The Victory Feast

"Watch out!"

Su Yun pointed behind Liu Yong and shouted urgently.

A Turkic soldier charged over on horseback, wielding an iron hammer.

The hammer in his hand weighed at least fifty jin, a terrifying sight.

Yet Liu Yong showed no fear at all. He squeezed his horse's flanks and hauled on the reins.

His warhorse reared, and his saber came crashing down.

Clang! A clear ring of metal striking metal rang out.

The Turkic soldier felt an immense impact drive both him and his horse back three or four steps.

Before he could react, a blade flashed.

The Turkic soldier was cut from his saddle.

Su Yun's heart jolted. What incredible strength.

"Hey, kid! Stop standing there like an idiot," Liu Yong shouted.

Su Yun snapped out of it, tightened his grip on his sword, and charged at a Turkic soldier.

Soon, Liu Yong and his companions had slaughtered the Turkic soldiers in the village until not a scrap of armor remained intact.

The surviving Turkic soldiers fled in panic.

Clearly, Liu Yong and his companions had no intention of letting these bastards escape.

They pursued them relentlessly, chasing them far into the distance.

Only out of concern that reinforcements might be waiting for them did they turn back.

After walking along the narrow path for over half an hour, they saw the outline of a village ahead.

"This heat is killing me."

Pei Zhuxuan kept tugging at the clothes over her chest, her ample curves rising and falling.

"I'm all sticky. It's so uncomfortable. How about scratching my back for me?"

Li Ping'an was already used to Pei Zhuxuan saying whatever came into her head and ignored her.

When they entered the village, they found it bustling with activity.

It looked like New Year's celebrations, though they had no idea what occasion it was.

After asking around, they learned that the village had been raided by Turkic soldiers, but some wandering heroes had come to its rescue and driven them away.

Though the village was poor, its people had brought out everything of value they possessed.

They had laid out a lavish feast to entertain the brave men.

With meat to eat and wine to drink, Li Ping'an naturally would not miss out.

He took some money from inside his robe and handed it to the village chief.

It was his contribution to the feast, and he asked the chief to make room for two more.

He also asked him to find something for his ox to eat.

The village chief happily agreed.

The food in such a remote village naturally could not be called exquisite, but it had a flavor all its own.

Li Ping'an brought out his own fine wine and shared it with the others at his table, drawing them a little closer.

Pei Zhuxuan cracked melon seeds while chatting with the older woman beside her.

She fit in perfectly.

Before long, the heroes appeared and took the seats of honor.

Everyone came forward in turn to offer them toasts.

Su Yun could not hold his liquor, and his cheeks soon turned red.

Being treated as a hero left the young man feeling as though he were floating among the clouds.

Everyone drank, talked, and laughed together in a warm, harmonious atmosphere.

"Huh, it's you?"

Su Yun spotted Li Ping'an in the crowd.

Li Ping'an gave a slight nod in greeting.

Su Yun curled his lip disdainfully, then turned and walked away.

The sight of Li Ping'an reminded Su Yun of the humiliating incident when he had mistaken the man for a peerless master.

In the end, he had not only lost face but also been extorted for a hefty sum by the mounted bandits.

But fate was fickle.

Just the day before, he had been silently cursing eighteen generations of those bandits' ancestors.

Now he had driven off the Turkic soldiers alongside them.

He had even become sworn brothers with these bandits and a young hero on everyone's lips.

Su Yun let out a drunken belch. He had never expected his first battle after entering the martial world to turn out so perfectly.

The sky gradually darkened, and the victory feast drew to a close.

Li Ping'an set down his tea mug and rubbed his belly contentedly.

Small villages like this had little candlelight, so once night fell, the entire village sank into silent darkness.

Li Ping'an was given lodging in a home on the eastern side.

The room was extremely bare, containing only a cooking stove and an earthen heated bed.

A worn sheet and a pile of old quilts lay on the bed.

A little boy, Chen Chusheng, ran over. "Uncle, it's cold outside. Come stay indoors."

The desert climate had a huge difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures.

Fur coats at dawn, gauze at noon, and watermelon eaten around the stove.

Only after experiencing it firsthand could one appreciate how true that saying was.

"It's all right. I'm just enjoying the breeze."

True qi flowed around Li Ping'an's body, so he had no need to worry about changes in the temperature outside.

"Uncle, where did you come from?"

"The Anbei Four Garrisons."

Chen Chusheng was startled. "The Anbei Four Garrisons? That's so far away! You're amazing, Uncle."

Li Ping'an smiled gently.

"Uncle, you must be really good at fighting, then. Otherwise, you couldn't have traveled so far alone."

"I only know the barest basics."

"Wait here a moment, Uncle."

Chen Chusheng ran excitedly into the house.

After quite a while, he came running back out with a small box held in his hands.

When he opened it, it was full of copper coins.

"Uncle, these are all my savings. Will you teach me martial arts?"

Li Ping'an smiled. "Why do you want to learn martial arts?"

"To join the army, of course! Then I'll wipe out those hateful Turkic soldiers and avenge my grandfather and my father!"

"Your grandfather and father were soldiers too?"

"Yes."

Chen Chusheng's expression dimmed. "They were both killed by Turkic soldiers. I'm going to avenge them."

Li Ping'an said nothing more. No wonder Chen Chusheng was the only child in this sizable house.

"The battlefield is very dangerous."

Chen Chusheng raised his head again. "What is there to fear? Everyone in my family is dead. I've got nothing left to lose."

Li Ping'an lifted his head and fell silent once more.

"Uncle, please teach me. I'm begging you. I'll give you all this money..."

Dawn had only just broken, but a pall of gloom shrouded the sky.

It made the already cold weather even more bitter and dreary.

The air grew heavy and so oppressive it was hard to breathe, as though a storm were about to descend.

A heavy rumbling rose from the earth, breaking the silence.

It was like an earthquake.

"Cavalry!"

Liu Yong jolted awake. As a former scout, he could not have been more familiar with that sound.

Judging by the noise, there were at least a hundred riders!

"Damn it! The Turkic cavalry is coming!"

Liu Yong had never expected the Turkic soldiers to return, much less bring such a large cavalry force.

The village chief's alarm gong and drum sounded again and again throughout the village.

That meant something serious had happened. Either bandits were attacking, or... the Turks!

"We're in trouble! The Turks are here!"

Chen Chusheng hurriedly put on his clothes and grabbed an iron pitchfork taller than he was.

"Weren't the Turks driven off?" Pei Zhuxuan rubbed her bleary eyes.

"Uncle, you'd better leave quickly. Those Turks are really dangerous."

With that, Chen Chusheng rushed outside.

Outside the village.

Liu Yong stared at the dense, dark mass in the distance and froze on the spot.

Over three hundred fully armed Turkic cavalrymen! That was already enough to launch a small-scale raid.

What should I do now?

The best option was to flee, but the village was already surrounded so tightly that not even water could seep through.

This village was no fortress of bronze walls and iron ramparts. How could it possibly withstand an elite force of Turkic cavalry?