Chapter 197: Chaos in Xiaocheng (Thirty-Seven) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
The soldier fell and hurt his bottom.
He grimaced and crawled up from the ground.
He said angrily, "Hey, you little brat, are you looking for death?"
After saying that, he kicked the boy in the shoulder.
He kicked with great force, somewhat driven by a sense of venting his anger, but failed to knock the boy over. The boy clung tightly to the corpse, using his not-so-broad shoulders to brace himself. The soldier, instead of knocking the man down, was thrown off balance by the force of the kick, feeling somewhat embarrassed and annoyed.
The soldier spat and rolled up his sleeves, ready to teach the boy a lesson. The commotion alerted his subordinate. The young man sat on a stool, trying to calm his rapid breathing and suppress the throbbing pain deep in his head. His subordinate feared he would lose control if startled.
He stepped forward, brandishing a knife, and hissed, "What are you doing?"
The soldier was in excruciating pain in his tailbone, but seeing that it was his subordinate, he had no choice but to endure the pain and put on a fawning smile. He pointed at the boy, whose eyes were bloodshot and filled with fierce bloodshot veins, and complained, "This scoundrel is trying to rebel! Just now..."
The officer raised his hand to signal the soldier to shut up.
The soldier awkwardly shut his mouth.
The official crouched down, glanced at the blood-soaked corpse in the boy's arms, with several deep, bone-revealing gashes on its chest, and then examined the boy's face. He roughly deduced the relationship between the male corpse in the boy's arms and the boy. He asked, "Do you know where this place is?"
He pointed to the ground beneath his feet.
The boy's breathing grew heavier, and his eyes were filled with undisguised hatred as he looked at his subordinates—he already knew his fate, so why should he bow and scrape before these enemies? His gaze swept over the weapon worn at the subordinates' waists, and a hint of scarlet killing intent flashed in his eyes.
The officials didn't feel embarrassed when the young man didn't answer.
He said, "Here, you have to obey to survive!"
The words had barely left his mouth when the boy suddenly unleashed incredible power, snatching the weapon from the officer's waist with lightning speed. The blade flashed from its sheath. With a roar, the boy slashed at the nearest enemy, the officer, who was crouching low, bearing the brunt of the attack!
The officials were also surprised that the injured young man would suddenly cause trouble.
Without warning, the boy succeeded.
Seeing the weapon about to strike his head, he reacted swiftly, sidestepping and slashing, while simultaneously raising his wrist guard to block—his wrist guards were of very high quality and made of ample material; he was confident that the boy's strike might not completely injure him.
The boy only has this one chance. If he misses it, he will be hacked to death by the soldiers who have reacted in the next instant!
clang!
The expected heavy blow did not land on the arm guard.
The blade in the boy's hand collided with a short blade that flew towards him. The short blade seemed light, but the power it contained terrified the boy. He was knocked backward by the force and fell to the ground in a sorry state, dropping the knife he had snatched.
He tried to reach for the knife to fight again, but as soon as he moved, his wrist quickly became red and swollen, and an indescribable dull pain traveled up his arm to his brain.
It’s over!
The thought popped into the boy's mind.
He could almost foresee his next fate.
They would inevitably be hacked to pieces by the swarming soldiers!
"Fighting on the front lines isn't child's play. How can you be so careless? How many lives do you have to lose?" The young man stepped forward with a stern face, while his subordinate apologized in shame. The boy was also captured by the soldiers who had reacted, his hands were twisted behind his back and bound tightly, and he was forced to kneel on the ground.
The young man frowned and asked, "What's wrong with this child?"
The official said, "The male corpse on the ground should be his father."
The young man glanced at it casually.
He said casually, "Oh, I see."
To avenge his father's death?
It's not surprising that the child lost control of his emotions, but unfortunately he was too reckless. Apart from losing his life, there was no other valuable meaning.
The subordinate asked, "Young General, should we kill him?"
The young man shook his head: "He's pitiful, let's keep him."
Despite looking disheveled and haggard, the child's sturdy build and chubby face revealed that before the disaster struck, he was the apple of his family's eye, well-fed and clothed, with plenty of oily and juicy food, which is why he was so plump, healthy, and honest.
and--
Recalling the boy's earlier outburst, the young man raised his hand, signaling the soldiers not to rush to subdue him. He stepped forward and massaged the boy's bones. He was surprised by what he found. He said, "A rather impressive physique."
The subordinates felt their scalps tingle as they listened to his muttering.
Perhaps our young general values talent and wants to keep him by his side?
The young man did indeed have this thought.
But it only lasted a fleeting moment.
No one knew better than him how troublesome a person harboring hatred could be! If reason couldn't suppress hatred, then he couldn't be used to his advantage, and keeping him around would only cause trouble. If reason could suppress hatred, then that was even worse! Wasn't he a venomous snake?
