Scourge Messenger

Chapter 258 Bloodstained Hands
"Your Highness, Pingcheng is just ahead."

Ying Rushi, who was riding a horse, suddenly woke up, like a drowning person catching their breath.

The forest rushed past, the wind whistling in my ears, and I was surrounded by heavily armored cavalry wearing demon masks.

It took Ying Rushi a full three breaths before she remembered that she was on her way to Pingcheng, and that her next task was to carry out a massacre order in Pingcheng military town.

All members, guests, relatives, servants, and tenants of the Bu Liugu and Gailou clans shall be killed without exception!

"Probably a few thousand people will die," Ying thought, but surprisingly, she didn't feel much. Just yesterday, she had seen thousands upon thousands of corpses. The evil spirits had slaughtered their way through the streets, piling up bodies that filled the entire area. The blood that flowed out stained the soil dark red, and the once bustling county town was now eerily quiet, with only the crows rising and falling.

From day to night, Yingru did nothing but lead the evil spirit Baibao into mansion after mansion. The Bright Flame Sword bestowed by His Majesty was never drawn; Yingru didn't even need to lift a finger. The ferocious evil spirit Baibao had already slaughtered all living beings. The rich offered their treasures to beg for mercy, the beauties flaunted their naked bodies, the children cried and pleaded, and the servants knelt and kowtowed, but all they received in return was the butcher's knife.

No one fought over the property.
No one abuses women.
No one showed any mercy.

Concise, pure, efficient, and cold-blooded.

Yingru sometimes felt that there were no living people inside the masks and armor, only a group of evil spirits who had lost their sense of self.

From day to night, and from night to day, Ying Rushi received a new decree: Commander Shanwen Camp's Hundred Guards to slaughter Bu Liugu and Gailou clans in Pingcheng Military Town, and set off immediately.

When leaving the county town of Buyetian, Ying Rushi discovered that the Shanwen Camp cavalry were hunting outside. Almost every cavalryman had a head strung on his lance. They rode side by side, forming a walking mound of heads. Blood flowed down their lances and dried on their manes, turning into a dark red color. The fishy smell made Ying Rushi want to vomit.

Ying Rushi had initially thought things would get better after leaving the Never-Sleeping City, but instead found that the stench of blood and goat's blood had not faded but had become even stronger. The stench of decay, the smell of blood, the stench of excrement and urine, the nauseating sweetness of burning corpses... all sorts of foul odors mixed together, ultimately brewing the smell known as 'death'.

So she rode faster and faster, trying to leave the stench behind, trying to get away from the city that was teeming with death, trying to close her eyes and pretend not to see the tragedy and despair unfolding. Gradually, the smell returned to normal, and the screams disappeared from her ears. Her nerves relaxed, and perhaps because she had been busy for a day and a night, she actually drifted off into a daze as she rode, and before she knew it, she had covered most of the distance.

The walls of Pingcheng were already on the horizon, and Ying Rushi couldn't help but hesitate a little. Her horse slowed down a bit, but the demon cavalry behind her did not slow down. They crowded around and drove her horse forward, making Ying Rushi's mount speed up again.

Caught in the midst of an avalanche, not a single snowflake could stop this catastrophe, especially since it was a judgment sent down by the gods.

Suddenly, Ying Rushi spotted a little girl carrying a bamboo basket on the road in the distance. She was probably from a nearby village, out cutting pig feed to supplement her family's income. She called out from afar, "Make way!"

Hearing her voice, the little girl didn't run away. Instead, she stood there, stunned, and turned to look at them. Facing a group of heavy cavalrymen who could crush her, her dirty little face showed no fear, only childlike curiosity.

Left with no other choice, Ying Rushi had to ride ahead at full speed, lift the little girl onto his horse, and slap her bottom three times in a row, making her cry loudly: "You're a bad person! You're bullying me!"

Ying lowered her voice and scolded, "Didn't your parents teach you to give way to soldiers?! Let's see if you dare walk on the main road again next time!?"

"I'm not afraid!"

"You'll get trampled to death, and you still dare to be unafraid?"

"If you dare to do anything bad, Madam Jiang will punish you!"

Looking at the stubborn yet brave little girl in front of her, Ying Rushi's heart stirred. Although Gai Louxian had mentioned that Ye Sijiang Shi would occasionally come out to rectify the atmosphere, Ying Rushi thought it was just a chivalrous act on a whim. She never expected that a little girl she met on the road would believe in justice because of Jiang Shi's deeds... Something that never existed in Nevernight City had actually come true in Pingcheng.

