Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

Chapter 93 Centurion

The General Who Conquers the South only sent a small contingent of troops to replace the county garrison.

The troops did not attract the attention of the people, but everyone in the streets and alleys praised the general who was about to arrive.

The praise was that the General Who Conquers the South truly deserved his title, being far superior to that Commandant Qin.

A great general should defend against enemies from the outside, rather than holding onto one place.

On his way back to the city, the general who was conquering the south discovered that the Heavenly Mother Sect was related to the Demonic Sect and that they were secretly raising an army, which was already gaining momentum.

Therefore, upon arriving in Yizhou Prefecture, the general did not rush to garrison the area, but instead went to Gaoliu County to wipe out the demonic sect.

The common people did not know exactly how evil the Demonic Sect was, but they were already clapping and cheering when they heard the rumors.

Everyone felt very safe; even though the general had not entered the city, everyone felt that the general was right beside them.

"Mr. Wei, what's your opinion of this general?"

In the alleyway, in that inconspicuous Wenyuantang, Meng Zhaoting saw the students disperse and bowed to the schoolteacher named Wei Ting.

Wei Ting stood at the gate, seeing the students off, and muttered, "That beast! It's just that Magistrate Fang is afraid of him, so he spread some rumors. The people don't know the truth, so they believe it."

Meng Zhaoting always thought that this schoolteacher was very knowledgeable. He could roughly deduce many things by sitting in his thatched hut, reading official government reports, and listening to gossip.

He said that Zhang Guan's attack on the Demonic Sect was only to gain merit and get people in the capital to work for him to change the emperor's demotion order.

The reason he didn't enter the city was because it was a source of pride for him as a general, and taking over the city's defenses would be an insult.

Just then, the sound of chaotic hoofbeats came from outside the alley.

rH//rr

Wei Ting frowned and stared at the direction of the alley entrance.

Riding a horse in such a narrow alley makes it easy to bump into pedestrians.

The alleyway was deserted at this moment, with only the wind swirling fallen leaves from the corner of the wall.

"De de, de"

Under the clear sunlight, a disheveled figure rode a black horse into everyone's view, with a pale-faced man on the horse.

The man's gray cloth outfit was covered in dust and bloodstains. His left arm was injured, and dark red blood seeped from his sleeve. He controlled the horse with one hand and tightly protected the woman behind him with the other.

Their clothes fluttered in the wind, and they were filled with panic.

The man caught sight of the two men standing at the street corner, a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes, and he quickly pulled on the reins, causing the black horse to rear up.

He quickly helped the woman dismount and, bowing to the group, pleaded urgently, "Gentlemen, please save my young lady!"

The woman tumbled off her horse, her hair disheveled, a few strands of black hair clinging to her sweat-dampened forehead, her face covered in mud and tear stains.

The girl, barefoot and with her skirt tattered, clung to Wei Ting like a drowning person grasping at a lifeline. Her voice hoarse and tearful, she repeatedly cried out, "I am from Sujia Suhe in Gaoliu County! I am a law-abiding citizen! I am a law-abiding citizen!"

"The Su family?"

Meng Zhaoting, who was standing to the side, was taken aback. He had heard of this family before. The Su family was a small family, but they dealt in medicinal herbs, so he happened to have heard of them.

Wei Ting calmly asked, "Why are you in such a panic in broad daylight?"

The man hurriedly said, "The young lady's name is Su Su, please—please save her, take her away from the north gate of Songjiang County to the ferry—"

Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from beside him. The man trembled, shoved Su Su through the door, and immediately mounted his horse.

A cold arrow pierced the air, its sharp sound breaking the tranquility of the alley!

Meng Zhaoting reacted quickly, pulling Wei Ting aside abruptly. Wei Ting immediately protected Su Su and hid in a corner against the wall.

puff!

The arrow pierced straight through the man's neck and throat, and blood gushed out instantly, staining his gray outfit red.

The man froze, bloody foam spilling from his mouth. He turned his head with difficulty to look at Meng Zhaoting, then collapsed straight off his horse with a "whoosh."

go with.

