General’s Gown Chapter 27

  Chapter 27 Blood-like Sunset Part 7 

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At the foot of the mountain, billowing black smoke mixed with red flames surrounded Qixia Village. Sharp cries and shouts of death continued to be heard from the fire. 

“Help! ! !”

“Run!”

“Please don’t kill me——ahhhhh! ! !”

One by one, the villagers fled from the burning thatched huts in a great hurry. Before the villager could see what was happening around them clearly, a flash of cold light appeared. They were cut down by a sharp sword, their heads rolled to the ground, their eyes still open in panic, never to be shut again. The cold light flashed once more, and a man who was kneeling and begging for mercy was unceremoniously killed. A woman, her face stricken with tears, holding a child who was also crying, stepped back tremblingly, but the cruel sword still caught up to them.

A swing of a sword. 

Another one. 

Under the hillside not far away, there were piles of corpses piled up not too high. The surrounding land was drenched in blood and turned into a black muddy patch. There was more blood still flowing from fresh corpses, splashing on stones, and elm trees, seeping into the soil, and slowly condensing into a shocking black-red lake. 

The killers were a well-trained team of a hundred people. All in black, with blood all over their faces, it could not be seen which direction they kept attacking from. In fact, Yan Changqing had no time to see who these killers were, as he had already rushed out and slashed at the man in black who was closest to him. 

Helian Rongchuan was even faster than him. He had already rushed into the shadow cast by the reflection of the swords. Wherever he went, a cloud of blood instantly rose. His joining in on the battle immediately caught the attention of ​​all the people in black. The crowds chased in the direction of Helian Rongchuan. 

Yan Changqing stabbed out with a sword, turned his head and looked in the direction of Helian Rongchuan, his heart suddenly sinking. 

As soon as he entered this fight, Yan Changqing realized that something was wrong. All the warriors in black seemed unwilling to entangle with him. Even if they met face-to-face, they never dared to look at his face, defending themselves and avoiding his every move.

It was as if they didn’t dare hurt him. 

The one they focused their attack on seemed to be Helian Rongchuan. 

Between the flash of a flint, Yan Changqing had a terrible conjecture, his face paled. He ran in the direction of Helian Rongchuan feeling a great sense of desperation. However, the two were far apart, separated by a sea of people in black. No one in black dared to hurt him with a sword. There were a few less courageous, not even pretending to try and fight him and letting him pass. 

As expected.

Yan Changqing used his sword to chase away the people in black surrounding Helian Rongchuan, while sternly shouting: “Stop at once!” 

He didn’t even notice the trembling of his voice. He has gone through so many fights, but he had never felt fear and powerlessness like at this moment.

The people in black who were beside him were taken aback when they heard his stern order but hesitated to put down their weapons. However, ahead, more people in black could be seen continuing to rush towards Helian Rongchuan like bloodthirsty vultures. 

Helian Rongchuan clearly noticed the strangeness of events and was desperately retreating to the bank of the Jiaolu River on the edge of the village. Amidst the crowd fleeing hurriedly and the bloody swords and sword shadows, a crying childish voice suddenly came out: 

“Ugly Brother, help me!” 

Helian Rongchuan looked back abruptly. Just less than three feet away from him, beside the huge rock in the distance, a little fat girl in a flower-patterned jacket was kneeling beside a motionless woman. Her fleshy face was covered with smoky black ash, and two tears hung on her cheeks. The dead woman beside her was the village woman who steamed elm money for Helian Rongchuan and Yan Changqing just this day at noon. 

Helian Rongchuan’s heart throbbed violently. 

The little girl was in was exactly in the direction of the area encircled by the men in black. And if he retreated a bit further, he could jump into the Jiaolu River to find a way to get away. 

Helian Rongchuan stopped dead in his tracks, cursed inwardly, turned around and ran towards the little girl. 

A row of white swords quickly surrounded them. 

The little girl got even more frightened when she saw this. She cried her heart and lungs out. She stretched out her little blood-stained hand to Helian Rongchuan, staggered and got up: “Brother, help me!” 

But just a step behind her a man in black had raised his long sword. 

“No—!” Helian Rongchuan was shocked and threw his sabre. However, his arm had been injured by one of the soldiers in black. Although he tried his best, he was still slightly slower and the man in black’s sword was faster. The blade was less than an inch away from the little girl’s scalp- 

Qiang!! 

