Chapter 100

Everyone gathered around the blueprint that Su Peng had spread out. On the other side, Zhao Qiu also took out a similar blueprint and placed it on the ground, otherwise, it wouldn't have been enough for everyone to see.

"The Ancient Sword Manor is quite large, divided into the inner manor and the outer area. After we enter the manor, we will first encounter a circle of defensive fortresses that protect the inner manor. In this circle, there are four watchtowers in each of the four directions. Normally, one to two archers are stationed on each watchtower to prevent the slaves brought into the Ancient Sword Manor from escaping. The outer area is also where the able-bodied men live. The front area is larger, with a training ground where the able-bodied men practice martial arts. When we enter, we should try to avoid this area."

"Inside the outer area is the inner manor, which is square-shaped. This is where the core figures of the Ancient Sword Manor, as well as some women and the slaves, are located. The blueprint shows the positions of several hidden fortresses, which we should avoid, but we don't know if there are more hidden fortresses... The core location is the manor lord's hall, where the ancient sword is kept. Our goal is to get there, and the underground chamber where the torture takes place is also there."

"Our plan is to launch a surprise attack on the Ancient Sword Manor, then head straight for the manor lord's hall, capture the ancient sword, and make the other able-bodied men retreat without a fight. Then, we will make the ancient sword open the underground chamber and gather the evidence there."

"As for the personnel deployment of the Ancient Sword Manor, we have other information. There are a total of..."

As he spoke, Su Peng explained the situation of the manor's guards.

"We understand, but the Ancient Sword Manor is well-known in the martial world. I've heard that the manor lord, Ancient Sword, has recruited many martial artists to serve him, especially those who are skilled in martial arts but have nowhere else to go. How many such people are there in the manor? If there are too many, and they trap us, it will be difficult to handle."

Behind Su Peng, the scholar in his thirties asked.

"Not too many. The Ancient Sword Manor has no more than twenty tough opponents. Recently, we ambushed a slave transport convoy of the Ancient Sword Manor and killed six skilled fighters. I think there are about ten such tough opponents left in the manor, and they don't live together, so our plan has a high chance of success."

After hearing Su Peng's words, everyone discussed it and agreed that it was indeed as he said. The man with the double-sided battle axe nodded and said, "Alright, Su brother, when do you think it's best to attack the Ancient Sword Manor?"

"When the sun has completely set, that will be the time for us to act," Su Peng said to everyone, and they all nodded.

At that moment, Wan Feng and others had prepared some food, and everyone ate a little dried meat, steamed buns, and water to replenish their strength. Then, they distributed some medicine, which was made by the company's Red Feather Group for quick healing. After everyone was ready, the sky gradually turned dark.

Su Peng and over twenty others, seeing that it was already dark, began to move towards the Ancient Sword Manor. Although the martial artists had not cooperated before, they had developed a默契 (tacit understanding) for surprise attacks after spending a long time in the martial world, and they moved silently.

The main gate of the Ancient Sword Manor faced south, and Su Peng and his group chose to attack from the west side of the manor. They circled around to the west side, and by then, the sun had completely set. The night sky was dark and starless. Su Peng and his group were either wearing black night clothes or dark clothing, making them hard to spot in the darkness. There were no patrolling guards outside the manor, and Su Peng and his group quickly reached the western corner of the outer wall. The outer wall of the manor was over ten feet high. Some of Su Peng's group had average lightness skills, so those with better lightness skills jumped over first and then threw a black-painted rope over, allowing the twenty-odd people to quickly enter the Ancient Sword Manor.

Su Peng also used his lightness skills to jump over. Inside the manor, there were no torches near the wall, and one had to walk a bit further to see the patrolling guards in groups of five. Inside the manor, about thirty meters away from Su Peng, there was a small building over ten feet high. One could faintly see people on the upper floor holding bows and looking down. There were four such small buildings in a row, two on the outside and two on the inside, forming a staggered surveillance network. Fortunately, the people on the upper floors were facing the inside of the manor, mainly to prevent slaves from escaping, and they did not notice Su Peng's group.

At this moment, Su Peng, Zhao Qiu, and Wan Feng gathered together. Zhao Qiu pointed to one of the small buildings and made a gesture to Wan Feng, who immediately understood and nodded at Ji Ming in front.

Ji Ming nodded. He was wearing a black outfit today, and his iron bow was also black. After observing for a while, Ji Ming noticed the movement pattern of the guards below and made some gestures for the group to follow him forward.

The goal of Su Peng's group was to reach the manor lord's hall as quickly as possible, so it was best not to alert the enemy in the outer area. However, if necessary, they could also launch a strong attack. By taking a longer route now, they would face less resistance later, and Ji Ming was the key to delaying the discovery by the guards.

Ji Ming drew a black arrow from his quiver on the left side. The arrowhead of this black arrow was slightly black, indicating it was poisoned, and it was prepared by the Red Feather Group's logistics personnel. Ji Ming placed the black arrow on the bowstring, aimed at the guard on the small building who was facing away from them, and released the bowstring!

