Chapter 662: Unable to coexist

These few individuals clearly stood out from the other Zuyue soldiers. The soldier behind them looked at the magistrate’s corpse on the ground and asked,

“Brother, what should we do?”

The armored man frowned, saying nothing. He reached out to take the sword from the magistrate’s hand, but it didn’t come loose. Though the magistrate was dead, his fingers still clutched the sword tightly. He had to pry them open before he could finally retrieve the sword. Then, he unfastened the scabbard from the magistrate’s waist, returned the long sword to it, and held it in his hand.

The man glanced at the situation in the city. Amidst the widespread commotion, panicked shouts and cries were already echoing from all directions.

“When we get back, we’ll gather the brothers. We need to find a way to leave this troublesome place. It’s better to go back and be mountain bandits than stay here.”

“Brother, no more achieving great deeds? Isn’t this a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity?”

The man behind him exclaimed in surprise. The armored man, holding the sword, stood up.

“Though these many armies have a supreme commander, they are merely a coalition, each faction acting independently. They boast millions, yet they are chaotic. How many are just a rabble driven by self-interest? The court, apart from its directly commanded hundred thousand troops, doesn’t even distribute provisions to the rest… They may not be able to defeat Dazhen.”

“But there are so many shamans and immortal masters!”

The man hesitated, then shook his head.

“I don’t understand divine matters. And those immortals… never mind. Let’s find some wine and meat so we can go back and celebrate New Year’s Eve. Let’s go.”

The man and his two brothers said nothing more. He led them directly towards the city market. They had their own mission: at least today, they had to bring back some wine and meat so their brothers could have a decent New Year’s Eve.

“Bang… bang, bang, bang…”

“Open the door, open the door! If you don’t open it now, we’ll smash it down and kill everyone inside! Open it quickly!”

A small group of soldiers surrounded a shop with a ‘wine’ flag hanging outside. They were repeatedly pounding on the door with their spear shafts.

The man with the sword and his two companions exchanged glances and quickly headed that way.

Inside the shop, the owner was trembling with fear, his wife and children huddled beside him, shivering.

“Daddy, I’m scared…”

“Don’t be scared, don’t be scared. Hide well, hide well. Daddy will go open the door!”

The owner knew the door wouldn’t hold them back. Mustering his courage, he hid his wife and children in a box in the living area near the wine cellar and under the bed. Afterward, he went to open the door for the soldiers outside.

As soon as the door opened, the owner bowed repeatedly to the soldiers outside.

“I was ignorant, sirs, and utterly terrified, which made me slow. Please, sirs, have mercy, please have mercy!”

“To hell with you!”

A soldier jabbed the owner in the stomach with his spear shaft, knocking him backward against the doorway. The remaining soldiers behind him rushed inside. Seeing so much wine in the shop, their faces immediately lit up with smiles.

“Hahahahaha, so much wine! Take it, take it! Later, we’ll find a cart or a wagon. Oh, right, where’s the money in the shop?”

A soldier grabbed the owner, who was still rubbing his stomach, and dragged him to the counter.

“Where’s the money? Bring it all out! Or I’ll kill you!”

“Oh, oh, oh, it’s here, in the counter drawer…”

How could the owner dare to resist? He quickly went behind the counter and opened the drawers, even pulling out a few and placing them on the surface. One contained silver, the others copper coins of various denominations. The owner was then pushed aside, and the surrounding soldiers plunged into a free-for-all, many of them already having opened wine jars and flasks to pour liquor directly into their mouths.

The owner retreated to a corner by himself, huddled into a ball, his eyes filled with misery and resentment. He couldn’t help but mutter ‘thieves’ under his breath. Although his words weren’t heard, a soldier nearby, whose face was flushed with drink, saw him.

“What did you just say?”

“Huh? No, I didn’t say anything. Sir, you’ve taken all the money and wine from the shop. Please spare my life!”

The soldier approached, his hand on his sword hilt, and glared at the owner, yelling,

“I asked what you just said!”

Other soldiers also noticed the commotion and several gathered around. Some were expressionless, while others wore mocking smiles. The owner, terrified, swallowed hard and stammered,

“I, I was just worrying about how I would get through this New Year…”

“Nonsense! You were definitely insulting us! You’re looking for death!”

“Clang!” “Clang!”

“Clang!”

The sound of drawing swords rang out one after another. Before the soldier’s long saber could cleave the owner’s head, the man who had arrived later drew the sword he had taken from the magistrate’s corpse and blocked it above the owner’s head.

“Alright, just take the wine and money!”

“Hmm? What are you?” “Yeah, who are you to talk?”

“I’m your father!”

“Clang!” “Clang!” “Clang!”…

Many around them drew their swords, and the man’s two brothers also drew their sabers. The man even drew his own saber with his left hand and placed it against the throat of the soldier who had just swung his weapon. The cold blade against his skin gave the slightly inebriated soldier goosebumps, sobering him up considerably.

“You are all mere foot soldiers! How dare you defy my military order?”

The man, holding a sword in one hand and a saber in the other, shouted loudly. His rank was ‘Bo Zhang’, though it wasn’t a high-ranking position, his armor was clearly distinct from that of common soldiers. Hearing his reprimand and seeing his attire clearly, the surrounding soldiers calmed down somewhat.

“Take your wine and disperse!”

“Everyone disperse, disperse!” “Alright, since it’s a Bo Zhang sir, we’ll disperse.”

The soldiers put away their weapons and scattered. The owner, who had just narrowly escaped death, remained pale. The Bo Zhang was about to say something to the owner when suddenly, he heard a rapid succession of wet thuds. The next moment, warm liquid splattered onto his face and body.

