Chapter 58

The scene suddenly fell silent, and no one expected Zhao Chen to point a crossbow at Sun Yin and threaten to kill him. The only sound was a child's cry, but the mother quickly covered the child's mouth to stifle it.

"Would you really dare to kill me?" Sun Yin looked at Zhao Chen in disbelief, almost doubting his own ears. This was the first time since he joined the Hundred Riders that someone had dared to openly threaten him.

"Just a mad dog, kill it and be done with it!" Zhao Chen released the safety of the crossbow, his eyes cold as he stared at Sun Yin, his voice icy. "Do you really think you are someone special?"

Sun Yin suddenly burst into a wild laugh. The Hundred Riders were personally established by His Majesty and, strictly speaking, were His Majesty's personal guards. However, someone now dared to threaten His Majesty's guards, and Sun Yin felt his dignity was greatly trampled upon.

Already delirious with the glory he thought he had secured, Sun Yin lost his reason at this moment. After his wild laughter, he glared at Zhao Chen with a vicious look and said, word by word, "Today, I will move, and I want to see if you dare to shoot me!"

As he finished speaking, Sun Yin suddenly raised his hand and shouted loudly to the more than a hundred fierce soldiers behind him, "Kill! Anyone who retreats will be punished by military law!"

The more than a hundred fierce soldiers hesitated for a moment upon hearing Sun Yin's order. Xue Wanche and the other two were already desperate, and if they charged forward now, the innocent civilians in the middle would inevitably be massacred!

However, military law was as unyielding as a mountain, and they only hesitated for a moment before their eyes hardened, and they raised their knives to advance on Xue Wanche and the others!

"Ha ha ha ha!" The burly man beside Xue Wanche, seeing the more than a hundred fierce soldiers advancing with their knives, suddenly raised his iron spear and roared, "Come on! When have I ever been afraid on the battlefield? Today, I will see if you scoundrels can take my life!"

Xue Wanche glanced at Zhao Chen, sighed, and also raised his iron spear, his eyes cold as he watched the advancing soldiers.

People in the crowd had already started to wail, and some took advantage of the moment to flee the scene of slaughter. However, more people huddled together, mostly the elderly and children.

"Little Lord, we can't act rashly!" Qin Ming, with a pained expression, kept begging Zhao Chen, trying to hold him back but was pushed away by Zhao Chen.

"Damn, don't push me!" Zhao Chen's teeth were grinding, his chest heaving with rage as he glared at Sun Yin and roared in anger.

Wei Hui tried to rush forward to stop Sun Yin but was pushed back several steps by Sun Yin, landing with a thud in the snow. Sun Yin then coldly glanced at Zhao Chen, his eyes full of provocation.

"Ha!" Zhao Chen suddenly sneered, his finger instantly pulling the trigger of the crossbow. As the trigger was pulled, a light hum was heard from the crossbow.

The three arrows that had been safely stored in the crossbow since its creation suddenly shot out like three cold stars, forming a triangular shape as they aimed at the advancing Sun Yin.

"Thud" In the next moment, the three arrows accurately pierced Sun Yin's chest, the sound of metal piercing flesh echoing as Sun Yin was pushed back several steps by the force of the arrows and fell to the ground.

"You... you actually dared to shoot?" Sun Yin looked down at the three arrows embedded in his chest, his mouth opening and closing in disbelief as he raised his head to look at Zhao Chen, his voice trembling.

"Sorry!" Zhao Chen frowned, took a deep breath, and looked at the fallen Sun Yin with a guilty expression. "My hands were frozen, and I accidentally pulled the trigger!"

When Zhao Chen said this, Qin Ming's eyes widened in shock, staring at Zhao Chen as if he had taken the wrong medicine. Xue Wanche and the others also twitched their faces, their expressions extremely strange.

"Thud!" Sun Yin, hearing this, either from anger or the explosion of his internal injuries, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. In the light of the surrounding fires, everyone could see that the blood Sun Yin spat out was black, clearly indicating that the poison had entered his lungs!

"The arrows were poisoned!" Zhao Chen, seeing the large amount of black blood Sun Yin spat out, looked even more apologetic. "It's a deadly poison that kills instantly upon contact with blood, and there is no cure!"

