Chapter 100. The Assault
Xu Yuan’s gaze swept over the remaining cart drivers.
By now, those n had already cast aside their disguises. Each drew a weapon hidden beneath the carts, their faces full of panic even as they forced themselves to look fierce and closed in around him.
“Kill him!” one of them roared, trying to bolster his courage as he charged with his blade raised.
Xu Yuan shifted his feet and slipped effortlessly into the middle of the group.
Then his fists flashed like lightning. Accompanied by the dull sounds of cracking bones and short, miserable screams, only a few breaths later, several limp corpses lay sprawled across the ground.
The entire process was clean and efficient. Not even much blood had splashed onto his robes.
Only then did he walk over to Zhao Si.
The man was not yet dead. He sat collapsed on the ground, his breastbone caved in, blood constantly spilling from his mouth and nose. Yet his lips still twitched faintly, as though he were muttering sothing.
“You weren’t secretly cursing a couple of tis, were you?”
Xu Yuan kicked Zhao Si in the shoulder, knocking his half-living body flat onto its back.
“Speak. What was your purpose in coming to the dicinal fields?”
Zhao Si’s gaze fell on Xu Yuan’s face, and he actually pulled out a strange, twisted smile.
“Too late. It’s already too late. Did you think... we were the only ones who ca to the dicinal fields?”
He gasped for breath, vomiting blood every few words.
“Once we learned the location of the Shangyang Residence’s dicinal fields, we had already been planning this for a long ti. The Ward Lord personally ca to hold the line... by now, quite a few places have probably already fallen, hahaha...”
Ward Lord?
A Sixth ridian martial artist!
Xu Yuan’s heart sank. As expected, it was the Bai Family.
Taking advantage of the Chief Guard’s departure, they had sent a Sixth ridian Ward Lord to lead the assault they had been preparing for all along!
The dicinal fields were hidden away, and though their defensive strength was relatively concentrated, their manpower was limited. If they were struck from within and without at the sa ti, then the danger was indeed real.
What he could not understand, however, was why the Bai Family was in such a hurry.
The Chief Guard had barely left, and they had co imdiately behind him.
“Destroy the dicinal fields, cut off the Shangyang Residence’s resource supply... let’s see what you’ll use to fight the Bai Family then...” Zhao Si’s grin turned even more savage, as though he were using up the last of his strength.
Xu Yuan’s eyes turned cold. He said no more. Extending two fingers like a blade, he released a burst of force and instantly shattered Zhao Si’s heart ridian.
Zhao Si’s body stiffened. The manic grin on his face froze, and he fell silent for good.
With the imdiate threat resolved, Xu Yuan considered whether he should rush back at once to check on Field Ding, or first investigate the situation in the other dicinal fields.
Just as he was weighing it, a burst of hurried, chaotic footsteps ca from the distance and rapidly drew nearer.
Xu Yuan looked up and saw Yang Caiyu charging at the head of the group, accompanied by three duty captains, more than a dozen field overseers, and martial artists. Zhang Cheng was among them as well.
Everyone wore grim expressions. Their robes were stained here and there with blood and dust, making it obvious that they had just co through a battle.
When she saw Xu Yuan standing in the middle of the road, Yang Caiyu slowed to a stop. Her sharp gaze swept rapidly over the scene before landing on him, and she said coldly,
“Since you knew there were foreign enemies invading, why are you still standing here? Could it be that... you have so connection with the Bai Family and were waiting here to assist them?”
That was going far too far. Without another word, she was already trying to pin a charge on him.
Xu Yuan’s expression turned cold, and he looked straight at Yang Caiyu.
“Captain Yang, you would do well to watch your words.”
“I just intercepted and killed a squad of Bai Family thieves who infiltrated the place in disguise. Their corpses are still warm, and the proof is right here. If you want to hurl baseless accusations, at least consider the setting first.”
At his side, Zhang Cheng frowned and spoke up, his tone carrying obvious displeasure.
“Captain Yang, with a great enemy before us, resisting them should co first. Without evidence, how can you let personal grudges lead you into wild suspicion and throw our people into confusion?”
