Chapter 4, The Xiangchan Barbarians
Liang Xin trembled slightly, and the knife nearly fell to the ground... The little courage he had just mustered had almost dissipated. In the face of impending disaster, he no longer cared about status or hierarchy, and with a bitter smile, he shook his head: "Let's say something to boost morale."
Liang Xin squinted his eyes to observe closely, and was immediately taken aback. What was embedded within the jade disc was not some impurity, but clearly a tangle of clothing!
Upon seeing it, Liang Xin couldn't help but exclaim softly, "Xiang Chan Man!" His mind was in a state of chaos, and he simply could not comprehend how such a thing could possibly exist in the Kuan Nai Mountains
The young man with a fair complexion had just slain several monsters. Turning to see Liang Xinqing, whose veins were bulging and teeth were gritted in a fervent display, he couldn't help but chuckle: "You go and kill all these Xiangchan barbarians, and I will report your achievements to the court, clearing your name from the list of criminals!"
After about the time it takes to brew a pot of tea, accompanied by a series of long howls, the pale-faced man returned, his head and face covered in thick, sticky blood. At his waist, however, he carried a silver-headed human figurine lamp about a foot long.
The Xiangchan Man is not a mere creature, but rather a tribe of savage wild people. They possess a robust physique that is resistant to blades and weapons, with claws and strength comparable to that of a wild bear. They do not run but only know how to leap. When they move, their entire body is crouched low to the ground, propelling themselves with their powerful hind legs, resembling a gigantic and ferocious frog, capable of jumping distances of seven to eight zhang. Such strength, with just one collision, could cause an ordinary person to spit blood and perish.
In the distance, another officer in green roared, "Beast Lord, all creatures heed my command!" Following this, he sat down cross-legged on the ground, making strange sounds through his nose, while his hands clapped rhythmically against the earth. Moments later, a nauseating stench filled the air as dozens of tigers and wolves roared and charged out from the forest, pouncing towards the monster under the command of the thousand households.
Liang Xin was overjoyed, eagerly nodding in agreement, cautiously following closely beside the pale-faced man, retreating step by step until the jade disc completely vanished from sight. Only then did the pale-faced man put away his long bow, casually wiping the sweat pouring down his forehead, and he could not be bothered to exchange any more idle chatter with Liang Xin, leaping swiftly towards the well.
The young man with a pale face appeared dignified, yet he murmured, "If I had known, I should have brought down the lantern of Qingmo..." His tone seemed to carry a hint of regret. He then took a deep breath and began to chant the secret commands for arranging the formation in a series: "Rabbits run, eagles fly, the three stars act as the east, disregarding the satchel while thinking of the sky"
The commander watched as his subordinates perished in an instant, his eyes filled with rage, and he let out a deep, hoarse roar from his throat: "Blade Master, sever the sharp gold!" A flash of golden light suddenly flowed from his hand, making his right hand almost transparent as he swept it across a monstrous toad.
In the span of merely a cup of tea, amidst the darkness and chaos, all of the more than two thousand people at the forefront were completely evaporated
Liang Xin was completely dumbfounded. He pondered the position of his punch, which should have landed squarely on the pretty boy's face. He was even more confused, wondering why the other person had to run over to him while drawing the bow.
The young man personally held the rear, his longbow never relaxing in his grip, the arrowhead always fixed on the jade disc, slowly retreating step by step.
Anxiously, the shouts of command continued without pause; some leaders ignited flames with their outstretched arms; others summoned swarms of wild bees; some had their veins bulging, their bodies swelling to more than three times their original size
The young man with a delicate appearance stood beside Liang Xin, having unknowingly removed the long bow from his back. Below the fully drawn bow, an arrow, scarcely thicker than a strand of hair, was nocked on the string, and a burst of golden light radiated from the tip of the slender arrow.
... ...
Only the garments remain, but the master is nowhere to be seen. Anyone can understand that an entire camp, comprising over 2,000 people, has been completely devoured by this ghostly jade disc in the darkness
The faint light grew increasingly bright, and after a moment, it transformed into a brilliant golden wheel, illuminating everything around it
In the splendid Middle-earth, not only do countless cultivators pursue the Heavenly Path and possess great supernatural powers, but among mortals, there are also those born with divine strength, who, from the moment of their birth, are favored by the heavens and endowed with formidable power
The people around the mine were caught off guard, suddenly overwhelmed by the brutal attack of the Xiangchan, causing chaos and panic. The unarmed offenders scattered in all directions, while the Qingyi of Jiulong rallied to counterattack under the leadership of the officials
Liang Xin suddenly realized that he had become the last one in the group fleeing from the well. He hurriedly spread his legs and ran out desperately, and soon after, he could already see the exit in the distance.