Ying Rushi rode to the side of the road and put the little girl down. "Go home quickly and tell your family not to go to Pingcheng today. Go quickly."

The little girl glanced at her, then ran off down the path without looking back, her bamboo basket bobbing up and down until it disappeared from sight in no time.

"That rude brat..." Ying Ru breathed a sigh of relief, her whole body relaxing. When the demon cavalry caught up, she raised her whip and continued on her way.

As Pingcheng became clearer in her field of vision, Ying Rushi, for some reason, smelled a nauseating stench again, strong, pungent, and lingering.

"help me……"

"You executioner, you lackey!"

"It hurts so much, I don't want to die!"

"mother!"

"You think you can live with yourself just by saving a little girl?"

A chilling despair pierced Ying Rushi's chest.

She slowly lowered her head and saw that her hands looked as if they had been pulled out of a sea of ​​blood, the blood staining every inch of her skin red; her long boots looked as if they had been trampled on countless rotting corpses, the filthy flesh and blood sticking to them, leaving dark stains.

The stench she smelled was coming from her hands and legs!

Below was not a smooth dirt road, but a mountain of corpses and bones. Hundreds of bodies were piled up and squeezed together, their empty eyes dripping with dried blood. They stared intently at Ying Rushi, who was high above and trampled on all living beings, their mouths almost stretched to their ears, letting out a shrill and desperate wail!
"I hate it so much..."

"You shall not die well."

"That's right, you beast!" "Greetings, Lord of Lecheng County!"

Upon seeing Ying Rushi from afar, the guards at Pingcheng's city gates immediately dispersed the crowd queuing to enter the city and fawned over him from the roadside. The title of Prince of Lanling had been bestowed yesterday, and with the ensuing massacre that isolated both inside and outside the city, they naturally continued to address Ying Rushi with his former titles and honors.

Before Ying Rushi could respond, the demon knight behind her moved first. Two long spears flew through the air, pinning the city gate guards to the city wall!
The ordinary people at the city gate scattered in panic. Ying Rushi took a deep breath, but she didn't smell any stench of death. The ground was just an ordinary dirt road, and she couldn't hear the wails of the dead... But now someone had really died in front of her.

She silently drove into Pingcheng. As the demon cavalry passed by the corpses, they casually drew their spears. The guards slumped to the ground, vomiting blood, and calling out the same name in trembling voices: "Jiang... Jiang..."

……

...

"Guardian, something's happened!"

Gai Louxian, who had packed up his fishing gear and was preparing to go fishing outside the city, sighed, "Has Bu Liu Gu Zhen gotten into trouble again? Or is there another lecher causing trouble for Ye Si Jiang Niang and the others?"

"Yes, it's the Duke of Lecheng!" the guard exclaimed in terror. "The Duke of Lecheng led dozens of evil spirits into the military town, killing several town soldiers. He also killed the commander of the Houmo Chen Banner and is demanding that Commander Bu Liugu come out and answer our questions!"

The man building the building suddenly changed his expression.

Houmo Chenzhuangzhu is the commander's man. They killed people as soon as they entered and demanded that the commander come out. Could it be that there is a change in the court and they want to purge the Bu Liugu clan? If so, the Pingcheng military garrison is about to change!
While Jian Lou was shocked, he also felt a secret excitement. According to the regulations, only third-level messengers could theoretically serve as commanders in Pingcheng Military Town, but if there were no extra third-level messengers, second-level messengers could temporarily take over the position.

Of the three governors of Pingcheng, he is the most senior and has the most powerful family background. Once Bu Liugu is demoted and purged, he will undoubtedly serve as the acting governor until a new governor is appointed! If his family puts some effort into things in the court, he might be able to continue serving as the acting governor indefinitely. After all, Pingcheng is located inland and does not need a third-level messenger to be stationed there.

Upon arriving at the military training ground, Gai Louxian could see two groups of people confronting each other from afar. Seeing Ying Ru, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had long ago pledged allegiance to the Duke of Lecheng County, and recently he had been doing things for the Duke of Lecheng County, making things much easier for Ye Sijiang's mother. With these connections, he basically didn't have to worry about being dragged into this mess.

Moreover, Ying Rushi was dressed in hunting attire today, with deerskin gloves on her hands and boots so clean they looked freshly brushed, indicating that she was relaxed and that the matter was not too serious; most likely, capturing the commander would be enough to settle things.

But before Jianlou Xian could even give a heads-up, the situation on the field suddenly changed dramatically.

