Chapter 46: Kill Him at His Own Door

  Thanks for mr_cui's reward

  As soon as these words came out, everyone's face changed color.

  Yi Jing was shocked, and hastily tried to persuade him, but Xu You waved his hand and said: "Forget it, Boji, you don't need to persuade him either. Our general doesn't make a decision easily, once he makes one, even a hundred oxen can't pull him back."

  "Master still understands me." Yan Liang smiled and said.

  He secretly admired Yan Liang's decisive actions and extraordinary bravery, and also knew that Yan Liang had the intention of winning over the Huang family by doing so.

  Just thinking about Yan Liang going under Liu Biao's eyelids to propose marriage, Yijue always felt that this matter was not very reliable.

  "If General Cao really wants to go to the Huang family, he must make thorough preparations to prevent Liu Bei from harboring evil intentions." Yi Ji reminded.

  "Bo Ji put your mind at ease, I am not that kind of foolish person who would willingly send myself to the slaughter to be butchered by Liu Biao."

  Yan Liang smiled slightly and his eyes turned to Xu You, "Sir, this time in the Huang family, I will rely on your subtle actions."

  In his early years, Xu You assisted Yuan Shao in establishing a spy network that spanned the Yangtze River basin. However, Yuan Shao did not place much emphasis on intelligence work, and as a result, the funds allocated to Xu You were often insufficient. Xu You was forced to secretly accumulate wealth to make up for the shortfall in his expenses.

  It is precisely for this reason that the underground spy network was responsible only to Xu You, and now that Xu You has surrendered to Yan Liang, the spy network naturally also shifted to Yan Liang's command.

  Xiangyang City was Liu Biao's old nest, but Xu You had already laid a dense network of spies within it, and his spies had even infiltrated the upper echelons of Jingzhou.

  So with Xu You present, Yan Liang could anticipate Liu Biao's every move.

  Xu You nodded and said, "General, rest assured. I will pass on the order to closely monitor Liu Biao's movements. If there is any unusual activity, you can immediately withdraw back to Xin Ye."

  "Alright, you all get ready then, we'll be visiting my Lord Taishan soon."

  Next to him, Yi Jing looked at Yan Liang's confident face and only then realized that Yan Liang was not acting on impulse, but had a well-planned strategy in mind.

  "General Zi Yi is brave and wise, decisive in his actions yet meticulous, truly an extraordinary person..."

  He couldn't help but admire him in his heart, and a look of admiration flashed in his eyes.

  Three days later.

  At dawn, Yan Liang dressed in casual clothes and disguised himself as a merchant, quietly leaving Xin Ye City.

  He was accompanied by General Zhou Cang, strategist Yi Ji, and more than twenty elite guards.

  These personal soldiers are all capable of fighting against ten people at once, and although they are not numerous, their combat strength is extremely powerful.

  Since Yuan Liang left the city, Xu You's fine work network had already begun to operate, closely monitoring the movements of the various armies in Xiangyang, Fancheng, Dengxian and other places. In addition, scouts were scattered throughout the army, investigating the situation within a radius of over 100 miles.

  With such a dense intelligence network, once there is any wind or grass movement, Yan Liang can quickly get the news and withdraw in time.

  At noon, Yan Liang and his party arrived at Huangjiazhuang in Deng County.

  The horse stopped outside the village, and Yijue went forward to call out at the gate.

  Before long, the gate creaked open and an old servant came out with a shuffle.

  Because he was a frequent visitor to the house, the old servant recognized him at once and said: "Oh, it's Mr. Yi! Please wait for a moment, sir, while I inform the master."

  Yi Que smiled and said: "The one who came to visit today is not me, but this person."

  Yi Jie nodded slightly towards Yan Liang who was standing still on horseback.

  That old slave's eyes rolled around and he glanced at Yan Liang, saying suspiciously: "This one is..."

  Yan Liang said in a loud voice: "You go and inform Huang Gong, tell him that Yan Liang from Xin Ye has come to pay his respects."

