"Master, the city gates are twenty feet high; climbing is impossible. Our men are already clearing the entrance, please be patient for a few days," Qin Xue advised. Her only intention was to stall Xiao Man until the Prince of Qin arrived. If she couldn't stop Xiao Man, surely the Prince of Qin could!
Xiao Man surveyed the surroundings carefully, then said after a moment, "Fetch a rope."
"Master, a rope cannot be thrown up there. Even if it were, there's nothing to secure it to; it would be useless!"
"Just get the rope, why so much nonsense?"
Qin Xue touched her nose and immediately ordered a hemp rope to be brought. Xiao Man inspected its length and said, "Bring another bundle, tie them together."
"Yes."
Xiao Man judged the rope to be long enough. With their strength, throwing it over the city wall was impossible, but they had the strongman Du Gu Luo with them.
Xiao Man beckoned to Du Gu Luo, "Give me your sword."
Du Gu Luo dismounted his greatsword from his back and handed it to Xiao Man. Xiao Man tied the rope to the sword and then handed it to Du Gu Luo, "See the city wall? Throw it up."
Du Gu Luo nodded fiercely, hefted his greatsword, spun twice, and sent it whistling towards the city wall. However, the wall was too high; his sword didn't reach the top but lodged halfway up.
Qin Xue glanced at the height and breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it wasn't high enough.
Seeing this, Xiao Man ordered several long spears to be brought and handed them to Du Gu Luo, "Throw them at the wall, each one higher than the last."
Du Gu Luo swung his arm, gripped a spear, and threw it. It landed firmly in the city wall, its tail vibrating.
Xiao Man nodded in satisfaction and handed him another spear, "Higher."
Du Gu Luo threw four spears in succession, with two embedding themselves in the wall. Xiao Man assessed the height and believed she could ascend with her lightness skill.
She immediately leaped up, using the rope to reach the first greatsword embedded in the wall. Then, using the sword as a leverage point, she leaped to the second. The people below watched with bated breath, fearing she would fall and be shattered.
Xiao Man looked at the last leverage point. With a push of her foot, the spear shaft snapped under the strain! The second foothold had broken!
Fortunately, Xiao Man landed steadily on the final leverage point. She looked upwards; the distance seemed manageable. With a surge of power, she shot towards the city wall. However, despite reaching with all her might, she couldn't grasp the wall and began to fall. Qin Xue, terrified, covered her eyes.
Xiao Man landed back on the last leverage point. The spear shaft beneath her foot made a creaking sound under the strain, threatening to break. Xiao Man took a deep breath and leaped again. This time, she finally caught the city wall, hanging precariously. The last foothold broke as she ascended. Xiao Man glanced down at the city wall and, using it for leverage, sprang onto the parapet and disappeared.
"Heaven preserve us, please let nothing happen!" Qin Xue's heart pounded. She then turned and stomped on the head of a captured Western District soldier, "You bastards, if anything happens to my master, I'll make you all pay with your lives!"
Inside the city, a noxious mix of smells permeated the air: the stench of decaying corpses, the smoke from burning bodies, and the odor of mud and filth left by the floodwaters that had not been promptly cleared.
Xiao Man, her face covered with a cloth, moved through the city. Wen Mo Han's people were highly efficient; they had already cleared two streets. The despairing citizens, waiting to die, refused to move when they saw people entering Zhang County.
Others had come before, promising rescue, but they had ultimately died. Then the city gates were sealed, and no one else entered. They had watched their loved ones perish, utterly helpless. The mine disaster had struck them first, the flood second, and the plague was the final blow, extinguishing any will to survive.
Guards searched through the rubble for survivors. Fortunately, many were still alive. Wen Mo Han had his men escort the living out, providing them with food and clean clothes, while he himself, covered in grime, continued the search. From the Sudan novel network.
Xiao Man navigated through the ruins, examining the bodies. Rescuing people was Wen Mo Han's task; her job was to confirm the type of plague and prescribe the correct treatment, or at the very least, ascertain the situation and hold out until others arrived.
When Nangong Yu received the news, his face turned ashen. Si Chen quietly retreated two steps, knowing his lord was furious.
"Order Ye Qing to go to Zhang County and await further instructions immediately."
"My lord, what is he to do in Zhang County?"
"A plague has broken out in Zhang County, and Wen Mo Han has gone in."
"Wen Mo Han went in, why are you in such a hurry, my lord? If he dies in there, you'll have eliminated a love rival without lifting a finger!" Si Ye blurted out.
Si Chen quickly pinched him. Si Ye winced in pain.
"Princess Yong Ning has also gone in!"
"Is she tired of living? Knowing there's a plague, she still dares to go in?" Si Ye was truly outspoken. "Is Wen Mo Han so important to her that she would risk... Ow!"
Si Chen was truly exasperated. He fiercely pinched Si Ye again. "You'll die by your loose tongue sooner or later. Didn't you see my lord's face turn green? You're just adding fuel to the fire; you're courting death!"
"Transmit the order: the army will march and capture Pang Tong!"
"Understood."
The Silver Armor Army moved swiftly, disappearing under the cover of night towards the Western District military camp. Pang Tong, having failed to find the missing silver at the refugee camp and seething with anger, had just returned to his barracks when the camp was surrounded.
Just as he was about to unleash his fury, his legs weakened upon seeing the uniform silver armor. Why was the Silver Armor Army here? When had they arrived?
Nangong Yu sat on his horse, his gaze icy. His serene face betrayed no emotion.
"Your subordinate salutes His Highness the Prince of Qin."
"Arrest him."
"Your Highness the Prince of Qin, what crime have I committed?" Pang Tong struggled desperately but to no avail. "Your Highness, no matter how high your position, you cannot arrest me without reason!"
"Corruption, bribery, reselling official grain, secretly manufacturing weapons. Which of these is not a capital offense?" Nangong Yu's voice was devoid of inflection. With each word, Pang Tong's heart grew colder.
"This is slander!"
"Slander?" Nangong Yu sneered. "Do you think I would dare to arrest you without evidence?"
Pang Tong's mind raced. What to do? If the Prince of Qin had evidence, he was surely doomed. No, he couldn't just wait to die. He immediately looked towards his副将 (fùjiàng - second-in-command) Luo Fei. However, Luo Fei kept his eyes on his nose and his nose on his heart, remaining impassive.