Chapter 76: Chapter 76: City Defense Forces
Yellow Talismans filled the sky.
The moment the first explosion sounded, thousands of townsfolk at the Crossroads Intersection, who had come to witness the execution, were thrown into complete chaos, screaming in terror.
The County Lieutenant on the Execution Stage was the first to spot the figures on the eaves hidden behind the Talisman Papers.
There were dozens of them. After the first Talisman Paper, a plethora of Yellow Talismans descended, hitting the ground and walls, and exploding on impact.
Some of the Yellow Talismans contained strange forces, similar to gunpowder, exploding upon touching the ground. Others emitted yellow light and thick smoke, adding to the confusion at the scene.
Suddenly, in a flash, the scene became enveloped in thick smoke, fog, and twisting flames.
What about Chen Ku? He was right there when a few Talisman Papers, wreathed in yellow light and thick smoke, exploded above the vegetable stall to his left.
In an instant, Chen Ku disappeared.
Amidst the dense smoke, flames, and obscured sightlines, unnoticed near people’s feet... a white mink the size of a rat suddenly appeared.
It was only the size of a palm, resembling a small white mouse, and during a flash of lightning, it dodged the fiery blasts.
Having Shape-Shifted into the white mink, Chen Ku darted amidst the panicked footsteps, weaving back and forth, dodging the chaotic, stomping feet of the terrified townspeople and constables.
Meanwhile, the entire Crossroads Market became uproarious with various noises and terrified shouts, all reaching the ears of the darting, fleeing white mink.
"Ah, my leg, my leg got blown off!"
"My face, my face is covered in blood, help!"
"Who dares to disrupt the execution ground so boldly!"
"Careful, protect Lord County Lieutenant!!"
"All this smoke, I can’t see a thing!"
A variety of chaotic voices filled the air: the cries of the people, shouts from the injured, and the roars of constables.
The little mink, amidst these noises, dodged chaotic steps and soles, weaving back and forth, and slowly crawled behind a pile of rubble into a tall building, clinging to the beams.
A few breaths later, it reached a hidden room’s roof beam at the market entrance, peeking stealthily through the gaps in the roof at the sudden eruption of chaos outside...
What the devil? A raid on the execution ground? Isn’t that something out of TV dramas? It’s actually happening!
Chen Ku, now Shape-Shifted into the Flower Fox Mink, was hiding under a tile on the highest three-story building at the Crossroads Intersection, observing everything above and below.
He saw that the execution site below was surrounded by dense smoke, obscuring many people’s faces, as if a dozen smoke bombs had been thrown.
Chen Ku saw, on some eaves, several mysterious figures in masks and robust clothes.
With the help of the Transformation Diagram, their identities were no secret to Chen Ku.
Demon People of the Peace Path and Descendants of the Hero King?
Chen Ku felt a chill.
The Peace Path... isn’t that the very cult that injured Master Yang of the Five Internal Strong and even severely wounded Elder Shang? But what about these Descendants of the Hero King? I’ve never heard of them.
The two groups seemed to have collaborated.
After using the Peace Path’s Talisman Papers to disrupt the scene, masked figures wearing Conical Hats leaped one after another into the execution area, charging toward a specific prisoner among the condemned.
That person...
Chen Ku could see clearly; it was the one he had felt was different from the other prisoners, currently still hooded with black cloth...
But Chen Ku’s keen sense of smell could tell she was a woman.
They’re raiding the execution ground... for this woman.
He subconsciously looked for the County Lieutenant’s reaction. Raiding an execution ground was, at any time, an act against natural justice, meriting the annihilation of one’s entire family—tantamount to a horrendous act of rebellion.
Unexpectedly, under Chen Ku’s watchful little eyes, as he faced the group charging toward the prisoner, County Lieutenant Ma, seated on the Execution Stage, remained unfazed and merely ordered coolly, "Demon People and rebellious partisans, courting death! Seize them all!"
Following County Lieutenant Ma’s shout, Chen Ku saw one hundred and fifty members of the Baojiao County City Defense Forces rush out from various shops around the crossroads. Each soldier was armed with a sword and clad in armor, their presence formidable.
Seeing these one hundred and fifty City Defense Forces soldiers, Chen Ku was profoundly shaken.
This was the difference between the county and the countryside. A county, even a small one, was a city, fortified with walls. And a city naturally needed an army to defend it.
The Imperial Court’s army was a different matter entirely from mere constables. These were professional soldiers.
Receiving military pay and training daily was their job. It was equivalent to not having to do other labor; numerous resources were piled upon them, allowing them to focus solely on Cultivation. This practice was also known as "nurturing the troops" and "training the troops."
Usually, they were not needed. But in critical moments, it was time for this group of City Defense Forces to come forth.
Chen Ku had heard that within the City Defense Forces, each Junior Corporal was an Inner Qi expert. The men under their command, bearing swords and wearing armor, had also all cultivated Force Power. Looking at those one hundred and fifty members of the City Defense Forces, it meant there were at least thirty Junior Corporals—that is, thirty Inner Qi experts. Above the Corporals were Junior Colonels and Colonels, all masters far beyond the Inner Qi Realm.
Coupled with the Imperial Court’s special Armor, impervious to swords and spears, these one hundred and fifty City Defense Forces soldiers could completely annihilate any of the city’s major powers like the Medicine King Hall, the Fish and Dragon Association, or the Firewood Iron Shop!
