The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 55 A Song Like Fire (5k)

"Shut up, all of you! No one said they would take her away, and no one said they would abandon this territory!"
Now, everyone, retreat to your homes. When you wake up tomorrow, the sun will rise as usual, and none of your speculations will come true!

Guards, lock these two scoundrels in jail—no, send them to the gallows right now!
I will make them understand the consequences of slandering their kind lord and spreading rumors throughout the town!

Since the seeds of doubt have already taken root, further explanations will be futile.

Huss gave no one a chance to react and issued orders forcefully.

The guards were also unable to discern the truth, but they dared not disobey the nobles under any circumstances.

But just as they pointed their spears at the two girls, Father Lynn had already pushed his way through the crowd:
"Then execute me as well!"

He was practically screaming at the top of his lungs.

"I told them that the orcs would shatter this land. I also told them that only by fleeing into the forest could they survive—"

If you remain so stubborn and attempt to bury the truth, then execute me as well!

"That old geezer."

Huss drew his swift sword from his waist and pointed it at the venerable old man.

"Then so be it, take them all with you!"

"No, sir, you can't do this!"

To everyone's surprise, the townspeople's reaction became even more intense. Old David, trembling, even held a pitchfork and stood in front of the old priest.

“You don’t know, Father Lynn saved everyone in town. He gathered herbs for us, treated the sick and wounded, and guided us when we felt lost…”

What does that have to do with me?

"This old fellow is trying to spread rumors and disrupt the peace of the territory. Anyone who dares to harbor him will be punished as an accomplice!"

Huss looked at the hesitant guards and shouted,
"You are all alive today thanks to the kindness and grace of Lord Mel, not to some old man who confuses and spreads rumors—"

"Fuck you!"

A shout abruptly interrupted Huss, who immediately flew into a rage:
"Who!? Whose mouth is so foul!?"

Tang Qi wouldn't waste time answering nonsense.

He simply walked out from the crowd, holding a lute, and stood beside Catherine.

"It's you!?"

Huss then realized who the 'mercenary' who had tricked the guards into setting the tripwire was.

This is a bard who possesses the magic of music; he has the power to bewitch people.

He had already noticed it when they were at the forest camp.

Tang Qi sneered, raising his aura to the highest level he could muster:
"I'm also very curious, whose mouth could smell so foul?"

How dare they so casually confuse right and wrong, and distort the truth!

"Men, seize him!"

The guard had also received help from the priest when he was injured, so he dared not repay kindness with enmity.

But they don't care how they treat a stranger.

But just as they were about to charge forward with their spears, a tower shield crashed down from the sky.

"Boom!!!"

The moment it crashed down, it shattered the earth and rocks in front of them, and the shockwave sent several guards back several feet.

After the tower shield was removed, Huss finally saw the dwarf with a thick beard, swinging his mace and looking at him with a mocking expression.

This is not something the guards of Xingmei Town can handle.

Explosive Wolf whistled, and everyone immediately saw the ten fully armed mercenaries planted in the village official's residence surrounding the townspeople.

They still thought it was just a simple conflict and didn't realize that their leader was about to abandon them just a moment ago.

The mercenary leader, feeling quite troubled, drew his greatsword from his back and stood ready in front of Merard.

He didn't actually want to confront the dwarf head-on.

The "Claws of Sandalwood Forest" were already more famous than their mercenary group three years ago.

Tang Qi struck out a string-like melody with his palm, which also tightened everyone's heartstrings:
"I ask you—"

Who would call it mercy to sever the Achilles tendons of one's people just to save one's own life?
Whose mouth is it that greedily calls the purchase of goods worth hundreds of gold coins for only 10 gold coins a blessing?
Whose mouth calls the fact that they led everyone to their deaths while secretly escorting a white pig to escape as mere speculation?

Whose mouth is it again, willing to let three hundred people be confined to this tiny space to die rather than sacrifice even a fraction of the interests of that swine singing and dancing in the city, weaving such a grand and righteous lie?

Huss, his face ashen, shouted at a group of guards:

"Shoot an arrow! Shut his foul mouth that spouts nonsense!"

It was still dark, but the firelight on the fence gave the guards a little insight into their direction.

Tang Qi was not far from them. He only needed to draw his bow and shoot as usual to turn him and even the two girls beside him into hedgehogs.