A brief moment and metal collided with metal in a dazzling silver spark. The long sword threatening the crying child was split into two pieces by a lightning-white light. A sharp silver sword was firmly inserted in the mud under the feet of the man in black. 

The warrior in black looked at the sword embedded by his feet and a sense of familiarity washed over him. As soon as he raised his head, he saw a person in front of him get up and make his way toward him. Like a black eagle spreading its majestic wings and taking flight. Before he could see the man’s face clearly, he felt something cold pierce his right shoulder and heard something heavy hit the ground with a thud.

It was his right arm. 

The man in black let out a terrible cry and fell to his knees. Only then did he see the face of the man whose sword had cut off his arm. With the sun setting in the background, this man was holding an identical shiny silver sword in his left hand. His black hair was flying wildly in the wind, and his bewitching face was splashed with blood, making it look even paler. Even the shining warm sunset became a cold winter moonlight when touching his face. 

The little fat girl who was totally oblivious to the bloodshed behind her just kept crying and ran forward. Helian Rongchuan rushed to pull her in his arms, and said with a trembling voice, “It’s okay, it’s okay.” 

Yan Changqing lifted his sword and walked slowly towards Helian Rongchuan.

Helian Rongchuan slowly raised his head, eyes bloodshot, but his tone was surprisingly calm and pale, without a trace of any emotion: 

“Your people?” 

It did not quite sound like a question. 

Yan Changqing was in a daze for a moment as he watched the blood splattered all over him. The Qixia Village in his mind still looked peaceful. The situation changed so fast that he still couldn’t come to terms with the things unfolding before him. 

But in Helian Rongchuan’s arms, the familiar face of the crying little girl cruelly pulled him back to reality. 

Yan Changqing only felt that his mind was blank and his eyes were burning, but he couldn’t say a word. 

Seeing that Yan Changqing did not answer, Helian Rongchuan didn’t look up at him. He just gently rubbed the little fat girl’s tear-stricken face and said to himself: “Since you killed so many, how about you leave her. Okay. Okay?” 

His tone was pleading. 

Yan Changqing had never seen Helian Rongchuan look so desperate. He choked and nodded silently for a long moment. 

Helian Rongchuan pulled out a pale smile at the corner of his mouth, lowered his head and said a few words in the ear of the little girl. The little girl looked at Yan Changqing with teary eyes and stretched out her little hand: “Brother hug.” 

Yan Changqing stretched out his hand and tightly hugged the soft little girl. Before he opened his mouth to comfort her, the men in black behind him suddenly separated into two rows. A somewhat familiar voice sounded from behind: 

“Congratulations, General Yan!” 

Zhang Jian walked towards them unhurriedly dresses in the round-necked and narrow-sleeved purple robes of a second-ranked official. The sea of people in black separated into neat rows letting him pass through. Although he was much older than Yan Changqing, and his official title was half a rank higher, he kept humble at this time and said to Yan Changqing, “Congratulations!”

Yan Changqing turned his head slowly and forced out one word at a time: “What—— did—— you—— say?” 

Zhang Jian met Yan Changqing’s fierce and livid gaze. In his heart, he instantly understood the meaning of “Silver-faced King of H*ll” and couldn’t help but shudder. But he had already anticipated Yan Changqing’s negative reaction. He gritted his teeth, and continued to maintain a gentle and unobtrusive smile: “Congratulations to General Yan for another military victory and capture of an enemy leader!” 

Yan Changqing slowly blinked his black eyes in exhaustion and stepped forward. Before Zhang Jian’s smile faded and before he could react, he saw a blur of motion in front of him and felt himself get kicked to the ground. This kick was extremely powerful with killing intent clear behind it. All Zhang Jian could feel was overwhelming pain in his chest and abdomen. It seemed that at least one of his ribs had been broken. Before he could struggle to get up, his neck was grasped by a strong hand that began to choke him. 

Before today, Zhang Jian had never thought that a hand so slender and white would have such terrible power. This single hand lifted him from the ground with an unrelenting grasp. His bones began to creak under the strength of Yan Changqing’s hold. Just a little bit more force and he could take his life. 

However, although Zhang Jian’s face was flushed, he was not in danger. He breathed hard and choked out: “General…I…I…this…but I am saving you!”

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