Taking Advantage of the Chaos to Hide, Jiang Ye Walks Alone!

"A secret tunnel out of the city?!"

A flash of hidden shock crossed the eyes of Liu Qingshi and Jiang Ye simultaneously.

The Su Family was truly a local powerhouse; their foundation was deep indeed, to think they even possessed a secret tunnel leading out of the city.

"This was a precaution taken long ago, just in case. I never expected it would actually come in handy now."

Su Chen let out a soft sigh, a complex look of melancholy flickering across his face.

He said no more, turning with brisk, efficient movements to lead the group through corridors and across several courtyards, finally stopping before an inconspicuous woodshed.

The shed was dilapidated and worn, piled high with chopped firewood and miscellaneous debris, no different from the woodshed of any ordinary household.

But as several servants quickly cleared away the firewood, a dark, gaping hole was revealed in the ground—a set of stone steps winding downward into the unknown, dark depths.

"Move!"

At Su Chen's command, several servants who had been prepared beforehand immediately lit candles and stepped into the tunnel first to lead the way.

The candlelight flickered in the darkness, stretching their shadows long and casting them against the mottled walls of the passage.

As the sounds of shouting and screaming from within the city grew louder and closer, the group dared not delay, quickening their pace into the tunnel.

Jiang Ye followed behind Liu Qingshi, stepping into the deep, subterranean passage.

The moment they entered, a damp, earthy smell rushed to meet them, mingled with the scent of decaying, aged timber.

Yet, the stone steps underfoot were laid evenly, and the surrounding walls clearly showed signs of reinforcement; wooden stakes, stone slabs, and even fired bricks were layered together to support this path of escape.

It stood to reason that the Su Family had spent considerable effort and a great deal of silver to construct this tunnel back in the day.

Candlelight flickered, and shadows danced.

No one spoke; only the chaotic sound of footsteps echoed through the deep passage, beat by beat, like some kind of tense drum rhythm.

Behind them, the screams and sounds of slaughter from Anxi County drifted through the thick layers of earth, becoming muffled and distant, yet still enough to send a chill down one's spine.

About an hour later, the group finally caught the scent of fresh air, carrying the faint fragrance of grass and trees drifting from ahead.

"We're almost at the exit!"

Someone whispered in surprise, and everyone felt a surge of spirit, their previously exhausted footsteps involuntarily quickening.

The candlelight flickered more violently, but no one cared, their eyes fixed intently on the darkness ahead that faintly revealed a glimmer of light.

Half a stick of incense later, a faint touch of moonlight entered their vision.

The light was weak, yet like a ray of hope, it pierced the darkness that had suppressed the tunnel for so long.

Following that, the group filed out one by one, finally stepping onto solid ground.

The exit of the secret tunnel was located on a hidden small hillside outside the city.

The hillside was overgrown with waist-high weeds and shrubs, concealing the entrance so thoroughly that it would be nearly impossible to discover unless one approached and looked closely.

The night wind brushed past, making the grass rustle and bringing with it the crisp, free air unique to the wilderness outside the city.

But no one had the heart to savor this freedom.

Everyone turned back in unison, gazing at the Anxi County city where they had lived for decades.

Then, they all froze.

Within the city, flames were already soaring into the sky!

The fire dyed half the night sky a terrifying dark red, and thick smoke billowed, blotting out the heavens and the moon.

The shrill screams, the desperate wails, the crisp clashing of blades, and the thunderous roar of collapsing houses—even from this distance, they were still faintly audible, like the laments of hell itself.

The entire county city seemed to have transformed into a massive slaughterhouse at this moment, being devoured by darkness and blood.

A look of relief at having survived a catastrophe flashed across almost everyone's faces.

Some even felt their legs go weak, collapsing to the ground, gasping for air as tears slid silently down their faces.

They had escaped from hell.

But in that city, countless others were still dying.

Su Chen took a deep breath, forcing down his surging emotions, and turned to bow solemnly to the two men beside him:

"Brother Guo, Brother Liu, now that we are out of the city, I must trouble you both to look after our safety along the way."

Two men stood beside him.

One was Liu Qingshi, his expression solemn and his brows tightly locked.

The other was a middle-aged man with a square face, thick brows, and large eyes, dressed in black martial attire.

This man was burly with a steady aura; he was Guo Wei, a Transformation Strength martial artist who had been a retainer of the Su Family for many years.

"Rest assured, Family Head Su!"

Guo Wei cupped his hands in return, his voice resonant and firm: "Guo will certainly do his utmost to ensure everyone's safety! It will be easier once we are out of the city; although the road ahead is not entirely peaceful, most are merely low-class bandits and a rabble of no consequence, nothing to fear!"

Liu Qingshi also nodded slightly, his voice low but steady: "Rest assured, Brother Su, I will do my best."

Yet, a trace of worry that he could not hide flashed through his eyes.

Although the Su Family had dismissed some servants before their departure, there were still nearly a hundred people who had escaped, including the female family members, guards, and servants.

With so many people gathered together, they were essentially a conspicuous, fat sheep.