The man looked at his two brothers beside him, seeing them covered in blood. Their faces also showed signs of panic. The Bo Zhang touched his own face, then looked at his hand, finding it also covered in blood.

“Thud!” “Thud!” “Thud!” “Thud!”…

One by one, the soldiers around them collapsed, many still gushing blood. The Bo Zhang and his two brothers checked themselves, and finding no injuries, quickly drew their weapons again, looking around nervously.

“Whoosh… whoosh…”

A gust of wind swept into the wine shop, bringing with it a chill. The blood from the corpses on the ground was steaming, an eerie sight.

“I’ll spare your three dog lives. Now get out.”

A voice, devoid of emotion, came from the doorway. The three remaining soldiers looked outside. A man in a fur coat stood in the snow, a long sword pointed diagonally towards the ground in his hand, still bearing traces of blood. However, the blood was quickly dripping from the sword tip, and within a few breaths, it was all gone, the blade remaining as bright as silver snow, without a single stain of blood.

“Thank, thank you, great hero, thank you, great hero! We’re leaving now!”

The three pale-faced men quickly exited the wine shop. The leading Bo Zhang cautiously approached the shop entrance, then thought for a moment, bent down, and presented the long sword he held in both hands to the swordsman outside.

“Great hero, this long sword belonged to the magistrate of Luozhu County. He single-handedly tried to block the army and was stabbed to death by a commandant. I wanted to see him rest in peace, and had intended to keep this personal sword, but now I offer it to you, great hero…”

The swordsman standing in front of the wine shop was Yan Fei. He glanced at the Zuyue soldier before him, took the long sword, and asked,

“What is your name?”

The Bo Zhang didn’t dare to hesitate and immediately replied,

“This humble one’s name is Han Jiang, and neither I nor my brothers have ever killed ordinary civilians!”

Yan Fei looked at him indifferently.

“What about my Dazhen soldiers then? You’ve killed them, haven’t you?”

Han Jiang’s face froze. He was filled with extreme regret for not leaving immediately. How could he be so foolish, thinking so much, even trying to curry favor with the other party? Now, he probably couldn’t leave. Thinking this, after weighing his options, he gritted his teeth slightly and said in a low voice,

“In battle between two armies, on the battlefield it’s either you die or I die. We dared not hold back, therefore, yes, we have killed…”

“Hmph, you’re still a man of some character. I presume you also know that the Zuyue army is full of scoundrels, and even many malevolent beings. Do you wish to help my Dazhen do something? If you succeed, I, Yan Fei, can guarantee your safety, and you won’t lack wealth and status!”

While Han Jiang was stunned, he heard what seemed to be screams rising from all over the city. He could also vaguely hear the clash of weapons and sounds of fighting. He dimly understood that the swordsman before him was not alone; someone from Dazhen might have attacked.

“This humble one, what if this humble one wishes to leave directly?”

Yan Fei smiled.

“Then you may leave. Since I spared you just now, would I, Yan Fei, go back on my word?”

Yan Fei’s eyes narrowed slightly. Although he said this, he knew that there were at least two hundred martial arts masters in the city. In a city full of streets and houses like this, the advantage of military formations was lost. Even if these three survived his sword, they would surely die if they couldn’t get out of the city.

Han Jiang’s thoughts raced. After glancing back at his two bewildered brothers, he turned to face Yan Fei and clasped his fists.

“Great hero, we’ll do it! But do you want us to help raid the camp?”

“Heh, you’re quite sharp. For now, stay with me until we leave the city, to avoid being mistakenly killed.”

Yan Fei left these words and walked away. However, after two steps, he looked back at the shop owner inside the wine shop, who was still stiff with fear.

“My Dazhen army will certainly reclaim this city. All of you, just wait patiently!”

After saying this, and adding ‘Follow me,’ Yan Fei led Han Jiang and his two brothers towards other parts of the city. Along the way, the long sword in Yan Fei’s hand was like a flowing silk ribbon, devouring the lives of Zuyue soldiers one after another. From time to time, they encountered other martial artists in the city, who were also engaging Zuyue soldiers in combat.

As afternoon approached, the more than a thousand soldiers who had entered the city to plunder were almost entirely slaughtered. Because nearly every civilian in the city hated these invaders, it was impossible for anyone to shelter them. Moreover, after understanding the situation, people would inform the martial arts heroes of any information they had.

Zuo Wuji and Wang Ke, along with some other martial artists, guarded the East Gate. The other three gates were also guarded by martial artists, all to prevent any remaining soldiers from escaping.

By evening, all the blood-soaked martial artists had returned. They had also borrowed carts and horses to bring back wagonloads of Zuyue soldiers’ armor.

Both ends of Zuo Wuji’s flat staff were stained with blood and even brain matter. Standing at the city gate, he saw Yan Fei return and immediately shouted excitedly,

“Master! Are you alright?”

Wang Ke, standing nearby, chuckled.

“Brother Yan is a Xiantian master; he wasn’t facing the main army directly. In this kind of street fighting, who could possibly harm him?”

As they spoke, Yan Fei had already arrived. He patted Zuo Wuji’s shoulder and said quietly to Wang Ke,

“How are things?”

Wang Ke replied with a serious expression,

“Everything will be ready before nightfall.”

At this moment, Dazhen soldiers were continuously departing through small paths near Qilin Pass in batches, ranging from a hundred to several hundred men. Each wore a white cloak for camouflage in the snow, and martial artists and scouts were far ahead, reconnoitering. This New Year’s Eve would clearly not be a peaceful one.