Chapter 101: Siege and Defense Battle!

For the next few days, the situation outside the small town became increasingly tense.

A large number of bandits and heretic cultists gathered, and a great battle could break out at any time.

All the ordinary people in the town were panic-stricken.

The City Guard Army and some martial artists patrolled the city walls day and night to prevent the other side from suddenly sneaking an attack.

At the same time, support from the County City government also arrived in many small towns one after another.

This day, early morning.

Inside a courtyard.

Lu Zhangsheng sat on a stone chair, picking up the spirit wine gourd in his hand and drinking heavily, quite carefree.

Bursts of cool feeling surged from his abdomen, and even his own Qi and Blood increased by a sliver.

These spirit wines were brewed from spiritual objects in the mountains; long-term consumption had quite a few benefits.

He felt that his own aptitude was even slowly increasing.

These days, besides practicing the blade every day, he went out of the city to investigate the traces of the heretic cultists.

After long-term secret investigation, he guessed that the great battle might be in these two days.

That group of heretic cultists even brought quite a few bows, arrows, and long spears, clearly prepared for a long time.

However, because he sensed the existence of experts in the other party's forces, he did not dare to get too close.

Just as Lu Zhangsheng was pondering, footsteps came from outside the courtyard.

"Lord Lu is quite carefree; the great battle is coming, and you still have the leisure to drink small wine..."

Not far away, a crisp and pleasant voice sounded.

Lu Zhangsheng turned his head to look and saw Yue Shulan walking slowly with a group of people.

It was precisely some of Lu Zhangsheng's former teammates, Yue Shulan, Lu Xue, and Xiao Chao.

Lu Xue, this shy girl, had always been quite bashful, and Xiao Chao's honest image left Lu Zhangsheng with some impression.

Never did he expect these people to come to support the small town.

"We pay our respects to Lord Lu."

After Xiao Chao approached, he cupped his hands respectfully.

For Lu Zhangsheng, this legendary martial artist among commoners, he was the object he had pursued all his life; being able to rise all the way with the body of an ordinary person was rare in the history of the entire Changping County.

Yue Shulan and Lu Xue also bowed gracefully, with smiles on their faces.

A snow-white long dress also perfectly displayed their figures.

As soon as the group stepped into the town, they immediately came to see Lu Zhangsheng, their old captain.

Lu Zhangsheng had also become the biggest backer for the group in the Demon-Suppressing Division.

Ever since Lu Zhangsheng operated a little to transfer some threatening missions, the group had experienced many missions and remained safe.

Not only that, their strength was also improving steadily, which made them all feel grateful to Lu Zhangsheng.

"No need for formalities; sit down and chat."

Lu Zhangsheng waved his hand and smiled faintly.

The group did not stand on ceremony and immediately sat around the stone table.

"Lord Lu, this operation is quite strange; we still need the lord to point out a clear path."

Xiao Chao, this honest man, could never hide his thoughts and couldn't help but speak up immediately.

As he spoke, his brows were locked, his face full of worry.

This kind of mission was already the most dangerous mission they had ever received.

A large number of Demon-Suppressing Division and County Yamen martial artists went to support many small towns outside the County City.

But there was one biggest problem in this: no one knew which town that group of heretic cultists wanted to attack.

The other party could also feint to the east and attack in the west, luring the tiger away from the mountain.

This kind of move was also extremely likely to happen.

False and true, the enemy is in the dark and we are in the light; everyone had no bottom in their hearts.

Even some ordinary people knew that there is no reason for a thousand-day defense against a thief.

Lu Xue and Yue Shulan also looked at Lu Zhangsheng with anticipation.

They had no background in the Demon-Suppressing Division, and Lu Zhangsheng was almost the biggest figure the group had ever known.

At this moment, everyone hoped that Lu Zhangsheng could give some pointers.

Some secret information could not be investigated by the group, but it could greatly increase their chances of survival.

Lu Zhangsheng did not beat around the bush and said in a deep voice: "During the great battle, if the situation changes, run away immediately; do not hesitate."

