"Very dangerous?" Lin Lei laughed. "How dangerous?"
Jenny saw Lin Lei's reaction and grew anxious, nodding repeatedly. "Extremely dangerous. First Madam is currently managing Chi'er Commandery City — that's essentially the same power as a commandery lord."
Jenny said with some shame, "Brother Lei, I'm truly sorry. I should have told you about this before. You don't need to risk yourselves for us. It's not worth it."
"Haha..."
Lin Lei smiled and said, "Not worth it? I don't really have anything else going on, so of course I'll protect you along the way. As for danger — I know far better than you whether it's dangerous or not. Now, Jenny, go back and get some sleep."
"Brother Lei." Jenny stared at Lin Lei in a daze.
"Go on." Lin Lei said with a faint smile.
Jenny gave Lin Lei a grateful look. "Thank you, Brother Lei." But then she looked at him earnestly. "But Brother Lei, I really don't want you risking yourselves for us."
"Go. Sleep." Lin Lei put on a stern face and deliberately barked the order.
Lin Lei had always been warm and friendly toward Jenny, so this sudden severity actually startled her.
"Oh." Jenny nodded obediently like a child, then turned and headed for the door. In truth, Jenny was still somewhat happy at heart — after all, she was an eighteen-year-old girl, and it was only natural for her to feel fondness toward an outstanding young man who treated her well. She didn't really want to part from Lin Lei just like that.
Jenny reached the doorway, then suddenly turned back.
She flashed a bright smile. "Brother Lei, when you put on that stern face, you actually look quite cold." With that, she darted out of Lin Lei's room like a mischievous little girl.
Lin Lei watched this scene, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
Taking a deep breath, Lin Lei calmed himself and returned to his bed, sitting cross-legged quietly to begin his soul cultivation. No matter when or where, Lin Lei never dared neglect his training.
Lin Lei could never forget the grudge against his parents.
Could never forget Grandpa Derinkoort's death!
Could never forget the goal in his heart — to uproot the Church of Light!
"Someday..." Lin Lei's resolve was unwavering. At this point, he did not seek lofty power or status — only the peace to cultivate quietly.
Meanwhile, in a room within another private courtyard of the same hotel, candles burned steadily. The red-haired man sat coldly in the room, while the other six stood at attention.
"If this operation succeeds, everyone benefits. But if it fails... you all know what Lady Weed is capable of." The red-haired man spoke flatly.
All six felt a chill of fear in their hearts.
Lady Weed was ruthless and cruel. When Baron Weed was still alive, nearly everyone in Chi'er Commandery City knew that although Baron Weed was the lord in name, the true ruler was Lady Weed.
Even her own son trembled before her.
Sadly, her son was dead.
By convention, Baron Weed's son should have inherited the position of city lord. How could Lady Weed allow a pair of country siblings to seize power?
"Captain, rest assured — we will not fail this time. That expert is strong, but he can't protect those two siblings around the clock." One of the six spoke in a resolute voice.
The others nodded as well.
"Good. I've already bribed the hotel owner. On the third floor of the main building, there are two rooms directly facing the courtyard where those two siblings are staying. Four of you will take those two rooms. The other two will stay with me... Remember — strike at the first opportunity, but our primary target is the boy." The red-haired man emphasized.
After all, Keane currently held the first right of inheritance.
Jenny, on the other hand, was a girl — for her to become city lord would be extremely difficult.
"Wait for the boy to appear, then make your move. Kill the boy first; if there's an opportunity, kill the girl too." The red-haired man said coldly. "Now go take your positions. The boy might even come out during the night to use the restroom or something. If that happens, we can finish the job even more easily."
"Yes, Captain."
Following the red-haired man's arrangements, four of the six silently slipped out of the courtyard and headed straight for the hotel's main building, entering the two rooms that had been prepared in advance on the third floor.
Tonight a crescent moon still hung in the sky, and a faint, hazy moonlight bathed the world.
The archers the red-haired man had brought were all so-called elite soldiers of Chi'er Commandery City. At this range, shooting a defenseless boy in a courtyard fifty or sixty meters away was practically a certainty.
"Captain, what about us?" The remaining two stood beside the red-haired man and asked.
The red-haired man said calmly, "Your job is this — if those four fail to kill the boy, you disguise yourselves as hotel waitstaff and deliver breakfast. When you get close to the boy, finish him in a single strike."
"Captain!" The two of them immediately panicked.
Disguising as waiters to carry out an assassination — but they knew that expert with the black panther was right there! Even if they succeeded, would they have any chance of escaping alive?
"Hmph."
The red-haired man turned to look at them coldly. "You two have no choice. The eight of you who came with me — your families are already under Lady Weed's control. If you fail, not only will you suffer, but your entire families will be finished. And if you succeed, even if you die, your families will be well taken care of."
The two went pale.
"You two know Lady Weed's methods, and you should know mine as well." The red-haired man said cruelly.
This red-haired man, though nominally their captain, was in reality nothing more than one of Lady Weed's loyal dogs — utterly ruthless when it came to killing.
"Of course, if those four succeed, you won't need to take the risk." The red-haired man said airily. "Now go pray — pray for the Warrior God's blessing."
The two fell silent.
They were the so-called elite soldiers of the commandery army, but how could minor figures like them hope to contend with Lady Weed? And with the red-haired man watching over them to boot.
Meanwhile, the four archers stationed in the two third-floor rooms of the hotel's main building took turns resting. One slept while the other kept watch.
They needed to remain in peak condition, and the moment Keane appeared, they could easily wake the others.
The night gradually passed.
That night, Keane never once stepped out of his room, and the sky gradually brightened. The crisp morning air roused the four archers from their drowsiness.