An Accident (Seeking Collection!)

When it came to playing the part of a noble scion, Wu Ming and Kang Shou Li were naturals.

Even Huang Ying and Xiao Yu were seasoned in such scenes. As shrewd as Old Man Wang Qiao was, he was still stunned into a daze. First, he tidied up a courtyard for the five to stay in, then sent out men to scout for news of the Hu cavalry.

"Hehe... Sister Huang Ying is amazing! Just now, those men behind that old man couldn't take their eyes off you!"

Back in the courtyard, as soon as the door was shut, Xiao Yu grinned at Huang Ying.

"Someone's spying outside the courtyard! Old Man Wang Qiao still doesn't trust us!"

Qin Hu walked to the window, glanced out, and lowered his voice.

"Naturally... but since we brought news of the Hu cavalry, no matter what they think, they'd rather believe it than risk ignoring it!"

Wu Ming swept his gaze over the four: "Now, do you all believe this is the Great Xia Dynasty?"

"To be honest... This concubine still finds it hard to accept, but the layout of this village, the clothing of the people, even the furniture and decor—they're all similar yet different from the Great Zhou, carrying an ancient air..."

Huang Ying gave a wry smile.

"Indeed... one person could fool us, but ten, a hundred—all the same..."

Xiao Yu's face fell as well.

"Since we've confirmed the customs and scenery don't match the Great Zhou, then we can be sure we're in another realm... and the Hu cavalry will likely come without fail!"

Wu Ming said: "If we want to survive this, we have to borrow influence! Miss Huang Ying! This is where we need your help! Especially how well-trained the villagers are, and if there are any experts—we need to know everything!"

"This concubine understands!"

Huang Ying agreed without a second thought.

She knew she had no strength to truss a chicken, nor did she have Xiao Yu's mysterious background. If sacrifice became necessary, she wouldn't hesitate, so she was quick to prove her worth.

And to these villagers who spent their days in the countryside, where even an old sow could pass for a beauty, Huang Ying was like a celestial maiden. With just a little trick, a bunch of laborers would be utterly lost.

"Good sir... this young maiden..."

Watching Huang Ying smooth her hair and step out with a delicate greeting, the village militiaman on watch instantly 'defected,' all eagerness and answers. Aside from Kang Shou Li, the other three all smiled.

Night fell.

After a meal with the seemingly unsettled Village Chief Wang Qiao, Wu Ming gathered the five again.

"Miss Huang Ying, what did you learn?"

"A little something!"

Huang Ying said softly: "From what this concubine has gathered, Da Qing Village is dominated by the Wang clan, with relatives everywhere, mostly of the same bloodline, over a thousand people. With the times unsettled, they've trained over a hundred village militia. The highest in martial arts is Wang Yin, Wang Qiao's son. I hear he's already at the fifth level of the Body Refinement Realm, a master of surging True Qi!"

"After receiving our report, the village has started quietly fortifying, repairing the earthen walls. But this concubine really doesn't have high hopes..."

"In fact... this concubine even heard a rumor that we're the calamity, that we brought the Hu cavalry. If a real army descends, tying us up and handing us over might let them escape disaster!"

"Bang!"

Kang Shou Li slammed his palm on the wooden table, grinding his teeth: "No wonder they're still keeping watch! So that's their plan!"

"In a chaotic world, suddenly having a few strangers of unknown origin show up—anyone would be wary..."

Wu Ming had long expected this.

Given how closed-off villages were in times like these, letting them stay was already strange.

In fact, Wang Qiao probably kept them because he genuinely thought they were big shots being hunted by the Hu cavalry, and planned to sell them off for a good price—nothing surprising there.

"Once the first wave of Hu cavalry arrives, they'll learn the hard way!"

Qin Hu cut in.

"Until then, we'd best stay cautious!"

Wu Ming wrapped up, his expression turning serious: "But I still have a few questions. Do you all remember what happened before you passed out?"

"You mean how we got pulled in, Brother Nameless? I don't know..."

Xiao Yu blinked innocently: "That day... I was studying at home, then everything went black, and I was here!"

"This concubine too..." Huang Ying's face tightened: "I was just playing the zither in the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, with nothing unusual around me!"

"I was about to kill someone!"

Qin Hu grinned savagely, making Kang Shou Li shrink back: "I... I was in a tavern, composing poetry with a few friends, discussing the moon and the breeze..."

"As for me, disaster struck out of nowhere right at my doorstep!"

Wu Ming finished, but his mind went to the jade pendant in his embrace.

These people had all crossed over randomly, and not one mentioned the pendant.

Thinking back to how Daoist artifacts were rejected, Wu Ming's heart grew heavy:

"There's something off here... Where did Lin Qi get that jade pendant? Why is it connected to the Main God Hall? And... his identity as a transmigrator..."

Wu Ming's face was grim, but the others thought he was just worried about the future.

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

"Dang!"

Suddenly, a frantic clang of a bronze gong rang out, jarringly harsh in the night. Voices slowly swelled into a din, punctuated by panicked cries and wails, sinking the hearts of Wu Ming and his companions.

It seemed the Main God Hall wouldn't grant them even a single day of peace.

"Old folks, women, and children stay inside! Village militia, report to the armory!"

