Translator: Myuu Editor: Myuu
SNAP…!
The ashwood spear handle in Yan Liqiang’s hands finally snapped. A cavalryman’s breastbone shattered instantly after he was hit by the spear. Fresh blood sprayed out from his mouth while he was sent flying over ten meters from his horse by Yan Liqiang’s spear. He landed among the weeds and stopped breathing almost immediately.
Yan Liqiang wiped away the blood staining his face while murderously glaring around.
More than ten men wearing black headbands riding on regular horses paled when they met Yan Liqiang’s gaze. They immediately turned their horses around and fled without thinking. Twenty to thirty corpses remained on the ground within a ten-meter radius around Yan Liqiang.
Yan Liqiang took another look at the ashwood spear’s broken handle in his hands and tossed it on the ground.
The spearhead was long broken. Yan Liqiang even lost count of how many lives he had taken.
With Yan Liqiang’s monstrous strength, the supposedly sturdy spearhead was broken under the immense force. Even so, a spear with broken spearhead was still a spear, and it was still just as terrifying in Yan Liqiang’s hands. He used the spear handle like a long rod. Be it swinging, smashing, or sweeping, no one could withstand his attacks. Now, even the spear handle was also broken.
The ashwood spear handle in Yan Liqiang’s hands shrieked menacingly and explosively through the air with every movement. Just the sound alone was enough to scare the group of soldiers out of their wits. Those who dared to come at him were turned into ghosts by the spear in his hands.
The spear might have considerable weight in the hands of others, but it was so light in Yan Liqiang’s hand. In fact, it was almost as weightless as a chicken feather, and it felt off in his hands. At this moment, Yan Liqiang was starting to miss the Dragon Spine Steel spear in the real world…
After tossing the spear handle, Yan Liqiang still didn’t feel satisfied while watching those people escaping. He immediately retrieved his warbow without the slightest hesitation.
Whoosh…
Whoosh…
Whoosh…
….
In the blink of an eye, seven arrows were fired and another seven riders with black headbands fell from their horses. All the remaining riders were like birds startled by the mere twang of a bow. No one dared to get any closer to Yan Liqiang.
The sounds of rushing iron hooves rang out from behind him.
Yan Liqiang turned around with his bow. As Wang Hui and Huang Sheng drew closer to him, the former shouted to him and pointed into the distance. “Run, Liqiang! A horde of cavalry is coming this way from the mountain…!”
Yan Liqiang looked in the direction where Wang Hui was pointing. Indeed, flying dust was rolling behind the hill — an indication of an incoming large troop of cavalry. The distance between their location and the rolling dust was approximately ten li. They were probably coming from Shidu County, the same location as where the White Lotus Cavalry had come from earlier. Therefore, the cavalry that was riding toward them from that direction must be from the White Lotus Society too.
Looking at the wilderness before him, everyone had pretty much escaped. Only corpses remained in the area and on the hill. The ones wearing black headbands were all killed by Yan Liqiang, while the rest were killed by those cavalry soldiers who surrounded them earlier…
“Let’s go…!” Yan Liqiang promptly made a decision. Without further delay, he turned his steed around, galloped onto the public road with both Wang Hui and Huang Sheng, then retreated northward.
A few riders from the White Lotus Cavalry tried to give chase, but Yan Liqiang fired a few shots and took out three of them. The remaining riders were petrified and could do nothing but watch Yan Liqiang and the other two leave the scene on their steeds.
…
In just a short while, Yan Liqiang and the other two rendezvoused with the rest from the escort agency at the agreed location. Aside from them, there were also a few other commoners who were lucky enough to have escaped by nabbing a rhinodrake steed from earlier.
“Go! Let’s leave this place first, we’ll talk later…!” Yan Liqiang announced, then quickly retreated northward with everyone.
They retreated until the sky darkened.
Fortunately, it seemed like the destination of the cavalry from Shidu County wasn’t up in the north. They went down the other fork in the public road and traveled westward. After galloping for more than hour on their rhinodrake steeds, Yan Liqiang’s party could no longer see the rolling dust that followed the large troop of cavalry behind them.