If they only encountered ordinary refugees or bandits, the strength of him and Guo Wei, both Transformation Strength martial artists, would be nothing to fear.

But he was terrified that they would run into people from the Seven Kill Cult along the way.

He had heard from martial artists who fled from Lushan County that those animals from the Seven Kill Cult would not only slaughter cities but also leave people behind to ambush and hunt outside the city walls; they were incredibly cunning.

Once they encountered them, it would undoubtedly be a bitter struggle.

However, there was no use in worrying now; things would work themselves out when the time came. He could only take it one step at a time.

"Let's move. We must reach Shahe Mouth before dawn!"

Su Chen clapped his hands, composed his emotions, and began issuing orders.

Several stewards immediately busied themselves, counting heads, assigning tasks, and arranging the order of the procession.

A group of nearly a hundred people could not afford to be chaotic; they had to be orderly.

Jiang Ye quietly retreated to the edge of the crowd, his back hunched like a withered, old tree, and no one paid him any mind.

The Su Family's procession hurried along under the cover of night.

Without carriages, the female family members who did not practice martial arts were able to grit their teeth and keep up at first, but after less than half an hour, they were already panting and stumbling.

Su Chen looked back, his expression tightening slightly, but in the end, he waved his hand and let the group stop to rest.

Liu Qingshi had wanted to say that it was not the right time to rest, but seeing the exhaustion between the brows of his wife, Huang Xiyu, he hesitated and ultimately swallowed his words of dissuasion.

However, the worry between his brows deepened.

Yet, they had rested for less than half a stick of incense.

"Bad!"

Liu Qingshi and Guo Wei both sprang up simultaneously, their gazes shooting toward the direction of the firelight like sharp arrows.

Their eyesight was the keenest, and they had already seen the figures surging behind the flames—a dense, black mass, rushing toward them like a tide.

"Enemy attack!"

This roar, like a thunderclap, instantly tore through the silence of the night.

Everyone shuddered and followed their gaze.

In the distance, a man with a short stature and a face as ugly as a yaksha held a bright torch high, sprinting toward them.

As he ran, he waved his arms and shouted, his voice shrill and piercing like the cry of a night owl:

"Hahaha, I knew there would be fish that slipped through the net, and a big fat one at that!"

"Little ones, get them! Kill all these heartless, wealthy dogs!"

"Grab all the women for the brothers to enjoy!"

Behind him, the dense crowd of refugees pounced forward, howling like wild dogs that had caught the scent of blood.

Those people were in rags and gaunt, but every face wore a twisted, hideous grin, and their eyes burned with a frantic, greedy fire.

They gripped various weapons in their hands: rusted wood-chopping knives, sharpened wooden sticks, stolen swords, and even broken bricks.

The number of them was actually three or four hundred.

"Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill!!!"

"Kill all these heartless, wealthy dogs!!!"

"Hahaha, don't kill the women, keep the women!!!"

"I see them, so many beauties!!!"

"We're going to have a blast tonight!!!"

The roars of the refugees shook the earth.

They held a natural hatred for wealthy clans like the Su Family, and along this journey, they had committed countless evils alongside the demons of the Seven Kill Cult.

On the other side.

"It's over... it's over..."

"How could there be people from the Seven Kill Cult outside the city too..."

"Run! Run!"

The Su Family's procession fell into immediate chaos; they had never seen such a terrifying scene.

The female family members turned pale as paper, huddling together and screaming. Some had their legs go weak and collapsed to the ground, while others even rolled their eyes back and fainted on the spot.

The guards' hands trembled as they gripped their weapons, their faces deathly pale, their eyes darting around in panic.

The sense of relief they had felt from escaping the county seat was now completely swallowed by an overwhelming, suffocating fear.

"Steady! Do not panic!"

At this critical moment, Liu Qingshi suddenly stepped forward, releasing the aura of a Transformation Strength martial artist without reservation, pressing down upon the panicked crowd like a mountain.

His voice was not loud, but it was full of vigor, ringing out like a great bell and forcibly suppressing the panic that was on the verge of collapse.

"Right! Do not panic! We have two Transformation Strength martial artists holding the line, and so many guards—what is there to fear? They are just a group of bandits, vulnerable and weak!"

Su Chen suppressed the fear in his heart and stepped forward to stabilize the morale of the troops.

These two shouts acted like sedatives, barely managing to steady the group.

The guards gripped their weapons tightly, and the women supported one another; although their faces remained deathly pale, at least they were no longer scattering in a rout.

"Brother Guo, we must capture the ringleader first!"

Liu Qingshi gave a meaningful look to Guo Wei beside him.

"Agreed!"

Guo Wei nodded in response.

He also knew that as long as they took down the leader, these marauders would scatter like birds and beasts in an instant.

"Yiyi, when the fighting starts, protect Mother and Old Jiang well."

Liu Qingshi lowered his voice and spoke to Liu Yiyi behind him.

Liu Yiyi did not answer, but she nodded heavily.

She shielded her mother behind her, her right hand resting on the short sword at her waist, her cold eyes fixed intently on the surging black shadows in the distance.

But just as her gaze swept past her side, she suddenly froze.

"Where is Old Jiang?"

