"Miss, traces of thieves have been found near Wheat Fragrance Village. According to the villagers, they seem to have fled from Viscount Molan's territory."
The sudden report shattered the quiet of Murong Castle.
Su Changge took the report Murong Ruyan handed him and quickly scanned it.
The thieves' identities were unknown!
Their numbers were unknown!
Their intentions were unknown!
Their strength was unknown!
Aside from knowing that the thieves had fled from Viscount Molan's territory, everything else was a mystery.
Still, Su Changge could understand. The Murong Earldom had few organized troops these days. The men stationed in its villages were mostly militia who had never received professional training or been taught systematic military principles.
It was indeed asking too much of them to get close and investigate.
"Changge!"
"Mm. There's no doubt Viscount Molan deliberately drove these thieves our way. What's more... it's possible they're actually organized troops from Melan Territory in disguise."
"Winter is approaching. If panic spreads, the earldom will be thrown into chaos."
"Changge, what should we do?"
Murong Ruyan had never experienced anything like this, and she had lost her composure.
Su Changge put an arm around Murong Ruyan's slender waist and murmured reassuringly, "Ruyan, there's no need to panic."
"Since Viscount Molan went to all this trouble to play such a low-class trick, that means... at least for now, he has no intention of openly breaking with the earldom."
"If that's the case, we'll strike back and cut down every one of Viscount Molan's lackeys."
"We'll make Viscount Molan understand, and make sure the surrounding viscounts and barons know, that even in dire straits, the Murong Earldom isn't something any stray cat or dog can bully."
"Guards, pass down the order. Muster every cavalryman we can spare and bring the secret weapons I developed. In one hour... we march for Wheat Fragrance Village."
After Su Changge issued the order in Murong Ruyan's name, the entire castle sprang into action.
Dozens of warhorses gathered at the castle gates. Bags of freshly baked hardtack and liquor were strapped to the packhorses.
The knights of Murong Castle were fully armored, swords at their waists.
The ten knights at the front each carried a black box wrapped in sheepskin on their backs. Inside were the so-called secret weapons Su Changge had made.
"Move out."
Besides Su Changge and Murong Ruyan, who were personally leading the operation, Su Changge also brought along the only three low-ranking Soul Masters left under the Murong Earldom.
However, the three Soul Masters had limited talent and were all advanced in years. Even with sufficient resources, their future achievements were bound to be limited.
Soul Grandmaster at best.
As the cavalry rode away, the heavy iron gates of Murong Castle slowly closed.
At least until Su Changge and Murong Ruyan returned with their troops, the castle gates would not open again.
Wheat Fragrance Village lay in the eastern part of the Murong Earldom.
It was one of the few villages in the earldom that produced abundant crops.
Calling it the Murong Earldom's "granary" was no exaggeration.
Viscount Molan's move was indeed a clever one.
If the village's grain stores were destroyed, the eastern part of the earldom would be plunged into famine.
With winter approaching, the villagers would have no choice but to starve and endure it. They wouldn't even have a way to buy grain.
"Reinforcements from the earldom! The castle knights have come to help us!"
When the militia guarding the entrance to Wheat Fragrance Village recognized the Murong banner, they burst into cheers.
In less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, nearly every villager had gathered in the square at the entrance.
The castle's support had arrived. They had someone to rely on and no longer needed to live in fear.
An old man with graying hair came hobbling over. The moment he saw Murong Ruyan, he froze in place, clearly recognizing her.
Then he rubbed his eyes hard, over and over, before finally believing what he was seeing.
With a thud, the old man fell to his knees and burst into tears, while hundreds of villagers looked on in confusion.
"I am Chen Tiezhu, village chief of Wheat Fragrance Village. I pay my respects to Miss."
"It's my failure. I've brought shame upon the Earl, and that's why Miss had to lead the troops here in person."
"I've put Miss in danger. I deserve to die... I deserve to die!"
"What!? Miss has come in person!!!"