Who knows, they might turn around and bite you one day.
The young man narrowed his eyes slightly and withdrew his hand. His subordinate, understanding the situation, handed him a clean handkerchief to wipe the blood off his hands.
Seeing that the young general remained silent, the officer secretly waved to the soldiers, signaling them to pull the boy away, fearing that the boy might offend the young general. The boy struggled desperately, and even after being punched twice, he remained unruly, refusing to let the soldiers take away his father's body.
The young man's eyes flickered slightly, and he ordered his subordinates to stop the male corpse: "This body doesn't need to be handed over. Burn it, and return the ashes to the child."
If you bury it, it will just get dug up again, so you might as well burn it.
The official was puzzled, but still did as instructed.
The soldier who received the assignment discovered that the male corpse was quite wealthy. Gold bars, silver bars, and silver scraps were hidden in the lining and collar of his clothes, and a small longevity lock was found in the money bag in his arms. The lock was made of colorful silk threads strung together, like a child's toy.
The longevity lock has words engraved on both sides.
"Slacking off again?"
They were caught red-handed by their subordinates while they were dividing the spoils.
The subordinate asked, "What are you hiding behind your back?"
They stepped forward and snatched what they had hidden behind their backs.
The money bag, stained with dried blood, contained a considerable amount of valuables, clearly looted from the male corpse.
The soldier was so frightened that his smile twisted into a grimace.
They were all trembling with fear, not daring to breathe loudly.
At this moment, the official picked up the longevity lock bracelet with the silver thread attached. The front of the lock was engraved with "Long Life and Wealth," while the back read "My Son Tu Rong." The official pondered the name, feeling it vaguely sounded familiar, and then, after careful thought, suddenly realized something!
He hurriedly said, "Quick! Bring that boy out!"
Didn't the traitor who burned the supplies that day say that his family was in Xiaocheng? One of them was indeed named "Tu Rong," so that young man must be related to the traitor! The subordinate rushed to find the young general, excitedly saying, "Young General, great news!"
The young man was so troubled that he couldn't sleep.
Out of sheer boredom, I played marbles with pearls.
His subordinate came to report the good news with a beaming face, but he couldn't muster any enthusiasm and lazily said, "What 'great joy'? What's the matter?"
"Young General, look!"
The subordinate official presented a dirty money bag.
The young man did not understand, until the official took out a longevity thread and pointed to the silver pendant hanging from it.
"Look."
"What are you looking at?"
He was startled when he saw the words on both sides.
He hurriedly asked, "Where did you come from? Where are you?"
The subordinate official, thinking he was about to make a contribution, also showed a relieved smile and said, "The item was found on that male corpse!"
The young man's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing this.
He suddenly thought of the boy.
So, that child is Tu Rong???
The young man couldn't help but recall Shen Tang's descriptions of his appearance, and after comparing them with the boy's descriptions, they matched perfectly. He immediately ordered his subordinate to bring the boy over. The subordinate was prepared and shouted outside, "Bring him in!" The boy was then escorted by soldiers on either side.
He was already very weak. His wounds had reopened from the struggle not long ago, and blood was oozing out. He didn't care at all. He just stared at the young man with his eyes full of hatred, wishing he could tear him to pieces with his gaze.
The young man was clutching an object he was very familiar with.
I asked him, "Your name is Tu Rong?"
Tu Rong's face showed a mix of emotions beyond hatred.
He roared, "Give it back to me!"
The young man continued, "Answer me first, are you Tu Rong? I'll give it back to you only if you answer my question. Otherwise, I'll crush it right in front of you! Do you believe me?"
Enraged, Tu Rong nearly had his blood boil. He replied in a hoarse voice, "I will not change my name or surname; I am Tu Rong!"
The young man then asked, "A person from Xiaocheng?"
Tu Rong swallowed the metallic taste that was churning in his throat.
"yes!"
The young man asked, "Do you know Qi Shan?"
With a loud bang.
Those five simple words exploded in Tu Rong's mind like thunder, leaving his ears ringing and almost speechless. He stared at the young man in disbelief, muttering, "How did you know…?"
The young man then asked, "Do you know someone surnamed Shen?"
Tu Rong pursed her lips and remained silent, the image of Teacher Chu Yao's master's son suddenly appearing in her mind. She didn't utter a sound, but her expression spoke volumes.
The young man couldn't help but slap his thigh.
What kind of fate is this?
Mama really missed out. If she had been more patient and waited a few days, she might have run into her long-lost relatives...
The young man asked, "Where is Chu Yao?"
Tu Rong looked at the young man suspiciously: "My teacher."
The young man asked again, "I remember there was a girl with you who was about your age, her name was... her name was Lin Feng, right?"
Upon hearing the name "Lin Feng," Tu Ronggang's calm emotions erupted once again, and the young man subdued him with a single palm strike, rendering him unable to move.
