Chapter 90
The man sitting on the mule looked at the man who stepped forward, whose physique was noticeably larger than that of an ordinary farmer. His face was inherently fierce, and he held a heavy, sharp long blade horizontally in his hand, resembling a living Asura who had just walked out of a blood-soaked battlefield.
Even though he was standing lower than the man on the mule, his presence was so commanding that it was difficult to tell who was actually confronting whom.
The man was taken aback. He hadn’t expected to find someone so formidable among what seemed like a disorganized crowd.
But then it occurred to him that for such a large group of people to relocate together, there must be someone in charge among them; otherwise, they probably wouldn’t even have been able to cross the border.
He abandoned his previous arrogance and adopted a manner of seeking out and respecting men of worth.
"Brother, with your valiant appearance, why mix with these refugees? If you were to raise an army in these chaotic times, becoming a noble or a high minister in the future would be within reach."
Huo Shu's gaze was icy. He had heard such words in the military camp for no less than ten years and had long since dismissed these empty, bullshit promises as nothing more than a dog's bark.
His expression unchanged, he swung onto his horse, reversed his grip, and swept the long blade through the air, the gust of wind whistling past: "I'll give you two choices. Either get lost right now, or leave your life here."
The man didn't expect Huo Shu to be so unyielding, publicly humiliating him like this. He narrowed his eyes slightly and sneered:
"You refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. Attack!"
[敬酒不吃吃罚酒 (jìngjiǔ bù chī chī fájiǔ): lit. Refuse the toast wine, (only to) drink the forfeit; fig. To reject a respectful offer or compromise initially, only to be forced to accept a worse outcome later—often due to stubbornness or pride]
Before the words had even fully left the man's mouth, and before the people behind him could even act on his command, a dull thud sounded. The women and children, who had never witnessed such life-and-death fighting, screamed in terror, the more timid ones crying out directly.
The shouting man was directly flung from his mule to the ground by Huo Shu.
Before he had any chance to get up, the heavy long blade swept towards him. However, Huo Shu did not kill him—the blade stopped just a hair's breadth from his neck.
The man on the ground, head spinning, nonetheless clearly felt the chilling cold of the iron weapon's fierce wind.
Pinned under Huo Shu's foot on his chest, with the cold iron blade beside his neck, his eyes were forced to look up at Huo Shu's imposing gaze from above, filled with killing intent. On the line between life and death, even the most ferocious people would lose their spirit now.
"Brother, righteous sir, show mercy with your blade!"
The man didn't even dare to breathe loudly, not daring to blink as he begged for mercy: "You can go in peace, we absolutely will not disturb you again."
Seeing their leader speak like this, and witnessing Huo Shu's ferocity, the group of tenant farmers instinctively retreated. However, the few others still on their mules had a faint look of unwillingness in their eyes.
Xiao Yong, the hunter beside Huo Shu, raised his bow. Immediately, the few men from the horseback archery range followed suit.
The rebels, seeing there were so many trained fighters, no longer dared to act recklessly.
Pulling on their reins, they showed intention to retreat.
But Huo Shu said coldly: "Our group finds relocation inconvenient. We have many people but few livestock. Since the rebel army claims to fight for the poor and suffering common people, we request your assistance in our current difficulty."
The rebel soldiers on the mules exchanged uneasy glances. In less than half a ke, all twenty-plus rebel soldiers retreated from the woods in disgrace.
[1 ke (刻) = 15 minutes]
The villagers watched in awe as Huo Shu drove off the threatening rebels. Not only had he successfully protected their provisions and valuables, but he had also managed to seize four mules from their oppressors. The entire group stood somewhat stunned by this display of strength.
Huo Shu handed the mules over to Ji Yangzong: "Distribute them to families with elderly and young children who have no livestock. Tell everyone to get up and prepare to leave."
He was uncertain whether the rebels would seek reinforcements and return. Given his past temperament, those rebels should never have been allowed to leave alive. Yet these were turbulent times, and with many women and children present, he would avoid killing unless absolutely necessary.
"Come, come, the Tian family gets one mule, Lengzi, you take one too…"
Soon, four families were allocated mules. Hitching the human-pulled carts to the mules significantly lightened the burden.
The journey on the road could then proceed much faster.
After this incident, no one had the heart to rest any longer. Even those who had been shouting about being tired and unable to walk wanted to quickly leave this place of trouble.
Ji Yangming from the second branch of the Ji family had previously said that the rebel army was formed by tenant farmers and probably wouldn't cause trouble for ordinary common folk. He never expected they would be like jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards.
[豺狼虎豹 (chái láng hǔ bào): lit. Jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards; fig. Vicious and ruthless people.]
Common people like them, without power or influence, were just lambs. Everyone wanted to take a bite out of them, completely disregarding their survival.
Now, the villagers who had shared his views no longer dared to whisper a single word of dissent. They considered themselves fortunate to have made the decision to evacuate with the group—otherwise, they would have no way of knowing what fate awaited them if the conflict reached their village.
As for the folks who had chosen to remain back home in the village—who could say whether they would be able to avoid this impending disaster?
Yet the villagers had little mental energy to spare worrying about the fate of those who stayed behind. On this difficult road of escape, they were fully occupied with the struggle for their own survival.
The large group continued pressing forward urgently towards Yuchang Prefecture. With anxious hearts, they left Shuixi County behind. Huo Shu led everyone, holding their breath and pushing through the night, managing to cross Longwei Slope.
Only after entering Lianping Prefecture territory did he allow everyone to settle down and rest properly for a night.
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