However, the loss of the first a.s.sa.s.sin had already alerted the others. So Qin Feng"s sword forced his target to jump backwards, to avoid him instead. And so ignore the large Du Yan who turned to engage the other two from the team.And from the wide-eyed look that could be seen despite the mask of black cloth on his face, it was clear that his second target was alarmed to see Qin Feng throw himself at him. There was an obvious question in that gaze, demanding to know what had happened to the first who had met the youth.
Indeed, his eyes widened further, when he caught sight of his companion, who was now lying motionless at Qin Feng"s back! It was clear that the first a.s.sa.s.sin"s death had been outside his expectations!
But he didn"t have the opportunity to dwell on the matter, since Qin Feng was already launching his next attack on him!
[Four Seasons Sword: Return of the Spring Wind!]
His sword was heavier than what he was used to, and Qin Feng could already feel himself tiring, and slowing down a little. Which was why he started to use all four of the Four Season Sword stances, rather than just relying on his favorites. He had to catch them by surprise, if he could. And everyone had said that his Four Seasons Sword tended to give itself away, when he repeated the stances.
Hence, he made it a point not to repeat himself, but to use a new attack on each of the masked men. At least, not use the stances in the same way. That should be enough to keep them confused. Besides, the Spring variation gave him a lot more options, when it came to fooling the enemy. It was more subtle and used gentle movements so it was hardest to defend against.
Something that this next a.s.sa.s.sin had clearly not been expecting after avoiding his Shards of Winter Frost! That one was a direct, straightforward attack, that depended on speed and power. Something that Qin Feng could hardly coax out of his swordplay, given the heavy sword in his hands.
This next fellow didn"t fail to meet with his expectations either, and the circular motion that he had employed with that particular stroke managed to distract the fellow, and slipped past both of his opponent"s arms, leaving the path clear to thrust the tip of his weapon into the black dressed a.s.sa.s.sin"s throat as well!
So that was two down! Qin Feng didn"t waste any time, and rushed towards Du Yan immediately. The big man was still dealing with both of the a.s.sa.s.sins at his end, but it was clear that he was starting to lose ground.
Qin Feng"s loud roar of challenge, on the other hand, was sufficient to snap the two remaining a.s.sa.s.sins out of their complacency!
The older fellow seemed shocked to see his approach and turned gave the Du Yan - Qin Feng pair a measuring look before he spun around and started to flee. He rushed not back towards the forest though, but darted towards the road. That was enough to surprise Qin Feng, so much so that he wasn"t able to react in time, to give chase.
The last of the a.s.sa.s.sins, however, stumbled when the old man took off, and Du Yan moved swiftly to take advantage of his mistake. By the time his left-hand mace flew at the a.s.sa.s.sin"s head however, he had recovered enough to dodge the blow. But only by a very narrow margin; the mace pa.s.sed so close to his face that it had s.n.a.t.c.hed away the black cloth that had been masking it, revealing a middle-aged fellow with a rather full moustache. And wearing a very shocked expression.
Du Yan roared as he didn"t hesitate, and brought the mace in his right hand down on the unmasked man-in-black again. Despite the fellow"s desperate attempt to ward off the blow, the heavy metal globe at the end of his weapon crashed squarely against his shoulder! Du Yan had crushed his last opponent"s shoulder-socket. The man-in-black"s right arm was crippled, even if he did manage to get away.
Clearly, the shock of his companion"s swift departure had left him unbalanced, with many openings to be exploited.
So Qin Feng ignored the fight, and started after the fleeing a.s.sa.s.sin instead. But he froze when he heard another loud cracking sound even as he moved, then continued to run. He did not doubt that Du Yan would be able to prevail against his opponent easily, especially with one arm crippled.
Still, the old man who had led the attack was moving steadily, not towards the forest but at the rest of the soldiers. Which was enough to ring all of the warning bells in Qin Feng"s head! And made him look up, to shout a warning at the troop.
But when he turned back towards the troop, he found that Wen Xuanran had already led the same to an overwhelming victory against the remaining black-garbed men. Most of the soldiers were already casting their eyes about themselves, looking out for other enemies.
There was a small handful that were still engaged though, and there were shouts as Captain Wen led a handful of his troopers to support those who were still fighting. But it was rather clear that none of those a.s.sailants were going to be getting away from the soliders.
The old man, however, was avoiding all of the soldiers, as he sped towards one particular person in the whole group. Someone who was using a glaive!
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Qin Feng cursed under his breath. But he could see that there was no way that the Ducal Prince would be able to hear him, even if he did shout a warning his way. And naming Li Changhai would only make things worse!
Fortunately, there was still one person who was standing at the rear, who could see everything that was taking place. And who had already reacted, even as Qin Feng opened his mouth to shout a warning to the same:
"Brother Liushui!"
The gallant was already moving even as Qin Feng"s shout left his lips. Clearly, the handsome fellow had been paying attention to all the nuances all over the battlefield. So how could he have missed what had happened earlier?
With his Lightness-of-Body Movement, Lin Liushui slipped in close behind the last of the special a.s.sa.s.sins squad, apparently without the latter"s notice. And his right hand was flashing to the back of the same"s head, still holding onto his fan. For a moment, Qin Feng wondered what he was up to. Was he thinking of grabbing hold of that one, for questioning? It didn"t seem very likely that he could get such an expert to talk, did it?
Then Lin Liushui"s fan flicked open, as he swung it at the back of the white-haired man-in-black"s head, while the latter was still focused on charging towards the Second Ducal Prince. The old man didn"t even notice that the handsome fellow had already closed with him, before Lin Liushui initiated that attack. By then, of course, it was already too late!
There was a bright flash, and blood suddenly splashed out from the aged a.s.sa.s.sin"s neck as he continued to dash past the handsome fellow. He even took another two steps, before he collapsed into a crumpled heap!
Lin Liushui, on the other hand, didn"t bother to spare him another glance. Instead, he was had a scowl on his jade-like face, as he flicked what remaining blood off his fan, before he closed it again, and grinned at Qin Feng, who had just arrived in front of him.
"There! That"s the end of the a.s.sa.s.sins, I believe. The soldiers should be able to deal with the rest of those brutes out there, hmmm?"
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