Chapter 8

Outside the city of Haixi.

The Mi family, dozens of them, hurriedly left the city, each one fearing that if they were even a step slower, they would suffer the same fate as their second son, who was beaten to a pulp by Tao Shang.

In the carriage, Mi Fang, wrapped in bandages like a mummy, still lay unconscious.

"Everyone says that the two sons of Tao Qian are mediocre, especially the eldest son Tao Shang, who is both foolish and weak. But today, I see that Tao Shang is ruthless and cunning, completely different from the rumors. Could he really be hiding his true abilities..." Mi Zhen, holding the curtain of the carriage, gazed at the gradually receding city of Haixi, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

Just as she was lost in thought, the previously unconscious Mi Fang finally woke up. Mi Zhen was overjoyed, breathed a sigh of relief, and quickly helped him sit up, personally feeding him water.

After a while, Mi Fang finally fully regained consciousness. Recalling his earlier beating, his originally weak spirit instantly turned into intense anger, and he burst out cursing, "You damn Tao Shang, to be so vicious, beating me like this. If I don't kill you, I don't deserve the Mi name."

"Second Brother, you are injured, don't get angry," Mi Zhen sighed. "This Tao Shang is not ordinary, completely different from what I imagined. He's not easy to deal with. Let's return to Haixi and think of a long-term plan."

"What's there to plan? This brat doesn't know his place and even humiliates me like this. If I don't kill him, how can the Mi family stand in Xu Province!" Mi Fang roared in anger, completely enraged, not even listening to Mi Zhen's advice.

"What do you plan to do, Second Brother?" Mi Zhen's eyebrows furrowed.

"What to do, hmpf." Mi Fang coldly snorted, his eyes filled with a cold killing intent. "Money can make the devil grind. Our Mi family's strongest weapon is money. I don't believe I can't buy that brat's head with money!"

...

As night fell, the rear hall of the county office was filled with the aroma of wine and the scent of meat.

Tao Shang was in high spirits. As soon as the Mi siblings left, he set up a banquet in the office to celebrate.

"Mulan, you have avenged me today. Here, I, your lord, toast you. Let's drink to it." Tao Shang was in a great mood, frequently raising his cup to toast Mulan.

On one hand, he was genuinely grateful to Hua Mulan, and on the other, he had a hidden "plot."

He wanted to get Hua Mulan drunk and then take advantage of her in a drunken state, forcing her to become his woman.

Although Hua Mulan was brave and strong, she was still a woman. In this era of male dominance, the simplest and crudest way to win her heart was to conquer her body first.

Tao Shang believed that no matter how fierce Mulan was, once her body belonged to him, whether willingly or unwillingly, intentionally or unintentionally, she would choose to follow him wholeheartedly. Then, he could easily marry her, completing the alliance and ensuring her loyalty would permanently exceed 100.

Time was short, and he had no leisure to gradually increase Hua Mulan's loyalty. He needed to ensure her absolute loyalty before greater challenges arose.

His plan was good, but the outcome did not follow his script.

Hua Mulan not only fought well but also drank well. After dozens of cups, Tao Shang himself was so drunk he could barely stand, while Hua Mulan remained calm and showed no signs of intoxication.

"Lord, forgive me for being frank, but your drinking capacity as a man is really poor. Come, let me help you back to your room to rest." Hua Mulan sighed, gently lifting Tao Shang with her small arm and supporting him back to the inner chamber.

"So strong, always wanting to kill everyone, and can drink so much. Is she even a woman..." Tao Shang mumbled, seven parts drunk, and was dragged back to the inner chamber by Hua Mulan, who placed him on the bed rather roughly.

Just as Hua Mulan was about to let go, Tao Shang suddenly struggled, grabbing her shoulders with both hands. Caught off guard by the force, she lost her balance and fell backward onto the bed.

Then, Tao Shang, with his blurry, drunken face, fell onto Hua Mulan's proud chest.

Instantly, a soft, fragrant, and extremely elastic sensation spread through his body, like being buried in a soft, yet resilient dough.

