Chapter Six: Zhan Zhao, Zhan Zhao!

  "Zhang Long, look quickly! There's someone lying on the ground up ahead, with signs of a struggle all around!" Zhao Hu suddenly shouted loudly, his horse galloping swiftly. But instead of riding closer, Zhao Hu jumped down from his horse, and Zhang Long did the same. The two men rushed to the person's side, leaving their horses scattered randomly on the ground. As they approached, they saw that the person was lying with their head facing upwards, but their body facing downwards. This person was none other than the one whose neck had been broken by Zhan Zhao! The two men were taken aback for a moment, and then carefully examined the person on the ground. Both of them stared with wide eyes, their faces pale with shock and fear.

  "This man must have had his neck twisted and killed with one blow!" Zhang Long said, taking a deep breath.

  Zhao Hu nodded, "That's right, looking at this person's attire, black clothes and a masked face, he should be the assassin that Wang Chao and the others were talking about. It seems that this person was killed by Master Zhan!"

  "But, Master Zhan, where is he now?" Zhang Long and Zhao Hu simultaneously wondered, Zhang Long said, "If Master Zhan killed the two of them, then naturally he should have caught up with Wang Chao and Ma Han by now. On the road, we should have met him too. Even if we didn't discover Master Zhan, when Master Zhan saw us, he should have appeared."

  "Could it be that Master Zhan killed one of them and someone else escaped, so Master Zhan chased after him?" Zhao Hu said hesitantly.

  Zhang Long stood up, "Don't worry about these anymore, let's continue walking along this road and see if we can find... Zhang... Zhang... Lord Zhang!?" Zhang Long's tone suddenly became trembling, filled with an endless look of incredulity!

  Zhao Hu looked puzzled and followed Zhang Long's gaze, his expression also changed to be the same as Zhang Long's!

  "Big Brother Zhang Ahhh!" The two of them shouted in unison and rushed towards a tree!

  Five or six meters away, a large tree with a three-meter-high trunk had a red human figure hanging from it. A precious sword was inserted into the chest, and the whole body was red, making it impossible to tell whether the official uniform was stained with fresh blood or originally red, which was extremely eye-catching!

  Zhang Long and Zhao Hu simultaneously rushed to the front of the tree, Zhang Long took a step on the ground, jumped up, stretched out his hand to grasp the long sword on the red figure's body, suddenly pulled it out, bringing out a streak of blood color. The red figure floated down, Zhao Hu stretched out both hands and gently caught the figure, turned around, and gently put it on the ground!

  Zhang Long also floated down, holding in his hand the ancient famous sword, Juque Sword. The red figure lying on the ground was Xian Zhao!

  Fresh blood stained the crimson robe, which was originally a symbol of his identity, but now it emitted a heart-pounding sense of terror!

  "General Zhang!" Zhang Long and Zhao Hu simultaneously shouted, kneeling down on the ground, the giant sword was inserted straight into the earth. Zhang Long and Zhao Hu looked closely at the figure lying under the tree, two lines of clear tears fell from their eyes!

  Zhang Jing's hand trembled as he grasped Zhang Zhan's wrist, and both of their faces turned black, like the bottom of a pot, even darker than Bao Da's face!

  "There's no breathing, no pulse......" Zhang Long said with a trembling voice, "Zhang Daxia, he...he...he's dead..."

  Tears fell silently, several years of working together, although they were usually called superiors and subordinates, but in fact, the few people had already become brothers. At this moment, looking at the red figure lying on the ground, Zhang Long and Zhao Hu felt their noses turn sour, and they wanted to cry out to heaven!

  Neither of them noticed that the wound on his chest, which was originally pierced by the giant sword and had just been pulled out, bringing with it a flow of blood, had now stopped bleeding.

  Two people stared with round eyes, a vacant look in their pupils, gazing straight ahead, their sturdy figures motionless.

  Blood-soaked petals fell to the ground, gradually dyeing the surroundings crimson, like a bright red lotus blooming around Zhan Zhao. The autumn wind suddenly rose, and leaves danced in the air like rain, swaying and twirling as if weeping and lamenting.

  Zhan Zhao, also known as Xiong Fei, was from Wujiang, Changzhou. He was known in the Jianghu world as the Southern Hero, with unparalleled martial arts skills and a strong sense of justice that reached the heavens. However, he entered Kaifeng Prefecture and became a fourth-grade imperial guard with a sword!

  As a Jianghu Wulin person, he should be carefree and unrestrained, but he entered the imperial court as an official for the sake of the people and worked diligently for Bao Da. As a Wulin person, he "became a running dog for the imperial court", how much contempt and ridicule did he bear on his body from other Wulin people? However, with his actions, he showed his determination, never regretting it!

  Zhang Long and Zhao Hu's eyes became blurry, while Zhang often referred to himself as "Zhang Mou". The term "Zhang Mou" reflected his helplessness as an official. He could no longer speak freely like he used to on the rivers and lakes, saying "I, Nan Xia, am so-and-so today". Nor could he express his emotions without regard for appearances. He could only bury things deep in his heart!

  Still remember another time, several people drinking together, Mr. Zhan only took a light sip and said, "Zhan has official business to attend to, it's not convenient for him to drink too much..."

  The imperial court is full of intrigue, with plots and schemes lurking everywhere; the jianghu world is full of ridicule and sarcasm, every sentence cutting like a knife. How did he manage to put away his pride and face everything with a gentle smile? People all say that he is as warm and smooth as jade, but who remembers that, in an unguarded moment, his eyebrows are already deeply furrowed like a knife carving? Must even drinking be done with such caution?

  Time flies, and several years have passed. Just recently, after returning from the Prince's mansion where he was poisoned, he seemed to have regained some of his former Jianghu aura. This wasn't just noticed by the two of them, even Bao Daren and Gong Sun Jun had discovered it. However, everyone was secretly delighted, and Bao Daren let out a deep sigh, "These years have indeed been difficult for Xuan Wu Guard..."

  I had just restored a bit of true nature to the exhibition hall, but now, the imperial guard with the fourth rank and sword is lying in front of me, his body already devoid of any signs of life...

  After a while, Zhang Long suddenly came back to his senses and shouted loudly, "It's not good, we have to leave quickly!"

  "Why?" Zhao Hu asked back in a daze, his eyes filled with sorrow!

  "Zhan is already dead!" Zhang Long's voice became somewhat shrill, "If so, then the assassin's next target should be that old man protected by Wang Chao and Ma Han. Since Zhan was killed by their hands, how can Wang Chao and Ma Han resist? Let's hurry back to help him!"

  "Although we are in extreme pain over the death of General Zhang, Commander Bao still needs us, and these innocent people who have been wronged by the world also need us!" Zhang Long's voice was filled with trembles. "This should be General Zhang's wish too!"

  Zhao Hu suddenly stood up from the ground, silently carrying Xian Zhao on his back, untying his belt and binding Xian Zhao behind him. "Let's go, Zhang Long, hurry up and chase after Wang Chao!"

  Zhang Long nodded, pulled out the giant sword, then pulled the horse over, and the two of them mounted it in one swift motion. They spurred the horse on with their legs, and galloped wildly towards Bianliang City!