Chapter 7: Shenjia Fortress

  "A good man should be willing to kill; with both hands stained with blood, even ghosts and gods are frightened!"

  Eight thousand blood-clad warriors, like a river of blood, surged forth from between the two cities, their grandeur overwhelming. All the warriors proudly stretched out their right hands, their index fingers lightly tapping the crimson helmets on their heads, producing a uniform "crackling" sound. Their songs were filled with murderous intent, their shrill voices seeming to shatter the clouds in the sky, as a pale white sun hung listlessly, casting down its rays without any warmth.

  On the two small city walls, the city master, the guardian general and a group of officials stood stupidly. Their bodies were violently trembling, looking at the fierce King's troops rushing past the edge of the city wall in terror.

  What is the responsibility of defending the country and stabilizing the territory, those small officials on the city wall do not have that idea in their minds at all. They can't wait to burn incense and pray for the heavens to let this group of extremely evil bandits pass by quickly. As for mobilizing the garrison troops in the city to clear out the bandit soldiers? They don't even dare to dream about it.

  Riding on a majestic red horse with a fiery mane, Ling Ba Tian suddenly let out a loud shout: "Halt!"

  "Halt!" The eight thousand strong army stopped in its tracks, just like a mighty river suddenly freezing over, transforming from extreme motion to extreme stillness, yet so natural and harmonious, as if heaven-ordained. The officials and soldiers standing on the city walls were all stunned, what a terrifying army!

  On the left side of the main road, on top of a small castle, the lord of the castle rolled his eyes and fainted due to the sudden stop of the Overlord's carriage.

  On the right side of the main road, on top of the small city wall, the city master was trembling all over like a sieve, but still managed to stand upright. He raised his voice in a quivering tone, hoarse like a duck being hung up, and loudly shouted: "Your Majesty, this city is small and poor, with no great martial arts masters, please, please spare us, don't destroy our city!"

  The Great Yuan State's law for city governors states that if a city governor is in office when the city walls are breached, their entire family will be enslaved.

  Ling Ba Tian glanced at the city master and waved his hand, saying: "I won't attack the city, you offer 500 taels of gold, 5,000 taels of silver, and 5 million copper coins from each city, I'll leave with my sons!"

  "Bang", the city master who was still barely standing suddenly sat down on the ground with a thud, his whole body trembling as he stared at Ling Ba Tian, almost fainting like his colleague opposite him. The number that Ling Ba Tian had brought up was truly astronomical for these two small cities. However, not giving money was clearly impossible. Tyrant Ling Ba Tian's temper was well-known to everyone in the world - he would die for money, and if his demands were not met, his 8,000-strong army would breach these two small cities in no more than a cup of tea's time.

  Less than a quarter of an hour later, the city gates of the two cities opened wide, and a team of horses came out from each, carrying heavy loads of tribute to Ling Ba Tian.

  The two young masters had already emptied their treasuries to make up the huge sum, and even the silver-inlaid chamber pots on the carriage were sent over to be counted. The bandits didn't disdain them either; as long as they were gold, silver, or shiny copper coins, they wouldn't reject any of them.

  The brief interlude lasted no more than two minutes, and then the King of Kings continued to roll forward relentlessly.

  Lin Xiao suddenly woke up at this time. He was thrown onto a horse-drawn carriage loaded with grain, and his body was on top of the soft and fluffy grain, which was quite comfortable despite the bumps. Lin Xiao, who was lying on his back staring at the sky, didn't come to his senses until after a long while, and he let out a frightened cry as he scrambled to his feet and stood up on the high pile of grain. In front of him was a long procession of blood-clad troops, and behind him was also a long procession of blood-clad soldiers. On both sides of the road, in the desolate fields, one could still see blood-clad cavalrymen rushing back and forth.

  The Overlord has fallen, and indeed he is among the ranks of the Overlord's army! Lin Xiao couldn't express what was in his heart, he just sat stupidly with his legs crossed on a bundle of provisions, staring blankly at the blood-stained soldiers in front of him.

  A robust man wearing crimson armor rode up to Lin Xiao's side, casually shoving a small package into his hand. The robust man said with a grin: "Kid, this is your package. The gold, silver and valuables inside have all been confiscated. From now on, the Overlord's Manor will be your home, you don't need to stash private money."

