Translator: Ink Hub

Editor: Yoog

“Don’t come any closer! Stay back, all of you!”

“Oho! To think we could find a group of wenches in this desolate wilderness, haha!”

“Brothers, have your fun today. Consider it a reward for your hard work!”

“Thank you, sir!”

Candlelight flickered within the largest military tent, echoing with the lewd laughter of the rowdy soldiers. Seven or eight grunts surrounded the refugee women like cats toyed with mice, their amusement growing as the women panicked.

Shen Li stood at the front, her little broken axe held tight as she swung it wildly. “Get back! All of you, get back!”

“Haha! Still a feisty little thing. This old master likes them with some spirit!”

“Scream! Go on, scream! No one will come to save you even if you scream yourself hoarse!”

Zhang Lu sat to the side, his face filled with mockery. “Consider it your bad luck. This old master has been frustrated lately, and I happen to need some vent for my fire!”

The graceful silhouette and fair features of Shen Li made him incredibly excited. He hadn’t expected to find a beauty of such quality among a group of refugees.

“Boss, is it really alright to do this?” a soldier whispered in his ear. “I heard that Luo Yu treats his people well. He might try to come for them.”

“Hehe, I’m not afraid of him coming. I’m afraid of him not coming!” Zhang Lu gave a cold smile. “If he’s impulsive enough to raise a hand against this old master, I’ll take him down on the spot for rebellion! I’ll fix him with a death sentence! When he shows up, keep your eyes peeled. Don’t let the boy get away!”

“Understood!”

“Alright, go enjoy yourselves. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen women; the brothers must be starving for it.”

“You got it!”

Wooo! Wooo!

“Qiang! The Qiang are attacking!”

“The Qiang are here! Prepare for battle!”

Alarmed cries suddenly erupted outside the tent. The seven or eight soldiers were stunned, a flash of panic crossing their eyes. The two words they feared most were “Qiang soldiers.”

Zhang Lu panicked as well, cursing immediately, “What the hell are you standing there for? Grab your blades and get out there to meet them! Quickly!”

The soldiers felt utterly stifled. They were just about to drop their trousers and now they were being sent into a life and death struggle? But their lives were more important. They hitched up their pants and scrambled outside. The refugee women finally breathed a sigh of relief, for the first time feeling thankful for the Qiang.

Shouts and screams echoed in the distance. Zhang Lu paced in circles inside the tent with a dark face. He didn’t go out; judging by the sound of the hooves, there weren’t many attackers, perhaps a dozen at most. A dignified centurion like him didn’t need to risk his own life.

Sure enough, the roaring soon quieted down. Zhang Lu felt a bit more at ease. “Men! What’s the situation?”

The tent flap was lifted, but the person who entered wasn’t his personal guard. It was the man he hated most, Luo Yu.

The moment Luo Yu appeared, the women, including Shen Li, felt much more secure. In their eyes, although this man was a bit ruthless when it came to killing, he was definitely not a bad person.

“Why is it you? Have the Qiang been driven back?” Zhang Lu’s brow furrowed, a slight unease rising in his heart. “Men! Damn it, where did everyone go!”

“Stop shouting.” Luo Yu pulled a chair over and sat down, crossing his legs. “Your men were knocked unconscious by my brothers the moment they stepped out of the tent. No one will come even if you scream yourself hoarse.”

It was a familiar line.

“So you’re the one playing tricks! What exactly do you want!” Zhang Lu wasn’t a fool; he understood instantly that there was no Qiang raid. It was all a ruse by Luo Yu to lure away his guards.

Luo Yu spoke nonchalantly, “I just have a few questions to ask Centurion Zhang in private. I wonder what you intended to do, dragging several women here in the middle of the night?”

“Since when is it your business what this leader does?” Although his heart was racing, Zhang Lu relied on his status as a centurion. He pointed a finger at Luo Yu’s nose and cursed, “A greenhorn brat! You think you can act high and mighty before me just because you got lucky with two victories? What kind of big shot do you think you are! I’m telling you plainly: I’m going to play these women to death today. What can you do about it, huh? Kill me? You can’t afford the crime of insubordination!”

