When it came to putting on the airs of noble scions, Wu Ming and Kang Shou Li were naturals.
Even Huang Ying and Xiao Yu were women who had seen their share of the world. Though old Wang Qiao was shrewd, he was completely taken in. First, he had a courtyard tidied up for the five of them to stay in, then he sent people out to investigate the Hu cavalry.
"Hehe... Sister Huang Ying, you were amazing! Those men behind that old fellow couldn't take their eyes off you!"
As soon as they returned to the courtyard and shut the door, Xiao Yu giggled at Huang Ying.
"There's someone watching us from outside! That old Wang Qiao still doesn't trust us!"
Qin Hu walked over to the window and peered out, then spoke in a low voice.
"That's only natural... But we brought news of the Hu cavalry. Whatever else they think, they'd rather believe it and be safe than dismiss it and regret it!"
Wu Ming surveyed the group, then looked at the four of them. "Now, do you believe this is the Great Xia Dynasty?"
"To tell the truth... I still find it hard to believe. But the layout of this village, the people's clothing, even the furniture and decorations—all of it is similar to Great Zhou, yet somehow different, with an ancient air about it..."
Huang Ying gave a bitter smile.
"Indeed... One person might fool us, but ten people, a hundred people, all acting the same way..."
Xiao Yu's little face was full of worry too.
"Now that we've confirmed that the customs and people here are unlike those of Great Zhou, we can be sure we're in another land... And the Hu cavalry will undoubtedly arrive!"
Wu Ming said, "If we want to stay alive, we have to take advantage of the situation! Miss Huang Ying, I'll have to trouble you with that! In particular, we need to find out exactly how well the villagers here are trained and whether there are any experts among them!"
"I understand!"
Huang Ying agreed without hesitation.
She knew she couldn't even truss a chicken, and she didn't have a background as mysterious as Xiao Yu's. If the time came when they had to make a sacrifice, she would be the first to go. So she immediately set out to prove her worth.
To these villagers who spent every day out in the countryside, where even an old sow could pass for Diaochan, Huang Ying seemed like a celestial maiden from heaven. With just a little cleverness, she could leave a whole group of laborers lost and bewildered.
"Big brother... I..."
Huang Ying smoothed her hair and stepped outside, greeting the man on watch in a sweet, coquettish voice. The village soldier promptly "defected," serving her eagerly and answering every question. Apart from Kang Shou Li, the other three all smiled.
Night fell.
After sharing a meal with Wang Qiao, the Village Chief, who seemed troubled, Wu Ming gathered the five of them together again.
"Miss Huang Ying, what did you find out?"
"A little."
Huang Ying spoke gently. "As far as I know, the Wang clan is the largest in Da Qing Village. Their relatives are spread far and wide, and most of the villagers belong to the same clan. There are over a thousand of them. Since the world is so unsettled, they usually train more than a hundred Village Militia. The most skilled in Martial arts is Wang Yin, Wang Qiao's son. I hear he's already reached the fifth layer of the Body Refinement Realm and can unleash True Qi!"
"After receiving our warning, Da Qing Village has already begun making preparations in secret and repairing the Earthen Wall. But I really don't think they stand a chance..."
"I even heard one rumor that we're bringers of disaster, that we've brought the Hu cavalry here. If a large army really does descend on them, they might tie us up and hand us over. Perhaps that would let them escape calamity!"
Thump!
Kang Shou Li slammed his palm on the wooden table and said bitterly, "No wonder they had someone watching us. So that's what they're up to!"
"In times of chaos, anyone would be wary of a few strangers with unknown identities suddenly showing up..."
Wu Ming had already been prepared for this.
Given how hostile the village was to outsiders, it was strange enough that they had even let the five of them stay the night.
Most likely, Wang Qiao had kept them because he really thought they were important fugitives being hunted by the Hu cavalry, and might even have planned to sell them for a good price. That wouldn't have been surprising at all.
"Once the first wave of Hu cavalry arrives, they'll understand what they're dealing with!"
Qin Hu cut in.
"Until then, we should all be on our guard!"
Wu Ming wrapped up the discussion, his expression turning serious again. "There's something else I want to ask. Do you still remember what happened before you passed out?"
"Brother Nameless means how we were pulled into this place? I don't know..." Xiao Yu blinked innocently. "That day... I was studying at home when everything suddenly went black, and then I was here!"
"Same for me..." Huang Ying's expression tightened. "At the time, I was simply playing the zither at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion. There was nothing unusual around me!"
"I was getting ready to kill someone!"
Qin Hu gave a savage grin, making Kang Shou Li shrink back.
"I... I was at a restaurant with a few friends, reciting poetry and admiring the moon..."
"As for me, trouble fell from the sky right at my own front door!"
Wu Ming was the last to speak, but in his heart, he thought of the jade pendant in his arms.
All of them had been transported here at random, and not one had mentioned a jade pendant.
Remembering how Daoist Arts and magical implements had also been rejected, Wu Ming grew more troubled.
"There's something wrong here... Where exactly did Lin Qi get the jade pendant, and why was it connected to the Main God Hall? And then there's his identity as a transmigrator..."
Wu Ming's expression turned solemn, but the others thought he was simply worrying about the future.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Suddenly, a rapid series of Bronze Gong strikes rang out, piercing through the night. Voices gradually swelled, and frightened cries rang out now and then. Wu Ming and the others felt their hearts sink.
It seemed the Main God Hall wouldn't even give them a single peaceful day.
"Old men, women, and children stay in their homes! The Village Militia, to the Armory!"
