Scourge Messenger

Chapter 132 My Brother Said

A little girl?

The masked soldiers were baffled. They knew that this was the outskirts of Qishan, not far from the Shudao Mountains. In addition, the mountains were high and the forests were dense. There were almost no registered villages in the vicinity, only countless bandit dens that sprang up and disappeared in an instant. Merchants and travelers did not dare to travel this road without messengers and guards.

The little girl in front of them was less than half their height, with a chubby, fair face and very elegant clothes, clearly of noble birth... How could she be walking alone in a place like this?

Those who manage to rise to the rank of messenger within the military system may be utterly wicked, but none of them are foolish enough to confuse the major and minor kings. When traveling, the people you must be most wary of are the elderly, the young, the sick, and the disabled, because everyone knows they are easy to bully, yet they have survived to this day, which alone is enough to prove that they are not to be trifled with.

"Stop!"

The masked guards raised their crossbows and fired, one bolt landing near the little girl's feet. "The Prefect of Heyang is apprehending a wanted criminal. No unauthorized personnel are allowed to approach!"

The little girl looked down at the crossbow bolts, then at the group of masked, armored soldiers, and drawled, "Hey—"

"I can't believe these three older women are criminals. What crimes did they commit?"

Just as the captain of the garrison was about to say something, he suddenly realized something was wrong: they had clearly surrounded the area tightly, with horses forming a wall, and the distance was so far, and the little girl was so short, how could she have seen that the prisoners were three older sisters?
"You brat, are you looking for death?" The other guards were already impatient, raising their crossbows and aiming at the little girl: "Get lost!"

If anyone else had dared to approach, they would have shot them dead without hesitation. However, the girl's appearance, clothing, and bold behavior made people suspect that she might have a powerful background. Normal people would avoid them as much as possible, let alone approach her to inquire. They were worried that shooting the girl might cause trouble, which is why they were being so 'polite'.

"My brother said that those who want to kill should also be prepared to be killed." The little girl tilted her head and said, "Are you all ready?"

"Wow, what an amazing young girl."

"He's definitely from a noble family, no doubt. Ordinary families wouldn't raise such an arrogant child."

“If my child dared to talk to an adult like that, I would have beaten him to death long ago. Young people these days are really getting more and more outrageous.”

Many soldiers burst into laughter upon hearing this, and some even wanted to rush over and teach her a lesson, but they were all stopped by the squad leader: "Don't move, nobody is allowed to move!"

The team leader was convinced that the little girl came from a noble family. She had probably come to the area with her family and then secretly ran away to play. She showed no fear when she saw them and imitated the adults' speech, which meant that her family members were also powerful and influential people who could boss the soldiers around.

“This is none of your business. If you want to know, go back to your parents,” the team leader said. “Don’t cause trouble.”

“My brother said that anyone who doesn’t speak to me properly is a demon.” The little girl raised her hands and struggled to pull out the long sword from her back: “I understand, you are demons in human skin.”

"If you still refuse to speak properly before I take action, then this heroine will have to slay the demons and eliminate evil."

The old soldier was amused by these words: "Heroine, you want to slay demons and monsters? You talk as if you've seen demons before."

"She must have played these 'female knight-errant' games a lot at home, thinking that demons are like the servants in her yard that she can beat up at will. Didn't that young master come to the military town and act all high and mighty? He got beaten to tears as soon as he entered the secret realm."

"Could her family be watching from nearby? Only a wealthy family could raise such an arrogant and domineering child."

Upon hearing this, the soldiers exchanged bewildered glances. The captain also agreed with this speculation. Perhaps there were second- or third-level messengers secretly protecting the girl, waiting for them to make a move against her. Then, the hidden guards would help kill them, giving the girl a real experience as a female knight-errant—similar things had happened before in the Zhou Kingdom.

As first-level messengers, they can bully mortals at will, but aren't second- and third-level messengers just as capable of killing them at will? This world is a cruel food chain; everyone has their place, and no one can escape it.

Seeing the young girl approaching, the head of the guards had no choice but to cup his hands and loudly proclaim, "The Duke of Heyang is acting on the Emperor's orders to arrest the remnants of the rebellious Duke of Jin. If you are involved, you and your family will be implicated in the Duke of Jin's treason case!" He wasn't saying this to the girl, but to any guards nearby who might be there, urging them to quickly take this audacious young girl away. "Oh, it's a court intrigue," the girl stopped and put down her sword. "My brother said that court intrigues are all dog-eat-dog, and no one in them is a good person. There's no need to help."

