Chapter 130: Strike First, Strike Hard!

That said, Shangguan Hong didn’t seem intimidated by the threatening tone of the Black-armored General; instead, he coldly replied without backing down.

“With a black scale helmet, a wolf-head full-body armor, three scale patterns on the shoulders, and a black cloud sabre at the waist, this is the standard equipment for mid-level officers of the Black Scale Army, am I wrong?”

“Hmph, and what’s your point?”

“However, according to the Holy Sect of Qi Kingdom’s customization, the cavalry under the command of a mid-level officer typically numbers between five hundred to a thousand, at most one thousand five hundred. Yet the Black Scale Army you command exceeds at least three thousand men, far surpassing the allowed number. Is this reasonable?”

The General raised an eyebrow.

“Oh? It seems you know a bit about military regulations, kid. What’s your name?”

“I never changed my name or my surname—Shangguan Hong. Besides, you haven’t answered my question.”

“Puhahahahaha!!!”

As if he heard something particularly amusing, the Black-armored General suddenly burst into laughter, then mocked:

“Kid, did you get something wrong? I’m here on an important mission with the Black Scale Army. Even if the troop numbers don’t match the regulations, there’s a reason for it. What makes you think you’re worth my explanation?”

However, Shangguan Hong stood his ground, equally coldly smiling.

“Is that so? It seems you haven’t denied your identity as a mid-level officer, which makes things easier.”

“Also, it is clearly written in the Holy Sect’s regulations that to detain ordinary civilians without a higher-level arrest warrant, there must be conclusive evidence that they are escaped felons or involved in serious cases. Otherwise, an order must come from a Mid-Yuan General or higher. Only the Five Scale Army responsible for external military and special operations can carry out such arrests…”

“General, may I ask which of these points we violated that gives you the audacity to ignore the law and attempt to arrest us? Even if we were indeed brawling, this minor issue should first be investigated by local authorities before any further actions are considered.”

“And you, relying on your might to forcibly surround civilians, ignoring the law, do you think yourself a bandit? I’d like to ask, who do you think you are—a mere mid-level officer daring to be so arrogant? That takes some serious guts!!”

“You…”

Rendered speechless by Shangguan Hong’s relentless and flawless retorts, particularly under that commanding shout, the Black-armored General’s momentum was completely crushed.

He pointed at a certain senior disciple, muttering “you you you,” yet couldn’t form a coherent response, as if he were both furious and somewhat guilty.

But, as the buzzing discussions of the onlookers reached his ears, he finally reacted, his face turning pale as he swept the surroundings with a fierce glare, forcibly silencing those who agreed with Shangguan, before bellowing:

“Alright! Alright! You sharp-tongued brat! You’re clearly causing a riot and resisting arrest, yet you dare to insult me, belittling the dignity of the Black Scale Army! You truly don’t know how to write the word ‘death’!”

“What are you still gawking for? Grab these troublemakers immediately!”

“But, General Cheng, he’s right; our mission is just—”

“I said, arrest them!!!”

“Y-yes…”

Under the vigorous orders of the Black-armored General, despite some hesitation, the soldiers of the Black Scale Army dared not disobey, forming a barrier with their long spears, advancing towards the crowd.

“What should we do, Miss Vilyric?”

Seeing the Black Scale soldiers drawing nearer, Vilyric raised an eyebrow at the seemingly livid Black-armored General, exchanging glances with Hen and Miss Xiao Kong nearby, yet did not rush into action.

This situation… felt odd.

Not to mention the inexplicable encirclement of the tea house by the Black Scale Army, the General’s actions also seemed intentionally provocative. Did he really become so enraged that he lost his wits after being publicly rebutted by Shangguan Hong?

Let’s not forget, there were many onlookers acting as witnesses, and the soldiers of the Black Scale Army just as aware. Even if he forcibly captured them, what would it signify?

Unless the entire Black Scale Army was under his iron fist, this incident would normally conclude with the civilians’ release after investigation and a tarnished reputation for the Black Scale Army. This reckless mid-level officer might face demotion or even lose his position altogether.

It appeared that this guy let his anger cloud his judgment and acted irrationally, but could someone who climbed the ranks to this level really be that foolish?

So what was his objective? Why direct his ire at those completely uninvolved?

“Miss Vilyric, should we let them take us?”

After a moment of thought, as the soldiers of the Black Scale Army drew closer, Murong Yun’s voice urged in her ear once more.

It seemed… there wasn’t much time left for pondering their motives.

Honestly, it didn’t matter to Miss Vilyric whether they surrendered or not. They weren’t in a hurry to do anything. Even if they pretended to be captured and bound, those toy-like ropes meant nothing to a Priestess.

Perhaps following them to see what these guys were up to wouldn’t be a bad choice.

If anything, Vilyric’s hesitation stemmed from not wanting to appear disadvantaged by being “captured”—the thought of a few girls being manhandled and tied up seemed a bit excessive… just trivial matters really.

But it seemed someone on the other side had already made the choice.

“Hey!”

A few figures flew backward with a “Bang Bang Bang,” as Shangguan Hong shook his fist, now displaying a completely indifferent expression.

“I want to see just how tyrannical the Black Scale Army is, daring to openly arrest lawful citizens in broad daylight without any orders or justification! Are you a protector of the people or a gang of thugs?!”

“This is utterly ridiculous!”

Witnessing this scene, the mid-level officer nearly had his nose bent from anger.

“Revolt! Revolt!! A bunch of filthy peasants daring to resist arrest and attack the Black Scale Army! Charge! Use lethal force on anyone who resists!!!”

“Yes!”

Although he had shown some hesitation before, Shangguan Hong’s use of force against arrest was indeed a fact. Once the combat state kicked in, the atmosphere of the Black Scale Army changed drastically.

With one order, the Black-armored soldiers immediately drew their finely crafted steel blades hanging at their waists, removed small leather shields from their backs, shifting from a gentle demeanor towards civilians to forming battle formations, advancing like an unyielding wall toward the crowd!

However, the strength of that senior disciple exceeded the expectations of most present, even surprising Vilyric momentarily.

“Shake the heavens—shake the earth!!!”

“Bang!!!!!!!!!!”

He slammed his fist into the ground, causing the earth to ripple like a surging ocean, creating shockwaves that knocked the Black Scale soldiers off balance, throwing nearby ordinary civilians to the ground in distress.

Shangguan Hong single-handedly created a small-scale earthquake!

“Is that move…”

“Hey, don’t get hung up on that; let’s save the explanations for later, Uncle Murong, we need to prepare to make our getaway~”

   

---