He also did not hope for these people to fall here; these people had good martial arts aptitude, and after he became a Deputy Hall Master, they would also be his own foundation.

Hearing this, Lu Xue and the others' pupils shrank.

This was the first time the group had seen Lu Zhangsheng so heavy.

It seemed the situation outside the city was not optimistic.

However, the group did not ask about the specific situation; some things did not need to be said too clearly.

They were all veterans of the Demon-Suppressing Division and naturally knew some rules.

Some secrets are not accessible to ordinary people; they also benefited from Lu Zhangsheng's light.

If any big-mouthed person spread it everywhere, that would be seeking death.

Just then, Lu Xue on the side couldn't help but complain:

"Lord Lu, why doesn't the County City directly send a large army to kill up the Black Mountain and wipe out the nearby Wenxiang Sect in one fell swoop, wouldn't that be once and for all?"

"If we keep defending passively, we can only run around exhausted."

Lu Zhangsheng smiled slightly and tilted his head to drink a mouthful of spirit wine.

"The County Magistrate naturally has his plans; the Black Mountain is easy to defend and difficult to attack, with many passes; several previous County Magistrates have also attacked it, but they all ended up with nothing."

"Moreover, that group of bandits has not fallen for a hundred years; it is not so easy to wipe them out."

Some secrets, he had heard Qin Ruobing mention.

From the exchange of words with the other party, Lu Zhangsheng knew that the three leaders of the Black Mountain Bandits had strength presumably at the Tuotai level.

They were experts at the same level as the three Deputy Hall Masters of the Demon-Suppressing Division.

As for the County Magistrate, he seemed to be waiting for something.

Perhaps it was support from the Qingning Prefecture City.

However, this battle would come sooner or later; for Lu Zhangsheng, the later, the better.

He needed enough time to develop.

Although Blood Exchange level strength was not weak, it could not determine the direction of the battle.

For the next two years, he must improve his strength with all his might.

"Thank you, Lord Lu, for your guidance."

Yue Shulan and the others nodded with gratitude, their eyes flickering.

Under Lu Zhangsheng's guidance, the group had much more confidence to survive.

When the situation changed, they would also surround Lu Zhangsheng and break out of the encirclement.

Just as the group was talking, another beautiful figure walked slowly from outside the courtyard.

It was precisely this woman, Tong Yuhua.

"We pay our respects to Lord Tong."

Xiao Chao and the others hurriedly stood up to salute, looking respectful.

"No need for formalities."

Tong Yuhua waved her hand, walked quickly to Lu Zhangsheng's side, and sat down.

Then she said with a heavy expression: "The great battle might be in these two days; I suspect this town is one of the targets of the other party, it doesn't look like feinting to the east and attacking in the west..."

"When the time comes, we will act according to the situation."

She couldn't squeeze into the circle of aristocratic martial artists and could only join forces with her old acquaintance Lu Zhangsheng to fight the enemy again.

"That is natural."

Lu Zhangsheng nodded with a smile.

"However, there is no need to be too pessimistic; perhaps the other party cannot break this town at all."

He comforted the group softly.

Afterward, the group exchanged some details and then stood up and left one after another.

Outside Wu Qiong Town, in a dense forest.

Two middle-aged men in black stood on the lawn, full of baleful Qi.

One of them, thin, with hands like chicken claws and brows like knives, was precisely Duan Zhanghe, an expert at the Helmsman level of the Wenxiang Sect.

This person's aura was extraordinary, with the cultivation of the late stage of Blood Exchange.

The other person was sturdy, his eyes like electricity, possessing extreme oppressiveness.

The other party was precisely the Blood Exchange mid-stage expert of the Black Mountain Bandits, Zhu Quan.

"Brother Duan, this town is heavily guarded, with a large number of soldiers on the city wall holding bows and crossbows, coupled with the support of martial artists from the County City; can we break it with just us?"

Zhu Quan looked puzzled.