Everyone had initially planned to return to the Qugu County Town where they passed by in the morning, but by the time they returned to Qugu County, they discovered the entire county was already in chaos. Fleeing crowds were seen everywhere. The county town gates were shut tight to prevent people from going in and out. Those who lived in the villages outside the county town had begun to escape with their families. It would seem like news about the upcoming arrival of White Lotus Army had gotten around.
As last resort, Yan Liqiang’s party had no choice but change directions. Not daring to stay at the county town of Qugu County either, they could only travel along a minor road without any rest to bypass the county town. They only reached a dilapidated temple near a small mountain village more than seventy li north of the Qugu County Town after dark and settled down there.
…
“Hu Cheng’an and family would like to thank Young Lord for saving us…!”
The firewood they found from outside was turned into a bonfire inside the dilapidated temple. The steeds that had been running for half a day were resting outside while feeding on fodder and were taken care of by a few people from the escort agency. As soon as the group settled down, the people who followed the members from the escort agency walked over and prostrated to Yan Liqiang.
“Please get up, please get up…” Yan Liqiang hurriedly helped Hu Cheng’an get up.
Hu Cheng’an was a slightly chubby and capable man in his thirties who was looking at Yan Liqiang emotionally. He had a wife and two young sons who appeared to be only seven or eight years old.
“What’s going on with these people from the White Lotus Society?”
“I’ve no idea either. Right after noon today when we were still at home, quite a number of people ran into the village from the county town and told us that a troop of more than ten thousand men coming from the Copper Ridge had stormed the county town. They took control of the county town effortlessly, murdered the county magistrate, and hung his head on the city wall. Those people were capturing everyone and forcing them to join them. Those who disobeyed them were beheaded. They also deployed cavalry soldiers to seal off some of the roads. When the villagers heard the news, everyone panicked. My family quickly packed a few things and tried to escape, but the cavalry had already rushed to the village. We had no choice but to escape with the other folks through the mountain behind the village. Little did we expect to encounter another cavalry as soon as we made it past that mountain. Then the rest came after meeting you, our savior…!”
“They came out from Copper Ridge?” Yan Liqiang furrowed his brows.
“That means something might have happened to the south of Copper Ridge. I wonder how serious the situation is and if we can avoid that place on our way back…” Wang Hui had a grave expression on his face.
“Let’s ask around for the exact news tomorrow first. At a time like this, information will be our top priority. We must plan ahead before we move. Otherwise, we might unknowingly march into the lion’s den…” Yan Liqiang let out a sigh. He didn’t expect the way back to the Divine Sword Sect to be such an arduous one. When he recalled the words from Fang Beidou about wars arising in the wake of those natural disasters, he had a bad premonition in his heart. The Great Han Empire was at its frailest and most chaotic time right now due to the recent catastrophe in Imperial Capital…
“I guess we can only do that…” Wang Hui, Huang Sheng, and the rest had a look of worry on their faces.
“Young Lord, the sweet potatoes are ready…!” Unbeknownst to Yan Liqiang, Yu Qing was already standing behind him as she handed over a perfectly roasted sweet potato to him.
The sweet potatoes were dug up somewhere around the dilapidated temple. The small mountain village was still in a state of panic and confusion. Many carried torches and moved their things away overnight…
…..
It took them three days to truly grasp the situation. After that catastrophe in the Imperial Capital, Yan Liqiang once again stayed in the Heavenly Realm for three consecutive days.
This time, the White Lotus Society staged an uprising in the Yuan, Hong, and Xiang Provinces at the same time. They got the commoners involved, besieged cities, and took control of the villages. The territories to the south of Copper Ridge were in a complete mess. Imperial court orders were lost and the local authorities already had enough on their plates. The heart of the empire was instantly smashed. In just a few days, the White Lotus Society that was wreaking havoc in the different provinces managed to bring out a few ‘armies of a million men’…
At the same time, another even more horrifying and disturbing news got around — about ten days ago, the Chaman people defeated the Storm Army. Millions of armored cavalry breached the Dragon Snake Pass to the north and reportedly entered the territory of the Great Han Empire…