Liu Yiyi frowned, about to look around for him.

The battle had already begun!

"You seek death!"

Liu Qingshi and Guo Wei moved one after the other, like two arrows released from a bow, lunging fiercely toward the short, ugly man.

Both were Transformation Strength martial artists, and with their full power unleashed, their speed was astonishing; in the blink of an eye, they were upon the ugly man.

"Hahaha, well come!"

Facing the pincer attack of two Transformation Strength martial artists, the short, ugly man showed no fear; instead, a ferocious expression appeared on his face.

He suddenly drew a gleaming scimitar from behind his waist—the blade was curved like the moon, thin as a cicada's wing, and it shimmered with a chilling light under the reflection of the fire.

With a flick of his wrist, the scimitar became like a true crescent moon, whistling through the air as it slashed toward Liu Qingshi.

Whoosh!

The blade light tore through the air.

"Hm?! This is blade intent..."

Liu Qingshi's eyes narrowed. Sensing the ferocity of the strike, he chose not to meet it head-on, instead dodging the blow with a sidestep.

Clang!

The missed strike carved a deep mark into the ground, sending gravel and dust flying!

At this moment, Guo Wei attacked from behind!

He clenched his right fist, gathering all his strength into his knuckles, and slammed it toward the back of the ugly man's head like an iron hammer!

The ugly man seemed to have eyes in the back of his head; he ducked suddenly, narrowly avoiding the punch.

At the same time, he slashed back with his blade like a viper striking, aiming straight for Guo Wei's neck!

Guo Wei's expression changed drastically, and he threw himself backward with all his might.

Puchi.

A bloody mark appeared on his neck, but fortunately, the wound was not deep.

Had he been even a breath slower, he might have been decapitated.

Liu Qingshi and Guo Wei both realized how troublesome this ugly man was.

Their fighting style became more cautious.

After a few more exchanges, the ugly man cursed disdainfully, "Two cowardly turtles."

He sneered, intentionally leaving an opening, his center wide open and his chest completely exposed to Guo Wei.

A flash of light appeared in Guo Wei's eyes! How could he let such an opportunity pass?

"Die!"

He gathered all his strength into his right fist, and like a cannonball, he slammed it into the ugly man's chest.

His punch was heavy and ruthless, filled with such force that even a boulder would have been pulverized into dust.

However, as his fist struck the ugly man's chest, it felt as if he had hit a block of black iron.

Clang!

A crisp chime rang out.

The ugly man had actually relied on his physical body to withstand that punch head-on.

"Hard-body cultivation?!"

Guo Wei's pupils constricted sharply, and a bone-chilling coldness rose in his heart.

He finally understood why this ugly man dared to be so arrogant; having cultivated hard-body techniques, his physique was far stronger than that of an ordinary person.

He instinctively tried to retract his fist and retreat.

Too late!

The ugly man let out a sinister laugh, his curved blade descending like a crescent moon, the light of the blade flashing.

Puchi.

Blood sprayed! Guo Wei's right arm, which had just struck out, was severed at the root, flying away amidst a spray of blood.

"Ah!!!"

Guo Wei screamed, stumbling backward as blood gushed from his severed limb like a fountain, instantly staining half his body red.

"Die!"

The ugly man prepared to press his advantage and strike again to claim Guo Wei's head.

Mountain Crushing Strike!

Liu Qingshi's heavy fist hammered into his back with the weight of a mountain.

"Ugh..."

The ugly man let out a muffled groan, his body shuddering violently.

His back visibly caved in, and a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs sprayed wildly from his mouth.

At this life-or-death moment, he used the force of the punch to propel himself forward like a kite with a broken string, stumbling a dozen paces away and narrowly avoiding the second punch Liu Qingshi had followed up with!

"You have some skill... I suppose I underestimated you!"

The ugly man glanced back coldly at Liu Qingshi, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and sneered, "I'll let you live a little longer."

After saying this, he tapped his foot and fled into the distance like a wild dog, quickly vanishing into the night.

"Oh no!!! The Divine Envoy is running away..."

"Let's run too!!!"

"Run... run for your lives!"

The refugees who were entangled with the Su Family guards fell into immediate disarray upon seeing the ugly man flee in such a pathetic state.

Some screamed in terror, some dropped their weapons and turned to flee, while others were cut down by the guards.

In a few moments, the group of three or four hundred refugees scattered like a burst dam.

Liu Qingshi did not give chase.

He hurried to Guo Wei's side, supported his bleeding body, tore off a piece of his own garment, and tightly bound the wound at the severed arm.

Guo Wei's face was as pale as paper, his lips trembling as he said in a shaky voice, "Th-thank you..."

The members of the Su Family gathered around, still shaken; some were crying, some were trembling, and others had collapsed to the ground.

Su Chen's face was livid. He looked toward the direction where the ugly man had disappeared, then at the heavily wounded Guo Wei, the worry in his eyes thick and impossible to dispel.

Liu Yiyi remained guarding her mother, her gaze sweeping over the crowd again and again.

The young girl's brows were furrowed deeper than usual.

She realized that Jiang Ye had disappeared.