Chapter 283

In your dazed and astonished gaze, the Daoist who called himself the Western King completely shed the compassionate mask he wore when sending the dream, revealing the true nature of the bandit army's leader!

At his command, the Daoists and soldiers alike cheered and surged into the city, then indulged in looting!

Seeing this, you finally panicked and realized: the earlier half‑threat, half‑enticement dream was nothing but a disguise by this gang of demonic bandits……

But the city gate was already open, the bandit army had entered, and everything was beyond remedy…… The bandits not only numbered tens of thousands, they also had talisman‑water demonic arts aiding them; they were simply not something you could stop.

You first begged the bandits to show mercy, and when that plea failed, you loudly cursed them for breaking their word!

Annoyed by your curses, the bandits originally wanted to kill you outright, but considering you were the meritorious officials who opened the gate for the Western King, they hesitated, then turned a blind eye, continued to bury themselves in looting, and let you rage helplessly……

Smack! In the silent house, the remorseful Lin Six fiercely slapped himself across the face!

"It's all my bewildered heart that mistakenly trusted the bandits, which has brought this calamity upon the elders!"

Although I didn't witness the bandits looting everywhere, just imagining it tells me what kind of scene it would be……

"Six Brother, don't do that!"

A friend tried to comfort him, saying:

"With the Western King's magic, even if we resisted to the end, it would be useless…… The county town will fall sooner or later; by opening the gate ourselves we at least kept our own peace……"

"Exactly, exactly!"

Someone else rejoiced, saying:

"Anyway, we weren't looted; this is already a great fortune amidst misfortune……"

Everyone's consolation was sincere, but Lin Six remained deeply guilty; in his view, his actions were nothing short of betraying the town's elders in exchange for his own safety……

Boom boom boom! Just then, a huge knocking suddenly came from outside the door!

"Who?!"

Lin Six loudly demanded, while exchanging a tense glance with the others; everyone present secretly gripped their spears and clubs, preparing to fight to the death……

"You who opened the gate! The Western King summons you to bestow rewards and hold a feast!"

A hoarse voice of the bandit soldiers came from outside the door, and the people looked at each other.

"Six Brother, should we go or not?"

Someone asked hesitantly; ever since Lin Six gathered the crowd to open the gate, he had already won some popular support, and now he became even more the group's backbone.

But this Western King is no good; nobody knows whether so‑called 'rewarding merit' is actually a Hongmen banquet……

"Go!"

Gritting his teeth, Lin Six rose amid the anxious stares of the crowd and said sternly: "Whether blessing or disaster, disaster cannot be avoided…… Since we've come this far, let's go see what kind of scheme this Western King is up to!"

"Right! Follow Six Brother!"

Everyone had been driven to this point, with no objections, so they quickly reached unanimity.

You led a group of tense‑faced followers, guided by the bandit soldiers, and soon arrived at the Western King's "temporary palace".

This was originally the county office; after entering the city, the Western King seized it and made it his so‑called temporary palace……

In the temporary palace, the Western King warmly received you, the meritorious officials!

When the banquet was set out, they ate huge chunks of meat and drank big bowls of wine, fully displaying their swollen arrogance.

You had no appetite for food, caring only about the looting in the city, so you bluntly brought up the matter without hesitation!

Your rude conduct instantly angered the Daoist attendants beside the Western King, but the Western King himself did not get angry; instead he deeply agreed, saying:

"What you say is reasonable; as righteous teachers, we truly cannot commit such bandit‑like deeds!"

In your moment of stunned silence, the Western King first praised your upright frankness, then punished himself with two cups of turbid wine, and, feeling moved, ordered his subordinates: "Immediately issue the command: the entire army is forbidden from looting; violators will be punished under military law!"

The soldiers received the order and withdrew; then the Western King smiled and raised his cup to you: "Drink! No return until drunk!"

【……】

"Is that all then?"

Still in that same silent room.

Everyone still felt somewhat incredulous:

We thought the looting would be a huge hassle, yet it ended just like that……

"I don't understand; it's only been a single night at most—could they have looted enough already?"

Someone didn't understand: "Given their greedy appearance when they entered the city, they shouldn't be satisfied with just this little loot……"

"Who knows? Not looting is always a good thing……"

Someone began to feel relieved: although we let a pack of beasts into the city to wreak havoc for a night, it was only one night……

"Something's not right!"

Lin Six, who had been silently thinking, shook his head: "This bandit troop doesn't look like a strictly disciplined force; once they've started looting, how could they possibly stop suddenly?"

"There must be a problem……"

He thought so.

Suddenly, a few of those who had earlier joined them came running in; as soon as they entered the house, before they could catch their breath, they exclaimed happily:

"Good news, good news! The Western King's great army has stopped looting; he has issued an edict ordering all households that were robbed to gather outside the city, and then he will return their belongings one by one!"

Ah?!

This surprising news left everyone staring at each other: "Just a moment ago they were letting the troops loot freely—how could they suddenly turn over a new leaf?"

