Chapter 185: Chaos in Xiaocheng (Twenty-Five) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

"Where did that barbarian settle those two people of unknown origin?" The bearded man sat in his tent, and with the help of his soldiers, he removed his heavy armor, revealing his bare chest. In front of him was a basin full of water.

The messenger soldier bent down to reply.

"Yes, it was specially arranged by the young general."

The bearded man: "Did he say anything?"

The messenger soldier said, "The young general said it's quieter over there. Even if there's a night attack by the enemy, it won't disturb the two distinguished guests. It's safe."

The bearded man suddenly let out a sneer.

Disdain: "A barbarian is a barbarian. He's willful and reckless, with no sense of the bigger picture. What does he have left besides his brute strength?"

The messenger soldiers were the private retinue of the bearded man.

He echoed the bearded man's words, saying, "The general is absolutely right. The young general has been acting recklessly this time. Should we inform him...?"

The bearded man raised his hand to stop him.

He said, "No need. The old man has been favoring this bastard for a long time. Even if I say something, I'll be the one who gets scolded in the end. We don't need to worry about this. If something happens, it'll be a good opportunity for the old man to see what he's so treasuring."

The messenger pursed his lips and lowered his head.

The "old man" the general was referring to was none other than his own father, and the very culprit who had recklessly granted the barbarian youth all sorts of privileges. However, the messenger was the bearded man's private retinue, not the old general's.

In private, these disrespectful terms of address must be forgotten as soon as they are heard, and not a single word of them should be revealed, otherwise the whole family would lose their lives.

The bearded man didn't even glance at the cowardly soldier with his head bowed and shoulders hunched. He slightly opened his arms, and his concubine, disguised as a soldier, wrung out a cloth and half-squatted down to wipe his smelly upper body. Wherever the damp cloth touched, the stuffiness and stickiness were swept away.

The concubine then brought over a blood-activating and stasis-removing ointment.

Looking at the red marks on his joints caused by the thin rope, he said with heartache, "Alas... why must the general suffer like this? No matter how great your achievements, in the end, won't most of them be taken by that person?"

Although the weather is getting cooler, wearing armor all day still makes you sweat and smell bad; the armor straps even chafe your skin through the lining. That "barbarian" wears shoulder armor and skirt armor as if that's armor, as casually as if he's at a picnic or banquet.

Anyone else would have been scolded long ago.

When it was the young man's turn, nothing happened to him at all.

Who doesn't know that the old general is extremely biased?

The bearded man stroked his beloved concubine's delicate, smooth hand, enjoying the gentle application of medicine with his eyes closed, and chuckled, "What can you do? Who told the old man to ruin his reputation in his later years, to have such a savage with a barbarian woman? She's got good genes..."

If Xiaocheng is captured, all the credit goes to that barbarian; if Xiaocheng is not captured, he will bear seven or eight tenths of the responsibility.

“He’s talented, and you’re not bad either.” She bent down and picked up the pieces of armor she had taken off one by one, placing them on the shelf. The whole set wasn’t very heavy, but it still weighed close to thirty pounds. “Don’t you also possess martial armor? Isn’t it tiring to wear this heavy thing every day?”

The bearded man dipped his feet, which had been soaking in the cold water all night, into the icy water. The chill spread from his feet throughout his body, raising goosebumps down his spine. He sighed, rubbing the soles and insteps of his feet, and scoffed without looking up, "What does a woman know?"

A martial artist with unwavering courage can transform into armor, but this armor cannot be maintained for long and consumes a significant amount of martial energy. Martial energy is something that doesn't matter much in normal times, but wasting even a single drop is unacceptable in crucial moments.

Under normal circumstances, military officers always wear armor.

In case of unexpected emergencies.

Only these ignorant women, who only care about convenience, and that barbarian would think that with armor, there's no need for helmets. The bearded man, having taken a simple bath with his concubine's help, felt much better, especially with the sight of the beautiful woman under the lamplight…

"My beauty, come here!"

He chuckled, licking his dry lips, then swept his arm around his beloved concubine and carried her behind the screen. And it must be said, the soldier's uniform did indeed look quite charming on her.

Before long, strange noises, blush-inducing and suggestive, arose from the tent. The concubine, though still aware of shame, tried to suppress her feelings, but the bearded man paid no heed, doing whatever pleased him.

The guards outside the tent could hear everything clearly.

Look at your nose with your eyes, and your heart with your nose.

Even though the old general repeatedly reprimanded his son for taking women to the battlefield for pleasure, the son simply ignored him and paid no heed to his father's words. The guards dared not remind him and risk offending him; this man was not one to be trifled with.

As time went by, he conquered cities and territories with unstoppable momentum, until the enemy was exhausted and begged for mercy.

He smiled, preparing to take a short rest and launch a direct attack on the enemy's main camp to win the battle in one fell swoop. Just as he was blowing the final horn for the general offensive, a short, sharp, and high-pitched sound came from outside the tent, startling him so much that his hand slipped.

