In the early morning, rays of sunlight filtered through the clouds, scattering across the Duan Family Manor. Birds chirped, wild grasses emitted a fresh scent, and the sunlight, green mountains, clear waters, and the well-arranged manor formed a beautiful picture.
However, the slaughter within this picture was a jarring sight, like a living hell.
"Kill! Charge forward!"
"The enemy numbers no more than twenty, charge and kill one, receive a hundred taels of silver!"
After dawn, the Duan Mu father and son, along with their household soldiers and servants, who had been terrified all night, finally saw clearly. Zhou Fugui and his group were only about twenty men. Thus, they gathered over a hundred people, armed with various weapons, gritting their teeth and shouting as they charged towards Zhou Fugui and his men outside the main gate.
At this moment, there was no point in fleeing for their lives. To flee now would only lead to pursuit and a passive situation, resulting in more deaths. It was better to kill Zhou Fugui and his men, thereby saving the Duan family from peril.
Moreover, the vast majority of the Duan family's women and children were already petrified and unable to move.
"White Tiger Battalion, form ranks!"
Zhou Fugui cast a cold glance at the charging Duan family members, holding his Moon-Chasing Bow, and commanded loudly.
Zhou Fugui and his men, having experienced countless battles with the Xia army, had become a seasoned and formidable force. All twenty-one of them were battle-hardened and incredibly brave, how could they possibly put a hundred miscellaneous Duan family soldiers in their eyes?
At Zhou Fugui's command, the twenty-one men formed three "Seven Stars Dipper Formations," and these three formations combined to create a larger array.
"Whoosh!"
Over ten shields were raised, deflecting enemy arrows, while archers within the formation retaliated. They attacked and defended simultaneously, a tactic honed through Zhou Fugui's men's long-term training.
"Thud, thud, thud!"
Feathers rained down, the sound of flesh being pierced echoed continuously. Countless Duan family soldiers fell to the ground, dead scattered haphazardly, while those not yet dead writhed in pain and wailed loudly.
"Kill!"
The two forces collided. Zhou Fugui roared, leading the charge, and with a sweep of his blade from right to left, he decapitated the two leading Duan family soldiers. Blood gushed from their necks like two fountains, their headless bodies slowly collapsing to the ground, only to be trampled by countless feet.
Zhou Fugui stood in the center, Xu Mancang to his left, wielding a large saber. With one swing, he brought down three to four household soldiers. Suo Dacheng to his right did the same, his great axe cleaving flesh and blood with each blow.
Zhou Fugui, Xu Mancang, and Suo Dacheng were like three sharp knives, hacking and slashing, disrupting the enemy's formation. Their attacks were shielded by the spearmen and shield-bearers, while spears thrust out from within the formation, piercing any approaching manor soldiers.
Despite the apparent numbers of the Duan family soldiers and servants, when they clashed with Zhou Fugui's men, it was like falling into an invisible iron net. They were constrained, and the net tightened with each turn. Those struck by blades, spears, or axes fell in increasing numbers, while the enemy suffered virtually no losses.
Blood splattered, flesh and bone flew, blades, spears, and axes descended in alternation, severed limbs and broken arms littered the ground, and heads rolled. The scene was exceptionally bloody and terrifying.
"Oh my god!"
"Grandpas, spare us!"
The Duan family soldiers and servants, who usually acted with impunity when bullying common folk, seemed invincible. But when faced with true battle and bloody combat, they all wet themselves in fear. Someone shouted, and the remaining Duan family soldiers and servants either turned to flee or knelt, begging for mercy.
Zhou Fugui and his twenty-one men fought against the Duan family soldiers and servants. The moment they made contact, the Duan family soldiers and servants were routed. Twenty-one men against over a hundred, it was a one-sided slaughter.
...
"Drip... drip..."
Zhou Fugui, holding a long saber stained with blood, slowly approached the injured Duan Mu and Duan Tianjuan, who lay on the ground. Blood dripped from the blade, falling to the ground with a heart-chilling "drip, drip" sound.
Duan Mu, wounded by an arrow and weakened by old age and his corpulence, lay slumped on the ground, unable to move. His eyes were wide with terror as he watched Zhou Fugui draw closer. Duan Tianjuan's feet had been severed by Zhou Fugui, and he lay on the ground, barely alive.
Of the sixty-odd elders, young, old, women, and children of the Duan family, more than half had been killed. The remaining were herded into the courtyard and held at bay by Xu Mancang and his men with their blades.
The Duan father and son's greatest regret at this moment was likely provoking the fierce and formidable Zhou Fugui.
"Second Brother, kill those beasts!" Zhou Xiaomei cried from behind Zhou Fugui.
Zhou Fugui nodded, stepped forward with his saber, and without a word, slowly raised his blood-dripping blade, pointing it at Duan Mu.
"Zhou Fugui, I misjudged you..." Duan Mu gasped for breath and said, "Don't you Han people have an old saying? A man's crimes should not extend to his parents, nor his calamities to his wife and children. I am willing to trade my life for my brother's life, begging you to spare... spare..."
"Pfft!" Before Duan Mu could finish speaking, Zhou Fugui, with a swift counter-strike, severed his windpipe. Blood gushed out like a spring. Duan Mu clutched his throat and fell to the ground, dead.
