Under the shamanic magic of the Shaman Wu, the Hu cavalry, which had already suffered from low morale and heavy injuries, suddenly launched another charge!
Blood and fire! Life and death! Even a battle for survival between different races erupted again on the earthen ramparts of Daqing Village!
What was different from before was that the appearance of the Shaman Wu boosted the morale and combat effectiveness of the Hu side to their peak, while Daqing Village’s side fell into a trough.
Under the crimson sunset, the Hu people charged several times, nearly breaking the defense line. It was only through the desperate efforts of Wang Yin, Wu Ming, and other martial artists that they managed to hold the line.
When the stars shone brightly and the Hu forces retreated, both Wu Ming and Wang Yin showed obvious signs of exhaustion, their armor covered with scars.
“Phew…”
With the help of two village guards, Wang Yin finally managed to take off his iron armor, which was covered in blood and flesh and almost stuck to his body. He smiled bitterly at Wu Ming and said, “Master Wu Ming, I’ve consumed a great deal of inner energy today. I’m afraid I’ll need a night to recover before I can return to the battlefield. I’ll leave things here to you…”
“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t want the Hu people to invade and leave us without a place to be buried either!”
Wang Yin had fought bravely on the front line today, charging even more fiercely than Wu Ming and taking on the most enemies. This was evident to everyone, so Wu Ming replied with a smile.
“Excellent… Once the Hu people retreat, I must really get to know you better as a friend!”
Wang Yin’s attitude toward Wu Ming was quite friendly, though whether this was influenced by Huang Ying was unknown.
Seeing Wang Yin leave, Qin Hu stepped forward: “You’ve also worked hard today. Take the chance to rest early! Don’t keep a beauty waiting too long…”
Saying this, he wore a smile that all men understood, clearly misunderstanding something.
In reality, although Wu Ming appeared valiant, his purpose was different from Wang Yin’s, and he had secretly reserved a bit of strength.
At this moment, seeing Qin Hu volunteering to take over the night watch, Wu Ming’s heart stirred, but he showed a grateful expression on his face: “Thank you!”
Without saying more, he immediately left the earthen rampart.
However… Qin Hu didn’t notice the fleeting coldness on Wu Ming’s face after he left the wall.
…
“Our task is merely to survive… Therefore, we can choose to side with Daqing Village, and naturally, we can also choose to side with the Hu people!”
On the dark upper floor, Wu Ming and Huang Ying stood side by side, looking at the seemingly peaceful village, when Wu Ming suddenly said.
“You… Are you saying that Qin Hu intends to…” Huang Ying covered her red lips. Although she had a vague suspicion, hearing it confirmed was still hard to believe: “He isn’t afraid of…”
“Everyone always thinks they’re special… Perhaps he believes that because he has done something meritorious, the Hu people will regard him highly!”
A mocking smile appeared on Wu Ming’s lips: “The Hu are strong while Daqing Village is weak. If not for a stroke of luck, the village could have been destroyed today, with no chance of lasting seven days. The enemy also has the help of the Shaman… This person admires strength and submits to the strong. Tell me, in this situation, which side do you think he would choose?”
“You knew he was going to surrender the village? Why didn’t you stop him…”
Huang Ying stopped halfway through her sentence, a bitter smile appearing on her face.
After all, both she and Qin Hu were outsiders! Even if they exposed Qin Hu’s plot, they would likely be even more distrusted.
Moreover, even if they eliminated the internal threat, neither of them had much confidence in Daqing Village’s ability to hold out until the seventh day.
“Therefore… We must take a risk!”
Suddenly, Wu Ming tilted his ear to listen. He could faintly hear the commotion from the earthen rampart and the rhythmic vibrations of horse hooves from outside. He turned to Huang Ying and said, “It’s begun. Let’s act according to plan!”
“I understand!”
Huang Ying gave Wu Ming a complex look before disappearing into the darkness.
…
“Minister Qin, what… what are you doing?”
As Qin Hu suddenly attacked and cut down the two beside him like melons and vegetables, the surrounding village guards wore expressions of utter shock.
“What am I doing? Hehe… Naturally, it’s to surrender!”
Qin Hu licked the blood from the blade, his expression wild and cruel.
Suddenly, he lunged forward fiercely, the blade flashing. He was a martial artist at the third level of the physical realm, and against ordinary village guards, he was truly like a tiger among sheep. In an instant, he slaughtered all the gate defenders.
“Murder!”
“An outsider is murdering!”
…
Screams and the sounds of gongs and drums rang out, but Qin Hu’s face wore a sneering smile: “Hehe… Wu Ming, Huang Ying, you two damned lovers, may you find your own fortune!”
He then pulled the mechanism, slowly opening the gate.
Outside, the Hu people, who had already been prepared, immediately launched a charge. Several riders rushed in like the wind.
The Hu people were naturally a horseback race. Only with one person and one horse could they unleash their greatest strength. For these past few days outside, they had to abandon their greatest advantage and attack at a disadvantage, which had already left them frustrated and angry. Now, galloping into the village, they were truly sharp as ever, unstoppable!
“Esteemed gentlemen, I am…”
Seeing this scene, Qin Hu’s face quickly changed, and with a smile, he rushed forward to greet them.
But in an instant, his face changed again.
Seeing him, the Hu people didn’t stop at all. Instead, they spurred their horses faster, their faces filled with cruel smiles, rushing toward him.
“Ahh…”
A flash of blade appeared. The opponent, man and horse as one, used the momentum of the charge. The power of the downward slash was practically comparable to a martial artist at the true energy stage.
Qin Hu barely managed to raise his steel blade to block.
Clang!
