Chapter 38

"A secret passage out of the city?!"

A flash of hidden shock crossed the eyes of both Liu Liu Qingshi and Jiang Ye.

The Su family was indeed a local powerful clan; their foundation was truly deep, to even have a secret passage out of the city.

"This can be considered a preparation made in case of emergency back then; I didn't expect it to really come in handy now."

Su Chen sighed softly, a flash of complex emotion on his face.

He didn't say anything more, but turned around with nimble movements, leading everyone through the corridor and over several courtyards, finally stopping in front of an inconspicuous woodshed.

The woodshed was dilapidated, piled high with chopped firewood and sundries, no different from the woodshed of an ordinary family.

But when several servants quickly moved the firewood aside, a dark hole was revealed in the ground—a stone staircase winding downward, leading into the unknown depths of darkness.

"Go!"

At Su Chen's command, several servants who had been prepared long ago immediately lit candles and were the first to step into the secret passage, clearing the way for everyone.

The candlelight flickered in the darkness, casting their shadows long and throwing them onto the mottled cave walls.

As the shouts and screams from within the city grew louder and closer, everyone dared not delay and quickened their pace into the secret passage.

Jiang Ye followed behind Liu Liu Qingshi and stepped into the deep underground passage.

The moment he entered, a damp, earthy smell rushed toward him, mixed with the scent of decaying old wood.

But the stone steps underfoot were built level, and the surrounding cave walls clearly had traces of reinforcement; wooden piles, stone slabs, and even fired blue bricks were layered to support this path of escape.

It seemed the Su family had truly put a lot of thought and money into building this secret passage back then.

Candlelight flickered, and shadows were everywhere.

No one spoke; only the chaotic sound of footsteps echoed in the deep passage, one after another, like some kind of tense drumbeat.

Behind them, the screams and slaughter from Anxi County came through the thick layers of earth, becoming muffled and distant, yet still making one's spine cold.

About half an hour later, everyone finally smelled a fresh scent with the fragrance of grass and trees drifting faintly from ahead.

"We're almost at the exit!"

Someone whispered in surprise, and everyone's spirits lifted; their originally tired footsteps quickened involuntarily.

The candlelight shook more violently, but no one cared, only staring fixedly at the darkness ahead that faintly revealed a glimmer of light.

Another half an incense stick of time later, a faint touch of moonlight entered everyone's eyes.

The light was weak, but like a ray of hope, it pierced the darkness that had been oppressive in the secret passage for so long.

Immediately after, everyone filed out and finally stepped onto solid ground.

The exit of the secret passage was actually located on a hidden small hillside outside the city.

The hillside was covered with waist-high wild grass and shrubs, covering the cave entrance tightly; if one didn't walk close and look carefully, it would be very hard to discover.

The night wind blew, the grass rustled, bringing the unique crispness and freedom of the wilderness outside the city.

But no one had the mind to feel this freedom.

Everyone turned their heads in unison, looking back at the Anxi County town where they had lived for decades.

And then, they were all stunned.

They saw that inside the city, flames were shooting into the sky!

The flames dyed half the night sky a terrifying dark red, and thick smoke billowed, obscuring the sky and the moon.

Piercing screams, desperate wails, the crisp sound of weapons clashing, and the roar of collapsing houses—even from such a distance, they could still be faintly heard, like the wailing from hell.

The entire county town seemed to have turned into a huge Shura field at this moment, being swallowed by darkness and blood.

On almost everyone's face, a flash of relief for having survived flashed by.

Some even had their legs go weak and collapsed on the ground, gasping for air, tears sliding down silently.

They had escaped from hell.

But in that city, countless people were dying.

Su Chen took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing his surging emotions, and turned to the two people beside him, bowing solemnly:

"Brother Guo, Brother Liu, after leaving the city, the safety of this journey will have to trouble you both to take care of."

Two people stood beside him.

One was Liu Liu Qingshi, his expression solemn and his brows locked.

The other was a middle-aged man with a square face, thick brows, and large eyes, dressed in black martial attire.

This person was burly, his aura steady; he was the Transformation of Force martial artist the Su family had retained for many years—Guo Wei.

"Master Su, rest assured!"

Guo Wei cupped his hands in return, his voice loud and resonant: "Guo will certainly do his utmost to protect everyone's safety! It will be easy to handle once we are out of the city; although the road is not peaceful, most are just low-class thieves and rabble, not worth fearing!"

Liu Liu Qingshi also nodded slightly, his voice low but steady: "Brother Su, rest assured, I will do my best."

But in his eyes, a trace of worry that was hard to hide flashed by.

Although the Su family had dismissed some servants before setting off, the people who had escaped at this moment, including the women and the guards and servants, still numbered nearly a hundred.

Gathering so many people together was simply a conspicuous fat sheep.

If they only encountered ordinary refugees and thieves, with the strength of himself and Guo Wei, two Transformation of Force martial artists, it would not be worth fearing.

But he was afraid that on this journey, they would run into people from the Qisha Sect.

He had heard from the martial artists who had fled from Lushan County that those beasts of the Qisha Sect not only slaughtered cities but also left people in ambush outside the city to hunt, being very cunning.