Immediately afterwards, a chaotic sound of horses' hooves came from the end of the alley, dust flying everywhere, and several figures dressed in black and tight-fitting clothes came galloping over.

They held gleaming long knives in their hands.

In the sunlight, the blade gleamed with a chilling light, hurtling straight towards the group's location—

"I am a law-abiding citizen! A law-abiding citizen—"

The woman murmured to herself.

Wei Ting had already noticed the other party's attire, and his pupils contracted slightly, recognizing it as the insignia of the General Who Conquers the South's personal guards.

His heart sank, but he remained calm on the surface. He shielded Su Su behind him, took a few steps back, and tried to find an opportunity to close the door.

Meng Zhaoting stepped to the side, blocking the two of them.

At this moment, the figures arrived in front of them and reined in their horses.

The leader was a military officer who looked to be about forty years old. He glanced at the corpse on the ground, then looked past Wei Ting and the other man, and his gaze landed on Su Su.

Perhaps realizing she was being watched, Su Su shuddered and murmured, "I'm a law-abiding citizen."

But this murmur caught the soldier's attention.

The soldier dismounted, sword in hand, and glanced at Wei Ting. Seeing his scholarly attire, he sneered, "The general has ordered that the Su family of Gaoliu County is colluding with the Demonic Sect and selling forbidden drugs. Anyone associated with the Su family is to be killed without exception. Where did this law-abiding citizen come from? If she were a law-abiding citizen, why would she charge through the city gate on horseback?"

After he finished speaking, the men behind him also dismounted. Zi Guang swept his gaze over Su Su, lingering on her tattered skirt and bare feet.

"She's a pretty young lady, but unfortunately, she's associated with the Demonic Sect, which means certain death."

A tall, thin man standing nearby chimed in, his tone sinister: "Sir, why don't we take her back for questioning first?"

After saying that, the tall, thin man walked step by step toward Su Su, grinning as he reached out to tug at her sleeve.

Su Su was terrified, shrinking back repeatedly and crying out, "No! I didn't join the Demonic Sect! My sister has already been harmed by you—"

Clang!

The sword was drawn, its cold light flashing.

Meng Zhaoting hurriedly turned to the side, and then watched as a line of blood appeared on Su Su's cheek.

The girl's cries stopped abruptly.

The blood streaks slowly spread out.

"I vomit—"

Upon seeing this scene, Wei Ting felt his stomach churn. He closed his eyes and saw through the cracks that bright red blood had stained the ground with large patches of dark red.

The soldier stepped forward and stabbed Su Su's corpse twice more.

"Sir!"

Meng Zhaoting stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "The person is already dead, why defile a corpse like this? Such behavior—"

"Snapped!"

He was met with a resounding slap. The soldier glanced up at the lintel before slowly turning his gaze to Meng Zhaoting, and sneered, "Scholars, you must learn to shut up, or you'll die."

Smelling the strong stench of blood, Wei Ting clutched his chest, suppressing his discomfort, and pulled Meng Zhaoting behind him, bowing and saying, "Sir, I am a scholar who passed the imperial examination in the year of Jia Shen. According to the law, members of the Demonic Sect should be killed, but those associated with the Demonic Sect should be interrogated first—"

"vomit-

—"

A glob of yellow phlegm landed on Wei Ting's face.

Seeing Wei Ting's astonishment, the soldier snorted coldly, raised his knife, and slapped Wei Ting's cheek with the flat of the blade: "What are you, a mere scholar? If you're not satisfied, go ahead and sue me. My name is Qiu Tang."

"Let me explain in more detail so you won't misunderstand. I used to be a centurion in the Wolf Division of the Jianwu Army, a ninth-rank official, and I'm currently a cavalry captain in the Leopard Division, an eighth-rank official. Don't get the wrong person."

"A scholar can be killed, but not humiliated."

Upon seeing the thick phlegm on Wei Ting's face, Meng Zhaoting couldn't help but take a step forward.