Chapter 8

The smoke of war suddenly rose.

Although Daxing Village had been well-prepared, when the village guards saw the enemy, they couldn't help but draw a sharp breath.

People!

Densely packed people!

Many nearby villagers, regardless of age, gender, or health, were all driven by the Hu people to attack the village like ants.

The villagers were all from the same area, and it was likely that they knew each other. Seeing their relatives and friends holding wooden sticks and stones, with numb faces, being driven forward, the wall of Daxing Village immediately became chaotic.

"The Hu people are truly mad!"

Wang Qiao and his son Wang Yin were so enraged that their eyes were bloodshot, and they cursed loudly. At the same time, their gazes towards Wu Ming were filled with admiration.

"Anyone who tries to rush up, kill them! Remember, you're not just fighting for yourselves, but also for your parents, wives, and children..."

Wu Ming, along with Qin Hu and a few fierce young men, took on the role of the supervisory team.

Earlier, he had clearly told the village head that the Hu people might drive the surrounding villagers to attack the village like ants. He suggested immediately implementing strict control in the entire village, gathering the elderly, women, and children together, and enlisting all able-bodied men into the village guards. He also established a supervisory team to suppress any unrest.

Due to Wang Qiao's humility, this thankless and unpopular position naturally fell to Wu Ming.

"Don't... Uncle!"

"Er Niu..."

"I'm Xiao Shitou..."

Under the urging of the Hu people, over a hundred almost unarmed villagers slowly moved forward, and both the attackers and defenders were in tears.

"Fire the arrows!"

Wu Ming's face was cold, and he suddenly shouted, "If the village falls, will any of us still be alive?"

"Fire!"

A sparse rain of arrows fell from the earth wall, and immediately, there were cries of pain below, and many people retreated and scattered.

"Charge!"

With the sound of hooves, dozens of Hu cavalry finally appeared before Wu Ming.

The Hu people wore fur coats, carried quivers, and rode swiftly, with longbows and curved swords on their sides.

Seeing the refugees flee, the leader of the Hu people shouted and immediately drew his bow on horseback, pulling it to a full moon and releasing it.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Bone arrows flew, and the fleeing people were immediately shot dead.

The remaining people were forcibly driven together, preparing for the next wave of attacks.

"Ha ha... Kill! Kill! Anyway, the ones dying are not our grassland people. The more others die, the better..."

Amidst the Hu people's mad laughter, several smoke signals came from the distance, and several dozen Hu cavalry arrived, bringing waves of captives.

The Hu people shouted, laughed, and even brutally killed men and abused women, without any concern.

"Beasts!"

Such a scene made Wang Qiao and others clench their teeth in anger.

As the second wave of villagers began their attack, the people on the earth wall were all in tears, speechless with grief.

"I... I can't, my third uncle is still down there!"

A young man, holding a stone, couldn't throw it and cried out.

Slap!

A whip lashed out, leaving a bloody mark on his back.

Wu Ming's frenzied roar echoed: "What are you waiting for? Throw it!"

The young man's hand trembled, and the stone fell.

The surrounding villagers gritted their teeth and began to kill, while many resentful gazes were directed at Wu Ming.

"Did you see that? Do you understand why I didn't let you do this?"

Wang Qiao secretly said to Wang Yin, "Otherwise... we would be the ones in the eye of the storm!"

Wu Ming naturally knew he had sown trouble for himself.

But he only needed to hold out for seven days, and he could leave, so he was fearless.

...

This wave of attacks continued until nightfall, and the area around Daxing Village was littered with bodies, a sight too gruesome to bear.

Even the village's stock of arrows, logs, and bricks had been significantly depleted, and the mental and physical strain on the village guards was even more shocking.

The moon was still bright in the sky, but the village was filled with faint cries.

"Master Wu Ming, I have brought you a meal!"

On the earth wall, Wu Ming was intently observing the surroundings. Seeing that Huang Ying, a woman, dared to come to this battlefield, he was somewhat surprised.

"I... I thought you hadn't eaten or drunk anything all day, so I specially came..."

Huang Ying's face turned slightly red, and she raised the food box in her hand.

"Thank you..."

Inside the food box were several steamed buns, dried meat, and a pot of wine. Wu Ming didn't hesitate and immediately started eating and drinking voraciously.

Huang Ying, who had mustered the courage to come up, now stood on the city wall and, seeing the scattered corpses below, felt dizzy and her eyes turned red. "These people are so pitiful!"

"The world is like a dream, and we are not exempt from it..."

Wu Ming, after eating and drinking his fill, suddenly said.

"I hope this nightmare will end soon!"

Huang Ying suddenly asked, "Master Wu Ming, is there any way to save these innocent people outside?"

"Beyond my power, what can I do?"

Wu Ming shook his head. "I know you might be very sad now, but please remember one thing: even with good intentions, you must do what you can. Otherwise, you will only bring disaster to yourself and those around you..."