Almost simultaneously, Shattered Stone roared and slammed the tower shield into the ground, embedding its edges into the soil.

The moment the arrow left the bowstring, a faint white light burst forth from the very center of the tower shield.

It vanished in an instant, yet it was as if a beacon had been lowered, drawing the incoming arrows with a series of thuds, which then struck the very center of the tower shield and fell to the ground.

[Arrow Absorbing Shield], Tang Qi never imagined that this seemingly inconspicuous heavy shield was actually a rare piece of armor.

"What, did the truth I told you hurt your little heart that can't tell right from wrong?"
I know you're angry, as he's a good dog to him—

Loyalty extends even if your master's fat belly has chewed up the bones of countless subjects.

They should also cover him with a silk shirt, tie a proper bow tie, and cover up his crimes with lies!

Seeing that someone was blocking Tang Qi's path, Hu Si frowned and roared at the townspeople behind him:

“You, all of you, get back to your own homes!”

Those who remain obstinate and insist on listening to this scoundrel's nonsense will be severely punished.

"Young Master has already shown you enough mercy; don't blame me for not giving you a chance!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Explosive Wolf swung his hand forward, and more than ten well-equipped mercenaries drew their gleaming swords and shields.

The sword, illuminated by the faint firelight, already testified to its sharpness.

Twenty guards, who rushed over upon hearing the commotion, also weaved in between them, nervously gripping their spears and threatening the surrounded townspeople.

Leaving aside those who didn't dare to leave their homes, there were actually nearly two hundred people waiting in the vicinity.

But excluding the elderly, weak, women and children, there were fewer than a hundred people who could truly be considered strong.

Few of them had any martial arts training.

Even without those makeshift guards, these ten mercenaries in full chainmail could easily kill them here if given enough time...

The oppression of force terrified them.

Old David looked at his wife, who was sitting on the oxcart, tightly embracing George and trembling.

Like most people, he no longer cares about or argues about the truth or the right and wrong.

All they want now is to survive.

"Go back to your houses, and don't make me say it a second time!"

Maybe……

For their families, for their own survival, they really should go back.

They were only carrying farm tools, while those people were actually wielding sharp blades.

Let's go back and wait for dawn.

Perhaps it's all just needless worry; no orcs will ever reach this town.

Are they still able to spend the rest of their lives under Lord Mel's rule?

"me--"

"Zheng——"

A bright strumming sound interrupted his hesitation.

The rhythm of his hands slapping the piano body suddenly exploded in old David's ears:

"Bang! Bang! Smash!"

"Bang! Bang! Smash!"

"Bang! Bang! Smash!"

He remembered the rhythm.

That night, as he became drunk and passed out under the golden oak tree.

It was this rhythm that pierced his eardrums, startling him awake, and causing his heart to feel restless.

It was so simple, yet so...unforgettable.

Old David suddenly opened his eyes, turned around in shock, and looked at the poet who had his back to him—the vagrant who had shaved his beard and put on a new leather jacket.

It was him!
Tang Qi sang loudly:

"Pick up your hoe, even if it means murder and arson."
Hold your head high, even if you scream your lungs out—

What the hell is he singing?

Hus had never heard such a poorly written ballad before.

He listened to many pieces of music throughout his life, some of the more elegant ones being the "Moonlight Sonata." It was composed by the chief musician of the Tyrannical Empire, and its melody is like moonlight floating on ripples, melancholic and profound.

Some of the simpler ones included "The Song of Brothers," a song the young master often loved to sing. Its simple melody and catchy tune celebrated the brotherly love and devotion of two men who voluntarily relinquished their thrones to travel the continent together.

Even so, they wouldn't use such simple and easy-to-understand words.

Only the nursery rhymes sung by naive children in the streets and alleys would be so unrefined.

He waved his hand, signaling the arriving guards to point their spears at Tang Qi.

When Shattered Stone noticed the spear thrusting towards him, he turned the tower shield around, intending to knock the charging guard away.

But the wolf roared and charged forward like a cheetah.

The iron boots came to a halt in front of the rubble, and the dragging greatsword suddenly slashed diagonally towards the rubble's shoulder—

[Upward Slash]!
This was an experienced warrior. Shattered Stone had no choice but to use his tower shield as a shield. The immense weight slammed into the edge of the shield, but it didn't penetrate an inch. Instead, it sent Shattered Stone flying high into the air.