Although they also had some bows and crossbows, it was very difficult to break this small town with just these.

Not to mention the several Blood Exchange level experts in the town.

Attacking by force would not yield any benefits.

"Hehe, although the fortress is strong, it cannot be broken from the outside, but what if something goes wrong inside?"

Duan Zhanghe laughed coldly, his eyes deep.

"You mean...?"

Zhu Quan also laughed coldly.

He understood the other party's plan instantly; presumably, these Wenxiang Sect people had been preparing for many years.

As long as it was not a strong attack, they still had a great possibility of breaking this town. "After breaking this place, our Black Mountain Stronghold wants more than half of the wealth."

Zhu Quan spoke again, his tone unquestionable.

This was also what their Stronghold Master had discussed with the other party before.

"Agreed, but you are not allowed to touch the population in the town; don't make it difficult for this Seat."

Duan Zhanghe's tone was cold.

Zhu Quan nodded faintly.

He also knew the actions of these heretic cultists, using human blood essence to refine pills, and even calling them "Innate Pills", "Essence Yuan Pills", etc.

However, he did not refute it; since the other party needed the population, then give it to them.

Although Zhu Quan scoffed at this.

The two exchanged a few more words and then left one after another.

The field soon returned to calm again.

In the town, at a secret location.

"Father, do we really want to do this? Once we take this step, there is no turning back."

A young man in white looked full of struggle.

"Sigh... When we ate that kind of thing, it was already destined."

The old man's eyes flickered.

Hearing this, the young man's body tightened, seemingly remembering some bad things.

That feeling of being worse than dead, he never wanted to try again.

Gu worms had long been planted in their minds; besides obeying, there was no other way.

"Only by overthrowing this increasingly decaying dynasty can we have a turning point..."

The young man managed to muster a sliver of confidence.

The old man looked quietly at his somewhat naive son, not having the heart to break the other party's fantasy.

Those heretic cultists were clearly related to demons and evil spirits; they were just living one day at a time, what turning point could there be.

Time passed slowly.

In a flash, two days passed.

This day, at noon.

Lu Zhangsheng was practicing martial arts in the courtyard when suddenly, a harsh alarm sound came to his ears.

"Enemy attack, everyone hurry to the city gate to support..."

A voice full of energy echoed throughout the small town; it was precisely from that City Guard Commander.

"Whoosh..."

A large number of martial artists and armored soldiers rushed toward the city gate one after another; civilians on the street all ran back into their houses, and the entire small town was noisy.

Soon, only the figures of martial artists running quickly remained on the street.

There were also many experts who came from the County City.

A group of people rushed through the street in a mighty force.

Hearing the alarm, Lu Zhangsheng immediately put away the slaughtering knife and walked toward the outside of the courtyard.

After leaving the courtyard, he hurried along.

Some ordinary martial artists on both sides of the street gave way one after another, looking respectful.

Many people also recognized Lu Zhangsheng, this Patrol Envoy, and did not dare to collide at all.

Not long after.

Lu Zhangsheng arrived at the city wall in the east of the city.

At this moment, many martial artists had already gathered around, and Tong Yuhua and the others were also among them.

Seeing Lu Zhangsheng arrive, everyone smiled slightly at Lu Zhangsheng.

Mo Wanyun, this Commander, was also directing a group of armored soldiers to transport arrowheads and stones.

Lu Zhangsheng's gaze swept across the surrounding martial artists.

The person with the highest cultivation here, besides Zhao Yicheng of the Demon-Suppressing Division, was this City Guard Commander.

Next were the two Patrol Envoys, Zhu Houyu.

Of course, Lu Zhangsheng's cultivation had not yet been exposed.

Further down were some Bone Forging experts who came to support, and some martial arts families in the town.

Among them, the Yang family was the most famous, with seven or eight Bone Forging experts in the clan, and their strength was not weak.

The leader was an old man in green named Yang Guanghong; this person had a jujube-red face and Bone Forging Perfection strength, quite prestigious in the small town.

