Chapter 60 Assassins Block the Door, Making Escape Difficult

Outside Chang'an City, the area was naturally under the emperor's feet, typically a place of peace and tranquility. Especially during the daytime, most villagers would be working in the fields. But right now, the villagers were hurriedly rushing back to their homes with their hoes in hand. It was not because today's rain prevented work, nor were they lazily trying to shirk their duties. Rather, a dozen men dressed in black were galloping toward them on swift horses, wielding broadswords in their hands.

Those who come with ill intent are never kind! Even ordinary villagers could smell the stench of blood in the air. Though the exact details were unclear, rushing home to hide was undoubtedly the wisest course of action.

"Who is it?" Su Gui turned his head to look outside the entrance. At this moment, the structure being built by Old Third Song and his men had not yet been fitted with a grand gate, allowing a clear view of the situation outside. The entrance was already blocked by a dozen men in black. Pairs of eyes stared inside, filled with killing intent. Many of the workers within were startled.

"Young Master, something is wrong. Quickly climb over the back wall and escape. I will protect you." Old Third Song also knew the situation was utterly amiss, especially in broad daylight. A dozen men in black carrying blades blocking the entrance—they were either bandits, robbers, or assassins.

Su Chen also furrowed his brows. Most of the people on their side were common laborers. Asking them to fight for their lives right now was simply impractical. Old Third Song and his men would likely not survive two strikes if they rushed forward. Although Cheng Chumo was the son of Cheng咬金 (Cheng Yaojin) and possessed some martial prowess, how could a single person contend with a dozen men in black? Which of his adversaries could have sent men to corner him here? Furthermore, they were outside Chang'an City, not within its walls; screaming until their throats went hoarse here would be entirely useless.

"Brother, which household sent people to settle a grudge? Could they have found the wrong target? It seems we don't have any enemies of this scale." Cheng Chumo felt a sliver of panic in his heart. Primarily because they were not inside Chang'an City, but out in the open. Suddenly, a dozen men in black had appeared, and judging by their demeanor, they were coming straight for them.

"It looks like they haven't found the wrong target. And it's very likely they already knew our whereabouts before coming here. In any case, they are either coming for you or for me; they certainly aren't here for the workers." Su Chen could sense it clearly. A situation like this meant they were either targeting Cheng Chumo to strike at the son of Cheng Yaojin, or they were targeting Su Chen himself. Naturally, the possibility of them coming for Su Chen was much higher.

Su Chen mentally calculated his few enemies. He had not been in Chang'an City for very long. The first person who might have hired men to assassinate him was Changsun Chong. However, the Changsun family should be too proud to stoop to such tactics. Given how powerful and arrogant that family was, how could they possibly send a dozen assassins to kill Su Chen? Alternatively, there were the Taiyuan Wang clan and the Qinghe Cui clan. Especially Cui Wenbin.

At the thought of this man, Su Chen frowned. It was truly a pity that Cheng Yaojin had not simply thrown him to his death back then.

"Young Master, do not worry. Leave these people to me; I will handle them." While everyone else was consumed with worry, Su Gui stepped forward at that exact moment. Even Old Third Song and his men, who wanted to protect Su Chen, were trembling slightly. Yet Su Gui did not even blink.

"Can you handle it? These dozen individuals look malicious, likely well-trained assassins, not opponents ordinary people can deal with." Su Gui looked rather robust. However, Su Chen had never seen him practice martial arts before and had no idea of his true capabilities. Of course, there had also been a long period during which Su Chen had not seen Su Gui at all. He had been unaware of where Su Gui was sent for training, as those arrangements had been handled entirely by his old man.

"Rest assured, Young Master. Just sit right here; the rest is up to me." Su Gui casually picked up a shovel from nearby. No other weapon around looked as useful as a shovel. Cheng Chumo still had a sword at his waist. At that moment, he drew it from its scabbard.

"Perfect. It has been a long time since I last fought anyone. These dozen petty thieves actually dare to block our door, so let's give them a taste of our methods." With Su Gui and Cheng Chumo taking the lead, the other workers recovered slightly from their shock and hurriedly grabbed whatever tools they could use for combat.

Whether it was shovels or stones, Old Third Song even managed to fetch a kitchen cleaver. "Young Master, take this knife. This thing can even hack through ox bones! If they dare to approach, we'll fight them to the death. With so many of us, are we really going to be afraid of just a dozen men?"

Outside the door, the dozen men in black reined in their horses, tightly gripping their broadswords as they walked in step by step. The sky seemed to darken by half as dark clouds began to roll in overhead. An aura of slaughter seemed to emanate from all dozen of these men. As they drew closer, it caused the faint-hearted to tremble uncontrollably.

"You are all fine men! What you said is right—there are many of us and few of them. Even if every one of us just chops them once, we can hack them to pieces. Do not be afraid; since they dared to come, let their blood splatter on the spot." Su Chen hurriedly rallied the surrounding workers. He still did not know whether Su Gui and Cheng Chumo could defeat these dozen men in black, but at least there were over a hundred workers here. As long as everyone picked up their weapons, what did a dozen men in black matter? Even throwing stones at them would be enough to crush them to death.

Encouraged by Su Chen's words, the crowd puffed out their chests, though they still dared not take a single step forward, remaining clustered tightly around Su Chen.

Su Gui had already stepped forward with his shovel, staring intently at the dozen men in black. "What kind of people are you? This is the residence of the Su family's young master. I advise you to leave at once."

Although Su Gui's presence was formidable, his words failed to pose any threat to the men in black. Moreover, seeing that Su Gui was merely holding a shovel, the assassins held him in even greater contempt. The orders they received today were to eliminate Su Chen. Someone had paid a high price for Su Chen's head. As luck would have it, Su Chen had left Chang'an City today and come to this remote location; if they didn't strike now, when would they? There could never be a better opportunity than this. Had they been inside Chang'an City, they would never have dared to brandish swords in broad daylight.

"We are here strictly for Su Chen. Today, we are taking his head; it has nothing to do with any of you. You had all better step aside, or else you will be accompanying him down the road to the netherworld." The dozen assassins did not look upon the hundred-odd workers as any threat. In the eyes of professional assassins, ordinary people were no different from lambs to the slaughter—they could kill as many as they pleased without the slightest difficulty.