Chapter 393: Chapter 393

In Chuzhou tonight, some were scheming, some wavering, some struggling, some disheartened.

A retired former Vice Minister of Works, though his home hadn’t been targeted for confiscation, led his entire family to hang themselves.

A Commander in Chuzhou, who overnight became the man with the most military power in the city under the Yan people, was busy leading his more than two thousand subordinates to raid homes and wipe out families, one by one.

A respected elder, who had agreed to the Yan people’s demands and become the new head of civil officials in Chuzhou, sat alone in his courtyard, drinking peach blossom wine all through the desolate, cold night.

Another, a wine jug in one hand and his sword in the other, walked the late-night streets, cursing the Yan people, warning them not to be arrogant, for when the King’s army arrived, their barbarian heads would surely roll. Before he could fully vent the heroic spirit in his heart, he was shot and killed by an arrow from a Northern Army patrol enforcing the curfew.

His corpse was then tied to a horse by a hot-headed Northern Army officer and dragged through the streets until it was a bloody, mangled mess.

Some attempted to fish in troubled waters; small gangs within the city looked to seize the opportunity amidst the chaos to extend their reach toward wealthy households they normally wouldn’t dare to touch.

Countless faces, countless states of being, countless expressions; all different, each telling its own story.

Regardless, the vast majority, amidst their terror, were simply waiting quietly. For those homes that enshrined deities, whether with statues or paintings, their offering tables were far more laden than usual.

If there truly were gods in the heavens, they might have been surprised to think Chuzhou was celebrating the New Year ahead of schedule.

All things in the world are interconnected. Where there is black, there is white; where there is light, there is dark; where there is red, there is naturally also black.

Story after story, scene after scene, though unfolding in the pitch-black night, played out with stark clarity.

However, for the soldiers of the Northern Army—those not needed for city patrols or dispatched as outriders—they had eaten their fill and entered the land of dreams early.

After days of fierce riding, they were indeed tired and needed rest.

The occasional screams and cries from within the city were, to them, merely light seasoning for their dreams.

When it came to bloodshed and cruelty, the things they had witnessed in the desert were far more absolute.

What was happening now was merely a drizzle in comparison.

Perhaps, in their eyes, these people of Qian State were being overly dramatic. The outcome was already determined, yet they insisted on making such a fuss with all their noise and emotions. Why bother?

This was a profoundly imbalanced contest of strength. And once the Northern Army cavalry had successfully breached the city gates, the outcome was irreversible.

But the curtain of war had only just been raised...

"The discipline of the Northern Army is indeed impressive," said Zheng Fan.

"My lord, this is because the war is progressing smoothly, and the troops haven’t truly seen bloodshed yet."

Zheng Fan nodded, agreeing with the blind man’s view. Once an army truly tasted blood, the destruction it could wreak would be terrifying. By then, even the main general wouldn’t be able to stop it.

Moreover, the garrison commander of this town was that madman, Li Fusheng.

That madman had been restraining himself as much as possible; heaven only knew how long he could hold back.

Siniang came over, carrying a basin in which two warm towels lay.

Zheng Fan and the blind man each took a towel and began to wipe their faces.

At this point, Zheng Fan noticed a timid young girl standing beside Siniang. The girl was about thirteen or fourteen years old.

"Found another gem?" Zheng Fan teased.

Siniang had a habit of taking in any promising young talents she found and training them.

However, the first batch of young ladies she had taken in hadn’t fully matured yet and weren’t of much use at present.

Still, Zheng Fan believed that spies trained by Siniang would be far more reliable than the Silver Armored Guard. He had encountered several ’wives’ who were actually Silver Armored Guard agents, and their masters had long since seen through their identities—a complete failure, to say the least.

Of course, with Zheng Fan’s current power and status, a female agent wasn’t of much use to him now.

"I happened to come across her and saved her. Come, Little Rui, be good and kowtow to your master." Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by NovelHub(.)net

The girl called Little Rui knelt, kowtowed very earnestly to Zheng Fan, and said softly, "Greetings, Master."

Although frightened, she wasn’t overly timid. Moreover, from the way she kowtowed, it was clear she came from a well-disciplined family.

This was no trivial matter. Ordinary commoners wouldn’t pay much heed to such points of etiquette. Even the way they kowtowed was usually perfunctory, whether during ancestral worship or when facing high officials—they would just kneel to get it over with.

"Whose family is she from?"

"Her family once had a Vice Minister in the imperial capital. That old Vice Minister committed suicide along with his entire family."

Zheng Fan let out a long breath.

"When I got there, the men of that family were forcing their womenfolk to commit suicide. This little girl didn’t want to die and was running around in the courtyard. Her grandfather chased her and stabbed her with a sword. Luckily, I arrived just in time to save her."

As she spoke, Siniang pointed to Little Rui’s back. Her clothes there were torn; there should have been a wound, but Siniang had already treated it.

"Such a pity. Even with cosmetic needling, it will be very difficult to completely erase her scar," Siniang lamented.

"There will be a way eventually," said the blind man.

The Demon Lords lack the ability for that now, but in the future, once our powers have recovered somewhat, won’t erasing a scar be a simple matter?

"Honestly, if they wanted to kill themselves, they should have just done it. Why did they have to drag the entire family with them? Everyone in that household, from the old master down to the younger men, seemed to have gone mad," Siniang remarked.