fictionpage #419 - The Wrath of the Lord
#419 - The Wrath of the Lord
Zhao Chuxia could no longer suppress the fear and despair surging within her like a tidal wave. Tears burst from her eyes, and she began to cry aloud like a dam had broken.
The garrison commander was dead, the squad leader was dead, as if all her support had collapsed in an instant, and everything had fallen into endless darkness.
"How… could this be?"
Her voice was tearful, trembling like a leaf in the autumn wind.
The garrison commander and the squad leader were top experts at the fourth rank!
In her long-held perception, their strength was like an impenetrable wall, enough to cope with many dangers in this world.
But now, the two of them together, how could they be so easily killed by the giant bandit Song Jiang?
This cruel, nightmare-like reality plunged Zhao Chuxia's brain into a swamp of confusion, filled with incomprehensible bewilderment and deep fear.
Her legs felt as if their tendons had been pulled out, limp and weak. With a "thump!", Zhao Chuxia fell heavily to the ground.
The狂风(kuángfēng) was like a raging beast, howling past with a mournful roar, wantonly tugging at the curtains of the surrounding tents. Those curtains fluttered wildly like disturbed ghosts.
The thick, sickening stench of blood, like an invisible net, permeated the air,钻进(zuānjìn) every pore of her body, making her stomach churn.
The distant fire was like a giant beast with bared fangs and claws, surging towards this side with the momentum to destroy everything, as if it wanted to devour all in its path.
Zhao Chuxia struggled with all her might to stand up. Her legs were as limp as noodles, and every movement exhausted all her strength, but the instinct to survive was like a glimmer of light in the darkness, driving her to desperately flee.
She was unwilling to die in this place full of despair, with only one unwavering thought in her mind: escape, she must escape!
However, fate always seemed to enjoy playing cruel tricks on people.
She had just stumbled around a corner when she was so frightened by the sight before her that she screamed, her whole body frozen to the spot as if a spell had been cast on her.
Because around the corner, quietly stood the person who chilled her to the bone—the giant bandit Song Jiang!
He stood quietly on the carpet, his eyes fixed on the distance, as if contemplating something.
He was unscathed, his breath as steady as a calm lake without a ripple, as if the thrilling battle he had just experienced was nothing more than an insignificant game to him.
Obviously, even if the garrison commander and the squad leader joined forces with all their might, they were no more than ants trying to shake a tree in front of him, unable to pose any substantial threat to him.
Liang Jin heard Zhao Chuxia's hurried footsteps and slowly turned his head, a playful smile on his face:
"Princess, you're still alive?"
Zhao Chuxia instinctively wanted to turn around and run, but fear was like an invisible and tenacious net, binding her tightly. Her legs were as soft as mud, making it a luxury to even stand, let alone run away.
She fell heavily to the ground again with a "thump!", her crying becoming more intense, filled with grievance and unwillingness:
"Why… why do you want to kill me?"
"You took the silver, why won't you let me go?"
Liang Jin stood in the wind, the狂风(kuángfēng) wantonly blowing his hair. His expression was as calm as a deep pool, his eyes with a hint of scrutiny, he asked:
"Then why did the princess embezzle the disaster relief silver?"
Zhao Chuxia cried and sobbed, answering with a tearful voice:
"Everyone does it. All the officials take it, why can't I?"
"Besides, I'm so poor now. How can I live if I don't take some disaster relief silver?"
There was no hint of guilt in her words. Every word seemed to flow naturally from the bottom of her heart, as if all this was justified and a matter of course.
Zhao Chuxia's words were not false. She had been accustomed to a life of extravagance since childhood, and her daily food, clothing, and use were extremely luxurious, requiring a large amount of money to maintain this extravagant lifestyle.
In her heart, this disaster relief silver was her lifeline for maintaining this high-ranking life, an indispensable source of wealth for her.
Liang Jin looked at her calmly, his eyes with a hint of helplessness and disappointment, as if looking at an hopeless person:
"If you do this, it will cause many victims to starve to death."