A group of martial artists were all waiting in full battle array, staring fixedly at the many figures outside the city with heavy expressions.

Among the many heretic cultists, the two martial artists in the front had auras as deep as the abyss, making everyone in the city tighten their bodies.

The two were precisely the two Blood Exchange experts, Duan Zhanghe and Zhu Quan.

Behind the two, there were also some Bone Forging martial artists, and a large number of Flesh Refining martial artists; these people held bows, crossbows, and long spears, their eyes full of killing intent.

"It is the Helmsman of the Wenxiang Sect and the expert of the Black Mountain Bandits."

Tong Yuhua, standing beside Lu Zhangsheng, looked quite nervous.

Never did she expect these heretic cultists to collude with bandits again and even plan to attack Wu Qiong Town together.

"These two are quite high on the government's wanted list."

Lu Zhangsheng also recognized these two in the first instance.

According to the intelligence of the Demon-Suppressing Division, this Duan Zhanghe had abused and killed a large number of civilians and martial artists, his hands stained with blood, extremely cruel.

It made the official martial artists hate him to the bone.

"Kill."

Duan Zhanghe roared, his cold voice echoing throughout the field.

He knew that the government could not surrender at all, and without too much nonsense, he started the war directly.

A large number of heretic cult bandits rushed toward the city wall like a tide.

Many people also held bows, crossbows, and short spears in their hands.

After arriving near the city gate, they stopped immediately, straddled their feet, leaned their bodies back, and after putting on the arrowheads, pulled the bows and crossbows to the full.

"Shoot."

With an order.

Countless arrowheads shot toward the city gate, forming giant arrow rains in mid-air, making people tremble with fear.

"All guard armies, immediately raise your shields to resist the arrow rain."

"Archers prepare to counterattack."

Seeing that the enemy had already started attacking the city, Mo Wanyun immediately issued a counterattack order.

"Drink..."

A large number of guard teams raised their hardwood shields high, connecting them into a whole piece to resist the high-altitude arrow rain.

The archers in the back also pulled their bows to the full and shot toward the heretic cultists outside the city.

The great battle between the two sides broke out instantly.

The entire battlefield was filled with shouts of killing, dust rolling around, and a mess.

"Clang, clang, clang..."

On the city wall, some martial artists waved their weapons one after another, resisting the dense arrow rain in front.

Before the enemy's experts made their move, they would not take the initiative to attack.

Tong Yuhua and the others on the side were tightly surrounding Lu Zhangsheng, resisting the attacks from outside the city together.

As for Lu Zhangsheng and these experts, it was even more relaxed.

Some ordinary arrowheads could not hurt him at all.

While resisting the arrow rain and flying spears, he was also scanning the entire battlefield.

He was also somewhat suspicious in his heart; this offensive from the other side was very difficult to break the town's defense team.

Even with Duan Zhanghe, this Blood Exchange late-stage expert, making a move, it was still not enough.

These heretic cultists would not be so unwise; clearly, there were some hidden means that had not been exposed.

This made Lu Zhangsheng quite vigilant.

The forces of both sides had been fighting at the city gate, but some experts had not made a move, very tacitly.

The entire battle lasted for about a few hours.

Until nightfall was about to arrive, that group of heretic cultists slowly retreated.

Outside the city, some corpses were left behind, and the blood dyed the ground bricks red.

The first day of battle passed easily like this.

Neither side's Blood Exchange experts made a move.

Easily repelling that group of heretic cult experts like this made many martial artists somewhat unbelievable.

"Is it possible that the other side is just feinting? Or is the target not this place?"

Yue Shulan and the others looked somewhat puzzled.

"The other side might want to drag us down, so we don't go to support other small towns."

Xiao Chao on the side also guessed.

"This is only the first day, even the Blood Exchange experts haven't made a move yet; we still need to remain vigilant."

Tong Yuhua interrupted the group's speculation directly.

She would not be so optimistic.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 102 =====