Chapter 10

Feeling the vibrations of hooves transmitted to the ground, the fleeing crowd scattered in cries and screams, fear, oppression, and panic spread and enveloped everyone's hearts. The demon hidden deep within seemed to be released at that moment.

"Get out of the way! Give me the horse!"

Kugo, the young man, was so agitated that his expression became grotesque as he shouted, his spear wildly thrusting at Xiaolan.

Xiaolan, who had been suppressing and enduring, could no longer bear the current situation. When the spear thrust at him, he instinctively parried it with his long sword, which he had been trained to use for a long time. In the next moment, he raised his sword and fiercely slashed down!

"Ah!"

A line of blood appeared in the middle of Kugo's head, tearing and widening. Blood spurted out, and Kugo fell to the ground with an expression of disbelief.

The fleeing crowd was drawn to Kugo's final shout, and the young men surrounding Xiaolan were shocked. They never expected this young boy to actually kill someone!

"The boy is asking for death!"

The first to react was a young man who angrily raised his sword and swung it at Xiaolan.

Xiaolan, still in a daze after the killing, heard the sound and instinctively dodged the sword attack. Stimulated again, Xiaolan was no longer restrained by reason. When the young man's sword attacked again, Xiaolan sidestepped, twisted his body to avoid the attack, and his sword seemed to move uncontrollably, swiftly slashing at the other's neck!

"Swish!"

Xiaolan's counterattack was very fast. The young man's head instinctively tilted back to avoid the danger, and the sword that should have cut his neck instead slashed across it!

Blood spurted out from the young man's throat, and he dropped his sword, clutching his throat with both hands, trying to stop the blood from flowing. He wanted to call for help but couldn't make a sound.

"Whoever dares to come near, I'll kill them! All of you, back off!"

Xiaolan, drenched in blood, held his sword and pointed it at the surrounding young men, shouting fiercely. After killing two people, Xiaolan's image had become an enemy in their eyes, but no one dared to step forward. Although Xiaolan was young, his long-term training in swordsmanship made him much stronger than these ordinary people. People are selfish, and the two young men lying in pools of blood were a warning. No one wanted to step forward and be the next to die.

Seeing the crowd being intimidated and backing off, Xiaolan slowly retreated to the saddle, scanned the area, and immediately stepped on the stirrup, mounting the horse. He told Lona and Lady Lisa to hold on tightly, then pulled the reins and galloped away down a road!

As Xiaolan and his group rode away, the cavalry sent by Khurasan arrived late. Seeing the fleeing crowd in the distance, the Ossan cavalrymen let out a roar. These were their spoils of war, the women and children they would enjoy.

...

"Are there any other fleeing women and children? If I find out you're lying, I won't mind using your head as my 37th goblet!"

The cavalry commander, Shah, placed his curved sword on the neck of a kneeling young man who was begging for mercy, speaking in imperfect Eldran.

Around Shah, the Ossan cavalry had completely surrounded the fleeing crowd. Those who managed to escape were cruelly hunted down and killed. Many of the Ossan cavalrymen couldn't control their desires and were ravaging the women they could see.

The women and children cried and screamed, while the Ossan barbarians laughed wildly. The young men who had led and protected them were now headless corpses scattered on the ground.

The only remaining young man trembled under the curved sword of the enemy leader, his pants wet with fear. He seemed not to hear Shah's question, still bowing and begging for mercy.

Shah frowned, kicked the man several times, and asked the same question again.

"All the fleeing people are here. There are no other groups. I swear, I'm not lying! Please don't kill me. I'll do anything, please don't kill me."

The pain seemed to bring the young man back to his senses, and he cried and begged for mercy, answering Shah's question.

"Really no more?"

A flash of cold light, and Shah cut off the young man's arm and asked again.

"Ah!... Really... really... no more..."

The sudden pain from the severed arm made the young man cry out in agony, his words stammering.

Another flash of cold light.

"Are you sure?"

The young man, now with both arms cut off, seemed to be on the brink of collapse. The sound of death echoed in his ears, and he knelt on the ground, his eyes glazed over.

"Indeed... no... other... groups... But... three people... rode... horses... from... the southeast... first... Spare... my life... spare... my life..."

Suddenly, something came to the young man's mind, and his dim eyes flickered. He struggled to speak, hoping to avoid further torture and save his life.