Jianghu forces should never think of comparing themselves to a professional army of the Imperial Court. After all, the greatest resources and the largest population were in the hands of the Imperial Court.
An Inner Qi Realm expert, for instance, would be considered a prominent figure within the county’s Jianghu forces. But in the eyes of the Imperial Court and the government, these people were mass-producible with enough resources and time. Take Chen Ku’s brother-in-law, Li Yuancheng, for example. Originally just an ordinary man, it was only after joining the Border Army and learning the Hundred Battles Blade Technique and Qigong of the Border Army that he had attained the Inner Qi Realm.
At this moment, these one hundred and fifty members of the City Defense Forces pressed forward, surrounding the mysterious people who were raiding the execution ground.
By now, this group of mysterious individuals had already taken over the execution site, killing more than ten constables and prison guards, as well as the executioner, whose bladesmanship was not lacking.
One person stepped forward and removed the black mask from the woman, his voice filled with excitement, "Minjun, your uncle is here, and I will definitely rescue you."
Chen Ku saw the woman whose mask was pulled off. Surprisingly, there were no injuries on her body or face; only her complexion wasn’t good, and she seemed like an ordinary, frail woman.
The woman opened her mouth. The elderly man with the aged voice immediately pressed a few points on her body, releasing her Acupoints.
The woman, her voice anxious and teary, said, "Uncle, you’ve been tricked... Shangguan Yun, that scoundrel, aimed to lure you here to rescue me! How could you fall for his trick?"
The elderly man urgently said, "Even knowing it’s a trap, I must rescue you, otherwise our Bloodline ends... This is not the time to discuss this! Follow this Incense Master from the Peace Path and leave quickly!!"
Saying this, he handed the woman over to a yellow-robed Taoist. The Taoist said nothing, merely stuck two Talisman Papers to the soles of his feet, and with a flash, he leaped onto the roof of a building.
So fast that Chen Ku couldn’t even catch a glimpse of an afterimage.
What on earth was that? Is that like the Divine Walking Guardian Dai Zong’s Armored Horse talismans?
He looked at the group of mysterious individuals below. Although surrounded by the City Defense Forces, they seemed to have already rescued the person they intended to save and were now prepared: flee if possible, or fight to the death if not.
But their first instinct was still to escape if possible. Just before fleeing, the old man’s eyes glinted, and he slashed through the shackles and fetters on the remaining death row convicts. "Gentlemen, no need to overthink it! I’m unshackling you simply because I know you are all martially trained serious offenders. We’ll scatter and flee in a moment; that way, everyone will have a better chance to live!"
As soon as he finished speaking, without a second glance at Ni Kun or the other convicts, the dozens of mysterious people scattered and fled amidst the smoke and firelight.
Ni Kun hadn’t expected to have a chance to live. He was ecstatic, even though he knew these people were using him and the others as cannon fodder to delay the City Defense Forces’ pursuit. But... they had ultimately given him a chance to survive!
"What are you waiting for? Run!!" Ni Kun yelled at the other death row convicts. Even though they had suffered greatly in prison, their Inner Qi Cultivation was still intact. With one leap, they flew onto the eaves and, heading in different directions, disappeared into the alleyways, seizing the chance to flee.
Chen Ku watched, his eyes not on Ni Kun, but on the Evil Qi and the potential merit points associated with an Inner Qi Realm cultivator.
If I remember correctly, there’s a profession in the county called Blade-Handler. They work for the government, capturing felons. The bounty on Ni Kun’s wanted poster was Eight Hundred Taels of Silver—that was actually the reward for such ’Blade-Handlers’...
Chen Ku watched Ni Kun zigzagging away and smiled.
Can the heavens actually hear me? Now, it seems I’ll have to be the one to execute you, whether I want to or not.
The Flower Fox Mink pushed off with its four paws, moving a good deal faster than Ni Kun. In a flash, it leaped from the roof beams and gave chase down the alley.
As Chen Ku pursued Ni Kun, the City Defense Forces also split into five-man squads, fanning out to pursue the Descendants of the Hero King and the Peace Path members who had fled in different directions. They completely ignored Ni Kun and the other escaped convicts.
"My lord, are we not going to bother with those convicts?" the County Lieutenant’s Counselor asked curiously.
County Lieutenant Ma stroked his beard and said, "Rest assured, the Lord County Magistrate has everything under control. No one will escape; this time, it will be a total annihilation. A few mere death row convicts are nothing; the city’s Blade-Handlers will take care of them. That old man from the Descendants of the Hero King thought he could divert the City Defense Forces with such a petty trick? Too naive."
The County Lieutenant’s Counselor deeply agreed. He found these cultists and rebels laughable. Even if they possessed some strength, how could they possibly contend with the Lord County Magistrate, who controlled Baojiao County and its over one hundred thousand households? Whether in terms of martial power, resources, status, or intellect, they were simply not on the same level.
Ni Kun frantically fled through various alleys. He was very familiar with Baojiao County’s layout. The Crossroads Market was in the outer city; just one more street, and he could escape the city walls!
Live! I must live! Only someone who has just brushed against the shadow of death can truly understand how precious life is.
However, just as he was about to dash out of the alley, a youth in black clothes suddenly appeared at its entrance.
"It’s you! You little bas—"
Before Ni Kun could recognize the person or utter more than a few words, the youth, without further ado, swung an iron rod straight at his head.