The misty shadows lingered as the man in white robes removed the veil from his handsome face. Of course, this was not Zhang San's real face.
Zhang San figured since he had come wearing this human skin mask anyway, it did not really matter whether he kept the veil on or not. Plus, looking at the thick fog around them, he knew he needed to buy more time.
With one glance, Hei Shanke was shocked, even though he did not show it on his face. This man in white looked to be only 27 or 28 years old, actually younger than Xiu Wangchou by a few years.
Since when were there so many young masters in the righteous sects?
Seeing Zhang San standing casually atop his sword hilt, Hei Shanke was even more convinced that his opponent must be one of the young heroes secretly groomed by the orthodox clans in recent years.
As if reading Hei Shanke's mind, Zhang San said helplessly, "Just because I'm dressed in white robes and holding a sword means I must be some righteous hero? Why do I feel like everyone in the jianghu nowadays has such strange ideas? Can't a dark sect assassin also dress in white, arrive gracefully, and be handsome?"
Hei Shanke, his face covered in knife scars, sneered. "So you're saying after rescuing Xiu Wangchou and opposing my Dark Building, not to mention having learned orthodox martial arts, you are actually my fellow dark sect brother?"
As the chill crept into Hei Shanke’s words, the other eight archers had taken aim at Zhang San, ready to fend off any sudden attack he might launch.
Zhang San laughed loudly and arrogantly. "Correct! I am indeed your dark sect brother, a killer as well. Speaking of which, as a famous assassin from the Dark Building, I should be calling you 'senior'."
Furious, Hei Shanke laughed instead. "Oh, since we are fellow daoists, why not come down and share a drink with me?"
"I'm afraid not. I have come today on a mission to kill."
"Lin Nu?"
"Naturally. But my client paid extra so that along with Lin Nu's head, I will take senior brother's as well."
Hei Shanke brandished his sabre and took on a fighting stance, though his anger was slowly dissipating.
After all, he had roamed the jianghu as a notorious assassin for over thirty years. He would not let a junior's taunting words incense him to rage. Instead, their conversation made Hei Shanke more cautious.
This junior was just too arrogant!
But even knowing his reputation and seeing his eight well-trained Dark Building archers, this guy had first flung that drum into the county office. Then, after Hei Shanke had cleaved it in half, he had casually displayed his lightness martial arts and floated up to the roof.
Now he continued spouting presumptuous boasts. Could it be...
Hei Shanke peered warily at the mist lingering on the roof's eaves, thinking to himself: I'm afraid this is an ambush. I must not act rashly!
But just standing here waiting for the opponent to make a move would be too foolish.
Having decided this, Hei Shanke gave a cold laugh. "Since you are so arrogantly confident, yet claim to be my dark sect brother, then I presume you will not object if I come at you with superior numbers."
Zhang San smiled faintly. “Senior is most gracious to warn me about attacking with greater numbers. As a model for our dark sect, I admire you greatly."
"Of course." Hei Shanke gave a frosty laugh and raised his hand, signaling his subordinates to await his command.
After barely escaping death at Xiu Wangchou’s hands a few days ago, the previously undefeated Hei Shanke had regained the caution from his younger days before making a name for himself.
He would test the depth of this guy’s lightness martial arts first with his profound iron arrows!
Just as Hei Shanke was about to give the order, Zhang San suddenly interrupted him.
Surveying the eight archers from his rooftop vantage, Zhang San said, "Speaking of which, haven't any of you felt a little dizzy this whole time exerting your inner energy while keeping your Black Tang Heavy Crossbows drawn taut? I left you all quite a few things during your three days in the county office."
As Zhang San revealed an all-knowing smile, Hei Shanke and his assassins only scoffed inwardly at his words.
Clearly, he was implying that he had slipped them some kind of poison. However, as Dark Building killers, their vigilance far surpassed that of ordinary jianghu folk. Over the past three days, not to mention someone sneaking into the county office, even a bird flying inside would not have escaped their notice. So there was no way anyone could have poisoned them!
Glancing around again, Hei Shanke inwardly sneered thinking the opponent had resorted to empty bluster. It seemed there was unlikely to be any hidden danger lurking in this mist after all.
Channeling his inner energy, Hei Shanke was done wasting time. He would take down this guy in an instant together with his subordinates!
"Relea—"
Before Hei Shanke could finish the command 'Release Arrows', a wave of dizziness washed over him!
Poisoned?
Impossible!
In the next instant, having regained his composure, Hei Shanke swiftly circulated his inner energy through all his body's channels, sealing his vital accupoints. With his high-level inner cultivation, this was not difficult. The sensation of vertigo immediately began to abate.
At the same time, Zhang San’s earlier words echoed in Hei Shanke’s mind: “Haven’t any of you felt a little dizzy this whole time exerting your inner energy while keeping your Black Tang Heavy Crossbows drawn?”
Martial artists could enhance their physique using inner energy, but as a side effect, it sped up their blood flow and heartbeat. Even if his subordinates were skilled with the heavy crossbow, their inner energy cultivation was only average. If they had been poisoned as well, they might not be able to control the toxins through inner energy like Hei Shanke was doing!
Hei Shanke instantly realized and shouted urgently at his surroundings: “Relax your inner energy at once, then—”
Before he could finish, all eight archers around him, including the still recovering Lin Nu, had already collapsed unconscious!
Naturally, Hei Shanke was unable to complete his sentence either.
But how had this happened? When had they been poisoned?
"The well water," Zhang San seemed to read his mind as he promptly answered Hei Shanke’s unspoken doubts.
That morning a few days ago when Lin Nu had pretended to leave the county office to inspect the surroundings, Zhang San and Wang Xiaoer had some tea at a teahouse near the premises. The awful young waiter had let slip some rather useful information. Later, Zhang San had checked and found what the waiter said to be true – the teahouse and county office well water were connected.
"Impossible!" Hei Shanke angrily refuted.
His reasoning was simple. Contrary to the martial world depicted in fiction, this was the real jianghu.
Well water was usually connected to underground reservoirs and flowed constantly as living water in great volumes.
Poisoning well water to kill masses of people only happened in stories. The truth was, while contaminating well water was feasible, one would need cartload after cartload of poison to thoroughly taint the entire underground channels before it could work.