Nerves Taut

Luo Ning had considered many possibilities on the road to Mountain Forest Town, but even the wisest minds could overlook something.

Without sufficient information, there were still things Luo Ning could not account for.

Now that he thought about it, since Baron Leysen had decided to take such a risky step to eliminate Luo Ning, he would have made sure nothing could go wrong.

Perhaps in the other side's eyes, Prinster and the others were enough to deal with Luo Ning and his guards.

But to prevent any accidents, Baron Leysen had Knight Phileton lead men around from behind to encircle them, ensuring Luo Ning would have nowhere to escape.

Imagine if Luo Ning could not defeat Prinster and chose to flee. He would inevitably be caught in a pincer attack, with no way to heaven and no door into the earth.

That was Baron Leysen's entire plan to put Luo Ning to death.

Luo Ning's mind was in turmoil. Mountain Forest Town was right before him, yet he did not know whether to advance or retreat.

If he advanced, he knew nothing about the situation inside the town, and he could not gather enough men to resist Baron Sain.

If he retreated, his way back was blocked, leaving him nowhere good to go.

"What should I do?"

He had to come up with a response quickly. If he delayed until the enemy circled around from behind, his situation would become even more dangerous.

Luo Ning looked up at the endless forests stretching along both sides of the road. Perhaps he could survive by leading Macken and the others into the woods.

But if he chose that path, he was destined to be unable to flee with all twenty-nine guards.

Though these men were ordinary people, Luo Ning had invested quite a bit in them. He also hoped that among them, a few more promising youths like David might awaken Battle Qi Seeds.

He was unwilling to simply abandon them.

What's more, even if he survived in the mountains and forests, he could only return to Wushan Castle. At that time, could he use Sain Territory's attempt to kill him as a reason to make Wushan Castle send troops?

It would probably be difficult.

It was not that Wushan Castle would ignore whether he lived or died. Rather, even if he made an accusation, the process would take a long time, and he might not even be able to bring down Baron Leysen.

After all, he would still be nothing more than a Mountain Forest Town baron in name only, stripped of his Right of Inheritance and possessing nothing, while the other side was a baron who truly commanded a Knight Squad, had operated for decades, and possessed extensive connections.

What could Luo Ning rely on?

Could he accuse a noble just because he carried the Wushan Family bloodline, and then have Wushan Castle kill that noble?

That was clearly unlikely.

In the end, Sain Territory would probably receive no more than a sentence to compensate for the taxes it had embezzled from Mountain Forest Town over the years.

But if Luo Ning still came to Mountain Forest Town afterward to continue serving as its lord, the situation he faced would be much the same as it was now.

The other side would never give up this territory they regarded as already theirs.

"I need to establish myself in Mountain Forest Town as soon as possible!"

Luo Ning's expression tightened, his brows furrowing as he sank into thought.

It would be best if he could find a way to avoid fleeing into the forest while also delaying the conflict with Sain Territory.

But just then, Elrond moved closer to Luo Ning and reminded him in a low voice, "My lord, I hear hoofbeats coming from the distance."

As he spoke, Elrond pointed toward the road they had come from.

Luo Ning's heart skipped a beat, and his expression darkened further. "They came so fast?"

"Heh, at full speed, four hours is more than enough to get from Sain Territory to Mountain Forest Town!"

Prinster's voice was full of gloating. "Ever since I met you, you've appeared very calm, but now I finally see fear on your face. Hahaha!"

He became increasingly arrogant, as though he had already shed his status as a prisoner.

"Now, you can only hand us over to Knight Phileton. Only then might you have a chance to live."

"Is that so?"

Luo Ning's voice was icy as he glanced at Macken. "Smash his mouth to pieces and knock out his teeth. I don't want to hear him say another complete sentence!"

"Understood, my lord!"

Macken walked up and gave him one kick, then punched Prinster in the mouth twice. All the teeth in his mouth fell out, and bloody foam mixed with saliva streamed from the corners of his mouth.

Luo Ning looked up at the road they had come from. By now, even he could hear the hoofbeats.

"What should I do!"

The more tense and critical the moment became, the calmer Luo Ning suddenly grew.

Against Philiton, he had to remain calm enough to make the other side afraid to act rashly.

