Standing next to him, Magistrate Gao did not notice that the person beside him had been shot. He was watching the fight in the courtyard with a gloomy face, ready to order the archers to shoot at any moment.
The few people were entangled in close combat. Shooting arrows would inevitably injure their own men by mistake. He had quite a few soldiers at his disposal, but they could not be wasted casually, not to mention the situation was still within a controllable range.
Just as he was hesitating, he felt as if something had struck his forehead. His mind instantly went blank, and his body swayed.
After Jiang Jin took out the tall man and Magistrate Gao in quick succession, she aimed her weapon's muzzle at the tall, thin man on the right who was still talking loudly and arrogantly.
Only then did the tall man crash to the ground. The long sword in his hand fell to the floor, making a crisp clanging sound.
The tall, thin man's voice also came to an abrupt halt at this moment, which seemed extremely sudden.
The archers not far away were confused and all looked at the tall man who had fallen to the ground. Before they could figure it out, Magistrate Gao and the tall, thin man also fell to the ground one after another.
"Oh no, enemy attack! Hidden weapons!" one of the archers reacted and shouted.
As soon as his voice fell, a hole appeared in his forehead, and dark blood flowed down from between his brows.
Everyone on the scene was terrified, feeling a chill run through their entire bodies. They had no idea what kind of hidden weapon this was that could kill people so invisibly!
Most importantly, their Magistrate Gao was dead!
Zhou Sui's face lit up with joy. He knew in his heart that Jiang Jin must have arrived. Taking advantage of the enemy's distraction, he chopped off a soldier's head with one swing of his blade. "Retreat."
Saying this, he fought his way out towards the outer courtyard, with Yun Chengxuan following closely behind.
Xia Chanyi gritted her teeth and followed the retreat without the slightest hesitation.
How could the soldiers still have any will to fight at this point? Not to mention that Magistrate Gao was dead, they were extremely fearful of the hidden weapon expert lurking in the dark, and didn't dare to pursue them at all.
Outside the county office, Jiang Jin had just mounted her horse when she saw Zhou Sui and the other two run out. She didn't speak, but rode her horse in a wild gallop.
Zhou Sui and Yun Chengxuan ran after the horse without hesitation.
Xia Chanyi endured the pain from the wounds on her body and kept up closely.
The medical clinic was not far from the county office. In less than a quarter of an hour, Jiang Jin returned to the clinic, opened the door, and led the horse inside.
Not long after, Zhou Sui and the other two also arrived at the clinic. After closing the door, Jiang Jin finally asked, "What's the situation with you guys?"
Zhou Sui pursed his lips. "We sneaked into the county office and had just found the magistrate's location. Before we had time to make a move, this..."
He looked at Xia Chanyi. "This lady had already made her move. We were quickly discovered and could only fight back."
"Originally, the enemies were almost wiped out by us, but then over a dozen archers and dozens of soldiers arrived, and we were surrounded inside."
Jiang Jin looked at Xia Chanyi. "Are you Eldest Miss Xia?"
Xia Chanyi was taken aback, not expecting Jiang Jin to know her. She didn't deny it. "Yes, I am Xia Chanyi. Do you know me?"
Jiang Jin ignored her question and said instead, "Have you assassinated Magistrate Gao before? Was this a trap set by Magistrate Gao targeting you?"
Xia Chanyi smiled bitterly. "Yes. Unfortunately, my skills are lacking. If it weren't for you guys this time, I would undoubtedly be dead."
Saying so, she cupped her fists towards Jiang Jin and the other two. "I will engrave today's life-saving grace in my heart. I wonder if my benefactors could tell me your names?"
Jiang Jin nodded slightly. "My surname is Jiang."
She also admired this Xia Chanyi a bit, but the strength of one person was indeed too weak to accomplish much.
Jiang Jin looked at Zhou Sui and asked, "How are your injuries?"
Zhou Sui shook his head. "Just a scratch on the skin, I'm fine."
Feeling relieved, Jiang Jin looked at Yun Chengxuan, only to see him sitting to the side, his head bobbing up and down as he dozed off.
Jiang Jin was speechless. Seriously, does this kid go to sleep this early?
Besides, they had just finished killing people. Covered in blood and grime, and before even catching their breath, how could he be in the mood to sleep?
Furthermore, didn't he say he hadn't killed many people? Did he adapt this quickly?
Xia Chanyi bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Are you... are you leaving now?"
Jiang Jin nodded. "Yes, Magistrate Gao is dead. Now is the best time to leave amidst the chaos."
Xia Chanyi's hand gripping her blade tightened. Making up her mind, she pleaded, "I wonder if my benefactors could help me go to the prison to rescue someone?"
Zhou Sui frowned, showing a look of displeasure. He felt that the woman in front of him was pushing her luck. It was good enough that they had saved her life, yet now she was making such a request.
Jiang Jin raised her hand to signal him to calm down. She looked at Xia Chanyi. "Give me a reason."
Seeing that she wasn't angry, Xia Chanyi secretly breathed a sigh of relief and explained in detail, "You appeared at the county office tonight to kill Magistrate Gao as well, right?"
Her tone was certain. "Then you must have also discovered that he had conspired with the Quzhao people. With his death, Lin County will inevitably fall into a struggle for power."
"However, what you might not know is that even if the few people capable of vying for power take the position, they will follow in Magistrate Gao's footsteps. They will continue to work for the Quzhao people, continuously supplying our Han people's money and grain to them, thereby strengthening the Quzhao people's power."
Zhou Sui sneered coldly. "Are you saying we made a mistake by killing him? Then isn't what you're doing the exact same thing?"
Xia Chanyi hurriedly explained, "No, that's not what I mean. Killing him was the right thing to do!"
"Magistrate Gao has done a very good job with superficial appearances over the past few years, and he holds quite a bit of prestige among the common people. His ability to rally the people is something the others cannot achieve."
Jiang Jin nodded. This was also one of the reasons why she killed Magistrate Gao.
Without enough prestige, the ability to rally the masses would be weak. The city's trust in the government would decrease, and their willingness to cooperate would naturally diminish.
Commoners from outside would also think twice about coming to Lin County. For instance, wealthy merchants and grain dealers might choose not to come to Lin County.
What Xia Chanyi meant at this moment was that it wasn't that these people taking power posed no harm, but rather that the harm was smaller compared to Magistrate Gao.
Her voice continued, "The person I want to rescue from the prison now is named Luo Lan. He was once my father's capable general. Because he refused to cooperate with Magistrate Gao, he has been locked up all this time."
"This man's family members were all murdered by the Quzhao people. He absolutely loathes the barbarians. If he is made the magistrate of Lin County, he will definitely fight the barbarians to the bitter end."
Jiang Jin was puzzled. "If that's the case, why didn't Magistrate Gao kill him?"
Xia Chanyi sighed. "This man's martial arts skills are extremely high, and he used to have a good relationship with Magistrate Gao. They only fell out because of the Quzhao people. Magistrate Gao probably still wanted to use him."
Jiang Jin lowered her head in deep thought. If there really was someone who could help fight against the barbarians, it wouldn't be a bad thing.
She asked, "What's the situation at the prison? Are there many guards?"
Xia Chanyi shook her head. "Many people went to help at the granary today, so the prison guards are relatively weak right now. It's an opportunity."
Jiang Jin didn't agree, nor did she refuse. She just glanced at her and asked, "Does Eldest Miss Xia have anything else she hasn't mentioned?"
