Chapter 1: The Land of Murder (Part 1)

  "Scram! Scram! The great general is arriving, why don't you scram quickly!"

  Two fierce and ferocious bodyguards wielding sheathed military swords, shouted at the two small-time merchants in the teahouse, their scabbards knocking against the thin wooden pillars with a loud clanging sound.

  These two personal guards don't need to look at their ranks, just the clothes on their bodies can make people feel extraordinary. Where is a small personal guard who can wear silk brocade inner gown? Occasionally swinging too big an angle will reveal a section of chain armor on his arm. The chest-protecting mirror armor displayed on his chest is obviously not ordinary goods. Which great general has such prestige, even the clothes worn by his personal guards are almost the same as those of the Imperial Guard?

  The two peddlers had already been startled by a large group of fully armed soldiers on the official road, and now hearing the two leading guards shouting like this, they didn't dare to have any thoughts, hurriedly picked up the packages beside them, not even daring to delay paying for their tea. They ran out like rabbits shot with an arrow. One of them was so flustered that he stepped on the edge of the road and fell heavily onto his buttocks. But even so, he didn't dare cry out in pain, quickly scrambled to his feet, and limped away as fast as he could.

  The movements of the two men made the two bodyguards burst out laughing. Along the way, the sun was scorching, and for tens of miles, there were no signs of human habitation or any shelter from the sun, which indeed made everyone feel somewhat tired. However, looking at the expressions of these soldiers, a fierce aura emanated from them everywhere, and this tens-of-miles march seemed to have had no effect on them whatsoever. What was strange was that even though the two bodyguards laughed like that, the large troop of over a thousand people behind them maintained their formation all along, without a single person making a sound of laughter.

  "Hey!" One of the guards slammed a sheathed sword onto the table: "I'm talking to you, hurry up and prepare the best tea water for my general to quench his thirst and cool off!" These soldiers didn't care about the weather being hot or cold, but the general couldn't be exposed like this, he needed to rest properly.

  They were shouting at each other, obviously the owner of this tea shed, also a small businessman. The tea shed was very simple, just by the side of the official road, with only two or three tables, surrounded by several thin wooden pillars supporting a thatched roof, shading out a patch of coolness. The owner of the tea shed was also a young man, wearing a plain white cotton robe, extremely ordinary. It's unclear whether he was frightened or for other reasons, standing still on the spot without moving.

  "Hey! Kid, aren't you going to get ready yet?" Seeing the young man hadn't moved, one of the attendants couldn't help but stop wiping down the tables and chairs, and walked over to give him a push, wanting him to get started on his chores. On such a hot day, if they had to make the attendants go to that scorching stove themselves to boil water, they wouldn't be foolish.

  The young man's gaze shifted, and he stared at his loyal soldier. For some reason, the loyal soldier suddenly felt a pang of guilt, and his foot, which was originally about to step forward, seemed to be bound by something, unable to move again.

  "Great General, what a big official power!" It seemed like a mutter to himself, a few words came out of the young man's mouth.

  Far behind the soldiers, the general who was closing his eyes to rest on horseback suddenly shook all over and opened his eyes wide. His body, clad in full armor, seemed to be as light as a feather, leaping off the horse at incredible speed. The cavalrymen in front only felt a slight tremor above their heads, then saw the general's figure appear above the heads of his colleagues in front, speeding forward at an unimaginable pace.

  It's been a long time since I've seen the general make such a move, could it be that they've encountered a formidable enemy? This army is indeed a well-trained and powerful force, with a loud whooshing sound, they drew their weapons in unison, pointing them forward, waiting for the general's command to charge.

  "Bang, bang!" Two of the guards who were preparing in the tea shed were suddenly struck on the buttocks with great force and fell involuntarily onto the two empty horses at the front of the troops. As they were still in mid-air, the sound of weapons being drawn from their scabbards was heard, followed immediately by a loud clamor.

  Two bodyguards also reacted quickly, suffered the attack, fell back on horseback, but hands were not panicked at all. The military knife had fallen on the tea shed's table, but there was still a spear on the saddle, grabbed one, turned around in an instant, adjusted the direction on the saddle, and was about to launch a charge.

  However, the scene before them shocked both of them. The general stood quietly in the teahouse, his sword placed on the young man's shoulder, neither of them moving. But a sharp-eyed bodyguard had already noticed that although the general's sword seemed to be at the young man's neck, there was an extra hand under the general's elbow, lightly grasping the wrist. What was even more frightening was that at some point, a blade edge had appeared under the general's mustache.

  An ordinary-looking kitchen knife was placed quietly beside the general's neck, and the hand holding the knife was not being controlled by the general. The general's other hand was stretched out high behind him, making a slight calming gesture.

  Although the general made such a gesture, everyone still broke out in a cold sweat. Who was so bold as to actually dare to hold the general hostage?

  In the midst of everyone's confusion, the great general, who had been wounded by a sword, suddenly made an expression that even his personal bodyguards, who had followed him for a long time, had hardly ever seen.

  He was once a great general who had made great contributions to the country, and was personally appointed by the emperor as the Protector General. He commanded half of the empire's troops and only kneeled before the emperor, not even bothering with other royal family members. His face was always stern and awe-inspiring, but on it, a smile suddenly appeared. And his smile was directed at the owner of that small tea shop.

  It's been a long time since I've seen General's smile, and it's still this kind of heartfelt smile. The two bodyguards didn't know who the young man in front was, but they could tell that he must be an extraordinary person to make the general smile like that.

  The young man looked very ordinary, not at all like someone who had practiced martial arts. He stood in front of the great general with a smile on his face. The two seemed to be familiar with each other, and the people outside let out a sigh of relief, thinking that they were acquaintances, which explained why the general was smiling so much. Looking at how the general treated the young man, it seemed like he had met someone who shared a bond of life and death, it must have been so, otherwise the general wouldn't have such an expression.

  "Great General, what a big official power!" The young man's face was smiling, and his mouth was joking: "In my tea shed, it was hard to have two customers, but they were all driven away by your people, without even paying the money. What can I do?" Along with the young man's laughter, the blade of the vegetable knife also left the general's neck, and the general's elbow was released.