The other duty captains around them also spoke up to persuade her. The Bai Family was attacking now; this was precisely when they needed to work together. Old grievances could only be set aside for the mont.
Yang Caiyu’s expression eased sowhat. Clearly, she also knew this was not the ti to keep pressing the matter. She shot Xu Yuan a cold glare.
“Once this business is over, I will settle the matter with you properly!”
She stopped looking at him and waved a hand at the others. “Quickly! Head toward Field Jia and eliminate any remaining enemies along the way!”
The group swiftly passed the wreckage of the convoy and hurried along the main road.
On the way, Xu Yuan ran beside Zhang Cheng and asked in a low voice, “Brother Zhang, what exactly is going on? How did you discover it?”
Zhang Cheng’s face was grave, and he spoke quickly.
“We were returning a little faster than you. As soon as we got near our respective dicinal fields, we discovered that small groups of Bai Family martial artists had already infiltrated in disguise and were launching attacks.”
“Fortunately, most of them were at the Fourth ridian or below. They hadn’t yet caused major damage before we joined forces and wiped them out... Oh, right. When I passed by your Field Ding, I also took care of two infiltrating Fourth ridian martial artists for Gao Xiaosong and the others. That side is stable for the mont.”
“After that, several of us duty captains joined up and ca rushing toward the core area together with Yang Caiyu.”
Warmth stirred in Xu Yuan’s heart. He cupped his hands and said, “Many thanks, Brother Zhang, for looking after Field Ding.”
“A small matter. It’s only what colleagues ought to do.”
Zhang Cheng waved it off, but there was not the slightest ease in his expression.
“The most troubleso areas right now are Fields Jia, Yi, and Bing.”
“The highest-grade dicinal treasures are planted there. Their guards are usually the strongest as well. Those three fields are the foundation of the dicinal fields as a whole. Since the Bai Family ca with a plan in place, their main force must be headed there. It’s just...”
He frowned tightly. “The Chief Guard had only just left, and the attack arrived right behind him. The timing was so precise that it feels as though... they could not wait any longer?”
Xu Yuan felt the sa way, but there was no benefit in delving into it right now. “We should deal with the imdiate crisis first.”
Everyone moved at great speed, and before long they approached the territory of Field Bing.
Before they had even stepped inside, a thick sll of blood ca drifting toward them on the wind.
The sight that t their eyes made every heart sink.
The once-neat ridges of dicinal crops had been trampled into total ruin. Most of the precious dicinal treasures had been uprooted entirely, leaving behind only overturned beds of mud and a few scattered immature plants.
Along the field ridges and beside the paths lay the bodies of martial artists and herb farrs, strewn everywhere, stained with blood. The air was thick with the stench of slaughter.
Plainly, a brief yet brutal battle had taken place here—and it had ended in a crushing defeat for the defenders of Field Bing.
“This is bad!” one duty captain cried out.
They searched quickly and soon found the corpse of Field Bing’s duty captain near the guard station.
This senior martial artist, a veteran at the peak of the Fifth ridian, had a clear palm print in the middle of his chest. The bones around it had all been shattered. His eyes were wide open, and his face was frozen with shock, fury, and unwillingness.
“It was done by a Sixth ridian expert... and killed in a single strike!”
After examining the body, Zhang Cheng spoke in a low voice, with a faint tremor he could not quite hide.
To kill a duty captain at the peak of the Fifth ridian this cleanly and decisively, only a Sixth ridian martial artist could have done it. Moreover, even among the Sixth ridian, the opponent was likely one of the stronger ones.
Xu Yuan silently looked at the devastation before him.
The fall of Field Bing ant that a large quantity of high-grade dicinal treasures had been taken. For the Shangyang Residence, that was indeed a major loss.
More importantly, the Bai Family had shown themselves here, and at least one of those who had personally acted was a Sixth ridian martial artist!
As for the duty captain of Field Jia, Xie Yun, he was the only Sixth ridian martial artist among all the dicinal fields. If he could hold the line, then Field Jia might still be saved.
But Field Yi...
“Quick, to Field Yi!” Yang Caiyu shouted anxiously, no longer caring about anything else.
…
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