Chang Yuan and Er Sheng, both considering themselves people of principle, naturally disdained the plea of the unscrupulous City Lord. Hand in hand, they departed without looking back.
They found the two women who had earlier contemplated exchanging and eating their children, along with their families and distributed food and medicinal herbs among them. As Chang Yuan and Er Sheng were leaving, they heard the heavy sound of kowtowing behind them. Both families declared that Chang Yuan and Er Sheng were heaven-sent saviors, expressing tearful gratitude to the heavens.
Er Sheng was still blushing, uncomfortable with such gratitude, but Chang Yuan’s expression darkened as he spoke: “The plague in Ao City is heaven’s decree, and those who die or suffer are merely fulfilling their predetermined fate. Your loved ones’ lives are but a few brush strokes in the book of destiny. The heavens are merciless, and nature is indifferent—why thank them?”
These people had never considered such things and were momentarily stunned by Chang Yuan’s words.
Er Sheng was also startled upon hearing this. She suddenly realized that Chang Yuan had always harbored resentment toward his predestined fate. Even now, having escaped the Ten Thousand Heavens Void and regained his freedom, deep in his heart, he still couldn’t let go of the word “destined,” forever resenting heaven’s cold prophecy.
The silence lasted for a long while until Er Sheng broke it. She declared loudly, “Remember this—it wasn’t heaven, the gods, or any immortals who saved you, but rather…” Er Sheng’s eyes twinkled as she smiled, “just an ordinary married couple. The wife is kind-hearted and beautiful, with looks that could topple kingdoms and shame the moon, unmatched in all the world. Her husband is handsome and elegant, talented beyond compare, with no equal under heaven.”
What kind of… ordinary couple was that?
Chang Yuan looked at Er Sheng, his lips twitching, but he swallowed his words. Seeing Er Sheng’s expression, half playful and half proud, Chang Yuan felt a slight tickle in his heart, and all his resentment and anger dispersed like wind-blown dust.
Er Sheng had rattled off every complimentary phrase she could think of, leaving everyone staring at her in amazement. She lifted her head proudly, took Chang Yuan’s hand, and strode away: “We’re modest people who do good deeds anonymously. Let’s quickly leave here under cover of night. I haven’t seen Master and Senior Sister in so long, I miss them terribly. After we return to Wu Fang to bid them farewell, I’ll leave everything behind and travel the mountains and seas with you, how about that?”
Chang Yuan shook his head: “That would be nice, but this matter isn’t fully resolved yet.” He gazed toward the city gates and continued, “We raided the army’s grain stores, but those supplies only address the immediate crisis. At most, they’ll sustain the city for a few days. If the gates remain sealed after that, the citizens will still starve to death.”
Er Sheng’s expression grew serious. After pondering for a moment, she suggested, “Why don’t we just remove the city gates?”
“We can’t,” Chang Yuan replied. “The military presence outside shows this is a strategic location. If we remove the gates now, the residents won’t be able to defend against future invasions. That’s one reason. Secondly, since the army belongs to the government and the City Lord ordered the gates sealed, he must be in collusion with the military commanders. If the citizens try to flee, they’ll surely be slaughtered by the troops.”
Er Sheng was out of ideas. She scratched her head: “Then what should we do?”
“Make them willingly open the gates.”
“You mean…”
“The City Lord can still be useful.” Chang Yuan turned his gaze to the distance, his ears suspiciously red. “And… we can make him reveal everything he knows. About… certain matters…”
Er Sheng thumped her chest boldly: “Leave it to me!”
The fat City Lord was put to use once again. Er Sheng showed him no mercy, asking everything she needed to know and learning what she had to learn. Though it left her blushing furiously, she at least gained some understanding of certain matters. After interrogating the City Lord, she covered her face and took him to the army stationed outside the city. Er Sheng struck a deal with the bearded general—in two days, they would exchange the City Lord for opening the city gates.
Er Sheng found this trade laughably terrible. As citizens of the same country, how could one official’s life be worth more than an entire city of people? All were human, so why was one so precious and the others so worthless? Father of the people? Nonsense. What father would sell his children like this? Public servant? Even more absurd! Since when did servants sit in sedan chairs while their masters knelt?
But Er Sheng knew that, despite the injustice, this was reality. This was… fate.
Two days later, a contingent of troops opened Ao City’s gates from the outside and entered. Er Sheng kept her word and released the fat City Lord, watching as he stumbled and scurried toward the bearded general. Er Sheng scratched her head, about to comment on her trustworthiness when she caught a flash of orange light in her peripheral vision. She turned back in horror to see flames spreading through the open gates, consuming one house after another!
Armored soldiers with cold blades were cutting down citizens who tried to flee the city.
Horrified, she no longer cared about concealing her cultivation. She flew toward the nearest soldier, concentrating spiritual energy in her palm, and struck his shoulder, sending him flying. Er Sheng had saved one person, but there were too many soldiers in the city. Screams of anguish filled the air everywhere. Er Sheng’s eyes reddened with urgency, but she didn’t know what to do.
“Chang Yuan! Save them!” she shouted, gripping the Yi Lin Sword as she furiously went to settle accounts with the bearded general.
