A wolf will never let a sheep be its leader.
If this relationship could not be changed, then one must try to change the sheep: teach it to run, to bite, to fight.
Let it learn to howl at the moon from the hillside.
Let it realize that grass is the most unpalatable food in the world.
Make this sheep more wolf-like than a real wolf!
The two Barbarian cavalrymen who had slaughtered their way here were dead; their luck had run out. The camp was in turmoil, with fleeing laborers everywhere, yet they had charged straight to this spot.
There were indeed only three laborers here, but these three were like the 'whales' among them—far superior despite appearances.
Xue Three skillfully used his dagger to sever the two heads, then looked at the blood-splattered Zheng Fan, grinned, and handed him a handkerchief from his pocket.
Zheng Fan accepted the handkerchief and furiously wiped his face. Actually, it would have been better if he hadn't. The moment he wiped, the pungent smell of blood filled the air, rushing madly into his nose and mouth.
His stomach churned, but Zheng Fan forcefully suppressed the urge to vomit.
Throwing up in this situation would certainly ruin the atmosphere.
Although he knew he was somewhat 'useless,' Zheng Fan still tried his best to appear capable in front of his subordinates.
"My lord, the first time you kill someone, you might feel a bit uncomfortable. But once you get used to it, you'll enjoy it. It's truly intoxicating."
"Come, my lord, have some wine."
Zheng Fan took the wineskin but, instead of drinking, poured it over his own face.
"HUFF... HUFF..."
After taking several deep breaths, he felt much better.
"Alright, I'm fine now."
Zheng Fan picked up his saber again.
Xue Three moved the corpse on the cart. He hadn't paid much attention when severing the head earlier, but when he moved the body and saw the wound, he unconsciously licked his lips.
That strike was quite terrifying.
Xue Three wanted to ask Liang Cheng about it, but at that moment, the situation in the camp suddenly changed again.
Previously, nearly two thousand Barbarian cavalrymen, aided by infiltrators, had easily breached the camp gate and were now rampaging through the encampment. But suddenly, the sound of urgent hoofbeats came from the periphery.
"Tiger!"
"Tiger!"
"Tiger!"
The Barbarian cavalrymen, already in disarray within the camp, instinctively sensed an ominous atmosphere. This feeling peaked when some discovered that many of the grain sacks were filled with stones.
Outside, the Yan State cavalry corps, having arrived in time and completed a pincer movement, gave them little time to regroup or think.
The charge...
Began!
Yan State was founded on its military prowess.
Among the four great nations, Yan State was the most barren, and its geopolitical situation was the worst. It could be said that since its founding, Yan State had essentially been single-handedly resisting the entire Desert Barbarians!
For this reason, while its local garrisons might be another matter, Yan State's true field elites, its genuine cavalry corps, even after a century of peace, still possessed the valor and prowess of their ancestors!
Even in a head-on cavalry charge on open plains, the Yan State cavalry corps dared to fight and win; their equipment and discipline were indeed beyond what the Barbarian cavalry could match.
This was even more true now, as the two thousand-odd Barbarian cavalrymen had been running amok in the camp, their formations long broken, with no room to build up a charge and no organized structure.
Faced with a charge from true elite cavalry...
The outcome...
Was already decided.
From front and rear, two contingents of Yan State cavalry pierced through the Barbarian cavalry in the camp like sharp drills. This pincer attack had effectively shattered the Barbarian cavalry; all that remained was to divide and annihilate them!
Zheng Fan once again encountered two panicked Barbarian cavalrymen. This time, however, Liang Cheng didn't capture them for Zheng Fan to practice on. He and Xue Three each took one and swiftly cut them down.
Immediately after, they saw a troop of Yan State cavalrymen in Black Armor sweep past not far ahead. However, they paid no heed to Zheng Fan and his two companions, instead pursuing the group of Barbarian cavalrymen before them.
Liang Cheng took a few steps back and leaned against the cart.
Xue Three smacked his lips and remarked with feeling, "I wonder which general this is. So ruthless, using the lives of laborers as bait, only to then swoop in and trap his quarry with ease."
"It's indeed very difficult to annihilate an entire cavalry force," Liang Cheng said, defending the Yan State general. "Besides, the Barbarians operate on a tribal system and have virtually no cities. To wipe out a tribe, you must eliminate all its able-bodied young men; otherwise, they can simply relocate..."
Just then, Xue Three, who had just relaxed, suddenly leaped up. Zheng Fan only felt darkness before his eyes as Xue Three shoved him to the ground.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
An arrow whizzed past where Zheng Fan had been standing, piercing through the wooden planks of the cart on the other side.
Liang Cheng immediately vaulted over the cart with his saber and charged in that direction. There, a Barbarian nearly two meters tall, clad in armor, advanced with a saber.
CLANG! CLANG!
Their long sabers clashed twice in mid-air, sending sparks flying.
However, due to the disparity in blade quality—or perhaps the opponent wielded a treasured saber—Liang Cheng's saber shattered on the third clash, the impact forcing him back two steps.
The Barbarian warrior's saber remained intact, but he himself stumbled back four steps, nearly falling.
"Don't worry about me! Go help! I can hide!"
Zheng Fan pushed Xue Three, who had been crouching protectively beside him since the shove. Then, without another word, already lying on the ground, he seized the moment and rolled twice to the left, directly under the cart.