  Lin Xiao hugged the package tightly and stared blankly at the robust man.

  The sturdy Han grinned and nodded at Lin Xiao: "I'm Blood Five, the fifth of the Eighteen Blood Killers under the Overlord. You can call me Fifth Brother. Is that your family tree? Tsk, tsk, it's not easy for your family to have two brothers in one generation after thirty-six generations of single succession! Now there's only you left! Your Lin family is really not easy!"

  These words happened to poke at the biggest wound in Lin Xiao's heart, he took a few rapid breaths, and looked at Xue Wu with anger. Xue Wu looked at Lin Xiao with a carefree expression, continuing to make that unbearable "heh heh" strange laugh. Lin Xiao clenched his teeth tightly, and after a long time, he barely suppressed the fire in his heart and his sadness, lowering his voice to ask: "Gui Hua City, really?"

  "Died cleanly, not even a mouse was left behind!" Xue Wu said loudly: "Under the Four Soul Locking Array of the Jiemo Gate, not even a mosquito can escape, let alone a living person? So, you are now the last root of your family. If you don't want to die, then honestly be our King's Pawn military doctor, we won't treat you unfairly. When you're two years older, we'll find you a beautiful wife and let you have a bunch of kids to continue the Lin family line! Haha!"

  He patted the head of his mount, and with a maniacal laugh, he rode off. Lin Xiao sat blankly on the food package, his mind only churning with the two unfamiliar phrases 'Ji Mo Men' and 'Si Xiang Suo Hun Zhen'. He still didn't understand what these terms represented, but he knew that in his life, there was already a first mission he had to undertake: destroy Ji Mo Men!

  "Father!" Lin Xiao suddenly hugged the small package and burst into tears. His eyes kept flashing with Lin Shan's face, from his memory, Lin Shan's kind and clear face had supported everything of Lin Xiao. But that dear face was completely destroyed by the power called Silent Devil Gate! Even the despicable Hua Wenyang and Lin Yao, at this moment, Lin Xiao missed them terribly. At least, with their existence, Lin Xiao wouldn't feel like he was a lonely person.

  After all, Lin Xiao is now just a fifteen or sixteen year old boy!

  Xue Wu's strategy rode to Ling Ba Tian's side, lowered his voice and reported: "Boss, that kid doesn't have anything eye-catching on him. That poisonous land is probably something they planted unknowingly in the back garden of Hui Chun Tang. This kid is purely a rookie, everyone was scared silly, there's nothing worth paying attention to."

  "Accidentally created?" The rough and rugged Leng Ba Tian's eyes gleamed with a sharp light that didn't match his appearance at all. He sneered, "A poisonous land that was accidentally created could make the twelve high-ranking experts of the Jiemo Gate who were about to condense their dan cut off their own arms? Humph, that is the toxic poison of cultivators, not something that ordinary civilians can create."

  "However, Big Brother, when that kid was unconscious, we searched him thoroughly and he didn't have anything suspicious on him. His internal strength and martial arts skills are just ordinary, nothing special or unusual. The secret room has also been dismantled by the brothers, and there's nothing strange about it either. It seems like this kid really doesn't have anything valuable on him."

  "Never mind all that! In short, just keep him locked up in the Imperial Prison. Be careful and send someone to watch him, can't let him die, even more can't let him escape." Ling Ba Tian furrowed his brow, muttering in a low voice: "I always feel that things aren't so simple. That Wang Ba Dan, the leader of the Wu Tian Order, humph, he must be hiding something from me and not telling me. If I had known earlier, I would have chopped him down with one knife."

  He snorted, and two streaks of blood light shot out from Ling Ba Tian's eyes, extending a full three inches. The blood light flashed and disappeared, and Ling Ba Tian said calmly: "Keep an eye on that kid. Even if he doesn't have anything important on him, it wouldn't be bad to take him as a military doctor. At least, our King's Troop isn't like those Black Knife Bandits, who would be delighted if their subordinates suffered heavy casualties to use for their dark magic rituals. What we want are battle-hardened warriors, not those filthy and despicable undead creatures."

  "Yes!" Blood Five respectfully responded with a single word and slowly rode his horse away.

  "Jiemo Gate! Hmph, this time we will slaughter the demonic path, and it's best if you don't leave any loose ends!" A sinister smile flashed across Ling Batian's face.

