"What did you just say about a rebel army?"
The girl wasn’t scared; she just looked at the man’s eyebrows and eyes, speaking softly and gently:
"Yesterday at dawn in Jiang’an County Government, the banging of drums began, and notices were posted everywhere. They said that a group of rebels has joined forces with demons to occupy other county cities. The whole county is now under martial law, the city is sealed off!"
Upon hearing this news, the man’s complexion changed, "Did they also issue bounties, bounties for people like us?"
"Big brother, how did you know that?"
"Because this county city has already been taken over by demons." The man’s voice was full of chill.
The brother and sister’s withered yellow complexions became slightly pale.
"Big brother, your joke isn’t funny at all." The brother in the duo mumbled.
Just as the man on the bed was about to speak, his ears suddenly twitched, and then his gaze shifted outside the room, then back to the not-very-old siblings, speaking in a low, quick voice:
"It’s two government officials."
Saying this, he seemed to sense something, then beckoned his Banshan Tiger Talisman from the girl’s arms, which flew into his hand.
Then, he blew on the palm-sized black token, and in an instant, it turned into a copper mirror that could be pinched in his hand.
He then tossed this handful-sized copper mirror to the brother, his eyes filled with subtle murderous intent:
"When you open the door later, just shine this copper mirror on those two government officials and you’ll know,"
The brother wanted to object, finding the matter absurd, but somehow he ended up catching the copper mirror as if compelled by a ghost.
Just as he was about to speak,
A loud knocking came from outside.
"Government office inspection."
The siblings were startled, indeed the man was right, the voices were really those of government officials’. They couldn’t help but feel the drumming in their hearts recalling the man’s words.
"I’ll go open the door." The brother took a deep breath, hid the palm-sized circular copper mirror in his sleeve, covering it with his hand, then stepped out of the inner room to open the door.
The wooden door opened through a crack, and indeed there stood two government officials at the entrance, wearing red necked, green cassock.
Their pair of cold eyes sent a shiver through the brother’s spine instantaneously.
Without greeting, the two officials directly entered, their eyes scanning around the room.
"Your lordships, what brings you here? It’s just the two of us siblings living here, we depend on each other, lacking comforts and without tea to offer." The brother’s face was unnaturally smiling.
"Routine inspection. Have you encountered any suspicious individuals recently?" One of the officials had a somewhat stiff face, staring straight at the younger brother.
The brother tensed up and quickly shook his head, "No."
"And your sister?" One of the officials asked again. The brother was about to call his sister over, but he saw both officials turning toward the inner room simultaneously.
"That man is still inside!" The brother’s heart leaped to his throat, he rushed forward wanting to intercept, but it was already too late.
Only to see, as the two officials walked in, there was only the sister in the room.
The man who had been on the bed had disappeared.
"My sister is a lady and cannot conveniently come out to meet the officials." The brother hurriedly explained with an overly smiley face.
The two officials swept their gaze around the room and then, without saying anything, with their stiff faces, they left.
The brother stood at the door, oozing with ingratiating laughter, saying words of respectful farewell, then his eyes flickered, subtly lifting up the sleeve hiding the copper mirror and revealing a corner, shining it on the backs of the two departing officials.
The next second, his eyes widened dramatically, his heart nearly stopped beating.
In the corner of the copper mirror, on the back of the two "government officers", lay something like white fur.
At that moment, inside the mirror, the fur on the officials’ backs suddenly opened a pair of crimson eyeballs, looking in the brother’s direction.
In that instant, the brother retracted his sleeve as if electrocuted, his body hair standing on end, a wave of fear tumbling in his heart.
Just then, a familiar voice came.
It was the voice of the man who had been on the bed, entering his ears.
"Don’t make eye contact with that thing, stay natural, turn your head, and get inside!"
The brother did as told, clamping his lips tightly.
Once he was back inside, he slammed the door shut, and then collapsed against it as if drained of strength.
At that moment, the man’s figure appeared from the thin air, a talisman falling off him.
Seeing the man, the brother finally believed the man’s words, his eyes widened in horror, and he stammered, "Big, big brother, they’re... they’re really demons!"
"I told you I wasn’t lying!" The man spoke indifferently.
"What exactly is going on? How come these government officials are all..." The brother couldn’t finish, still in disbelief.
"This place is already fallen, the demons are keeping you penned up!" said the man, his eyes flashing sharply.
"Tonight, I will take you away."
"I wonder if anyone has taken the news of our defeat back?"
Darkness falls over Jiang’an County, and one can faintly hear the uneasy whispers of the people.
"When will this lockdown end?"
"Where did these rebel armies come from, the County Government didn’t clarify, it’s all so confusing."
"The government officials came to patrol today, I saw Old Yang, but when I called out to him, it’s like he didn’t recognize me at all, with a cold face, scary as hell, damn it, after all I did for him in the past."
Meanwhile, on the roof of a house on the east side of the town, a surprised voice exclaimed.
"Brother Xie, this talisman is truly magical, it actually grants invisibility."
"Shut up, don’t talk."
"Remember, don’t move recklessly."
Then, there were a few sounds of tiles rattling, followed by a gust of wind, a whooshing noise, flying towards the east side of the city wall.
At this time, the east city wall was serene and boundless, as if merging with the darkness of the night.
There were no lights on the city wall, pitch black.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew over, and on the city wall, a patch of bright yellow light screen suddenly lit up.
Following that, an exclamation suddenly erupted above the city wall.
In the sky, suddenly a flash of fire, and three figures appeared out of thin air.
The talisman had failed, Xie Tianhao, and the siblings with him, were forced to reveal themselves.
At the same moment, on the Dark City Wall, pairs of green eyes lit up.
"We’ve caught a big fish"
"It’s a Mountain Patrol Military Officer!"
Xie Tianhao’s face turned ugly; it seemed that the county town had indeed fallen.
He yelled and with a "swoosh" drew his long sword, slashing down, sending a dozen three-foot-long white sword beams fiercely downward.
Then, he spurred into action with a flick of his hand.
He dashed out into the night with the siblings.
Behind them, roars ensued, some leaping down from the city wall, others transforming into a streak of light, chasing after the trio.
Xie Tianhao was already seriously injured, and now carrying a pair of siblings, harnessing the Divine Power Flowing Light, flew for over a dozen miles, and soon he was unable to control it.
Behind him, two dark clouds pursued relentlessly, with cold green glints flickering within.
Below the high skies, two thunderous crashes, like shooting stars chasing the moon, struck the two dark clouds with a bang.
Then, several dark figures burst out from beneath, slashing furiously at the two dark clouds.
Just a few breaths later,
The two dark clouds dissipated with a scream.
Xie Tianhao, startled, stopped and looked back.
He saw three streaks of light approaching, revealing figures in the same green armor.
His voice trembled with excitement, his complexion quickly turned rosy, as if seeing family.
"Let’s go, I’ll take you to see our General!"
Ten minutes later, three figures in green armor flew with Xie Tianhao and his companions for over a hundred miles, eventually settling in a valley.
There, between the valleys, stood iron armors.
A silver figure was standing atop the peak!
The three figures in green armor were the first to land, kneeling on one knee.
"General, we salute you!"
Following them, one person hurriedly paid his respects,
"Xie Tianhao, formerly the Leading Military Officer of the Tenth Mountain, salutes the Ninth Mountain’s Colonel!"
With that, the man couldn’t help but choke up and bow his head, "I’m sorry, we’ve lost!"