Where is Lin Feng?
Tu Rong tried with all his might but couldn't break free, which only made his wound bleed more readily. Finally, he had no choice but to give up, panting heavily, and asked resignedly, "Who exactly are you?"
The young man said, "Mama's close friend, oh, that's Shen Tang. Mama previously entrusted me to keep an eye on your whereabouts."
He paused as he spoke.
It's obvious that only Tu Rong is left in the Tu Rong family.
The male corpse is that of the butcher; the body has already been cremated.
He felt ashamed: "I have failed Mama's trust; I am too late—"
Tu Rong would never believe his nonsense.
It wasn't until the young man called someone in to treat Tu Rong's wounds that the situation improved.
Seeing that Tu Rong was relatively calm, the young man explained, "The person who arrested you wasn't me, it was my sworn brother who doesn't get along with me. You can stay here with me for now, and I'll send you out once the situation stabilizes. There's still fighting outside, it's very dangerous."
Tu Rong could only sneer. At that moment, an official brought in a jar and carefully pushed it in front of Tu Rong. Tu Rong lowered his eyes slightly and saw that the jar was wrapped in a thick coarse cloth, which was used to insulate the temperature of the pottery jar.
The young man said, "Our clan practices cremation."
Tu Rong's shoulders stiffened, and he suddenly realized something.
His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at the earthenware jar.
He hugged the pottery jar and burst into tears.
At this point, he began to believe the young man's words.
After the young man finished crying, he asked, "Do you have any other relatives? Do you need some people to help them collect their bodies? Or were they among that group of people just now?"
This was a great temptation for Tu Rong. He didn't want his grandparents, his mother, and... his sister Lin Feng's corpses to become food for wolves and tigers. After hesitating for a moment, the sharp spikes he had raised finally softened, and he revealed the family's plight.
After many twists and turns, the family finally found fellow refugees to travel with, but before long they encountered rebel troops who were arresting people.
Anyone who struggled or resisted was killed. Grandpa, Grandma, and Grandma were hacked to death by the rebels in the melee. As for Lin Feng—
She jumped off a cliff.
The young man asked, "Jump off a cliff?"
Tu Rong: "Being arrested means you can't even die."
Lin Feng had caught a severe cold from her travels over the past two days and had a persistent high fever. She had regained some strength before encountering the rebel army, but was still very weak. The rebels were arresting fleeing civilians like chickens, and she had no way to escape, so she resolutely chose to jump off a cliff.
Tu Rong and his father escaped but were caught and brought back not far.
Naturally, he would receive a severe beating.
The bodies of Aniang and the others were thrown off the cliff by the rebels.
The young man remained silent as he looked at Tu Rong.
Losing all blood relatives overnight is such a cruel thing, but it is all too normal nowadays. So normal that young people doubt that the stories in folk tales about "parents in good health", "husband and wife respecting each other", "having many children and grandchildren", and "living to a ripe old age" are the abnormal ones.
No matter how powerful you are, you can't force it.
The young man sighed inwardly and ordered his subordinates to muster some soldiers.
Tu Rong looked at him with a mixture of belief and doubt.
Young man: "You should come along too. It's not safe for you to stay here."
To be precise, it's not safe to leave his sight.
His sworn brother was always looking for trouble, and he took his anger out on Tu Rong. By the time Tu Rong rushed back, Tu Rong was only there to collect Tu Rong's body.
Along the way, Tu Rong was as wooden as a statue. It wasn't until he saw the familiar terrain by the torchlight and the blood pools accumulated on the muddy ground that the tears he had managed to stop started to flow again.
At this moment, the young man, with a torch in his mouth, leaped off the cliff, startling Tu Rong into silence for a long time. His subordinates, who had come with him, were used to such sights and showed no sign of concern.
Just kidding, what kind of strength do their young generals have?
This cliff is only likely to kill ordinary people and martial artists with lower levels of martial courage. For someone as strong as a young man, as long as he uses the momentum to cushion his fall, reaching the bottom of the cliff is not a problem at all.
Below the cliff—
The young man held his torch high, and after only a few steps, he saw several mutilated corpses among the rubble, each with a grotesque face and an open-eyed death. He didn't even glance at them, and continued his search for his target.
He hadn't walked far when his ears twitched, and he faintly heard an extremely weak, gentle breathing sound!
The young man pretended to be on guard.
They initially thought it was a pack of wolves or tigers from the deep mountains, but following the scent, they found a girl hanging among the vines and branches. Her face was covered in scratches and abrasions, and she looked quite disheveled.
As the firelight drew closer, his eyelids trembled slightly, and he struggled to open them.
_(:3」∠)_
Every day is a race against time... It's ridiculous! I started working at 8 a.m. today, but I still missed the deadline... Could it be that the new keyboard is affecting my output?
(End of this chapter)
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