Chapter 48: Through Thick and Thin, Till Death Do Us Part!

  A bag of gold coins, a whole bag of glittering and extremely enticing gold coins! Wang Lao Si rubbed his eyes hard, seemingly not daring to believe that the wonderful things in front of him were real. Until the black-clad man who handed him the money bag couldn't help but hum a soft tune, which finally woke him up from his shock. Wang Lao Si gently weighed the money bag, and the clinking sound was as pleasant as music. There must be 50 or 60 gold coins inside! Wang Lao Si was shocked again, knowing that his annual salary as a soldier was at most 4 or 5 gold coins, which was enough for his ordinary living expenses for a year. However, he also wanted to drink and find women, so the 4 or 5 gold coins seemed a bit tight.

  Now Wang Lao Si has 40 to 50 gold coins in his hands! This is almost ten years' worth of salary for him! Although the city master explicitly instructed the patrol soldiers not to secretly collect benefits and commit fraud, this large sum of money still tempts him. With this money, Wang Lao Si can go to Drunken Immortal's Abode to drink Liu Ye Qing wine that costs 10 to 20 silver coins per jar, he can go to Yichun House to play with the top courtesan Liu Yan Niang, and he can make those brothers who mock him for being a bachelor shut their mouths!

  The merchants queuing up behind to leave the city looked at the three black-clad men in front, who were not being let through, and all became impatient and urged them on. Wang Lao Si saw this and hastily carefully put the money bag into his own sleeve, loudly shouting to the crowd behind: "What's the commotion about! I'm under orders from the city master to capture a wanted criminal, if by any chance we let the person who injured the city master escape, can you people take responsibility?", after scolding the discontented crowd behind him, Wang Lao Si turned his head around, bent down and bowed, speaking humbly to the three black-clad men: "It turns out that the three of you are the city master's specially dispatched officials to investigate the escaped criminal's background outside the city, I'll let you through!", then instructed the soldiers to clear a path for the three men to leave the city.

  The man in black who had just handed over the money nodded slightly towards Wang Laosi and walked out of the city gate first, with the other two following closely behind. The three of them were extremely fast and would soon be leaving Lan Yue City.

  Just then, a sudden and urgent horseshoe sound came from afar. Wang Lao Si and the soldiers hastily turned their heads around, only to see a team of cavalrymen wearing the purple uniform of the Tuoba family rushing towards them. The leader on the red horse had not yet arrived at the city gate when he loudly shouted: "Don't let them pass! Those three men in black have problems! Don't let them pass! Quickly stop them!"

  Wang Lao Si was stunned by the sound, while the other soldiers had already reacted and rushed towards the three black-clad men who were about to step out of the city gate. The cold light of their knives and guns flashed as they hacked at them viciously.

  "Not good, let's take care of them before the main troops arrive!" One of the shorter men in black suddenly pulled out a strange dagger from his waist and stabbed it into the chest of the nearest soldier with lightning speed. He then ripped off the veil covering his head, revealing a short-haired, handsome young face - but it wasn't Helian Nuo, who was it?

  "Alright, I'll take them on!", the burly black-clad man also pulled off his headscarf, revealing the giant Lei Shuo! He drew out the massive sword hanging from his shoulder and swung it with all his might at the soldiers in front of him. The ordinary soldiers' strength was no match for Lei Shuo's innate divine power, and their swords and spears were cut down in just one exchange. Several soldiers with slightly weaker arms were even dislocated by Lei Shuo's massive force, instantly losing their combat effectiveness. Lei Shuo showed no mercy, taking a big step forward to behead the few soldiers who had fallen behind. The slower soldiers watched as their comrades fell into a pool of blood and couldn't help but turn red-eyed. Several young men with hot blood flung open their shirts to reveal their sturdy muscles, shouting as they charged at Lei Shuo with knives and spears. However, more soldiers were frightened by the bloody scene before them, and many new recruits who had never seen a killing before couldn't help but squat on the ground and vomit violently. Apparently, this city near the forest was too used to peace and had not experienced war for too long, and they panicked as soon as they smelled blood! Lei Shuo felt a pang of pity but knew that this was not the time to show mercy - if he didn't kill them, he would be the one to die! His massive sword swung like a windmill, taking down the few brave warriors who resisted in just a few exchanges. He then moved forward, killing off the soldiers who had lost their combat effectiveness one by one!

  Wang Lao Si finally came to his senses, although the cruel scene in front of him made him feel fearful, but the deaths and injuries of his comrades ultimately ignited the last bit of ferocity deep within him. He took a deep breath, let out a loud roar to boost his own courage, and reached for the dagger hanging at his waist. But suddenly he felt a chill in his lower back, and all the heat in his body was instantly lost. Wang Lao Si touched his lower back in confusion, only to feel a sticky substance. He brought it to his eyes, and that bright red color, wasn't it blood? It was his own blood!

  Wang Lao Si fell to the ground with a thud, his hands still desperately trying to plug the massive wound that pierced through his chest and back, but it was all in vain. Fresh blood gushed out of his body, instantly staining the green stone floor red.

  Before losing his last consciousness, Wang Lao Si suddenly realized that the black-clothed man who had handed him the money bag was quickly pulling out a long knife stained with fresh blood from behind his back. At this moment, he had already removed the black veil from his face, revealing a tender but slightly ferocious face!

