Chapter 867: The raid turned into their own home! [Seeking monthly votes]
Strange vines climbed all over the corners of the house.
The Corpse Vine, as thick as a water bucket, writhed like a venomous snake as it approached the area where blood energy was most abundant, leaving only a pale-faced corpse in its place. No, the "corpse" wasn't dead; it had simply lost consciousness due to excessive blood loss and was breathing weakly.
The inner courtyard was heavily surrounded by the Corpse Vine.
The eldest son and daughter of the household were surrounded by servants, while the younger ones clung to their mothers' necks and sobbed. The timid servants and maids trembled and screamed incessantly. There were still over a hundred people present, the most composed of whom was none other than the head of the household.
He initially thought it was some wandering knight-errant visiting his home, but when he saw that the intruders were two beautiful young women, each with a pink and dark purple monogram on their waists, he instantly understood their origins. He took a deep breath, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, and calmly said, "We were misled by a villain and spread rumors about Lord Shen. To reflect on our mistakes, everyone in our household, regardless of age or gender, voluntarily reduced our expenses and donated ten thousand taels of silver for river construction. While this cannot undo our error, it shouldn't warrant Lord Shen's drastic measures and sending people to our door, should it?"
Lin Feng sat cross-legged on the thickest [Corpse Vine], his eyes slightly closed. Yu Zi, standing beside him, gripped the hilt of the sword hanging behind her with her right hand, the blade just inches from its sheath, revealing a gleaming edge: "Patriarch Song, you misunderstand. My lord heard that a group of remnants of Huang Lie's forces are hiding nearby, stockpiling supplies and provisions, which may be detrimental to your household. He sent us here to handle the aftermath."
She smiled and said, "The villains were cunning, disguising themselves as soldiers and hiding in your mansion. We were afraid of alerting them, and since swords have no eyes, we feared they might harm the nobles in your household. Therefore, we dared not inform them before we acted. Now that all the thieves have been captured and the stolen goods have been found, Patriarch Song can rest easy. By the way, here is a letter in the Lord's own handwriting. Patriarch Song can take a closer look when he has time."
Yu Zi took out a letter from the cloth bag at her waist.
A vine called "Corpse Vine" swept away the scroll, crawling and twisting in the shadows, and politely handed it to the Song family head.
It would be more benign if there weren't dripping blood.
"Waaaaah, Father, I'm so scared—"
"Father, Father, there's blood—"
The youngest child cried so hard his throat was practically burning.
They were already terrified, and seeing the blood-stained "Corpse Vine" up close amplified their negative emotions with the overwhelming stench of blood. The child's mother, unaware of the events leading up to this, and out of love for her child, shouted, "What villains! What remnants! The soldiers and guards in our manor are mostly hereditary servants! You're bandits coming to our door, indiscriminately killing innocent people! Now you want to seize our property without any evidence? Is there no justice or law left?"
Yu Zi laughed and said, "My lord is the law of heaven and earth."
The woman was speechless and stared wide-eyed at these words.
I've lived most of my life and never seen such a shameless woman.
As Yu Zi spoke, she drew her sword completely, lowering her eyes to conceal the surging coldness within them: "Judging from your eloquence, Madam, you must come from a scholarly background and be very familiar with the laws of heaven and the king. Tell me which one it is, so that I can report to the lord later to change it."
The woman sensed Yu Zi's murderous intent and shrank back.
The baby in her arms cried until its voice was hoarse, a sound that broke one's heart.
She turned to the head of the household for help.
However, the head of the Song family couldn't care less about them at this moment. He gritted his teeth in anger, suppressed his rage, and snatched the scroll away.
Yu Zi waited patiently for him to open it.
The Song family head violently tore off the rope, and the letter unfolded in his hands—written by Shen Youli, and naturally, it wasn't anything good.
The imperial treasury was burned to ashes, and the bones of officials and nobles were trampled on the streets.
The fourteen characters, though brief, were brimming with murderous intent.
The Song family head's hands were trembling.
He looked up, his gaze falling towards the courtyard wall of the mansion.
As a scholar with a refined mind, even if his natural talent wasn't exceptional, he could still sense that the mansion was heavily surrounded by soldiers.
None of them concealed their murderous aura; it was an aura honed on the battlefield amidst piles of corpses, something that the private soldiers and retainers trained at great expense in the manor could not match.
Judging from the current situation, even a fool could tell that the threat in the letter wasn't just intimidation; they were genuinely prepared to wipe out his entire household. His choice was crucial! If he was wise enough to pay up and stop causing trouble, his entire household might have a chance to survive. But if he persisted, the chaotic blades outside the courtyard wall would accurately strike everyone present.
Until it turns into a pile of broken bones and rotten mud.
As soon as it gets light, they were all thrown onto the street to be trampled on.
The head of the Song family was so angry that the veins on his forehead were about to burst.
