Schemes 2

Du Yan pulled himself up to his full height. "Of course we are heading there! How can I not throw myself into the jaws of this absolutely stupid trap? If I can tell it is a trap on my own, how can it not be idiotic? This is too bloody obvious!"

"Ah! Unless it is actually a clever trap, but the ones who are setting it up are only pretending to be stupid? So that we would be more inclined to jump into its maw? Hmmm?" Qin Feng could not help commenting, as he rolled his eyes at the huge man.

Lin Liushui burst out into laughter immediately, while everyone else grinned. Only Du Yan, who could tell that he was the target of the joke, glared at Qin Feng. But that only lasted for a moment, before he laughed too.

"Ha ha ha. I get it. I am being too emotional about this now. That is why they had sent Cousin Guangyi here, of course. Everyone knows I always get irritated with him. So, we should avoid this trap?"

Lin Liushui disagreed immediately. "No, no, no. I was serious when I said that we should go ahead and see what they are up to. We should head to Ningfei Town at once."

Qin Feng was the next one to speak out. He had usually waited until everyone else had had their say first, so he decided that Du Yan needed to know how he really saw this scheme of his enemies. It was about time that they forgot about all those counter-ploys that Lin Liushui usually came up with. But if even their strategist was advocating the direct approach ...

"I agree. We should just meet their fist with our own. I don't think they will be properly prepared for us, since I doubt that they were expecting us to have gotten past their ambush without Du Yan receiving any injuries. Did you notice how shocked they looked when they saw him riding up without any wounds?"

Li Changhai nodded back at Lin Liushui, who had surprised everyone with those last words. "Those two older fellows? At Du Guangyi's flanks? I saw."

The exchange between Lin Liushui and Li Changhai made Qin Feng shoot a look at Du Yan, who simply shrugged back at him. Qin Feng took that to mean that the burly fellow did not have an idea what the other pair were talking about. Instead, the big fellow had simply turned his head, and glared at Lin Liushui.

Who preened himself as he always did, when he was certain that he was the center of attention. Li Changhai, however, let the wind out of the gallant's sails, when he cut in and started to explain instead, to Du Yan:

"Those two who were accompanying your cousin, Brother Yan. They are highly skilled martial practitioners. Even I could tell, from their breathing and the way that they were so light in the saddle. I believe that they were here to support him, to put the finishing touches to their plan to aggravate you, and send you rushing to Ningfei Town."

Lin Liushui sniffed then. "Or to finish you off, if you were already in obvious dire straits. I think that was what they were expecting to see. But the fact that you didn't have a scratch on you certainly upset their plans."

"Ah. And do you think that my Cousin Guangyi knew about their intentions?"

Du Yan's question made Lin Liushui pause for a moment, as he ran through what had happened during that brief meeting. Before he shook his head at the big fellow. "Unlikely. I could sense his dislike for you, but there was none of the shock that was evident on the other two men's faces and posture," he replied.

"Then I'll just presume that he wants me to disgrace myself, rather than being one of those who are out to take my life. I never really liked him, but I don't expect my family members, even distant ones like Cousin Guangyi, to want me dead. It wouldn't do them any good, after all."

Qin Feng had to agree with the pair's assessment. Especially Du Yan's last words. It certainly wasn't going to profit people like his Cousin Du Guangyi, as he had mentioned. But if that was the case, why was he helping those two men to get more information with regards to Du Yan's travel companions. And why was he pushing him towards Ningfei Town?

Which clearly held another trap. And likely, a more elaborate one, since they were uncertain if any of Du Yan's companions had been responsible for getting him away from that last one. Someone like Captain Wen Xuanran, who oozed efficiency from his every pore, was certainly out of their original expectations, Qin Feng was certain.

So that probably meant that they would have to rush to Ningfei Town first, and make arrangements to deal with the troop!

The Second Ducal Prince also had the same idea, from his next words:

"We shall have to be more careful, as we head to Ningfei Town. If they are so blatantly redirecting you there, they would have put a great deal of thought and planning into the set-up of the place. My soldiers aren't going to be of much use either. They would not be allowed within the town itself. Some rules about the deployment of troops in the Kingdom, you see. They can only camp outside. Captain Wen shall be the only one allowed in."

"With an aide, if I do not recall those regulations incorrectly. Which should be you in disguise, I think. That should help to make things easier," Lin Liushui replied, wearing a broad grin.

"Easier?"

The handsome fellow's smile grew wider, as though the Ducal Prince's simple question had been exactly what he had been hoping for.

"Of course! It tells us that they don't know that you have come along with us. Didn't you see how the two that they had sent earlier were simply scanning the troopers earlier. And we had you hidden in the carriage. So they have no idea that you are with us. Or, at the least, they are pretending that they don't know.

"Which allows us to surprise those planning Brother Yan's demise, when they least expect it! Isn't that going to make things easier for us? To smash their plan to pieces, don't you think?"

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