Chapter 109 He Lost Weight, She Almost Died
Xu Zhiheng's face was grave. He ordered in a deep voice, "Pass on my orders! The entire army will be divided into four teams. I will lead one team to search along the eastern gully, the second team towards the birch forest, the third team to search the western slope, and the fourth team to guard the outer perimeter of the valley! No matter what, Meng Yong must be found before sunset, and killed without exception!"
"Yes!" Mantang gripped the long sword at his waist and turned to relay the order.
The sound of hooves scattered, and the originally assembled group broke apart like a tide, galloping off in four directions into the mountains and forests.
Meanwhile, outside the valley, Kang was being held captive by two rebel soldiers, standing in front of an open area. She kept her head down, not daring to look at Liu Dazhuang and the others who were standing guard at the valley entrance.
"Kang! You heartless bastard!" Liu Dazhuang was so angry that veins bulged on his forehead. He slammed his broadsword into the ground. "Our valley has treated you well. Your husband stole grain, and the village head didn't even kick you out. Yet you brought the rebels here to harm us!"
Lin Yougong glared angrily, pointing at Kang's nose and yelling, "Didn't you think about that? Little Stone and Yaya are still in the valley! If you bring these people here and they enter the valley, do you think your two children will have a good ending? You're going to kill them with your own hands!"
No matter how much Liu Dazhuang scolded her before, Kang Shi didn't react much, but when he mentioned the child, her heart ached like it was being pricked by needles.
She was forced into it! Who would want to die if they could live?
"Enough with the nonsense!" Meng Yong impatiently picked at his ear. He had long since lost his patience. He brandished his spear and shouted, "A bunch of country bumpkins, do you think you're worthy to block my way? Charge in! Seize the grain first, then grab the women!"
The rebels immediately raised their knives and charged toward the valley entrance.
Liu Dazhuang and his companions' expressions changed. There were only five of them, armed only with machetes, and they were no match for the rebels.
In the chaos, Liu Dazhuang remembered the bamboo tube Lin Yao had given him, and he shouted, "Quick, get the explosives!"
The men immediately took out bamboo tubes from their pockets, pulled out tinderboxes, and lit the fuses.
Meng Yong rode his horse at the forefront. Seeing them throw a few bamboo tubes at him, he sneered, "These lousy things? You think you can stop me?"
But the next second, "BOOM—!"
Several loud explosions rang out in succession!
The deafening explosion echoed through the valley, throwing the already anxious villagers into chaos.
Many people thought it was an earth dragon turning over.
Lin Yao rushed out and calmly shouted, "Don't panic, everyone! It wasn't an earthworm, it was the explosives I made that went off!"
The noise subsided considerably, and the villagers gathered around.
Lin Yao frowned slightly, her voice becoming more somber: "Bad guys have come from outside the valley. Brother Dazhuang and the others are holding them off outside. They wouldn't use explosives unless they were really difficult to deal with. The sound just now indicated that at least two or three were used. I only made eight in total, and I'm afraid the remaining ones won't last much longer."
"What are we going to do?" Lin Yongyuan's wife asked, her voice trembling as she held their child. "If the people outside know that the explosives are almost gone, they'll definitely try to break in!"
As others echoed this sentiment, panic began to spread again.
Lin Cheng took out his usual hunting knife. "I'm taking a few men out to support Brother Dazhuang!"
"Wait!" Lin Yao suddenly raised her hand to stop him, her gaze sweeping over the bamboo tubes piled up in the basket beside her. These were drinking cups made by various families for their hunting teams, almost identical to the bamboo tubes she used to store explosives.
Her eyes lit up: "Everyone, bring out all the bamboo cups you have at home! These cups look just like dynamite tubes, let's use them to disguise as explosives and take them to support Brother Dazhuang!"
The villagers turned and ran home.
"Yes! I have four at home, I'll go get them now!"
"The big bamboo tube my man uses for hunting is thicker than Yao Ya's dynamite tube!"
In less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, more than twenty bamboo tube cups had been piled up in front of Lin Yao.
Outside the valley, Meng Yong and his group were in a very mess due to the sudden explosion.
The first bamboo tube landed right next to Meng Yong's horse's leg, and the pebbles mixed with gunpowder exploded, instantly turning the horse's leg into a bloody mess.
The horse neighed in pain and fell heavily to the ground. Meng Yong reacted quickly, flipped off the horse, but was still thrown back a few steps by the shockwave.
The surrounding rebels fared even worse. Two of them who were close by were blown to the ground, clutching their arms and screaming in pain. The others were also shaken by the blast and swayed in place.
Meng Yong's face instantly turned ashen. He stared at the still-smoking bamboo tube fragments on the ground, his eyes filled with shock. Wasn't this military gunpowder? How could these country folk have such a weapon!