"presumptuous!"

The engine stalled midway!

He got up angrily and left the battlefield.

He casually straightened his clothes, his face still showing the lividity and anger of being startled, his eyes blazing as he stared at the person who had interrupted him.

Suddenly, the messenger arrived, panting, "Something terrible has happened—the rear camp, the rear camp direction is on fire!!!"

Upon hearing this, the bearded man's eyes widened suddenly. He grabbed the messenger soldier by the collar, lifted him up, and brought him close, demanding, "What! What did you say? There's a fire?"

The messenger pointed in the direction outside the tent.

Before he could catch his breath, the bearded man, both angry and anxious, threw aside the messenger soldier and strode out of the tent.

A commotion was heard coming from the direction of the rear camp. The fire had grown to a considerable size in just a few breaths, and the figures of people running around in panic could be vaguely seen.

"What happened?"

He roared at the captured soldiers.

"Or was it an enemy night attack?"

The captured soldiers were unaware of this.

Not only him, but even the guards standing watch outside the main tent were unaware of the situation. It all happened so suddenly that they wouldn't have even had time to react if the messenger hadn't rushed over.

When did the enemy infiltrate?

When was the attack carried out?

How many people are there?

I know absolutely nothing.

Even the soldiers near the rear camp were unaware of the situation. All they knew was that suddenly, a group of frightened cattle and sheep burst into flames and charged wildly in all directions, smashing the wooden fence to pieces like paper.

The nearby camps suffered the consequences.

One collapse after another!

Inside the tent, the soldier who had already fallen asleep fully clothed let out a short, shrill scream, only to lose his life before he could even feel the pain.

Some soldiers tried to kill them with their weapons, but they underestimated the speed and force of the cattle and sheep as they ran wildly in fright.

Those overconfident soldiers were knocked to the ground, their ribs breaking as the hooves of the bulls pounded on their heads.

One kick and your sternum will crumble; two kicks and you'll be sent to the underworld!

The cows are quite strong, and the sheep are no slouch either.

Their fur was thicker and more abundant than that of cattle, and their fire was even greater; wherever they went, they carried flames, and the collapsed tents were soon ablaze. The rebel soldiers were in a chaotic frenzy…

They had to both put out the fire and control the livestock.

However, since they were leaderless and failed to control the frightened cattle and sheep in time, it was destined that once they were truly scattered, the situation would spiral out of control.

The bearded man arrived in armor, and flames were already raging overhead.

All the provisions and supplies were lost in the fire!

Seeing this, his eyes widened in fury.

"Who dares to invade my camp!"

He focused his energy in his dantian, his voice booming like thunder, and the aura of a martial arts master spread out in all directions like a tidal wave.

With a gun in hand, he pierced through the maddened bull with a single shot!

Despite the immense impact, his lower body remained firmly planted.

He shouted loudly, his arm muscles bulging.

With a single shot, he lifted the cow, which was emitting a mournful cry before its death, and flung it away.

The cow, bleeding profusely, crashed heavily to the ground, raising dust. It twitched briefly, then quickly died. But the bearded man's tactic couldn't stop the other crazed cattle and sheep; the fire spread rapidly with their rampage.

"You scoundrel! Come out and face your death!"

The bearded man had bloodshot eyes.

This was something he never expected.

As for the "bandits who launched the night raid" he mentioned, there wasn't even a trace of them. His angry roar here seemed more like impotent rage.

"This...this is really..."

In the shadows, Zhai Le stared in disbelief at this scene.

They intended to use the cattle and sheep for their own purposes, but only by poisoning them! It wasn't that they didn't want a fire attack to cause chaos within the rebel camp, but they lacked supplies, making execution extremely difficult. However, they never expected that in the short time it took to doze off, the cattle and sheep would be collectively set on fire.

A sky full of dazzling starlight fell from the heavens.

A few breaths later, the situation was completely out of control.

This also means that there is a second force in the shadows!

Zhai Ledao said, "Brother, it must be Brother Shen and his group!"

This is the only target I can think of right now.

Zhai Huan grabbed his cousin's arm, preparing to slip out of the rebel camp amidst the chaos. Regardless of whether it was Shen Tang or not, and no matter how they managed it, once the soldiers quelled the chaos, it would be the brothers who would be purged.

They're here to cause trouble, not to die.

It's best to leave before anyone realizes what's happening!

Thump!

Amidst the flames, a streak of dark green martial energy shot out!

Zhai Le pulled his cousin behind him and conjured a shield as tall as a person. Unexpectedly, the unfamiliar martial energy came on fiercely, and its strength forced him to take half a step back before he could barely steady himself.

He was horrified, but the next second he also transformed into armor, his large shield becoming a weapon, and stepped forward to meet the attack!

clang!

