Scourge Messenger

Chapter 265 Banquet Eleven
Three days later, at the Tombstone Military Town, at the Tea Transmission Station.

In theory, the official post stations of the State of Qi were strictly governed by military garrisons. However, over the course of a century since the founding of the state, many of these systems have become mere formalities, existing only in name. Old Li took over the Tea Post Station ten years ago because his father had served as his assistant soldier and accompanied the Emperor on a campaign, never to return. Thus, he inherited the post station, essentially making it his private inn.

The so-called post station was actually just a small shop that provided tea and fodder, where travelers could sit and rest.

The intersection where the Tea Crossing Station was located was arguably the most important thoroughfare in central Qi, connecting Nevernight City to the north, Tombstone Town to the west, and Puyang City to the south. Regardless of the season, it could receive at least dozens of groups of guests every day. Because it was a short walk to nearby counties and towns, almost no guests stayed overnight at the Tea Crossing Station, so they could only earn a little money from tea. But even so, it was enough to make the Li family a well-known and prominent family in the area.

Their wealth can be summed up in one sentence: three generations of the Li family, each generation had enough money to buy a basic skill manual and become a semi-messenger.

However, Old Li couldn't stop sighing, sighing until his life seemed to shorten. The reason was obvious: there was no business. Apart from the menacing cavalrymen who would pass through the tea post station, Old Li hadn't seen any caravans these past few days. And even if the cavalrymen stopped for tea, Old Li wouldn't dare ask them for money.

If business had only been slow for the past few days, it wouldn't have been so bad. But Old Li had heard that people were being arrested and killed everywhere. Unless there was a reason why staying home would mean certain death, no one dared to go out during this period. The people of Qi were no strangers to this situation. The world seemed to have turned into hell, with evil spirits roaming the streets. No matter your status or position, if you encountered a Baibao cavalryman on the road, you had already stepped through the gates of hell.

So while sighing at the lack of customers, Old Li secretly observed the only guest in the inn. Although she had deliberately dirtied her face, judging from her figure, she should be a woman, and not very old. He wondered why she would be traveling alone at this time.

While resting, he looked around, as if worried that someone might appear.

Could he be a fugitive?

Suddenly, the guest's expression turned extremely flustered. He slammed a spirit shard on the table and left. At that moment, the rapid clatter of hooves sounded from the west. Old Li's heart tightened. He peeked out and saw that it wasn't the cavalry, but just four or five men on horseback. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"They really did run this way!" the leader shouted, "You little hussy, you dare to run?"

As he caught up on horseback, he lashed out with his whip, and the woman screamed and fell to the ground. The others immediately dismounted and tied her up. Noticing Old Li's gaze, the men glared at him fiercely: "Is she the only one here? She's the young lady of the Dong family. There are orders from above to arrest everyone with the surname Dong. Anyone who dares to harbor her will be punished as an accomplice. Have you seen her associating with anyone else?"

Old Li quickly shook his head and hurried to clean up the table that Dong Xiaoniangzi had just made. Even though the lewd laughter of the men and the wailing of the young lady came from behind him, he dared not look back.

"My family has nothing to do with the Dong family. My father is just a bamboo craftsman. You can't arrest me!"

"Stop talking nonsense!" The man slapped him across the face. "Damn it, you ran so far away, making us travel so many unnecessary detours. I'll give you a good beating later."

"This girl is too skinny. Her sister-in-law is much better, but she has a fiery temper and is too troublesome."

"Let's go to Dongshan Village tomorrow and take a look. Shanpao said there are a few families with the surnames Liu and Yuan. Let's see which one is easier to target."

Old Li, having run an inn and seen it all, knew exactly what was going on. It was probably an order from the imperial court to the local authorities to punish those involved, which the local authorities then distributed to other places. These local ruffians and soldiers then took advantage of the situation, destroying families and wiping out entire households. As long as someone was even remotely connected to the authorities and easy to bully, they would swarm in, taking advantage of them and seizing their wives and daughters, just like a pack of carrion vultures and wild dogs eating excrement.

Like a few years ago when the county town of Never Sleeps was rebuilt, millions of people were conscripted, and horrific disasters were happening everywhere. With a stroke of the pen from a minor official, a family would have to sell their children. Going back even further, when the emperor launched the Central Plains War, even Old Li's father couldn't escape it.

In times of turmoil, not only do evil spirits hunt, but also local ruffians take advantage of the chaos. Every upheaval is a catastrophe of flooding, with malice spreading layer by layer from the court, local ruffians, bandits, villains... until the chill permeates every corner, squeezing every last drop of value from good people, until in the end only the wicked survive.

This is the biggest rule of this land: the strong prey on the weak. Old Li and his gang coexisted peacefully not because they were kind, but because Old Li carried a knife at his waist and kept several large wolfhounds in his shop, dogs that had eaten meat before.