Liu Dazhuang and the others were also stunned. They only knew that the bamboo tube could make a sound, but they did not expect it to be so powerful!
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Liu Dazhuang snapped out of it, immediately pulled out the remaining bamboo tubes, held them up, and shouted, "Still dare to rush forward?! Take another step, and we'll keep throwing explosives. Even if you outnumber us, you can't withstand the explosions!"
The rebels looked at each other, and none of them dared to move.
Meng Yong dusted himself off and his gaze swept over Liu Dazhuang and the others with a sinister look. His eyes carried the murderous intent and ferocity that had accumulated from years of fighting on the battlefield, as if they could pierce through flesh and reach the depths of the heart.
Liu Dazhuang's hands, which were holding the bamboo tube, were sweating profusely, and his calves were still trembling uncontrollably.
He had never seen such a fierce person in his life. Just being stared at by that gaze made it difficult to even breathe.
Lin Yougong and the other two were also trembling, but they managed to stand still.
"Just a petty trick." Meng Yong sneered, his voice full of disdain. He took two steps forward. "Just some noisy junk, you dare to use it to block me?"
Seeing that the general had moved, the rebels behind him gradually calmed down. Some of them picked up the large swords on the ground, eager to move forward.
Liu Dazhuang panicked and shouted, his neck stiff, "Don't come any closer! We still have plenty of explosives! If you come any closer, we'll blow you to bits!"
That's just empty talk.
They only had five bamboo tubes left, and they had already used three of them, so they had no choice but to try and intimidate people.
Just then, footsteps suddenly echoed through the valley, accompanied by shouts from the villagers: "Brother Dazhuang! We're here!"
Meng Yong and the rebels followed the sound and saw a young woman leading more than twenty villagers, all carrying identical bamboo tubes, rushing out of the valley.
Lin Yao looked at Meng Yong, forcing herself to remain calm, and said, "General, although we people in this valley are all commoners, we are not easy to bully. We still have plenty of explosives. If you insist on forcing your way in, we'll fight to the death!"
Meng Yong stared at the bamboo tubes in the villagers' hands. He had just witnessed the power of these bamboo tubes. Although they were not earth-shattering, they could injure horses and people. If there were a lot of them, there would definitely be casualties if they tried to force their way through.
He brought his remaining troops out to find food supplies, and losing men here would be a greater loss than gain.
But to just give up like this is really not something I'm willing to do.
Meng Yong stared at Lin Yao, his eyes sinister: "You think you can scare me with some broken bamboo tubes?"
"Whether it's meant to scare you or not, you'll find out if you try." Lin Yao gripped the bamboo tube tightly, not taking a single step back. "If you insist on using force, we're not afraid of death!"
Upon hearing this, Meng Yong suddenly revealed a sinister smile, a smile full of undisguised wickedness and greed. His eyes roamed freely over Lin Yao, making one's skin crawl.
His tone was flippant and malicious: "Going down in flames? There's no need for that. You're not afraid to die, and neither am I, but I really don't want to waste my time with a bunch of peasants like you."
"I only want you." He suddenly pointed at Lin Yao. "I've been lonely in the army for a long time. Today, seeing you like this, I find you much more pleasing to the eye than those rough men in the camp. I just don't know how it feels."
The surrounding rebels burst into laughter, their filth in their eyes undisguised.
Kang, who had been pretending to be dead, heard what the rebel leader said, and his eyes, which had been as still as a pool of water, suddenly lit up with excitement.
She looked at the group of people expectantly, praying that they could kidnap Lin Yao and let her taste the bitterness of being betrayed and abused!
However, things did not develop in the direction that Kang had hoped.
Before Lin Yao could speak, Liu Dazhuang had already rushed forward, shielding Lin Yao behind him, raising the bamboo tube high in his hand, and shouted angrily: "You're dreaming! Yao is one of our valley's people. If you want to touch her, you'll have to get past us first!"
Lin Yougong immediately followed, and the villagers behind him crowded forward, surrounding Lin Yao in the middle. Even though some people's legs were still trembling, their voices did not back down in the slightest.
"Exactly! Trying to steal them? No way!"
"I'd rather fight you to the death! Who's afraid of who!"
Meng Yong's smile vanished without a trace, and he said coldly, "You won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences."
As soon as he finished speaking, he flicked his wrist, and everyone felt a cold light flash before their eyes.
The short arrow flew swiftly and rapidly, heading straight for Liu Dazhuang. Before anyone could even cry out, a muffled thud was heard, and the arrow had already pierced Liu Dazhuang's abdomen.
Liu Dazhuang groaned, the bamboo tube in his hand fell to the ground, he clutched his stomach and staggered back two steps, dark red blood instantly seeping from between his fingers.
The next second, he suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood, which splattered onto the soil in front of him, a shocking sight.
