strictlysupreme Chapter 2098 Counterattack Plan
Chapter 2098 Counterattack Plan
The little girl's cries, though not loud, were quite noticeable in the quiet night.
The masked man thought for a moment and realized that Li Cheng's words made sense—after all, he and his daughter were going to die eventually, so there was no rush.
He waved his hand and said to the man holding the child, "Give the child to him."
The man handed the little girl to Li Cheng, who quickly reached out and gently took her.
He held his daughter tightly in his arms and slowly pulled the cloth out of her mouth.
"Father..." As soon as the cloth was pulled away, the little girl choked out a cry, her voice hoarse and full of grievance.
"Don't cry, listen to your father." Li Cheng lowered his head and whispered in her ear, his warm breath brushing against her earlobe. "You must remember what your father said..."
The daughter sobbed, and although she didn't quite understand what her father meant, she nodded and tightly gripped Li Cheng's clothes with her little hands.
Li Cheng picked up his daughter and looked back at the masked man.
"Alright, you can have your daughter now. Su Zhenhai will be here shortly..."
Before the masked man could finish speaking, Li Cheng suddenly turned around, put his daughter on the horse's back, and had the reins tied around her little hand: "Don't be afraid."
After saying that, he raised his hand and slapped the horse's rump hard. The horse neighed in pain, broke into a gallop, and ran off towards the nearby grove of trees.
The sound of horses' hooves clattered away and quickly faded into the distance.
Li Cheng breathed a sigh of relief, then turned around, drew his sword from his waist, pointed the tip at the masked man, and roared, "Liu Jiulang, I'll fight you to the death!"
The masked man sneered, took a step back, and shouted sharply, "Li Cheng, you're asking for death!"
Upon seeing this, several of his men immediately surrounded him, their knives gleaming coldly in the moonlight.
Li Cheng, sword in hand, went to meet them. Although he was alone, he exuded an imposing aura.
He said fiercely, "Even if I die, I will not be used by a bastard like you! I will not betray Envoy Su!"
The masked man's eyes were icy: "Su Zhenhai isn't coming?"
"Of course not!" Li Cheng laughed, a hint of relief in his voice. "I never intended to agree to your request! I came here today to save my daughter!"
The masked man roared, "Kill him!"
Several of his men immediately swung their knives at Li Cheng.
Li Cheng was quite skilled, wielding his sword to parry the opponent's attacks, the blade tracing arcs in the moonlight.
However, the enemy outnumbered him and Li Cheng gradually found himself struggling.
His arm was slashed, and blood flowed down his sleeve, dripping onto the ground and staining the grass beneath his feet red.
But he did not back down, with only one thought in his mind: his daughter was still running, and as long as she could reach the grove and see her brothers, she would be saved.
As he fought, he kept an eye on the direction the horse had run off in, and he could almost hear the faint sound of hooves.
But just then, he glanced over and saw the masked man take a bow and arrow from his subordinate behind him, nock the arrow, draw the string, and point the arrowhead at the direction his daughter had gone.
Li Cheng's heart leaped into his throat, and he shouted sharply, "Liu Jiulang, how dare you!"
The masked man chuckled, released his grip, and the arrow shot out!
Li Cheng turned around with wide eyes, only to be stabbed in the shoulder again!
He was completely unaware of what was happening, only worried that his daughter might get shot.
The arrowhead was sharp, piercing the night sky and heading straight for the little girl's back.
It was about to hit!
Li Cheng's eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was squeezed out from his throat.
"daughter!"
"Hey!"
A sharp sound.
A dart came flying, deflecting the arrow. The arrowhead grazed the little girl's ear, cutting off a strand of her hair.
The horse continued forward without stopping.
Another sound of horses' hooves emerged from the woods.
It wasn't just one horse, but a whole team.
He rode a black horse, dressed in black, with a black arrow quiver slung at his waist, like a black cloud swirling and thunder shaking the heavens.
The leader sat on his horse, dressed in a black outfit inlaid with silver cloud patterns. His back was straight, and the tassel of his sword at his waist was as red as blood.
Before the person even arrived, the murderous aura was already there.
It was Huo Changhe.
Beside him rode a white horse, the rider handsome, his purple outfit adding to his noble air. He held the reins in one hand and a knife in the other, the blade flashing like lightning in the night.
Yan Ruyu.
Li Cheng's heart pounded, unsure whether to feel joy or sorrow.
He was happy that his daughter was safe and sound, but worried because... he recognized the two people as the distinguished guests that the envoy from Su City had mentioned. Although he did not know their exact identities, they were certainly not ordinary people.
How did they get here?
In the blink of an eye, Huo Changhe and his men arrived.
"Deputy General Li," Huo Changhe said from his horse, looking at him from afar, his voice unreadable, "should this be considered a merit or a demerit?"
Li Cheng opened his mouth, about to speak, when another group of people approached from afar.
The leader was tall and had a booming voice: "Li Cheng!"
Su Zhenhai arrived with his men.
Li Cheng's eyes suddenly burned with heat, and his throat bobbed.
"Envoy of Suzhou."
Before the horse had even come to a complete stop, Su Zhenhai jumped off, ran up to him, and slapped him across the face.
"What the hell are you trying to be, playing the hero?!"
After hitting him, she gritted her teeth and squeezed his shoulder hard.
"Would it kill you to tell me the truth?"
Blood seeped from the corner of Li Cheng's mouth, he grinned, and tears rolled down his cheeks.
“City Envoy, I…”
Su Zhenhai gritted his teeth, suppressing his bitterness: "You've got guts."
He pulled Li Cheng up and brought him to Huo Changhe's horse: "I will vouch for him and let him atone for his crimes through meritorious service."
Huo Changhe waved his hand, and Su Zhenhai turned to look at the masked man.
"Didn't you say you were looking for me? I'm here!"
From the moment Yan Ruyu saw him, she looked at the masked man. Although he wasn't particularly tall, he was clearly a man.
The person who killed Yu Liang in the alley was not the one who killed him.
This situation was also beyond the masked man's expectations.
The original plan was to use Li Cheng to lure Su Zhenhai in, then turn the tables and kill them all here.
But who would have thought that Li Cheng would feign surrender?
The masked man took out a signal arrow from his pocket, and the arrow shot into the air, illuminating the night.
A moment later, a dozen or so men in black appeared from not far away.
They were originally intended by the masked man to kill Su Zhenhai, Li Cheng and his daughter, as well as those who had been ambushed.
The soldiers who had set up the ambush were only about thirty men. Although they were few in number, they were extremely skilled and could easily kill ordinary soldiers.
But now they were not facing ordinary soldiers, but the Black Riders behind Huo Changhe.
Now, there is no other option but to fight.
The two sides clashed. Su Zhenhai's men fought against them, while Huo Changhe's men were on the periphery.
Huo Changhe and Yan Ruyu sat on their horses, motionless as mountains.
In just over fifteen minutes, nearly half of the masked man's men had been killed.
Li Cheng was blinded by rage, and Su Zhenhai also wanted to capture the masked man alive, wanting to personally lift his mask to see if he was Liu Jiulang.
Seeing that the situation was not good, the masked man seized the opportunity to escape.
As soon as she turned around, Yan Ruyu glanced at Huo Changhe.
Huo Changhe understood and handed her three willow-leaf darts.
Yan Ruyu took it and held it between her fingers: "One is enough."
Huo Changhe smiled faintly: "Yu'er's hidden weapon skills have improved."
Yan Ruyu remained silent, flicked her wrist, and the dart flew out.