"Your brother has finally uttered something sensible," the soldiers thought.

"But I believe you when you say that older sister who looks like a monster is a remnant of the rebellion." The little girl pointed at Wu Qiu Shi Dong's face and said, "But these two older sisters look like ordinary people. Did they commit crimes too?"

"The Emperor has ordered the entire Duke of Jin's household to be executed without exception," the team leader said. "They are maids of the Duke of Jin's household, so naturally they should be taken back as well."

"In other words, they are innocent."

"You ungrateful girl," a nearby guard couldn't help but scold, "We've already said they're servants of the Duke of Jin, how can they be innocent? If you keep making trouble, don't blame us for being impolite!"

“My brother said that most people are like rootless duckweed, drifting with the tide and battered by the wind and rain, unable to choose their own destiny,” the girl said. “I encountered many bandits on the road, all of them were refugees carrying hoes and sickles. I didn’t blame them, and even gave them some food… My brother said that chivalry is about having a little pity for those who are suffering and caught up in the ways of the world.”

"I'm going in to save them. You can hit me once to get it over with, but if anyone dares to hit me a second time, I'll kill him."

After saying that, the little girl jumped up, dragging her long sword, as if she wanted to pass between them.

The soldiers were stunned by her audacity. The captain instantly aimed his crossbow at her, but as he was about to pull the trigger, the little girl's words flashed through his mind, and he subconsciously raised the crossbow an inch higher. The bolt passed right by her braid.

The surrounding soldiers fired their arrows. Some arrows hit the little girl but were deflected by an invisible barrier, while others passed right past her. It was unclear whether they were in a hurry and couldn't aim accurately or for some other unknown reason.

At this moment, the battle between Yaoshiyuan and Helan Que had reached a fever pitch. The ground around them was riddled with craters from the blows of their weapons. Helan Que no longer looked as relaxed as before. Golden light flashed continuously on his body, indicating that he was simultaneously using multiple rare and precious items.

The little girl's appearance couldn't even attract their attention. They were like two wild beasts, their eyes fixed on the enemy's throat. Anyone who dared to be distracted in the fierce battle would be torn apart by their opponent!
However, the other soldiers were not to be trifled with. When they saw the little girl rushing towards Wu Qiu Shi Dong with a long sword in hand, they raised their crossbows without mercy and fired dozens of crossbow bolts like a rain of arrows at all parts of the little girl's body!
They didn't think the girl could save the two maids; what they were worried about was that she would kill them directly. Before the operation, Helan Que had strictly ordered them not to shoot the maids, and that during the hunt, they could only wound them in non-vital positions.

The maids were merely bait to bind Yaoshiyuan; even if Yaoshiyuan was determined to escape alone, Helan Que could use their corpses to enrage him.

The weak never get to decide their own fate, while a single thought from the strong can destroy their hometown, label them as remnants of a rebellion, and treat them as pawns to be manipulated at will.

Wu Qiu understood this very well, which is why she sought to end her life. Upon hearing the news of the destruction of the Duke of Jin's mansion, she knew that their lives could only end there. Yao Shiyuan had the ability to live independently outside, while they had never even left the main city of Chang'an.

They are like flowers in a secret realm, unable to withstand the wind and rain outside. Without the protection of the young lady, they would not have lasted this long.

It's a pity that the young lady has too high standards and hasn't found a suitable partner yet... They are the young lady's personal maids, and her future husband will naturally be their master. When the young lady is not available, they are responsible for taking care of the young master's needs... If the young master is willing to have intimate relations with them when the young lady can't see, they will be satisfied. However, it can't be too much, lest it displease the young lady. This is the best love that a maid can have.

But when Wu Qiu had free time to read storybooks, she would fantasize about what would happen if she were ever in danger and a handsome young man came to her rescue with a huge army.

However, when this scene actually happened, Wu Qiu discovered that the person who came was not a young master, but a little girl who could be her younger sister; Wu Qiu did not see thousands of troops, but instead this little girl took the initiative to walk into the trap of thousands of troops and arrows!

The little girl neither dodged nor avoided the crossbow bolts. When the bolts were an inch away from her, they seemed to hit a soft wall, losing all kinetic energy and falling to the ground, seemingly unable to damage her protective barrier at all.

She twirled her left hand, revealing two bottles of blood-replenishing pills: "After taking these, follow me. I'll take you out. Don't be afraid, just follow me. Leave the rest to me."

(End of this chapter)