Once encountered, it would definitely be a bitter battle.

However, his worry was useless now; when the boat reached the bridge, it would naturally go straight, so he could only take it one step at a time.

"Let's go, we must reach Shahekou before dawn!"

Su Chen clapped his hands, collected his emotions, and began to issue orders.

Several stewards immediately got busy, counting heads, assigning tasks, and arranging the order of the team.

A team of nearly a hundred people could not be chaotic; it had to be orderly.

Jiang Ye quietly retreated to the edge of the crowd, hunching his back like a withered old tree, with no one paying him any mind.

Jiang Ye slowly exhaled a long, turbid breath, and the surging Qi and blood in his body calmed down, like a receding tide, returning to silence.

Without a carriage, those women who did not practice martial arts could grit their teeth and keep up at first, but after walking for less than half an hour, they were already gasping for air and stumbling.

Su Chen looked back, his expression slightly solemn, and finally waved his hand, letting the team stop for a rest.

Liu Liu Qingshi originally wanted to say that resting now was not appropriate, but seeing the fatigue between his wife Huang Huang Xiyu's brows, he hesitated and ultimately swallowed the words of dissuasion.

Only the worry between his brows deepened a little more.

However, the rest lasted no more than half an incense stick of time.

"Not good!"

Liu Liu Qingshi and Guo Wei rose up simultaneously, their two gazes shooting toward the direction from which the firelight came like sharp arrows.

Their eyesight was the sharpest, and they had already seen the figures surging behind the firelight—a black mass, surging toward them like a tide.

"Enemy attack!"

This roar, like a thunderclap, instantly tore through the silence of the night.

Everyone trembled and looked in the direction of their gaze.

They saw in the distance, a man with a short stature and a face as ugly as a yaksha, holding a bright torch high, running wildly toward them.

As he ran, he waved his arms and shouted, his voice sharp and ear-piercing, like the cry of a night owl:

"Hahaha, I knew there would be fish that slipped through the net, and a big fat sheep at that!"

"Little ones, get them! Kill all these unrighteous dogs!"

"Grab all the women for the brothers to enjoy!"

Behind him, the black mass of refugees, like wild dogs smelling blood, pounced over with howls.

Those people were in rags, sallow and thin, but every face wore a ferocious and twisted smile, and their eyes burned with a frenzied and greedy flame.

They held all kinds of weapons in their hands: rusty wood-chopping knives, sharpened wooden sticks, stolen swords, and even half a brick.

The number was actually three or four hundred.

"Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill!!!"

"Kill all these unrighteous dogs!!!"

"Hahaha, don't kill the women, keep the women!!!"

"I see them, so many beauties!!!"

"We're going to have a blast tonight!!!"

The roars of the refugees shook the earth.

They had a natural hatred for powerful clans like the Su family, and on this journey, they had done countless evils following the demons of the Qisha Sect.

On the other side.

"It's over... it's over..."

"How come there are Qisha Sect people outside the city too..."

"Run! Run!"

The Su family's team was immediately in chaos; they had never seen such a terrifying scene.

The women's faces were as pale as paper, screaming and huddling together; some had their legs go weak and collapsed on the ground, and some even rolled their eyes and fainted directly.

The guards' hands holding weapons were trembling, their faces deathly pale, their gazes dodging.

The relief that had just arisen from escaping the county town was now completely swallowed by overwhelming fear.

"Steady! Don't panic!"

At the critical moment, Liu Liu Qingshi stepped forward abruptly, releasing the aura of a Transformation of Force martial artist without reservation, pressing down on the panicked crowd like a mountain.

His voice was not loud, but it was full of Qi, like a great bell, forcefully suppressing the panic that was about to collapse.

"Right! Don't panic, we have two Transformation of Force martial artists holding the fort, and so many guards, what are you afraid of! They are just a group of wandering bandits, not worth a single blow!"

Su Chen forcefully suppressed the fear in his heart and stood out to stabilize the morale.

Two loud shouts, like two calming pills, barely stabilized the team.

The guards gripped their weapons tightly, and the women supported each other; although they were still pale, at least they did not continue to collapse.

"Brother Guo, we must capture the leader first!"

Liu Liu Qingshi gave a look to Guo Wei beside him.

"Good!"

Guo Wei nodded in response.

He also knew that as long as the person leading them was taken down, these refugees would immediately scatter like birds and beasts.

"Liu Yiyi, when the fighting starts, protect your mother and Old Jiang well."

Liu Liu Qingshi lowered his voice and said to Liu Liu Yiyi behind him.

Liu Liu Yiyi did not respond, but nodded heavily.

She protected her mother behind her, her right hand pressing on the short sword at her waist, her cold eyes staring fixedly at the black shadow surging from afar.

But just as her gaze swept past her side, she suddenly paused.

"Where is Old Uncle Jiang?"

Liu Liu Yiyi frowned, about to search all around.

The battle had already begun!

"Courting death!"

Liu Liu Qingshi and Guo Wei, one after the other, like two arrows released from a bow, suddenly pounced toward the short, ugly man.

