Chapter 35: Sweeping Away the Decay

Huang Zhenjiang burst into a loud laugh, gesturing toward the men behind him. "You two boys are all you have? We have enough people here to drown you just by spitting. To think you’d dare spout such nonsense—I think you’ve truly lived long enough."

Wang Wu looked at him with cold eyes. "It seems you have no intention of showing us any respect. Does this mean you’re not planning to let today’s matter pass peacefully?"

After laughing for a long while, as if he had grown tired of it, Huang Zhenjiang squinted and said, "Kill these two insolent fools. We need to get back on the road; we can't waste any more time here."

As soon as he finished speaking, several men stepped forward and drew their steel blades. The swords wielded by these scoundrels were of a higher quality than those used by a proper imperial army. The decay of a dynasty never begins in a single area; it is only when problems arise in every aspect that such a state is reached.

They were met by a flash of light. The long spear in Ning Ye’s hand had cut through them before they even knew it. In a single encounter, several men were left bleeding on the ground.

Huang Zhenjiang’s eyes widened; it had all happened too quickly. Meanwhile, Wang Wu drew his two long sabers and charged on horseback, heading straight for Huang Zhenjiang.

At the same time, five or six men emerged from the left and right sides of the convoy. The laborers in the caravan, who were there simply for the wages and had no intention of fighting, immediately abandoned any thought of resistance and scrambled to flee. The guards, however, were so stunned by the sudden turn of events that they failed to react in time. By the time Ning Ye’s men reached them on horseback, it was already too late to mount a defense.

The advantage of the cavalry was magnified infinitely at that moment. Though they numbered only a dozen or so, a single charge claimed more than twenty lives. Huang Zhenjiang ordered his guards to shield him, but they could not stop Wang Wu’s onslaught. Those two long sabers acted like sickles of death, cutting down the guards with ease.

Ning Ye leveled his long spear at Huang Zhenjiang once more. This time, he would not miss. As the spear flew, it struck the fleeing Huang Zhenjiang, knocking him from his horse and piercing through his shoulder.

Huang Zhenjiang let out a miserable scream, trying to pull the spear out, but no matter how hard he struggled, he could not budge it. As for the others, Ning Ye ignored them, leaving them all to Wang Wu. How much experience in bloodshed could these guards possibly have? What kind of training had they endured?

Compared to the men Wang Wu had personally disciplined, these people were nothing more than a pipe dream. While a dozen elite soldiers could never hope to eliminate a hundred men, these were mere riffraff, so the odds mattered little.

Ning Ye rode his horse up to Huang Zhenjiang. "I’ll give you one more chance to talk. Do you want to have a proper conversation with me?"

Huang Zhenjiang’s face was twisted in pain. "Who exactly are you?"

"That is not the answer I wanted to hear. It seems you aren’t very bright, either."

Ning Ye pulled out the spear and struck the other shoulder. Now, it was symmetrical. The pain caused Huang Zhenjiang’s face to contort; having lived a life of luxury, he had never experienced such treatment.

"What exactly do you want to discuss? I will agree to anything."

"Oh, really? You’ll agree to anything? Do you have that much authority within the Huang family?"

Huang Zhenjiang managed to choke out, "I am the Second Master of the Huang family. I can make decisions on the vast majority of matters. Please, state your demands, or I shall bleed to death."

Ning Ye said slowly, "From this day forward, whenever the Huang family uses this road, you will pay me ten thousand taels of silver as tribute. Otherwise, don't even think about crossing this path."

Huang Zhenjiang realized instantly that Ning Ye was determined to make life difficult for the Huang family. No one would ever agree to such terms, but with his life on the line, he had no choice but to promise. "As long as you spare my life today, I will inform the family head of your terms. There will be a generous reward in the future; I will not let you be disappointed."

Ning Ye pulled out his spear. "Remember what you said today. Consider this shipment of grain your advance tribute. Now, get lost."

Huang Zhenjiang clutched his wound. "That is impossible. This grain is of the utmost importance. If you want money, I will bring it next time, but this grain cannot stay here."

Ning Ye’s voice turned cold. "Oh? I didn’t realize you valued money over your life. I can oblige you, though I’ll just have to send the message through someone else."

The sudden burst of killing intent convinced Huang Zhenjiang that this man would definitely kill him. He dared not utter another word. While he might be a hero again in ten years, who knew what he would be in eighteen? Despite the immense heartache, he had no choice but to tuck his tail and flee.

When Huang Zhenjiang stood up, he was even more shocked to see that all of his guards had been wiped out. Only the laborers remained, while everyone else lay on the ground, their fate unknown. How much time had even passed? To kill so cleanly in such a short span—these men were true gods of slaughter.

He didn't dare linger for a second. If they changed their minds, he, the so-called Second Master of the Huang family, would likely become nothing more than a pile of rotting meat.

Huang Zhenjiang’s pathetic retreat drew a round of boisterous laughter. At Ning Ye’s command, everyone regrouped. Each of them had sustained only minor scratches; there were not a single casualty among them. Had an observant eye been present, they would have noticed that Ning Ye’s men were all wearing fine chainmail beneath their clothes. With that protection, paired with the best weaponry, dealing with these incompetent fools was child’s play.

Wang Wu skillfully conducted the post-battle tally, and soon, a string of data reached Ning Ye’s ears. Even Ning Ye was amazed. How had the Huang family managed to survive until now? The grain transported by this convoy was enough to feed an army of three thousand for months. Furthermore, they had seized not only grain but also refined iron ore—the very things the Turks craved most. Yet, the Huang family had been selling it all off.