  The tyrant continued to move forward, crazily plundering the people's wealth and filling his coffers to the brim. As he collected more and more wealth along the way, Ling Ba Tian's smile grew brighter and brighter, constantly accumulating treasure, which was his greatest hobby. A purely personal hobby, purely so.

  Lin Xiao sat on the high grain cart, coldly watching the seemingly tireless and powerful people rushing forward day and night. He didn't know where these people were going or what they were doing, it had nothing to do with him. He just kept thinking about every word Lin Shan had entrusted to him.

  The danling in the inner pocket continuously released a refreshing breath that nourished his body. It was also because of this refreshing, gentle and full-of-life breath that Lin Xiao was able to get through these few days despite being exhausted. Lin Xiao clearly knew that someone else had touched the danling, as the originally pale green and mysterious danling had become withered and dull, looking like a piece of rotten wood, not eye-catching at all. If it weren't for the breath emanating from it being so extraordinary, Lin Xiao wouldn't have dared to believe that this was indeed the danling given to him by Lin Shan.

  Lin Xiao grasped Dan Ling tightly and raised his head, gazing at the bright moon hanging high in the sky. He suddenly let out a soft sigh.

  The road ahead is uncertain, and Lin Xiao doesn't know where his future path lies.

  Perhaps the bright moon in the sky, even if it can see everything in the world clearly, cannot give Lin Xiao a little guidance?

  Sitting upright on the bundle of grain, the night wind gently swept across his cheek, and the cool mist sprayed onto his face. In Lin Xiao's heart, a strange emotion suddenly surged up, he still didn't understand what this emotion that made his heart ache was, until much later did he realize that this emotion was actually loneliness.

  Ling Ba Tian's cavalry caught up from behind, constantly cheering and motivating his soldiers, telling them that their target was just ahead on the mountain slope less than twenty miles away. When they passed by the grain cart, Ling Ba Tian suddenly saw Lin Xiao sitting cross-legged on the cart. The pale moonlight shone on Lin Xiao, who wore a green robe, and his eyebrows were filled with a hint of melancholy and loneliness that didn't belong to someone of his age. A few strands of disheveled hair fluttered gently in the night wind behind his head, exuding an otherworldly elegance that made Ling Ba Tian involuntarily hold his breath.

  Many years later, Ling Batian would still boast to everyone he knew that on this night, he had already known that Lin Xiao was not a fish in the same pond as him, so when Lin Xiao escaped with his life, Ling Batian magnanimously spared him, leaving him with a small life.

  The King of Kings continued to rush forward, and after another twenty miles, a large mountain appeared in front.

  Here are dozens of miles around is a vast expanse of sandy and rocky terrain, with a large river winding its way from north to south. The mountain stands proudly on this small plain, emitting a majestic aura in all directions. A massive castle occupies the waist of the mountain, with a winding path leading directly from the foot of the mountain to the castle gate.

  The scale of this castle is already comparable to that of a small city, but the specifications of its city walls are absolutely at the level of a prefectural city.

  The city wall was five zhang high, with a layer of copper paste applied to the brick seams, giving it an unshakeable appearance. The heavy city gate was covered in foot-long reverse spikes that shone with a cold, eerie light under the moonlight. Row after row of proud and upright guards marched back and forth on the city wall, holding sharp blades in their hands. Between the battlements of the city wall, several absolutely forbidden scorpion crossbows were actually set up!

  On the city wall, a flagpole was erected high, and on it flew a large black flag with red edges, with a huge "Shen" character printed in gold ink.

  "Wow! What a majestic momentum!" Ling Ba Tian gently stroked his large beard and said in an eerie tone, "It seems that the guardian of Fei Yun Guan is quite wealthy, otherwise how could they build such a massive fortress? Tsk tsk, Xue Yi, think about it, if we take down this fortress, how much gold and silver will we get?"

  A burly man with a cruel smile, following closely behind Ling Bai Tian, said: "Boss, judging from the scale of this fortress, if there aren't tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of gold and silver inside, it would be a waste of our brothers' efforts!"

