to grasp, narrowly avoiding fatal strikes time after time.

“Protect the young master!” The household guards of the Prince’s mansion, seeing this, turned frantic, redirecting their fire to support Xiao Zhan.

But the soldiers brought by the masked man were no less fierce. Recklessly charging, they clashed with the guards in a frenzy, gunfire, clashing swords, and screams turning the front of the Prince of Yan’s mansion into a veritable hellscape.

Meanwhile, Qin Cang was even more desperate.

Though his Dragon Cavalry were elite, being attacked suddenly from the flank by fresh troops and with morale shaken, they were steadily pushed back.

“General! We can’t hold! Heavy casualties among the brothers!” the deputy commander shouted hoarsely, his body soaked in blood.

Qin Cang cleaved down a masked soldier approaching him, then looked at Xiao Zhan, who was being pressed dangerously by the masked man, and swept his gaze over the perilous line of his own troops, his heart heavy with mixed emotions.

“If Xiao Zhan dies, those ‘Thunder Cannons’ will certainly fall into the hands of that masked man! None of us will survive then!” Qin Cang’s mind raced urgently.

He gritted his teeth and barked fiercely to the hundreds of remaining loyal soldiers and some still capable Dragon Cavalry troops beside him:

“Send orders! Split half the force to hold off those vermin attacking the Prince of Yan’s mansion! Protect young master Xiao Zhan at all costs!”

At this command, his deputy and soldiers were stunned.

“General? You mean…” the deputy was deeply puzzled.

They were barely holding on themselves, yet they were to divide their forces to rescue Xiao Zhan, who had just challenged them moments ago?

“Carry out the order!” Qin Cang roared. “Don’t you understand the principle of mutual survival? We must first eliminate our common enemy!”