This is what an immortal should be like

Chapter 254 Officials from Two Eras

Xiong Xuguang was being pulled along, but he quickly broke free from Wu Le'an's grasp.

"Leave the market, run into the mountains—"

Xiong Xuguang roared and quickened his pace. Wu Le'an was startled and immediately followed, turning back to shout at the soldier.

"Everyone keep up! Anyone who falls behind will have to train three times as much as possible back home!"

The dozen or so soldiers all ran with all their might, but it wasn't a matter of whether they would train extra or not; the problem was that if they stayed behind, they might never be able to get back.

The wharf in Wuling County is not very big, but it is not small either. Especially in recent years, since the story of "Peach Blossom Spring" became popular, Wuling has become a popular place. Countless literati and poets have come to visit, which has boosted the prosperity of Wuling County.

The docks were home to many people who made a living there, as well as many tourists. The coming and going of merchants gave rise to various industries that served these people.

In front of a dozen or so people, everyone scurried to the sides, screams and exclamations filled the air, and several basins containing seafood overturned.

"what--"

A child screamed ahead, and Wu Le'an immediately moved away upon realizing what was happening.

"Be careful to avoid it—"

Although the dozen or so soldiers behind them were in a panic, their skills honed through years of training were not to be underestimated. They dodged left and right as they rushed forward, without bumping into a single person. If it weren't for the crowd creating obstacles for them by fleeing on their own, they could have run even faster.

The child screamed for a long time before realizing what had happened, and the group of "bandits" had already run past him.

The officials behind them naturally gave chase. They hadn't expected the other party to react so quickly, running away without resistance, and so fast at that, which proved that the other party had something to hide.

Not only do government officials think this way, but other ordinary people think the same way.

The soldiers in the reconnaissance platoon were both veterans and elites in the army. After years of training, they were very strong and tall compared to the people around them.

He already seemed somewhat out of place, let alone the tense yet endlessly curious state he was in before.

This means that someone pulled out a dagger and ran away together, which immediately confirms the suspicious nature of the situation.

Even if they didn't run away, given the habits of the officials in Wuling Prefecture, they would definitely arrest them anyway.

Seeing that the people in front were running fast, the leading officer behind immediately shouted.

"Release the arrows—"

Immediately, some of the soldiers who followed drew their bows and nocked arrows, and their shouts reached the front, startling everyone.

"Be careful to avoid it—"

Amidst the shouts, the sounds of "bang~ bang~ bang~" could be heard as arrows shot directly forward. As some soldiers dodged, they saw arrows hitting the civilians nearby.

Startled, one of the soldiers shoved aside a man next to him, and an arrow grazed between the two.

Another soldier turned around, picked up the screaming child they had just passed, and rushed to the side to avoid the arrows.

Some even lunged at bystanders.

In the seemingly insignificant exchange, Liu Hongyu frowned slightly, flicked his finger, and some stray arrows deviated slightly from their original trajectories. Those that should have hit people missed their mark, landing either on the ground, on the wooden railings, or embedded in the cargo at the dock.

This startled many people, causing them to flee, but no one was injured.

On the other side, many soldiers who dodged the arrows turned back in astonishment.

"They actually fired arrows at the crowd?"

To be honest, in the eyes of many officials in this era, ordinary people were nothing more than lowly people. People like Lu Jing were actually a minority. Now that he has been away from Wuling for many years, the officials here are no longer the same as before.

However, the reconnaissance platoons from modern times are different. They are a generation known as the People's Liberation Army, people who have stood at the pinnacle of the world's nations after experiencing the great war.

Protecting the people is almost an instinct in our blood.

At the same time, quite a few soldiers rushed to help others avoid the arrows, and this delay allowed the officers and soldiers behind them to rush forward.

"Grab them all, don't let a single one escape—"

In that instant, they had entered close combat. The last soldier had barely put the child down when two knives came slashing at him.

The soldier rolled backward almost instantly, drawing his dagger and brandishing it in the process.

"Dang~"

He parried the knife with a dagger, managing to lift the opponent's blade. Then, he swept his leg, causing the two officers to fall with cries of pain. However, more and more soldiers followed.

"Xiao Liu, let me help you!"

In addition, nearby soldiers came to help, and about a squad of soldiers in the rear were entangled and engaged in close combat with the pursuers.

Xiong Xuguang and the others ran ahead, and when they saw the situation behind them, they were immediately filled with anxiety.

Wu Le'an and the others also stopped in their tracks, their minds in turmoil for those few seconds.

"Commander."

Although we were told repeatedly that the mission was the top priority, do we really have to abandon the soldiers behind us?

"Go back and save them, take them all down, and try not to kill anyone!"

Xiong Xuguang roared, ultimately unable to abandon the lives of some men, and immediately ordered them to return. Wu Le'an immediately called for reinforcements. In fact, some soldiers had already noticed that the officers were not very skilled. The squad or so of soldiers left behind, by maneuvering left and right, using the surrounding objects and their own daggers, managed to take down several men by using short weapons to meet the enemy's swords.

