Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 680

Chapter 680: The Campfire

After finishing half a piece of rations, it was almost dark. Pei Que timed it perfectly, took off his coat, and rolled it into a ball.

“Governor Zhang, if a fight breaks out later, just lie on the ground and play dead,” Pei Que said.

Although Zhang Huai’an really didn’t want to do such a thing, staying alive was more important, so he could only grunt in agreement. He didn’t know martial arts, and rushing out would be unwise.

Pei Que looked up at the sun, and when only a sliver of light remained on the horizon, he suddenly threw the coat he was holding.

The instant the coat was thrown, countless arrows shot out from the woods simultaneously.

At the same time, Shuo Feng and his men seized the opportunity to attack the archers.

Similarly, a group of enemies appeared behind Pei Que.

Pei Que drew his sword and charged.

Fortunately, there weren’t many of them, and although they were highly skilled, none of them were a match for Pei Que.

Before nightfall, Pei Que had dealt with all the enemies.

“Whoosh!”

A signal flare lit up in mid-air; Pei Que knew that Shuo Feng and his men had succeeded.

Zhang Huai’an followed Pei Que out of the stone house. Having served as an official for many years, he had faced life-threatening scenarios before, but this was the first time he had ever been in such a dangerous situation.

Shuo Feng approached his master. “All the assassins were executed; not a single survivor is left. We did capture a few of Xu Biao’s men, but they were too cowardly to admit anything.”

Pei Que hummed in agreement. It was getting late, and the valley’s terrain was complex, so he decided to rest in the stone house that night. “What did Xu Biao’s men say?”

Shuo Feng followed his master to the fire, replying, “Xu Biao truly doesn’t know who the other party is. The contact was a bald man who said he wanted to kill you, with a bounty of 100,000 taels of silver. As for who was behind the bald man, they don’t know either.”

Zhang Huai’an asked, puzzled, “Xu Biao doesn’t know who it is, but those assassins from earlier should know a little. Why didn’t you leave any survivors?”

Pei Que smiled but didn’t answer.

Shuo Feng explained, “The next batch are all suicide squads. Even if we wanted to spare them, they would commit suicide first. Because it was getting dark, we needed to ensure our master’s safety, so in this situation, strangulation was the best option, not risking leaving any alive.”

Zhang Huai’an came from a poor background; his family had no secret guards, let alone assassins. The people he later employed were from his wife’s family, so he didn’t understand what Shuo Feng was saying.

The group sat down together, the air thick with the smell of blood.

Pei Que reached out to warm his hands by the fire and took a piece of bread from Shuo Feng’s hand.

Zhang Huai’an was somewhat surprised to see that Pei Que was completely undemanding, unlike a pampered young master from a noble family. “Do you know who wants to kill you?” he asked.

“Too many people in the capital want to kill me,” Pei Que chuckled, taking a large bite of his pancake. “Whether I know who it is now or not isn’t particularly important, because once I return to the capital, I will deal with them all, so it doesn’t matter who it is.”

Whether it was Minister Xu or Yun Xingbang, Pei Que was going to kill them both.

If it were anyone else, they wouldn’t be able to lie low for long.

His survival this time must have made them very anxious.

The fire burned brightly, and the night deepened.

Because it was winter, the valley was relatively quiet, and no wild animals could be heard.

The next morning, Pei Que intended to return, but Zhang Huai’an said he had to go to Ding’an.

“I came because I received a letter from the magistrate of Ding’an County, but it led to your ambush. I suppose the magistrate of Ding’an County knows something,” Zhang Huai’an explained. Pei Que gave Zhang Huai’an a reassuring smile. “When I came to find you, I sent men to Ding’an. We should have news by the time we leave the valley. Whether the Ding’an magistrate is good or bad, my men will bring him here.”

Hearing this, Zhang Huai’an’s opinion of Pei Que improved even more.

After a long day of fighting yesterday, Zhang Huai’an was exhausted and hadn’t slept much last night. His eyelids were drooping, but seeing Pei Que and the others, he’s full of energy.

After they left the valley, Pei Que’s men returned from Ding’an with the news that the Ding’an magistrate was dead and that the letter written to Zhang Huai’an was coerced.