The defending troops huddled within the walls of Shanyang County City watched Ye Zhen break through the encirclement and charge into the county city as though taking a leisurely stroll through a garden, and they began cheering spontaneously.
Though the more than one hundred thousand water demons had merely surrounded the city without attacking it, they had brought the defenders indescribable pressure—even psychological despair.
Ye Zhen's heroic breakthrough into the city suddenly gave them hope.
But before the soldiers and ordinary citizens could finish cheering, an old man clad in the official robes of a Great Zhou county magistrate strode up to Ye Zhen and roared furiously.
"Shut up!"
"What are you all so happy about?"
"Disaster is about to crash down on your heads—don't you know that?"
The first few lines had been shouted at the cheering soldiers and civilians. Then, spittle flying, he pointed at Ye Zhen's nose and cursed, "Breaking through the encirclement to enter the city—do you think that makes you some kind of hero?"
"Ignorant! Foolish!"
"You may be formidable, but even if your whole body were made of iron, how many nails could you pound?"
"Hero, do you know that what you did will completely infuriate these water demons surrounding the city? Originally, they were only besieging the city and not attacking, but after your stunt, they will launch a bloody reprisal. If things go badly, the entire county city could be massacred!"
The finger-in-the-face scolding enraged the Heavenly Patrol Divine Hunters who had followed Ye Zhen, but Ye Zhen stopped them with a gesture before they could reveal their identities.
"As the magistrate of a county, you are to defend the land and safeguard its people. Magistrate Jiao, I would like to know: what do you intend to do about the Shanyang County