Chapter 166: Chaos in Xiaocheng (Part 6) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

Shen Tang: "..."

This is absolutely outrageous!

The battle hadn't even started when the prefect fled.

This was within Qi Shan's expectations, so he wasn't surprised at all. If the prefect suddenly vowed to defend the city to the death and live and die with the people of Xiaocheng, that would be truly unbelievable.

Either the prefect has lost his mind or he has been possessed.

Shen Tang: "So who's in charge of Xiaocheng now?"

The common people were unaware of it.

He learned the information from other people on the street, but as for who told them...

It has nothing to do with him!

The most important thing now is to escape.

The man caught his breath, picked up his elderly mother again, tied the rope securely, and, carrying a wooden stick and the few remaining provisions, bid farewell to Shen Tang and the other three. Watching the mother and son blend into the crowd of refugees, Shen Tang suddenly clenched his fist.

I thought I could make it in three hours, but things didn't go as planned. The main road was blocked, and the side roads were full of refugees.

The four had no choice but to change their route and take a detour. Along the way, they saw smoke rising from a village, where a group of young, strong men dressed as soldiers were arresting people.

Shen Tang and the others clearly have the potential to be cannon fodder.

The lead soldier's gaze swept over them, and he pointed his spear at the four of them, shouting, "You four, stop!"

Shen Tang stopped in her tracks.

He asked in a cold voice, "Did you call me?"

Several soldiers surrounded them, and the leader, General Shen Tang, and his three companions looked them up and down, quite satisfied with their age and physique.

"Are you villagers from this village? Are you also trying to avoid conscription?"

Shen Tang, with a cold face, even though she wanted to punch him to the ground, still replied, "No, just a passerby."

It's better to avoid trouble. The soldiers' uniforms clearly don't belong to the garrison of Sibao County; they're most likely rebels.

Shen Tang didn't want to cause trouble, but unfortunately—she was willing to let the person go, but she couldn't stop them from actively courting death.

The leading soldier wouldn't listen to any explanation.

"Whether it's true or not, we'll find out once we take you back and question you. If we find out you're lying... hehe! Take them all away!"

The man waved his hand dismissively.

They have quotas for recruiting soldiers.

If the targets aren't met, you'll get scolded when you get back. You have to recruit enough people for your future. If you encounter any resistance or obstruction, just kill them.

Just as Shen Tang was about to lash out, two soldiers dragged a man out of a dilapidated house at the edge of the village and exclaimed excitedly, "Boss, come and see!"

This was immediately followed by the woman's screams as she struggled and resisted.

Shen Tang looked in the direction of the sound and saw a pretty peasant woman dressed in simple clothes being dragged out of a house, begging for mercy. Even with her face smeared with black soot, it was clear that she was quite beautiful. Another man chased after her.

"...Soldiers, soldiers, please let my wife go...I'll go with you, just please let her go!"

The young couple hid well in the woodpile behind the dilapidated house, but the soldiers broke into the village and searched the place thoroughly, leaving no place untouched for hiding.

The couple was quickly located.

The man thought that agreeing to leave would solve everything, but he underestimated the ruthlessness of these rebels. Their recruitment quota was enormous, difficult to meet under normal circumstances. To avoid punishment, these soldiers would also casually scout out attractive or well-built women.

What are we going to do with it?

It's naturally used to bribe superiors.

Of course, handsome men are also acceptable.

If you can satisfy your boss, not only will the performance target issue be resolved, but you will also gain their appreciation, promotion, and important responsibilities.

In this respect, this pretty and charming peasant woman was far more important than that man, as it concerned her future.

The man stepped forward to pull him away, and the peasant woman scratched him in the struggle, which finally angered the soldier, who kicked the man in the chest.

How ungrateful!

If that kick landed squarely, a man of his build would at least fall to the ground and be unable to get up, or worse, lose consciousness.

Who knew—

That's when things changed.

A sword beam flashed, followed by a scream more agonizing than a pig being slaughtered, as the soldier's leg flew off.

Yes, it flew straight out!

A gush of blood splattered all over the man's face.

The woman was also terrified by the scene and almost forgot to struggle for a moment. But only for a split second. As the soldier fell to the ground rolling around without his leg, she opened her mouth and bit the wrist of another man. Taking advantage of his pain and release, she pounced on her own man.

In just that short time, the situation was turned upside down.

Shen Tang's move seemed to be a signal.

Gong Shuwu snapped the necks of the two closest men with his bare hands. Qi Shan coldly drew his sword with a swift motion. Shen Tang liked to slit people's throats, while he preferred to aim for their hearts. Chu Yao, the remaining man, didn't wear a sword. After all, his swordsmanship had been neglected for many years, and wearing a sword would only be for decoration. But he was still a scholar with a literary heart. He was stronger than the average person, and a single punch could make someone's head buzz and the world spin.

These "forced conscripts" were all ordinary people, not even low-ranking nobles, and Shen Tang and his three companions could easily kill the rest.

The couple wasn't the only one rescued.

Dozens of people trembled as they looked at the corpses scattered on the ground.

Shen Tang wiped the blood off the sword and said calmly, "You guys pack your things and run away together. It's no longer safe here."

If the soldiers don't go back to report, the rebels will eventually track them down to the village. Staying there is just waiting to die, so it's better to escape as soon as possible.

"Thank you, hero! Thank you, hero!"

Shen Tang's expression softened considerably: "No need for thanks. It would be against our principles to stand by and watch someone die or be in trouble."

Although her disguise made her look fierce and intimidating, her eyes were calm, making her seem more like a kind-hearted person with a rather intimidating appearance.

Good people are often easy to bully.

Most villagers, however unwilling, had no choice but to go back and pack their belongings to escape as soon as possible. However, a few who were not thinking clearly were cursing loudly, even pointing their fingers at Shen Tang.

"You damned bastards! What kind of heroes are you, bandits? Didn't you kill all these people? Why should we escape? If the four of you didn't intervene, these thugs would have just grabbed the people and left!"

Qi Shan and the others' expressions changed drastically.

It wasn't that they hadn't seen this kind of situation before. In fact, they all knew that people's hearts were fickle, especially in these remote places. Poor mountains and bad waters breed unruly people, so don't expect unruly people to "repay kindness."

Their change in expression was because of Shen Tang.

In Qi Shan's and Wu Lang's view, Shen Xiaolangjun/Wulang is still young, and facing this scene without warning is not good for his physical and mental health.

But, to everyone's surprise—

The next moment, Shen Tang's sword tip was firmly pressed against the man's neck, leaving a bloody mark. The villager only realized the fear after feeling the pain, his face turned pale, and he looked at Shen Tang, who had suddenly attacked, in disbelief.

"Heh, now you know what fear is?" Shen Tang's expression was icy as she sneered, much like her drunken demeanor, and warned, "Don't you dare move! If you move even slightly, I'll lose my grip on the sword, and your head will be separated from your body. Since you call me a 'ruthless bandit,' believe me, I'll show you how ruthless I can be right now. Anyway, I've killed so many people, what's a few more fools to kill?"

In an instant, the atmosphere around them plummeted.

Shen Tang was surrounded by a chilling killing intent that even Gong Shuwu secretly feared, let alone these ordinary villagers?

He immediately changed his tune and begged for mercy, no longer daring to act rashly.

|ω)

PS: Oh no, my notes on the Xiaocheng storyline got soaked in water. Damn it, I have to look up and copy the information all over again.

(End of this chapter)