After hearing this, Zhao Chuxia showed a look of grievance on her face,撇了撇嘴(piě le piě zuǐ)indifferently, and said:
"So what if they starve to death? What else can they do?"
"They are lazy and don't work hard to farm, they are stupid and don't know how to save food, they are poor but they still marry and have children."
"These poor people are doomed to die in a drought anyway. So much silver for disaster relief would only be a waste."
Different ambitions meant that they were not on the same path.
He had originally faintly hoped that the princess would have a trace of repentance, but he did not expect that she would only be full of grievances and contempt for the victims. This indifference chilled him.
This made Liang Jin also clear that if this kind of person continued to exist, it would only cause harm to more victims.
Seeing Liang Jin silent, Zhao Chuxia became more nervous, like a frightened bird, and hurriedly continued to argue:
"You have such high martial arts, how can you not have any vision or pattern? You can't really be killing me for those poor people, right?"
"I am a princess! I am different from those poor people!"
"Don't… don't kill me! As long as you don't kill me, I can reward you with anything you want!"
After hearing this, Liang Jin couldn't help but laugh uproariously, that laughter seemed particularly abrupt in this silent and bloody atmosphere, as if he had heard the most ridiculous joke in the world.
Zhao Chuxia also instantly realized how absurd and powerless her words were.
The disaster relief silver that she had finally obtained had already been snatched away by Liang Jin like a dream bubble. Now, she had nothing of value. What could she use to reward this great bandit?
She had power, but for this great bandit who ignored power, her power was not only useless, but might even become a threat.
At this time, Zhao Chuxia suddenly realized that she seemed to have lost all her bargaining chips, like a lamb to be slaughtered.
Just as Zhao Chuxia felt despair engulfing her like a tide, she seemed to have thought of something.
She hardened her heart, gritted her teeth, lowered her head, and slowly opened her clothes with trembling hands, her voice trembling like a leaf in the autumn wind:
"As long as… you don't kill me, I can give you… my body…"
The moment she said these words, a strong sense of shame stung her heart like a sharp dagger, almost making her faint.
She was a princess, a golden branch and jade leaf, a thousand-gold body, with the noblest royal blood flowing in her veins. From childhood to adulthood, she had been surrounded by people and was a superior existence.
But now, in order to survive, she had to offer herself to a thief.
She would never have dared to think about such a thing before. Even the slightest thought of it would have felt like a亵渎(xièdú) of her identity.
But at this critical moment of life and death, Zhao Chuxia faced her inner self and realized that she was not as brave as she had imagined, but rather cowardly and extremely afraid of death.
The reason why she thought she was brave before was only because the people around her feared her power and status, and flattered her and obeyed her every word.
But today, she met this daring bandit who ignored all her status and status, especially since this bandit dared to kill even the imperial envoy and the Jishi Factory squad leader without hesitation.
In front of such a person, Zhao Chuxia saw the most real self, the cowardly, fearful self.
She hurriedly undressed, holding a glimmer of hope in her heart like a faint candlelight.
She knew her beauty, and she also knew that her figure was unparalleled, her skin was like snow, her figure was graceful, and she was even called the number one beauty in Changzhou.
In the past, she didn't care much about her beauty. After all, for her noble status, beauty was just an icing on the cake, and power and wealth were what she pursued.
But at this moment, she desperately hoped that her beauty could become a bargaining chip for her life, her last hope in this dark and desperate situation.
Liang Jin glanced at the naked Zhao Chuxia, a trace of disappointment flashed in his eyes, and he gently shook his head:
"Princess, what do you take me for? I am not the kind of petty thief who robs money and women."
"Put your clothes on quickly, so you can leave with a little dignity."
After saying that, he turned around and walked away slowly, his footsteps steady and firm, without the slightest hesitation.
Zhao Chuxia watched Liang Jin's departing figure, a slight daze in her heart.
Could this great thief really not be killing her?
She didn't have time to think more, a trace of relief after surviving a disaster welled up in her heart, and she hurriedly and clumsily put on her clothes.