After Lu Jing left, several constables from the Wuling County government also left, causing the government's combat effectiveness to plummet. Now, few of those remaining are skilled in martial arts, and they have received little training.

It's fine to bully ordinary people, but when you encounter a dozen or so tall, strong, and quick-reacting reconnaissance soldiers, especially those who have been trained in Hidden Immortal Valley for a period of time, those superficial martial arts skills won't be of much help.

At this moment, the entire dock was in complete chaos, with officials and "bandits" fighting in one part of the dock.

Strangely, the soldiers were ruthless in their attacks, while the bandits were lenient with each other.

After some twists and turns, with Xiong Xuguang joining forces, the soldiers of the reconnaissance platoon defeated all of the nearly thirty officers who came out.

"Ouch." "Ah."

"Hu people. Spies"

"Spare me, spare my life!"

Some of the officers and soldiers were indignant, some begged for mercy, but none of them could stand up, and some had cuts on their bodies from which blood was flowing.

It's unclear whether the soldiers simply couldn't stop themselves, but Liu Hongyu and the others in the distance clearly saw that the injuries were mostly accidental, caused by the officers swinging their knives themselves.

Some of the local residents had already run far away, while others were still watching from a distance.

Wu Le'an and the others stood there panting, all looking at Xiong Xuguang.

"Sir, what should I do?"

"Let's go, we can't stay here! Put your hat on!"

Xiong Xuguang calmed his breathing, gave the order, and left immediately. Some soldiers adjusted their hats and followed him.

During the fight, some people had already lost their hats. They hadn't forgotten to fix their disguises in Hidden Immortal Valley, so once their hats fell off, they couldn't be called short-haired anymore; they all had buzz cuts, which was too conspicuous.

As he jogged away, Xiong Xuguang was in a state of great turmoil, unsure of what to do next.

The first step of the mission has already gone awry; will I be wanted by the authorities forever? By the time I return, I'm afraid I won't be able to find that ship at this dock!
"Young master, Young Master Liu is over there!"

Wu Le'an's shout immediately drew Xiong Xuguang's attention back to the scene, where Liu Hongyu and the other two were standing at the edge of the dock watching them.

A dozen people immediately rushed towards Liu Hongyu and his two companions, while some of the onlookers who had been watching from afar immediately fled.

Xiong Xuguang and the others were somewhat excited, while Liu Hongyu watched them calmly. When they got close, he waved his sleeve, creating a gust of wind, and glided along the ground with them, quickly moving away from the dock.

In a restaurant in Wuling County, a group of people sat around several long tables.

The soldiers in the reconnaissance platoon remained tense, but as Liu Hongyu had said, it seemed that under the cover of this illusion, no one around them paid much attention to them.

Liu Hongyu said to the people around him with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

"The way you all acted just now was definitely not normal. The common people think you're not good people, and the government probably thinks you're spies or bandits. Isn't that causing trouble?"

"You're right, we were too nervous."

As Xiong Xuguang said this, he was no better off than the soldiers. Wu Le'an, standing to the side, nodded repeatedly and looked at the others.

"Watch your step, relax a bit. You're all being so clumsy, you almost got caught."

Upon hearing Wu Le'an's words, one of the soldiers couldn't help but speak up.

"But they actually shot arrows at the crowd! Aren't they afraid of hurting the people, including children!"

Liu Hongyu glanced at the soldier and also memorized the indignant faces. Perhaps there were many filths in later generations, but some shining aspects were also obvious.

"Sigh, the officials here are different from you."

To ease the tension, Xiong Xuguang immediately addressed the group.

"Eat something, try some ancient food. After this meal, we can't be reckless anymore."

The group agreed and began to eat. It was just some flatbread, meat soup, and pickled vegetables—a novelty for them.

Xiong Xuguang watched as the soldiers went from being excited and nervous when they first arrived to being slightly disappointed. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing; at least they had a better understanding of ancient times. Then he looked at Liu Hongyu.

It's obvious that those three deliberately didn't show themselves, but that's fine, it teaches everyone a lesson. I just don't know if this rescue counts as one of their three interventions.
"Senior Brother, when would be a better time for us to split up? Should we part ways here in Wuling City?"

Xiong Xuguang asked in a low voice, but before Liu Hongyu could answer, Mu Hongwen, knowing he had made up his mind, spoke first.

"Since you're already here, I'll naturally take you to see the Innate Diagram Stone Wall."

"The Primordial Diagram?"

Liu Hongyu nodded.

“We should definitely go and see it. This map is not seen in later generations, most likely because it has been destroyed by time. We can’t miss it while we’re here. As for how to proceed, it’s up to you.”

Xiong Xuguang nodded. He basically understood Liu Hongyu's attitude, and then he couldn't help but feel a little self-deprecating.

This was originally the way I wanted to act, but now that I'm here, it seems like I've lost my own opinions, which is really wrong.

(End of this chapter)