Chapter 15: Perils All Around

At this moment, Qin Cang was also in grave danger. The Jingying troops he had brought were suffering heavy losses under the relentless, reckless assault of the Ghost-Masked Men. Their formation was on the verge of collapse.

“Retreat! Fall back toward the prince’s mansion! Make a last stand there!” Qin Cang shouted hoarsely, his command resolute.

In the current situation, fighting separately meant certain death. Falling back to the Yan Prince’s mansion and relying on Xiao Zhan’s terrifying “Thunder Cannon” firepower might still offer a slim chance of survival.

Xiao Zhan glanced at the object entrusted to him by Zhao Tieniu with his dying breath, then at the wide-open gate of the mansion. That might be the only way out.

“All household guards! Provide covering fire in shifts! Fall back inside the mansion! Prepare for street fighting!”

“Boom!”

The last household guard slipped inside as the heavy vermilion door slammed shut with the combined effort of a dozen men. The thick bolts dropped one after another, producing loud, resonant clangs that made everyone’s hearts jump.

Outside, the Ghost-Masked Men were berserk. The sounds of crashing, chopping, and the dull thuds of siege weapons battering the gate never ceased, punctuated now and then by piercing screams. It was clear that the defenders on the gate tower were effectively using boiling oil and rolling stones.

“Hold the line! Don’t let them through!” a bloodied guard captain shouted from behind the gate, brandishing his waist blade. “Archers, ready! Oil! Stones! Use everything!”

Xiao Zhan quickly climbed the gate tower, sweeping his gaze over the dark mass of Ghost-Masked soldiers outside. He then looked at his pale-faced, trembling sister Xiao Yunshang and Qiushuang beside him.

“Sis, you and Qiushuang take the women to the back hall. It’s safer there,” he said, handing her a pistol. “Don’t come out unless absolutely necessary.”

Xiao Yunshang’s fingers trembled as she took the weapon, her knuckles whitening. “Brother…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you,” Xiao Zhan interrupted firmly, then turned to Qin Cang, who had also retreated inside.

Qin Cang looked battered and miserable, his dark iron armor scratched and stained with blood. Of the Jingying troops he brought, fewer than fifty remained, all wounded and leaning against the walls, breathing heavily. His expression was complex when he looked at Xiao Zhan.

“General Qin, can your men still fight?” Xiao Zhan asked directly.

Qin Cang wiped blood from his face, his voice hoarse. “Young Lord Xiao, isn’t it ridiculous to talk about this now? If not for you, I wouldn’t be in this state!”

“If not for me, you’d already be dead,” Xiao Zhan replied calmly, turning his gaze to the household guards who had also fallen back inside, especially those wounded ones who had been rear guards.

He raised the oilcloth bundle Zhao Tieniu had given him before dying. His voice was low but carried clearly across the gate tower.

“Captain Zhao Tieniu was loyal and brave, dying to protect us. Before he died, he entrusted me with this. He told me—there is a traitor inside the mansion!”

The crowd instantly stirred with suppressed agitation.

Qin Cang was stunned. “A traitor?”

Xiao Zhan ignored him and opened the oilcloth to reveal a roughly made black iron plaque etched with a sinister ghost face, resembling the masks worn by the Ghost-Masked Men.

“Captain Zhao said this ghost-face badge is a token only low-ranking leaders under the Ghost-Masked Men wear,” Xiao Zhan said, slowly scanning each guard’s face. “He also said our traitor carries something like this or at least knows about it.”

He paused, his tone suddenly cold and fierce. “I’ll count to three. Those who have this token or have seen it, step forward! If not, don’t blame me for showing no mercy and killing without hesitation!”

“One!”

The guards exchanged uneasy glances, many instinctively reaching for their waists or pockets.

“Two!”

The tension was suffocating. The wounded rear guards, especially, stiffened, sweat soaking their backs.

Xiao Zhan’s eyes fixed on one guard clutching his bleeding arm. “Wang Wu, you were in charge of guarding the secluded back gate where Captain Zhao and others were killed. What do you have to say?”

Wang Wu trembled violently but forced a smile. “Young Lord… you see clearly! I am loyal to the mansion. How could I be a traitor? This… this badge, it’s the first time I’ve seen it!”

“Is that so?” Xiao Zhan’s lips curled into a cold smile. “Captain Zhao also said there’s more than one traitor, and they all carry a special drug scent used by the Ghost-Masked Men to control their subordinates. Normally, it’s undetectable, but once blood is shed or emotions run high, the scent spreads.”

He stepped forward abruptly, pressing close to Wang Wu. “Your arm is bleeding heavily, isn’t it? Why do I smell a faint, sweet, metallic scent?”

Wang Wu’s face drained of color, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. He instinctively took a step back. “Young Lord… you’re slandering me! I… I didn’t!”

“Whether or not you did, we’ll find out with a search!” Xiao Zhan snapped. “Men! Seize him! And search all those who guarded the back gate!”

Several loyal guards moved forward immediately.

Wang Wu’s face twisted in despair and madness. Suddenly, he pulled a dagger from his chest and shouted, “Xiao Zhan! Don’t force me! If it comes to this, it’s every man for himself!” Instead of attacking Xiao Zhan, he lunged to take hostage a wounded guard beside him.

“Pft!”

Almost instantly, a muffled gunshot shattered the tense air.

Blood sprayed from Wang Wu’s wrist, and the dagger flew from his hand. He screamed in agony, barely able to fall before Xiao Zhan moved like a shadow, pressing the barrel of his Desert Eagle against Wang Wu’s forehead.

“Speak! Who else are your accomplices? What did the Ghost-Masked Men order you to do?” Xiao Zhan’s voice was cold and steady, showing no emotion.

Wang Wu convulsed from pain, staring into the merciless barrel. His mental defenses crumbled completely. “I… I’ll tell you! It’s Steward Li and Zhang Datou from the kitchen. The Ghost-Masked Lord ordered us to poison the water and food supplies inside the mansion. Once they breach the outer defenses, we’re to open the secret passage into the inner courtyard from within!”

“Steward Li? Zhang Datou?” Xiao Zhan frowned slightly.

Qin Cang listened, his heart racing. Despite his youth, Xiao Zhan’s ruthlessness and decisiveness were unlike those of a pampered noble heir.

“Take them!” Xiao Zhan commanded decisively.

Several guards snarled and lunged at the ashen-faced Steward Li and Zhang Datou. Seeing their plot uncovered, the two tried to resist but were quickly overwhelmed and bound tightly with just a few blows.

Xiao Zhan glanced at Wang Wu writhing on the ground in pain, lowering his gun slightly.

“Bang!”

Wang Wu’s scream abruptly ceased.

“Drag them away. Get the location of the secret passage and the Ghost-Masked Men’s next plan. After questioning, make sure none survive,” Xiao Zhan ordered coldly.