The dagger plunged into the city wall, and Jin Zijin used the force to lightly leap up. Once his body reached a certain height, he kicked the dagger out with his toes, repeating this two or three tis until he was on top of the city wall.
Climbing the several-zhang-high city wall wasn’t difficult; what was challenging was having to dodge the boulders being hurled and the rain of arrows coming down during the climb.
Yue Rujing shouted, "Senior brother, what excellent skill!"
The archers focused their bows on Jin Zijin atop the city wall, but none had managed to harm him while he was below. Now that he was up close, not a single arrow shot forth from their drawn bows before they all fell to the ground one after another!
With no archer interference from above the city wall, the attackers below beca even more ferocious.
The ladder carriers and the people using logs to batter the door quickly breached the West City Gate.
"Kill..." The cries and shouts of battle resonated through the heavens and earth...
...
Jie Zhonglin walked alone on the street, the empty sleeve of his amputated arm swaying with his steps.
As he neared the city gate, the shouts and sounds of combat began to reach his ears, and he stopped in his tracks.
A middle-aged man from a household pushed open the door with a shoulder pole in hand, popped his head out for a look.
Seeing a person standing on the street, he shouted out loudly, "Hey, young man, why are you still on the street? Hurry back ho!"
Jie Zhonglin turned around and looked at the man.
The sounds coming from the direction of the city gate grew more intense, the clashing of swords, spears, shields, and axes made the scalp tingle.
The man couldn’t care less and gritted his teeth, coming out to pull Jie Zhonglin into his courtyard.
"Young man, it’s too late, you’d better co hide in my house!"
Jie Zhonglin did not object and repeatedly thanked the man.
There were five in the man’s family, including the man and his wife, a son, and two daughters.
They all held weapons, hiding in a room.
"How are things, dear?" a woman holding a kitchen knife asked.
"The sounds say they’ve arrived!" The man gripped the shoulder pole even tighter.
"Who is this young fellow?" The woman looked at Jie Zhonglin and asked.
The man explained, "I saw this young man alone on the street and he didn’t have ti to go ho, so I brought him back to hide in our house for a while."
The man looked at Jie Zhonglin’s empty sleeve and asked, "Young man, what happened to your arm?"
Listening to the clamor outside, Jie Zhonglin beca calm.
Those sounds felt distant to him, as if enduring a century. He had beco a civil official, set to succeed his father, believing he’d never again witness such blood-stirring scenes of battle, only to find this happening right outside his own ho.
With a tinge of lancholy, he used his remaining hand to lift the empty sleeve and softly said, "I used to be just like them, but I beca disabled!"
"Oh, so young fellow, you were a soldier too? Alas! I don’t know why they started fighting, such good days now impossible to enjoy!"
Jie Zhonglin lifted his head and said to the man, "No, this is Beijing, no matter how fierce the fighting outside, it won’t harm the citizens! Uncle, if we stay ho, we’ll be fine."
Then Jie Zhonglin stood up.
The man asked in surprise, "Young fellow, listening to these sounds, they’ve already reached the doorstep, what are you going to do?"
"I’m going out to take a look!"
"Hey, don’t go, it’s too dangerous outside!" The man’s family all stood up.
Jie Zhonglin said, "No worries, my sword hand still works!"
...
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