Just as Captain Liu Shouwei was ready, only missing the eastern wind.
Suddenly, Yinshan City was besieged by bandits.
To be precise, it wasnāt merely a bandit problem, but a small group stronger than even the army storming in to loot!
They were fierce, clad in beast skins, donning wolf-skin boots, riding Iron-hoof Cavalry, with bizarre hairstyles and adorned with strange bone ornaments.
After barging through the city gates, they slaughtered both gods and Buddhas, committing every imaginable evil by burning, killing, and plundering.
The city quickly erupted in flames reaching the sky!
The citizensā wails, childrenās cries, the clash of weapons, and even the sound of flesh being pierced brutally.
All these noises mixed together in chaos.
Liu Shouwei was dumbfounded.
"This is... whatās happening?!"
"Somebody! Somebody, come quickly!"
Several Dogheaded advisers quickly gathered before him, their faces ashen, bodies trembling, terrified beyond control!
"M-Master, these seem to be people from Western Xia!"
"Master, we must flee immediately! It will be too late if we donāt!"
"M-Master, hurry back and pack! I know a small..."
Before he could finish saying āpath,ā the advisorās head was already severed.
A pillar of blood shot up, like a bloody inverted waterfall, dousing everything in blackish-red blood.
Before anyone could react to what had happened, they felt a hot splash on their faces and bodies.
After a moment of shock, they looked at each other, covered in blood.
Then at the corpse in front of them, decapitated, still gurgling and convulsing as blood spurted out.
They unleashed the most hellish of screams!
"Ah!"
"Ah!!"
"Ah!!!"
Liu Shouwei rolled his eyes and fainted.
The rest, seeing the situation, quickly feigned unconsciousness.
At that moment.
A fierce man, clad in luxurious animal pelts and with various braided hairstyles, walked in.
He first looked with satisfaction at the decapitated body at his feet.
Then he kicked the head that he had sliced off with a flying knife.
Lastly, he fondly caressed the Silver Moon Blade gleaming coldly in his hand.
"Not bad!"
"As expected, my Silver Moon Blade is reliable!"
After exclaiming, he glanced around.
His gaze fell on the fainted corrupt officials.
He found them dull and uninteresting.
"Are they this easily frightened? Truly a bunch of useless fools."
"In that case, letās send them on their way!"
"Once my Silver Moon Blade is unsheathed, it must taste blood! The more blood it drinks, the more powerful it becomes!"
"Taking you out today means a good feast for you!"
He gently ran a finger along the paper-thin blade, calmly lifting his scimitar.
"Ah! Spare me, Master, spare me!"
One of the advisors āawoke,ā desperately begging for mercy.
His body trembled like a sieve, losing control of his bodily functions.
The manās Silver Moon scimitar paused mid-air.
"Oh? One of you is awake?"
With this statement, two more advisors āawoke,ā pleading for their lives.
"Master, please spare me a dogās life, Iāll do anything for you!"
"Master, as long as you spare me, Iām your servant for life, to do with as you please!"
Their condition was no better than the first.
A strong will to survive drove them to abandon all dignity.
The man looked around, somewhat troubled.
"You all want to live?"
They nodded vigorously!
"Then... what about my Silver Moon? Sheās hungry..."
He looked at his Silver Moon Blade, full of concern.
To the warriors of Western Xia, weapons are as important as life itself.
Women are like clothing, but weapons are dear as limbs, the foundation for survival.
A strong weapon is worth countless women in exchange.
Even for a weapon, blood brothers can become rivals, severing ties permanently.
They live by the sword, they die by the sword.
A handy weapon is worth its weight in gold, a lifelong companion.
So...
The manās heartache was genuine, not feigned!
After much thought, he made a difficult decision.
"Silver Moon, eat a little less, okay? Leave me one, please?"
His tone was gentle, as if speaking to his dearest lover.
The people below were nearly in tears.
āWhatās with this guy, talking to a broken sword? Is he mad!ā
Suddenly, he continued.
"Iāve already discussed with Silver Moon, among you, only one can live!"
"...!!!"
No time to consider if heās insane, better beg for mercy quickly!
The advisers scrambled to be the first.
"Master, me! I am willing to do anything for you, just spare me!"
"Get away!"
Another shoved him aside, eager to pledge his loyalty.
"Master, choose me. I grew up here, know everything! Iām intimately familiar with the terrain within a hundred miles, just spare me!"
The last one wouldnāt be outdone.
He got up and kicked the other two away, hurriedly kneeling to plead.
"Master, choose me, I know even more than he does, I... Iād be your loyal servant!"
"Yes... yes, I even know martial arts, Master, I know martial arts!"
He said, eagerly stretching his noodle-like legs.
In mid-air, he flailed wildly, not even knowing what madness had taken hold...
"Get lost! You know nothing!"
"Nonsense! You dare compare your skills with mine?"
"You two are useless, I am the strongest one!"
They slandered each other, desperately praising their own worth.
Soon they were wrestling together, eyes red with rage, like roosters in a cockfight arena.
The man suddenly found it amusing.
On a whim, he sat on a nearby chair, casually kicking the cumbersome head aside, leisurely saying.
"You three duel, the winner lives!"
Upon hearing this, the three instantly lunged at their former companions.
Scratching, biting, kicking, and punching with brutal ferocity, showing no mercy.
In the end, a sly advisor won with nimble moves, earning the chance to live.
While the remaining two met their doom.
Their fate was the same as the first advisor, decapitated, bodies buried in oblivion.
Liu Shouwei slowly regained consciousness.
As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw heads rolling everywhere, one even stopped by his foot, staring back in terror.
Fear struck him; he fainted again!
The man holding the blade looked down on him with utter disdain.
Just as he was about to finish off this useless coward and send him to meet Yama, the surviving advisor stopped him.
"Sir, Master!!"
"This man is the Captain of Yinshan City!"
"Heās served here for decades, familiar with every blade of grass and tree!"
"Keeping him might still prove useful!"
The man pondered and indeed sheathed his scimitar.
"Fine then, spare him for now!"
Then he looked at his blade with a pained expression.
"Sorry Silver Moon, Iāll take you to kill later, just hold on!"
With that, he instructed the advisor to watch over Liu Shouwei.
Eager to head out himself.