72 Both Sides of the Story (1/2)

”He's not human!” someone shouted, hurriedly fleeing. ”He's Garison's emissary!”

More started to retreat. ”God is angry and has sent a punisher down!”

The Rong soldiers, who had stayed in place for two days, finally dispersed. Yet, with careful calculations, Yuan Zhaoxu had already achieved what he wanted – to drag them along for one day and night, in order to buy time.

The escapees ran anxiously, not picking their paths properly, despite there being only three walkable routes. Most of the soldiers automatically charged up the widest stone path, which had been renovated and hence was neat and unobstructed.

The first Rong man stopped in his tracks. A lonesome head was rolling down toward him.

Just a head.

The head instantly reminded the Rong soldier about the strange head that had randomly exploded, as well as the assistant general and his comrades, who had all exploded too. He couldn't forget the blood and flesh bits that had stained all of their bodies as well.

He let out a shocking cry, quickly turning back to the main path and then into a thicket-filled path, where more soldiers could be seen entering.

That was a ”path of death.”

It was a path that, within a day and night's time, had been dug, poisoned, installed with net traps and ambushed. It was a path that appeared harmless, but it soon turned into the graveyard of close to 3,000 soldiers.

It was a one versus 3,000 battle, which had been under Yuan Zhaoxu's control right from the start. From allowing the soldiers to surround them to the explosion of heads, from breaking the army's morale by destroying their leader to keeping the army stationary, Yuan Zhaoxu had them all calculated out. Only upon the completion of arrangements did he strike, sending all 3,000 soldiers away and then preventing them from taking the open path by rolling a trauma trigger – a decapitated head – down. As such, all of the soldiers had in fact voluntarily fallen into his ultimate trap.

These knotted events had to occur at the right moment as any strong step meant a complete defeat. It was a thoroughly-thought out and psychologically-intensive battle strategy that the seasoned general had orchestrated, but Yuan Zhaoxu had easily tweaked it to his advantage and made the army pawns of his plan.

Meng Fuyao sat before Yuan Zhaoxu, watching the figures vaguely flashing through the dense thicket. Explosions and cries boomed incessantly as blood splattered onto the jade-green leaves and jet-black rocks. A pitiful painting had been drawn, and not far away, the first glimmer of dawn could be seen. The thicket-filled path fogged up, tenderly veiling the bloody scene that was unfolding.

”Inhumane...” A long time later, Meng Fuyao mumbled arrogantly and stubbornly, ”I swear never to become your enemy.”

Yuan Zhaoxu brushed away non-existent dirt from his robe and smiled. ”You can choose to be family this life.”

Meng Fuyao blinked, realizing that he had become more straightforward ever since he clarified the matter with her. She was usually a sharp-mouthed girl, but when it came to topics like this, she simply did not know how to react. Helpless, she turned away and pretended that the conversation never happened.

Upon turning her head, she kept silent. Just then, Xiao Dao, who was close behind Yuan Zhaoxu, retrieved a knife from her boots and aimed, with unimaginable power and speed, for his back.

She stabbed with force unlike that of a child, and Meng Fuyao's face changed, instinctively raising her arm to block her attack.

Yet, upon reaching Yuan Zhaoxu's back, the knife slid down his robe, as if it was coated with a layer of oil.

Yuan Zhaoxu turned around, and before processing what Xiao Dao was doing, he first pulled Meng Fuyao aside to prevent the knife from getting to her. Then, he clasped the knife with two fingers, effectively snapping it into two. Lastly, he raised a leg to kick Xiao Dao.

Xiao Dao flew backward and slammed into Tie Cheng, who was rushing over. Grabbing her, they staggered countless steps backward before crashing into the rock wall. Fiercely tossing her aside he hurled, ”Backstabbing a fellow companion and biting the hand that fed you? Are you still human?”

Xiao Dao leaned against the wall, coughing out a bit of blood. Without turning around, she grabbed onto the vines. Her fingers were pierced and started bleeding, bud she didn't utter a single word.

Meng Fuyao stared at her for some time before pulling out her own knife.

She understood that Xiao Dao was a danger and had gloomy thoughts, but she also knew that the girl that turned out this way because of her misfortune and unhappiness toward life and people. She believed that time would water down her negativity, which was why she had resisted against Zong Yue's decision to get rid of her.