On the other side of the city wall, Zhuge Jingcheng stood with the messenger from the Capital City, their expressions grim beyond measure.
Though the night was dark and heavy snow was falling, they could still make out a black mass of men and horses in the distance.
They were like a beast lying dormant in the darkness, ready to spring out and swallow them whole.
"Reporting to the Provincial Governor! We've confirmed their identity. Flowing Sand has assembled."
The soldier responsible for scouting returned to report.
"..."
A deathly silence hung over the city wall. Not a sound could be heard.
Even Zhuge Jingcheng fell silent. No one had imagined this.
That the fractured Flowing Sand would one day unite again.
After the former Juzi, Ning Yuanzhou, died, hadn't they fallen into internal strife?
Hadn't they been dragons without a head?
Hadn't they splintered apart, each claiming a mountain as their own kingdom?
How could they have gathered together again?
Madness!
Rumor had it that every member of Flowing Sand was an expert.
Ten thousand troops were nothing to fear.
What was terrifying was that every one of those ten thousand was powerful, each capable of taking on a hundred foes.
That was truly horrifying!
Flowing Sand hadn't become a thorn in the Dynasty's heart for nothing!
"This is the letter the Flowing Sand rebels sent."
Just then, another soldier came up and presented a letter.
The letter contained only one brief sentence: open the gates and let them go.
Those few words carried boundless arrogance.
Zhuge Jingcheng understood the unspoken meaning perfectly—open the gates and release them at once, and they would leave immediately.
But if he refused, they might fight their way in.
Though Qingzhou City's walls were tall, easy to defend and difficult to attack, their opponents were all expert martial artists...
Fighting them to the bitter end would be irrational.
"What about the rebels inside?"
An officer hurried over. "It doesn't look good..."
"Listen up, everyone inside! We don't want needless slaughter. We only want to leave the city. Open the gates..."
Just then, Ning Que's booming voice rang out from inside the walls.
Zhuge Jingcheng hurried back to the inner side of the wall to see what was happening and nearly fainted at the sight.
Inside the walls, corpses littered the ground, and blood had stained the white snow red.
Severed limbs and heads lay everywhere.
The Escort Guild and the Cave of No Worries had suffered devastating losses.
Though many of their people remained, they had clearly lost the will to fight.
Once these people lost their purpose and fighting spirit, they were nothing but a heap of loose sand.
"Provincial Governor, what should we do? Should we open the gates?"
The officer asked with a grim expression.
With wolves ahead and tigers behind, being trapped between them was unbearable.
Zhuge Jingcheng's dark expression twisted, his voice low. "Tell the Escort Guild to raise the bounty to twenty thousand taels! Ignore Flowing Sand outside for now. The rebels inside must be wiped out!"
This was the task the imperial court had assigned him. Success and failure meant the difference between heaven and hell!
One step forward, and he would ascend straight to heaven.
One step back, and he would plunge into a bottomless abyss.
"But those escorts are already thinking of retreating..."
"No retreating! Anyone who dares flee in the face of the enemy will be treated as a deserter!"
Before the officer could finish, Zhuge Jingcheng roared hysterically.
He had already seen the truth. Though this upheaval appeared to be an internal conflict between underground forces, with not a single regular soldier involved,
In reality, it was no different from a full-fledged battle.
Their morale could not collapse. Once it did, no number of men would help.
Soon, news that the Provincial Governor had raised the bounty to twenty thousand taels spread across the battlefield.
Archers even appeared atop the city wall, drawing their bows and aiming at the escorts and Bounty Hunters.
This was a warning that they could not flee. If they ran, only death awaited!
"Everyone, if we let these rebels leave Qingzhou City alive, we'll be the ones who die!"
"We're dead either way, so we might as well stake everything on one last fight!"
"Twenty thousand taels is enough for us to fight our way into a bright new world!"
At those hoarse, impassioned words, everyone's eyes turned savage.
Men died for wealth. This world had never lacked people willing to risk their lives for silver.
Especially under the threat of death.
"There are only a hundred of them! What are we afraid of?"
Many had their fighting blood stirred even further, roaring as they tied their heads to their belts and gambled with their lives.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
At last, someone moved.
He charged with a long saber in hand, and the others surged forward after him.
They became a true tide of humanity, their cries of slaughter boiling through the air!
Ning Que breathed out into the cold. The snow was falling harder and harder, and the temperature had finally grown a little chilly.
"Hold on to me."
"Mm..."
"If necessary, you can draw your sword too."
Zhuge Qing looked astonished at those words.
Then, seeing the trace of blood on Ning Que's face, the girl seemed to understand. Her gaze grew serious, and she nodded solemnly.
"Hahaha! The Provincial Governor's daughter's head is mine!"
Just then, a burly man laughed as he swung his saber at her from the side.
Ning Que saw him, but did not act.
If that strike landed, Zhuge Qing's head would surely part company with her body!
"Shhk!"
But the next instant, a cold gleam flashed, and a streak of sword light pierced the burly man's throat.
Zhuge Qing drew her longsword and drove it through his neck.
"Splatter..."
Blood poured incessantly from the hole in his throat, spraying everywhere.
The burly man fell, clutching his throat, his eyes wide.
"Nobody told me... the Provincial Governor's daughter could fight..."
With those words, the burly man breathed his last.
"Hah... hah... hah..."
Having killed someone with her own hands, Zhuge Qing breathed rapidly in fright, trembling all over.
Blood had even splashed onto her face, staining her fair, clean cheeks.
Yet Ning Que smiled.
Smiling, he wiped the blood from her face and said, "Well done."
That single word of praise gradually brought a smile to Zhuge Qing's eyes.
She was as radiant as a delicate flower blooming in the snow.
"Shhk!"
"Shhk!"
More and more people surrounded them, but Ning Que was no longer slaughtering them alone.
Behind him, Zhuge Qing had drawn her sword and begun killing as well.
[Ding! Flowing Sand member Zhuge Qing has killed an escort. Gained 50 Karma Points!]
A system notification even sounded in his mind, leaving Ning Que momentarily stunned.
I can gain Karma Points when Zhuge Qing kills someone too?
It looks like I can gain Karma Points from anyone who joins Flowing Sand!
Beneath the city wall, sabers flashed and swords flickered, blood filling the air.
Seeing that things were going wrong, the escorts immediately stopped fighting Ning Que and his people at close range.
Instead, they brought out crossbows!
"Ready! Fire!"
With that loud command, a dense rain of arrows instantly filled the sky.
These were crossbows, nothing like ordinary bows.
Ordinary bows required precise control of aim and strength. Crossbows were different—all one had to do was aim.
Their bolts had enough power to travel a thousand meters!
At the sight, everyone hurriedly wielded their weapons, parrying or slashing to block part of the arrow rain.
But Zhuge Qing stared at the scene, her gaze somewhat blank.
She only had a little martial skill. How could she survive this rain of arrows?
Ning Que's gaze turned icy, and he pulled Zhuge Qing into his protection.
At the same time, he silently commanded, Redeem a shield!
He had earned so many Karma Points in this battle. It was time to put them to use...
Before you continue