Huang Ying seemed to be thinking. "Just like when you saved me yesterday?"

"Exactly!"

Wu Ming was taken aback for a moment and then said, "Yesterday, I had the confidence to save you, so I acted. If today I could fight a hundred or even single-handedly kill the shaman, I would have done so long ago. Unfortunately, my strength is not enough, what can I do?"

"I understand..."

Huang Ying bowed to Wu Ming and suddenly said, "The Hu cavalry has not been damaged at all, and our morale has been greatly shaken. In my opinion, we might not last three days..."

"Moreover... Brother Qin Hu seems to have his own plans..."

"Let him be..."

Wu Ming was silent for a moment and then said, "Have you thought about what our main mission is? And why the word 'choice' is emphasized?"

"Could it be..."

Huang Ying exclaimed.

"Exactly, our mission is just to survive... and nothing more!"

Wu Ming's lips curled into a smile. "It seems the Hu people won't attack again tonight. Can you find Qin Hu to replace me and help me with one more thing?"

...

Two days passed in a flash.

The Hu cavalry continuously drove all the villagers they could find to attack the village, consuming the defenders' strength in large numbers.

By the time all the nearby villagers were dead, nearly a thousand bodies lay around Daxing Village, and the surrounding villages were emptied.

Compared to this, the village's original moat, obstacles, and even its stored weapons were all significantly depleted, and the village guards had suffered casualties. More importantly, the morale of the defenders was severely damaged.

At this point, the real test had just begun.

"Fire the arrows!"

Arrows rained down!

After the refugees were all dead, the Hu cavalry, despite their reluctance, had to join the battle personally.

Wave after wave of arrows fell on the earth wall, blocked by wooden shields. Dozens of cavalry dismounted and charged, climbing up.

"Charge!"

At this moment, Wu Ming, Qin Hu, and a few village guard leaders, wearing leather armor and wielding tempered steel swords, led the other guards in fierce combat on the front line.

Only they, these experts at the third or fourth level of the Physical Body Realm, could barely rely on the terrain to resist the attacks of the Hu warriors.

"Watch my sword!"

Wu Ming's face was resolute. Facing a Hu warrior's charge, he did not flinch. He stepped forward, meeting the sword with his shoulder, leaving a deep mark on his leather armor and even feeling intense pain. But his steel sword, like a venomous dragon emerging from a ravine, fiercely pierced through a Hu warrior's chest.

The Hu people were poor, and some even used bone arrowheads, so they had few good armors.

Wu Ming, however, wore the best armor Daxing Village had, accumulated by the old man Wang Qiao. Combined with the advantage of the high ground, he had a significant edge.

[One Tulun warrior killed, 100 small merits earned!]

The提示 from the Main Hall of the God faintly echoed in Wu Ming's ears, but he no longer cared.

If he couldn't survive, what use would all the merits be?

"Everyone, step back, watch me!"

Suddenly, a loud shout came, and Wu Ming looked to see Wang Yin, wearing a suit of iron armor and holding an eight-foot spear, advancing like a god of war.

This suit of iron armor was the true treasure in Wang Qiao's arsenal!

In ancient times, iron was expensive, and such full-body armor required a tremendous amount of material and craftsmanship.

A suit of armor might not be worth the entire Daxing Village, but it was certainly worth half of it.

With Wang Yin's cultivation in true qi, combined with the iron armor, he was like a human killing machine!

He cut through the Hu people like a god, and they finally retreated, leaving several bodies behind. The village guards on the wall suddenly cheered, worshiping Wang Yin as a hero.

"Look!"

But then, a scream broke the atmosphere.

A village guard pointed to a nearby spot, his face filled with horror.

"Hmm?"

Wu Ming's eyes narrowed, and he saw a suspicious figure in the Hu camp, wearing a mask and a red drum at his waist.

"The Wolf God grants us strength!"

The Hu warrior with the deer horn mask shouted and patted his drum.

Thud! Thud!

The deep drumbeat resonated in everyone's hearts, making Wu Ming feel slightly uneasy. The Hu people, however, cheered loudly, and their wounds began to stop bleeding. Some lightly injured men tore off a strip of flesh, revealing new, tender skin, and were healed without medicine.

"Damn! Group healing of minor injuries?"

Wu Ming mentally cursed, naming the enemy's skill. Wang Qiao, however, screamed as if his throat was being choked: "It's a shaman! A Hu shaman, what evil have we done to deserve this?"

"Charge! The children of the Wolf God will never fear!"

The shaman's eyes moved, and he took out his drum, continuously beating it. A faint, bloody light appeared, enveloping the area.

The Hu people, enveloped in the light, shouted, full of energy and high morale, and charged forward. In contrast, the people on the earth wall were terrified, and their morale plummeted to the lowest point.