Chapter Twenty-Three: Intrusion

Black Horse House and his brothers were drinking and making merry together. There was still more than an hour left before midnight, the time agreed upon with Lin Qi, when he was supposed to bring enough gold coins to the alley behind the tavern for negotiations.

Lin Qi arrived outside the Sword and Maiden Tavern, accompanied by ten elite members of the Iron Fist Brotherhood. Apart from Lin Qi, the leader, the other nine consisted of Yu Lian, Enzo, and seven swordsmen led by Enzo himself. These seven were well-known at the Military Academy, Enzo’s closest friends, and true combat fanatics.

Unlike the Round Table Knights, whose main members were students of the Military Academy, the Iron Fist Brotherhood had a more diverse composition. Its most formidable fighting force was Enzo and his seven companions, known at the Academy as the “Seven Blood-Clad Swordsmen.”

All ten were dressed identically in sturdy clothing, each wrapped in a heavy, warm coat made from animal pelts. They walked close to the walls along the roadside, carefully avoiding patrols of dragon cavalry and the secret police from the Security Hall, known as the Brass Hats. The howling wind and swirling snow discouraged both the dragon cavalry and Brass Hats from lingering outside, dulling their vigilance to its lowest, so none noticed Lin Qi’s group.

In the alley beside the Sword and Maiden Tavern, Lin Qi, the tallest and broadest among them, crouched by the wall. The nimble Enzo stepped onto Lin Qi’s shoulder and leaped to the top of the wall, followed one after another by the Seven Blood-Clad Swordsmen, flipping onto the wall as well. Enzo pulled Lin Qi up onto the wall, and once inside, they entered the tavern grounds.

Yu Lian waited until Lin Qi and his men were inside, then swaggered to the main entrance of the tavern, loudly banging the door knocker. With a cigar extinguished by wind and snow clamped between his teeth, Yu Lian brushed the thin layer of ice from his temples, cursing as he called out.

Inside the tavern courtyard, several servants were adding fodder to the stalls, struggling to pull thick curtains against the wind and snow to keep the horses from freezing. Suddenly hearing Yu Lian banging at the door, the servants paused in confusion, then walked toward the entrance. They all knew the tavern had been requisitioned by the Round Table Knights tonight for settling some private matter. Could it be their adversaries arriving? Cautiously, the servants went to open the door, with one lagging behind, ready to rush inside and sound the alarm if anything seemed amiss.

As all attention was fixed on the knocking, Lin Qi and Enzo pounced like maddened wild bears. Lin Qi held a heavy iron-bound oak club, and with a vicious swing, struck the last servant on the back of the head, knocking him out cold.

The roaring wind and heavy snow perfectly masked the sound of Lin Qi’s blow. Enzo and the Seven Blood-Clad Swordsmen rushed up behind the other servants, knocking them to the ground with swift punches. Enzo flung open the door, and Yu Lian, cigar still in his mouth, slipped inside and shut it behind him.

Lin Qi and Enzo led their men toward the tavern quietly, while Yu Lian quickly approached the stables, pulling a clay bottle from beneath his coat and pouring its strong, alcohol-smelling contents onto the hay.

Before Yu Lian finished his task, Lin Qi was already near the tavern. He exchanged a glance with Enzo, and together with the Seven Blood-Clad Swordsmen, donned ghastly white phantom masks. Lin Qi kicked open the tavern door and hurled three bottles of stun potion inside. The fist-sized bottles shattered, and the dark potion, agitated by the warmth inside, quickly vaporized into a colorless, odorless gas.

The dozen or so Round Table Knights nearest the bottles staggered, cursed instinctively, then convulsed and collapsed heavily to the floor. One after another, people inside the tavern began to fall, as if trapped in a nightmare, dozens dropping in a chaotic heap.

The dozen knights closest to the door shouted, simultaneously drawing their swords and charging toward the entrance.

Old Sword Joe, the owner of the Sword and Maiden Tavern, was momentarily stunned. Seeing the heap of fallen Round Table Knights, he snatched a heavy broadsword nearly four feet long from beneath the bar and charged out, roaring. The knights were his guests, and he was obliged to ensure their safety. Especially since Black Horse House was of noble birth, Old Sword Joe knew that if anything happened to him in the tavern, there would be dire consequences.

Lin Qi dodged the charging knights, drew a single-bladed war axe, and with a classic leap, swung it at Old Sword Joe. Lin Qi struck with ruthless decisiveness; the axe flashed and landed atop Old Sword Joe’s head, his attack as skillful as the most seasoned veterans.

Old Sword Joe, who had left the battlefield thirty years ago, instinctively raised his broadsword to block. Lin Qi’s axe hammered down onto the sword, and thirty years without bloody combat left Old Sword Joe powerless against the overwhelming force. His sword clanged to the ground, and he was pushed backward, stumbling repeatedly. Then his vision darkened, and he, too, collapsed like the others.

Enzo and the Seven Blood-Clad Swordsmen drew their blades and confronted the dozen knights head-on. The tavern entrance was narrow, and with eight men blocking it, the knights had no chance to break through. The shrill whistling of blades filled the air, and in a single breath, Enzo had forced three opponents back, fighting as if both sides were doomed.

The Seven Blood-Clad Swordsmen followed suit, disregarding blades aimed at themselves and attacking with a deadly resolve, each thrust targeting their opponent’s heart.

Being students of the Military Academy, the Round Table Knights lacked the resolve for fatal combat. Faced with flashing blades, their instinct was to retreat, falling back to where Old Sword Joe lay collapsed, then swaying and collapsing themselves.

Lin Qi and Enzo swiftly retreated, feeling their vision dim. After breathing fresh air outside in the snow for a while, they managed to recover. Lin Qi coughed violently, grabbed a stone, and smashed several tavern windows, letting the storm wind and snow sweep through and clear the lingering stun potion vapors.

After another quarter of an hour, Lin Qi and his men cautiously entered the tavern, rescued the unconscious and tightly bound Vic from a small compartment, and didn’t hesitate to loot all valuables from Black Horse House, Old Sword Joe, and the others. He opened dozens of bottles of spirits and poured them over Black Horse House and his companions, picked up the broken potion bottles, and then carried Vic out of the tavern.

Soon after, flames erupted from the stables—Yu Lian’s bottle of flammable liquid had done its work.

Sharp sirens sounded from all directions, and hordes of dragon cavalry and Brass Hats rushed toward the tavern like flies drawn to the scent of blood.

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New book uploaded, seeking recommendations!