"Do you understand now? If you have any questions, ask now; we don't have much time left," said Lee.
After a moment of silent contemplation, Han Fei responded, "I understand, Uncle Martial. But, is there a backup plan?"
"Exactly. The town lord is a Level 7 Martial Master after all, and he'll have plenty of men around him. Surely there's a back up plan, right?" Lee Zhong added, his voice echoing his concern.
Han looked at the two youths with a stern expression. "No. This is the second phase of the plan, and there is no backup."
"If you two fail to poison the town lord, all of our plans will collapse, and that would mean disaster for our families."
"..."
Understanding the gravity of the responsibility they bore, the two young men couldn't help but feel tense.
"But what about the academy's director? Isn't he also a Level 7 Martial Master? If he goes to aid the town lord, there's no way we could handle both of them together," Han Fei asked, the concern evident in his voice.
The two family leaders didn't answer immediately. After a brief silence, Han looked over at the servants. "No word yet from the scouts?"
One of the servants stepped forward, bowing his head. "Forgive me, Master. They just sent word, but I didn't want to interrupt you while you were explaining the plan to the young masters."
"No matter, speak. What was the message?" Although there was a hint of irritation on his face from the servant's delayed report, Han was more concerned with the enemy's movements.
"Master, the fires at the Wu and Lei family houses are still out of control. The town lord is gathering his men at the lord's manor in the center of town."
"Meanwhile, the Lei family leader is gathering most of his men at the main door of their house. The academy director, after passing through the north gate of town, made his way straight to the Wu house."
"The scouts believe the enemy is preparing for a defensive stand," said the servant as he pulled a small note from his chest and handed it to his master.
Han took the note. As he did, Lee leaned in, saying, "Brother Han." Together, they looked over the note, and a strange expression crossed both of their faces.
Seeing this, the young men asked, "What is it? What does the note say?"
"It's something we expected. Nothing to worry about," Lee replied, as if to reassure them.
"I suppose it's time to begin the fight," Han said, his expression a touch grim as he tossed the note into the flame of a nearby candle.
Both family leaders looked simultaneously at the young men. "You know what to do. The time has come. Go," they commanded, and the young men vanished into the darkness with their men in tow.
As the young men disappeared down the dark streets, the family leaders exchanged a glance. Lee gestured to one of the men nearby.
In response, the man silently drew his sword and, before anyone could react, swiftly killed several servants around him. Exiting the building, he eliminated two more guards who were watching the perimeter, then returned, bowing to his master and resuming his post in silence.
"They know we're here, just as we suspected. They've infiltrated our families."
"Hmmm."
"Brother Lee, how about we pay a visit to the Lei family?" Han said with a grin.
"Hahaha! Finally, we can have some fun," Lee responded excitedly. They left, striding toward the Lei family house, their followers joining them from every street, each one carrying a different weapon. The two family leaders looked positively thrilled.
Meanwhile, from a boulder near the north gate of the town, Lu Yang watched everything unfold in silence, his shadow at his side as the fires spread in the distance. Seeing the flames leaping from place to place, he thought to himself, 'Why are they setting everything ablaze? What do they plan to do if the entire town burns down?'
To Lu Yang, the fires signaled the beginning of a massive clash between the families. Yet, seeing flames spreading to seemingly unrelated areas made him question the planners' intentions.
Recalling the night his family's home was looted two years ago, Lu Yang gritted his teeth. 'Who cares!' he thought, continuing his surveillance.
'For now, the priority is to guarantee a safe escape from town. Once that's secured, I'll try to use the chaos to sneak into the Wu family's house.'
'The estates of the major families are in the southeast and northeast of the town. As long as I avoid the town square and the eastern area, I shouldn't have to worry about getting caught up in the battle.'
After a brief moment of contemplation, he decided. 'First, I'll steal a strong horse from the town guards. I'll hide it somewhere secluded near the south gate, and then I'll figure out what to do from there.' With that thought, Lu Yang stepped out from behind the boulder.
Noticing his shadow stood up as he did, Lu Yang recalled its presence and spoke in mild exasperation. "For two years, you've been useless. Even when I was focused and most needed you, you refused to appear. And now, here you are, sticking around."
With an odd expression on his face, he thought, 'Well, at least no one will notice it in the dark.' He turned and walked toward the north gate of the town.
After taking a few steps, Lu Yang paused. 'Wait... maybe it can be useful', he thought, glancing at his shadow.
When he reached the north gate, he noticed there were no guards around. Slipping through the gate, he turned to the right and made his way west, cutting through narrow alleys until he reached his destination ten minutes later. Spotting a horse tied up in front of an inn, Lu Yang waited for the right moment.
After observing his surroundings for a while, he quietly approached the horse, grabbed some hay from a nearby bale, and began feeding it to keep it quiet while he untied it.
Just as he finished untying the horse, the sounds of battle erupted from the east side of town, startling the animals. Lu Yang quickly led the horse into the alley he came from and disappeared from sight.
Though people had opened windows to look into the noise, luckily no one spotted him.