Even in his twilight years, he swept through the chaotic army of ten thousand warriors!

boom!boom!

Chai Ming's scabbard struck Ji Yan's hunched back with a dull thud, each sound like the mournful cry of a withered tree before it snapped.

"Uncle Chai..."

Chen Zhong frowned. This seemed to be giving Ji Yan a choice, but in reality, it was just a matter of getting a handprint.

This attack...

But then Chai Ming sneered, "That old codger is a master of hiding things; he's definitely hiding his savings for his funeral!"

"Otherwise, I wouldn't have lived to this age. It just so happens that two taels of silver were stolen from me yesterday..."

Chen Zhong nodded in understanding and reminded him, "Leave some breath; you'll need to put your handprint on it later."

"Isn't the bloody handprint also red?" Chai Ming spat, not only not stopping, but hitting even harder.

"rest assured!"

"Even if he dies today, it will be recorded in the case files as a peaceful death after you receive the land deed!"

He grinned maliciously, and the scabbard fell once more.

But this old geezer in front of me had gone mad for some reason; this time, instead of dodging, he actually reached out his hand...

better!

It's so boring to be like that haggard housewife at home, looking like a dead fish every night!

His tongue licked his dry lips, and he could almost see the old geezer lying in a pool of blood, howling in agony after the fall.

The scabbard fell with a whoosh, but...

The expected scream did not occur; the scabbard remained suspended in mid-air.

A withered, claw-like hand, covered in age spots, gripped the sharp blade tightly.

Turbid blood trickled down the spine of the knife and the wrist, dripping onto the dust.

"Hey, you old geezer!"

He was slightly surprised, and, as if he didn't believe it, wanted to draw his sword and try to cut again.

But, one pull...

The knife remained completely still.

He felt a little panicked, but before he could make a further move, he saw another withered hand reach out.

He grabbed his head and pushed it back.

Bang!

An unimaginable force came and pressed his entire body into the ground.

He opened his eyes as if he had seen a ghost, only to see that the swaying, withered body had already stood up.

His lips trembled, and fear quickly filled his heart...

He wanted to scream, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he saw the gleaming blade pressed against his neck.

Ji Yan drew his knife, and then slashed again...

The knife cleaved open his chest, crushing the bones with immense force, causing his head and half of his shoulder to fall off together.

Ji Yan was still swaying, holding the knife, but the gushing blood had already soaked through his withered skin.

It was all over his body and face.

Lightning flashed across the sky, making the blood-red hue even more dazzling...

Rumble!

The long-brewing rumble of thunder finally resounded in everyone's hearts.

But it also awakened everyone from their daze.

"Dead...dead..."

Someone spoke in a trembling voice, their eyes filled with disbelief.

But the scene just now was so clear and distinct that the thunder seemed to linger, still pounding in my chest...

Gudong!

Someone swallowed hard and unconsciously took a half-step back.

Then look at Ji Yan's hunched back...

"You... youkai..."

The accompanying officials cried out in alarm and, disregarding everything else, scattered and fled for their lives.

They ran away, but Chen Zhong...

He was closest to it; warm blood splattered on his face, constantly making his pupils dilate.

The sickening sound of bones cracking seemed to still be grinding against the depths of his eardrums...

In a daze, he tried to run away, but tripped over half of Chai Ming's body and could only try to crawl backward using his hands and feet...

Ji Yan staggered, holding a knife horizontally in front of him.

Chen Zhong was terrified, and he managed to squeeze out broken, tearful pleas.

"No...don't kill me..."

call!

Ji Yan slowly raised his head and exhaled a deep breath.

He realized he had made a mistake.

But then I glanced at the neighbor's house...

Xiao Gou, that little boy, used to hold onto his finger when he was learning to walk, but now his granddaughter can run.

His daughter-in-law usually likes to take advantage of others; she hasn't returned the hoe she borrowed for two years. But the bowl of coarse rice at the door during the two days he was unconscious was probably her share of the food.

And then there's that little granddaughter, Yin Yin, who kept shouting "Don't bully Grandpa Ji!" when her mother dragged her back into the house; her weak cries still pierced people's hearts...

