knife

Chapter 594 Entering the City
He Zudao looked up at the tall city walls and majestic city gate towers of Danyang City.

Of course, the most eye-catching thing is the flagpole that is several meters high in front of the city gate tower.

He certainly wasn't looking at the phoenix flag fluttering in the wind.
Instead, they were looking at the head in the wooden cage beneath the phoenix flag.

That was the head of Wang Pu, the former supreme commander of the Chu navy.

Although more than two months have passed, the head still looks lifelike thanks to its meticulous preparation.

This must be the work of the shamans from the forests of the southwest!

He looked at Wang Pu,

Wang Pu, however, still stared at him with wide eyes.

This made He Zudao very uncomfortable.

The guards at the city gates were not the Tiger Warriors of the past, but an army with headscarves, rattan armor, leggings, straight swords at their waists, and straw sandals on their feet.

Na Wei's Southwest Wolf Soldiers.

They were questioning everyone who entered the city and searching everyone's belongings. From time to time, screams from women could be heard, which made He Zudao frown.

With a light step on the ground, he vanished in an instant. The next moment, he had entered the city, leaving behind the many people waiting to enter and the wolf soldiers.

No one realized that someone had just walked into the city right in front of them.

He Zudao visited Danyang City last year.

Of course, they came quietly and left quietly.

Back then, Danyang was truly as prosperous as Chang'an and Luoyang!

In just one year, it has changed dramatically.

The streets are still the same as before, and the houses on both sides of the bluestone streets are the same as before, only the bustling crowds of the past are no longer visible.

Without people, there is naturally no more vibrant human energy.

It's unknown how long it will take to return to the way things were before, and perhaps we can never go back to the way things were.

Because the era of peace has ended.

Next, we will enter the real era of war.

Of course, He Zudao did not pity the people of Danyang. On the contrary, the more they pity them, the more leverage he had to bargain with Xiang Ying and his group.

After all, the stronger Jiang Qian becomes, the higher his own value will be.

The purpose of my visit this time is to make Xiang Ying and Xiong Yi understand that Jiang Qian is not as weak and helpless as they imagine. On the contrary, she is very strong, and without my help, Xiang Ying and the others would suffer a great loss.

Cooperation benefits both sides, while division leads to mutual loss. Xiang Ying and Xiong Yi must understand this principle.

Walking along the street, He Zudao finally saw an open restaurant. He decided to have a drink first and then think about how to talk to Xiang Ying and Xiong Yi.

It's almost lunchtime, but there are only two or three tables of customers in the lobby, a sparse number, and business doesn't look good at all.

The waiter was lazily leaning against the counter, dozing off, until He Zudao sat down and tapped the table, at which point the waiter snapped out of it.

He rushed over quickly, pulled the towel off his shoulder, and vigorously wiped the table while asking solicitously, "What would you like to eat, sir? Our restaurant is a famous local century-old establishment in Danyang City."

"Prepare a few of your restaurant's best signature dishes, and a pot of wine!" He Zhongdao took out a piece of silver from his pocket and placed it on the table: "The extra is yours!"

The waiter's eyes crinkled with laughter. This piece of silver was worth at least two taels, which was enough to prepare a regular banquet in their restaurant.

It's really rare to encounter such generous guests these days.

"Alright, sir, let me arrange it for you! I guarantee you'll have a good and satisfying meal!" He stuffed the silver into his pocket and quickly went to arrange the food.

Money makes things quick and efficient. In no time, he reappeared in front of He Zudao with a tray, three dishes and a pot of wine, which were placed in front of He Zudao.

He picked up his chopsticks, took a small bite, and nodded. It was indeed quite good.

"Is business always this slow these days?" "Not exactly!" The waiter shook his head. "Although it's much worse than before, we can still barely make ends meet. It's just that today is a bit different."

"What's so special?"

"There was a murder at Caishikou today, and a lot of people went to watch the spectacle!"

"When in Danyang City doesn't someone get killed these days?" He Zudao said with a smile as he drank a cup of wine.

"It's different!" The waiter lowered his voice: "Today, they killed high-ranking officials. I heard that the most prominent one was a former chief eunuch in the palace. Besides, there were seven or eight officials of the third rank or above, and dozens of other minor officials. Even the top scholar who just passed the imperial examination last year was beheaded. That's why it attracted everyone to watch, isn't it?"

Is he really that bloodthirsty?
He Zudao didn't quite understand Xiang Ying's current actions.

It's one thing to kill Wang Pu, and it's not impossible to kill He Han, but so many officials can't all be members of the Demonic Sect. What's needed most right now is stability. It's not too late to deal with the reckoning after we win the first battle against Jiang Qian and completely stabilize the domestic situation.

Behind every official is a sizable family; this is a way of indirectly pushing people to the other side!

and……

Just as he was thinking this, a large group of wolf soldiers walked in. As soon as they entered, they sat down with great airs. The leader, speaking in broken Danyang dialect, shouted for the best wine and dishes to be served.

The two or three tables of guests in the room immediately stood up and ran away as soon as they saw these people come in, regardless of whether they had finished eating or not.

The waiter went downstairs with a worried look on his face to arrange the meal.

Today is destined to be a huge loss, so there's no point in expecting these wolf soldiers to pay the bill after they've eaten and drunk their fill.

He Zudao slowly drank his wine and ate his food.

The waiter's arrangements were indeed excellent; the dishes were delicious, and the wine was good too, without any added water.

These days, it's truly rare to find a restaurant that doesn't add water; it seems that money really played a role.

The leader of the Southwest Wolf Soldiers' eyes fell on He Zudao.

Others are afraid of them and run away when they see them, and they enjoy this feeling.

He had been to Danyang before, but back then, everyone looked at them with undisguised contempt, and some even openly cursed them as barbarians and savages.

What goes around comes around, and now it's their turn to act like tyrants.

With a snap, a knife was slammed down in front of He Zudao.

He Zudao glanced up at him, ignored him, and poured himself another cup of wine. Just as he was about to pick it up, the wolf soldier leader suddenly drew his sword, pressing the blade directly against He Zudao's hand.

He Zudao's glance just now reminded him of his past experience of being looked down upon in Danyang.

"Judging from your appearance, you're a demon cub, surely sent by the Demon Queen to gather intelligence. I'll cut off your hand first, then take you back for interrogation!" The wolf soldier leader sneered. The man opposite him showed no signs of true energy fluctuations and was just an ordinary person, but judging from his attire, he should be a wealthy businessman, probably a local merchant with some connections.

But who is the most powerful person in Danyang right now?
Xiang Ying, Xiong Yi, and one more, their leader, Na Wei.

The rest of the people are nobody.
With a flick of the wrist, the blade cuts downwards; a sharp straight knife can easily cut through gold and jade, but now it couldn't even make a cut.

The wolf soldier leader let out a surprised "Eh?" and looked up at He Zudao with some astonishment.

He Zudao glanced at him, picked up his cup, drank the wine in it in one gulp, and then stood up. As he stood up, the wolf soldier leader opposite him froze instantly.

He Zudao strode out.

The wolf soldiers heard their leader's words and, seeing that he was sitting still while the gray-robed man tried to leave, they were unwilling to let him go. They all stepped forward, drawing their swords to block him.

Then they all collapsed.

There wasn't a single external injury, yet everyone was dead.

He Zudao stepped out of the restaurant, and the next moment, he had disappeared down the street.

The waiter came out from the back room and saw the Southwest Wolf Soldiers lying haphazardly on the ground. At this moment, blood slowly seeped from their seven orifices.

"My God!" Xiao Er screamed, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground unconscious.

(End of this chapter)