Chapter 56: Uninvited Guests
Leaving the inn, Xu Min and Cao Cao walked around the city for some time. Both observed everything around them. Most of the things they saw were different kinds of shops and stalls. Some of the shops sold medicinal pills while others sold armor and weapons.
Small stalls were selling food and drink to any of the passersby willing to buy them. A few traveling merchants, on the other hand, had made small stalls in their carriers, calling out what they sold and their incredibly low prices.
Many experts were moving within the town. Some were wearing elegant clothes with guards following behind them, and some were in tattered clothes, trying to beg for some coin or food. Mercenaries were laughing out loud while bragging about the monsters they had killed or the treasures they had found. Guards from the city lord's mansion would patrol the streets to ensure that no one started any trouble.
Commoners could be seen here and there. Some were maids running errands for their masters while others were citizens working in the various shops. Everywhere Xu Min looked hordes of people were moving around. They were apparently used to the city being this crowded.
However, Xu Min was not used to this many people in one place, and he quickly found that he could not move forward unless he started using his elbows and power to push his way gently through the many people.
While pushing his way through all these people, he tightly held his jade card in his hand, ensuring that no one had the possibility of stealing it.
Xu Min moved further and further away from the center of town. The further out he went the fewer shops he found, and the easier it became to move. Xu Min was not looking for any physical items within these shops, but to find someone who was familiar with the Ruins of the Immortals and get some information.
Just as Xu Min was about to head down an alleyway to look for a poor person who would be willing to sell knowledge for money, he suddenly saw a massive shadow appearing from above. Looking up, he could not help but swallow deeply.
In the air, a massive ship was hovering. Four pairs of pearl white wings were on the side of the ship, con flapping, keeping the ship in the air.
"Everyone! We are an envoy from the Snow Mountain of the Dragon Ruins! We will be taking over this city. Should you wish to do battle, then expect your entire city to be dyed in blood. You have one hour to surrender. If you do not, then we will attack at full force!"
The speaker’s voice rang throughout the entire city. The streets which had been bustling with life were so quiet now. It was so still that even a needle being dropped on the ground would be heard. The silence had lasted for a full moment before everyone heard a person scream. After the scream, everyone woke up from their trance; the merchants instantly packed up their items and started pushing their way out of the city.
Xu Min was standing still; he was pondering on what to do. Many citizens had already started returning to their houses, to the mansions they belonged to or the gate. They were trying to escape alongside the rest of the merchants.
Xu Min had all his items with him, so he did not return to the inn. He did not get ready to move either. He did not know what the Snow Mountain was, but he did know what the Dragon Ruins were.
The Ruins of the Immortals was a province filled with many ruins. These ruins had been cities back in their prime, and each one of them was a thousand times thousand kilometers wide. While the entire region was named Ruins of the Immortals, each of the ruins had different names. The Dragon Ruins were a set of ruins fairly close to the area where Xu Min had entered the region.
Xu Min guessed the Snow Mountain was some faction that originated from within the Dragon Ruins. Although these factions were about to do battle, Xu Min felt that it had nothing to do with him. He was an adventurer who had just arrived in the city. If there was a battle, then he would find a place outside the battle and just observe. It did not matter to him who won.
Deciding not to be drawn into the battle, Xu Min jumped on top of a building. He sat down and looked up at the ship in the air. Xu Min had never seen, nor heard, about a ship capable of flying in the air and looking at it it was at least several hundred meters long and fifty to hundred meters wide. One could hear the many experts marching on top of it. While the four sets of wings were flapping in a calm and controlled manner, which kept them hovering over the middle of the city.
The city's street had emptied. There was not even one citizen out anymore. Xu Min was all alone looking at the ship. An hour quickly passed, but no soldiers had emerged from the city lord's mansion nor had anyone announced surrender either. Looking at the reaction of the city lord's mansion Xu Min was puzzled, but he did not have time to wonder for long.
Abruptly long ropes were thrown from the ship, and experts climbed down. A few of them jumped straight over the side of the ship and landed on the ground, causing tremors to run through the city as though there was a line of earthquakes. To be able to jump from the ship one had to be at least a six-star Warrior, and looking at these warriors, Xu Min was taken aback. There was at least a hundred experts of the sixth rank and above while the weaker ones were climbing down the ropes.
Once the experts landed down on the ground, they instantly started slaughtering everyone around them. They ruthlessly entered houses, inns, shops, and stalls. Not caring at all, they killed everyone they came across.