But she didn't notice that a tall figure had already appeared silently behind her like a ghost.
It was the war puppet, Huang Xingzi!
Only to see the war puppet Huang Xingzi emitting a cold aura all over his body, he suddenly pressed the blood droplet in his hand fiercely on Zhao Chuxia's head, the inner circle of the blood droplet instantly contracted fiercely like a hunting beast.
Accompanied by a muffled and shrill sound, as if it were the wail of a life fading away.
Zhao Chuxia's headless corpse slowly fell to the ground, blood gushing out from her neck like a spring, splashing on the ground, staining the land beneath her red.
… … … … … …
On the road in the distance.
Dust flew, like yellow smoke spreading, a large number of cavalry were galloping at full speed.
These cavalry were well-equipped, each person's armor was made of fine steel, flashing with a cold light. The weapons were extremely sharp, reflecting a dazzling light under the sunlight.
This equipment was even better than that of many regular cavalry of the Daqian Dynasty.
Because, they were the palace guards carefully raised by Prince Pingcheng, the most elite force of the Prince's Palace, and a symbol of Prince Pingcheng's power and authority.
This group of cavalry had a terrifying aura, they were lithe and vigorous, riding on their horses like war gods descending to earth, their eyes firm and cold, like a group of grim reapers about to rush to the battlefield, showing no mercy to the enemy.
A group of fierce hunting dogs followed them, panting and making low growls, ready to obey their master's orders and pounce on the enemy at any moment.
In the sky, several falcons circled and soared, they spread their wide wings, their sharp eyes overlooking the earth, as if scouting the movements ahead for the cavalry.
In the middle of this group of cavalry, a luxurious carriage was carefully protected.
The carriage was pulled by several fat and strong horses, these horses were tall and mighty, their muscles bulging, each step they took was firm and powerful.
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The carriage was covered with thick, soft furs, the furs were smooth and delicate, shimmering with a soft luster in the sunlight.
An exquisite canopy was held high, with beautiful patterns embroidered on the surface, effectively blocking the scorching sun and providing a cool world for the people inside the carriage.
In the middle of that thick fur, sat a fat middle-aged man.
This middle-aged man weighed at least two or three hundred pounds, his skin was as white as mutton fat jade, glowing with a soft luster, as if he had never experienced the baptism of wind and rain. He had two neatly trimmed black mustaches at the corners of his mouth, the mustaches were slightly upturned, revealing a hint of majesty.
His eyes were narrowed into slits among layers of fat, but the occasional gleam revealed an imposing manner that commanded respect, his whole person was incomparably dignified, like a towering mountain, making people look up in awe.
He was Prince Pingcheng, Zhao Yan!
The carriage was open on all sides and not sealed, Prince Pingcheng calmly faced the wind and sand, making it look more like a majestic chariot.
In fact, this carriage was indeed a chariot with glorious battle achievements in earlier years.
Prince Pingcheng's ancestors rode this chariot in the past, fighting north and south, galloped on the battlefield, and made countless contributions, winning supreme glory for the family.
Now, Prince Pingcheng received a distress signal from his daughter Zhao Chuxia, and was anxious, as if his heart was tightly grasped by an invisible hand.
He immediately personally led his troops to set out, without hesitation using this ancestral chariot that carried the family's glory and history.
"Accelerate!"
Prince Pingcheng sat in the carriage, his face as gloomy as the sky before a storm, roaring repeatedly, his voice echoing in the team like a bell:
"Accelerate for this Prince!"
"That Zhu Ying dares to beat this Prince's daughter, this Prince will definitely make him die without a burial place!"
His voice was full of anger and determination, as if he wanted to tear the person who dared to hurt his daughter into pieces.
His order was quickly transmitted down like an electric current, and the entire cavalry team, like warriors who heard the charge horn, instantly burst out with even greater power, and accelerated again.
The sound of horses' hooves was like thunder, rolling forward, as if to crush the earth.
