Thousands of raggedly dressed refugees surrounded dozens of mule carts carrying goods.
They were all awestruck by the tall, magnificent, thick, and sturdy city walls.
“Brother, it seems that old woman wasn’t lying. This wall is very new; it looks like it was just built.” A sleazy-looking man approached the leader and said.
"I wish we could live there," another man with a pointed face and monkey-like cheeks said, his eyes filled with envy.
The leading man, with his prominent cheekbones and sinister expression, raised his head and sized up the guards holding bows and arrows on the wall.
He spat on the ground, his hand gripping the hilt of his knife. "You bastards, keep a close eye on the merchants hauling the goods. Don't let them get away."
"Don't worry, boss, they definitely won't get away."
"Boss, do you think they'll open the city gates and let us in?" Ah Mao swallowed hard; his neck was sore from looking up.
Ah Mao slapped Ah Gou on the back of the head. "With so much cargo in our hands, how dare they disobey? Stop boosting their morale and diminishing our own."
Lin Yinan followed Yun Mo up the city wall and looked at the huge crowd outside the city gate.
At a glance, one could see the merchants being held hostage by the refugees and dozens of mule carts.
Yun Mo naturally saw it too; his face darkened, and his eyes flickered.
"Boss, look, that should be their leader." Ah Mao pointed his chin towards where Lin Yinan and the others were standing.
The leader looked in the direction he pointed and saw a stunningly beautiful woman with delicate features, fair skin, and a dazzling aura.
A greedy look appeared on his face as he raised his head and arrogantly shouted at the city wall, "Listen up, people on the city wall! I have no intention of being your enemy. I only want a place to stay. If you are willing to open the city gate and let us in, I will return these goods with both hands."
The villagers on the city wall were so angry that they jumped up and down and cursed loudly.
"Pah! How shameless! These goods originally belonged to us."
Yun Mo's face was cold and expressionless as he said, "Release the goods and merchants, and I might spare your lives!"
The leader laughed loudly, pointed at the refugees following behind him, and showed no fear whatsoever.
"I refuse to believe you can kill them all!"
"So you've made up your mind not to pay me back?" Yun Mo said coldly.
Using the wide sleeves as cover, Lin Yinan took out a hidden arrow from her spatial storage and secretly tied it to her wrist.
Encouraged by the leader, many of his loyal followers stood up and started jeering.
"Open the city gates!"
"Let us into the city!"
"Open the city gates! Open the city gates!"
"..."
Yun Mo ordered the guards beside him, "Archers, prepare!"
Upon seeing this, the villagers quickly retreated to the inside of the city wall to avoid causing trouble for the guards.
Seeing this, the leader's henchmen shouted even louder, "They won't dare to shoot! Everyone, charge! Let's break down the city gate together, then we'll have a place to stand!"
The agitated refugees even threw the goods from their mule carts to the ground, removed the harnesses, and lifted the carts to ram them against the city gate.
The leader looked defiantly at Yun Mo and the others on the city wall, his gaze finally settling on Lin Yinan.
Lin Yinan's lips curled into a cold smile. She raised her hand, pointing the hidden arrow at him, and silently said, "You're dead!"
The leader, bewildered, revealed a wild and unrestrained laugh.
"Release the arrows!"
Yun Mo waved his hand, and the guards released their bowstrings, arrows slicing through the air, more than a dozen feathered arrows shooting towards the people who were about to reach the city gate.
What followed was the sound of sharp weapons piercing flesh, and screams of agony rising and falling.
The people following behind were stunned for half a second, then ran away with their heads in their hands.
The leader's smile froze on his face, and he stared at the city wall with bloodshot eyes.
But then an arrow flew swiftly toward his face. Luckily, he reacted quickly and grabbed Ah Gou next to him to shield him.
Ah Gou was shot in the neck with an arrow, and a few drops of blood spurted out and splashed on his face, still warm from Ah Gou's body.
He looked up in shock, only to see the fairy-like woman swiftly shoot another arrow at him.
He shoved the lifeless Ah Gou aside, rolled on the ground, and narrowly escaped again.
Damn it, these guys have no sportsmanship at all; they'll shoot at you without warning.
The sudden turn of events terrified the refugees following behind, who scattered and fled, fearing they would become the next victims of the arrows.
The merchant who came to deliver the goods squatted beside the mule cart, holding the reins tightly to control the frightened mules.
"Boss, what do we do now?" Ah Mao wiped the blood off his face, which he didn't know whose it was.
The two men hid behind a mule cart, watching the archers on the city wall through the cart.
The leader spat out a mouthful of saliva with a sinister look. "Do we still have any of those tattered clothes that were soaked in kerosene?"
"Yes, yes! I have them with me."
As Ah Mao spoke, he took off the bundle he was carrying on his back and took out a wad of something wrapped in oil paper.
"Set it on fire! Burn down their city gates! We can't let our brothers die in vain!"
The guards were on high alert when they saw burning fireballs being thrown at the city gate, instantly turning the gate into a sea of fire.
The guards on the watchtower poured water from basins down the fire, several basins in a row. However, due to the wrong angle, only a few drops of water splashed onto the fire, making a sizzling sound.
The fireball, soaked in kerosene, burned even more fiercely.
"Hahaha, even if we burn down the city gate, we can still get in."
The numerous displaced people below were laughing wildly.
"Anan, you stay here and go down to check on them."
Yun Mo nodded to Yun Ye, drew his sword from his waist, and leaped off the city wall. Yun Ye followed closely behind with several skilled guards.
The refugees hadn't expected them to come down directly from the city wall. By the time they realized what was happening, they gripped their broadswords and were about to charge forward.
However, they were forced to retreat repeatedly by the rain of arrows shot from the city wall, unable to take even half a step forward.
Lin Yinan stared intently at the leader hiding behind the mule cart, her eyes sharp.
The Yun brothers, along with their guards, used their swords to deflect the burning fireballs near the city gate.
With the danger at the city gate averted, the two brothers exchanged a glance at the restless refugees with their knives drawn, and led their guards to charge forward and engage them in battle.
At that moment, the two men hiding behind the mule cart moved.
Lin Yinan seized the opportunity and decisively shot the arrow.
Ah Mao lay on the ground with a trembling short arrow stuck in his forehead, his eyes wide open, dying with his eyes still open.
The leading man glanced sideways at Lin Yinan, who was standing on the city wall, and rolled a few times under the cover of the donkey cart to get away from the range of the arrows.
Watching Yun Mo and his men kill their brothers who followed them as easily as cutting melons and vegetables, he was filled with hatred.
With a determined heart and gritted teeth, he addressed the hesitant refugees, "Brothers, as long as we're alive, we can always rebuild. Let's go!"
With that, he led the remaining hundred-plus people and hurriedly ran towards Xihe County.
The migrants who had brought their families along were hesitating whether to chase after them, but were stopped by a few of them.
"Don't go! Those desperados won't do you any good by going with them. You'd be better off staying here and begging the people in the city. Maybe there's still a way out."
"Yes! We're not with them."
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