  "What's the point of having a hundred thousand taels of gold and silver?" Ling Ba Tian's eyes changed. He tightened his grip on the three-pointed, two-edged knife and said in a strange voice: "In that case, even if it wasn't the Third Prince's request, I'll still take down this fortress! Men, charge! I'll give each of you two taels... no, one tael... no, five qian of silver as a private reward!"

  Lin Xiao sat at the front of the grain cart, looking at Ling Ba Tian in surprise. Such a petty bandit leader, how could he possibly lead such a powerful and ferocious army?

  However, Blood One's supplement gave Lin Xiao the best explanation. Blood One loudly shouted: "My sons, plunder Shenjia Fort, eat meat in large chunks and drink wine from big bowls! Whichever team is the first to break into the fort will have the qualifications to learn the third layer of heart method of 'Blood Killing Magic'! My sons, kill! Break through Shenjia Fort, kill!"

  The eight thousand pawns let out a loud, excited roar, each one clenching their fists and adjusting their armor as they charged towards the Shen family fortress with swift strides. Their formation appeared chaotic at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it became clear that these pawns had actually formed an extremely mysterious and complex array. The eight thousand men moved as a single entity, like a massive landslide, carrying an unstoppable momentum as they surged forward.

  Eight thousand seasoned soldiers with endless killing intent converged into a faint bloody aura, like a demonic dragon charging towards the city gate of Shen's Manor.

  A fierce gust of wind suddenly rose in the flat land, and the flagpole on the city wall of Shenjiabao was broken by the strong wind, fluttering down from the city wall, making a dull loud noise.

  "Dang, dang, dang, dang", the urgent sound of gongs rang out from the city wall, and the night watchmen on the city wall shouted loudly: "Bandits are attacking! Everyone come quickly, bandits are attacking!"

  Several ballistae on the city wall were quickly pulled open, dozens of six-foot-long, thumb-thick pure steel crossbow arrows were buckled onto the bowstring, and with a loud command, dozens of steel arrows shot out wildly.

  "Whoosh, whoosh", a dozen or so of the elite soldiers dodged too late and were hit by the steel arrows that shot towards them. The powerful crossbow force made the steel arrows directly penetrate their bodies, deeply embedding themselves into the ground. A fountain of blood burst out from these elite soldiers' bodies, they immediately lost all ability to move, and could only collapse to the ground in extreme despair, wildly hacking at the ground with their sabers, sending up countless sparks.

  Lin Xiao's situation had arrived, a large pile of medicine was thrown in front of him, wounded soldiers were constantly being sent over, Xue Wu smiled and stood beside him, calmly saying: "Lin Military Doctor, now everything is up to you. The brothers' injuries are severe, as the saying goes 'a doctor's heart is like that of a parent', you won't abandon them to death, will you?"

  Are you a doctor or a killer? Lin Xiao looked at Blood Five with disdain and said coldly, "You saved them, then went to kill people?"

  Xue Wu's eyes blinked, and he suddenly pulled out a machete and placed it on Lin Xiao's neck. Xue Wu said calmly: "You are the thirty-sixth generation of single transmission of the Lin family!"

  Lin Xiao's eyes suddenly flashed with Lin Shan's face, and Lin Xiao gritted his teeth and said angrily: "I'll take revenge!"

  The tyrant's soldiers who were injured are in trouble. The doctor is like a father and mother, so Lin Xiao, this military doctor who was forcibly taken away, must be the stepfather and stepmother! He applied the most stimulating medicine to the wounds of these soldiers, used the most barbaric method to suture their wounds, used the greatest strength to help them bind their bandages tightly, and then forced them to drink the most bitter and astringent medicinal liquid that he had deliberately brewed with several kinds of bitter herbs beyond human endurance.

  Lin Xiao's medical skills were very effective, and all the injured Ba Wang soldiers survived, even one whose abdomen was split open and internal organs exposed. Under Lin Xiao's emergency treatment, they all managed to preserve their lives. However, all the Ba Wang soldiers who had been treated by Lin Xiao lay on the empty ground nearby, wailing in despair. They felt as if they could die at any moment, and their wounds seemed to hurt a hundred times more than when they were first injured!

  Xue Wu's eyes and mouth twitched as he listened to the increasingly loud and clear cries of the wounded soldiers, or else he would have attacked Lin Xiao already. Although there were several military doctors in the barracks, no one had ever seen such a miserable scene before.