"Hmph!"

The curved sword decapitated the young man, and Shah turned away, not looking at the dirty and wretched figure. He waved his hand, signaling for his men to come over.

"Three rabbits escaped to the southeast. You and your men chase them down and kill them to prevent any news from leaking and delaying our plans."

Karam, who was given the order, was reluctant. His brothers were enjoying themselves, while he had to chase a few rabbits again. But Shah was his leader, and the consequences of disobeying would be severe.

Calling five equally reluctant men, Karam mounted his horse and whipped it, galloping off to the southeast.

...

"Brother! Brother! I feel so bad! Can we stop for a moment?"

The jolting of the galloping horse made Lona shout loudly in Xiaolan's ear. When Xiaolan killed the men, Lady Lisa and Lona were terrified. They couldn't understand why the kind and sensible Xiaolan they knew would suddenly turn violent. But during their escape, they began to understand that without Xiaolan's actions, they might already be in grave danger.

Hearing Lona's voice, Xiaolan thought that if the Ossan barbarians were pursuing, they would focus on the larger group of fleeing people, and they might not pay attention to a few stragglers. Moreover, his own body was also feeling nauseous and uncomfortable. He gradually slowed the horse and stopped under a large tree.

Dismounting, Lady Lisa and Lona walked to one side and vomited violently. Their constitutions were weak, and they had rarely experienced such intense jolting. It was normal for them to feel nauseous and vomit, and even Xiaolan himself felt some discomfort, though not as severe.

"Madam, Lona, for safety, we'll rest for a while and then head to the Kanser military town. We should arrive by evening."

Xiaolan tied the horse's reins and spoke to Lady Lisa and Lona, who were not far away.

"Brother! I'm so thirsty and hungry!"

Lona, whose body had gradually calmed down, came to Xiaolan's side, tugging at his clothes, her dry, pale lips trembling as she looked at Xiaolan with a pitiful expression.

When they were hiding behind Laydan, the food was poor. The Ossan barbarians' attack was so sudden that most of the fleeing people only carried valuable items, and their meals were just enough to fill their stomachs with bread and well water. When the Ossan barbarians attacked again in the morning, people had barely eaten anything before fleeing.

Now, the three of them had no food or water. After half a day of fleeing and the intense jolting, hunger and thirst were inevitable.

"Lona, let brother rest for a while. When we reach Kanser military town in the evening, your mother will buy you something to eat." Lady Lisa, who had adjusted her body, came to Xiaolan's side and patted Lona's head, smiling to comfort her. Although she herself was also enduring hunger and thirst, it was not a big problem for now.

"It's fine, Lady Lisa. I'll go look for something to eat. I'm worried that Lona's body won't hold up."

"But, your body..."

"It's fine, really. A little walk will be a good rest." Xiaolan refused Lady Lisa's concern, turned around, and squatted down to touch Lona's little nose. "Lona, be a good girl and wait here with your mother. Maybe brother will bring back some big, sweet fruit for you."

"Okay, I knew brother was the best!"

Seeing Lona's smile, Xiaolan felt a sense of peace. The current safety seemed to release the fear and suppression that had been weighing on his heart for days, and the future looked brighter.

"Madam, please keep this sword for self-defense. I'm worried about your safety after I leave. Having a weapon will help protect you." Xiaolan unfastened his sword and handed it to Lady Lisa.

"You keep it. I don't know how to use a weapon, and it looks safe here. There are no wild animals or enemies."

"No, I'm worried about unexpected events. Please don't refuse, Lady Lisa."

Despite Lady Lisa's polite refusal, Xiaolan forcibly handed her the sword and said goodbye, then left. Xiaolan could ensure his own safety, but he was worried about Lady Lisa and Lona. If anything happened to them, how could he face Uncle Aubur, and his own heart couldn't bear it.

Lady Lisa and Lona watched Xiaolan's figure gradually blur and disappear into the distant shrubs under the tree. A light breeze rustled the leaves, and a few leaves swirled and slowly drifted away into the unknown distance.

"Will brother come back?"

"Yes, he will definitely come back."

"Why does Lona suddenly feel uncomfortable?"

"That's because little Lona is worried about brother."

"Worried?" Lona suddenly lowered her head and muttered. "Why do I feel uneasy?"

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