Shen Youli, how dare she do this! How dare she! Instead of trying to win over powerful families and noble clans for her own use, she exposes her mercenary and ruthless face for money, trying every means to seize other people's wealth! How is she any different from the likes of Zheng Qiao in such behavior?
Yu Zi said calmly, "Has Patriarch Song made up his mind?"
The head of the Song family took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed his resentment.
He then forced a twisted, unnatural smile: "If it weren't for Lord Shen's help tonight, the entire household would have been swindled by these vicious villains. The grain and supplies they hoarded were all stolen goods, so it was only right that the messenger took them away. As for the donations for the river construction, I forgot to mention that the ten thousand taels of silver was just a token of appreciation from the wives, concubines, and children of the household; the majority of the money came from the clan's public account."
Yu Zi's smile became much kinder.
He clasped his hands in a gesture of respect and said, "Master Song is truly righteous."
Lin Feng then made a move, raising his hand to form a hand seal.
The menacing Corpse Vine instantly fell silent, its surface undulating like a magnified blood vessel pumping blood in one direction. In just a few breaths, most of the Corpse Vine withered and died, leaving only sections of grayish-white, dry vines. A gust of wind could reduce them to dust.
Only the Corpse Vine beneath her feet wriggled contentedly.
It was radiating joy after its hearty meal.
Lin Feng said, "Let's go, next place."
The Corpse Vine nimbly carried her, soaring along the courtyard wall and flying past under the moonlight. Yu Zi was traveling with her, and she activated a Wind Chaser skill, taking advantage of the Wind Vine. The rest was naturally handled by the guards outside the courtyard wall.
Lin Feng: "How many are left?"
Yu Zi rummaged through the cloth bag: "There are two more portions."
It's still a long way from here.
If it weren't for the extraordinary skills of the scholar Wenxin, even an ordinary person riding a fast horse might not have arrived before dawn. Yu Zi plopped down: "I don't know what these people were thinking, actually resorting to a honey trap. Did they really think our lord was so easily fooled?"
Don't you know what it means to try to steal a chicken but end up losing the rice instead?
What used to be a matter of 10,000 taels of silver now costs at least 50,000! Forty thousand taels of silver have been wasted! The worst part is there's a ranking list; nobody wants to be among the last three. Yu Zi thought gleefully, "Even 50,000 probably won't be enough."
Lin Feng looked down at the map and did not answer.
"If we really send a handsome man to the lord's side, won't he be exposed after meeting several strategists? I just don't know what he looks like. According to the news, he's just an ordinary person..." Yu Zi wondered.
Lin Feng finally pinpointed the location. The Corpse Vine had drained enough blood from the previous private army, and was now full of energy and enthusiasm. Its speed was comparable to that of a literary scholar enhanced with the Wind Chaser and Shadow Chaser: "The more ordinary the person, the lower their guard will be. Although the strategists can see into people's hearts, since they have been sent here to use their beauty to seduce others, how could they not control their own thoughts?"
The power of words to read people's minds isn't too difficult.
It can be used to eavesdrop on people's inner thoughts, but that doesn't mean the recipient's inner thoughts are genuine. Overconfidence can lead to disaster. Her teacher often warned her that any kind of spiritual power is merely a supplementary tool; what is truly reliable is oneself.
The strength or weakness of a writer lies not in the power of words, but in himself.
Yu Zi laughed and said, "Even people can make mistakes, and even horses can stumble."
Such a ruthless person, possessing the perseverance to make their convictions impeccable, is not something that can be found overnight. Strategists may misjudge many times, but a beauty trap can only fail once. Besides, "Those from noble families, how could they possibly be favored by their lord?"
Who doesn't know, who doesn't understand?
Does the lord have a favorite general with a muscular physique?
You've already used your beauty to your advantage, why not play to her preferences...?
How stingy!
Lin Feng seemed to have thought of this as well, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
This night was destined to be anything but peaceful.
Not all aristocratic families have the awareness that "a wise man submits to circumstances," and it is impossible for the Long Street to be without a single drop of blood.
Many powerful families supported the honey trap, the ultimate goal of which was to kill Shen Tang. They asked themselves honestly, if they were Shen Tang, would they also let those who harbored ill will go unpunished? How much profit could they possibly extract from extortion? It would be much better to use this as a pretext to slaughter their enemies and smoothly inherit all their wealth. They didn't believe, nor did they trust, that Shen Tang possessed such magnanimity.
This letter is the best proof.
On the surface, it was just a threat, but in reality, he harbored murderous intent.
Even if they are willing to compromise tonight and pay more money to avoid trouble, who can guarantee that Shen Tang won't extort money from them every now and then? And who can guarantee that after she takes the money tonight and enjoys their ridiculous behavior, she won't turn around and raise a knife against them?
Rather than suffer this humiliation, let's perish together!
"We will not tolerate the humiliation inflicted by Shen Youli!"
"Better to be a broken piece of jade than a whole piece of tile!"