Explosive Wolf flew up with him, his greatsword swinging down like a crescent moon, aiming to slash at the spine of the rubble.

[Shield Charge] —

The shield of rubble suddenly unleashed a repulsive force, sending the wolves of equal height flying backward.

But it was too late for him to block the spear for Tang Qi, and he hurriedly looked at him.

Tang Qi had already drawn the black curved sword that was strapped to his waist.

That's a snake's kiss.

Compared to a longsword, a scimitar is quite lightweight.

But the weight of this snake's kiss needs to be reduced by half.

It is lighter and sharper than the goblin's scimitar.

His alertness allowed him to pinpoint the trajectory of the spear's thrust. He stepped forward, dodging to the side, but his hand holding the knife didn't falter. It was the only blade in the night that couldn't reflect the firelight.

It is so stealthy, so swift, like a venomous snake lurking in the darkness, baring its sharp fangs.

Regardless of who ordered the guards.

The moment they decide to draw their weapons, Tang Qi shows no mercy—

The blade sliced ​​across the guard's throat, and the splattered blood sprayed onto his cheek.

"Karen!"

It seems no one expected their colleague to die so quickly.

Some of these guards were natives of Xingmei Town, while others were vagrants hired cheaply by the lord. They were not without combat experience, but they had been living comfortably in Xingmei Town for too long and had few opportunities to see blood.

Tang Qi, covered in blood, was enough to frighten them into hesitating.

Tang Qi did not press his advantage, but continued singing:

"While they sing praises of the past, who is striving for tomorrow?"

On this night of luxury, who is being coerced by money?
This world is so heartbreaking—

Let the rich cause trouble, and the poor take the blame!

It still has that simple melody and those easy-to-understand lyrics.

But times have changed. Tang Qi is no longer in the tavern, and the drunkards are no longer living in a drunken stupor.

Yet they still understood who was dancing gracefully to courtly music in the distant city of Longjin, at that moment when their lives were threatened—

Mel Barry.

The true owners of this land.

"A new nation rises, and an old dynasty falls."

Let the gods tell us: who is wasting their time on the wilderness?

Many people still remember this folk song, but no one responds to his singing.

They certainly knew that they were the ones who had devoted their lives to the land and wasted their time on it.

But they dared not say it.

Only by letting others shout on our behalf:
"It's me! It's me!"

Tang Qi dodged the incoming arrow and tore at his own throat.

He wanted to let the song reach everyone's ears—

Old David vaguely remembered the lyrics to the song and subconsciously recited them to himself.

But he soon noticed that Tang Qi's singing suddenly changed, flowing smoothly back to the previous line:
"Let the gods tell us, who is wasting their time on the wilderness?"

No one responded to him.

"Let the gods tell us, who is wasting their time on the wilderness?"

They responded to him in their hearts.

"Let the gods tell us, who is wasting their time on the wilderness!"

"It's me! It's me!"

Anbi responded to him with a song!

She remembers every step of the winemaking process.

I remember every bit of energy and every second she spent on this.

My sister often says, "You reap what you sow."

So she was very particular and never allowed those drunkards, reeking of alcohol, to run up a single copper coin in her tavern.

Only when facing those nobles, those nobles who reap without sowing.

She couldn't earn a single penny of the cost.

Why should these people who don't farm, don't brew wine, and don't even pay for it be able to enjoy the plum wine that my sister worked so hard to get?
"Let the gods tell us, who is wasting their time on the wilderness?"

"It's me! It's me!"

Catherine responded.

Father Lynn also responded.

Old David opened his mouth, as if to respond.

Because before his eyes, he suddenly saw his own golden wheat field.

It is the sweat shed day after day on the fields.

It was that leaky house that let in the wind and rain on that rainy night.

His wife and children.

And that money bag that had been used to labor half a lifetime, yet had only accumulated a few loose copper coins.

His life was filled with oppression and destitution.

"Who is wasting their time on the wilderness!"

"It's me! It's me!"

he blurted out.

The person next to him blurted it out.

Those who were threatened, oppressed, or resentful of the nobility blurted out these words.

Only in this moment.

