Even the most meticulous plans can have flaws...
Su Sheng's eyes adjusted to the light, but his eyelids still looked droopy due to the burns. In fact, he was about the same age as Zhao Cheng, but his hunched figure and hoarse voice made him look like an old man.
"Perhaps this is my destiny..."
"Young Master, don't be discouraged!"
Cui Wuming stepped forward with his sword, glanced at the crowd behind Zhao Cheng, pointed his sword at them, and said, "We have been ambushed, but with me here, we might still be able to fight back!"
Zhao Cheng sneered and said, "Cui Wuming, where do you get your confidence? The damage I caused you hasn't healed yet, and you were just injured by Xiao Nuo's arrow. Don't even think you can turn the tide. Today, you and your master will both lose your lives here."
As soon as Zhao Cheng finished speaking, Cui Wuming immediately made his move, his body transforming into a streak of light and instantly appearing in front of Zhao Cheng, thrusting his sword forward with a speed so fast it was as if a gust of wind had swept by.
Clang!
A snow-white sword deflected Cui Wuming's longsword, and Gong Xue stood in front of Zhao Cheng, with azure ice crystals spreading forward from her feet.
Gong Xue said coldly, "I lost to you last time when you were at your best. Maybe not today."
"Uncle Cui, with Gong Xue and Zhou Nuo working together, one openly and the other covertly, you really don't have much of a chance."
Su Sheng slowly sat down, looking as if she had given up resisting, and suddenly shouted, "Light the fire!"
Upon hearing this, the assassins immediately rushed towards the grain depot.
This was also part of Su Sheng's plan: to burn down the granary immediately should any unforeseen circumstances arise.
"put!"
At Zhou Nuo's command, the Dongjing archers on the mountainside appeared to be firing randomly downwards, but in reality, they were killing the suicide soldiers who were about to set the fire.
Zhao Cheng said, "Don't waste your energy. With Miss Gong Xue here, even if you light a fire, it won't burn."
As he spoke, Zhao Cheng stepped back and said, "Let's take them to meet Shen Wansan."
"Swish swish——"
As the second volley of arrows rained down, Cui Wuming, worried that Zuo Zhu alone couldn't protect Su Sheng, quickly came to Su Sheng's side, and the two of them stood on either side to shield Su Sheng from the arrows.
Su Sheng was protected and the arrows couldn't hurt him for a while, but the assassins fell one after another, and all the grain flowing out of the granary was stained red.
Su Sheng remained seated quietly and said, "General Zuo, remember what I told you. That's the only way to protect the young commander. Uncle Cui, take General Zuo and escape to the valley entrance. Once you're out of the valley, just watch out for Zhou Nuo's arrows, and your lives will be safe."
Zuo Zhu shook his head and said, "No, I can't abandon the strategist!"
Su Sheng said, "In your heart, am I more important than the young governor?"
“This…” Zuo Zhu hesitated.
Cui Wuming twirled his sword, slicing dozens of arrows into pieces, and said, "Young Master, I will not abandon you either."
Su Sheng said, "At a time like this, I'm just a burden. If you take me with you, none of you will be able to escape!"
Cui Wuming said, "Then let's die together."
Su Sheng said, "Nonsense! You told me yourself that you would obey my every word, and now you're going to disobey my orders?"
Cui Wuming shouted sternly, "I will not obey orders that are against my will!"
"You!" Su Sheng was speechless.
Cui Wuming glanced at Zuo Zhu and said, "General Zuo, I'm sorry I can't help you break through. But these loyal soldiers are all under your command; you can lead them to fight for a chance of survival."
Zuo Zhu suddenly sighed.
“I regard the young commander as my benefactor, and the young commander regards the strategist as his benefactor. In my heart, the young commander is indeed more important than the strategist, but if any of you are in danger, I will not choose to abandon you and run away to save my own life.”
Looking at the dying warriors, Zuo Zhu suddenly shouted, "Brothers! You were all handpicked by me. I wanted to lead you to achieve great things and serve the country, but I never expected to lead you to hell!"
"This is my fault, Zuo Zhu!"
"Since we're going to die anyway, brothers, don't overexert yourselves. Take a rest! I will remember you all, and in the next life I will repay your kindness and avenge the hatred of today!"
After saying that, Zuo Zhu sat cross-legged next to Su Sheng.
Seeing this, the assassins stared at each other. The first one threw down his sword, followed by the second and the third, and then they all threw down their swords and sat down around Su Sheng and Zuo Zhu.
During this time, some people were still hit by arrows and fell down; some were numb, some were shedding tears, and some were laughing.
Su Sheng looked at Cui Wuming, who was still fighting and resisting, and said, "Uncle Cui, sit down. You're right, we'll die together."
Cui Wuming glared angrily at Zhao Cheng in the distance, angrily stabbed his longsword into the ground, and plopped down next to Su Sheng.
Zuo Zhu laughed and said, "Brothers, don't be afraid, we're about to go home!"
The crowd chanted in unison, "Go home! Go home!! Go home!!!"
Zhao Cheng walked to the front of the line and raised his hand.
Zhou Nuo shouted, "Stop!"
The archers on the hillside immediately stopped firing.
Looking at the corpses scattered all over the ground, Heng Wenhao sighed, "Half of them are dead."
Zhao Cheng said, "But there are still half of them. Each of these more than a thousand people has a seed of hatred for my Zhao family planted in their heart."
Zhou Nuo reminded them, "They have already given up resistance, thrown away their weapons, and are now prisoners."
Heng Wenhao nodded and said, "Killing prisoners is an ominous sign."
Zhao Cheng thought for a moment and then called out to Su Sheng, "I can stop firing arrows, but Cui Wuming is a grandmaster after all. I'm not at ease letting him surrender like this."
Su Sheng suddenly burst into laughter, his laughter like that of a demon, sounding particularly terrifying in the gradually darkening canyon.
"Surrender? Do you think we're going to be taken prisoner?"
"I can't burn down your granaries, but I can burn down our own!"
"ignition!"
boom!
This time, Zhao Cheng and Zhou Nuo did not order the arrows to stop them. The assassins were even faster, and countless people began to burn. In an instant, the fire spread from one to ten, and from ten to a hundred, turning into a raging inferno.
Su Sheng remained motionless in the fire.
He had long since risen from the ashes and was no longer moved.
Zhao Cheng sighed and said, "If it has to be made so dramatic, it seems I'll be portrayed as a fierce and ruthless figure in the history books of Southern Zhou."
Just as Zhao Cheng was feeling sentimental, a beautiful melody suddenly rang out in Silver Valley. The surrounding air and mountain wind seemed to change and pulsate with these melodies. Even the burning flames turned into individual flowers, as if they were about to be drawn away from the raging fire.
The melody became more and more rhythmic, and the music grew louder and louder. Suddenly, eight gorgeously dressed women descended from the mountainside, each holding a different instrument and playing their own.
The different sounds produced by the eight instruments blend together perfectly.
As the eight women landed, a heavy echo followed, and a tangible hurricane swept by, instantly extinguishing the flames burning on the assassins' bodies.
Zhao Cheng glanced at the eight women and immediately felt that each of them was like a fairy descended from heaven. He said in a daze, "This... could this be..."
Gong Xue said, "Miaoyin Pavilion, Miaoyin Immortal Troupe."
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