In the darkness, countless torches converged into a long, winding fire dragon, with shouts echoing from time to time.

The moment Wu Ming's group of five stepped out, they were surrounded by a crowd of village militia. At their head stood Wang Qiao, flanked by a tall, imposing man with an iron-like complexion.

"Village Chief, the Hu people truly aren't here for us. Let us go take a look, and if so, we'll willingly surrender and accept whatever judgment you deem fit!"

Wu Ming said firmly. "The Hu are brutal—they won't spare Da Qing Village. Brother Kang and I have some connections nearby. If we can summon reinforcements..."

These words, soft yet firm, immediately made Wang Qiao's expression shift between uncertainty and resolve.

He stroked his sparse beard, then suddenly waved a hand and smiled. "Our honored guest jests! We've only come to ensure nothing befalls you. Since things have come to this, how about joining this old man on the wall for a look?"

Da Qing Village was ringed by an earthen wall, like a tiny fortress, and torches already blazed atop it.

Wu Ming and the others climbed an earth tower with Wang Qiao, hearing faint hoofbeats from beyond, unable to tell how many riders approached.

"From my experience, there can't be more than ten Hu cavalry out there!"

Qin Hu's ears twitched, then he said, "The Hu organize in squads of ten with a squad leader, companies of a hundred with a centurion, battalions of a thousand with a chiliarch, and a myriarch commands ten thousand riders. A squad leader is usually a Tulu Warrior, while a company's ranks include a Shaman Witch..."

Wu Ming and the others exchanged glances, their hearts sinking.

Since the mission mentioned a Shaman Witch, this was clearly a company of a hundred, with those outside merely the vanguard.

Though Da Qing Village's militia also numbered a hundred, compared to a hundred steppe cavalry, they were worlds apart.

"Village Chief..."

A piercing scream rang out, and then a villager, drenched in blood, stumbled to the base of the earthen wall, hauled up in a basket.

"What news?" Wang Qiao's face darkened as he saw the man's ears and nose had been cut off.

At the same time, Wang Yin strode forward, his towering frame shielding Wu Ming's group of five.

"They're not here chasing anyone... but they demand we hand over grain and women, and let them rest in the village, before they'll stop..."

The villager, face twisted in misery, relayed the Hu's terms, making Wang Qiao's face like still water.

Grain and women were manageable, but letting the Hu into the village meant being at their mercy.

Only now did he deeply realize how different the Hu were from ordinary refugees or bandits—they were a swarm of locusts, set to uproot Da Qing Village entirely!

"Gentlemen, this old man was petty-minded before. My apologies!"

After a moment of wavering, Wang Qiao suddenly came before Wu Ming and the others, bowing deeply. "I implore you to lend your strength and save Da Qing Village from this crisis!"

"Of course!"

Wu Ming helped the old man up with both hands. "From what we've learned, the Hu attacking this time should be no more than a hundred riders!"

"Hmm! Though the north of Great Xia is in chaos from Hu incursions, it hasn't reached here yet. This must be a stray band out foraging, having pushed deep in."

Wang Qiao's heart sank, but his face remained calm as he said, "If we hold out a few days, the enemy might retreat before any reinforcements even arrive..."

"Pass the word! Drag out everything from the armory—no hoarding at a time like this. Wang Yin, you take overall command!"

Wang Qiao had steadied himself, showing a measure of discipline.

"Understood!"

Wang Yin's face cold, he began deploying defenses.

"What do you think are the odds Da Qing Village can hold out?"

Wu Ming and the others had become idle bystanders, unable to leave yet not knowing what to do. As the hoofbeats drew nearer, his Qi and Blood stirred slightly, and he whispered to Xiao Yu.

"That... hard to say. A Batu Warrior is at least a match for ten men, on par with a third or fourth layer Body Refinement expert here. As for the Shaman Witch..."

Xiao Yu bit her lip.

"Are Shaman Witch spells that strong?" Though Wu Ming had some fragmented memories from his past life, knowledge of this was scarce.

"Hard to say..."

Xiao Yu thought for a moment, then said softly, "Witchcraft is like Daoist magic—given time and proper preparation, even a Nine Layers of Body Refinement Ultimate Transformation expert would suffer. But if caught off guard up close, a Shaman Witch or a Daoist is almost no different from an ordinary person... Of course, that's at low levels. A Shaman Witch in a company of a hundred is only that strong. What I fear most now is that the Shaman Witch can heal wounds and boost morale..."

Swoosh!

In an instant, over a dozen arrows flew in with a whistling sound, and screams rose and fell along the earthen wall.

"Hu horse archers!"

The thought had barely crossed Wu Ming's mind when he saw an arrow streak out of the darkness like a venomous snake, striking Xiao Yu's fair, slender neck.

Thud!

Blood sprayed, splattering onto Wu Ming's face.

The warm, coppery scent hit him, but his face stayed wooden as he watched the maiden fall to the ground, dead.

Dead!

This sharp-witted, mysteriously connected, calculating girl—dead, just like that, right before Wu Ming's eyes.

"So... in this vast world, no one is beyond death. Is this the Main God Hall?"

Wu Ming dropped low quickly, exhaling deeply, feeling as though the Main God Hall had finally lifted its veil, baring its sharp fangs at him.