145 Lawless city.

"Done?" Zhi Rui asked mounted on the horse her eyes never leaving the seemingly calm lawless city.

"One level three and two level twos, all dead. Five rogue alchemists tied up." Hilda reported while cleaning her dagger.

After signaling with her eyes to Zun Xuying and the rest. Zh Rui trotted right inside the city.

The people went about their business. Through her senses, Zhi Rui identified all kinds of people in the city she could hear and vividly know what was happening in the taverns, brothels, the acts happening in the dark alleys and locked houses. All too ugly, all too familiar.

It was a town built by criminals it thrives in despair and the weak, even the most innocent are forced to do bad to survive.

Zhi Rui and her group arrived ahead of their army to hold the city in place, kill anyone who could warn of their attack. The barbarian warriors would storm inside without a warning and crush every enemy.

The important people died together with the scouts, the alchemists were secured, and it was already possible to hear the steps of the mounted warriors reaching the city. 'No need to wait anymore.'

Zhi Rui raised her hand slowly and cleaved down the air. After the random action,

The sky shone with fire.

She smiled as she could already hear the guard of the place giving out shrill screams of terror as a ball of fire crushed their quarters. A house with a hundred or so level one guards, had its doors blasted open as they run from the fire. Only for a rain of ice sickles to rain down killing them in a wide area attack

Meat being pierced and screams of despair.Soon the most common people started to panic and run around. Some locked themselves inside their houses others tried to run outside the city and some... most of them, went around looting and pillaging.

Zhi Rui's mount trotted near the guards quarters. there wasn't anymore alive,Zhi Rui extended her hand, and the remnants of their spirits coalesced to herself.

Houses burned, people cursed and fought.

There was nothing else they could do.

----

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----

Three hours later, the city turned silent. The survivors were forced indoors and the ones who escaped were being held captive by the army outside the city.

Zhi Rui walked out.

A hundred or so people were kneeling and screaming that they were civilians.

When they saw Zhi Rui they grew even more howdy.

Zhi Rui stood in front of them atop her horse as they looked at them

She eyed each one of them.

'Nothing of value..."

She turned to the Bai Hui and Yu Yan. "Dress them up like warriors gives each one of them a weapon and lead a surprise attack from the left when you reach the empire's main headquarters.

The couple nodded and Bai Hui nodded, as Zhi Rui took his advice.

The city had nothing to control it, so Zhi Rui left hundred barbarian warriors to organize things until she's back.

They marched forward, before midnight they camped. At sunrise, they crossed the forest and stood face to face with the enemy.

At that point it didn't matter if their presence were known, they were already too close to the enemy.

A single empire solder stood trembling in front of Zhi Rui's horde of tall barbarians.

He delivered a letter directly to Zhi Rui. "Y-young master Zheng Li, asked for me to deliver."

Zhi Rui squinted her eyes after reading the letter.It was a report of every activity from the general, he took all the soldiers spread and organized them in a circle in front of the general quarters. Besides military knowledge, there was his physical appearance who he talked to, every little thing in detail.

Zhi Rui frowned at one information

'A royal letter from the confined prince arriveda day after the general ent his usual complaints letter.'

Zhi Rui's mind started to race.

'Suddenly preparing that many soldiers, and posing for a battle, while talking to the prince...'

Her eyes widened and she smiled.

'Oh, you old coot.' she thought.

She stood up on the back her horse and screamed at her people

"Change of plan! go forward! crush everything on your path! RIGHT NOW"

While screaming she threw a pill in the air is dispersed into a fog, each warrior that passed through it inhaled it. Five hundred warriors had their mind-numbed and acutely centered on the objective.

"Advance and crush!" Zhi Rui yelled.

They stomped the ground

"""ADVANCE AND CRUSH!"""

The warriors on foot went first divided into groups of five with one as a leader, the mounted followed in groups of three with Sandworm ahead.

Lastly, the long-distance warriors led by Blue-amethyst followed.

Hilda, Izaya, Bai Hui, Yu Yan,Zhun XUying, Crystal and Rubble all gathered around Zhi Rui.

Her eyes glowered red.

"You all will spear through directly into the enemy. It doesn't matte who's there, attack and crush everything.

They were silent. She just gave the same order to the foot soldiers and most of them were going to die. Now she said the same to them. The fear of death blossomed in their minds.

"The General won't be there." She said.

But they were still silent.

A sudden chill crawled up their spine. "Either you go, or I'll kill you now." nothing changed around her, Zhi Rui was the same way as she came. but somehow, the air chilled. They knew that Zhi Rui couldn1t kill the five of them but no one poke. After ten seconds of silence, Izaya was the first to move. He took the lead, tore his shirt off and roared.The others followed including the siblings.

Zun Xuying stayed staring at Zhi Rui. "Do I go with them?"

With a heinous smile, Zhi Rui looked at her "You and I will put that old dog on a leash. keep your distance behind me and cover your tracks with your wind ability. You'll harass him with your long distance slashes."

Zhun Xuying smiled, her eyes were rimmed red, The violence she endured form the general at that time was one of many,nothing new or unusual she didn't give it any more thought. But seeing Zhi Rui giving it to her the gift of vengeance again made her tear up.

Zhi Rui shook her head.

"Let's go, first we gotta find the old coot."

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----

----

"Are we ready?" Zhi Rui's father, general Cheng Feng asked.

"Yes sir," a trembling soldier answered "Sir, are you sure? Crossing the forest with merely fifty men to go beyond the barbarian lands sounds like too much."

The general looked at him and chuckled.

His laughter was followed by the sound of broken bones.

The soldier fell down unconscious.

Cheng Feng pointed at the fallen soldier's cavedface and broken legs.

"Any more doubts ou suggestions?" He asked with a grin.

No one said a word..

"Then let's go." He said and walked away, his soldier was right behind with twenty different carriages.

' Oh my little girl. Father will come back for you~'