Chapter 697: The Qin People
Chapter 697: The Qin People
September 25th, 2017
On the outskirts of the grasslands, outside the Wind Spirit Valley, beyond the Yinhuai Confusion Array.
Many were astonished by the battle unfolding before them. From the moment Meng Qu unleashed his full power until the battle's conclusion, the entire process took less than a minute. This youth, who was among the top three in the entire Wind Spirit Valley, had been defeated by Lu HaiKong, who appeared gentle and refined.
Those who had previously been confident in Meng Qu now wore expressions of confusion, unable to comprehend what had just transpired.
In reality, Meng Qu's defeat was primarily due to his lack of combat experience. Although his strength was indeed inferior to Lu HaiKong's, it was not by a significant margin. How could he have lasted for over ten rounds against Lu HaiKong? It was solely because of his lack of combat experience that he was instantly taken down by Lu HaiKong.
This defeat was a novel experience for Meng Qu. As Lu HaiKong's mighty axe pressed down on him, Meng Qu felt the chill of the blade against his neck. The expression on his face was not one of fear or anger but bewilderment.
He seemed to still be in disbelief about his defeat at Lu HaiKong's hands.
Meng Qu stood frozen, but the thousands who had accompanied him quickly reacted.
"Han people, release Meng Qu immediately!"
"Yes, release Meng Qu, or you'll face the consequences!"
………………
"Silence!"
Amid the clamor, a deep voice boomed, silencing the chaos. This voice did not belong to Lu HaiKong but came from a Han man among the thousands.
This Han man seemed to hold considerable authority in the Wind Spirit Valley. With a single roar, the thousands fell silent.
Lu HaiKong glanced in the direction of the voice, and his pupils constricted involuntarily.
Standing before him was a man around 1.9 meters tall, carrying a long spear, and appearing to be in his thirties.
This man had a simple and honest face with a square jaw, and he wore animal skins, giving him the appearance of a wild man. However, to Lu HaiKong, he seemed like a legendary general.
"This Wind Spirit Valley is quite interesting, to have such a figure within its ranks."
With Lu HaiKong's keen eyesight, he could tell that this burly man's strength had surpassed the 90 threshold. What intrigued him even more was that this man was not a historical general, as those with a strength of 90 were typically historical figures. This man was the first of his kind that Lu HaiKong had encountered.
As Lu HaiKong scrutinized the burly man, the latter also stared back at him.
"My name is Meng Chao of the Qin people. May I inquire about your esteemed name?"
Qin people? Meng surname? When Lu HaiKong heard these words, a glint flashed in his eyes, and he roughly guessed the identity of this group in the Wind Spirit Valley. Based on the nature of this game, these people might be descendants of the Qin Dynasty's formidable generals, Meng Tian and Meng Yi.
"I am Lu HaiKong, the Han Dynasty's General Who Conquers the North and Governor of Bing Province!" Lu HaiKong saw no need to conceal his identity and directly introduced himself.
Lu HaiKong's self-introduction caused a stir among the thousands in the Wind Spirit Valley.
Although these Qin people had lived in the Wind Spirit Valley, isolated from the Han borders for centuries, they were not entirely cut off from the outside world. Many among them were familiar with the titles of General Who Conquers the North and Governor of Bing Province, and they knew that these titles belonged to a high-ranking official in charge of a region.
Even Meng Chao, who exuded the aura of a great general, stood with a glint in his eyes.
Lu HaiKong paid little attention to their reactions. He casually removed the Savage Axe from Meng Qu's shoulder, saying, "Rest assured, I didn't come here for you. I'm here to rescue my subordinate."
If possible, he also wanted to bring this group from the Wind Spirit Valley under his command.
Lu HaiKong did not voice this last thought, but it was something he very much desired. After all, this group possessed exceptional qualities. Among the thousands, several hundred had strength levels above 60, and there were even over a dozen with strength levels above 80. Additionally, there was the man before him with a strength level above 90. If circumstances permitted, Lu HaiKong would gladly welcome them into his ranks.
However, this was not the time for such discussions. Lu HaiKong's current priority was to find Li Xiong and Zhao Er.
"You, yes, you. I heard your name is Meng Qu, right? You met Zhao Er yesterday, didn't you? Oh, I mean Zhao Nanli. Tell me what happened between you two. In just one day, how did such intense hatred develop?"