A faint sound of the bowstring vibrating was heard, and the black arrow shot out. This arrow seemed to be specially made, as it barely made any sound when it was shot. In the dark night sky, it was as if nothing had been shot, and then, one could see that a black arrow had pierced the neck of the guard on the small building. He clutched his neck, unable to say anything, and fell directly on the small building.

Seeing that the guard had been dealt with and the other guards had not yet arrived, Su Peng and his group quickly moved towards the inner manor along the wall.

Ji Ming and three other members of the Dragon Tooth Group moved along the outer wall in another direction. Su Peng and his group planned to enter the inner manor, which was still within the line of sight of another tower. Ji Ming was going to shoot the archer on that tower.

According to the blueprint provided by the Dark Falcon Group, this area was where the manor stored rice and flour. The group quickly moved between the buildings below, but just as they were about to reach the inner manor's wall, they suddenly heard the sound of barking dogs nearby, and Su Peng and his group's faces changed.

"Does the manor keep dogs? Why wasn't this mentioned in the intelligence?" Zhao Qiu whispered.

At that moment, Su Peng and his group also heard the sound of a gong being struck from a nearby tower, making a 'clang' sound.

"Who's there!"

The sound of the gong and the barking dogs quickly approached them!

"We've been exposed! Quickly enter the inner manor and prepare for a strong attack!"

Hearing this, Wan Feng drew his weapon and shouted in a low voice.

"Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang..."

Just as Wan Feng shouted to prepare for a strong attack, the gongs in the Ancient Sword Manor began to ring, and the barking of dogs and the shouts of the guards echoed. Su Peng and his group saw three people protecting Ji Ming running over. When they reached Wan Feng, one of them quickly reported, "Ji Ming successfully shot the archer, but the archer had a gong hanging on him, which fell to the ground and alerted the guards in the next tower!"

"Understood. Now prepare for a strong attack! Protect the archers, and we will quickly enter the inner manor!" Wan Feng, no longer hiding, drew his weapon and said. The members of the Dragon Tooth Group, the martial artists, and Su Peng and his group all drew their weapons and began to quickly climb the inner wall.

The inner wall was about one meter higher than the outer wall, and the top was covered with iron spikes. Only two people with better lightness skills jumped over, but as soon as they landed, they heard a scream, and the alarm was raised inside the inner manor.

"Be careful! There are pits and iron wires with bells on the other side of the wall!" someone shouted from inside, and the voices of the guards inside the inner manor could be heard.

"They're there!" Outside, a group of about twenty guards, accompanied by wolf dogs, discovered Su Peng and his group. The leader, holding a large knife, shouted and charged towards Su Peng and his group.

"Kill them first, then we'll go in!"

One of the martial artists Zhao Qiu had invited shouted.

"Roar!" The bald man with the double-sided battle axe roared, took off his weapon, and charged towards the twenty-odd guards.

Wan Feng and the Dragon Tooth Group members couldn't help but curse in their hearts. They had already been discovered by the Ancient Sword Manor, and the faster they entered the manor lord's hall, the less damage they would suffer. This guy with the battle axe was getting too excited and went to chop the guards?

However, gaining reputation was also an important aspect of this mission for the Ancient Sword Manor. If these martial artists suffered heavy casualties, their reputation would drop significantly.

"Send a few people to help him kill these guards!" Wan Feng shouted, while instructing the Dragon Tooth Group members at the wall to use ropes to climb over.

The martial artists, including three from the Thirteen Eagles, followed the bald man with the battle axe. Long Jun from the Dragon Tooth Group, along with two other members, also charged forward. Ji Ming stood by the wall, continuously shooting arrows to pick off the guards and the wolf dogs. Su Peng stood by the wall with his sword, but his half-form sword technique was not suitable for this kind of strong attack, so he didn't rush forward.

It must be said that the martial skills of these martial artists were much stronger than those of the guards. The eight of them charged into the group of over twenty guards and quickly scattered them. The bald man with the double-sided battle axe, in particular, used a wide and powerful fighting style, and the guards he hit either had their brains splattered or were cut in half, creating a very visual effect. Long Jun, on the other hand, clearly had the best skills among them, and he could easily cut down a guard with just a few moves, dealing damage of no less than 120, indicating that his internal skills and techniques were very powerful.

The leader of the guards, who was using a large knife, saw the situation was not good and shouted, then retreated. The bald man with the battle axe, excited by the fight, wanted to chase after him but was called back by Long Jun, "Don't chase a defeated enemy!"

More guards were still coming from the outer area, and Wan Feng shouted, "Don't linger, enter the inner manor!"

At this moment, the people with better lightness skills who had jumped into the inner manor first were already engaged in battle with the guards inside. The iron spikes and other obstacles on the wall had been cleared, and Long Jun and his group quickly returned, using the ropes to jump into the inner manor.

Su Peng also used his lightness skills to jump in, but as soon as he landed, he heard a whistling sound, and an arrow shot towards his head! (To be continued. Please search for Piaotian Literature for faster updates and better reading experience!)