Upon seeing the general, Er Sheng immediately slashed off his beard, sending black hair flying everywhere. The surrounding soldiers were shocked and shouted to protect their general, but what could mere mortals’ martial arts do against Er Sheng? Two moves later, they were sent flying by her spiritual energy. She pointed her sword at the general’s throat, her eyes red with anger: “Despicable! I released the fat pig of a City Lord, yet you break your word!”
The general maintained some dignity, fixing Er Sheng with a cold stare: “I only promised to open the city gates today. I never promised anything else.”
He spoke the truth, and Er Sheng glared at him fiercely: “The army exists to protect the country and its people. The citizens pay to maintain you—did they pay for you to turn your weapons against them? Tell those bastards to stop immediately!”
“Hmph, feminine weakness. If the plague spreads from the city, far more than just one city’s worth of people will die. Killing them now and burning away the plague along with them is thinking of the bigger picture.”
“Go to hell!” Er Sheng hadn’t cursed since entering Wu Fang, but today she was too angry to care. “That fat pig of a City Lord was in the city too, so why didn’t you kill him? I’ve been in the city and just spoke with you—why don’t you think of the bigger picture and fall on your sword?”
The general let out a cold snort: “I am the Southern General of the Great Qi Nation. How can mere commoners, with their fleeting lives, compare to me?”
The flames in the city gradually spread, reaching toward the sky. The cries from within Ao City had become almost suffocatingly desperate.
“Can’t compare to you?” A hint of ruthless malice suddenly appeared in Er Sheng’s eyes. Her hand gripping the Yi Lin Sword trembled, as if desperately suppressing something. “Then let me make this clear: if everyone in Ao City dies, I’ll make you and your army join them in death.”
The Yi Lin Sword’s blade, reflecting the flames, pressed against the bearded general’s throat, breaking his skin as a line of red blood trickled down his neck. Seeing Er Sheng’s expression, even the Southern General, hardened by years on the battlefield, broke out in a cold sweat that soaked his back. He couldn’t help but swallow, and the movement of his Adam’s apple caused Er Sheng’s sword tip to sink deeper.
“I keep my word.”
The scene fell silent. The fat City Lord huddled in a ball within the soldiers’ protection, trembling. He couldn’t understand why this girl suddenly emanated so much… killing intent? It made one’s heart turn cold with fear.
“Tell them all to stop,” Er Sheng commanded again, her tone brooking no defiance.
“Insolent commoner!” a soldier shouted. “How dare you threaten a general of Great Qi!”
Er Sheng’s eyes turned cold, and with a wave of her hand, she sent a blast of spiritual energy that threw the soldier ten meters back, making him vomit blood before falling unconscious.
“Why not kill him? Foolish and stubborn people deserve death.” The androgynous voice spoke again in Er Sheng’s mind, so close it seemed to whisper in her ear, making her whole body tremble, almost losing control of her urge to run the general through.
She shouldn’t kill people, Er Sheng knew clearly. Though these people were hateful and viewed lives as worthless as grass, she shouldn’t kill them. She had no right to take away lives. If she did that, how would she be any different from them…
“If you don’t kill them, their murders will be protected by the court and permitted by law. They won’t face any punishment, and will live even better lives, at peace with themselves.”
Er Sheng’s hand holding the Yi Lin Sword trembled even more violently.
“Look at what they’re doing.” Suddenly, terrified faces of men and women flashed through her mind, along with children’s broken cries, severed spines, and old people’s decapitated heads. Er Sheng wanted to scream but couldn’t make a sound. She felt a metallic taste in her throat as if her anger could overturn the heavens. The voice continued, “Were those people destined for this? To be slaughtered and butchered? What did they do wrong? Er Sheng, can you feel their terror and despair? Why not kill these butchers and return peace to the world?”
Shut up…
“Er Sheng, since heaven’s principles and human laws have failed, what are you still worried about? Only killing can stop killing.”
Shut up.
“Shouldn’t the evil in this world be destroyed?”
Shut up!
Er Sheng clutched her head, hitting it hard repeatedly: “Shut up! Shut up! Don’t say anymore!”
The bearded general saw Er Sheng suddenly withdraw her sword and inexplicably go mad. His heart leaped with joy, and he quickly seized the opportunity, rolling away to safety where he was immediately surrounded by layers of protective soldiers. Believing himself safe, the Southern General shouted: “Whoever kills this demon woman will be richly rewarded!” The surrounding soldiers, upon receiving the order, surged forward, all hoping to claim Er Sheng’s head.
At that moment, the wind suddenly died down, and Er Sheng stood still. Her hanging hair covered her face, and at this moment, no one wanted to see her expression. They all just wanted to kill her and claim the reward, nothing more.
When the fastest blade was about to strike Er Sheng, a sudden fierce wind kicked up, blinding everyone with dust and sand. They heard an agonized scream, and when they recovered their sight, they saw Er Sheng had split open a soldier’s belly with one sword stroke. His entrails spilled onto the ground as he writhed and screamed in agony, unable to die quickly.
Bisected at the waist…
Everyone felt their stomachs turn cold as they stared at Er Sheng in horror.
The black flame-like mark on her forehead was particularly striking, emanating a ruthless aura that seemed capable of burning everything to ash, chilling people to their cores.
The androgynous voice cackled in Er Sheng’s mind:
“What should be destroyed, destroy completely.”