Almost at the same moment, the giant sword came crashing down!

Zhai Huan and Zhai Le were brothers who worked together seamlessly. Almost as soon as he was pulled back, he activated Wen Xin.

The two of them worked together and repelled the attacker with a single blow.

When the person stopped, Zhai Le asked in surprise, "It's you?"

The newcomer wore only shoulder armor and half skirt armor, with snake-patterned bracers on his arms; his other vital areas were completely unprotected. Wasn't this the young man who had chatted so amiably with Brother Shen not long ago?

Although the youth was defeated, he remained calm.

He asked, "Was it the two of you who launched a night raid on the camp?"

Zhai Le did not want to say more.

His expression, however, was much more serious.

The young man hadn't even donned his martial armor, nor even worn the Martial Courage Tiger Talisman at his waist, yet an indescribable pressure emanated from his casual stance. This pressure was even greater than that of Commandant Yang!

You should know that Commandant Yang is already a tenth-rank Left Vice-Chief!

Could this young man, who wasn't much older than him, be above the tenth rank? He gripped his weapon tightly, his heart pounding like a drum.

I knew there would be a fierce battle tonight!

He said, "So what if it is?"

The young man tilted his head, his long hair tied in a small braid swaying with his movement, giving him a somewhat playful look. But the words that came out of his mouth had nothing to do with the word "playful." He raised the long sword engraved with intertwined snakes and pointed it at Zhai Le.

He sneered, "Then prepare to die!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he touched the ground with his feet, his figure moving so fast that it almost left a blur. The long sword in his hand, carrying a powerful, surging blade light, slashed down at Zhai Le. The immense force of the blow, like a giant wave crashing down on him, made Zhai Le's hands go numb, and his weapon hummed under the strain.

The massive shockwave from the clash of weapons overturned nearby tents.

The young man raised an eyebrow: "Wow, not bad!"

It was done so casually, without even conjuring up any martial armor.

In a duel between martial arts masters, neither of them displayed their martial armor, which was not only a sign of contempt from one side towards the other, but also indicated a significant disparity in strength between the two combatants. This realization hardened Zhai Le's expression.

He secretly exhaled to ease the throbbing pain in his tiger's mouth.

The young man's strength was even greater than that of Gong Shuwu, whom he had fought before. Zhai Le also had a question in his mind: with such a courageous and valiant warrior in charge, why hadn't this group of rebels taken Xiaocheng yet?

Zhai Huan remained calm, raising his hand to cast a calming and invigorating spell, while simultaneously slashing the neck of a soldier attempting a sneak attack with his sword. He then warned in a deep voice, "A-Le, don't panic, don't let him disturb your mind."

Zhai Le naturally understood this principle as well.

Luck resisted the oppressive power exerted by the youth.

In the blink of an eye, the young man charged towards him with unparalleled momentum. The dark green martial energy surging around him faintly condensed into a blurry giant python, which opened its blood-red maw and sprang out its venomous fangs.

Ding ding ding—

Zhai Le suddenly rose up to meet the enemy.

The two fought fiercely, their weapons sparking everywhere.

Before long, several cracks appeared on Zhai Le's weapon, which would shatter with just a couple more blows. A cracked black and white aura covered his shoulder armor. It was this aura that protected him; otherwise, he would have at least lost an arm at the root.

The young man clicked his tongue and pouted, "That's not fair."

Zhai Le's lips twitched uncontrollably.

How can this be fair?

Blood gushed from the split tiger's mouth, soaking the entire palm and slowly flowing down the weapon, dripping onto the ground.

The young man said, "I also want to find a scholar with a literary mind."

Zhai Le's expression changed.

At that moment, the young man turned his head and shouted to the side.

He said, "Mama, come help me!"

Zhai Huan's heart skipped a beat.

They were genuinely afraid that the young man would call for help.

only--

When the person who emerged from that corner came into their view, both Zhai Le and Zhai Huan were startled.

Nothing else—

The "Mama" mentioned by the young man turned out to be someone they knew.

This is precisely Shen Tang, whose stance is currently unclear.

Shen Youli!

Beside him stood Qi Shan, whose presence was not particularly noticeable.

For a moment, the Zhai brothers, Zhai Huan and Zhai Le, Shen Tang and Qi Shan, and the young man stood in a triangle, the atmosphere extremely tense.

Zhai Le, growing anxious, opened his mouth and said, "Brother Chen..."

He accidentally aggravated the injury to his chest, and a slight metallic taste rose in his mouth.

Shen Tang remained expressionless, holding only the gleaming, beautiful longsword in his hand, his gaze shifting from the Zhai brothers to the young man.

Zhai Le felt a sense of foreboding: "..."

Could it be that Brother Shen is really...?

(ω) Hey

2-in-1

No prize quiz: guess the incantation that Tang Mei used to set the fire.

Hint: The master of the Word of Power is very powerful.

(End of this chapter)