Suddenly, the demonic cavalry behind Ying Rushi sprang into action, raising their spears and leaping forward on their heavy horses, thrusting their spears at the incessantly chattering commander before them. A small portion of the barrier shattered instantly. The commander was startled, but being a third-rank messenger who had crawled through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, he reacted swiftly, immediately turning and fleeing: "Baobao, heed my command! They—"

Even if the Demonic Iron Cavalry represented the imperial court, how could Bu Liugu's family, which had been operating in Pingcheng for many years, not have a trusted group of people? Seeing that the commander was in danger, several of the camp leaders who had been watching quietly immediately reacted and led their chariots to go forward to meet the commander.

Boom boom boom!
Seeing Heijo Momoho move, the Demon Iron Cavalry immediately responded: Charge!

Fifty evil cavalry charged simultaneously, their hooves thundering. Seven of them thrust at the Pingcheng commander at the same time, shattering his defensive barrier almost instantly. He was then impaled in mid-air by seven spears, and as the spears tore him apart, his body exploded into pieces, sending a sparse rain of blood into the air.

Even now, many people are still in shock: Pingcheng's supreme commander, the third-ranking messenger Bu Liugu Ke, is dead just like that? Not only was there no trial, but his body was also mutilated in the most humiliating way, like a pig waiting to be slaughtered.

But the Demon Cavalry did not stop their slaughter. On the contrary, the death of their commander was merely the prelude to the massacre! They continued their charge, like a butcher's knife slashing at the bewildered mobs on the parade ground!
"Brothers, grab your weapons! They're going to kill us all!"

"The imperial court wants to slaughter all the 100 guards of Pingcheng!"

"Damn it, I'll take one of them down with me even if I die!"

"What happened?! I surrender, I surrender!"

Amidst the chaos of war, Ying Rushi charged forward on horseback, drew his valiant sword from his saddlebag, and charged at Gai Louxian, who looked hesitant and at a loss. With a loud bang, Gai Louxian, who had drawn his long sword to defend himself, was knocked back five steps and almost fell to the ground.

“If this is all you’re capable of,” Ying said calmly, “this is where you’ll die.”

Gai Louxian instantly understood. He didn't ask why he had to die too, nor did he try to make connections; instead, he turned and ran. At that moment, Bai Baozhuang's leader, Bu Liuguzhen, rode over on horseback. Seeing the mangled corpses on the ground, his eyes turned bloodshot, overcome with grief and rage: "Father!—"

Just as Bu Liuguzhen was about to ride over to avenge his father, Gai Louxian jumped onto his horse first, then pulled on the reins, turned the horse around, and galloped into the military town. Before Bu Liuguzhen could speak, Gai Louxian slapped him so hard he was stunned.

With Commander Bu Liugu Ke already executed, the second-in-command, Gai Lou Xian, the Protector of Pingcheng, naturally became the primary target of the Evil Ghost Iron Cavalry. Seeing Gai Lou Xian attempt to escape, the Evil Ghost Iron Cavalry left only twenty men to finish him off, while the rest of their main force pursued him relentlessly, including Ying Rushi.

The evil cavalry brazenly slaughtered their way through the military camp, pursuing and killing the military commanders and governors!

Although the Pingcheng military town was lax, key positions such as sentry posts were still manned. Seeing the evil cavalry chasing Gai Louxian, some people didn't know what to do and remained motionless, but many more decisively raised their crossbows and fired. As the old governor of the military town, Gai Louxian usually took good care of the lower-ranking soldiers. Even if they didn't know what was going on, they were willing to stand on Gai Louxian's side out of gratitude!
However, the crossbow bolts were meaningless to the Demon Cavalry. The Demon Masks were defensive tokens, and there seemed to be some strange connection between the Demon Cavalry. Their defensive barrier was as solid as a mountain, and the crossbow bolts could not even cause a ripple when they hit them.

"Close the door! Close the door!"

Gai Louxian rushed into the bunker and shouted an order to close the door, but the iron door, which was about to close, was smashed open by the evil ghost cavalry. At this moment, Gai Louxian had already pulled Bu Liuguzhen towards the Zhen Sanshan Secret Realm. Ye Si, who was guarding the entrance of the secret realm, was about to say something, but seeing so many people, he felt there was nothing to say and turned around to enter the secret realm.

Without hesitation, the pursuing demon cavalry dismounted and charged in, spears in hand. Ying Rushi suddenly accelerated, successfully entering the secret realm before it reached its limit!

The demon cavalry behind her could only remain inside the fortress; once the secret realm was full, no one could enter.

(End of this chapter)