77: Eradicate them all

The gray-robed elder, who was originally fighting Shen Qianzhong, saw this, his eyes narrowed slightly, and knowing that the overall situation was decided, he couldn't help but let out a sigh.

With their meticulous deployment and personnel arrangement, the elder truly hadn't expected so many variables to appear in tonight's attack, but it was too late to regret it now.

Without the slightest hesitation, the gray-robed elder immediately used his methods, waved his sleeve, and his entire figure gradually distorted, quickly disappearing from the spot like a wisp of smoke.

Seeing the opponent disappear, Shen Qianzhong, who had originally intended to pursue, stopped in place with a slightly grim expression; the opponent's methods were extremely strange, making it difficult to even capture his Qi, let alone pursue him.

Moreover, compared to pursuing, he now had more urgent matters to attend to.

"Kill them, leave no one alive!" Shen Qianzhong's sharp, eagle-like gaze swept over the demons and Hundred Weapons Sect Martial Artists. He shouted sternly.

After slaying He Qingyun, Lu Ming did not stop, but followed the personal guards to clear out all the surrounding enemies.

When the fourth demon was slain by his blade, he stopped and looked around, finding that, except for a few who escaped, the rest were lying scattered on the ground.

"What a pity," Lu Ming shook his head regretfully, lamenting that he had only managed to kill this many, missing a great opportunity to harvest the demons' lifespan.

On the other side, under the protection of a group of personal guards, Princess Consort Pei Xinyue slowly walked out of the small courtyard.

"Your subordinate is incompetent and has startled the Princess Consort," Shen Qianzhong knelt on the muddy ground and clasped his fists.

"Startled? This Princess Consort was almost injured by that demon. Is this how you handle things?" Princess Consort Pei Xinyue said with a cold face.

"Your subordinate is guilty!" Shen Qianzhong's body trembled slightly. He dared not offer any explanation, and his bowed head lowered even further.

"Enough, considering your meritorious service in this battle, a penalty of half a year's salary will suffice." Princess Consort Pei Xinyue did not intend to punish him severely; after all, she had witnessed his valiant efforts in the battle and knew that it was not his fault.

"Thank you, Princess Consort!" Shen Qianzhong breathed a sigh of relief.

This punishment was not severe for him; after all, if one were to be strict, even being dismissed from his position as commander of the personal guards would not be considered much.

Since the Princess Consort had voluntarily proposed the punishment, the matter was considered concluded, and no one could bring it up again in the future.

Thinking of this, he looked at Lu Ming with grateful eyes; if it weren't for that young brother's timely rescue, even if the Princess Consort were unharmed, he would probably have suffered severe punishment... "To Cultivate both the Flame Spirit Tempering Method and the Burning Sun Finger to such a Realm at the same time, you've truly given me a surprise," Luo Hongzhuang said playfully.

"It was just luck," Lu Ming replied humbly.

Luo Hongzhuang gave Lu Ming a meaningful look. She clearly understood the difficulty of Cultivating these two Cultivation Techniques; some mediocre talents might spend their entire lives and still struggle to Cultivate either one to even the introductory Realm. She hadn't expected to encounter such an interesting person in Lianbo City.

Luo Hongzhuang was about to say something more, but at that moment, on the main road, Lu Shan, covered in blood and looking quite disheveled, ran over quickly despite his injuries. In his hand, he carried the corpse of the dual-bladed Martial Artist.

Upon seeing that the battle here had ended and that Princess Consort Princess Consort Pei Xinyue was unharmed, he let out a long breath, and the weight on his mind finally lifted.

"Reporting to the Princess Consort, the attackers have been defeated, and their leader has been slain by your subordinate," Lu Shan said in a deep voice.

"Commander Lu Shan, you've worked hard. When we reach Silver Feather City, this Princess Consort will not forget the meritorious service you all rendered in battle today," Princess Consort Pei Xinyue said softly, then her gaze shifted to Lu Ming.

In today's battle, this young man had left a very deep impression on her.

The battle had ended, but everywhere was a scene of devastation; bodies lay scattered from the fighting, and sticky blood had turned the ground muddy.

Under Lu Shan's command, the Government Soldiers and the surviving Gu Xiang Village villagers began to clear the battlefield, piling up the corpses separately.

The hundred-plus corpses of the enemies were piled into a small hill and burned directly, while their own fallen were collected, buried on the spot, and counted.

Both the personal guards and the Government Soldiers suffered significant casualties in this battle, and among the ten members of the Demon Suppression Division from Lianbo City who accompanied the convoy, including Lu Ming, only three survived.

"Zhao Lao Er is here, quickly catch him!" A scream rang out, and all the surviving Gu Xiang Village villagers surrounded him.

Zhao Lao Er, who had been hiding somewhere unknown, was dragged out. He was covered in mud and had many bruises, clearly having been subjected to a beating during his capture.

Lu Ming, who was talking to Lu Shan, glanced over. Although he didn't know the exact reason, he could roughly guess some of it.

Lu Shan's eyes narrowed slightly, and a look of indifference appeared in his gaze as he looked at Zhao Lao Er.

Neither of them intended to intervene, they just watched silently.

"Don't... don't hit me, I'll hand over the gold ingots, folks, I was forced too," Zhao Lao Er wailed, curling into a ball and continuously begging for mercy.

However, the Gu Xiang Village villagers, now consumed by the hatred of losing their loved ones, paid no heed. It was he who had led those bandits to drag out the hiding people from house to house. Now that those bandits were either dead or fled, Zhao Lao Er naturally became the target for their venting.

Fists and feet rained down on his body, and his pleas for mercy gradually weakened, eventually disappearing.

Even after he was beaten to death, the Gu Xiang Village villagers were still not satisfied. In their eyes, Zhao Lao Er, who had led the way, had undoubtedly brought disaster to Gu Xiang Village.

The crowd raised the bruised corpse and threw it directly into the burning pile of bodies.

"This is how the world is now; disaster might strike any day. It's already hard enough to be alive," Lu Shan sighed with emotion.

Lu Ming silently watched it all. He didn't respond, but the deep pupils reflecting the flickering firelight seemed to convey everything.

After a battle and a long period of busy work, everyone was exhausted. After a brief rest for the night, the convoy set off again early the next morning.

However, unlike when they departed, this time the traveling party had many more injured. Fortunately, Princess Consort Pei Xinyue was aware of this and specifically allocated three carriages for the injured to rest, distributing many good things.

Lu Ming rode his horse, and at that moment, Luo Hongzhuang, dressed in a fiery red dress, swept past him. She held the reins, seemingly unaffected by yesterday's battle.

Lu Ming glanced sideways. Under the sunlight, her graceful figure was displayed before his eyes.

For some reason, seeing Luo Hongzhuang like this, he felt a strong sense of familiarity, as if this was her true appearance.

Seemingly sensing Lu Ming's gaze, Luo Hongzhuang smiled indifferently and said, "You probably haven't been to Silver Feather City, have you? Don't act like a country bumpkin when we get there and embarrass this Princess."