Chapter 188: A Night of Horror
The moment he moved, Zui Mochou leaped into the air, kicking his right wrist hard with his left foot, while his right foot hooked around his neck. He flipped over in mid-air, and with a crisp "crack," the sharp-mouthed man's neck was snapped. He rolled his eyes back and fell to the ground, blood gushing from his mouth.
"Ha...Pah!" Zui Mochou spat out a mouthful of ancient phlegm, clapped his hands, and looked around at the crowd: "Now, no one has any objections, right?" He swept his gaze across the crowd and said sternly: "From now on, if I ever see anyone from Golden Knife Stronghold burning, killing, looting, or oppressing the people, this will be their fate!"
At this moment, Miao Qingshan stepped forward and clasped his hands in greeting: "Senior, it was not our intention to rob the people this time! It was only because the chieftain Nie Han had recently passed away that the village was leaderless and the rules were in chaos. Many brothers were instigated by Gu Santong and committed such a wrong thing!" As he spoke, his gaze fell on the human head on the ground.
He looked up again, bowed and clasped his hands, saying, "We hope that you will take pity on us, senior, since this is our first offense, and show us mercy!"
“Yes, senior! We were all coerced by Gu Santong. If we didn’t comply, we would be considered disloyal and had no choice but to follow him down the mountain! Now that he has been killed by you, it can be considered that he got what he deserved!” Miao Kaijiang hurriedly echoed, his eyes filled with hatred as he looked at the bearded man’s head on the ground.
Zui Mochou waved his hand: "Easy, easy! I, Old Beggar, always speak reasonably and am not one to kill innocent people indiscriminately." He walked up to Miao Qingshan and smiled: "You little brat, your words are pleasant to hear! Looking at you reminds me of an old friend..." At this point, he suddenly looked disappointed, "Never mind, let's not talk about it!"
Miao Qingshan cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you for your praise, senior."
Zui Mochou turned his gaze to the three men and said loudly, "Listen up, you three! From now on, Golden Knife Stronghold will be jointly managed by the three of you. Everything must be discussed and decided upon. But remember, if I ever hear or see anyone in Golden Knife Stronghold committing wrongdoing again, I will hold all three of you accountable and will not let you off lightly!"
"Thank you for your kind words, senior!" Miao Kaijiang and Miao Qingshan said in unison, cupping their hands in response.
Seeing that You Tuotu remained silent, Zui Mochou raised an eyebrow at him: "You have another idea?"
You Tuotu's cheeks twitched, and he glanced at Miao Kaijiang and Miao Qingshan before reluctantly clasping his hands in greeting. He turned his head to the side, refusing to look at Zui Mochou, and said, "Thank you for your kind words, senior."
Zui Mochou glanced at him sideways, snorted coldly, and turned to walk straight towards Yi Qingxue, who was lying on the ground. The people around them tactfully stepped back, leaving Yi Qingxue sitting alone on the spot.
Seeing Zui Mochou approaching, Yi Qingxue's heart tightened. She thought to herself, "Could this old geezer be planning to bully me too? Judging from how he just punished the wicked and showed no mercy, his hatred of evil doesn't seem like that of a bad person..."
Her bright, sparkling eyes darted around, making her look pitiful. Zui Mochou walked up to her, bent down, and extended her rough, dirty hands: "Child, you've been wronged! Get up quickly!"
Yi Qingxue was stunned. Her bright eyes widened as she looked Zui Mochou up and down, finally focusing on his hand that was hanging in mid-air. She hesitated for a moment.
Seeing her frozen in place, her gaze strange, as if she didn't recognize him at all, Zui Mochou's smile vanished. He straightened up, hands on his hips, and said sternly, "You little girl, do you think I, an old beggar, am too dirty?"
Yi Qingxue looked up at him, her voice so low it was like a mosquito's hum: "No, not at all..." As she spoke, she slowly stood up.
