Chapter 223: Caught In The Net And Counter-killed
The deeper they ventured into the Western Rong people’s large camp, the more uneasy Lin Xin felt in her heart, as if something uncontrollable was about to happen, leaving her somewhat restless.
“What’s wrong?” Mo Ziyuan saw her expression was off and asked.
Lin Xin shook her head, shaking the previous thought out of her mind, and said with a serious face: “Nothing, just feels too quiet here, a bit overly so. We’d better be extra careful!”
Mo Ziyuan had always felt something was off, and only after Lin Xin mentioned it did he suddenly realize it. Indeed, it was too quiet here.
He had entered Western Rong people’s camps before, but never had it been this deathly silent.
“Careful!” Lin Xin suddenly shouted loudly. Mo Ziyuan only felt a strong force pushing on his body, and his whole person involuntarily retreated several large steps to the side before steadying himself. Turning his head, he saw a scene that made his blood run cold.
A large net covered in barbs dropped from the sky, trapping Lin Xin entirely inside. She fell to the ground and struggled fiercely, her skin scraped by the barbs, and the pungent smell of blood quickly spread.
“Xin’er!” Mo Ziyuan roared and, no longer caring about hiding, rushed to her side in a few strides to help her tear at the large net together.
No one knew what material the net was made of, but the more they tore at it, the more it contracted. It had only loosely covered Lin Xin before, but now it bound her tightly, almost seamlessly.
“Hahaha, Heir of Dingguo Duke, long time no see!” With a rough laugh, a group of foreign tribesmen escorted a tall man with a full beard and dirty braids tied in his hair, appearing before them.
“Wu Hetu!” Mo Ziyuan stood up, drew the sword at his waist, and protected Lin Xin in front of him.
“That’s right, it’s me. Heir of Dingguo Duke, how does it feel to be a prisoner?” Wu Hetu looked at the vigilant Mo Ziyuan, his smile growing even more pleased.
“You knew I would come tonight?” Mo Ziyuan asked.
“Hahaha, how about it? Feels good to be betrayed by your own people, right? They all say Central Plains people are united as one, but now it seems otherwise!”
“It’s Kong Xiao!” Mo Ziyuan almost squeezed the name out through gritted teeth.
“Anyway, you won’t escape tonight, so it doesn’t hurt to tell you. Kong Xiao is just a fool; how could he be worthy of cooperating with our great Western Rong people? He’s merely a scapegoat after things went wrong. Our true friend isn’t him, hahaha!”
“Then who is it?”
“That I can’t tell you. When our great Western Rong people take your country in the future, you’ll know everything. Seeing the anger on Mo Ziyuan’s face, Wu Hetu teased: “Why don’t you join us too? Our Great Khan is quite interested in you. As long as you agree, high positions, great wealth, gold, silver, and beauties will be yours. How about it?”
“Hmph! Dreaming if you think I’ll betray my country.”
“Are you Central Plains people all so stubborn? Let me tell you, if you refuse to join us, tonight is the end for you and this little beauty. I’m not one to pity the fairer sex; I quite like your Central Plains saying ‘make full use of everything’!”
The people behind Wu Hetu joined in the jeering: “Left General, can you reward this Central Plains beauty to us subordinates? Tired of Western Rong beauties, brothers all want to taste a Central Plains beauty!”
“Hahaha, good. If the Heir of Dingguo Duke refuses to surrender, then this general will decide to reward that little beauty to you. Remember not to go too hard, lest the brothers behind have nothing left to play with.”
“Rest assured, Left General, we all know our limits!”
“Yeah, General, we won’t go overboard.”
“Don’t know when we can get the person; brothers are getting a bit impatient.”
“Haha, Wu Mu, is it you who’s impatient or your brothers? Make it clear!”
“All impatient, all impatient. Don’t single me out; I don’t believe you aren’t!”
“Impatient, of course impatient, hahaha······”
The vulgar words made Mo Ziyuan’s eyes bloodshot, veins bulging on the back of his hand gripping the sword hilt.
“How about it? Heir of Dingguo Duke, made your decision? If not, my brothers can’t wait! Look······” Before Wu Hetu finished speaking, his voice suddenly stopped. He raised his hand to clutch his neck, eyes bulging, mouth opening and closing, but unable to say anything.
The Western Rong soldiers behind him still didn’t know what happened, chiming in: “Yeah, decide quickly! Brothers are all eager!”
Some had already undone the buttons of their upper garments, exposing hairy chests.
“You, you······ guh, guh······ you······” Wu Hetu’s tall figure suddenly swayed, and he dropped to one knee on the ground. Crimson liquid dripped steadily from between his fingers, and the bloody smell in the air suddenly intensified.
Only then did the Western Rong soldiers sense something wrong, rushing forward to surround Wu Hetu. Seeing his state, they cried out in alarm: “Left General!”
“Someone sneak attacked! Protect the general!” Someone was the first to react and shouted loudly.
The Western Rong soldiers snapped out of their daze, automatically forming a circle around Wu Hetu. Two had already crouched down to check his injury.
“This······” The crouched soldier stared dumbstruck at the blood spurting from between Wu Hetu’s fingers. By now, Wu Hetu couldn’t even kneel, collapsing onto the soldier beside him.
His eyes wide open, he raised a trembling hand pointing toward Mo Ziyuan outside the circle, using all his strength to say intermittently: “That, that fe, female······”
His breath was faint as a thread. The soldier pressed his ear almost to Wu Hetu’s mouth to barely make out the words, then turned in surprise to look. Only then did they see the woman who had been struggling with the large net on the ground had somehow freed herself and was standing gracefully beside Mo Ziyuan, holding a long sword with an icy gaze fixed on them.
Saying those words had exhausted the last air in Wu Hetu’s lungs. His face turned purple, mouth agape in convulsions a few times, eyes dimming. His body went limp in the soldier’s arms, unwillingly losing his life.
“General!” The soldier tremulously withdrew the fingers testing under his nose and roared in grief.
The Western Rong soldiers present turned their heads and saw their revered commander lying silently there, those eyes always gleaming with wisdom now blankly wide open. Their hearts filled with horror.
“Mo Ziyuan, was it you!” Wu Hetu’s deputy general was one of the two checking his injury. Seeing Wu Hetu die so inexplicably, he glared with blood-red eyes furiously at Mo Ziyuan.
“So what if it was me? You just aren’t as skilled.” Mo Ziyuan had lost his earlier rage; though worry still lingered in his eyes, he could now speak calmly.
“I’ll fight you!” The deputy general swung his long sword and lunged at Mo Ziyuan.
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