Xu Min's heart grew cold, watching this merciless carnage, and he was filled with anger as he saw how the children and women were being killed right in front of him. His eyes exploded with anger. He had not expected these experts would kill helpless and weak citizens who were incapable of protecting themselves. Murdering citizens was enough to thoroughly anger Xu Min; he then jumped from the tall building he had been seating on. He looked at the many experts pouring into the roads.
"Kill them all! Let blood run in this city. Let the City Lord know that we have no intention of backing down. They can hide and barricade themselves within the mansion, but they will be forced to join the battle sooner or later!" A yell sounded out in the entire city. The flame of hate that always burned within his chest suddenly burst open, and Xu Min looked at the road behind him. It was a small alleyway, but a lot of women and children were hiding within it. All of them were citizens. None of them were cultivators, and they were filled with fear.
It was clear that they were giving up their lives, hugging one another with tears fell from the eyes of the adults while the children constantly asked what was happening. Looking at this pitiful scene, Xu Min was reminded of his sister who was killed for no apparent reason. He placed himself in front of the entrance and unsheathed his sword from his back.
'Sorry Cao Cao,' he whispered, 'I am afraid that we are going to be in a tight situation. I cannot accept these experts to kill wantonly like this. I am not strong enough to protect everyone within this city, but let me fight for the ones who are standing behind us. You can go mad and kill as many as you want to, but as long as they are soldiers of the Snow Mountain.'
Hearing what Xu Min said, Cao Cao did not disagree. Instead, he solemnly nodded his head. He was rarely serious. Yet, today he was aware that there was nothing funny about their current situation. He stopped relying on the Shroud of Shadows which usually hid him from the eyes of humans. Thus, the snake suddenly appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
The two of them stood leaning against the house which led down the alleyway. Hidden in the shadows, both had their senses completely sharpened. They attentively listened to the footsteps that were coming increasingly close.
Tightening his grip around the sword, Xu Min's eyes went cold. They were filled with killing intent. At his neck was a small green snake which also emitted a strong a killing intent; both were ready to jump at the first person who appeared in front of them.
Behind them, the children and women became completely quiet. They gazed at Xu Min with hope in their eyes; a hope tinged still with agony. Even if they were to survive, they would stand to lose a lot, and none of them could afford to do so.
'I don't know if I regret going to this city.' Xu Min casually sent to Cao Cao, 'although it would have been easier in another city these people would not have had a chance at all. I wonder if this means that they are lucky or not?' he contemplated for some time until he heard footsteps so close to them t he had to concentrate fully on the battle at hand.
Slithering down the body of Xu Min, Cao Cao looked out at the main road before he slithered back. 'We are in luck. It is a group of four, but all of them are three-star experts. I am sure they are far below the quality of the likes of Tang Jin, so you should be able to deal with them on your own. However, I will lend you a hand. This is a battle of attributes, and although the sword can help us a big deal, you still need to be careful. We saw six-star warriors after all. The absorption is not very powerful against them.'
Nodding his head, Xu Min acknowledged what Cao Cao said. His expression was serious as he readied himself to advance. On the ground was Cao Cao, ready to entangle and poison some of the experts.
Although Cao Cao had told Xu Min to watch his energy, this was also the case for the small snake. He had a lot of poison in his glands, but he also had a limit to how much poison he could use. Without poison, though he could strangle opponents, it was far from as efficient as the poison.
Man and beast were standing still. They waited for the footsteps to be right in front of them. Once the footsteps stood squarely before them, Xu Min’s sword flashed slashing the enemy. Only the afterimage of a sword could be seen; yet the exact moment the blood sprayed from the chest of one expert,h the other expert who was standing by his side had also received a part of the sword attack. Though the first expert was severed from the top to his lower body, the second expert only had a superficial wound.
Seeing the shock on the Snow Mountain Warriors, Xu Min did not wait another moment. With another flick of his hand, the sword danced around, cutting and slicing, chopping and stabbing, instantly getting rid of the four experts.
Sighing deeply, Xu Min immediately dragged the corpses into the alleyway. There was much blood on the ground, but not many of the warriors would worry about this. However, seeing lifeless bodies of their comrades is a different story. They would instantly become worried. Getting rid of the corpses could allow for Xu Min to use the element of surprise once more. The more he could surprise, the less energy he needed to use, and the more he could kill while keeping the children and women behind him safe.