The rooms at the Yuelai Inn were located in the backyard, forming a small courtyard enclosed by a two-story building. Standing in the center of the courtyard and looking around, Liu Ce shouted at the top of his lungs, "Listen up, everyone in the inn! The officials are conducting a search, room by room. Don't panic!"
After he shouted several times, lights in various rooms flickered on, and some daring individuals even opened their doors to peek out.
At this moment, the members of the Cangying Mountain gang began to panic. They didn't recognize Liu Ce, but they all knew Yang Zhi. Seeing Yang Zhi's arrival, even the most foolish among them understood that this was aimed at them.
Zheng Ke poked half his head out and pointed to a room on his left.
Liu Ce understood immediately and stepped forward, kicking the door open with a single kick.
Then he dodged to the side.
Several short arrows shot out.
They grazed the tip of Liu Ce's nose and just missed him.
Seeing this, Liu Rumei couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. If he had rashly pushed the door open, Liu Ce would likely have fallen by now.
In the next instant, four shadowy figures rushed out of the room, lunging towards Yang Zhi and Liu Rumei.
Liu Rumei's figure flickered. Yang Zhi felt his vision blur, followed by two screams. The four black-clad figures who rushed out instantly had two fall to the ground.
Seeing this, Yang Zhi was also secretly surprised. He knew Liu Rumei's martial arts were extraordinary, but he hadn't expected them to be this advanced.
His skill was far superior to his own.
Therefore, he had to act quickly, or he wouldn't even get a sip of soup, let alone a bite of meat.
Yang Zhi unleashed several swift moves, cutting down the black-clad man in front of him.
Three out of the four were down. The remaining one dared not continue the attack and began to retreat slowly, but the backyard was only so big.
After a few steps, he was forced into a corner. With nowhere to retreat, fighting meant certain death.
Suddenly, the man shouted at the top of his lungs, "Brothers, let's go! There are only three of them. Let's fight!"
Hearing the shout, some of the Cangying Mountain members drew their weapons and rushed out of their rooms. Others, more cunning, quietly pushed open their windows, preparing to escape through them.
Of course, the majority rushed into the courtyard, as there were only three of them, Liu Rumei, Yang Zhi, and Zheng Ke.
Seeing dozens of reinforcements arriving, the black-clad man who had narrowly escaped death couldn't help but laugh, "Yang Zhi, you've truly got the guts of a leopard! Coming here for revenge with only three people? This inn will be your burial ground today."
Before his voice had even faded, a sharp whistle was heard.
Dozens of men in green tunics poured out of the more than ten rooms on the second floor of the inn.
From the rooms near the entrance on the first floor, doors and windows were flung open, and over a dozen men in green tunics quickly emerged, surrounding Liu Rumei.
These men in green were each holding a repeating crossbow, pointing at the Cangying Mountain members present.
Zheng Ke directly raised his hand and fired three arrows. The black-clad man who had been so arrogant moments before instantly collapsed, struggling a few times before becoming still.
As a warning, all the Cangying Mountain gang members present were stunned. "Damn it, weren't they supposed to be only three people? These thirty people are more than enough!"
At this moment, the sounds of fighting and screams could also be heard from outside the inn.
But the sounds quickly stopped.
Immediately after, Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong hurried in, "Miss, a few flies and mosquitoes tried to escape, but we swatted them." (Su Dan Novel Network)
At this moment, the Cangying Mountain members finally understood that their opponents had made meticulous preparations long ago, and they had been completely unaware.
Liu Rumei remained calm and collected, surveying the black-clad men present. He said in a deep voice, "If you lay down your weapons and surrender now, you might have a chance to live. If you insist on resisting, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Silence. An awkward silence. After all, no one wanted to be the first to surrender.
Seeing this, Liu Rumei sighed, "Since that's the case, don't blame me for being impolite."
The men in green raised their repeating crossbows.
Yang Zhi, impatient, snatched a repeating crossbow from a nearby man and unleashed a barrage of ten arrows.
Liu Rumei did not stop Yang Zhi. He knew that after so many of Zhuque Gang's members had died, Yang Zhi needed to vent.
Yang Zhi took two repeating crossbows in succession, firing twenty arrows and bringing down over a dozen people.
Faced with such slaughter, someone finally wavered.
"Don't shoot! I surrender."
Following that, there was a clanging sound of weapons being discarded.
Liu Rumei gave Liu Ce a look. Liu Ce immediately stepped forward to stop Yang Zhi from taking a third repeating crossbow.
"Alright, Brother Yang Zhi, calm down for a moment. Let's get things cleared up first."
Under his persuasion, Yang Zhi gradually calmed down and was escorted away from the inn by two men in green.
Outside the inn, Yang Bo and Hu Lao Qi were already waiting.
Seeing him emerge, Yang Bo was very excited, "Brother, I killed three!"
"Good brother." Yang Zhi wasn't as happy as they had expected, which surprised Yang Bo. Hu Lao Qi couldn't help but ask, "Second Master, what happened inside?"
Yang Zhi sighed, "There are still dozens of people alive inside. Liu Rumei won't let us kill them. He said he wants to interrogate them first."
Hu Lao Qi was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then a smile appeared on his face. "Big Brother, don't worry. Let these scoundrels live a few more days. We'll deal with them one by one sooner or later."
In the courtyard, the Cangying Mountain members were tightly bound by Zheng Ke's subordinates, strung together with long ropes, like grasshoppers on a single string, none could escape.
Liu Rumei was very considerate, ordering his men to carry out the corpses and find a place to bury them, and then to help clean up the bloodstains in the courtyard.
Meanwhile, in Qingniu County town, Sun Jian was being questioned by Hu Fan.
Despite his rough appearance, Sun Jian was meticulous in his thinking. He knew that without concrete evidence, he could deny everything, and Hu Fan would be unable to do anything to him.
He also knew that Chen Xiaobei would not say much at this time, as the two of them were still cooperating closely.
Therefore, he dared to speak nonsense with a straight face, "County Magistrate, I, Sun Qing, and Sun Gui merely traveled together. We were passing through Xiao Jia Town and stayed for a few days. As for how Sun Gui and Sun Qing fell out with Chen Ping, the shop assistant, I truly do not know."
"This morning, the two of them said they had urgent business and hurried back to Cangying Mountain, so they left in haste."
Sun Jian specifically pointed out Chen Ping's identity, implying that they were customers staying at the inn, and he was an employee, so conflicts were entirely normal.
Hearing this, Hu Fan was in a dilemma. After all, whether it was Lu Gang's testimony or the existing evidence, none could prove any connection between Sun Jian and the murder of Chen Ping.
What should he do next? Hu Fan was unwilling to simply let Sun Jian go.
At this moment, He Dali, who was standing nearby, spoke, "County Magistrate, judging by their travel speed, Sun Gui and Sun Qing must still be within our Great Cang Kingdom. Why not write an official document to the Ministry of Penal Law now, and have them send it to the border. If these two can be apprehended at the border, then the specific situation will be clear."