Chapter 553 - 318: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada!

"My Lord, this time we only traded grain. When will the other batch of goods you mentioned earlier..."

Before he could finish, Zhang Dabao shot him a sideways glance. "Keep your voice down."

Lin Zhenghong froze for a moment. Belatedly noticing the several "people from Poshisu Country" standing nearby, he nodded. "You are right to reprimand me, My Lord."

About fifteen minutes later.

The horse and camel carriages had gone far; only the faint sounds of hooves and rolling wheels echoed from a distance.

Zhang Dabao gestured to Lin Zhenghong. "Take your men and head back first. I have another deal to discuss with our esteemed guests."

Lin Zhenghong hesitated for a moment before nodding. He turned and led the grain store guards toward the Chishui River.

As he walked, he grumbled inwardly, "A mere Wind Patrol Envoy really thinks he’s a Commerce House Shopkeeper. To act so inappropriately... how utterly ridiculous."

Despite his complaints, Lin Zhenghong knew the reality of his situation. He was not his father, Lin Huai’an, and his foundation within the Ji State Trading Company was still unstable. Moreover, with things going sideways during this transaction, he hadn’t yet found an opportunity to make contact with the Trading Company’s core personnel. He could only bide his time and plan for the future.

Just as Lin Zhenghong arrived at the Chishui Riverbank with his men, dreaming of his future success, he saw a fast boat cutting through the waves toward them.

He frowned slightly and waved his hand, signaling the guards behind him to be on high alert.

"It’s already past Midnight. Logically, there shouldn’t be any more boats coming from the direction of the Prefecture City..." he muttered.

He couldn’t help but worry, considering he was holding silver notes worth tens of millions of taels.

But whatever one fears the most always comes to pass.

As the fast boat approached, before Lin Zhenghong or his men could even ask a question, dozens of masked men clad in armor lunged forward.

The crossbows mounted on their arms fired with terrifying force.

Crossbow arrows whistled as they tore through the night sky.

Lin Zhenghong’s eyes widened instantly. He screamed at the top of his lungs, "Enemy attack!"

However, the attackers on the boat had caught them entirely off guard. Following the barrage of crossbow arrows, a flurry of porcelain bottles was hurled at Lin Zhenghong and his men, who had no time to dodge.

SWISH. SWISH.

"Ah!"

"Watch out—!"

"You’re courting death! Kill them!"

The chaotic shouts, the whistling crossbow arrows, and the sound of shattering porcelain mingled together, painting the night along the Chishui Riverbank with a splash of blood.

Severed limbs flew through the air as blood splattered in all directions.

The guards around Lin Zhenghong fell one after another.

Panic-stricken, he clutched the chest tightly and sprinted toward where "Li Sanyuan" and the others were located in the distance.

Desperate screams constantly rang in his ears.

He didn’t know how much time had passed. It could have been fifteen minutes, an hour, or perhaps just a few breaths. When the sounds finally ceased, Lin Zhenghong continued to run while suppressing his terror to glance back. But he saw absolutely nothing.

Just as he was about to slow down, his body crashed into something with a loud THUD. Caught off guard, he was sent flying and hit the ground hard.

Without time to think, Lin Zhenghong scrambled to his feet, holding onto the chest, ready to continue fleeing for his life.

But as soon as he stood up and looked ahead, he froze. His widened eyes were filled with absolute horror.

"You... you..."

Standing before him was a young man in brocade robes, his hands clasped behind his back, looking at him with a beaming smile. It was none other than Liu Hong’s eldest son, Liu Taoyao!

He glanced at the chest in Lin Zhenghong’s arms and asked with a smile, "Boss Lin, where are you off to?"

As he spoke, he slowly stepped closer.

Clutching the chest, Lin Zhenghong retreated step for step. His facial features were entirely scrunched up as he shouted, putting up a false front of bravado,

"Do... do you know who I am?

"I-I belong to the Ji State Trading Company! I am the Chief Shopkeeper of the Shu State Prefecture City branch!

"How... how dare you bring people to attack us?

"Does your Liu Family have a death wish?!"

Liu Taoyao’s smile didn’t waver. "And who would know it was us?

"You? Or those horse bandits from Poshisu Country?

"Haha, don’t be silly, Chief Shopkeeper Lin.

"Since I’ve already appeared before you, neither you nor the silver in your hands will escape my grasp."

Hearing this, Lin Zhenghong’s legs gave out. He collapsed to the ground, and the chest tumbled from his grip.

He frantically crawled toward it. "My... my silver..."

But before he could grab the chest, a heavy foot stepped on his leg. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t move an inch.

He turned his head to look back, but before he could clearly see anything, a flash of silver-white light swept past his eyes.

His vision went completely dark, followed instantly by agonizing pain.

He clutched his eyes, curling up on the ground as he wailed, "My eyes... I... take it! I don’t want the silver anymore! Please, let me go!

"Young Master Liu, Eldest Young Master Liu, I beg you..."

Liu Taoyao let out a chuckle and leisurely walked up to him. He picked up the chest, weighed it in his hands, and looked down at the writhing man.

"Wouldn’t it have been better if you had been this compliant from the start?

"Now, it’s too late."

"No... it’s not too late! I’ll... I’ll give you whatever you want! It’s not too late!" Lin Zhenghong pleaded.

"You? Give it to me?

"What a joke!

"The moment you conspired against my second brother, you chose the path to your own doom!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Taoyao coldly thrust his sword forward, piercing straight through Lin Zhenghong’s chest.

With one hand clutching his eyes and the other gripping the blade, blood poured from Lin Zhenghong as he trembled and gasped out,

"You... I’ll wait for you... in hell..."

"Go down there and repent!"

Liu Taoyao yanked the sword sideways in a horizontal slash, sending drops of blood flying. He then sheathed his blade, not bothering to spare the man another glance.

Lin Zhenghong was left lying in a pool of blood, his life slowly fading away as his bloodshot eyes stared blankly at the night sky.

"Eldest Young Master, should we go over there and take a look?" a subordinate asked.

"No need," Liu Taoyao replied.

"With those of the Evil Demonic Dao making a move, they will definitely erase the Peacock King Banner’s people from this world.

"We should hurry back to the estate.

"If we return too late, we’ll just be letting this silver gather dust for no reason."

"Understood."

Meanwhile, Zhang Dabao and the others, who were still dressed as people from Poshisu Country, had already changed directions and were heading toward the Chishui River.