The Double-Chapter 630 - 188: Kidnapping

Faintly visible among the crowd were people in coarse linen, no different from the ordinary civilians, moving swiftly through with bright long knives in hand. The civilians were thrown into a panic, running and fleeing in all directions, making the crowd even more congested. The cries of children, curses from those who had been tripped, and the sound of assassins slicing skin were incessant.

"Oh God!" Tonger’s face turned pale, "Someone is killing people!"

"Don’t be scared," Jiang Li calmly said, "The City Garrison Army is nearby, they’ll come as soon as they hear the commotion." No sooner had she spoken than their own carriage suddenly stopped, refusing to move further, and at the same time, they heard the coachman scream tragically.

Tonger was trembling with fear, yet she still reached out to protect Jiang Li behind her, while Bai Xue said, "Miss, we can’t stay in the carriage, our house’s carriage is too conspicuous, we need to hide..."

Suddenly, the carriage curtain was lifted, and a strange middle-aged man appeared in front of them, his eyes glinting fiercely, brandishing a curved saber as he stepped up into the carriage. Tonger let out a shriek and pushed Jiang Li off the carriage, confronting the man herself. As the saber swung toward them, Jiang Li only saw Tonger’s arm move to block, a streak of red blurring her vision. Bai Xue, tall and imposing, blocked the doorway, shouting, "Miss, run first! Hide somewhere nearby!"

The man’s gaze flickered and, in that one glance exchanged with Jiang Li, she suddenly realized he was coming for her! She glanced at Bai Xue and Tonger still inside the carriage, and indeed, the man discarded Bai Xue and Tonger, heading toward her. Jiang Li gritted her teeth and turned to run into the crowd.

All around were cries and howls like ghosts and wolves, the ground was a chaotic mess of fresh blood, it was like a hell on Earth.

The City Garrison Army arrived quickly, but within the span of an incense stick, those people dropped their curved sabers and swiftly escaped. Because they wore the clothes of ordinary civilians, it was incredibly difficult to tell them apart. Now that the place was bustling with people, the City Garrison Army was at a loss to apprehend them and could only watch helplessly as they vanished into the crowd. After finally capturing one who was in the act of murder, just as they subdued him, before they could even escort him for interrogation, the man clenched his teeth and a trickle of blood oozed from the corner of his mouth; he slowly collapsed and breathed his last.

It turned out to be a death warrior hiding poison in his teeth, ready to bite into a wax pill and commit suicide once captured, leaving no chance to extract the truth from him.

"What’s going on?" the head of the City Garrison bellowed, "We didn’t catch a single one! These people are death warriors, why would they injure ordinary civilians without any reason!"

His subordinate asked, "Could it be the Xirong..."

"Impossible! The Xirong people were driven into the depths of the desert by the Jinwu General and are now of no consequence. How could they come to Yanjing City? Besides, the civilians said that these people looked like People of Northern Yan. If they were from Xirong, they’d be immediately recognizable and couldn’t easily blend into the crowd!"

"Regardless, sir, we must first calm the civilians." the subordinate said.

Cries were heard everywhere; civilians who had been walking peacefully on the streets, even the street vendors and idlers drinking tea in the teahouse, were suddenly attacked by this band of people brandishing their knives and killing indiscriminately. In just a moment, who knows how many lives were lost. Many people got separated from their loved ones in the chaos. A mother with disheveled hair had lost a shoe but couldn’t spare the thought for it, crying and calling for her child’s name.

Tonger lay next to the carriage, having used her arm to block the saber aimed at Jiang Li when the assassin lunged into the carriage. Now the wound was still bleeding; Bai Xue tore off a piece of her skirt to bandage it. Tonger had already passed out from the pain. Bai Xue then placed Tonger in a relatively safe area, watched over by members of the City Garrison, ensuring no further harm would come to her. However, she remained worried about Jiang Li, not knowing where she was now.

The City Garrison Army had taken their position; the uninjured civilians immediately went home, and those who were injured were taken to nearby clinics. Those who had lost or been separated from loved ones remained on the spot. But there were fewer people now than at the beginning, and at least at a glance, it was easier to distinguish who was who.

As Bai Xue walked, she looked around, not daring to call out Jiang Li’s name, instead calling out loudly, "Miss! Miss!"