Hearing Chen Tiezhu's words, the hundreds of villagers all turned to look at Murong Ruyan. One after another, they dropped to their knees like dumplings falling into a pot.
Su Changge sat astride his warhorse, watching the scene before him.
Everywhere his eyes fell was Han land... Ahem, wrong setting.
Still, it did have that feel to it.
Unfortunately, what he sought was godhood and eternal life!
To stand above the heavens and ascend as a god-king.
As Murong Ruyan, Su Changge, and the others were being welcomed into the village, two or three dozen thieves were holed up in a cave on a hill, over ten miles from Wheat Fragrance Village.
It wasn't long before the thieves received word that reinforcements from the earldom had arrived at Wheat Fragrance Village.
In the cave's central chamber, four figures stood cloaked in black robes. The one with the strongest aura gripped the report and let out a greedy laugh.
"Tsk. I'd planned to send out a few nobodies to whittle down the Murong Earldom's forces. I never expected Murong Ruyan, the first in line to inherit the earldom, that high-and-mighty noble lady, to lead the troops here herself."
"Heh! Brothers, a great treasure has walked right into our hands."
"I've heard Murong Ruyan is known as the most beautiful woman in the earldom. If we can capture her, then even if we don't enjoy her ourselves, we can give her to Viscount Molan and get a fortune in Gold Soul Coins and a mountain of cultivation resources..."
"Looks like the four of us were right to come together."
The other three black-robed men chimed in, all laughing greedily.
As Soul Masters, they cared not for worldly power, but for the cultivation resources that could make them stronger.
"Still, I heard Murong Ruyan went to the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest some time ago to hunt for a Soul Ring. I wonder if she succeeded. If she found a suitable Soul Ring, she should be at the Soul Elder level now."
"Of the four of us, only Brother Sun is a Soul Elder. If we attack head-on..."
"Brother Chu, what's there to be afraid of?"
"So what if Murong Ruyan has advanced to Soul Elder?"
"Don't forget. The powerful Soul Masters of the Murong Earldom are dead, gone, or have been won over. Now, aside from Murong Ruyan, only three elderly, low-ranking Soul Masters remain in the entire Murong Earldom."
"As long as Brother Sun can keep her occupied, the three of us can take care of those dozens of knights. With the four of us working together, do you really think Murong Ruyan could get away?"
"I'm sick of this hard life in the cave."
"In my opinion, we should strike while they've just arrived at Wheat Fragrance Village and haven't yet figured out what they're dealing with. Let's catch them off guard... How about a night raid tonight?"
"Brother Sun agrees!"
"Wang agrees!"
"Brother Chu agrees!"
Deep into the night.
Apart from a few bonfires at the entrance to Wheat Fragrance Village, every light in the village had gone out, leaving it swallowed by endless darkness.
On the highest loft in the village, Su Changge and Murong Ruyan stood side by side, gazing coldly toward the entrance.
As a transmigrator, Su Changge was practically conditioned to expect a night raid.
And since he had allowed the villagers to let certain information slip, he was ninety percent sure the thieves would seize the opportunity to attack at night.
It was a gamble!
If he won, the fight would be settled in one blow. At least until the start of spring next year, the nearby viscounties and baronies would all keep quiet.
If he lost and the thieves had overwhelming strength among them, then... he could only use the villagers of Wheat Fragrance Village as a shield and flee with Murong Ruyan.
"Changge, will those thieves really come?"
Murong Ruyan buried her head against Su Changge's chest, worry in her voice.
"They'll come!"
"Don't worry. Everything... will be over tonight."
Su Changge stroked Murong Ruyan's hair, his voice firm.
Another hour passed, and the night wore on.
Just as the militiamen at the village entrance were yawning and letting their guard down, several keen arrows came whistling through the air, raising sprays of blood.
The militiamen didn't even have time to react before they were killed from afar.
"Storm in! Take Murong Ruyan alive!!!"
The savage battle cries tore through the night sky, and the whole village erupted into chaos.
Led by the four Soul Masters, two or three dozen thieves broke through the village's outer defenses and swiftly stormed inside.