Prince Pingcheng had a total of nineteen sons in his life, but only one daughter, Zhao Chuxia.
Since her birth, Zhao Chuxia was like a dazzling pearl, shining with a unique light in the Prince's Palace.
She was loved by her nineteen elder brothers and her father, and from childhood to adulthood, she had whatever she wanted, it could be said that she was the apple of everyone's eye.
Now, the news that his daughter was beaten actually came, which was like igniting a powder keg, instantly detonating the anger of the entire Prince's Palace, making everyone go crazy for it.
Even Prince Pingcheng personally led his troops to set out without thinking.
He only had one thought in his mind, which was to make that Zhu Ying who dared to hurt his precious only daughter pay a painful price, and let him know how terrible the consequences of hurting his daughter were!
The cavalry team galloped quickly, the speed was like the wind, as if racing against time.
Soon.
A large area of tents appeared in their sight.
However, at this time, this area of tents was being swallowed by raging fire, black smoke billowing, soaring into the sky, like a black dragon hovering in the sky.
The fire crackled, as if telling the tragic and desperate experience here just now.
Seeing this scene, Prince Pingcheng's heart jumped violently, and an ominous premonition, like a cold snake, crawled into his heart.
"Quick! Go and see!"
He shouted hoarsely, his voice with a trace of trembling, that was a deep worry for his daughter, as if he would lose her in the next second:
"Be sure to find Chuxia!"
The cavalry immediately rushed over like arrows leaving the string.
They galloped through the tents, the dust raised by the horses' hooves danced in the air.
Every corner, every tent, they did not let go, their eyes full of anxiety and worry.
When Prince Pingcheng's carriage slowly came to the outside of the tent camp, the cavalry had completed the search of the camp and came to report.
"Your Highness! There are no survivors in the entire camp, everyone has been killed!"
A cavalryman knelt on one knee, his expression solemn, and said in a low voice:
"Whether it is the Tongzhi and Shoubei officials in Changzhou Prefecture, or the dangtou of the Jishi Factory, or even the imperial envoy sent by the imperial court, none of them were spared!"
"The Princess she... she also..."
Speaking of this, the cavalrymen knelt on the ground, their eyes full of grief and guilt, as if they had not protected the Princess well and committed an unforgivable crime.
Only to see several cavalrymen slowly walked out carrying a corpse, which was Zhao Chuxia's corpse!
When Prince Pingcheng saw this scene, he only felt a dizziness, as if the whole world was collapsing at this moment.
His body swayed, and he almost fell from the carriage.
Fortunately, the servant was quick-witted and hurried forward to support him, so that he barely stabilized his figure.
"Chuxia ah… …"
Prince Pingcheng looked at his daughter's corpse, tears welled up in his eyes, and he couldn't help but burst into tears.
The cry was full of grief and despair, as if to vent all the pain in his heart.
His shoulders trembled non-stop, and his hands tightly grasped the edge of the carriage, as if this would allow him to grasp his daughter's gradually disappearing life.
After the intense grief, there was hatred burning like a raging fire.
This hatred made Prince Pingcheng grit his teeth, his eyes were bloodshot, and his eyes seemed to burst into flames.
His face was distorted by anger, and his whole person exuded a chilling aura.
"Zhu Ying! How dare you… How dare you do this!!!"
Prince Pingcheng roared angrily.
No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't imagine that Zhu Ying would dare to kill his daughter!
Even now, he doesn't know who gave Zhu Ying the courage!
"Go find him for this Prince! Be sure to find that beast Zhu Ying for this Prince!"
He ordered in a deep voice, his voice as cold as a sentence from hell:
"Pass down the order, everyone, kill all the constables of the Six Doors for this Prince!"
"For every person from the Six Doors killed, this Prince will reward a thousand taels of silver!"
"This Prince wants to build the best mausoleum in the world for Chuxia, and let those thieves from the Six Doors all be buried with Chuxia!"
The voice echoed in the air, with endless killing intent and determination, as if to engulf the entire world in this storm of revenge.