Zui Mochou stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "I was heartbroken to hear the tragic news of your father's death. I was on my way to Longyang City to avenge him, but I never expected to meet you here!"
Yi Qingxue's face turned ashen instantly, filled with shock and confusion: "My...my father is dead?!"
Upon hearing this, Zui Mochou recoiled sharply, asking, "You...don't you know about the changes in your family?"
Yi Qingxue shook her head, choking back tears, "I have amnesia... I can't remember anything from before..." Tears welled up in her eyes.
"Giddy up! Giddy up! Giddy up... Clatter clatter... Cough cough cough..." The shouts of urging the horses onward rose, the sound of hooves pounding, mixed with the neighing of horses, growing louder as they approached.
Everyone turned to look and saw two or three hundred men riding fine horses galloping towards them, their armor gleaming. The vanguard carried swords at their waists, while the rearguard carried bows and arrows on their backs, and torches flickered. "Whoa..." A high-pitched shout of spurring followed by "neigh-neigh-neigh..." from the horses, then a series of "snort-smack, snort-smack..." sounds.
The leading general reined in his horse and stopped, his gaze sweeping over the group from Golden Knife Stronghold. He grunted in acknowledgment and gave a wink to the side. A lieutenant rode forward a few steps and shouted, "Who are you? What is the purpose of this gathering?"
The brothers from Jin Dao Village who were nearby retorted, "And who are you from? What business is it of yours if we gather a crowd?"
The lieutenant yanked on the reins, turned his horse around, and shouted, "Insolence! We are the garrison of Longyang City! If you gather a crowd and cause trouble within Longyang territory, we will wipe you out immediately!" Before he finished speaking, another man beside the general yelled, "Surround them!"
At a command, the signalman waved red and yellow flags, and in an instant, the sounds of swords being drawn, horses being harnessed, and hooves clattered together. In a short while, two or three hundred men had half-surrounded the hundred or so men from the Golden Knife Stronghold.
The atmosphere instantly became extremely tense, the air seemingly frozen. Only the muffled "gurgle...gurgle..." of a bow being drawn broke the brief silence. The newcomer demanded again, "Who are you? What are you doing here? If you dare refuse to answer again, you will all be killed by a hail of arrows in an instant!"
The members of Golden Knife Stronghold exchanged bewildered glances. While they weren't cowards, they had come tonight to rob, and if the Longyang garrison confirmed this, their annihilation would be inevitable—a truly unjust and tragic end! Just as they were caught in a dilemma, Drunken Mochou spoke up loudly: "What's wrong with us holding a gang meeting and electing a leader here?"
As soon as the words were spoken, the crowd parted to make way, revealing Yi Qingxue and Zui Mochou. The soldiers were all startled! Several whispered, "Young Master!"
The leading general's face instantly lit up with joy. He uttered a soft "Young Master" and hurriedly dismounted. The others on horseback followed suit and stood still.
The leading general strode forward, his left hand resting on the hilt of his ring-pommel sword at his waist. He walked up to Yi Qingxue with a smile, and three steps away, he suddenly knelt on one knee, cupped his hands, and bowed, saying, "This humble general, Ji Xuan, the garrison commander of Nanling, pays his respects to the young master!"
"Pay homage to the young master!" With a loud shout, two or three hundred people knelt down on one knee in unison, bowing to Yi Qingxue.
"Young Master?" "She's the Young Master?" "She's... Yi Yunke's daughter!" A chorus of surprised and doubtful voices rose from the crowd at Golden Knife Stronghold.
Yi Qingxue stiffened, took a step back, and murmured to herself, "Me?...Young Master?..."
Ji Xuan waited for a long time without receiving a response, so he had no choice but to look up. Seeing her like this, he couldn't help but frown: "Young Master, do you... not remember this humble general?"
Zui Mochou sighed with a sorrowful expression, "Alas! She doesn't just forget you, she forgets everyone now."
"Ah! This..." Ji Xuan was at a loss for what to do.
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