The surrounding villagers were also startled by this sudden scene. Some people subconsciously shrank back, their faces full of fear.
Lin Cheng picked up the bamboo tube from the ground and glared angrily at Meng Yong: "How dare you hurt someone!"
Meng Yong glanced at Liu Dazhuang lying on the ground, his tone full of disdain: "What do you mean by 'dare' or 'don't dare'? Even if I kill you all, no one can stop me."
He looked up at Lin Yao, who was surrounded in the middle, and said mockingly, "I'll say it one last time, hand her over, and I'll leave with my men without touching a single grain or item in your valley. If you don't hand her over, this valley will be a river of blood today."
Lin Yao looked at Liu Dazhuang, who was groaning in pain on the ground, and then at the villagers beside her who were filled with fear but still stood in front of her.
She touched the spot where the bone-corroding powder was stored, took a deep breath, pushed aside the person blocking her way, and looked directly at Meng Yong: "Don't dream! They won't hand me over, and I won't go with you! If you try to force your way in, we'll fight to the death and never let you set foot in the valley!"
As she spoke, she bent down to pick up the bamboo tube from the ground, blew on the tinderbox, and said, "Didn't you say our gunpowder wouldn't work? Then let's try again! I'll light it now, and we'll see if your men can dodge faster, or if my gunpowder explodes faster!"
Seeing Lin Yao's determination, the villagers mustered their courage, picked up the bamboo tubes, and shouted, "Yes! We'll fight! We absolutely won't hand her over!"
Looking at the scene before him, Meng Yong suddenly smiled.
Having fought for many years, he had never been so provoked by a group of unarmed civilians. After a brief standoff, he seemed to be truly intimidated by the gunpowder and backed down, saying, "Young lady, you really have backbone. I will spare you for now."
Having said that, he mounted another horse, cracked his whip on its rump, and said coldly, "Go!"
The rebels were already wary of the bamboo tube explosives, and when the general ordered a retreat, they were all relieved as if they had been granted a pardon. They mounted their horses and followed Meng Yong into the depths of the mountains.
The sound of horses' hooves gradually faded into the distance, and the dust they had raised slowly settled. Only then did the villagers at the mouth of the valley breathe a sigh of relief.
Lin Yao slowly put down the tinderbox in her hand.
She watched the direction the rebels had gone, but a sense of unease lingered in her heart. She said to the others, "Quickly send Brother Dazhuang back. The rest of you, wait until they're far enough away before returning to the valley, lest they turn back."
Liu Dazhuang, clutching his still-bleeding abdomen, nodded with forced strength: "Yaoya is right, let's keep an eye on things a little longer..."
Before he could finish speaking, a piercing neigh of a horse suddenly came from afar.
Meng Yong, who had already walked dozens of steps, suddenly reined in his horse and turned around, his tall warhorse rearing up.
With a cruel smile on his face, Meng Yong suddenly jerked his arm, and the gleaming spear in his hand flew out of his grasp like an arrow toward Lin Yao!
The spear whistled through the air, moving so fast that no one had time to react. The surrounding villagers only had time to let out a cry of alarm before it was about to strike Lin Yao in the chest!
Just at this critical moment, a red figure broke through the air!
The sharp crack of the two guns colliding was so loud it hurt people's eardrums!
Meng Yong's long spear, gleaming with a cold light, was knocked askew. The tip grazed Lin Yao's arm, leaving a long trail of blood, before finally embedding itself in the nearby rock, the shaft still vibrating and humming.
The surrounding villagers were so shocked that they froze on the spot, forgetting even to breathe.
Lin Yao clutched her arm, staring at the spear tip deeply embedded in the rock. Cold sweat instantly soaked her back; if she had been even a fraction slower, she probably would have been dead.
Before everyone could recover, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from afar. Amidst the rising dust, a troop of soldiers in silver armor galloped in, the sunlight reflecting off their armor with dazzling brilliance.
The leading general, his black cloak billowing in the wind, had a stern face; he was none other than Xu Zhiheng, who had brought his troops there!
"kill!"
Xu Zhiheng didn't waste any words with him. With a wave of his arm, the silver-armored soldiers behind him immediately spurred their horses into a charge.
Before long, Jin Yu and Man Tang arrived with another group of soldiers.
With the fierce battle raging ahead, Mantang immediately ordered the soldiers behind him: "First, escort the villagers into the valley, check their wounds, and guard the valley entrance! The rest of you, come with me to assist the general!"
Several soldiers immediately rode up to Lin Yao and the others: "Fellow villagers, this place is dangerous. Please come with us back to the valley to take refuge!"
The villagers nodded in agreement, helped their injured companions, and followed the soldiers into the valley.
Lin Yao followed at the back of the crowd and looked back at Xu Zhiheng, who was fighting Meng Yong not far away.
He has lost weight.
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