Perhaps it was the shock of being instantly defeated by Lu HaiKong, but Meng Qu's anger had subsided. In response to Lu HaiKong's question, although his face still showed some reluctance, he honestly recounted his encounter with Zhao Er the previous day.
After satisfying his combat desires in the battle with Zhao Er and suffering defeat, Meng Qu had calmed down. He no longer shouted for a fight and was cooperative in the investigation. Not only did he offer to return the warhorses and equipment he had found from the Black Wind Legion, but he also informed Zhao Er about their origin.
The encounter between the two sides began as a battle, but it eventually concluded in a relatively amicable atmosphere.
Meng Qu and Zhao Er even developed a mutual respect for each other after their fight, exchanging names and agreeing to meet again for another battle in the future.
This meeting was quite satisfying, but the situation changed that very night. The Black Wind Legion raided their village, slaughtering everyone in sight before retreating, leaving behind a trail of corpses. Meng Qu's thirteen-year-old sister was even severely injured during the previous night's battle.
How could Meng Qu not be furious after such an incident?
That night, he contacted all the Qin villages in Wind Spirit Valley, forming a group to search for Zhao Er within the valley. However, before they found Zhao Er, they encountered Lu Hai Kong.
After listening to Meng Qu's furious account, Lu Hai Kong narrowed his eyes. If what this young man said was true, the situation in Wind Spirit Valley was more complex than he had imagined.
"Where is the place you told Zhao Er about?" Lu Hai Kong asked after a moment's thought.
Meng Qu hesitated for a moment before revealing the location.
"It's about thirty li from our village."
Lu Hai Kong didn't react much to this information, but the Qin villagers were in an uproar.
"Isn't that place not far from there?"
"That Meng Qu is unreliable! How could he lead them into danger?"
In the 16th chapter of the 9th volume of the first edition...
"It seems like those Han people accidentally entered that place and suffered heavy losses, so they came for revenge."
Lu Hai Kong heard something unusual in their words and was about to ask when someone else spoke up.
Meng Chao stepped forward and asked, "Little Qu, you should know how dangerous that place is. Why did you lead them there?"
Meng Qu's face turned red with anger upon hearing this. "I didn't want them to go there either! But Zhao Nanli told me he was in a hurry to save someone, and it was a matter of hundreds of lives. What could I do? I could only tell them where those things came from."
"Moreover, I already warned them that the place was very dangerous, especially at night. If they didn't find anyone before nightfall, they must leave immediately.
I even promised to take them there today and lent them the Wumu Token. I did everything I could. I told them to wait for me for a day, but they couldn't wait. What else could I do? Besides, isn't it right to hold me accountable?"
Meng Qu's roar was filled with anger and guilt. As he recalled the tragic deaths of his fellow villagers, tears of regret welled up in his eyes.
Lu Hai Kong was still a bit confused by this sudden turn of events, but he sensed a change in the attitude of the Qin people towards them. They no longer seemed as vengeful as before, demanding blood for blood. Instead, their expressions became complex.
"Can someone explain what's going on?" Lu Hai Kong asked coldly, sensing that Zhao Er and his group might have been unknowingly led into danger by Meng Qu.
The Qin people looked embarrassed by Lu Hai Kong's cold questioning, not knowing how to explain. Even Meng Chao furrowed his brows.
Just as they were at a loss for words, the sound of horse hooves suddenly rang out again.
Compared to the previous sound of the Qin people's horses, these hoofbeats were much lighter and fewer in number, and they came from behind the Qin people.
Upon hearing these hoofbeats, Lu Hai Kong's eyebrows raised, and a hint of joy appeared on his face. He could tell that these hoofbeats belonged to the Black Wind Legion.
Indeed, moments later, hundreds of Black Wind Legion members appeared behind the Qin people, swiftly stopping and aiming their Cloud-Piercing Crossbows in an offensive stance.
The use of Cloud-Piercing Crossbows as weapons indicated that this group was not the same as the Black Wind Legion from three months ago. This group likely accompanied Zhao Er.
After seeing this group of Black Wind Legion members, Meng Qu's eyes turned bloodshot with rage.
"Good! We've finally found them!"
Meng Qu, along with several young men from his village, was about to charge and fight to the death. However, Lu Hai Kong's Savage Axe unleashed a domineering aura.
"Stop! Who dares to move in front of me?"
As Lu Hai Kong's commanding roar echoed, a terrifying aura akin to that of a ghost or a god surged from Dian Wei...
(End of Chapter)
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