Chapter 195: Chapter 145: Life Exchange
RUMBLE!!
The whole Snake Fish Town seemed to be experiencing earth-shaking tremors.
"What?"
"Demon People from Peace Path have attacked Snake Fish Town!"
Li Yuancheng, who had leaped onto the rooftops in the Medicine and Firewood Market, saw a column of Demon People wearing yellow headbands charging toward the official residence, resembling an army in their assault.
With just a preliminary estimate, he reckoned the column of Demon People numbered at least five hundred!
He didn’t know why, but at this moment, Li Yuancheng’s heart surged with a torrent of hot-blooded excitement and joy.
"Excellent, truly excellent!"
He was a veteran who had fought in countless battles, accustomed to death and injury on the battlefield. Back then, every charge didn’t just signify mortal danger; it also meant enemy heads and military exploits.
If he hadn’t been schemed against and framed, he could have climbed to a Junior Colonel’s position in the army by now; even Colonel wouldn’t have been impossible.
Now, although restored to his former position as Deputy Constable, anyone in the government ranks with a shred of ambition for their future wouldn’t be content to stagnate.
"Fellow arrest officers! Demon People are attacking Snake Fish Town! Military exploits, military exploits are here for the taking!"
Thus, Li Yuancheng bellowed and, without hesitation, unsheathed his saber and charged towards the official residence.
"Demon People! Military exploits!"
The other arrest officers accompanying him felt similarly; they weren’t shocked but rather elated.
Their reasoning was simple.
They had originally followed the City Defense Forces into the mountains, assuming it was merely a formality, not anticipating encountering many Demon People from Peace Path.
But now, these audacious Demon People from Peace Path, fully aware that the official army was coming into the mountains to pacify the Demon People, hadn’t fled into the deep mountains. Instead, they dared to strike back against the Imperial Court!
This was outright rebellion!
This was an entirely different concept from pacifying Demon People. Imperceptibly, their current mission had shifted from ’Pacifying Demon People’ to ’Quelling Rebellion.’
The difference in meaning between these two tasks also signified a vast difference in the potential merit.
Killing a rebel versus killing a Demon Person—the value was worlds apart!
"Rebels! Peace Path has rebelled! These are all military exploits! Kill them!"
In an instant, the eyes of these arrest officers turned bloodshot. Following Li Yuancheng, they all surged forward to surround the official residence.
Chen Ku was also on a nearby rooftop, his claws gripping the eaves, his heart pounding as he intently watched the raging battle near the official residence.
Good heavens, Peace Path isn’t even trying to hide it anymore. Are they really going to revolt?
He couldn’t help but reflect on his own role in this.
Originally, he had only wanted to divert the trouble, to let Peace Path—already at odds with him and the Medicine King Hall—take the blame and shift the government’s attention away from him.
He never imagined that a casual flap of his wings, so to speak, would actually lead to Peace Path launching an outright rebellion.
But then he reconsidered.
No, I’m giving myself too much credit. Those Demon People from Peace Path were never saints to begin with. Offering free medical treatment and gathering the faith of the rural populace—their ambitions were likely never small. My actions were, at most, a small catalyst.
Even without him, Peace Path would have taken this step sooner or later.
He had, at most, merely advanced their timeline a little.
His thoughts settled, Chen Ku watched the battle near the official residence with a flicker of interest. However, his gaze also fell upon his brother-in-law, Li Yuancheng, who was leading the charge toward the official residence.
Huh? Li Yuancheng, what are you doing? Faced with this, you don’t retreat but charge forward? Are you that desperate for merit?
Seeing Li Yuancheng and several arrest officers yelling as they charged, he frowned slightly but quickly understood his brother-in-law’s reasoning.
For his brother-in-law, rebels weren’t a bad thing; on the contrary, they were a good thing.
They signified an opportunity to achieve distinction and build his career.
Chen Ku had originally intended only to eliminate the two individuals from the Ancient Elephant Sect, clear his name of suspicion, and then slip away. Now, however, he found himself focusing on Li Yuancheng.
He could disregard others.
But this was, after all, a battle involving over a thousand people. With the government having mobilized even the City Defense Forces, one could easily deduce that the Demon People attacking the official residence in Snake Fish Town were no mere rabble; they had to be an elite force.
Casualties in such battlefield clashes were all too common, all too easy. Even someone highly skilled in Martial Arts risked being struck by a stray arrow or overwhelmed by sheer numbers.
Chen Ku felt that, having witnessed this, he couldn’t just stand idly by. He couldn’t just watch Li Yuancheng potentially get into serious trouble; if that happened, his sister would become a widow.
So, he moved his four small paws, swift as the wind, and in no time, neared the vicinity of the official residence.
Arriving, he saw that the official residence had been extensively damaged by explosions. Although many corpses of government officials lay among the ruins, the City Defense Forces seemed to have suffered no severe casualties.
The reason for this was simple.
As the ’army’ subordinate to Baojiao County, the City Defense Forces were not only equipped with standardized sabers and Divine Force Crossbows, but every soldier also wore armor.
The Explosion Talisman Papers thrown into the official residence had indeed caused some casualties among the government personnel, but their effect against the armored City Defense Forces was limited.
After the barrage of Talisman Papers, the City Defense Forces immediately and orderly formed ranks, appearing outside the official residence.
Among them, the equipment of ten City Defense soldiers was particularly conspicuous.
These were the Divine Force Crossbows.
Each Divine Force Crossbow shimmered with the cold gleam of refined steel. It measured three feet three inches in length, with a bowstring of two feet five inches. They resembled traditional bows and arrows, but their ingeniously crafted mechanisms and components allowed the bowstring to be drawn to its fullest extent by turning a crank. As ten soldiers operated these cranks, a CREAKING sound filled the air as the bowstrings were pulled taut to a full moon, vibrating the air and unleashing a volley of arrows!