  At the mention of "Yan Liang", the originally calm and collected old servant seemed to have seen a ghost, his face suddenly turned deathly pale.

  "Please wait a moment, General... I'll go and inform the master immediately."

  He didn't dare look at Yan Liang again, and quickly closed the door, stumbling to report.

  Looking at the old servant's flustered appearance, Yan Liang's mouth curled up with a cold smile and he muttered: "I'm not a tiger, I won't eat you, why be so afraid?"

  "The general has long been feared in Jing and Xiang, it is said that even infants who cry at night dare not cry again when they hear the general's name. How can a mere old slave like me not be afraid?" Yijue joked.

  Yan Liang smiled slightly, thinking that it's better for people to fear him than to look down on him.

  At this time, Huangjiazhuang was still quiet and peaceful.

  The previous time the Japanese visitor mentioned the matchmaker's business, although it caused a considerable stir in the village, even Huang Chengyan was quite shocked, but this shock was like a stone stirring up ripples, and soon returned to calm.

  Three days have passed and that General Yan Liang has yet to be seen, Huang Chengyan thought he was stumped by his own riddle and retreated with his tail between his legs.

  "No matter how brave you are, you wouldn't dare come under Liu Biao's nose to seek death."

  Huang Chengyan in the garden, a hint of sarcasm at the corner of his mouth, continued to tease the bird in the cage.

  In the next room, Huang Yueying was sitting by the window, staring blankly at the clouds gathering and dispersing in the sky, her hands mechanically combing the black hair hanging down her chest with a wooden comb.

  There was a hint of melancholy on her face.

  She stood there for a long time, then let out a soft sigh and muttered to herself: "It seems that he is after all just an ordinary person..."

  Just then, a sudden cry of surprise came from the old slave Huang Xiang's ear:

  "Master, something bad has happened, Yan Liang is here looking for you——"

  This sudden cry was like a thunderclap on a clear day, instantly plunging the entire Huang family village into terror.

  Zheng Zi's Huang Chengyan, on that leisurely face, suddenly surged up infinite horror.

  Huang Yueying sat stunned, and the comb in her hand fell to the ground.

  "He's here, he's really here..."

  Huang Yueying suddenly sat up, momentarily startled and at a loss for what to do. On her frightened face, a hint of joy flashed by quietly.

  At this moment, Huang Yueying had an urge to rush out. She hastily tidied up her clothes in front of the mirror and turned around to leave the house.

  Just as one foot had just stepped over the threshold, she stopped again.

  "What's wrong with me? Even if he comes, Father will handle it. What kind of impression would I give by going out like this?"

  A thread of rationality flashed through her mind, and Huang Yueying, who was excited, immediately regained some calmness.

  She hesitated for a moment, but her other foot still stepped out.

  At this time, Yan Liang was already on his way to normalcy.

  All along the way, the maids and servants of the Huang family either hastily avoided him or stood with their heads bowed, not daring to look at him straight in the eye.

  Previously in XinYe, Yan Liang didn't have much time to interact with these ordinary civilians. Now that he has deeply entered the "masses", he personally experienced how frightening his reputation is.

  "The feeling of being strong is indeed great."

  Looking at those timid people on both sides, Yan Liang felt an indescribable sense of ease in his heart.

  In an instant, Yan Liang had already walked up to the front of the main hall with big strides.

  Before the gate, that old man with a bit of Taoist elegance and immortal bones had already descended the steps to wait quietly, presumably Huang Chengyan.

  Yan Liang was about to go forward and pay his respects when he suddenly caught sight of a blue-clad beauty hurrying towards him from the other end of the corridor.

  That woman is Huang Yueying.

  Yan Liang's gaze instantly passed over Huang Chengyan and fell on Huang Yueying, a hint of smile flashing in his sharp eyes.

  Huang Yueying rushed over, her eyes coincidentally meeting his smile, and her heart suddenly racing wildly, the flush on her face spreading uncontrollably.