As he spoke, his eyes moved from Sun Yin to the other side of his waist, where he took out a second crossbow and pointed it at the more than a hundred fierce soldiers, his voice icy. "All of you, step back. I can't guarantee that my hands won't freeze again and accidentally pull the trigger!"

The more than a hundred fierce soldiers, who had been stunned by Zhao Chen's sudden killing of Sun Yin, suddenly saw Zhao Chen point the crossbow at them and hesitated for a moment. Hearing Zhao Chen's threat, they immediately retreated in unison.

Seeing the more than a hundred fierce soldiers retreat, Zhao Chen quickly turned the crossbow and pointed it at Xue Wanche, his voice cold. "General Xue, it's your turn!"

"Let my two brothers go, and I will surrender immediately!" Xue Wanche, hearing this, took a deep breath and said stubbornly.

"Agreed!" Zhao Chen agreed readily, turning his head to Liu Hui and said, "Clerk Liu, take people to open the city gate and let General Xue's two brothers leave!"

"Little Lord, you can't!" Before Liu Hui could respond, Qin Ming suddenly shouted, "Little Lord keeps his word, but others may not!"

Qin Ming's concern was not unfounded. Xue Wanche and the other two were already desperate, knowing that staying meant certain death. With a chance to survive, they would not let it slip away!

With the strength of these three, once the city gate was opened, it would be difficult to stop them!

"Xue Wanche, a man of honor, would never break his word!" Qin Ming's words were heard by everyone, including Xue Wanche. Hearing Qin Ming, Xue Wanche suddenly slammed his iron spear into the ground and said angrily.

"General Xue, you mustn't!" Wei Hui also got up and pleaded with Xue Wanche and the others, "If you insist on this, once you leave the city gate, there will be no turning back!"

"General Wei's kindness is appreciated!" Xue Wanche's eyes suddenly turned cold, and he said sarcastically, "But our lives are our own concern, and we don't need your worry!"

"General Xue, what more do you need me to say to make you believe me?" Wei Hui stomped his foot in anger. The situation had taken an unexpected turn, and he regretted not explaining everything to His Majesty in Chang'an.

"Magistrate, will the city gate be opened?" Liu Hui stood there, his heart racing, his usually sharp mind struggling to keep up.

"Open it!" Zhao Chen dismissed Qin Ming's warning. At this moment, the only choice was to trust Xue Wanche and let his two companions go, or they would face the massacre of many innocent civilians!

"Yes!" Hearing Zhao Chen's firm command, Liu Hui immediately ran to the city gate, determined to open it himself.

Seeing Liu Hui run off, Qin Ming's mouth opened in frustration, and he stomped his foot, raising his saber to prepare to stop Xue Wanche if he broke his word and tried to escape.

"Go!" Xue Wanche, seeing Liu Hui go to open the city gate, suddenly turned to his two companions, his eyes filled with emotion. "We have been brothers, and today we part ways. Take care of yourselves from now on!"

"General Xue, if we go, we go together!" The burly man with the iron spear, hearing this, glared and grabbed Xue Wanche's sleeve, shouting.

"Ha ha ha ha!" Xue Wanche suddenly burst into laughter, breaking free from the burly man's grip and shouting, "Since I promised this Zhao brother, I will keep my word!"

"Take care, General Xue!" The burly man wanted to say more but was secretly pinched by his companion, who nodded subtly toward Zhao Chen. He then loudly pulled the burly man toward the city gate.

Zhao Chen's lips curled slightly, his eyes fixed on Xue Wanche, and he quietly released the safety of the crossbow. If Xue Wanche moved from his spot, he would immediately pull the trigger and end his life!

The city gate, pushed by Liu Hui, slowly opened, and in the deathly silence, the creaking sound of the gate was particularly jarring.

Everyone's eyes were on the two burly men walking toward the city gate. Just as they were about to reach the gate, one of them suddenly rushed toward it, while the other turned back toward Xue Wanche, shouting, "General Xue, now is the time to go!"

"Damn, I knew it would be like this!" Qin Ming roared, instantly raising his saber and charging at Xue Wanche, shouting to the more than a hundred fierce soldiers who had just retreated, "Brothers, kill this faithless scoundrel!"

However, before Qin Ming's shout was even finished, Xue Wanche, seeing Qin Ming charging at him, sneered and threw his iron spear several yards away, then sat down with a thud.