Both were Transformation of Force martial artists, and with their full strength, their speed was astonishing; in the blink of an eye, they had reached the ugly man.

"Hahaha, well come!"

Facing the siege of two Transformation of Force martial artists, the short, ugly man was not afraid at all; instead, a ferocious look appeared on his face.

He suddenly pulled a curved blade with gleaming cold light from behind his waist—the blade was curved like the moon, the edge as thin as a cicada's wing, flashing with a cold light under the reflection of the fire.

He flicked his wrist, and the curved blade was like a true crescent moon, carrying a piercing sound of breaking air as it slashed toward Liu Liu Qingshi.

Whoosh!

The blade light cut through the air.

"Hmm?! This is blade intent..."

Liu Liu Qingshi's eyes narrowed, sensing the ferocity of this blade, and he chose not to take it head-on, dodging the blade with a sidestep to the rear.

Clang!

The empty-slashing curved blade actually cut a deep blade mark into the ground, gravel splashing and dust flying!

At this moment, Guo Wei had already arrived from behind!

He clenched his right fist, gathering all his force onto his fist, and smashed it fiercely toward the back of the ugly man's head like an iron hammer!

The ugly man seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, suddenly lowering his head and dodging the punch by a hair's breadth.

At the same time, he backhanded a blade, like a poisonous snake flicking its tongue, slashing straight at Guo Wei's neck!

Guo Wei's expression changed drastically, and he dodged backward with all his might.

Puchi.

A blood mark appeared on his neck, but fortunately, the injury was not deep.

If he had been even a breath slower, he might have been beheaded by the blade.

Liu Liu Qingshi and Guo Wei simultaneously realized how tricky this ugly man was.

Their fighting style became more steady.

After a few more moves, the ugly man cursed disdainfully: "Two turtles hiding their heads."

He sneered, actually deliberately revealing a flaw, his center wide open, his chest exposed to Guo Wei without any defense.

A flash of light appeared in Guo Wei's eyes! How could he let such an opportunity pass!

"Die for me!"

He gathered all his force into his right fist, and like a cannonball out of the chamber, it smashed fiercely into the ugly man's chest.

This punch of his was heavy and fierce, full of force; even if a boulder were here, it could be turned into powder instantly.

However, his punch smashed fiercely into the ugly man's chest, as if striking a piece of mysterious iron.

Clang!

A light ringing sound.

The ugly man actually relied on his physical body to withstand this punch head-on.

"Hard-body training?!"

Guo Wei's pupils shrank violently, and a bone-chilling cold rose in his heart.

He finally understood why this ugly man dared to be so arrogant; he had practiced hard-body training, and his physique was far stronger than an ordinary person's.

He subconsciously wanted to retract his fist and retreat.

Too late!

The ugly man grinned, and the curved blade in his hand fell like a crescent moon; the blade light flashed.

Puchi.

Blood splashed! Guo Wei's right arm, which had thrown the punch, was severed at the root, flying away with a spray of blood.

"AH!!!"

Guo Wei screamed and stumbled backward, blood gushing from the severed arm, instantly staining half his body red.

"Die for me!"

The ugly man wanted to take advantage of the victory to slash another blade and claim Guo Wei's head.

Mountain-Crushing Strike!

Liu Liu Qingshi's heavy fist smashed heavily onto his back like a mountain.

"Ugh..."

The ugly man groaned, his body trembling violently.

His back visibly caved in, and a mouthful of blood mixed with organ fragments sprayed wildly from his mouth.

At the critical moment of life and death, he used the force of this punch to pounce forward like a kite with a broken string, stumbling more than ten steps away, dodging Liu Liu Qingshi's second punch that followed closely behind by a hair's breadth!

"A bit of strength... I misjudged you!"

The ugly man looked back coldly at Liu Liu Qingshi, raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, and sneered: "I'll let you live a little longer."

After saying this, he tapped his feet, and his whole body fled into the distance like a wild dog, quickly disappearing into the night.

"Oh no!!! The Divine Envoy has run away..."

"Let's run too!!!"

"Run... run!"

Those refugees who were entangled with the Su family guards saw the ugly man fleeing in a sorry state, and their formation immediately fell into chaos.

Some screamed in terror, some threw away their weapons and turned to run, and some were killed by the guards.

In a moment, the team of three or four hundred refugees was like a breached flood, fleeing in all directions.

Liu Liu Qingshi did not chase.

He walked quickly to Guo Wei's side, supported his bleeding body, tore off his own lapel, and wrapped the wound at the severed arm tightly.

Guo Wei's face was as pale as paper, his lips trembling, his voice shaking: "Th... thank you..."

The Su family members gathered around, still shaken, looking at this scene; some were crying, some were trembling, and some were sitting on the ground.

Su Chen's face was livid, looking at the direction where the ugly man had disappeared, and then looking at the seriously injured Guo Wei; the worry in his eyes was too thick to melt away.

Liu Liu Yiyi was still protecting her mother, her gaze sweeping through the crowd again and again.

The young girl's brows were rarely frowned so deeply.

She discovered that Jiang Ye had disappeared.