“Really killed him?”
As the cries of the night-watchmen echoed one after another through Guazhou Prefecture’s city, the whole city was suddenly stirred.
The drunken knights-errant and braggarts who were still carousing in the city’s taverns and brothels were thrown out of their revelry by the shout, as if wrenched awake from a dream.
“Who? Who’s dead?”
“We came to this city waiting for the Yan family to call us out to face that great demon who came to Guazhou for vengeance. We’ve been drinking for days and haven’t seen him yet…”
“We who went up first haven’t started dying off — how did that Soil-Bound Snake Spirit die?”
“Could it have been a surprise assassination?”
“…”
In a stunned silence someone suddenly came to their senses, hurled down a wine jar and cried, “Quick! Quick!”
“If the one we’re supposed to protect was assassinated, the Yan family certainly won’t let it drop. Maybe this is exactly when they need us to show up and help!”
“…”
So they called to one another and poured out of the various inns and taverns.
They had all come of their own accord, swaggering types of the jianghu; they had no right to be informed by the Yan family, but at this moment they were suddenly vigorous and eager.