In the darkness, countless torches gathered into a long, blazing Fire Dragon. Shouts rang out now and again.
As soon as Wu Ming and the other four stepped outside, a group of Village Militia surrounded them. At their head was Wang Qiao, with a tall, imposing man whose skin was as dark as iron standing beside him.
"Village Chief, the Hu aren't here for us. We can go and see for ourselves. If they are, we'll surrender and accept whatever punishment you see fit!"
Wu Ming spoke with unwavering conviction. "The Hu are vicious. They won't spare Da Qing Village. Brother Kang and I have connections in the surrounding area, so if we need reinforcements..."
His words were gentle yet firm, and Wang Qiao's expression shifted at once.
He stroked his sparse beard, then suddenly waved a hand and smiled. "Our honored guests jest! We only came to make sure nothing happened to you. Since things have come to this, why don't you come up on the wall with this old man and take a look?"
A ring of Earthen Wall surrounded Da Qing Village, like the ramparts of a tiny city, and torches already blazed along its top.
Wu Ming and the others climbed a tower of packed earth with Wang Qiao. From beyond the walls came the faint sound of hoofbeats, but it was impossible to tell how many riders were coming.
"From my experience, there are definitely no more than ten Hu riders out there!"
Qin Hu's ears twitched. He suddenly said, "The Hu organize themselves into groups of ten, with a Tulu Warrior in command; a hundred men under a Chiliarch; a thousand under a Myriarch. A Myriarch commands ten thousand horsemen. The bands led by Tulu Warriors usually have a Shaman Witch stationed among them..."
Wu Ming and the others exchanged glances, their hearts sinking.
Since the mission mentioned a Shaman Witch, the enemy coming this time was clearly a hundred-man unit. The riders outside were only the vanguard.
Da Qing Village's Village Militia also numbered a hundred, but there was a world of difference between them and a hundred mounted steppe warriors.
"Village Chief..."
A piercing scream came from below. A bloodied villager stumbled up to the Earthen Wall, and the guards hauled him up in a basket.
"What happened?" Wang Qiao's expression darkened when he saw that the man's ears and nose had been cut off.
At the same time, Wang Yin strode forward, his imposing figure blocking Wu Ming and the others from view.
"They didn't come here chasing anyone... But they demand that we offer up our food and women, then let them into the village to rest. Only then will they leave us alone..."
The villager wore a miserable expression as he relayed the Hu's demands. Wang Qiao's face turned as dark as water.
Food and women were one thing, but letting the Hu into the village would be the same as handing themselves over to be slaughtered.
Only now did he truly understand how the Hu differed from ordinary refugees and bandits. They were a swarm of locusts, bent on destroying Da Qing Village at its very roots!
"Gentlemen, I was narrow-minded before. I sincerely apologize!"
After his expression shifted several times, Wang Qiao suddenly came before Wu Ming and the others and bowed deeply. "I ask that you lend us your strength and save Da Qing Village from this peril!"
"Of course!"
Wu Ming helped the old man to his feet with both hands. "According to what we learned earlier, there should be no more than a hundred Hu riders coming this time!"
"Mm! The north of Great Xia is in turmoil, but the Hu haven't invaded this far. They're probably a band out for supplies, strays who have wandered deep into our territory!"
Wang Qiao's heart sank, but he kept his expression calm. "If we can hold out for a few days, the enemy may retreat before reinforcements even arrive..."
"Pass down the order! Bring out everything in the armory. This is a matter of life and death, so don't hold anything back! Wang Yin, you're in command of the whole defense!"
Now that Wang Qiao had calmed down, he seemed to have a good grasp of the situation.
"Understood!"
Wang Yin's face was cold as he began arranging the defenses.
"What do you think are the odds that Da Qing Village can hold out?"
Wu Ming and the others were left with nothing to do. They could neither leave nor stay away. Listening to the increasingly close hoofbeats, Wu Ming felt his Qi and Blood quicken slightly and whispered in Xiao Yu's ear.
"Well... it's hard to say. A Batu Warrior is at least the equal of ten men, on par with an expert at the third or fourth layer of the Body Refinement Realm. As for the Shaman Witch..."
Xiao Yu bit her lip.
"Are Shaman Witches' spells powerful?" Wu Ming had some memories from his predecessor, but very little about this.
"It's hard to say..."
Xiao Yu thought for a moment before speaking softly. "Witchcraft is like Daoist Arts. Given enough time and thorough preparation, even an expert at the Nine Layers of Body Refinement Ultimate Transformation can be caught off guard. But if you get close to them, an unprepared Shaman Witch or Daoist is hardly any different from an ordinary person... Of course, that's only true at the lower levels. The Shaman Witch in a hundred-man unit would only be at that level... What worries me most is that a Shaman Witch can heal wounds and rally the troops..."
Whoosh!
In an instant, more than a dozen arrows came flying in with a mournful whistle. Cries rang out across the Earthen Wall.
"Hu archers!"
Wu Ming had barely thought the words when he saw an arrow snake through the darkness and strike Xiao Yu in her pale, delicate neck.
Pfft!
Blood sprayed everywhere, splattering Wu Ming's face.
The hot, coppery smell rushed over him. Wu Ming's face went blank as he watched the girl collapse, dead.
She was dead!
This girl, so well-informed, with such a mysterious background and a mind of her own, had died just like that—right before Wu Ming's eyes!
So it's true... In all the vast world, no one escapes death! Is this what the Main God Hall is really like?
Wu Ming dropped into a crouch and let out a deep breath. It was as if the Main God Hall had finally lifted its veil and bared its sharp fangs to him!
Before you continue