In this world, human kindness is very weak.

They were so indifferent that they just watched helplessly, not daring to step in and stop it.

But sometimes it's so heavy, so heavy that even a small part of it can make you worry about it for half your life...

Ji Yan twitched the corners of his mouth, a carefree expression appearing on his withered face.

He lowered his eyes and looked at Chen Zhong, who was slumped at his feet.

Chop off Master Chen's dog paws...

Perhaps this will give this family a chance to catch their breath?

As he thought this, the gleaming blade flashed...

Start again.

Rumble!

A rumble of thunder swept through my heart, and raindrops the size of soybeans poured down recklessly, falling along with everything else...

And Chen Zhong's head.

Clang!

The official's knife slipped from his hand and struck the bluestone slab with a short, hollow clang.

After doing all this, Ji Yan seemed to have been drained of his last bit of strength. His body swayed, and he almost fell over.

The original owner of this body had been dead for two days. He hadn't been able to attend to it during the critical moment, but now that he had a moment to catch his breath...

My consciousness was instantly overwhelmed by an intense feeling of hunger; my stomach felt like it was being squeezed and kneaded by an invisible hand.

"Hungry……"

He instinctively reached out, but grasped at nothing in the cold rain. He collapsed backward as if all his strength had left him, and landed with a thud in a pool of sticky blood.

I forced myself to grab the bowl of brown rice from the doorway and stuffed it haphazardly into my mouth...

At this age, there's more bran than rice in the bowl, and it feels like sandpaper scraping as it rolls down your throat.

But at this moment, this simple, coarse food is more tempting than any delicacy...

A moment later, heavy, even breathing finally emerged from his throat.

Ji Yan knew he had made a huge mistake and couldn't stay any longer. He forced himself to sit up and tried to return the bowl...

But the door creaked open, and Xiao Gou's daughter-in-law poured out a chamber pot, which landed on his path.

However, it's normal for people to avoid it.

Ji Yan put the bowl on the ground and turned around, but she had only just turned around...

"Grandpa Ji, you should run away!"

A crisp, clear voice came from behind, and Ji Yan slowly turned around.

But then Yinyin, with tears streaming down her face, peeked out from under the door.

"Grandpa just said the authorities won't let you get away with this!"

"Run away!"

Ji Yan raised the corners of his mouth, forming a somewhat kind smile.

"Silly child, Grandpa won't run away..."

"Without travel permits or money, how could Grandpa, in his old age, possibly escape the pursuing soldiers!"

This child is intelligent, and he likes him very much.

This wasn't something an adult taught them, after all...

He fled, but the exorbitant taxes and levies would still fall on his family's shoulders.

These words were meant to reassure Xiao Gou's family. Ji Yan left after speaking.

"Then...where are you going?"

The voice was somber; it was Xiao Gou who asked the question.

"The garrison," Ji Yan replied without turning his head.

The Great Jing was a nation forged through conquest, and at the beginning of its founding, it established military garrisons in various strategic locations.

Each garrison commanded tens of thousands of soldiers, and was further divided into thousand-household units and hundred-household units.

When there is trouble, they are called up for battle; when there is no trouble, they return to their posts to protect the local people.

But now, in the twilight of the dynasty, discipline has collapsed, imperial power has crumbled, and powerful figures from all directions are rising up...

At this point, having weapons in hand means having a voice.

As the dynasty neared its end, the court became corrupt, and imperial power teetered on the brink of collapse, leading to the rise of various factions...

At this time, the soldiers under one's command became the source of authority, and the positions of centurion and chiliarch became synonymous with local emperors.

Those officials who bully the common people are, in the end, nothing more than barking dogs under their command.

A few years ago, there was a blind scholar who wrote a rebellious poem and then caused a drunken disturbance in court.

But he turned around and went to the garrison, and later the county magistrate came to apologize with money in his presence...

Killing an official, especially a corrupt official's confidant, is an utter disaster.

It seemed that this was all Ji Yan could think of, all that could protect him...

He also knew that the garrison was not a charity and could not accept just anyone.

But now he...

"Destiny".

Ji Yan took a step forward, focusing his thoughts on the large seal in his mind.