For security reasons, powerful families would spend a lot of money to maintain private armies and retinues. The main force was usually kept on farms in the suburbs, while a small number were transferred to their mansions to guard the property. Families with average resources would maintain six or seven hundred men, while those with deep resources could mobilize two or three thousand men with a single order!
During special periods, they can also recruit tenant slaves under their name.
Even more so, it wouldn't be a problem to raise an army of ten thousand.
Of course, mobilizing these troops would take time, and their main base was already surrounded by Shen Tang's forces; once a battle broke out, their chances of survival were slim. Even so, they still acted with the mindset of "mutual destruction," and were predictably suppressed.
Yun Ce looked at the ice sculpture lying on the ground, shattered into several pieces, and sighed slightly. As one of the people in charge of this operation, he naturally knew his lord's true attitude: she only wanted money and wanted to teach a lesson to those who dared to stand out; she didn't want anyone killed.
Unfortunately, no matter how they try to explain it, they can't make sense of it.
Xianyu Jian asked, "Senior brother, is it ready over here?"
The ground was littered with ice sculptures of corpses, the dead still retaining their last expressions. Xianyu Jian watched this scene with envy. He killed people, and every time he was covered in blood, his senior brother could come down from the battlefield dressed in white, exuding a pure, icy fragrance.
Yun Ce waved for the soldiers to come and move the bodies.
"Okay, all done."
Xianyu Jian comforted him: "Senior brother, don't feel guilty. You want to save them, but they are so eager to die that there's nothing you can do. I've already said that our lord values money over life, yet they still insist on offering their heads. They are guilty of plotting a capital crime, so they deserve to die."
As he was speaking, a bluebird landed on his shoulder.
Xianyu Jian opened it and took a look.
He chuckled and said, "There are quite a few people who are sick and looking for death."
They, fellow disciples, were ordered by their lord to take over the local military and political affairs, suppress bandits in the surrounding mountains, clarify the situation of the local county government, and recruit some able-bodied men to train soldiers. Just over half a month after their arrival, their lord issued another order, instructing them to closely monitor the movements of the nearby powerful families and, ideally, to ascertain the location of their private armies. The private armies of these powerful families were something their junior disciple, Xianyu Jian, had long coveted.
Is the lord about to take action against the stubborn aristocratic families?
He had a difficult past and didn't really like aristocratic families.
However, the next secret letter dampened his enthusiasm.
The lord only instructed them to intimidate and deter, and the powerful families were willing to pay up to avoid trouble. If they were willing to remain obedient, they would stay put for the time being. Xianyu Jian was greatly disappointed; the newly recruited soldiers were all ordinary commoners, how could they compare to the private armies carefully nurtured by the powerful families?
Unexpectedly, this family offered them a knife.
How could I not gladly accept such a good thing that's given away for free?
Unfortunately—
The other family belonged to Lü Jue and Qian Yong.
Lü Jue was alright; they had known each other for many years. But Qian Yong, that old fox, was annoying; he would never spit out the meat he had already eaten.
As dawn broke, the darkness slowly dissipated. Yu Zi and Lin Feng successfully handed over control to the garrison leader who had been monitoring the third household, smoothly completing the process of surrounding the mansion. The servants, who had woken early to clean, were thrown into chaos, screams filling the air…
Yu Zi yawned, then perked up.
"After we pull off this job, where should we go for breakfast?"
"I wonder what good food is available here..."
She walked to Lin Feng's left, muttering to herself incessantly.
Lin Feng said, "There's a side gate in the backyard. At the second corner of the street, there's a pancake shop. It's pretty good."
Yu Zi stopped in her tracks: "What?"
Lin Feng also stopped in his tracks in surprise.
Lu Ji and Yang Ying: "???"
Only then did they realize that Lin Feng was walking the fastest! She had been leading the way the whole time, leaving the others who had figured out the layout of the mansion behind. Lin Feng stood there, stunned, frowning.
Yu Zi asked Lin Feng in a low voice, "Has your father been here?"
Lin Feng hesitated and whispered, "They do look somewhat familiar."
She seemed to have walked this exquisite corridor countless times, but her memory was hazy. Before her mind could process it, her body already knew where she was going. Yu Zi's question only made things worse; Lin Feng, with a strange expression, recalled when they had walked this corridor.
We continued forward with some uncertainty.
Passing through one familiar archway after another, my pace quickened.
Sobbing and screaming formed a cacophony ahead.
An old male voice cursed something forcefully, followed by the crisp sound of a wooden cane striking the stone slab. Lin Feng pushed through the crowd, and the owner of the voice came into her view.
Another young martial artist shielded the group behind him.
There were several bloody marks at the feet of the martial artist.
The wounded soldier was dragged out; his injuries were not life-threatening.
The young martial artist frowned in annoyance: "Would Lord Shen bully the weak? What are your intentions in falsely claiming to be under Lord Shen's command?"
|ω`)
(End of this chapter)
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