"Fear is an emotion everyone feels. I would be afraid, and Baron Leysen would be afraid too!"

Luo Ning's thoughts raced. What would Baron Leysen fear?

Nothing more than two things.

First, he feared that Wushan Castle would learn of his embezzlement of Mountain Forest Town's taxes.

Second, he feared that Wushan Castle would learn of his plot to murder Luo Ning.

Embezzling resources might be covered up with some excuse and remedied through compensation.

But as a vassal of Wushan Castle, turning around and murdering someone of Wushan Castle's bloodline was not something that could be settled with a fine.

Wushan Castle's deterrent power had weakened now, but it had not disappeared. The old Marquis was only gravely ill, not dead.

Whether it was Rulans or Wiggins, they would send troops against Sain Territory to avenge Luo Ning and intimidate those who were ready to make a move, all to uphold Wushan Castle's dignity.

The Hyde Family surely would not obstruct this matter either.

Therefore, compared to the first matter, Baron Leysen feared the second much more.

So long as there was even the slightest possibility that Luo Ning could not be taken down, the other side would withdraw its exposed killing intent.

Luo Ning only needed to intimidate them, make them misjudge the strength of both sides, and make them believe that even if they attacked, they could not wipe out every one of Luo Ning's men.

As long as there was even the slightest risk that information could get out, they would hesitate to act.

If Luo Ning wanted to achieve this intimidation, he had to put on a performance and make the other side misjudge his strength.

The most crucial part of this performance was making Prinster and the others shut up for good, so the other side would have no chance to learn their true strength.

"Everyone, obey orders!"

After finishing his thoughts, Luo Ning shouted, "Kill all the prisoners!"

The guards froze for a moment. They had thought those infantrymen fortunate enough to survive would be forgiven by their lord, but they had not expected them to still meet such an end.

After that brief moment of hesitation, the guards raised their swords and ended the prisoners' lives.

Luo Ning looked at Prinster. His eyes widened as he stared, completely unprepared for Luo Ning to make such a choice.

"I can see fear on your face."

Luo Ning repeated what the other man had just said, then gave Macken a look.

Macken gave Prinster almost no time to react before bringing his sword down and cutting off his head!

"You... you people!"

Dyson, standing nearby, was dumbfounded. His companion Kate had just regained consciousness, only to faint again at the sight.

In the instant they were stunned, Macken and David ended both their lives.

At this point, ninety-nine percent of the men Prinster had brought were dead in battle. Only one remained.

Luo Ning looked at Malt.

Malt met Luo Ning's icy, seemingly emotionless gaze and immediately broke out in a cold sweat, so frightened that he knelt down.

"My lord, please believe in my loyalty! Even if you told me to challenge Philiton, I would not hesitate!"

Malt was truly terrified. He had not expected such a young baron to kill prisoners the moment he said he would.

Luo Ning narrowed his eyes, but ultimately did not kill him. "You should be grateful that you have value in staying alive."

"Malt thanks my lord for sparing my life!!"

The hoofbeats grew clearer and clearer, and Luo Ning took a deep breath.

In truth, the moment Elrond had informed him, he no longer had time to run.

From then on, Luo Ning had no choice. He could only stake everything on one gamble.

"Now, lie on the ground and pretend to be a corpse."

Luo Ning ordered, "Remember to make it convincing. If it isn't convincing, I'll make you look convincing."

"Y-Yes..."

Malt lay down on the ground in a panic. Perhaps realizing that he did not look much like he was playing dead, he hurriedly got back up, smeared the blood on the ground over his neck and body, then lay down again.

Perhaps he still felt that was not convincing enough, so Malt gritted his teeth, picked up a sword, and slashed his left arm twice. His clothes split open at once, and blood flowed out.

After doing all that, he lay facedown and did not move again.

Luo Ning could not help raising an eyebrow. This fellow was putting on quite a convincing act. Fortunately, the wounds on his arm were not deep, or he might bleed to death.

Still, it was better to be safe than sorry. "David, stand beside Malt later. If he makes any movement, you know what to do."

"David understands!"

Luo Ning raised his sword and shouted, "Everyone, show me your spirit! Form ranks and face the enemy!"