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Chapter 27 Assassination in the Street
The carriage bumped slightly on the cobblestone road. Chen Guangrui frowned.

Zhang Changling was rejected by Yin Kaishan? That shouldn't be the case!

Yin Kaishan was a veteran official of the Wude era, holding a prestigious position. However, the new dynasty's foundation was not yet stable, and Crown Prince Li Shimin needed to appease both the old officials and the new nobles most.

Zhang Changling, as the second-place finisher in the imperial examination, had a promising future and was one of the representatives of the "emperor's disciples".

How could Yin Kaishan refuse his marriage proposal?

This is tantamount to nailing a stabilizing force from the new dynasty to the turbulent old noble mansion! It is a gesture of goodwill tacitly approved by the Crown Prince, and a signal of reconciliation in the transition between the old and the new.

Refusing Zhang Changling is tantamount to slapping the Crown Prince in the face!
Chen Guangrui went over it again and again, considering both political interests and interpersonal relationships, and Yin Kaishan had no reason to refuse.

But Yuan Shoucheng's divination was quite certain... Could it be that the Crown Prince was really determined to eliminate all the former officials of the previous dynasty?
Impossible, Li Shimin was not that kind of tyrant.

But... Yuan Shoucheng's predictions were always accurate, and he had never been wrong about the Jing River Dragon King or about his own calamity.

Could there really be some unforeseen variable that I didn't anticipate?
A strong sense of crisis gripped Chen Guangrui's heart. No, he couldn't wait any longer! Even if there was only a sliver of a chance that the divination had come true, he had to sever all ties with Yin Wenjiao as soon as possible.

Delay will lead to change!

Becoming a monk at Daxingshan Temple is the final step! We must act immediately!

"Chen An!" Chen Guangrui knocked on the side of the carriage, his voice urgent.

"Hurry up, get to Daxingshan Temple immediately! Don't stop for a moment!"

The driver cracked the whip, and just as the wheels began to roll a little faster, Chen Guangrui felt the carriage lurch.
"Whoa!" The driver suddenly tightened the reins! The horse neighed, and the carriage shook violently! Chen Guangrui was almost thrown off!
Outside the car, the deathly silence was instantly ripped apart by a sharp noise!
"Murder...murder!!!"

A piercing scream rang out! Like cold water poured into boiling oil!

"Ah!" "Clang!! Crash!"

The sounds of heavy objects hitting the ground, things shattering, and even more terrified screams mingled together!
Chen Guangrui's heart sank, and he immediately lifted a corner of the carriage curtain. Chaos reigned before him! At the street corner, the crowd scattered in terror, like ants in a boiled pot!
A stall was overturned, its produce and miscellaneous goods scattered everywhere. Right next to the stall, in the shadows of a narrow alleyway, a cold glint flashed! A swift blade, like a venomous snake's tongue, suddenly slashed down at a struggling figure on the ground!
The blade flashed a blindingly cold light in the dim sunlight!

"Pfft!" A bright red, glaring spray of blood instantly erupted into the dust! Danger! Chen Guangrui's pupils constricted sharply!

"Brother! Stay in the car!"

A roar like thunder resounded! Chen An's burly figure shot out from the carriage shaft like a tiger unleashed!

As a top-notch martial arts master, he was naturally unafraid of such an unexpected turn of events, and he stood between the murderer and the carriage.

"Get out of the way!" Chen An kicked out in mid-air with lightning speed, striking the shoulder of the knife-wielding man who had just finished slashing someone and was about to turn and lunge at the carriage! "Bang!" The man groaned and staggered backward, his eyes as fierce as a wild beast! He reacted extremely quickly, regaining his balance, and without any mercy, he thrust his short knife in a vicious backhand, aiming straight for Chen An's waist and abdomen!
"You little brat! You're asking for it!"

Chen An roared, his waist and abdomen suddenly contracting to narrowly avoid the attack! At the same time, his large hand, like an iron clamp, flashed towards the opponent's wrist holding the knife!
The two instantly clashed, their fierce punches and kicks whistling through the air! A battle between top-tier masters—fast, ruthless, and precise! Every move was a life-or-death struggle!
The streets were narrow, and the crowd pushed and shoved in even greater panic, reaching the peak of chaos!
In that instant, Chen Guangrui felt a chill run down his spine!