At a time like this, shouting 'Don't worry about me, let's fight together' would be foolish.
Because Zheng Fan knew his own limitations. If he tried to act brave or showed the kind of reluctance to abandon his companions often seen in romance dramas, he would only be a burden.
And if he stayed out in the open, he would only distract them. It was better to be pragmatic, admit his weakness, and hide first.
Most importantly, when Liang Cheng had clashed sabers with the Barbarian warrior, Zheng Fan had seen gray light flicker several times on the Barbarian's body!
Martial artists in this world were divided into Nine Ranks. Zheng Fan didn't know the specific details, but he understood one principle: people who glowed were not to be trifled with.
"Hehehehe."
Xue Three let out a sinister cackle and, mimicking Zheng Fan, began to roll, albeit in the opposite direction.
Liang Cheng tossed the broken hilt of his saber to the ground. His hands were at his sides, his back slightly hunched, and his body leaned forward a little, but his eyes remained fixed on the towering opponent before him.
"Your saber... is broken."
The Barbarian warrior cracked his neck and tightened his grip on his saber.
Liang Cheng responded impassively, "It doesn't matter. I was never very good with a saber anyway."
The Barbarian warrior didn't delay further. Raising his saber, he attacked once more.
This time, apparently because he was weaponless, Liang Cheng didn't try to block but started to dodge.
After a series of slashes, none of which connected, the Barbarian warrior grew anxious. Their current situation was extremely unfavorable. They had to break out as soon as possible. Otherwise, once the Yan State cavalry finished mopping up the main force and secured the area, escaping would be incredibly difficult.
Those damn Yan bastards! Using human lives as bait!
The Barbarian warrior slashed again. After Liang Cheng sidestepped it once more, the Barbarian charged, ramming his body into Liang Cheng.
THUD!
The Barbarian's shoulder slammed heavily into Liang Cheng's chest with a dull thud.
To the Barbarian's own surprise, he was the one most shocked by the collision. He was a rare champion in his tribe, especially renowned for his physique; few could match him in wrestling. But this Yan State man, dressed like a laborer, had a chest that was unnaturally hard!
It was indeed highly unnatural, because a normal person wouldn't go wrestling with a Zombie.
Instinctively, having closed the distance with the collision, the Barbarian warrior raised his saber, preparing to cut.
However, he suddenly felt resistance from his saber. Lowering his head in astonishment, the Barbarian was shocked to find that the Yan State man's hand—no, to be precise, his fingernails—had caught his saber blade!
BUZZ!
Gray light flashed on the Barbarian warrior again as his strength surged.
The saber and fingernails grated against each other with intense friction. Astonishingly, the fingernails didn't break; instead, they held fast against the sharp edge of the blade, locked in a stalemate.
A blood-red light pulsed deep within Liang Cheng's eyes. He growled,
"I still prefer... to use my fingernails."
His other hand, its fingernails also elongated, shot out and stabbed directly at the Barbarian warrior's chest!
SQUELCH!
The Barbarian warrior's armor seemed to offer little defense against those eerie, black-energy-wreathed fingernails. After a slight pause, it was pierced, and the black nails plunged into the Barbarian's body.
SWISH!
Another arrow flew in, striking Liang Cheng squarely in the left arm.
The sound of bone breaking came from Liang Cheng's left arm, and the entire limb went limp, completely useless.
Seizing the chance, the Barbarian warrior shoved Liang Cheng aside with his shoulder and kicked out.
THUD!
Liang Cheng was sent flying by the kick, crashing into a cart. The impact shattered the cart beneath him.
Behind them, the lean archer who had just fired looked bewildered. He hadn't aimed for his target's back earlier, fearing the arrow might pass through and injure his own comrade. Yet, even shooting from the side, he was confident his arrow's power should have been enough to pierce deeply and pin the man down.
But his arrow had only embedded its head into the man's left arm. Moreover, he was certain that part of the arm wore no armor!
"Aligu, be careful! There's something wrong with that man!"
"You should worry about yourself."
A ghastly voice sounded from behind the lean man.
The lean man was startled. He was the tribe's finest archer, his senses exceptionally keen. How could someone have crept up on him unnoticed?
However,
Xue Three had indeed appeared behind him.
At the same time,
he delivered his dagger.
This time, instead of slitting the throat, Xue Three plunged the dagger directly into the man's back. Before the man could react, Xue Three gripped the dagger with both hands and yanked downwards with all his might!
RIIIIP!!!
In a butcher's shop, when slaughtering a sheep, after scalding it in hot water, it's hung up. Then, a knife is drawn from the neck all the way down, as if stripping off the sheep's skin.
Xue Three was doing something similar, only he was working in reverse: from the man's back, dragging the dagger all the way down to his crotch, slicing him completely open!
Blood gushed out like an unstoppable fountain.
It should have been an enjoyable process, at least for someone like Xue Three. There seemed to be few things in the world more gratifying than bathing in an enemy's blood.
However,
Perhaps due to the angle,
In the midst of the spurting blood,
The taste, the stinging spray, the warmth, the stickiness…
Xue Three stood there, as if dumbstruck.
His body began to tremble uncontrollably.
"Damn it!"