Someone, however, let out a sigh of relief:

"No matter what, they will have to return it…… It seems this isn't too bad; voluntarily surrendering and being conquered then surrendering again receive different treatment……"

"Exactly, exactly; at least we've saved our lives……"

But Lin Six, the more he thought, the more wrong it seemed: "Last night when they entered the city, their viciousness was blatant, yet now they've completely reversed……" "Besides, if they're going to return the goods, why not just have each soldier return what he stole from where he took it? If everyone crowds outside the city, who can tell whose belongings are whose?"

Thinking and thinking, Lin Six grew increasingly uneasy, and so he ordered the crowd:

"Go back at once; if any neighbor who was robbed wants to claim their property, you must absolutely not let them go!"

……

"Are you all ready?"

In the county yamen, Xi Wang slowly spoke.

"Senior brother, all ready!"

The Daoists all smirked: "Although our incense offerings are endless, we are currently weak and few, while the imperial court is strong; even if we capture the city, we cannot rashly occupy it, or we would only bring trouble upon ourselves... In that case, let's simply kill the chicken to get the egg!"

"These people's souls can completely feed Senior Brother's 【Xi Wang Dharma Form】; with this nourishment, Senior Brother's Dharma Form will surely advance further... As long as Senior Brother is here, we will surely be able to kill our way back again."

"Once Senior Brother's Dharma Form is perfected, we will not only seize this boundless land, but also march up to the Heavenly Court and drag down those idle officials who merely sit in their posts!"

The Daoists all flattered Xi Wang.

Xi Wang listened, his face full of smiles……

Indeed, when he communicated in dreams, he spoke utter nonsense, fabricating a grandiose background for himself; but when it came to his words about future ideals, he did not speak falsely.

Every cultivator who walks the path of the Dharma Form aims to conquer the mortal realm, then the heavenly realm, and replace those clay and wooden idols! He is merely one among countless rebels...

"Good!"

Xi Wang smiled and said: "Immediately issue the order for the troops to act; once I have refined my Dharma Form, we will withdraw from the city and leave this empty city to the government army."

"Follow Senior Brother's orders!"

The Daoists all obeyed.

……

"Not right!"

Although I don't know what Xi Wang really wants to do, Lin Liu always feels a sense of alarm...

Soon, the sound of hurried footsteps was heard; a person responsible for scouting the movements of Xi Wang's rebel army rushed in through the door and urgently shouted at Lin Liu: "Brother Six, something's wrong! Outside... outside..."

"What's happened outside?!"

Lin Liu's heart gave a sudden thud; he instantly rose from his chair, and a feeling of dread shot straight to his head.

That person hastily said: "The... rebel army has also come out of the city, armed with weapons! I saw it clearly!"

"Ah?!"

The worst suspicion became reality in an instant; Lin Liu collapsed limp to the ground, lowering his head in a daze, not knowing what he was thinking.

Not long after, another panicked person came running over, his face pale with fright, and stammered: "Six... Brother Six, outside... outside..."

"What's wrong?!"

Lin Liu raised his head, his face twisted as he stared at him, directly causing the already panicked messenger to burst into tears:

"They... they've started killing people!"

Lin Liu closed his eyes, filled with regret; if he had not opened the city gate earlier, perhaps...

"Those rebel soldiers kill indiscriminately, striking down anyone they see! Everyone had come to collect supplies, crowded together outside; when the rebels attacked, they had nowhere to flee."

The messenger wept as he spoke, and Lin Liu grew ever more silent, even deathly still.

He suddenly lifted his head, his eyes vacant as he looked at the two messengers, his voice hoarse: "Go... go find people..."

"Brother Six, who should we look for?"

"Everyone..."

……

【You quickly regrouped the troops, looking at them, you didn't say much, just briefly recounted the slaughter happening outside...】

【The crowd erupted in an uproar!】

【Seeing everyone's shocked expressions, you said in a deep voice: "People are the ones we let in; now that something has happened, we cannot remain uninvolved, either emotionally or rationally."】

【Those rebel troops are massacring innocent people; we must give it our all!】

【As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's killing intent arose immediately!】

【"But..."】

【Someone cautiously said: "But Xi Wang is an immortal; we're afraid..."】

【Someone else whispered: "Right, Xi Wang knows magic... but we haven't been involved in it, so why take this risk?"】

【When faced with such questions, you should have patiently answered them, explaining principles like 'when the lips are gone, the teeth feel the cold'... but now you no longer want to waste words and time.】

【"Those who dare not go, I won't force them; but I will be at the forefront, and those who wish to come, come!"】

【After coldly throwing down those words, you turned, picked up a spear, and walked off!】

【Watching your back, a group of people immediately each picked up crude weapons and followed in a dense crowd: they were the ones who opened the gate; no matter how many reasons, at this point they must fight desperately.】

【Another group hesitated for a moment, but also gritted their teeth and followed: "Let's just charge; Xi Wang can kill others, so he can certainly kill us too—for the sake of survival..."】

【The final group, although they hesitated repeatedly, ultimately could not make up their minds: "Let's just hope for luck..."】

【……】

【You led nearly two hundred people and charged toward the county yamen a second time, launching a desperate attack on that mysterious Xi Wang!】

……

(End of chapter)