Chapter 405: 401: Assassin_1

“You go with her,” Hu Daban gestured to Xiaolian.

Reluctantly, Xiaolian grabbed her makeup kit and followed to the side room.

The maid brought water, and Yingbao washed her hands and face then had Xiaolian apply her makeup.

In the end, Yingbao adjusted the makeup around her eyes and mouth, making it look intensely gaudy. Even she herself could hardly recognize her own reflection.

She put on a red narrow-sleeve top with green silk lantern pants, throwing a yellow silk scarf over her shoulders, and returned to the banquet hall with the maid.

This time, the maid led her directly to Xiao Mo and sat her down at his feet.

Xiao Mo didn’t give her a single glance, he was talking to the leader of the canal gang about canal transportation, asking him for help in transporting supplies southwards.

Yingbao listened in silence, suddenly heard Cao Can saying: “Commander Xiao, there’re traitors all over Chuanhe Town, especially the Jiang family. Their children have joined the bandits, we must exterminate them this time.”

Xiao Mo took a sip of tea and replied indifferently: “We’ll decide when the mass forces arrive. Those who collude with the traitor must certainly be dealt with.”

Yingbao scowled, itching to poison their drinks.

It was only recently that she’d managed to concoct a small amount of poison, but the quantity was extremely limited and needed to be used sparingly.

Finally, when the banquet ended and the leader was ready to take several of the young dancers back to Wuchun Yard, they were stopped by Cao Can’s personal soldiers.

“Don’t go just yet. We’ve paid for you. It’s appropriate for you to stay here for the night.” A commander laughed lewdly.

Hu Daban frowned: “We are dancers, not brothel courtesans. Commander, I suggest you find someone else.”

“Ha! You’ve got gall!” The commander suddenly drew his sword, pointing it at Hu Daban.

Hu Daban, remained calm, giving the commander a cold look, said, “Our dancers are registered professionals at the County Government. Is the commander intending on coercing us?”

“Qi Da! What are you doing?” Cao Can appeared under the eaves at some point, with Xiao Mo standing next to him.

Qi Da immediately sheathed his sword, and stammered to Cao Can: “I only suggested because it’s late, just thought they could stay the night, I didn’t mean to cause any misunderstanding.”

Cao Can’s gaze turned to Hu Daban: “Hu Daban, it’s late, and the outside is indeed not safe. Why don’t you stay here for now and leave tomorrow? The guest rooms are clean and there are several rooms. It’s more than enough to accommodate you and the girls.”

Seeing that Cao Can had spoken, Hu Daban knew he couldn’t refuse anymore, he bowed his fist and said: “It’s our honour to comply.”

And so, Yingbao, several of the young dancers, and Daban were all left behind while the rest of the musicians were arranged in another courtyard.

Not long after, Cao Can’s personal soldiers invited Xiaolian over, Yingbao had no idea for what reason.

At this time, from the intermittent conversation between the guards and attendants, Yingbao finally learned where Cao Can was staying.

Yingbao was originally sharing a room with Xiaolian. Now that Xiaolian was not there, it was a good time for her to make her move.

She quickly changed into black clothes and shoes, even wrapping her head in a black scarf, leaving only her eyes exposed.

Then she quietly opened the back window and jumped out.

She headed in the direction she had scoped out earlier towards Cao Can’s quarters.

There was no guard in the inner courtyard, the soldiers and guards were all patrolling the outer perimeter, and only two maids were on duty in the inner courtyard.

In the dim light, both of them were dozing off.

There was a peculiar sound from inside Cao Can’s room. Yingbao listened for a moment, then gently pushed open the door and went in.

There was a screen at the entrance with several pieces of clothing hanging on it.

From the gap in the screen, Yingbao could see the flickering light inside and the gently swaying mosquito net.

Yingbao crept up to the bed and lifted the mosquito net, her dagger already plunged into Cao Can’s bare back.

The man collapsed onto the bed without making a sound.

The woman beneath him opened her eyes in reflex, strenuously pushing the man off of her.

She vaguely saw a dark figure flee the scene, and immediately screamed in terror.

Yingbao quickly exited, dashing out of the yard, only to run into someone head-on.

This person was dressed in a brocade robe, brandishing a dagger and asking sharply, “Who’s there?”

Without uttering a word, Yingbao instantly drew a long knife and fiercely slashed away. The God Scythe shimmered with a chilling gleam in the darkness.

Xiao Mo parried, but to his surprise, his dagger split into two under the power of the long knife, which even wounded his arm in the process.

Xiao Mo was taken aback and hurriedly backed off, running around a lotus pond in the yard, shouting loudly, “Help! There’s an assassin!”

Soon enough, dozens of guards rushed in, forming a circle around the assassin clad in black.

Yingbao swung her blade and attacked. Soon, several people lay motionless on the ground.

But more and more people were closing in, and Xiao Mo was escorted out of the yard by someone.

Seeing that her chances of killing him were slim, Yingbao, not daring to linger, slashed down several more guards and ran directly out of the yard. With a swift turn, she entered a cave dwelling.

She quickly took off her clothes and washed her hands, slipping back into the dancer’s dress and boots before quietly returning to her own room.

Not long after, Xiaolian returned and hurriedly woke up Yingbao, urging her to get up and rendezvous with Daban.

Turns out, Xiaolian was brought to Xiao Mo’s room by Cao Can’s attendant and asked to serve the nobleman.

But Xiao Mo paid her no mind, and instead told her to wait in the side room.

Xiaolian was napping in the side room when chaos broke out outside.

Cao Can was assassinated.

The backyard was now in a state of chaos. Having searched all around without finding the assassin in black, the guards gave up and decided to check on Cao Can instead.

By now, Cao Can was already a cold corpse. The woman in his bed was shivering with fear.

The two captains exchanged glances, a look of thrill visible in their eyes.

With Cao Can dead, they could now have their say in the county town.

This included all of Cao Can’s wealth and his shops and properties.

But for the sake of maintaining order, they had to go through the proper procedure.

So they took the woman into custody, claiming that she conspired with the assassin to kill Cao Xianwei.

The chief clerk and county magistrate kept silent, implicitly accepting the conclusion.

Seeing the situation deteriorating, Hu Daban wanted to take the dancers and musicians and leave, only to be intercepted by the two captains.

“Don’t leave, Hu Daban. You’re also under suspicion,” Qi Da, along with a few people, blocked the doorway.

Hu Daban scowled, “Captain Qi, you can’t falsely accuse people. We are all law-abiding citizens.”

Qi Da snorted, signaled with a wave of his hand. “Take them all away. Imprison them first and interrogate them later.”

Hu Daban was furious but helpless.

A bunch of people were detained in the county government’s jail, with Yingbao, Xiaolian, and the others locked in one cell, while Hu Daban and the men were put in the men’s detention area.

The cell was damp and dark, permeated by a disgusting smell that was suffocating.

Even the young girls couldn’t help but begin to cry, including a woman crouched in the corner.

Revealing no emotion, Yingbao stared outside the barred windows, but inside, she was plotting how to eliminate those two captains.

The followers and attendants of Cao Can were all no good either.

They, together with Cao Can, had been wreaking havoc in the countryside. They had even attacked Dongchen Village for no apparent reason. If not for the villagers’ joint effort to fight them off, who knew what would have happened to her home and her village.

Therefore, she absolutely had to eliminate them.

Of course, it would be even better if she could capture Xiao Mo alive.