"A man's crimes should not extend to his parents, nor his calamities to his wife and children?" When they harmed my brother and sister, why didn't they remember this saying? Zhou Fugui thought furiously.
A cry of alarm or a tragic wail erupted from Duan Mu's family members in the courtyard.
"You... have anything else to say?" Zhou Fugui then pointed his blood-drenched saber at Duan Tianjuan and asked coldly.
"Dog thief, lowly slave, kill me if you want, why all the talk? I've already enjoyed your women and sister, hahahaha..." Duan Tianjuan was rather defiant, letting out a wild laugh.
Duan Tianjuan knew he was doomed. He might as well be defiant one last time before death, and this would be his final act of defiance in this world.
"Pfft!" Zhou Fugui regretted asking that one question and swung his saber, severing his head. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
"Fu... Gui... Brother? These people...?" Xu Mancang and the others were somewhat afraid of Zhou Fugui's ferocious demeanor. Xu Mancang pointed his saber at the Duan father and son's remaining family members and asked.
The thirty-odd family members of the Duan father and son were all bound together, looking at Zhou Fugui with hollow eyes.
"You all leave quickly!" Zhou Fugui said after glancing at the Duan father and son's family.
"Camp Leader, what do you mean by this?" Suo Dacheng asked in astonishment.
"Get out! Or I'll die before your eyes!" Zhou Fugui said angrily, holding his blood-dripping saber to his own throat.
Zhou Fugui had committed such a shocking crime that it would soon spread throughout the Great Yan Kingdom, throughout the land. Zhou Fugui could not escape, and even if he could, his mother, sister-in-law, nephew, and sister would not be spared. To rebel now with only this small force was impossible; the inevitable outcome would be complete annihilation. Therefore, Zhou Fugui intended to stay behind alone, bear all the responsibility, and try his best to absolve Xu Mancang and the others of their crimes.
Zhou Fugui knew that this idea might be a fantasy, but he could only do this, doing his meager best to ensure Xu Mancang and the others were not implicated.
This was one of the reasons why Zhou Fugui personally killed Duan Mu and Duan Tianjuan.
"Camp Leader, take care!" The men understood Zhou Fugui's intentions and clasped their hands in tearful farewell.
"Take care, my brothers!" Zhou Fugui replied, clasping his hands in return.
"Little Sister, live well, or your Second Brother will die with regrets," Zhou Fugui then said to Zhou Xiaomei.
"Second Brother..." Zhou Xiaomei sobbed and tried to throw herself at Zhou Fugui, but Xu Mancang and the others dragged her away.
...
"What did you say? Xiaocheng Cult? You are people of the Xiaocheng Cult?"
At this moment, only three people remained in the vast Duan Family Manor: Zhou Fugui, Qin Yulian, who had broken off their engagement, and Albugu, whose tendons had been severed by Zhou Fugui.
Zhou Fugui had spared Albugu's life for the time being, as he had an account to settle with him.
Zhou Fugui sat on a low stool, his body covered in blood. He held his saber upright with his left hand, resting on the ground, and with his right hand, he pulled Qin Yulian to his knees and asked.
"Yes, my father and I are both people of the Xiaocheng Cult," Qin Yulian said with a tragic smile and nodded. "You should know what the Xiaocheng Cult is, right? To restore the Han dynasty's great cause, one can sacrifice everything. The Duan father and son harbored rebellious intentions, so the Xiaocheng Cult cooperated with them, intending to overthrow the Yan regime together and restore the Han dynasty."
"I... you... damn it all." Zhou Fugui was speechless upon hearing this.
The Xiaocheng Cult, and that Buddha fellow, Zhou Fugui had experienced them. They were ambitious and would stop at nothing, resorting to any means to achieve their so-called grand cause. They would even cooperate with people like the Duan father and son?
At the same time, Zhou Fugui had also experienced the Xiaocheng Cult's ability to manipulate people's hearts. He had almost fallen prey to their deception in the Chenghuang Temple before.
"So, your breaking off the engagement back then was also for the sake of the cause?" Zhou Fugui then asked.
Qin Yulian nodded gently.
"And harming my brother and sister was also for the sake of the cause?" Zhou Fugui asked, his face darkening.
"No..." Qin Yulian replied, "The Duan family hated you, Albugu hated you, and Master also hated you, so..."
"Outrageous!" Zhou Fugui was furious.
So there was another enemy. Zhou Fugui immediately regretted his impulsiveness in acting without fully investigating the matter. Now, however, he felt powerless to seek revenge.
"You may go!" Zhou Fugui suddenly felt extremely weary and waved at Qin Yulian.
If you don't cut the grass at the roots, it will grow again in the spring breeze. Zhou Fugui had killed Qin Yulian's entire family, and leaving her behind would undoubtedly lead to endless trouble. However, Zhou Fugui considered himself a man on the verge of death and was no longer afraid of her revenge.
"You...?" Qin Yulian's beautiful eyes widened, looking at this murderous demon in disbelief.
"Get lost! Get out before I change my mind!" Zhou Fugui roared, brandishing his blade.