Chapter 238
Chapter 238
Then, his expression turned cold.
“Your fearless chatter tells me none of you fear death. Men! Pick twenty of them and behead them!”
A moment later, twenty young men from the village, particularly those with defiant and stubborn eyes, were dragged forward. Sharp blades were soon pressed against their necks.
It was the middle of the night, and the villagers had been dragged from their sleep, so they were all thinly dressed. One young bride, in particular, stood out. Her husband, having made a small fortune from selling silkworm cocoons this year, had lovingly bought her a rare silk garment. The sight of her in the silk nightgown was alluring enough to stir the heart, and so it began to stir the hearts of the beasts posing as bandits.
“Young Master... no, Chief. We're bandits, so what's wrong with a little killing and raping?! The grown girls and young wives in this village look rather fine. How about we all have some fun?”
They were warriors from a noble family, a disciplined force that usually operated under rules and laws. But with the inner demons of murder and arson now fully unleashed, they no longer had any lines they felt they had to respect.
The Fourth Young Master's eyes narrowed. He had many women, all of them exceedingly beautiful concubines. But the maidens and young wives before him were completely unadorned, which had its own unique appeal. He had always slept with charming beauties, but the thought of forcibly taking these simple village women didn’t seem so bad. The marks of hardship on their faces and their work-roughened hands and legs offered a different kind of thrill from the women he was used to.
“Fine, then let's all have our fun!”
In an instant, they turned into beasts, plunging into the crowd and dragging out women, whether they were married or single.
“You filthy animals! You're nothing but beasts.”
“Let go of my wife!”
“Let my daughter go!”
“You animals, let go of my mother!”
The village men, their eyes bloodshot, rushed forward to save their wives and daughters. But they were easily overpowered and thrown to the ground. A dozen women were seized by the beasts, their cries echoing in the night.
“Let's all take turns, one by one.”
“Don’t cut in line!”
The remaining villagers shrieked at the top of their lungs, cursing them.
“You're worse than beasts! Heavens, if you have eyes, strike these wicked men down with lightning!”
“Master, please come save us!”
The Fourth Young Master of the Tang Clan laughed heartily.
“Your sons are being murdered, your wives and daughters defiled, so where is this master of yours? They don't care whether you live or die. Hahahaha! Kill them! Kill these fools. After we've had our way with these women, we'll go and have our way with the women of the Jin Clan.”
Just then, the ground suddenly trembled, and the thunder of hooves echoed loudly. Mulan had arrived, leading three hundred cavalrymen, sweeping in like a fierce wind.
“Kill them! Kill those beasts! All people of the Jin Clan, fall back!”
Mulan’s three hundred riders charged toward the enemy line at incredible speed. The sight sent the villagers into a frenzy of joy.
“Our master is here! Our master is here! We’re saved!”
“I knew our master wouldn't abandon us.”
“Long live the Jin Clan! Long live the Count of Xuanwu!”
The Fourth Young Master of the Tang Clan watched Mulan’s cavalry approach like the wind, his eyes filled with malice.
*Jin Mulan, you actually came. How foolish. It’s obvious our actions were a trap to lure you out. Did you walk into it knowingly? Or did you truly not notice and make a foolish decision? Do you know that the two hundred and fifty men I brought are all experts? Especially the fifty masters from the Western Regions provided by Su Jianting—they are particularly strong. Now that you’re here, I won’t let you leave. I will annihilate your entire army. A woman as beautiful as you... I can't touch you myself, but if I cripple your meridians and send you to His Highness the Crown Prince, it will be a great service.*
The Fourth Young Master shouted loudly.
“Welcome, welcome! My brothers of the Guduhuan were just getting worried we wouldn't find a worthy opponent. Everyone, to your horses! We will battle the Count of Xuanwu's Estate! Let’s kill all our enemies and then enjoy the women of the Jin Clan. Besides, doesn't Jin Mulan have some beautiful cavalrywomen under her command? Hahaha! Let's see whose riders are superior, the Jin Clan's or ours!”
The experts of the Tang Clan and the masters from the Western Regions provided by Su Jianting all mounted their horses. The two cavalry forces instantly clashed in the open space outside the village, engaging in a battle to the death. Moments later, hot, red blood sprayed everywhere, and limbs flew through the air. Among the younger generation of martial artists, Mulan was not considered a top-tier master. However, her mounted combat skills, while inferior to Nangong Ping's, were far superior to those of most experts.
No one here was her match. The Fourth Young Master of the Count of Jinhai's Estate was no match for her, and soon the Seventh Young Master joined in, attacking Mulan together. But Mulan's spirit soared to the heavens, and her righteous aura seemed to overwhelm everything around her. Even with the two of them combined, they were no match for her. Eventually, the Fifth Young Master had to join as well, and the three brothers fought against Mulan alone.
After a short and fierce clash, the two armies entered a phase of brutal melee. The Count of Xuanwu's Estate was armed with the finest armor and swords, but the Tang Clan had mobilized their most elite martial arts experts, resulting in a deadlocked battle.
Mulan's cavalry fought with ever-increasing ferocity. They were filled with pride and feared no death. However, the fifty masters from the Western Regions, provided by Su Jianting, were like cold-blooded killing machines. Mulan had three hundred riders, while the enemy had only two hundred and fifty, but the Western Region masters were so strong that the Count of Xuanwu's forces gradually fell into a disadvantage, their casualties mounting.
