The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the Somersault Cloud, Old Zhu was so envious he cried!

"I'll count down from three. If you still don't move aside, don't blame me for not warning you."

Zhu Ming shouted sharply, "Three!"

The soldiers who were protecting Qian Youde looked at each other, and in an instant, their foreheads were covered in cold sweat. They subconsciously gripped their weapons and swallowed hard.

It would be a lie to say I wasn't afraid!

It is instinctive for people to feel fear when faced with the unknown.

But the phrase "promotion and wealth" is like a potent medicine.

The soldiers suppressed their fear and stood firmly in front of Qian Youde, their feet planted firmly on the ground.

Even though the hand holding the knife was trembling, my legs were also shaking.

But no one ever backed down.

Zhu Ming watched this scene unfold, and his expression gradually turned cold.

"two!"

It was at this moment that

Qian Youde, who was on the ground, finally came to his senses.

With the help of the steward, he scrambled to his feet, his official robes covered in dust, his hair disheveled, looking utterly wretched.

But he couldn't care less about any of that.

He raised his head and looked at Zhu Ming opposite him, his eyes filled with fear.

It was a fear of facing death head-on.

At that moment, he clearly realized that the people in front of him were not there to offer themselves to him, but to take his life!

The moment this thought crossed Qian Youde's mind, his face turned deathly pale.

In the face of life and death, he no longer had time to be afraid.

He shoved aside the butler who was helping him up and roared at the men protecting him:

"What are you all standing there for?!"

"Go and wipe out those robbers!!"

He even sought to get these people to work for him.

He gritted his teeth and added in a loud voice:

"Whoever kills them will be richly rewarded!!"

The soldiers' eyes all flickered.

A generous reward?

They didn't run away, but chose to stay and face Zhu Ming head-on, all for these four words!

The hands that were trembling just now clenched even tighter.

Qian Youde took in the whole scene and was secretly delighted.

Available in the next second.

He pursed his lips painfully, as if cutting off his own flesh, and after hesitating for a long time, he finally squeezed out the specific number through gritted teeth:

"A reward of one hundred taels of silver!"

The words fell.

The entire room fell into a deathly silence.

One hundred taels?

The soldiers wondered if they had misheard, and the excitement that had just ignited on their faces visibly froze.

That's it?

For a hundred taels of silver, you send someone to fight to the death against the ruthless character who blew Zhang Dekai out of the house with a single cannon shot?

Qian Youde truly lived up to his reputation as a notorious miser.

Even when faced with a life-or-death situation, he still wouldn't part with a single extra penny to get these people to risk their lives for him.

That stinginess.

It really makes one look cheap!

Zhu Ming shook his head as he looked at the scene before him.

He has already given them the opportunity.

It's their own fault for not valuing their own lives.

Then-

Don't blame him!

"one."

As the last number fell.

Without hesitation, without pause.

Zhu Ming's right arm jerked violently.

"Bang!!"

"Bang!!"

"Bang!!"

Three loud bangs, one after another!

The compressed air cannons, like three enraged dragons, blasted wildly out of the barrel!

A powerful gust of air instantly swept across the entire street!

Sand and stones flew everywhere, and dust filled the sky!

When the dust settles.

The sight before them made the onlookers, who had come to join the commotion, gasp in astonishment.

The twenty or thirty soldiers who had just been standing in a circle, vowing to protect Lord Qian with their lives, were now mostly gone.

Those who were hit head-on by the air cannon disappeared instantly.

It was as if it had evaporated into thin air.

Only a pool of blood remained, proving that they had indeed been there.

Those who weren't directly hit were thrown away by the blast wave, some with broken arms and legs, lying on the ground howling in pain.

The entire street was instantly deserted.

Qian Youde stood there, his whole body stiff.

He looked around and saw the soldiers who had been densely protecting him just moments before.

Only a few people remained, trembling on the ground.

The others just disappeared like that?

Even slaughtering a pig wouldn't be this fast!

Qian Youde opened his mouth, as if to say something, but couldn't utter a single word.

Only the upper and lower rows of teeth were chattering wildly, making a "clucking" sound.

It was at this moment that

He saw Zhu Ming and his group walking towards him at a leisurely pace.

run!

This thought instantly occupied Qian Youde's mind.

He turned and tried to run away.

But the two legs seemed to have a mind of their own and wouldn't obey orders.

He tried to step out with his right foot, but instead, he shakily stepped out with his left.

Finally, all that was heard was a "thump".

He tripped over his own feet and fell to the ground.

Ignoring the pain, Qian Youde scrambled to his feet and then knelt down again with a thud.

"My lord, have mercy! My lord, spare my life!!"

He was crying and sniffling, banging his head on the ground repeatedly, and blood quickly seeped from his forehead.

"I was blind and didn't recognize your greatness! I deserve to die! I deserve to die a thousand deaths!"

"Please, Immortal Lord, have mercy and spare my life!"

"I am willing to offer all my possessions to the Immortal Lord! I will serve you like a slave to repay your kindness in sparing my life!"

He kowtowed while stealing glances at Zhu Ming's reaction, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

Zhu Ming didn't say anything, but turned to the side, giving the seat in front of him to the female shopkeeper behind him.

The female shopkeeper silently stepped forward.

Her eyes held undisguised hatred.

It's this man right in front of me.

She embezzled the pensions of her father and two brothers.

They also spread rumors that they were deserters who fled the battlefield and caused the deaths of their compatriots.

She drove her mother to her death.

They drove her to the point of losing her family and her life.

She wished she could devour his flesh and drink his blood!

The female shopkeeper stared intently at Qian Youde on the ground and said coldly:

"Qian Youde, long time no see!"

Qian Youde looked up and, upon seeing the female shopkeeper's appearance, guessed that he was probably in grave danger.

But in order to have a chance to survive,

He decided he still wanted to try, and quickly begged the female shopkeeper for mercy:

"Changyu, please, for the sake of how much I've taken care of you in the past, plead with the Immortal Lord on my behalf!"

Upon hearing this, the female shopkeeper gave a cold laugh.

"Take care of me?"

"You mean you slandered my father and brother as deserters and sent people to spread rumors that drove my mother to her death?"

"Is this what you call taking care of someone?"

Qian Youde's expression changed, and he quickly waved his hands, refusing to admit it.

"Changyu, you can't say things like that carelessly!"

"What embezzlement of pension funds, what spreading rumors about desertion? How could I, a high-ranking official of the imperial court, possibly do such a thing?"

"Your father and brother's deaths were on the battlefield; what do they have to do with me?"

"Your mother's death was an accident; how can you pin it on me?"

Qian Youde looked completely innocent, as if he had suffered some great injustice.

"Changyu, you can't just listen to others' instigation and frame me!"

"Don't you know who I, Qian Youde, am?"

"I have always been an honest and upright official, and I love the people like my own children. How could I possibly do something so heinous?"

He spoke with righteous indignation, as if he had truly been wronged.

Fan Changyu was so angry at the other party's shamelessness that he laughed. How could there be such a shameless person in the world!