Chapter 278 - 163: Rescue (2)
"Damn it, don’t bring that up. It just makes me miserable. Why’d you have to become a hero so early? I want to be a lord too."
...
Hearing the heroes’ taunts, the lords wiped the expressions from their faces. Inwardly, however, they were filled with anticipation. After all, Xiong Da had sent another message.
"Everyone, stall for time! I’ll be there soon!"
"CLIP-CLOP... CLIP-CLOP..."
The sound of hooves grew closer as a group of Cavalry approached.
"Password!"
"Invisible Hand!"
"May the Great Lord be blessed!"
With the correct password exchanged, the surrounding Heroic Guards relaxed and asked, "Brothers, what’s with the rush?"
"There’s something strange happening at the rear of the main camp. We found a clearing that’s been surrounded by vines, so we’re heading to report it."
"What’s so strange about vines?"
"Those vines are weird. They weren’t there when we first passed by on our patrol. When we came back, they were everywhere. They’re also incredibly tough—we couldn’t cut through them even with all our strength. Something’s clearly not right."
"You’re certainly cautious! Don’t worry, this whole area is full of our people now. There are no enemies."
"Then what’s that?" The Cavalry pointed doubtfully at the fires burning inside the camp, where several tents had been set ablaze.
"They did all this," the Guard said, pointing to the lords trapped in the center. "We’ll be capturing them alive any second now."
"Oh, so that’s what’s happening."
The Cavalry recognized the people who were surrounded and instantly understood. They slowed their pace, ambling off to the side to watch and see what would become of these troublemaking lords.
The Heroic Guards decided not to wait any longer. They needed to capture these lords quickly and report back to complete their mission.
Seeing the Guards prepare to make their move, with fresh enemy troops right beside them, Zhao Tang and the others felt their faces sink in despair.
Shi Min pulled out a dagger. After a moment’s hesitation, she closed her eyes, aimed it at her own heart, and prepared to plunge it in.
"Wait!"
Zhao Tang reached out and grabbed Shi Min’s hand, stopping her from killing herself.
"What are you doing? If I don’t do it now, it’ll be too late! Just because you’re too scared to do it doesn’t mean you should stop me." The thought of being captured—of having a tentacled Eye Demon burrow into her body, control her actions, and manipulate her very consciousness—made Shi Min shudder. Her resolve to take her own life only grew stronger.
"Listen!" Zhao Tang said simply.
Shi Min quieted her mind and listened. Sure enough, she heard a familiar sound: CLIP-CLOP... CLIP-CLOP...
The Cavalry beside them were no longer galloping, so there shouldn’t have been the sound of hooves running at full speed.
’So, was this Xiong Da arriving with the Xiong Family Cavalry as reinforcements?’
The tense expressions on the lords’ faces vanished instantly. The first wave of hoofbeats had been a patrol from the Northern Expedition Legion coming to report; this second wave couldn’t possibly be another patrol, could it?
"Hm?"
The Heroic Guards had been slowly closing in, wanting to savor the lords’ terrified reactions. But to their surprise, they discovered the lords weren’t scared at all.
"WHOOSH—"
"WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH~"
A series of sharp whooshes cut through the air. The Cavalry who had been watching from the sidelines were struck by arrows and tumbled from their horses. Other soldiers nearby were felled by the arrow volley, and countless more shafts flew toward the Heroic Guards.
"Who’s there?"
"Enemy attack—"
The Heroic Guards reacted far more quickly than the Cavalry. They immediately clustered together, shouting as they cast defensive skills to block the rain of arrows.
"Hahaha! Everyone, I’m here!"
Xiong Da’s booming voice rang out, and as it did, over a thousand Cavalry Archers appeared in everyone’s line of sight.
The Cavalry Archers fired relentlessly at the Heroic Guards while dozens of riders broke off, pulling the lords onto their horses and carrying them to the rear. Only then could the lords finally, truly relax.
The Heroic Guards tried to stop them but were pinned down by the ceaseless rain of arrows.
"Who are you? How dare you come to the Northern Expedition Legion’s main camp to steal people from us?"
"Hahaha! I’m not one to hide my name. It’s me, Xiong Da!"
"Xiong Er!"
"Xiong San!"
"Xiong Xiaoming!"
"It’s you!! How did you get in here?"
As soon as they heard the names of the four brothers, the parasitized heroes knew who had come. After all, these four point-farming lords were quite famous among the Eye Demons. In fact, they had been planning to deal with these captured lords tonight and then go after the four brothers first thing in the morning.
’They never expected the four brothers to show up at their main camp first, and to steal their prisoners, no less!!!’
"How did we get in? On horseback, of course. Can’t you see? Or did you Eye Demons go blind after finding a host?"
"Impossible! How did you get the password?"
"Hahaha! Did you really think the Northern Expedition Legion is completely united right now?"
"..."
The Heroic Guards fell silent, but you could tell from their constipated expressions that they were not in a good mood.
"Enemy attack—"
"Form up—quickly—"
...
From the distance came the shouts of the Northern Expedition Legion’s soldiers, and faintly, the sound of urgent footsteps.
Both sides heard the sounds. The Heroic Guards broke into smiles, their defense growing bolder. They even began launching occasional ranged attacks at the distant Xiong Family Cavalry, trying to stall for time until their reinforcements arrived.
The rescued lords were brought before the four Xiong Family brothers, and they heard the sounds as well.
"Xiong Da, let’s go! We need to retreat now, before we get surrounded."
"Not so fast," Xiong Da said. "First, let me ask: how is it only you few? Weren’t there a lot more lords who surrendered their command authority?"
"Sigh, don’t even ask. We hadn’t gotten far after breaking out before they spotted us. Then they just cornered us here."