Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 176 My Lord, Times Have Changed (1)

The night is deep.

The wind stirred restlessly.

Outside Ningping County, the firelight flickered, the leaping flames even overshadowing the moonlight overhead, casting a warm, rosy glow on everyone's faces.

The whooshing sound echoed in my ears, as if a vengeful ghost was howling.

On the city wall of Ningping County, Luo Yuheng stood tall, with Yu Shuang beside her. Her beautiful eyes gazed quietly into the distance. Although her three sons had been sent out, although flames raged in the distance, and although the wind carried the pungent smell of blood, there was no worry or fear in her eyes.

She was not good at battle or military strategy. She would not give orders or actually appear on the battlefield to become a burden to the children. All she had to do was quietly wait for the children to return.

If Yan'er says everything is alright, then everything is alright.

But his hands remained silently clasped to his chest. A gust of wind blew, and a few strands of hair fell to the corners of his mouth, adding a touch of disarray.

In the raging fire.

Hirata Taro's face was extremely gloomy. He had originally planned to cooperate with Skull Island and Shark Island to gather all the Japanese pirates to kill Song Yan and avenge his three brothers. He probably never expected it to end like this.

Watching the Japanese people scream and struggle in the raging fire.

As the heavily armored soldiers approached step by step, brandishing their steel swords, blood flowed freely and severed limbs and bodies were scattered everywhere.

Looking down at the sky, the rain of arrows continued to fall.

Hirata Taro was already filled with despair.

He knew it was all over this time.

Not only him, but all the Japanese pirates in Ninghai will cease to exist.

And all of this was caused by him.

It wasn't so much guilt as it was resentment, since he didn't usually value the lives of other Japanese people.

Why did we still suffer a complete defeat despite having planned so much?
Suddenly, Hirata Taro looked up, his eyes fixed on the sixteen-year-old boy in front of him. He was the one who caused all of this. If he hadn't killed his own brother, things wouldn't have developed to this point.
As a Han Chinese from the Central Plains, wouldn't it be better to just obediently wait to be robbed and slaughtered?
Why resist?

Why are the people of the Central Plains so wicked?
He didn't think there was anything wrong with what he did. After all, he was a Japanese pirate, so wasn't killing and arson a matter of course? So, in the end, it was the people of the Central Plains who were too evil.

With a somewhat twisted mind, Hirata Taro silently walked towards the rear, toward the heavily armored soldiers.

He was very strong, an eighth-rank martial artist, almost unmatched among the Japanese pirates. Even in the Central Plains martial arts world, few could defeat him. Of course, Hirata Taro was well aware of the difference between individual bravery and military formation. Let alone that he was only an eighth-rank martial artist, even a ninth-rank, or even a grandmaster, would not be a match for thousands of heavily armored soldiers.

but……

Killing Song Yan is still a possibility, isn't it?

He's still just a teenager.

As the commander-in-chief of an army, and given the lack of strength, shouldn't he be hiding in the back?
Thinking this, Hirata Taro gripped the hilt of his sword tightly with both hands and began to increase his speed. The crisp sound of his wooden clogs hitting the ground was almost continuous. Although Hirata Taro looked like a burly and muscular man, who would have thought that when he actually moved, his speed was as swift as the wind?

The distance between the two was rapidly closing. A pair of scarlet eyes were fixed on Song Yan. At this moment, in Hirata Taro's eyes, Song Yan was the only one. All other figures were ignored by Hirata Taro.

kill him.

Killing him is all that matters, and that's success.

call.

His massive body practically became a shadow as he swept across the ground. Just as the two were about twenty or thirty meters apart, a loud bang was heard, and power erupted once again beneath Hirata Taro's feet, causing his speed to surge once more.

Hirata Taro's unusual behavior was noticed by the heavy infantry, and two figures immediately stood in front of Song Yan, like gatekeepers protecting him firmly behind them. These were Luo Tianyang and Ma Han. As the commander-in-chief, they could not afford any mistakes.

Beneath the helmet, Luo Tianyang's eyes gleamed with a strange yet excited light. He was even more robust than Hirata Taro. As Hirata Taro approached, Luo Tianyang suddenly let out a long roar, a sound like a tiger's howl.

The magnificent body moved.

With a swift motion, he wielded a large axe in his right hand and swept it horizontally forward.

laugh.

In the dim light, one could even hear the hissing sound of an axe tearing through the air.

Luo Tianyang's moves were always so simple: a vertical slash and a horizontal sweep. He only used these two moves. But these simple moves, due to their unparalleled terrifying power, formed an unavoidable blockade. The surrounding air seemed to have solidified, like a domain in a novel, forcing Hirata Taro to confront him head-on.

Otherwise, his body would have been severed at the waist.

With gritted teeth, he swung his katana down to meet the axe.

Clang.

The extremely piercing sound almost ruptured a person's eardrums.

Hirata Taro's face flushed red as he felt a tremendous force surge through him, causing his body to stagger backward uncontrollably. His tiger's mouth was shattered, and thick blood dripped down the edge of his palm.

Damn, this rough guy has incredible strength.

After muttering a curse under his breath, Hirata Taro did not retreat. Instead, he used the force to leap into the air and quickly passed over Luo Tianyang below. Although there was nowhere to gain leverage in mid-air, his body rapidly approached Song Yan in a way that defied the laws of physics.

Looking at the still somewhat immature boy opposite him, Hirata Taro's eyes gleamed with a strange yet excited light. His target had never been to confront these heavily armored soldiers head-on; it was only Song Yan.

Without the brute's obstruction, Taro was eager to see how this young man named Song Yan would withstand his power. As the distance between them grew ever closer, Taro's heart pounded in his chest. In his daze, he even imagined Song Yan's heart being pierced through, blood spurting out.

Just then, Song Yan's lips slowly curled up, and he suddenly smiled. Then, he reached behind him and pulled out a long and peculiar weapon, a dark metal tube, which he aimed directly at Hirata Taro's head.

Unable to contain himself, a sense of doubt welled up in Hirata Taro's mind.

What is this?
Iron pipe?
Is this guy trying to fight against a samurai like me with this iron pipe?

He's crazy?
In an instant, a multitude of thoughts surged through Hirata Taro's mind, and then... a deafening boom shattered all those thoughts.

Amidst sparks and smoke, a lead pellet was ejected from a metal tube at an unimaginable speed.

It's faster than a crossbow bolt; it's a speed that's completely imperceptible to the naked eye.

Almost the instant the sound rang out, Hirata Taro's head exploded in a burst of blood, his skull was blown off, and the violent impact even sent his body flying backward, crashing heavily to the ground.

"What power is this?"

As the last thought in his mind faded, Hirata Taro's consciousness completely plunged into darkness.

Song Yan smiled and retracted the metal tube, gently blowing a puff of air at the opening to disperse the remaining gunpowder smoke.

He didn't dare to bring his lips too close, after all, the gun barrel was scalding hot, and it wouldn't be good if he accidentally burned his mouth.

Then, gazing at Hirata Taro's corpse, he said leisurely:
"Sir, times have changed."

Indeed, it really needs this phrase to really make it flavorful.

(End of this chapter)