Chapter 217 Returning to the Village to Show Off

General Zhenhuang immediately said, "General Feng, are you going to sign a military pledge?"

Feng San was dumbfounded, "A...a military order? That's not what I meant..."

"Hahahaha," the Great General of Zhenhuang said, holding his hand, "I can see that's what you mean. You must feel that it's hard to convince the people that you, an unknown person, have suddenly become the vanguard general leading thousands of Great Wilderness troops. So you have to sign a military pledge so that the people I've assigned to you will obey your command, right?"

"This...I..."

Feng San was speechless for a moment.

There was nothing they could do; he was the highest-ranking general in Zhenhuang Pass.

Besides, what he said does make sense.

"What? Just now I saw you were so confident, you even said that if it didn't work out, you would bring me your head. Were you just boasting?" The General of Zhenhuang showed a displeased expression.

Feng San immediately replied, "Of course I'm not boasting! If I weren't absolutely certain, how could I say such a thing? It's just a military pledge, and I'm willing to sign it!"

"Good! General Feng has great courage!"

The General of Zhenhuang smiled.

Then, in front of him, Feng San made a pledge.

He didn't demand that Feng San beheaded if they failed to capture the camp; he only wanted to cut off one of his legs.

He said this was an exceptionally lenient treatment of Feng San, giving him appropriate pressure without putting too much pressure on Feng San, who became a general as soon as he took office, so as not to cause him to make mistakes.

Feng San was extremely grateful and pressed his fingerprint on the military order, indicating that he was willing to serve the General Zhenhuang wholeheartedly.

"Alright, you should get some rest tonight," General Zhenhuang said, patting his shoulder. "I still need to allocate manpower for you, which will take some time to prepare. You can lead the army into action early tomorrow morning."

"Yes, sir! I obey!"

One night passed.

Before dawn, Feng San led five thousand Zhenhuang soldiers away from Zhenhuang Pass.

It wasn't until he left the city gate and his deputy asked him about the marching route that he realized he wasn't familiar with the area where the Xuan Kingdom's secret camp was located in the Xuanhuang Mountains.

Although I've walked the route from the campsite back to the village, I can't remember the exact route no matter how hard I try.

With snow covering the area, finding the way became even more difficult.

The old village chief of Niujia Village is particularly familiar with the environment. He can remember any place he has been to once and is known by the villagers as a living map.

"Oh dear!" Feng Sanyi slapped his forehead. "No wonder I always felt that the old man couldn't die; he might be useful... So that's where his usefulness lies!"

It's just that I was too carried away at the time and only cared about bullying others by taking advantage of my power.

"General Feng, what's wrong?" The adjutant asked worriedly when he saw the troubled look in his eyes. "Could something have gone wrong? Perhaps... we should postpone our operation and discuss the battle plan before setting off again?"

Feng San quickly waved his hand, "What's there to slow down? Didn't I already say that we don't need any battle plan? Just come with me, and we'll launch a surprise attack to catch them off guard. Stop talking nonsense and come with me to Niujia Village first."

"Hmm? Why go to Niujia Village?"

"Didn't I tell you to stop talking nonsense? Just go!"

"Yes... General."

The marching troops then changed direction and followed Feng San toward Niujia Village.

This is Niujia Village.

All the villagers had woken up from their slumber. Recalling the events of the previous night, if it weren't for the fact that everyone was lying in sturdy tents, wearing thick cotton clothes and covered with warm quilts, they would have thought they had a beautiful dream before they died.

It turned out that, just as everyone was waiting to die in the freezing cold,...

Ning Jinli arrived just in time with a thousand Xuanjia soldiers and a large amount of supplies.

They not only rescued everyone in the village, but also set up tents for them, gave everyone a hearty meal, dressed them all in cotton-padded clothes, and let them get a good night's sleep.

When they stepped out of the large tent where they had huddled together for a temporary rest the night before, there were already more smaller tents outside.

Moreover, the entire village was cleaned up.

This is all the result of the Xuanjia Army's hard work throughout the night.

Ning Jinli told the old village chief that a clearing had been set up behind the village, with tents arranged for each household.

These tents are exceptionally sturdy and provide excellent insulation, far superior to the drafty thatched huts that people used to live in.

This winter, everyone will temporarily live in their own tents.

We'll help the villagers rebuild their houses when the weather improves in the spring.

In addition, the Niujia Village Ancestral Hall was also roughly repaired and reinforced by the Xuanjia Army and used to store food.

The ancestral hall was filled with all kinds of food, enough for more than a hundred villagers to stay in the village and eat and drink their fill throughout the winter.