  Sang Xiao was the son of a city lord in his early years, and he also had some accomplishments in the way of refining souls. At this moment, he has made up his mind to go all out, every knife is aimed at the enemy's vital parts, among the three people, he killed the most.

  Khalen and the other two were desperately rushing towards a place, and soon they broke through to gather together. The three of them back-to-back, desperately wielding their long or short weapons, although the soldiers had an overwhelming advantage in numbers, but their movements seemed hesitant and fearful, from time to time someone was cut down by the weapon and fell to the ground with a painful cry, the scene was extremely bloody.

  Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted loudly with a wanted poster in hand: "Those three are the San Xiao that the City Lord has put up a bounty on! Everyone, go and kill any one of them to receive 3,000 gold coins from the Mercenary Guild!"

  The crowd that had been noisy around heard this and suddenly boiled over, with many people taking out the portraits from their bosoms to compare them with the three black-clad youths inside, and sure enough, they found that these three were indeed Sang Xiao and others who were being heavily pursued by the city master!

  Without waiting for anyone's signal, countless mercenaries who had learned the news unsheathed their long and short blades without hesitation, cheering as they rushed into the arena. Although Helian No. 3 was extremely brave, the mercenaries were in the business of licking blood off their blades, and for those thousands of gold coins, who still cared about danger or not? One by one, they charged forward with red eyes!

  In the arena, Helian saw this scene and couldn't help but let out a desperate sigh. The first-time killer's stomach was already churning with anxiety, but the current situation didn't allow him to show any weakness or vulnerability. After a fierce battle, the three of them finally managed to carve out a bloody path, but just as they were about to catch their breath, the enemy side suddenly added many more elite soldiers. Unlike the new recruits from earlier, these mercenaries were all seasoned veterans and true powerhouses. It was likely that the momentum his side had just regained would be instantly reversed.

  Just thinking that the plan for these days would be ruined in an instant, Helianuo couldn't help but sigh in his heart, fortunately, with the help of Jiubao Xuantu, he had finally recovered from his injuries over the past three days. San Xiao somehow found a reliable buyer and managed to exchange one Soul Origin Sacred Fruit for 1,000 gold coins, although this price was an insult to the Soul Origin Sacred Fruit, which was a heavenly treasure, but there was no other way, as they desperately needed money now.

  After the discussion and deployment of the three, Sang Xiao went out again, using his understanding of Langyue City to turn danger into safety several times. He successfully bought expensive clothes and weapons, even having a fake mercenary emblem forged on the street. The three people, thinking their plan was foolproof, put on new clothes, covered their faces, and went to the Mercenary Guild to receive a mission. The fake emblem didn't arouse suspicion due to the female receptionist's nervousness. The three of them swaggered all the way to the city gate, wanting to use the excuse of capturing escaped convicts to sneak out of the city. Although they encountered some minor trouble, it was resolved by Sang Xiao using gold coins. The three were overjoyed and about to leave the city when an unexpected twist occurred at the last moment of their seemingly perfect plan.

  His eyes fixed on the surrounding pursuers who were gathering more and more, Lei Shuo, who was originally violent and impulsive, suddenly let out a loud roar and jumped up, his entire sturdy body spinning rapidly in mid-air. The giant sword in his hand swung out with a cold glow, and just as everyone was shocked, Lei Shuo let out another mighty roar: "Human Rank Soul Technique, Crazy Thunder Whirlwind Slash!!" As he roared, the cold glow on the giant sword suddenly extended three meters outward, and wherever it reached, arms and legs flew off, blood splashing everywhere in the air to form a large bloody mist, making the scene even more brutal!

  Not long after, the spinning cold light suddenly disappeared in mid-air. Lei Shuo Tong let out a loud cry as he fell to one knee on the ground, his giant sword deeply embedded into the bluestone floor, its blade covered in fresh blood. His head hung low, and for a long time, he did not lift it up.

  While around Leishuo, countless scattered limbs fell to the ground, surrounding Leishuo in a regular circle. Leishuo, covered in blood, emitted an aura of majesty, like a god of death. The mercenaries who had survived the massacre either stood frozen in place, as if they had lost consciousness, or ran wildly in all directions, screaming. The city gate, which had been chaotic just moments before, suddenly became empty and desolate, leaving only Leishuo dominating this treacherous land like a hell on earth.

  Listening to the sound of horseshoes rapidly approaching, Lei Shuo slowly raised his head. His originally bright eyes had become dull and icy cold. He glanced at Helian Nuo and Sang Xiao in the distance, whom he didn't dare get close to. Lei Shuo said in a deep voice, word by word: "I'll block the pursuing soldiers here, you two quickly leave!"

  Sang Xiao, who had been stunned by the bloody massacre before being struck by lightning, finally came to his senses and hastily ran to one side to pull over two ownerless war horses. He urgently shouted at Helian Nuo, who was still standing motionless: "Quickly mount up! The pursuing soldiers will arrive soon, if they catch up with us, none of the three of us will survive!"

  He Lian turned his head, already riding a horse, anxiously calling out to Sang Xiao, but he didn't respond. Instead, he quickly walked up to Lei Shuo's front, stretched out his hand and pulled him up from his half-kneeling position. He then gently placed the Tian Lang blade, which was covered in fresh blood, on top of Lei Shuo's giant sword. With a calm smile, he softly said: "Through thick and thin, sharing life and death!"