After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 91: Chapter 92: Temporary Conscription

Before he could finish his sentence, his vision blurred. The Commander’s long spear was already pressed against his neck.

He jumped in fright and took two steps back, but the spear’s glint flared, and it pursued him with Shadow Following Form.

In truth, the spear tip was still three inches from his throat, but the pulsing, cold light it emitted almost touched his skin. Overwhelmed by this immense killing intent, Young Master Sunx felt like he could barely breathe.

”One more word, and I’ll cut off your head and send it to Sunx Prefect!”

Young Master Sunx’s face turned ashen, and he swallowed the rest of his words.

With even him cowering, the other servants and guards of Sunx Mansion certainly didn’t dare to block the way. Thus, things on the ground sped up. The two horses pulling the cart became three, then five. With the dramatic increase in power, the ten chests of military supplies were soon hauled up the muddy slope.

As for the other chests from Sunx Mansion, everyone worked together to push them aside—either dragging them down the slope or throwing them into the water.

The Commander saw civilians pilfering valuables from Sunx Mansion, but he didn’t intervene.

In the face of the current crisis, catching thieves and maintaining order were unimportant. The key was getting the column to flee for their lives as quickly as possible.

Once the road was clear again, the people let out a cheer. He turned his horse around, preparing to head to the rear.

At that very moment, a commotion erupted from the far rear of the column. Civilians cried and screamed as they ran forward for their lives.

The pursuers had arrived.

Everyone’s faces fell as they scrambled to climb the slope.

Several who lost their footing fell right into the river.

Commander Xiao roared, ”Anyone still able to fight, step forward! Take up arms and hold the rear with us! There will be a great reward for anyone who makes it through the pass!”

He shouted this three times, his voice shaking the surrounding plains.

In the crowd, Liu Sanjiu couldn’t help but look back, seemingly tempted. But his wife immediately grabbed his arm and cried, ”Don’t even think about it! You have children!”

’If the man of the house died, how hard would life be for a widow and her orphans in a strange land?’

At this thought, Liu Sanjiu could only abandon the idea.

He glanced back guiltily, then picked up his child and ran onward.

From within the desperately fleeing crowd, more than ten men gradually stopped. Some turned back immediately. Others hesitated for a moment but still approached.

Commander Xiao pointed at the recently opened chests from the Sunx Family. ”You are now temporarily conscripted! If you survive today, you’ll be promoted in rank and given extra grain and land! Now, pick a suitable weapon and a horse! Archers, get up the slope or into the trees and get ready!”

The men rushed to choose their weapons.

There were some wiry men among them, but they understood that if the Great Wind Army couldn’t hold the line, the column ahead would suffer, and their own families would be slaughtered.

’In this battle, no one can stay on the sidelines. Might as well go for broke.’

’If we get through this, we can have a good life in this new land.’

This wasn’t actually mountainous terrain. The water level had simply dropped during the dry season, exposing a large stretch of the riverbed where the people now walked. The riverbank above was about thirty to forty feet high.

This was a shortcut to the territory of Panlong City, a route only the Great Wind Army knew, thanks to their deep understanding of the terrain and seasons. Otherwise, the fleeing column would have had to detour around the Stone Forest above, adding a full three double-hours to their journey.

Three double-hours—enough time to change the outcome of a battle.

Yet, the enemy had still caught up. Wei City had fallen faster than they had imagined.

The archers scrambled up the riverbank, taking the high ground to prepare their shots.

The rest of the men donned their Light Armor and gripped their weapons. One of them shouted, ”Let’s move the carts back to block the road and stop the enemy’s advance!”

The Sunx Family’s chests, filled with furniture and personal belongings, had been abandoned by the roadside along with their carts.

They had blocked the civilians’ path earlier, so of course, they could now block the pursuers’ path, serving as effective fortifications.

A look of approval appeared in Commander Xiao’s eyes. ”Good idea. What’s your name?”

”My surname is Hee.” The man grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. ”Hee Lingchuan.”

’I’ve already made up my mind. Since the worst possible outcome is just waking up, what’s there to worry about in this Dream Realm? Might as well cut loose and have some fun.’

’What’s the point of just surviving, fleeing with this tide of refugees?’

”The rearguard knows the terrain; they’ll definitely fall back to this position. We need to leave a gap in the cart barricade for them to get through.” Commander Xiao dismounted and stepped into the mud with the others. Sinking with each step, he helped them move a large cart back onto the middle of the slope.

It was back-breaking work. Even horses couldn’t manage the load, making it even harder for the men. The Great Wind Army soldiers had to chant in unison, heaving together, just to drag one cart into place.

No one complained. They knew that however difficult it was for them to move the carts now, it would be two or three times harder for the enemy to clear them away later.

To create even more trouble for the enemy, they dug the muddy pits under the carts even deeper to increase the drag.

Hee Lingchuan worked beside Commander Xiao. The heavy rain plastered his clothes to his body. When he strained, the muscles in his shoulders and neck bulged, forming hard, defined lines.

The two of them alone could drag a large cart.

The two of them then moved two large chests, hoisting them onto the cart. Before they had even straightened up, Commander Xiao asked Hee Lingchuan, ”You’re not from Wei City, are you?”

Hee Lingchuan was startled, but he put on a confused expression. ”Huh?”

”Your accent and clothes are different.” Commander Xiao tilted his head toward the slope. ”And the people of Wei City are generally smaller in stature.”

A few archers were lying prone on the slope. Hee Lingchuan looked up and saw that they were, indeed, all of a slender build.

”I’m not.” ’One wrong answer could get me killed,’ Hee Lingchuan thought, so he answered immediately, ”I’m originally one of the Tusu People!”

Tusu City had been conquered ten years ago, so it was perfectly logical for its refugees to have fled to Wei City.

Hee Lingchuan immediately followed up, ”Will we have reinforcements?”

’Otherwise, holding this position is just waiting to die.’

”We will,” Commander Xiao replied, his voice firm and decisive. ”In one double-hour at most!”

His voice was loud, and the spirits of the nearby soldiers lifted.

’We only need to hold out for one double-hour, and reinforcements will arrive!’

Everyone was rummaging through the Sunx Family’s chests, hoping to find more useful supplies. However, most of the military provisions had already been moved, leaving only a single chest of weapons behind.

Of course, plenty of gold and silver had also spilled from the scattered chests. As the newly conscripted men moved about, they couldn’t help but notice it, their eyes burning with greed.

Hee Lingchuan saw a man hide a golden plate in his tunic.

Commander Xiao saw it too but didn’t stop him. He only reminded them, ”Money is heavy; it will slow you down. As long as you survive, you can take your pick of anything here!”

Smiles immediately appeared on everyone’s faces.

Hee Lingchuan opened a chest, looked inside, and froze. ”Was this Sunx Prefect born in the year of the Taotie or something? Why did he have to pack up every single thing he owned?”

Commander Xiao came over, took a look, and couldn’t help but laugh. ”Useful! They aren’t military supplies, but they’re definitely useful. Let’s set them up now.”

Hee Lingchuan’s eyes darted about as he looked at the gold, silver, and fine silks spilling from the large chests all over the ground. ”I have another idea... What if we...”

Commander Xiao adopted his idea.

And so, the men spent a good deal of time on the preparations.

More and more refugees came fleeing from the rear, all escaping up the slope through the gap in the cart barricade.

「Half an hour later.」

The shouts of battle grew closer and closer.

Commander Xiao and his men stood guard on the slope, their focus absolute. Rain beat down on their faces, but not a single one of them felt the cold.