The Fourth Young Master quickly moved to surround and trap Mulan. The villagers watching from not far away grew anxious, their eyes turning red.
“Our master is fighting to save us! Are we just going to stand by and watch? Let’s go and fight them to the death!”
The bravest of the young men grabbed whatever weapons they could find—axes, hoes, shovels—and charged in madly, trying to aid Mulan in her fight.
“Everyone, fall back! Fall back!”
Against elite cavalry, ordinary people were powerless. Their charge would only lead to more casualties. As expected, in a very short time, a dozen brave village youths were cut down where they stood. Mulan was overcome with rage.
*Beasts! Vile creatures! How dare they lay a hand on innocent people.*
Mulan’s sword strikes became even fiercer.
*Swish!*
The Fourth Young Master suffered a fatal wound to his chest and was sent flying. At the same time, a hammer struck Mulan viciously from behind. A master from the Western Regions with sunken eyes, one of Su Jianting's direct subordinates, had been stalking Jin Mulan like a viper, waiting for an opportunity to launch a sneak attack.
“Capture this woman!”
In an instant, a dozen masters from the Western Regions surrounded Mulan.
“Protect the young lady!”
Jin Jianniang led several dozen riders to form a protective circle around Mulan. The swords of the Western Region masters, provided by Su Jianting, slithered in like snakes. In the wake of their blades, only corpses remained. Marquis Zhenyuan, Su Nan, was not as weak as people thought. Otherwise, how could he have cultivated so many masters from the Western Regions? His ambitions were not small.
The combat prowess of the fifty Western Region masters far surpassed that of the two hundred Tang Clan warriors. As the casualties of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate visibly mounted, a dozen of the Western Region masters targeted Jin Mulan. Mulan fought fearlessly against multiple opponents, but the cavalry of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate began to be pushed back.
Just then, the sound of furious hoofbeats echoed from the opposite direction, and a group of riders emerged sharply from the darkness. They, too, flew the banner of the Great Bandit Guduhuan. The leader at the forefront wore a silver mask, and on its forehead was inscribed the character for ‘Suffering.’
These newly arrived riders were far stronger than the masters from the Western Regions. The masked leader, in particular, was a top-tier master of immense skill. He plunged into the fray without a word. His sword flashed like lightning, cutting down enemies in an instant. No one could withstand a single strike from his blade. Though he had brought only a dozen riders, they cut through the enemy ranks like a hot knife through butter, instantly turning the tide of the battle.
The warriors of the Tang Clan were cut down like vegetables before him. Su Jianting's Western Region masters were evenly matched with Guduhuan's group, but the masked man's martial arts were simply too powerful. He dominated the entire battlefield with his strength alone, felling countless enemies.
“Retreat! Retreat…”
Unable to hold on any longer, the three young masters of the Tang Clan gave the order to fall back. Soon, the hundred or so surviving Tang Clan warriors began to scatter and flee. The thirty remaining masters from the Western Regions, seeing the state of the battle, began an orderly withdrawal. The masked man was too strong!
“Running now? Do you think you can escape from me?”
The masked man appeared in front of the Fourth Young Master in a flash, swung his sword, and lopped off his head in a single blow. He then appeared before the Fifth and Seventh Young Masters.
*Swish, swish, swish.*
He swung his sword three times, dicing the two remaining Tang Clan scions into eight pieces, and with that, the battle was over.
Mulan, still on her horse, cupped her hands in a salute.
“Who might you be? Thank you for assisting the Count of Xuanwu's Estate.”
The masked man replied.
“I am Guduhuan.”
He was the elusive Great Bandit Guduhuan, who roamed the province of Tiannan.
“Master Gu, the Count of Xuanwu's Estate is in your debt. If you ever need our help, please send word.”
Guduhuan said nothing. He had intervened because someone else was impersonating him, committing senseless slaughter and defiling women. That was an act that tarnished his name.
*I, Guduhuan, kill only villains and corrupt officials. I, Guduhuan, am a great bandit who acts on behalf of heaven's will.*
“Lowly folk like us dare not cross the threshold of a powerful house like the Count of Xuanwu's. Let us never meet again!”
With those words, the Great Bandit Guduhuan led his riders and disappeared into the darkness.
***
Raging Tide City, Lord's Manor.
Shen Lang was startled, then nodded.
“He said you should never meet again? Fine. I don't want to see you either. But what about the child?”
Qiu Yao'er said, “If I can give birth to it, I will. I have many women to attend to me; it will be more than enough to raise one child.”
Ugh! Shen Lang worried for the unborn child's future, yet he couldn't help but feel a pang of envy. Qiu Yao'er would surely fail to fulfill her duties as a mother, but in her place, the child would grow up showered with the care and love of countless other women.
Most of the loyal warriors who would leave with Qiu Yao'er were women. Moreover, other women, unskilled in martial arts, would prepare their meals, brew their tea, and make their clothes. It even seemed plausible that several women would get pregnant just to serve as wet nurses for the child.
He hoped the child would be a girl. If the child were a boy, growing up surrounded by such a valiant mother and countless beautiful women, he would surely grow up to be anything but ordinary.