Saving System: Calm Down, My Fleeing Host!-Chapter 97: Mission, Ambush 14

Very quickly, most of the people gathered. Yang Hu asked his confidant, "Have all his men been taken care of?"

The confidant named Shunzi, a fifteen-year-old orphan picked up by Yang Hu, blinked his bright eyes and cautiously said, "Rest assured, Brother Hu, it’s all been dealt with."

Yang Hu nodded, then stood at the forefront and shouted, "Brothers, years of our planning come down to this moment. Are you willing to live and die with me, Yang Hu, advancing and retreating together?"

"Willing!"

"Willing!"

The brothers below raised their weapons high, shouting exuberantly, their voices resounding one after another!

"Very well, reinforcements have already broken through the North Gate. We will fight our way out now and join them."

"Fight our way out!"

"Fight our way out!"

Amidst the rallying cries, Shunzi distributed red cloth strips to everyone.

"Remember to tie them well, so we don’t get harmed by our allies."

Yang Hu led the charge out, and upon seeing their former gang brothers, they attacked without a word, quickly carving a blood path through the enemy, significantly easing Commander Xue’s pressure against the bandits.

Due to the large number of prisoners needing rescue and the stark contrast in strength, even though Leng Er brought experts who entangled several small bandit leaders, the rescuers were still struggling.

Cheng Xiaoxiao, who had vowed to behave, snuck in while listening to the system report on the progress in town. Leng Er was already locked in combat with Ba Daokui for hundreds of rounds.

Ba Daokui spun to avoid Leng Er’s piercing sword, retreating a few steps. Taking the brief opportunity to distance himself, he said, "Hero, your martial arts are outstanding, and your swordsmanship is top-notch. Why wage a life-and-death struggle for unrelated people? Why not join us? Dou is willing to stand on equal footing with you."

"Enough with the nonsense."

With a tap of his toe, Leng Er flew forward, his sharp sword aiming directly at Ba Daokui’s face. Ba Daokui blocked the sword tip with his large blade, bending to dodge, but the sword tip struck again. Ba Daokui blocked once more, his temper flaring higher as his persuasion fell on deaf ears, forcing him to remain his enemy.

"If you don’t appreciate my offer, don’t blame me for being ruthless and merciless."

While speaking, his aggressive stance shifted, transforming defense into offense. With mountainous momentum, he aimed each strike at vital spots. The large blade, weighing dozens of pounds, danced with ghostly remnants, moving with unreal speed. Leng Er was forced to retreat repeatedly, knowing that even a moment of slow defense would mean being dismembered.

Leng Er was surprisingly overwhelmed by Ba Daokui’s formidable sword skill, and as he pondered, he failed to dodge a strike and was propelled back several meters, feeling a dull pain as if his internal organs shifted, a trickle of fresh blood at the corner of his mouth.

Raising his hand, he wiped the crimson stain with his thumb, brought it to his lips, and tasted the salty tang. An evil smile crept onto Leng Er’s face, and he said, "Good. It’s been a long time since I’ve tasted my own blood. Today feels exhilarating!"

Crawling out from mountains of corpses and seas of blood, how could Leng Er yield?

With those words, he leaped high from the ground, employing an even fiercer swordsmanship. His aura soared like a rainbow, the Sword Qi crackled in the air wherever it passed. Ba Daokui was equally undaunted, his large blade roaring like a tiger. At the moment of impact, sparks flew, the intertwining air twisted and deformed, and in the blink of an eye, dozens more relentless exchanges ensued.

The system watched with keen interest, having never witnessed such a grand battle. As it marveled, it reported back to its host.

Inside a serene room, a man in a dark blue brocade robe also watched the battle outside, eyes slightly narrowed. Although his attire seemed ordinary, his belt was embedded with agate and pearls, his hair tied into a long braid beneath an elegantly simple felt hat adorned with a sparkling blue gem.

The system also noticed him, but being too occupied with broadcasting the battle’s progress, it hadn’t yet informed its host.

Meanwhile, Cheng Xiaoxiao listened and cautiously moved forward, her heart pounding. Qing Shi, with his mouth full of grievances, reluctantly followed, warning her persistently. The place was chaotic, where swords knew no eyes, and any carelessness could lead to bloodshed.

The command forbidding her from losing even a hair threatened to end in his hands, his doom looming at the thought.

Qing Shi was tense, his senses alert to any potential harm to the person behind him.

As they walked, they saw many bandits who had died with eyes wide open and severed limbs lying everywhere, more shocking and bloody than any drama scene.

Cheng Xiaoxiao felt nauseated at first, nearly vomiting. Forcing herself to adapt, she discreetly popped several candies into her mouth, feeling slightly better over time.

She whispered to herself as she walked, "I must become strong and protect my family. It’s just dead people. I can kill them. What’s there to fear?"

Spotting a bandit with broken legs moving with difficulty on the ground, Qing Shi was about to end it with one strike.

"Wait, I’ll do it!"

Qing Shi stepped aside, letting Cheng Xiaoxiao take the lead, knowing that whatever she said now was right.

The best way to overcome fear is through action. The system described how many women had been defiled, how many killed, and how many children had been beaten in the past two days. Her anger flamed, and in comparison to her peaceful era, she found their inhuman actions unbearable.

Picking up a sword beside a dead body, Cheng Xiaoxiao walked over. The despairing bandit saw a little girl approaching and tried to grip his sword for a fatal strike, only to be kicked aside by Qing Shiyi. "Whatever the lady says goes."

Her heart racing, Cheng Xiaoxiao steadied her trembling right hand with her left, forcing herself to calm down. Gathering all her strength, she stabbed the pleading man in his heart. Blood splattered instantly as if hearing a heart shatter.

She had killed today—the second person she killed in this world, both irredeemably evil bandits deserving of death, necessitating no compassion. As the saying goes, "Mercy to the enemy is cruelty to oneself."

Yes, just like that. The initial fear and unease from killing the first person had faded. Besides feeling nauseous, she reassured herself that all was well.

System: "Host, are you alright? Your heart rate is nearly 200."

"I’m fine!"

Cheng Xiaoxiao’s ears rang, and her mind went blank briefly. After calming herself, she realized that her first kill was in self-defense, and now she had taken the initiative to kill. Having already taken this step, she had nothing to fear.

Qing Shi, concerned, asked, "Are you alright?" Seeing her force herself to kill and face that reality, his heart ached.