CHAPTER 141: CHAPTER 86: ZHENG CLAN FAMILY TRADITION_2

Based on this tiny detail alone, Zheng Fan was certain this man wasn’t poisoned!

Moreover, this fellow had surprisingly made the same choice as him—feigning weakness as well.

A Commander was a rank higher than a Colonel, practically the peak for mid-level military officers. Above that was the rank of Guerrilla General.

Zuo Jiqian hailed from the Huwei Zuo Family. He must have had ample cultivation resources since youth and possessed considerable innate talent; otherwise, his family wouldn’t have pushed him forward for an official post away from home.

This meant the man was at least a martial artist. Zheng Fan wasn’t sure if he had attained a rank, but he was definitely no pushover.

Indeed, sons of prominent families were all unreliable paper tigers.

When looking down on others, Zheng Fan, as a matter of principle, always excluded himself.

The Taoist priests quickly charged out to fight. It seemed they had encountered the guards outside the General Mansion, as the sounds of combat soon drifted in from outside.

Regardless, this was the General Mansion, and this was Nanwang City, after all.

The assassins might have caught them by surprise, but this was Yan territory, after all.

Earlier, they had kept their heads down to avoid being the first to stick out. Now, it was time to claim kills and merits.

"You just lie here and don’t move. I’m going outside to collect some heads."

With that said, Zheng Fan slowly stood up, and Zuo Jiqian rose as well.

The gazes of the two great cowards—and major opportunists—met briefly in mid-air. Then, in tacit understanding, they walked out of the mourning hall together.

"Brother Zheng, I truly envy you for having such loyal subordinates."

Apparently, A Ming’s earlier act of shielding Zheng Fan from the needle had caught Zuo Jiqian’s eye.

However, Zuo Jiqian didn’t know that A Ming wouldn’t die from being struck by a needle.

"I also admire Brother Zuo’s good fortune."

"I’m wearing soft armor. After this incident is over, I’ll send a set to Brother Zheng when I return. It’s rather useless on the battlefield, but quite effective for defending against such petty tricks in daily life."

"Then I must thank Brother Zuo."

"You’re too kind, Brother Zheng."

In fact, Zheng Fan was thinking that as soon as he returned, he would immediately ask Siniang to weave a suit of soft armor for him.

The two men walked swiftly. In the front courtyard, the Taoist priests were already clashing with the General Mansion’s guards.

These Taoist priests were all nimble and skilled. For a time, the General Mansion’s guards were no match for them. Even with superior numbers, the guards were still being pushed back step by step.

This gave Zheng Fan a deeper understanding of the quality of Yan State’s southern front. Such a thing would never happen in the estate of the Earl of North Border.

Truly, ’Thrive in adversity, perish in comfort’—an objective law applicable anywhere.

"Brother Zheng, please, after you."

"Brother Zuo, you are too courteous. After you."

"No, you first."

"I insist, after you."

Just then, a Taoist priest, having just cut down the guard before him, retreated several steps to dodge another guard’s blade, backing right into Zheng Fan and Zuo Jiqian.

A gray glow immediately emanated from Zuo Jiqian.

And a black glow swiftly burst forth from Zheng Fan.

The two, who had just been exchanging courtesies, wordlessly charged toward the same target.

The Taoist priest sensed danger from behind. Whirling around, he saw two luminous figures rushing at him, his eyes instantly filled with horror.

Zheng Fan’s advance faltered for a split second, allowing Zuo Jiqian to gain half a step ahead. The Taoist priest instantly slashed his blade at Zuo Jiqian.

Zuo Jiqian let out a low cry, his hands clapping together to forcibly clamp the blade between his palms.

This was a genuine instance of seizing a blade barehanded!

Zheng Fan mentally gave Zuo Jiqian a thumbs-up. Then, he lunged forward. Seizing the moment while the Taoist’s weapon was pinned by Zuo Jiqian, Zheng Fan slammed a fist into the Taoist’s neck.

"AH!"

"CRACK!"

The force and speed, augmented by the circulation of his qi and blood and amplified by his roar, allowed Zheng Fan to twist the Taoist’s neck with a single punch.

"Brother Zheng, impressive skill!"

Zuo Jiqian picked up the fallen Taoist’s saber and charged forward again.

Zheng Fan had no interest in Zuo Jiqian’s games of barehanded blade-catching. Instead, he picked up a saber from a dead guard and began to maneuver through the fight.

Although he often used his spare time to "instruct" Liang Cheng in martial arts, Zheng Fan himself had rarely needed to engage in true life-or-death combat since awakening. Without practical application in real battles, even the most numerous techniques were mere flourishes.

Therefore, Zheng Fan was well aware of his own limitations. Leveraging his status as a Ninth Rank martial artist, he stuck close behind Zuo Jiqian, specifically to help him deliver finishing blows.

Zuo Jiqian, on the other hand, wielded his large saber with impressive vigor. However, he found Zheng Fan’s "cooperation" incredibly frustrating. But what could he do, however exasperated he felt? He couldn’t very well turn his saber on Zheng Fan now, could he?

With Zheng Fan and Zuo Jiqian joining the fray, the guards found their backbone, and their morale surged. Coupled with their existing numerical advantage, they slowly began to turn the tide, pushing back against the attackers.

Outside the General Mansion, squads of armored soldiers were rushing over. These were city defense troops who had assembled and hurried to reinforce upon hearing the commotion at the General Mansion.

Just as Zheng Fan cut down his third Taoist priest and was about to withdraw his saber to fall back behind Zuo Jiqian, he saw a figure dart straight into the covered walkway that led to the General Mansion’s gardens and rear courtyards.

A human head was tied to the figure’s waist—it was unmistakably the head of the Prefect!

"Villain, where do you think you’re going?!"

This was a big fish!