The sound of horses' hooves came from the east. Old Li turned his head and saw two people riding along the official road. They were not the Baibao wearing the evil ghost mask, but they were dressed very strangely. They wore straw hats to cover their faces in broad daylight, and they were obviously not good people.

The men were tying Dong Xiaoniangzi to their horses when they saw this and immediately became alert, taking out sticks and weapons to try and intimidate them into staying out of it. However, instead of being frightened, the man in the straw hat at the front drew his long sword and charged at them.

"You're asking for it!" the leader shouted. "Cut off his horse—"

Sa.

The man in the straw hat and longsword leaped and brought his blade down from above. There was no special technique involved; it was as brutal as an old farmer hoeing the ground, yet the power was beyond imagination—the leader, weapon and all, was sliced ​​in two, a vertical line of blood spurting from his body, his entire body split in two! The other three thugs were terrified. They weren't inexperienced killers, but they had never witnessed such a bloody scene. Moreover, the longsword-wielding man's aura was so intimidating that they couldn't muster the courage to fight back. Two fell to the ground, and only one managed to turn and run.

"Brother, sir, we—"

one two three.

The longsword-wielder didn't bother listening to their nonsense. One slash, one head; after three slashes, only three headless corpses remained. His movements were so decisive yet nonchalant, as if killing was as commonplace to him as stepping on a cockroach.

The men's horses did not run away; instead, they obediently lowered their heads. These beasts were far smarter than their masters, clearly aware that any resistance would invite thunder.

A messenger, definitely a messenger!

Old Li had received many messengers. The biggest difference between them and ordinary people was their indifference and ruthlessness when killing. These thugs would often shout and yell to embolden themselves when they made their move, but the messengers had slaughtered demons far more ferocious than living people. Killing was not an occasional occurrence for them, but rather their instinct.

Lady Dong was dragged to the ground by the swordsman, and the ropes binding her were cut with a single stroke. Because the killing happened so quickly, and she had just been stunned by the blows, she only had time to observe what had happened. Seeing the four extremely gruesome corpses on the ground, she, whose body and mind were already at their limit, fainted.

After a brief silence, the long-sworded man turned to look at Old Li. Although he couldn't see Old Li's expression and didn't say anything, Old Li's hair stood on end. He trembled as he scooped up a ladle of cold water, splashed it on Dong Xiaoniangzi's face, and then squatted down to help massage her philtrum.

Lady Dong quickly regained consciousness, and before she could be disrespectful again, Old Li hurriedly reminded her, "You'd better thank these two benefactors quickly! If they hadn't intervened and helped you out, you would have been taken away by them!"

It took Lady Dong a while to understand what was happening, but even so, her legs went weak and she almost couldn't stand up. After all, the sight of the bleeding corpse with its exposed organs was truly horrifying. But unexpectedly, after taking a few deep breaths, she suddenly kicked the head of the man who had just slapped her away, sending blood splattering all over the ground.

"Thank you both for saving my life. I have no way to repay you." Dong Xiaoniangzi's voice was still trembling, but it was clear that she had mustered her courage: "If you two benefactors do not mind, I... I can be your servant. I can cook, do needlework, and raise pigs. I should be able to help!"

Her earlier remarks were probably taken from a play or storybook, imitating the speech of a refined young lady. However, her true nature was revealed later, and she was just an ordinary peasant girl. Old Li was still surprised by her decisiveness. Seeking refuge with these two strangers was indeed a way out, but these ruthless and secretive messengers would definitely be in big trouble, and following them might be even more dangerous.

The swordsman remained silent, but his companion, who had been riding on horseback, spoke up: "No need, just do us a favor."

Upon hearing this answer, Dong Xiaoniangzi felt a mix of emotions: relief, disappointment, and fear. Her cheeks burned, and she quickly replied, "I will definitely help!"

"How do I get to Tombstone Military Town?"

Is that all the work you're doing?

After giving them the exact direction of the tombstone military town, seeing that they were about to ride away, Lady Dong asked, "My benefactor, aren't you taking these horses with you?"

"Take this as travel expenses," the man in the straw hat said calmly. "You'll have a hard time from now on, so be careful."

Lady Dong pursed her lips, then suddenly rushed over and knelt before the horse. “My benefactor, I know I am just a useless peasant girl who can’t help or repay your kindness, but at least let me know your name. I will pray to the Bodhisattva to bless you every day and set up a longevity tablet to worship you.”

Old Li thought to himself, "These two are hiding their true identities, how could they possibly reveal their names?"

However, to Old Li's surprise, the man in the straw hat not only gave his name, but also took off his straw hat.

"There's no need to pray to the Bodhisattva; I don't get along well with Buddhism." He took off his straw hat, revealing a strange face wrapped in bandages. "As for my name, I might as well tell you."

"My name is Yan Shiyi."

(End of this chapter)