8mi End of Chapter 86
End of Chapter 86
Chen Ming walked up to the Li family leader, who was bound hand and foot, and said, "I don't have much time. After I cut off your head, I will send it to Gaoyang County as fast as I can so that it can be displayed at the usual Heroes' Gathering."
So, you can say three sentences now, and after those three sentences, you can set off.
"Is the Li family finished?"
The person in charge of the Li family in the mountains coughed up a mouthful of bloody phlegm. Half of his face was burned, making him look ferocious and terrifying. He endured the excruciating pain and asked.
"I suppose so, but it's not what you think. We won't drag your whole family to the execution ground to be beheaded or hanged. According to the Heavenly Official, you've swallowed so much of the people's hard-earned money, you should at least pay it back before you die."
Chen Ming glanced at the sky, then at his men who were carrying things and corpses out of the still-smoking demon cave, and spoke with great patience.
"What do you mean?"
The person in charge of the Li family was somewhat puzzled.
"It means that you will not die immediately, but will toil to death in endless hard labor. As for women and children who are unable to perform hard labor, or who have no value in performing hard labor, they will be assessed according to their value and reduced to slaves, and then sold."
He paused, then said, "You have one last thing to say."
"Give me a quick death, don't embarrass me."
After a long silence, the head of the Li family raised his head with difficulty and looked at Chen Ming.
Chen Ming didn't answer, but suddenly looked in surprise behind the Li family's leader, then bowed and said, "Lord Heavenly Official, why have you come in person?"
The head of the Li family turned around as instructed, but behind him there was nothing but piles of corpses and charred ruins.
A flash of cold light, and crimson blood splattered like a rainbow. A human head flew high into the air, then was stuffed into a black bag and tied tightly.
Chenming shook off the blood from the blade, then sheathed it.
"You're willing to accept defeat, so I won't desecrate your corpse. I'll give you a quick death. As for a whole corpse, that's not possible for now. We'll have to finish the Heroes' Gathering and then see if we can get your head back."
Chen Ming looked at the headless corpse lying on the ground and said something quietly, then went to look at another leader of the Green Gang.
The man looked up at Chen Ming, twitched his lips, and said, "I thought the Tiger Cavalry would come to wipe us out, but it turned out to be the Dragon Cavalry."
Chen Ming shook his head: "The current Tiger Cavalry doesn't have that strength anymore. To be honest, your surprise attack and encirclement hurt us quite a bit. It will take the Tiger Cavalry some time to recover."
"That means we still have some ability, right? Anyway, the Green Gang's fate was pretty much the same as the Li family's?"
The man asked.
Chenming nodded.
Before the Green Gang leader could speak again, Chen Ming chopped off his head with another blow.
"Men, take these two heads to the Gaoyang County government office and tell them that the Dragon Cavalry Alliance has successfully destroyed the demon's lair and is currently taking stock of the battle damage and spoils."
After the dragon rider carrying the severed head left to carry out his orders, Chenming looked at the ruins of the demon's lair and commanded, "Resting on the spot, guarding the prisoners, and taking stock of the battle losses and spoils."
"My lord, what about Commander Peng Chi...?"
A dragon rider walked over, looking at the distant mountain peaks billowing with thick smoke, and said with some concern.
"That's none of our business. Our brothers have been fighting all night and are exhausted. Now that we've captured a large number of prisoners, for safety's sake, we shouldn't make any rash moves until the Heavenly Official sends someone to pick us up."
"yes!"
The dragon rider looked somewhat worried, but nodded and said nothing more.
"Don't worry, if anything unexpected happens, Peng Chi will send a signal to request support. Since nothing has happened yet, it means that the situation on his side is still under control. Moreover, the Heavenly Official has placed a reserve force of two hundred people behind us."
Although they are just guards employed by ancillary industries and their combat strength is inferior to ours, even if it's about providing support, it should be them who provide that support.
Chen Ming noticed his subordinate's worry and offered a word of comfort. Although he also wanted to send someone to check on Peng Chi's situation, he abandoned the idea after considering his own situation.
"Make preparations, gather one hundred elite armored soldiers who are not seriously injured, and then collect the healing banner artifacts to prioritize the recovery of these one hundred soldiers."
I estimate that after the Heroes' Gathering, some members of the major families will escape, and we will intercept them outside the county.
"Yes, Commander!"
After the dragon riders left to carry out their orders, Chen Ming felt inexplicably relieved. Part of the reason was the rich spoils, and the other was that they had wiped out a long-standing scourge in Gaoyang County, fulfilling his duty and adding a significant achievement to his resume.
(Perhaps, after this, my merits will unlock a higher-level treasure trove, allowing me to obtain some elixirs that can increase my strength.)
Looking at the ruins before him, Chen Ming felt not only sadness but also exhilaration. As a martial artist, who wouldn't want to reach a higher level?
In fact, just as Chen Ming had predicted, the battle at Reserve Peak was also one-sided. After Fu Que killed Xiong Pi, the leader of the demon soldiers, the morale of the demon soldiers plummeted.
"Hurry up and move it! I reckon the officials sent by the Heavenly Official will be here soon to take stock of the spoils. So, to save face for both sides, we need to speed things up."
Peng Chi kept urging his men to move the valuables. In reality, all they could take away were gold dust, loose silver, and some unpackaged medicinal herbs and weapons for their own use.
These are considered default rewards, not as spoils or gifts. Of course, they must also be within a certain range and be considered reasonable "losses".
As for the other sealed and boxed medicines, and those privately manufactured weapons and armor, they must not be touched, because these are accounted for. If they are touched, it would be considered breaking the rules and cutting off their existing source of income.
With the mess cleared, Peng Chi had no time to waste with Chen Ming's idle chatter with the captured leader of the Yu family. The moment he saw the man, he swiftly chopped off his head with a single stroke and then put it in a bag.
At this time, Fu Que had also recovered some of his energy and arrived at the mountaintop. By then, the demon soldiers and treacherous guards of the reserve mountain had been completely wiped out. There were originally quite a few prisoners, but Peng Chi could not suppress his anger and deliberately killed quite a few by mistake.
"How are your injuries?"
Peng Chi said to Fu Que.
"Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, I am fine."
Fu Que shook his head.
"Although it may seem a bit heartless, you can't stay here even if you're injured. You founded the Fishermen's Mutual Aid Association, and you'll be needed to lead the charge against the Qi family during the Heroes' Gathering."
Peng Chi handed Fu Que a glass of warm water and then said, "Take these two heads with you. As for the demon's lair, Chen Ming will send them back. You can pick them up when the time comes."