Comfortable...

In his daze, Tao Shang's mind instantly produced these two words.

"Beep... System detected Hua Mulan's affection for the host, gaining 5 points of benevolence."

"What's going on? I pressed my face against her chest, and she didn't get angry, but gained benevolence points..." Tao Shang was pleasantly surprised but, under the influence of alcohol, didn't have time to ponder why, and soon fell into a deep sleep.

"Lord, what are you doing!" Hua Mulan softly shouted, hurriedly pushing Tao Shang off her, her face blushing, and leaping up to escape.

After a few steps, Hua Mulan couldn't help but stop. She turned back and saw Tao Shang sprawled on the bed, hesitated for a moment, bit her lip lightly, and returned to the bedside.

This time, she was not as rough but gently laid Tao Shang down, covered him with a blanket, gave him a deep look, and then silently left.

The door was gently closed, and outside, a faint sigh could be heard.

...

"Pirates are attacking, reporting to the lord, pirates are attacking—"

Tao Shang, who had slept until the afternoon, was woken by the frantic calls of his subordinates outside the door. He instantly became fully awake, leaped out of bed, hastily put on his armor, and rushed to the eastern gate.

Upon hearing the news, Hua Mulan also led over fifty county militia, quickly arriving and directing them to defend the city walls.

Tao Shang looked into the distance and indeed saw dozens of pirate ships landing, with hundreds of pirates swarming ashore, fiercely advancing toward Haixi County.

Soon, over five hundred pirates arrived, forming an array outside the eastern gate, ready to attack the city.

In the enemy ranks, a large "Xu" flag was waving, and under it, a young general stood proudly with a sword, clearly the leader of the pirates.

Seeing this formation, Tao Shang's brows furrowed, sensing the impending crisis.

Haixi County was near the sea, and pirates were common, but in the past, they mostly plundered the countryside and merchants, rarely daring to directly attack the county.

However, not long after Tao Shang took office, pirates attacked Haixi, and they arrived just after the Mi siblings left, which was indeed suspicious.

Just as Tao Shang was puzzled, the pirate leader rode out, pointed his sword at the city wall, and shouted, "I am Xu Sheng. Call out your county magistrate Tao Shang to speak."

Xu Sheng! This pirate leader was actually one of the twelve tiger generals of Eastern Wu, Xu Sheng.

Tao Shang recalled that Xu Sheng was indeed from Xu Province and later moved to Jiangdong, where he joined Sun Quan, achieving many military successes and becoming a famous general.

"System, scan this Xu Sheng's abilities." Tao Shang focused his mind and gave the command to the system.

"Beep... Scanning target's stats: Leadership 74, Martial 76, Intelligence 70, Politics 60."

Goodness, Xu Sheng's stats were quite high and well-balanced. His martial value of 76 was 4 points higher than Hua Mulan's.

This was definitely not an easy opponent to deal with.

Facing a strong enemy, Tao Shang remained calm, took a deep breath, and shouted, "I am the county magistrate here. Xu Sheng, you have great audacity to attack my Haixi County."

Xu Sheng glanced at Tao Shang, a hint of disdain in his hawk-like eyes, and shouted, "Tao Shang, I take money and do the job. I am attacking Haixi today to take your head. If you don't want to involve the people of Haixi, end your own life. Otherwise, when my army breaks through the city, it won't just be your death."

Taking money and doing the job?

Hearing Xu Sheng's words, Tao Shang immediately understood. This must be due to Mi Fang's anger and the Mi family's wealth, using a large sum of money to hire Xu Sheng to kill him.

Looking at the situation, Xu Sheng was a formidable warrior with five hundred pirates under his command, while Tao Shang only had fifty poorly trained militia and one general, Hua Mulan, whose martial value was weaker than Xu Sheng's.

Given this situation, Xu Sheng was not exaggerating; he could easily break through Haixi.

Suddenly, Tao Shang realized that he was in a life-or-death crisis. Mobile users, please visit http://m.piaotia.net

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