When the villagers learned of this, they all wept bitterly.

This was the first time they had been taken care of in this way.

Even the people who take such good care of them and go to such lengths to consider their needs are from the Xuan Kingdom's army.

They wouldn't even dare to dream of such a thing.

You have to understand that there are very few armies in the world that treat civilians kindly, let alone take care of them. If you encounter a soldier, you're already thankful if you're not bullied.

"Gods! You...you are all truly gods sent from heaven!"

The village chief was in tears, his eyes swollen from crying.

He wanted to lead all the villagers to kowtow to Ning Jinli and the Xuanjia soldiers, but Ning Jinli stopped him.

"Grandpa, you can live your lives in peace from now on. I'll take my people back now. Goodbye," Ning Jinli said with a smile.

The old village chief quickly said, "No, no, you've all been working hard all night, you must stay and rest. We really don't know how to repay you, so please rest here for a while..."

Seeing the expectant looks in the eyes of the old village chief and the villagers, and unable to refuse their kind invitation, Ning Jinli agreed.

After the Xuanjia Army went into their tents to sleep, the old village chief pondered for a moment and then asked a few villagers to go to the river in front of the village entrance to see if they could catch some of the large fish that were a local specialty of the river.

That kind of fish is huge and has succulent flesh, and its taste is especially amazing in winter.

However, due to their fierce nature and extreme difficulty in catching, villagers generally do not risk fishing for them.

The old village chief made this decision because he had nothing else to offer to the soldiers of the Xuan Kingdom. If they were caught, they could use the fish to make several large pots of fresh and hot fish soup to warm the soldiers' stomachs, which would be a small token of the villagers' goodwill.

Soon, a dozen or so villagers set off with their fishing gear.

However, a short while later, they ran back to the village, their faces filled with terror. They hadn't even brought back their fishing gear, and they were shouting and panting, saying that something bad was about to happen.

"Keep your voice down, don't disturb the soldiers' rest."

The village chief said something to them, then asked them what they had seen that made them so scared.

The group chattered amongst themselves, telling the old village chief that a large group of Zhenhuang soldiers were heading this way.

They mustered their courage and observed that there were several thousand people.

Even more terrifying, the person walking at the front of the procession, wearing general's armor, was none other than Niu San!

"Stop calling him Niu San! He changed his surname himself, and he doesn't deserve to be called Niu anymore!" The old village chief got angry as soon as he heard the beast's name. "Are you sure you didn't see wrong? How could Feng San possibly become a general?"

The villagers said:

"More than a dozen of us saw it clearly! It was definitely him!"

"Even if he were reduced to ashes, we wouldn't mistake his face!"

"Village chief, what should we do? It seems like he's coming for us again!"

"..."

The old village chief's expression grew increasingly solemn as he listened.

But I can't understand it. The village was ransacked twice yesterday, and the second time it was Feng San who personally led his men to loot it. Logically, those people shouldn't know that the village has supplies again now.

"Don't panic," the old village chief pondered. "Go and tell the villagers to hide in the mountains. I'll go and tell Fairy Jinli right away."

A villager asked, "Are we asking a fairy to help us drive away Feng San?"

The village chief waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "How many people does the fairy have? A thousand or so soldiers! And they've been busy all night without sleep. The numbers are vastly different, and their physical strength is also far inferior. How can they possibly defeat the several thousand men that Feng San brought? I must inform the fairy to quickly lead her soldiers away!"

"Yes, yes, village chief, we've gone to inform the villagers. Please go and tell the fairy!"

"Okay, let's go!"

The two sides split up and acted separately.

The old village chief hurriedly found Ning Jinli and told her everything he had just learned and his plans.

Ning Jinli asked calmly, "Approximately how long until Feng San's troops arrive at our village?"

The old village chief said, "It shouldn't be even half an incense stick's time!"

"Half an incense stick's time... that's not enough." Ning Jinli frowned slightly.

The old village chief gritted his teeth and said, "That beast is definitely still after Niujia Village. He doesn't know that you fairies are here, so as long as I buy you some time, I can definitely let you escape before he finds you."

“No, no, no,” Ning Jinli shook her head, “we won’t run away.”

The old village chief was stunned. "Not run? Fairy, there are several thousand people! You only have a thousand. If they see you, they will definitely kill you! You have done enough for the people of Niujia Village. You absolutely cannot let anything happen to you!"

