Chapter 160: A Technological Gap of Over Two Thousand Years Is No Laughing Matter

Looking at the situation, two thousand commandery soldiers may find it hard to resist, let alone wipe out Duan Wu's troops.

So now we can only bring the other three thousand commandery soldiers into play.

"I won't believe it, five thousand elite soldiers of Longyuan Commandery still can't wipe out your mere thousand‑plus!" You, with a resolute heart, lifted the Horn on the balcony.

The horn's piercing sound rang through the night sky.

The commandery officer, hearing the order, immediately led three thousand elite soldiers into battle.

At this point, You finally could relax a little.

Although Xiao Qidi and Duan Wu have not yet been located, he is certain that the two cannot escape this area, and the soldiers of Xi Tun Guan who broke in will also perish here, leaving not a single survivor.

Even though a mishap occurred tonight, overall everything remains under control.

He ordered the servants in the manor to bring fine wine and delicacies, and on the balcony he drank alone under the moon, looking completely composed and strategic.

In the distant forest, the sounds of fighting quickly grew more intense.

However, after You had finished only half a pot of wine, the commotion began to subside.

"Hahaha," You couldn't help but burst into laughter, "It seems, just as I expected, that once the five thousand elite troops appear, the battle will be swift and decisive!"

"Dog Official! So you're here!" Ning Jinli's voice suddenly rang out.

You, holding a wine cup, rose and leaned near the balcony railing, casting a faint glance down.

In the open space before the manor's main gate, Ning Jinli looked up, her face illuminated intermittently by the swaying lantern light.

"Being able to chase from the forest all the way to my residence without getting lost, that's some skill," You taunted, "I have always cherished beauty; although your age doesn't fit my taste, your appearance is excellent, I still cannot bear to let you fragrant."

Ning Jinli said, "It's not that I haven't seen shameless scumbags, but someone as exceptional as you is truly one of a kind. I'll give you two choices: either you roll down yourself, or I go in and capture you."

You laughed, "So you think you can definitely take me down? Whether I go down or you come up, what's the difference?"

Ning Jinli's eyes flashed coldly, "The difference is, if you choose the former, you can suffer a little less before death."

You sneered, "I've seen countless arrogant braggarts, but someone like you is still the first."

"Not coming down, huh? Fine!" Ning Jinli withdrew her gaze and looked at the manor's main gate.

You, eyes full of mockery, said, "Suit yourself."

Ning Jinli circulated Internal Strength, ran a few steps, and kicked the gate.

Boom!

Accompanied by a muffled thud, the three‑meter‑high gate shivered a few times, the spot where it was kicked cracked with slight fissures, but the whole structure remained intact.

Meanwhile, Ning Jinli was jolted by the massive recoil, her heels and calves went numb, and she almost stumbled.

"Can a wooden door be this solid?" Ning Jinli, incredulous, squatted down and massaged her leg.

"Hahaha!" You laughed heartily, "Back then, to build this manor we spent silver equal to what all the people of He Wan County could earn in ten years. The wood used was a rare material even the royal palace never had—hard as copper and iron, impervious to water and fire. Not to mention you, even a thousand soldiers attacking could not breach it."

Ning Jinli's eyes burned with anger, "You feast on the common folk and still flaunt it; you truly deserve a thousand cuts and endless mutilation."

You sneered, "Ha, I've always been the one to slash others to pieces; there has never been anyone who could do the same to me in this world!"

Ning Jinli took several deep breaths, gathered Internal Strength, ran again, and then leapt forcefully toward the balcony.

However, she couldn't use lightness skill; relying solely on her robust Internal Strength, even though she jumped far higher than ordinary people, she was still several meters short of the balcony.

And there was no climbable surface outside the manor; after one attempt she gave up.

"Hahahahaha!" You laughed on the balcony, leaning forward and backward, "You little girl, you're truly entertaining, far more fun than keeping a dog; I find myself increasingly reluctant to let you die."

At that moment, dense footsteps echoed from the forest behind Ning Jinli.

You followed the sound and could vaguely see a mass of silhouettes.

His eyes lit with joy; indeed, just as he had predicted, the five thousand Longyuan Commandery elite troops he summoned easily dealt with the roughly one thousand soldiers from Xi Tun Guan.