With a loud noise, his arm vibrated violently, his tiger’s mouth split open, and his long blade flew out. A huge wound appeared on his chest. He fell to the ground, blood foaming at the corner of his mouth, his eyes still showing signs of struggle, obviously in a dying state.
Clomp clomp!
Then, a large number of horse hooves trampled over him, crushing him into pulp.
“Kill!”
“Kill all the Han dogs!”
The Hu riders roared with excitement, scattering like tigers among sheep, continuing their slaughter.
The entire Daqing Village instantly turned into a living hell.
Near the ancestral hall, where the elderly, women, and children had been sheltered, the crowd awoke from their sleep in an uproar. Wang Yin also ran out in a disheveled manner: “What’s going on? Why have the Hu people already come in?”
In the chaos, who could answer him? He could only take out his snake spear and throw it, impaling a Hu cavalryman.
“Brother Wang!”
Wu Ming, wearing leather armor, suddenly arrived: “The Hu people launched a night raid, broke through the gate, it’s my fault! At this moment, we must go and kill the Hu leader to have a chance of survival!”
“I’m going too!”
Wang Yin stepped forward without hesitation.
Through Huang Ying’s reconnaissance, Wu Ming had long known that this person appeared cold but was warm-hearted, possessing a kind of honest and straightforwardness. At this moment, the future of the entire village rested in his hands, so he was even more determined to go.
“Yin’er!”
Wang Yin immediately drew his snake spear, not even glancing at the disheveled Wang Qiao running behind him, and followed Wu Ming.
…
“Hmm! Very good… With a thousand men outside and all the lives within the village, my ritual drum will certainly be refined to completion!”
At this moment, the Shaman Wu, wearing a deer-horn mask, disregarded the dangers of war. Riding a fine horse, he was followed closely by a ten-man squad entering the village, but they did not participate in the slaughter feast.
This person raised the blood-red ritual drum in his hand, continuously shaking and striking it, muttering incantations.
Under the firelight, the blood color on the drum was vividly dripping. Strange symbols on it seemed to have their own life, twisting like they were alive, exuding an eerie vibe.
“Cursed, the sorcerer is casting a spell!”
Seeing this scene, Wang Yin’s eyes turned red: “The Shaman’s ritual drum uses white bones as its frame and human skin as its surface, dyed with blood, capable of gathering the power of wronged souls…”
In ancient times, great importance was placed on what happened after death. Practices like the Shaman’s, which not only killed you but also prevented your soul from resting in peace, were hated even more than digging up someone’s ancestors’ graves.
Even Wu Ming felt his scalp tingling as he watched.
“Follow me and charge!”
Wang Yin shouted, pulling out a short spear from his back and hurling it forward. In an instant, a Hu cavalryman was pierced through.
“Protect the Shaman!”
The Hu cavalry roared and charged forward, dead riders rushing ahead.
“Kill!”
Wang Yin poured his strength into the snake spear, bending the long handle into a strange arc before swinging it fiercely.
Plop!
A Hu cavalryman, man and horse, fell down and was hacked to pieces by the following village guards.
“Shoot arrows!”
The two sides clashed fiercely, the battle extremely brutal.
Seeing this, the Shaman’s mask revealed a trace of disdain. Suddenly, he took out a bone whistle from his bosom and blew it with puffed cheeks.
Shh!
The piercing whistle sounded like invisible arrows. A village guard clutched his throat and fell straight to the ground, his face turning pitch black.
The Shaman kept blowing the whistle, and with each blow, someone fell. His ferocious might grew, and the surrounding Hu people gradually gathered, putting Wang Yin and others at a complete disadvantage.
“Don’t stand in front of the Shaman, his whistle is poisoned!”
Wu Ming had quietly kept his head down from the beginning and wasn’t the first target. After observing for a while, he immediately shouted.
“That’s right, don’t be in the line of the whistle!”
Wang Yin, moving like the wind, killed two more Hu cavalrymen and also shouted.
The village guards quickly scattered and took out their bows to defend against the enemies, but the Shaman remained calm, continuing to kill with the whistle.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, the surrounding light grew brighter, and terrifying red and yellow flames began to spread.
“The place is on fire!”
“The place is on fire!”
…
The dazzling flames almost illuminated the sky, making the entire Daqing Village tremble in the sea of fire.
“What’s going on?” Wang Yin was greatly alarmed: “Did the Hu people set the fire?”
But at this moment, the Shaman also looked somewhat anxious, shouting loudly as if trying to gather and organize his troops.
After all, the spreading fire had split up the entire Hu cavalry and even caused possible friendly fire.
Daqing Village was surrounded by earthen walls on all four sides, and the internal space wasn’t very large. The buildings were connected one after another. More importantly, the outermost parts were mostly wooden and grass structures, with even bricks being rare. Once it caught fire, it would be extremely dangerous.
If things went wrong, both the villagers of Daqing Village and the Hu people would perish together.
Neigh!
At this moment, the Shaman, accompanied by his last loyal Tu Lu warrior, pulled his horse’s reins, clearly intending to leave.
But how could Wu Ming let him go? Immediately, he took out a high-quality cowhorn bow from his back, drew the bowstring, and released an arrow.
Whoosh!
The wolf-toothed arrow aimed directly at the Shaman but was blocked by the horse, hitting its neck instead. Blood spurted out.
Shoot the horse first, the Shaman’s mount collapsed, and he rolled on the ground in a messy state.
“Ha! Take your life!”
Seeing that the Hu reinforcements were blocked by the fire, although anxious inside, how could Wang Yin miss this golden opportunity to capture or kill the enemy leader? He roared, his snake spear like a snake coming out of its cave, lifting the last Tu Lu warrior off his horse, and then charged toward the Shaman.
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