In these four years, Liang Xin has been reading and learning to recognize characters, with a particular fondness for "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio." He knows that the Xiang Chan had long disappeared many years ago. No one would have expected them to appear on Kunai Mountain, and in such large numbers.
Liang Xin did not run with the others, but instead followed closely behind the pale-faced man, slowly retreating. He had just punched this villain and was afraid that as soon as he emerged from the hole, the pale-faced man would immediately dismember him. Now he walked slowly to appease him
Liang Xin's cleverness is of no use now; in the tense silence, his lips are quarreling along with his thoughts, and he speaks incoherently: "I was just so scared that I didn't dare to move at all, I... I didn't hit anyone, nor did I slap anyone... I'm sorry, please forgive me..."
The subordinates of the commander, dressed in blue, immediately sprang into action, forming groups of ten and eight. Although they appeared chaotic, there was an underlying order to their movements. By the time the pale-faced man finished speaking, they had already arranged themselves according to the commander's orders. Regardless of the direction from which an offense might arise, one hundred long knives would transform into a formidable array, reducing the enemy to mere minced meat.
The sudden appearance of thousands of toads was overwhelming. On ordinary days, the number of people stationed at the mine, including the Qingyi and the convicted, was only a little over ten thousand. Although the Nine Dragons Qingyi rose up in resistance, they could not hold out for long. At this moment, only a few dozen Nine Dragons Qingyi remained, gathered tightly around the pale-faced figure, firmly blocking the entrance to the mine.
The wild man, whose body was as hard as steel and impervious to blades and bullets, let out a terrible howl, as his massive form was sliced in two by a single blow from the thousand-household leader, as if it were a piece of tofu
The pretty boy seemed to smile for a moment, glancing at him with a sideways look: "What nonsense! Once you go out, if you dare to tell anyone that I hit you, I will take your life"
At the end of the line of sight, a massive jade disc stands hazily, illuminated by the firelight, with divine light swirling around it, captivating and mesmerizing. However, the jade disc does not appear as flawless and lustrous as the green-clad leader described; rather, it is speckled with numerous impurities.
In the grand work of illumination, the sound of chewing also vanished, yet the individuals in the cave did not relax even slightly; instead, their bodies stiffened in an instant
A group of nine green-clad figures quickly rushed out and surrounded the pale-faced man, encircling Liang Xin as well.
Just as Liang Xin was overjoyed and running with all his might, a sudden cacophony of noise erupted from outside
Before the words had left his mouth, dozens of monsters descended from the sky, instantly crushing that small team. Although the person in green possessed great skills, when faced with the iron-clad monsters, the only outcome was to be torn apart and ground to dust
Flesh and blood flying, anguished cries resounding fiercely, the embroidered spring knife forged from fine steel shattered, the wind-stopping shield woven from resilient vines smashed, leaving only the flesh and blood of the body and the defense of bones and sinews
Tools, swords, kettles... all scattered messily on the ground
Mortals fell one by one, while a small team of Nine Dragons in green attire formed a blade formation. The snow-like blade light rolled over Xiang Chanman’s body, yet it erupted with a series of clanging sounds as metal struck metal. A commander shouted loudly: "The monsters are all made of earth and stone, blinding to the eye..."
Countless toads swarmed in from all directions, rushing into the criminal's camp, leaving behind only a trail of severed limbs and shattered flesh.
The complexion of the young man turned ashen, and he slowly advanced while holding a long bow. Just as he was about to continue issuing orders to lead his subordinates to investigate, suddenly, the torches that had just been extinguished reignited, and the fire-starting tools in the hands of the man in green also returned to normal.
