Chapter 158: A Gentleman Dies in Darkmoon City, Wenwen Escapes at the Cost of Her Life-The Imperial Mortician of the Great Zhou(Seventh Lord of the Northern Desert)

In the northern part of the city stood the abandoned City God Temple.

"Damn it, you bunch of pigs couldn't handle a single task!"

Abandoning his usual scholarly demeanor, Wang Hu lashed out with a kick, sending a bamboo-hatted man kneeling nearby crashing to the ground.

"Forgive us, My Lord. We brothers have successfully eliminated that old man Liu," the bamboo-hatted man stammered hurriedly.

"Is that so? Do I need to award you a prize for this?" Wang Hu looked at his dim-witted subordinate, laughing out of sheer fury.

"Forgive us, My Lord!"

Daring not to speak another word, the bamboo-hatted man kowtowed repeatedly on the cold ground.

"Go. Tell Xu Xiaoji of the Vanguard Camp to tear Dark Moon City apart down to its foundations if he must, but find that girl called Wenwen and kill her," Wang Hu ordered, removing a jade thumb ring from his hand and tossing it to the kneeling man.

"Understood!"

The bamboo-hatted man respectfully received the jade thumb ring with both hands and retreated as if granted a great reprieve.

***

At the gates of Dark Moon City, the forces of the Canal Guild and the Salt Guild had gathered. Armed with an array of weapons—broadswords, longspears, and red-tasseled spears—they stood at strict attention, waiting for the formidable enemy to arrive.

"Perhaps we should just hand this girl over to the authorities?" asked Huang Xinlong, leader of the Salt Guild.

"Dark Moon City has its own rules, and the foremost among them is that we never cooperate with the government," Yu Mofan, leader of the Canal Guild, replied in a deep, resolute voice.

"Besides, as for those scum of the Taiping Army, it is far from certain that we cannot handle them," Yu Mofan added firmly.

Huang Xinlong found himself with nothing more to say.

By dusk, a swarm of men in black, gripping long blades, had closed in around Dark Moon City.

At their vanguard was Xu Xiaoji, who played idly with the jade thumb ring in his hand.

"My Lord, how shall we deal with the people of Dark Moon City?" a subordinate inquired.

"Kill them all," Xu Xiaoji answered, his eyes turning icy.

Moments later, the men in black charged into Dark Moon City.

A piercing whistle cut through the air—the warning signal of a signaling arrow.

Immediately afterward, a cry rose from the ranks of the Canal Guild: "They're attacking!"

The members of the Canal Guild and the Salt Guild gripped their broadswords and longspears, engaging in fierce hand-to-hand combat with Xu Xiaoji's forces.

As the battle raged, Xu Xiaoji's men quickly gained the upper hand, their combat prowess far surpassing that of the local factions.

Huang Xinlong, leading his subordinates and brandishing a longspear, charged directly toward Xu Xiaoji.

Spotting the Salt Guild leader, a cold sneer touched the corners of Xu Xiaoji's mouth. With a wave of his hand, a hundred cavalrymen behind him instantly launched a charge against the Canal Guild forces.

Though these soldiers primarily fought on foot, their speed was by no means slow, and they were equipped with crossbows. As their horses galloped, they could loose long arrows with terrifying destructive power. Thus, while the cavalry utilized long-range archery in battle, the members of the Canal Guild could only attempt to parry the projectiles with their cold steel.

*Slash!*

A long arrow pierced straight through Canal Guild leader Yu Mofan's arm. Flesh tore and blood spurted as the shaft punched completely through, sending crimson spraying into the air.

"Aah! Aah! Aah..."

Excruciating pain wrung agonizing screams from Yu Mofan.

Seeing the guild leader wounded, a grim, vicious smile crossed Xu Xiaoji's face. With a flick of his longsword, he swept it directly across Yu Mofan's throat, sending a severed head spinning through the air.

The sight of Yu Mofan's decapitated head filled Xu Xiaoji with a surge of exhilaration.

"Kill them! Slaughter them all!"

Xu Xiaoji roared coldly, leading his cavalry straight into the thick of the Canal Guild's ranks, relentlessly reaping lives.

News of Yu Mofan's death spread quickly back into the interior of the Canal Guild, plunging the entire faction into an uproar. Berserk with fury, the members abandoned all regard for their own lives and charged at Xu Xiaoji.