"Little girl, I'm giving you one final chance," You's gaze returned to Ning Jinli, and in a teasing tone said, "Kneel before me, and become my maid thereafter, and I will spare your life."

Ning Jinli, hands on hips, lifted her head and said, "You want me to kneel? To become your maid? If you don't have a mirror, can't you at least pee on yourself to see?"

"Sharp tongue!" You's eyes darkened slightly, "Later I will first strip away your teeth and tongue, then slowly kill you."

At this moment, a large crowd of silhouettes had arrived, all stopping at the forest edge, clearly awaiting orders.

Because only a few lanterns hanging under the manor's eaves provided light, You on the balcony could not discern the appearances of those silhouettes.

But he naturally assumed they were his own commandery soldiers, and without a second thought said, "Soldiers, well done! This campaign was a complete victory; you have all earned great merit, and I will reward you handsomely. Now, capture this ignorant girl for me! Do not harm her life, for I will execute her myself!"

After his words fell silent for a while, no soldier stepped forward to act.

You frowned, raised his voice, "What's happening? Didn't you hear what I said? Hurry up and seize the woman before you!"

However, still no one obeyed the order.

"Scoundrels!" You shouted angrily, "You—"

"Come out," Ning Jinli interrupted, "Commandery Governor seems

Swish—

The soldiers marched forward in unison.

When rows upon rows of Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army emerged from the dark forest onto the open ground before the manor, You's expression gradually stiffened.

"This… how… how could it be you?"

"Impossible…"

"This is impossible!"

With a clang, You's wine cup fell to the ground.

Even with his own eyes, he still could not believe that what stood before him was not a commandery soldier.

Ning Jinli turned around, faced the Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army, and asked, "How is the battle going?"

A commander stepped forward two paces, bowed his head and cupped his fists, "We have captured all those commandery soldiers, but… although we tried hard to avoid casualties, we still inadvertently killed dozens, severely wounded hundreds, and the number of lightly wounded is countless."

Ning Jinli nodded, "You have to defeat those several thousand elite troops quickly while also caring for their lives; that truly burdens you."

You, hearing this exchange, almost dropped his jaw in shock.

That's five thousand elite troops of Longyuan Commandery!

Not only did they fail to wipe out those mere thousand-plus soldiers of Xi Tun Guan, but they… suffered defeat and capture?

Even…

Even this bunch of Xi Tun Guan soldiers showed mercy?

How could such an unreasonable thing happen!

"Hey!" Ning Jinli shouted up to the platform, "Now that it's come to this, do you really want me to go up and 'invite' you down?"

You's cheeks twitched, his hands gripping the railing tightly, his eyes darkening to the extreme, "You want to catch me… you're dreaming!"

"Still struggling on your deathbed? Fine." Ning Jinli waved her hand, giving a casual order, "Bring the gear, break the door."

Several Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army soldiers quickly took out Simple Explosive Packs and ran to place them under the manor's gate.

You couldn't see what they were up to, braced his hands on the railing and poked out half his body, gritting his back teeth as he sneered, "Idiot! Did you forget I just told you this manor could be called a Copper Wall Iron Wall? Even an Immortal couldn't—"

Boom!

He hadn't finished speaking when a blast erupted from beneath the manor's gate.

Sparks flew everywhere, smoke and dust billowed.

The tremendous impact made the whole manor shake, ringing his ears, making him dizzy and nearly topple over the railing.

Amid the lingering gunpowder smoke, the manor's sturdy, heavy door had been blown to pieces.

Over a hundred Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army soldiers, swords in hand, charged into the manor.

"You little thing," Ning Jinli sneered, "even if it truly were a Copper Wall Iron Wall, it couldn't withstand modern explosives—the technological gap of over two thousand years is no joke."

On the manor's platform, You slumped to the ground, his eyes full of shock and disbelief, muttering, "How could this happen… impossible… impossible…"

Soon, a squad of Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army arrived at the platform.

This time You had nowhere to run; no matter how unwilling, he could only be bound, dragged out of the manor, and brought before Ning Jinli.

"Who… who exactly are you…" You stared at Ning Jinli's eyes, gritting his teeth as he asked.

Ning Jinli ignored him, merely ordering the Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army to escort him away swiftly, and to be absolutely sure, she also needed to find another place to hold him separately.

The Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army was about to drag him away.

He suddenly thought of Xiao Qidi and Duan Wu, whose whereabouts were still unknown, and decided to make one last gamble, "Wait! I tell you, the lives of your general and his master are still in my hands!"

"Still trying to trick me? Give it up, you two have already gone back to sleep soundly," Ning Jinli said with a look of utter contempt, "you drank the liquor laced with that Soft Tendon Powder—no need to mention how well you slept."

You's already pallid face instantly drained of all color.

The fact that they could say those two had drunk liquor laced with Soft Tendon Powder proved that the two had really escaped.

His last straw vanished, his whole body suddenly drained of strength, going limp like mud, he kept muttering, "Impossible… how could this be… how could this be…"

……

Three days later.

A piece of news spread like a gust among the populace that the He Wan County Magistrate and others would be publicly tried.

The people found it hard to believe, but out of curiosity they still headed to the County Office early in the morning.

Upon arriving at the main street before the County Office, they saw a large platform erected at the intersection, with a group of armored soldiers standing guard around it.

At that moment, only an Interrogation Table stood on the platform, with no one else present.

As the crowd grew, people chattered incessantly.

"No way? Could it really be a public trial of the County Magistrate?"

"Not just that! I heard it also includes every County Officer in the County Office, from top to bottom."

"Hiss… why do I find it so hard to believe? Who has the power to judge them?"

"I heard it's General Duan."

"What? That pretentious border general who tried to tidy up the County Magistrate a few days ago, only to come to nothing? Impossible! I was there at the time—I saw him let the County Magistrate go to curry favor with the Prefect, and even drive us commoners away!"

"But these past few days, those County Officers and Constables really haven't shown up, and even the checkpoints set up for entry and exit have been withdrawn…"

"So what's actually going on now?"

"Who knows? Maybe they're just pulling another trick on us."

……

The people buzzed with talk and speculation, but no one could figure out the reason.

In the crowd, Xiao Qidi used his tall, sturdy frame to carve out a little space, with Ning Jinli following beside him to help, allowing a couple holding a little girl to take the best viewing spot.

This family of three was precisely Xiu Mei and her husband and daughter.

Xiu Mei's husband still walked a bit unsteadily, his face retaining some sickness, but his eyes were bright—clearly his injury and illness were nearly healed.

The couple's expressions were both solemn and full of anticipation.

Only An An still didn't understand what had happened, her big eyes blankly scanning the bustling crowd around her.

"Miss Ning…" Xiu Mei said with uneasy eyes, lowering her voice, "will that Dog Official really be punished?"

After Ning Jinli rescued her from the County Office's Death Prison, she had stayed in Yaowang Gu until this morning, when Ning Jinli brought her and her husband back to He Wan County.

Ning Jinli also only gave her a rough outline of the situation.

So what she knew wasn't much more than what other people knew; even though she trusted Ning Jinli, learning suddenly that the Dog Official was done for still felt like a dream.

After all, only a few days had passed, and previously the Dog Official had ruined her family, leaving her destitute……

Ning Jinli gripped Xiu Mei's slightly trembling rough hand and said softly, "I brought you all back here on purpose so you could see with your own eyes the fate of those beasts—rest assured, Sister Xiu Mei, this time they won't get away."

The morning sun gradually dispersed the mist; as the first ray of dawn fell upon the Trial Platform, Duan Wu strode up onto it.

The people fell silent, countless gazes fixed upon him.

Duan Wu felt a bit nervous, for he sensed those gazes held doubt, anger, contempt… various emotions intertwined, giving him immense pressure.

"Good grief… even leading troops in battle isn't this scary." Duan Wu muttered, quietly wiping the fine cold sweat beading at his brow.

The townspeople waited a moment, and when they saw him standing on the stage without speaking, someone grew impatient and shouted, "Duan! What exactly are you trying to pull!"

That question sparked a thousand waves at once; the crowd, which had finally quieted, instantly boiled over.

A tide of curses poured toward Duan Wu, shaking his head until it buzzed.

"Everyone… please be quiet, listen to me," Duan Wu forced himself to speak, "Today, I—"

Whoosh!

A fist‑sized stone suddenly flew out from the crowd, Bang—right on Duan Wu's forehead!