Ning Jinli smiled and said, "Grandpa, don't worry. A few thousand soldiers from the Desolate Kingdom are no match for our Great Xuan Army. We didn't bring many weapons and equipment because we came here to deliver supplies to the villagers. So we need more time to scout the situation and formulate a battle strategy before we can annihilate them in one fell swoop."

The old village chief couldn't believe it. "Fairy... are you kidding this old man?"

"This concerns the lives of the people, how could I talk nonsense?" Ning Jinli said softly. "The fighting power of the Xuanjia Army will surely open your eyes, but I need your help to buy us some time. I promise that nothing will happen to you or the villagers."

The old village chief said, "Since the fairy has said so, how can this old man not believe her? I will do whatever the fairy wants us to do. If anything goes wrong, we will have no complaints. As long as the fairy can kill that beast and avenge the dead villagers, we will be willing to lose our lives for it!"

Ning Jinli then gave some instructions to the old village chief.

She also put a walkie-talkie in the old village chief's ear and told him that he could hear her talking through it and stay in touch at any time.

The old village chief listened attentively and then resolutely did as he was told.

Inside Niujia Village, a thousand Xuanjia soldiers finished their short rest and began to quietly withdraw from various parts of the village into the nearby mountains and forests in an orderly manner to prepare for battle.

The vast majority of villagers also left with them.

The remaining villagers, led by the old village chief, arrived at the village entrance and stood in the wind and snow, waiting for the Zhenhuang Army, which was coming into view and approaching.

Feng San, clad in general's armor and riding a tall horse, stood tall and proud, exuding an air of great majesty.

Upon reaching the village entrance, he burst into laughter as soon as he saw the old village chief appear before him. "Hahahaha! Village chief, have you come here specifically to welcome this general?"

Several villagers looked disgusted.

The old village chief spat and cursed, "Bah! You ungrateful wretch! Just because you're wearing that skin doesn't mean you're something special! A general, indeed! Where did you get the nerve! If I had known you would do something so beastly, I should have let you die in the mountains!"

Feng San's face twitched, and his eyes turned cold. "You audacious commoner, how dare you insult this general? Are you tired of living?!"

The old village chief raised his head, neck stiff, and said, "You want to kill me too, huh? Come on! Go ahead and use your knife, just slash my neck! If I even flinch, I'm your son!"

Feng San sneered, "Heh, old man, you're still pretty tough. With just one word from me, I can easily flatten not only your old bones but also the entire Niujia Village. However, I'm too lazy to lower myself to the level of lowly people like you; it would be beneath my dignity."

Seeing his pretentious act, the old village chief didn't hold back and gave him another good scolding.

The insults grew increasingly harsh, each word piercing Feng San's heart.

Not only was Feng San's expression growing increasingly grim, but his subordinates were also losing face.

Even Ning Jinli, who was listening to the situation through the radio headset, was secretly astonished, fearing that the old village chief might anger the man and cause him to slash at her with a knife right now.

Ning Jinli adjusted her headphones and whispered, "Old man... take it easy. I want you to buy me time, not to go and die..."

Hearing the voice in his ears, the old village chief calmed down a bit. He had also gotten tired of cursing, so he stopped and took a breather.

In the gloomy sky where goose feather snow was falling, several drones flew silently by.

The thousands of Zhenhuang soldiers on the ground were completely unaware of this.

Feng Sanqiang suppressed his anger, stared straight at the old village chief, and said with a forced smile, "Have you cursed enough? Old man, don't talk nonsense in front of so many of my men. I am still a man of honor and loyalty. I came here to give you benefits as a way of repaying a debt of gratitude. Don't be ungrateful."

"Hahahaha! Repaying a debt of gratitude?" The old village chief laughed so hard he was doubled over. "Did I hear that right? A dog's mouth can actually spew out ivory? A beast actually knows how to repay a debt of gratitude? Oh no, many beasts do know how to repay a debt of gratitude, but some things that are even worse than beasts don't have that awareness at all!"

Feng San clenched his molars so hard they made a grinding sound.

If it weren't for the fact that the old man was still useful, and that he was now a general and needed to maintain a certain image in front of his soldiers, he would have loved to ride over and run the old man over to his death.

“Village chief, don’t say I didn’t give you a chance,” Feng San said, his eyes filled with cold killing intent, as he beckoned to him. “Come here, come with me later to do some things for the Zhenhuang Army, and you’ll get your share of the benefits.”

The old village chief sneered, "Looks like you need something from me? No wonder you didn't dare kill me even after I cursed you out. In that case, agree to one condition and I'll consider working for the Zhenhuang Army."

Feng San tried his best to remain patient and forced a smile. "What are the conditions?"