Being cursed at while a finger was jabbed in his face, Luo Yu’s gaze turned cold bit by bit. He turned to Shen Li. “You go out first. I’ll settle things here.”

Shen Li pulled the other women and headed for the exit. She trusted Luo Yu implicitly.

“Let’s see who dares to leave! Do you all have a death wish?!” Zhang Lu roared in fury, pointing at Luo Yu again. “This is truly lawless! You even dare to ignore my orders—”

Shhhk!

A cold light flashed. A short dagger suddenly lunged out, pinning Zhang Lu’s hand firmly to the wooden table. Splinters flew as a shrill scream instantly echoed through the tent.

“I hate it most when people point at me.”

Luo Yu’s voice was icy. The women were all stunned. The strike was too sudden. This was a centurion! But it was truly satisfying to watch.

“Go!” Shen Li hurriedly pulled her companions out, casting a worried glance back at Luo Yu before she left.

“Now it’s just the two of us. I want to have a proper talk with you.” Luo Yu’s expression was calm. “I know you want to avenge Zhang Gui. He was your cousin; that’s understandable. But every debt has its debtor. If you have a problem, you should come at me. You should never have used a group of women to force my hand. I hate it most when someone uses others’ lives to blackmail me!”

A fierce light flickered in Luo Yu’s eyes as the special memories in his mind surged once more. In those memories, an enemy had once kidnapped his best comrade to force him to appear. In the end, that comrade died a tragic death, leaving him in a state of inconsolable grief and rage. That time, he had hacked every enemy’s corpse into pieces to feed the dogs.

Luo Yu yanked back the dagger with a sharp sound. “Didn’t you want to force me to act? Now that I’m here, what are you going to do about it?”

“Madman! You’re a complete madman!” Zhang Lu clutched his bleeding right hand, his face filled with terror as he trembled. “I am a centurion! How-how do you dare move against me! Do you really want to rebel!”

“Rebel? Hehe.” Luo Yu shook his head slightly. “Who said I was the one who killed you? Didn’t you hear the shouting outside? You died at the hands of the Qiang.”

“You’re crazy! I don’t believe you dare to kill all the guards I brought!”

“How about we make a bet?” Luo Yu toyed with the dagger, the corner of his mouth curving up. “Bet on whether I dare to kill you?”

Beneath that light smile was a hidden, extreme coldness. It was hard to imagine what kind of ruthless heart lay beneath such a young face.

After a long silence, Zhang Lu finally broke. He trembled all over and flopped onto his knees with a thud. “I beg you, spare me! I won’t say a single word! What do you want? Money? Promotion? Anything!”

“I can spare you, and I don’t want anything.” Luo Yu tapped Zhang Lu’s cheek lightly with the flat of the blade. “But remember this: if you push me, a centurion is nothing more than a stray dog!”

“I… I remember.” Zhang Lu’s face was white with fright. In truth, Luo Yu didn’t want to kill him. Who knew how much trouble killing a centurion would cause.

“Standard Commander Luo certainly talks big, hehe.”

A playful laugh drifted in. Xiao Shaoyou appeared at the tent entrance at some unknown time, a scimitar hanging from his waist.

“You’re finally here!” Zhang Lu looked as if he had seen a savior, hope reigniting as he scrambled toward Xiao Shaoyou. “This thief has committed insubordination and conspired to harm me! Arrest him immediately!”

Xiao Shaoyou acted as if he hadn’t heard a word. He looked at Luo Yu instead. “Having men disguise themselves as Qiang to raid the camp, luring the soldiers out into your trap, and then dealing with Centurion Zhang alone. Good methods.”

Luo Yu’s gaze narrowed slightly, his grip on the dagger tightening. He was wondering what Xiao Shaoyou’s stance truly was.

Feeling ignored, the terrified and volatile Zhang Lu pointed at Xiao Shaoyou’s nose and cursed, “I’m talking to you! Are you deaf? Arrest this boy right now, or I’ll—”

Shhhk!

Before he could finish, the scimitar in Xiao Shaoyou’s hand plunged ruthlessly into his chest. Xiao Shaoyou’s brow furrowed slightly.

“I forgot to tell you—I also hate it when people point at me.”

NOTES

Stray dog (刍狗): Literally “straw dog,” referring to something worthless or easily discarded.