Their resentment towards the 'privileged,' towards the lord, and towards this life—

These pent-up "firewood" were finally ignited by the song.

Like a volcano poised to erupt, lava, carrying anger and resentment, spews forth from the scorching crater!

Tang Qi swept down the strings with intense notes, like a roaring torrent!
"Pick up your hoe, even if it means murder and arson."
Hold your head high, even if you shout until your throat is hoarse!
Screw heroes, screw legends;
Fuck the landlords, fuck life!

"To hell with landlords, to hell with life!"

People sang together, their voices echoing in the howling wind.

The torches in their hands, like inextinguishable sparks, swayed with their songs.

They moved towards the mercenaries.

"Kill anyone who resists!"

They obeyed Hus's orders to wield their longswords.

"Cut off his goatee!"

Even the rubble seemed to tremble. The tower shield blocked the giant sword swung by the wolf, and in the violent collision, it deflected the blade.

The spiked hammer, specifically designed for armor penetration, struck the steel plate in his abdomen.

"Boom-"

As the immense force struck, Explosive Wolf felt his body tilt uncontrollably.

Unable to immediately swing his greatsword in retaliation, he could only stagger to maintain his balance, his steps becoming unsteady.

The gravel slammed into his unbalanced lower body, knocking the large warrior to the ground.

He raised the hammer high, his laughter rising in fervor:
"Damn it, I finally managed to hit you in the head!"

The battle-hardened hammer was reflected in the wolf's pupils.

This forced him to want to escape—

He seems to have spent his entire life running away.

Unwilling to dedicate his life to farming, he fled his hometown.

Unwilling to continue taking on those tedious and boring escort duties, he fled to the Great Wall.

Everyone knows that he participated in the horrific defense of the South.

Few people know that he led his remaining troops back to Longjin City.

Now, he has escaped from the orcs and returned to Starplum Town.

They also wanted to escape from this land that was about to be trampled to a safer place.

But in the last second before the hammer struck his helmet, he finally realized that he might not be able to escape...

Surprisingly, he didn't feel much resentment.

After all, he had already foreseen this outcome the moment he chose to become a mercenary.

Lady Luck had favored him, but she wouldn't always grant him her blessings.

More than resentment and bitterness, he felt depressed:

"Damn it. This trip was totally not worth it..."

"Boom-"

The hammer in Shatterstone's hand dented the ground of Explosive Wolf's helmet, and the blow also affected his head, splattering crimson blood.

"Boss!?"

The farmers, holding pitchforks, pressed them against the mercenaries' swords, no longer caring about the bloody holes piercing their bodies as they resisted. They surrounded the mercenaries, singing at the top of their lungs.

The mercenaries, having lost their leader and rendered sluggish by the deafening song, seemed bewildered and could only look towards their employer—

Hus cursed those reckless commoners, only to find that his shouts were destined to be drowned out.

Tang Qi had already drawn his black knife and charged towards the master and servant while singing loudly.

He is not a black snake, and he does not possess ghostly speed.

So much so that Huss could clearly see his movements, and with his left hand behind his back, he held his rapier upright in front of his chest:

"Young Master, step back!"

This is a poet who possesses the magic of music, but clearly, he doesn't have much martial arts skill.

That curved knife was indeed sharp, but if it fell into the hands of a novice, it wouldn't pose much of a threat.

And the swift sword in his hand, a rapier designed specifically for duels, never feared any head-on confrontation—

Huss saw through Tang Qi's attack and easily dodged his thrust by simply tilting his head.

“Crude craftsmanship.”

It was so crude that it didn't even deserve to be called a duel.

Seeing that his opponent had exposed an opening, he sneered and flicked his wrist.

The slender blade sliced ​​through the wind, its tip already aimed straight for Tang Qi's chest!
An easy hit.

　I feel that in order to clarify Tang Qi's plan, this part of the story was written a bit slowly. But I also feel that if I don't write it, I won't achieve the effect I want. After thinking about it, I think it might be because the daily update of 4,000 words during the new book period has lengthened the cycle. So if I still have the energy, in addition to today's 5,000 words, I might add another chapter tonight.

　　I'm shamelessly begging everyone to keep reading!
　　I hope I can at least keep reading until next Monday!!! (It seems to be related to the Three Rivers)
　　This is really important for the author!!!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)