A chilling, bone-chilling killing intent, like a venomous snake, silently attacked from the chaotic crowd on the other side of the carriage! Extremely concealed, yet it felt like a thorn in one's back!

He whirled his head! A person! Dressed in the most ordinary gray cloth, completely lost in the chaotic crowd. But those eyes! Cold, lifeless, devoid of any human panic, only a naked, predatory killing intent locked onto its target!
With his head down, he silently pulled his right hand out of the tattered bundle, and another chilling glint suddenly appeared!

A short blade! Without pausing, the man accelerated suddenly! Like a venomous snake darting along the ground, he charged against the chaotic flow of fleeing people, heading straight for the carriage! His speed was astonishing!

The panicked crowd around him became his best cover!

"Target! It's me!" Chen Guangrui's heart pounded! Two assassins! One in the open, one in the shadows! Chen An was pinned down, this person was right in front of him! Who could stop him?!
It's over... The sharp tip of the gray-clad man's knife was less than three steps from the neck of the driver, who was frozen in fear! In just a moment, the driver would be dead, the carriage doors would be wide open, and Chen Guangrui would have no chance of survival!

In a flash, from the side, a figure appeared like a ghost from beside the overturned pile of goods!
That speed was faster than that of ordinary martial artists!
"Clang!" A loud clang of metal clashing rang out! A spark flew instantly! The gray-clad assassin's sure-fire killing blow was narrowly deflected by an inconspicuous, slender iron ruler in the newcomer's hand!

The blade grazed the driver's cheek! A flicker of surprise crossed the gray-clad man's eyes, but his movements didn't falter! With a flick of his wrist, the short knife traced a strange arc, accompanied by an even sharper whistling sound, aiming for the man's throat! Ruthless and vicious!

"Hey!" the newcomer shouted in a low, steady voice. The iron ruler twirled in his palm, advancing instead of retreating! The ruler's shadow, like a whip, struck with pinpoint accuracy against the gray-clad man's wrist holding the knife!
"Bang!" A heavy thud! The gray-clad man's wrist jerked violently, and the short knife nearly slipped from his grasp! The attack faltered instantly! Taking advantage of the moment, the newcomer swooped in, his elbow striking the opponent's chest like a hammer blow! The movement was swift and decisive, the force immense!

"Ugh!" The gray-clad man groaned, staggering backward, his eyes finally revealing horror!
Chen An also let out a low roar, taking a kick from the other party, but seized the opportunity with lightning speed, and slammed his fan-sized palm into the back of his opponent's neck!
"Ugh!" The man with the knife didn't even finish a groan before his eyes rolled back and he collapsed limply to the ground.

Almost simultaneously, the other person with the iron ruler also struck the nerve in the gray-clad assassin's knife-wielding hand with pinpoint accuracy!
"Clang!" The short knife slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.

The visitor stepped forward, his iron ruler striking the gray-clad man's vital point in an instant, like a venomous snake spitting its tongue! The movement was as fast as lightning! The gray-clad man's body stiffened, as if he had been frozen in place, and he fell straight down, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Within ten breaths! Two fierce assassins, one lying on the ground foaming at the mouth, the other spitting out blood.

The streets were deathly silent.

Chen An's chest heaved as he gasped for breath. Ignoring the footprints on his back, he rushed to Chen Guangrui's carriage, warily watching the two people on the ground and the other person who had been knocked down by the iron ruler.

"Brother! Are you alright?" Chen An asked anxiously.

Chen Guangrui took a deep breath, suppressing his wildly beating heart, his face as calm as still water. He looked at the man who had come to his aid, holding an iron ruler, an ordinary-looking man who seemed like a passerby, and his eyes sharpened: "Thank you for your help, brother."

But to everyone's surprise, while Chen Guangrui was expressing his gratitude, the man also thanked them, saying, "Brother Duoxie, if it weren't for you, I really might not have been able to handle these two murderers."

"My name is Li Jing."

(End of this chapter)