Leaning on Pang Hu, Granny Li hobbled forward, pointing a trembling finger at the group across from them. "You bunch of ungrateful wretches!" she scolded. "You’ve brought complete sha upon your ancestors! Use your heads! If you get Princess Qing killed, do you really think you’ll survive?"
Manager ng added angrily, "What’s more, they’re from Nanchen! This is treason! You claim it’s for your wives and children, but if you beco the slaves of a conquered nation, do you think they’ll treat you like human beings? Can you even call a life of servitude ’living’? It’s you! You’re the ones pushing your families into a pit of fire with your own hands!"
The crowd of townspeople stood rooted to the spot, completely at a loss for what to do.
A cold smile touched Yan Jiayu’s lips.
"Is that how it is? Then kill them all."
Everyone on the other side panicked. "What do we do?"
"No... I don’t want to die..."
As panic swept through the crowd, Granny Li gestured for Pang Hu to help her walk forward.
She lifted her chin to look at the man on the tall horse. "You want to kill soone? Then kill first!"
Everyone stared at her, stunned and in disbelief.
"Grandmother..." Pang Hu cowered behind Granny Li, terrified.
"My dear grandson, don’t be afraid!"
Granny Li’s voice bood. "Your father may have only been a city gate guard, but he was guarding the entire city! He was guarding the soil of our Da Cheng! You are his son—you cannot bring sha to his na!"
Choking back sobs, Pang Hu nodded emphatically. "Grandmother, I understand! I... I’m not afraid to die!"
Granny Li affectionately stroked his head. "That’s my good grandson..."
Watching the old woman and the young boy, Song Lianhe felt a lump form in her throat, and she was choked with emotion.
" too!"
Manager ng and his n ca to stand beside the grandmother and grandson.
"Sishui City belongs to Da Cheng, and Da Cheng alone! We will never be the slaves of a conquered nation!"
CLANG—
Soone threw their iron pickaxe to the ground, but then snatched it back up and strode forward to join them. "That’s right! We will never be slaves of a conquered nation!"
"Yeah! We’re not afraid of a few Nanchen whelps!"
"Our families are dying to protect the city! We can’t bring them sha!"
The crowd’s passion ignited. Manager ng stepped forward, brandishing a blade and raising his arm. "Fight them to the death!" he roared.
"Fight to the death!"
"Fight to the death!"
In that instant, it was as if everyone had awakened. They roared in fury—n and won, young and old—all casting aside any thought of their own survival.
Song Lianhe closed her eyes, blinking back tears, and let out a soft laugh.
’It’s just a matter of dying one more ti.’
’There’s nothing to be afraid of.’
She walked through the crowd, with Xuan i, E Jintang, and Ah Jun following protectively behind her.
Song Lianhe stood before everyone and held out her arm. "Chun Hua."
"SKREEE—"
Chun Hua let out a cry that pierced the heavens.
Chun Hua beat its wings. Despite one being broken, it flapped with all its might, soaring over the heads of the crowd to land steadily on her arm.
Yan Jiayu’s brow twitched almost imperceptibly. He could actually feel a terrifying killing intent emanating from a re falcon.
A killing intent that held the certainty of death.
Looking at the bird, Song Lianhe reached out and gently stroked its head. Chun Hua tilted its own head to look back at her.
"If we’re fated to, then... let’s et again in another ti, another place."
Yan Jiayu narrowed his eyes. On her wrist, he saw sothing emitting a faint, silvery glow. It looked like a bracelet.
’Is that the little snake?’
He looked at Song Lianhe again. ’This woman is truly a strange one.’
The falcon on her arm was already a rare spiritual bird, but the snake coiled around her wrist was unlike anything he had ever seen.
’Just what are the origins of Zhou Cangyan’s Princess Consort?’
He tilted his head to the side.
His second-in-command imdiately ca forward.
"Spare her."
"Yes, sir!"
He then pulled his reins tight, turned his horse, and ambled forward.
anwhile, his soldiers had already leveled their pikes, halberds, and swords at the crowd.
The wind gusted past, making Song Lianhe’s robes flutter. She showed no intention of retreating.
She was from the modern era; she’d never felt a deep connection to royalty or the Imperial Family. Only now did she understand the aning her title of "Princess Consort" truly held.
’Faith and guardianship.’
At the second-in-command’s order, the Nanchen army charged forward!
"Bring it on!"
E Jintang’s roar was deafening. "Little Nine! Watch avenge you!"
Wielding two thousand-pound hamrs, he charged headfirst into the fray. The very ground seed to shake as he ran, and a single sweep of his hamrs cut down a swath of soldiers!
Xuan i followed close behind, her movents agile, the short sword in her hand a blur as fast as lightning.
But to everyone’s surprise, Manager ng was a hidden master. He wielded a pair of Ring-headed Knives with superb skill; with a re flick of his wrist, his strikes were instantly fatal.
While Song Lianhe’s martial arts skills couldn’t compare to the others, she was an expert with poisons. With Chun Hua protecting her and Little Lan at the ready, anyone who tried to get near her would receive an unexpected bite from the small creature!
It was the Poisonous Insect King. Its bite was a direct infusion of Gu poison, causing its victims to fly into a crazed frenzy and attack their own comrades, only to be cut down in the chaos.
However, it was still too small. After biting just a few people, it was exhausted and retreated back into Song Lianhe’s bracelet.
Panting, Song Lianhe looked down at it gratefully. "...Go to sleep."
Seeing soone grab Chun Hua by its wing as it struggled desperately, Song Lianhe quickly snatched up a fallen blade. It was heavy, but summoning strength from nowhere, she ran forward, raised it, and hacked down!
Chun Hua seized the chance to peck at the man’s brow.
"ARGH—"
The man scread in agony, and Uncle Tian rushed over to finish him with a single slash.
The second-in-command hadn’t expected them to be so tenacious. For a ti, the Nanchen army couldn’t gain any ground!
E Jintang lived up to his future title as the greatest fierce general. Standing at the forefront, he was like one man against a hundred.
The second-in-command made a swift decision: annihilate them with full force!
’If Da Cheng has people like this, leaving them alive will only cause trouble later!’
"Archers, ready!"
Archers had already surrounded them. Before anyone could react, a volley of countless arrows shot forth—
"Look out!"
They were in the narrow alley behind the dical hall. E Jintang acted on pure instinct, spinning around and spreading his arms wide to shield Xuan i, Ah Jun, and Song Lianhe with his body. He stood with his back to the danger, motionless.
Song Lianhe was sprawled on the ground. When she recovered and looked up, she saw E Jintang grinning foolishly at her.
"La—" He had barely opened his mouth before he coughed up a gout of blood.
"Jintang..."
Song Lianhe reached for him, but E Jintang was suddenly dragged away!
"Jintang!"
Song Lianhe lunged forward, only managing to brush the hem of his robe.
Iron hooks had pierced E Jintang’s shoulders. Eight n, four on each side, pulled on the chains attached and began to run, dragging him across the ground. He struggled desperately, but he couldn’t break free from the hooks embedded in his collarbones, leaving a winding trail of blood in his wake...
Enraged, Xuan i roared, "You’re courting death!"
She leaped forward, sending two n flying with a kick. But just as she was about to go to his rescue, soone darted out and blocked her path—
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