Archers drew their bows to the full and let fly a volley into the oncoming tide of guild members.

*Bang, bang, bang!*

A dense barrage of sound echoed as wave after wave of arrows rained down among the combatants.

"Damn it!"

Blinded and overwhelmed by the thick hail of arrows, the Canal Guild members panicked; some failed to dodge in time and were directly impaled by the feathered shafts.

Though those with quick reflexes scrambled for cover, countless others fell, pierced by the volley.

With Yu Mofan dead, the Canal Guild descended into momentary chaos.

"Hear my order, brothers of the Canal Guild! Whether you are standing or fallen, get up right now! Grab your weapons and fight!" Huang Xinlong bellowed.

Startled for an instant, the Canal Guild members hoisted themselves back to their feet.

"Charge!"

"Kill them all!"

"Attack!"

Huang Xinlong's roaring voice reverberated endlessly in the ears of his men.

Stirred to boiling blood by his words, the guild members gripped their weapons and plunged back into the slaughter.

Those who had come to Dark Moon City were the Vanguard Camp of the Taiping Army—veterans who had survived the crucible of actual warfare.

Tempered by years on the battlefield, Xu Xiaoji's men possessed exceptionally refined combat techniques.

By contrast, the members of the Canal Guild appeared thoroughly amateurish. Knowing only how to defend rather than counterattack, they were routinely cut down the moment an unexpected situation arose.

"Big Brother, there are too many of them! How can we possibly hold them off?" Huang Xinlong shouted anxiously to the leader beside him as he watched their numbers dwindle.

"Hold the line! Take that girl Wenwen to the authorities!" Huang Xinlong roared furiously.

Nodding in grim acknowledgment, several guild members turned and hurried toward the inner stronghold of Dark Moon City.

"Hmph! Let any of you try to move, and I'll strike him dead on the spot."

Noticing the movement toward the ramparts, Xu Xiaoji sneered coldly. With a flick of his wrist, he drove his sharp sword straight through the chest of a Canal Guild member. Without even a chance to struggle, the man crashed rigidly to the ground.

Brandishing his longsword, Xu Xiaoji swept his gaze over the remaining guild members, who watched him with timid, trembling eyes. "You would all do well to stay still. Whoever moves meets the same fate. And remember—whoever dares lay a finger on Wenwen dies by my hand!"

The heads of the Canal Guild members lowered in defeat.

"You bastard!"

Glaring at Xu Xiaoji with burning rage, Huang Xinlong knew that if Wenwen fell into enemy hands, the Canal Guild would be truly beyond salvation.

With a cold snort, Huang Xinlong turned and led his remaining men toward the ramparts. By this point, a squad of Salt Guild members had already surrounded Wenwen and was escorting her toward the tower.

A triumphant smile touched Xu Xiaoji's lips as he watched them retreat.

Leading his own men, Xu Xiaoji charged swiftly up toward the ramparts.

Huang Xinlong's subordinates formed a tight defensive circle around Wenwen. She stared wide-eyed at Xu Xiaoji, her gaze brimming with terror.

"Son of a bitch, your opponent is me!"

Roaring with rage, Huang Xinlong lunged forward, hacking fiercely with his short saber at Xu Xiaoji.

"Hmph!"

With a light scoff, Xu Xiaoji danced his longsword through the air, effortlessly deflecting Huang Xinlong's blade and sending it spinning away. Without missing a beat, he thrust the point directly toward Huang Xinlong's chest. Huang Xinlong twisted wildly to evade, but his reflexes were ultimately no match for the speed of the sword. The blade punched a ragged hole through his left arm, and blood instantly gushed from the wound.

Seeing their leader injured, Huang Xinlong's followers roared in anger, brandishing their weapons as they swarmed forward. Xu Xiaoji merely sneered, flicking his wrist to cleanly sever another neck.

*Thud!*

The man crashed rigidly to the earth, his corpse falling still even as a thick column of scarlet blood erupted from his nostrils, eye sockets, and mouth.

Terrified by the sheer brutality of Xu Xiaoji's killings, the approaching members faltered, frozen in place.

"Hmph!" Xu Xiaoji swept his gaze across the crowd, his eyes radiating a dense, suffocating murderous intent. He looked upon the surrounding mob with utter disdain.

Paralyzed by fear, the Canal Guild members stood entirely at a loss. The battlefield plunged into an eerie, suffocating silence, broken only by the bated breath of men terrified that even the sound of their own breathing might shatter the fragile quiet.