The criminals, as if encountering a great amnesty, did not wish to remain in this hellish place for even a moment longer. They immediately discarded the timber and water in their hands and turned to flee towards the cave's exit
Originally, in front of Liang Xin and the others, there were still a large number of criminals busy at work, and deeper within, there were two large camps that had halted their operations due to the discovery of jade discs. At this moment, a hundred steps away, there was only an empty expanse
At the same time, the young man instructed his remaining companions, "Hold on for a moment, I will be back soon!" He then moved like the wind, rushing towards the nearby battlefield. After a few leaps, he vanished from sight.
Countless people cried out and screamed, along with the mournful sound of the battle horns... After a moment, he ran to the surface, only to find that the ground had already transformed into a scene of carnage.
Dozens of skilled Qingyi masters, their subordinates, companions, comrades, and brothers, resembled scattered isolated islands, unable to withstand even a moment before being submerged beneath the furious tide of Xiang Chan's wrath
Whenever a toad approached, the young man would leap forward and with a single kick, turn the robust creature, which even a steel knife could hardly injure, into a puddle of flesh! It was then that Liang Xin realized that this haughty young man possessed such great skill!
The Jiulong Qingyi patrolling the periphery and the Zhu Li cultivating by the strange rocks had neither raised an alarm earlier nor offered assistance now, suggesting that they had been quietly eliminated by the barbarian tribe
Liang Xin emerged from the mine the latest, and is now hiding behind this group of people in blue attire, gazing outward with a face full of sorrow.
The young man looked up to the sky and laughed, saying: "Good! Eliminate all the monsters, not only will it clear your name, but it will also promote you to a high official!"
The guilty individuals wear coarse cloth garments, and there are also ink fish embroidered robes in the style of the Nine Dragons
Liang Xin Zhang opened his mouth wide, staring blankly ahead ... In front of him, a hundred steps away, there was no one at all.
The group of young people around laughed, and there was a chubby, big-eared black man who, with a playful grin, called out to Liang Xin: "Your humble servant greets you, my lord..."
As he watched his followers dwindle, the pale-faced man's expression turned extremely grim. He quietly instructed a few words to his subordinates beside him, and immediately over twenty individuals in green attire left the ranks, disregarding the presence of the man-eating and -illustrated jade bi below, and turned to run down the well.
As the battle raged fiercely, Liang Xin hesitated for a moment, picked up a dulled Xiuchun knife from the ground, and walked into the ranks of the Qingyi. The Qingyi were not surprised; at this moment, anyone would pick up a weapon to fight alongside them.
In the bright spectacle, the Kowloon Ching Yi has returned to normal, and the restless criminals have also quieted down. At this moment, anyone who dares to cry out or run will surely be cut down by Ching Yi with a single stroke.
The number of the monstrous toads is truly overwhelming; everywhere one looks, their leaping figures abound. Patches of these creatures rise from the ground, nearly blotting out the sun. Although the Qingyi are well-trained, their usual practice focuses on the arts of ambush and assassination in the martial world, rather than on military formations and tactics. Now, mixed in with the tide of criminals and scattered from their ranks, they are simply no match for the monsters!
The complexion of the young man changed repeatedly as he blocked the commander who wanted to rush forward and fight desperately. In a deep voice, he issued an order: "Everyone withdraw and reconsider! During the retreat, do not act chaotically, nor push or create a disturbance! Those in green are to escort the prisoners; anyone causing trouble will be killed"
The team from Tsing Yi in Kowloon interspersed, fragmenting the group of offenders, taking them out in waves.
Only those few masters among the green-clad warriors on the battlefield are capable of inflicting harm on the Xiangchan barbarian
The young man knew what he wanted and said in a suppressed voice: "If you go out, I will skin you alive! I guarantee you will not die for seven days after being skinned!"
The Xiangchan, though uncultured and savage, were not devoid of intelligence. After being confronted by the formidable Qingyi masters who laid down hundreds of corpses, they regrouped and surged forward in a grand manner towards the only leaders who posed a threat to them. Meanwhile, the ordinary Qingyi desperately rushed to the side of their commander, hoping to protect their chance for revenge
Unbeknownst to how many people have suddenly found themselves in a different place, some in blue garments wear expressions of unwillingness, yet their mouths utter nonsensical words: "Bring the widow..." However, before the words are fully spoken, they meet an untimely death
Among the leaders of Kowloon Tsing Yi, there are certainly individuals endowed with divine power. At this moment, facing formidable foes, they are all calling upon their innate abilities!