"Are you all out of your minds? Death finds us either way—fight him to the bitter end!" Huang Xinlong bellowed at the top of his lungs.

His words snapped the guild members out of their trance. A warrior raised a heavy battle-axe and charged directly at Xu Xiaoji.

A cold gleam flashed in Xu Xiaoji's eyes. With a twitch of his sword, the charging man collapsed into the dust.

"Is that it? And here I thought you mounted some formidable resistance. Turns out you're nothing special after all!" Xu Xiaoji taunted, mocking Huang Xinlong openly.

Huang Xinlong's face turned ashen. Raging fires flickered in his eyes, yet he was utterly powerless.

Xu Xiaoji lunged again, his longsword driving straight for Huang Xinlong.

*Clang!*

Huang Xinlong parried the strike with his sword. The meeting of steel sent a shower of sparks flying and a violent shockwave up his arm, leaving his thumb and forefinger completely numb and throbbing with agonizing pain.

He staggered back several paces.

Sizing up the situation, Xu Xiaoji glided forward in a blur of motion, pressing his advantage relentlessly.

His footwork was uncanny, each fluid movement forcing Huang Xinlong further onto the defensive.

Desperate, Huang Xinlong retreated continuously, deploying every evasion technique in his arsenal to dodge the onslaught.

With relentless momentum, Xu Xiaoji pursued him, their figures weaving through the air in a fierce, breathless exchange of blows. Meanwhile, Xu Xiaoji's subordinates continued to slaughter the remaining guild members, fueling Huang Xinlong's dark, icy despair with bitter rage.

With a sudden shift in tempo, Xu Xiaoji thrust his sword toward Huang Xinlong's throat.

Twisting his torso sharply to the side, Huang Xinlong managed to dodge the fatal strike by a hair's breadth.

Yet Xu Xiaoji's swordsmanship was exquisite beyond measure. Mid-thrust, the blade altered its trajectory in an instant, veering toward Huang Xinlong's shoulder.

Huang Xinlong threw himself aside once more, but failed to anticipate that Xu Xiaoji's wrist would roll gracefully, snapping the point of the sword toward his elbow joint. Raising his arm in a frantic block, Huang Xinlong tried to deflect the blow.

A cold smirk played on Xu Xiaoji's lips. With a sudden twist, the longsword slipped neatly past Huang Xinlong's defensive guard and drove straight for his throat.

Panic seized Huang Xinlong. He whipped his blade around in a desperate counter-attack.

Fast though he was, he could not escape the net of Xu Xiaoji's pursuit. The longsword swept cleanly across Huang Xinlong's neck.

*Slash!*

A muffled gurgle escaped Huang Xinlong's throat as a jet of crimson sprayed across the earth, painting the ground in vibrant scarlet.

His pupils dilated sharply, and his body grew limp, sliding slowly down into the dust.

His head struck the hard ground with a heavy thud, coming to a rest as his eyes froze, filled to the brim with despair and bitter hatred.

Withdrawing his blade, Xu Xiaoji planted a boot squarely atop Huang Xinlong's head.

Blood trickled from the skull as the dead man's eyes rolled blankly.

"Huang Xinlong is dead!"

Overcome by a fresh wave of panic at the sight, the remaining defenders cried out in absolute terror.

Their leader was dead. They would all die next!

Yet almost immediately, that crushing despair morphed into reckless fury.

Howling like madmen, wave after wave of Canal Guild members threw themselves at Xu Xiaoji, casting aside all thoughts of self-preservation.

*Bang, bang, bang!*

*Slash, slash, slash, slash!*

Powerless against the overwhelming gulf in martial skill, the defenders fell one by one, staining the earth deep red with their blood.

"Brothers, let's fight him to the death!"

"Fight them! Charge!"

"Kill...!"

"Kill!"

Driven to madness, the men of the Canal Guild gripped their weapons and hurled themselves blindly at Xu Xiaoji's elite troops.

Yet the sheer gap in strength meant their sacrifice bought nothing.

Within moments, the ground around Xu Xiaoji's boots was littered with a tangled heap of corpses.

It was precisely at this moment that Xu Xiaoji realized the girl called Wenwen had vanished without a trace.

"Pursue them!"

His face darkening, Xu Xiaoji snapped the order to the dozen surviving men in black behind him.