C8 Mission Activated!(2)

"Pfft..." Chu Hen couldn't contain his laughter and burst out, his body wobbling as he nearly stumbled to the ground.

He felt sheepish, completely taken aback. He understood that in ancient times, courtesans sold both their art and their bodies, but this was just too blunt, wasn't it?

Seeing she had caused a stir, Lianxiang immediately fell silent. Chu Hen, however, was unfazed. After a brief pause to compose himself, he continued striding forward with determination.

The time it took to brew half a cup of tea quickly elapsed, and Han Meng and Chu Hen almost simultaneously heard the completion of their mission echo in their minds.

Chu Hen exhaled in relief and released Lianxiang's hand, which was damp with perspiration.

"My thanks to you, young master..."

Chu Hen gestured dismissively, cutting off Lianxiang, and turned to look back the way they had come. If the two trailing behind failed to arrive in time, it would be just as well. But if they managed to make it... A wry smile flickered at the corner of Chu Hen's mouth.

The last grains of sand were about to run out in the hourglass. Xiang Ling and An Yixi were running on fumes. Xiang Ling seemed to have a bit more stamina and might just make it to the flag, while An Yixi, drained by indulgence, would have to leave it to chance.

Suddenly, Han Meng stepped forward, a menacing glint in his eye.

"What... what are you going to do?" Lianxiang's face was etched with terror. She knew what was coming, yet couldn't suppress the instinctive question.

"Hmph! A sacrifice to the spirits," he said, his fists clenched and ready to strike.

The sand hissed as it rushed through the hourglass.

"Just a moment..." Chu Hen also stepped forward.

"What? Young Master Chu doesn't trust me? Do you want to intervene personally?" Han Meng sneered. "The one lagging behind is a liability, perfect for testing whether this ghostly task is genuine or not."

"We'll have plenty of other opportunities to find out the truth!"

While they were speaking, the situation on the road suddenly shifted.

An Yixi, perhaps incensed by Han Meng or driven by a sudden surge of survival instinct, quickened his pace dramatically. In a few bounding steps, he overtook Xiang Ling and was mere moments away from reaching the flag.

"Oh no!"

Everyone except An Yixi, whose mind went blank, instinctively thought of the forbidden act.

Han Meng let out a bellow, his fist transforming into an open palm as a stone hurtled towards Xiang Ling, who was positioned behind the flagpole.

"Hit!"

An Yixi, just a step away from the flagpole, let out a strange cry and tumbled to the ground. Simultaneously, a green bracelet rolled out, spinning on the ground and emitting a crisp sound.

At that moment, An Yixi's back was exposed through his torn clothes, revealing a bruise the size of a bowl – clearly inflicted by the jade bracelet. He screamed in pain, struggling to rise.

But before he could get up, Xiang Ling had already sprung from An Yixi's back, somersaulting through the air and narrowly completing the task in a flash of sandy brilliance.

"Young Master An... How are you?" An Yixi lay motionless on the ground, as if his soul had departed.

Despite having just deserted him, Lianxiang still called out to him with concern.

"That's a question for her," Han Meng said, discarding the stone and casually kicking the lifeless An Yixi, who had died from the failed mission. He then cast a menacing glance at Xiang Ling, who was gasping for breath.

"Hu... Hu..."

"This lady's jade bracelet cannot kill..."

She breathed heavily, her eyes blazing like stars as she glared at Han Meng. She had witnessed all his actions, and if not for her decisive, life-saving strike, she might have been the one lying on the ground.

"What's the matter? Not satisfied? Do you really want to challenge me to a one-on-one fight?"

Han Meng snorted with contempt, his fierce gaze locked on Xiang Ling, ready to strike at the slightest provocation.

"Curse it! If it weren't for this lady's Qionghua Bracelet..." Xiang Ling caught herself revealing too much and realized that showing any change in demeanor now would do her no favors. She quickly stooped to retrieve the jade bracelet and fell silent.

"Ruthless, selfish, and domineering." Chu Hen, observing coldly from the sidelines, knew that in the makeshift team, both Xiang Ling and Lianxiang would likely gravitate towards his side.

Han Meng had a tendency to intimidate the weak and cower before the strong. To him, Chu Hen was the only person of worth; everyone else was considered worthless.

Chu Hen, however, saw things differently. He believed that everyone had their strengths and weaknesses. If it weren't for certain taboos, he wouldn't have so readily discarded An Yixi, who was adept at shifting with the winds of change.

But it was too late for regrets. An Yixi had become a testament to their mission's failure.

Without delay, Chu Hen addressed the immediate concerns: "Okay, let's focus on how to interact with the villagers and deal with the body."

He gestured towards the village, and the four-person squad noticed that villagers had begun to approach upon seeing the strangers at the entrance. Some were even darting about within the village, likely spreading the word.

In these turbulent times, the government troops acted no better than bandits. Villages without imperial protection banded together for warmth, expanding their ranks and dedicating themselves to martial arts to avoid being plundered.

"They're quite wary of strangers. Luckily, there are only four of us, and we're unarmed. If I'm not mistaken, someone in charge will come to question us soon," Chu Hen observed, watching the villagers' movements. He whispered, "We need to calm the villagers and gain their trust, or being expelled from Isynlenor could be the least of our worries..."

In this life-or-death situation, Han Meng and Xiang Ling had to maintain a facade of unity to confront what lay ahead.

"Excuse me?"

An elder with a head of white hair and a stooped back, his lean frame exuding an air of spryness, quickly approached from among the gathering villagers.

"What's happened here?"

The elder's gaze fell upon An Yixi's body, causing his brow to furrow as he stepped back. Several robust local militiamen emerged from the crowd, their eyes filled with suspicion as they closed in around the elder.

With the conspicuous corpse in plain sight, Chu Hen knew it couldn't be concealed. He stepped forward and said, "Elder, we..." He succinctly relayed their rehearsed story, convincing the elder of their harrowing escape with their families, the ambush by barbarians, their subsequent separation, An Yixi's death at the hands of the barbarians, and their fortunate escape with a household guard.

Naturally, the four of them were disheveled, their clothes in complete disarray. Xiang Ling and Lianxiang, the two women, were inconsolable, weeping over An Yixi's body.

"Barbarians?"

"What do we do now?"

"These savages..."

"Mother... I'm so scared... Wuu... Wuu..."

The villagers were in a state of chaos, with hushed whispers and the ceaseless crying of children filling the air.

The elder's expression shifted as he scanned the crowd. His gaze alone was enough to quiet the rising clamor. He then spoke, "My apologies, my apologies! I am Xia Ren, the head of this village. In these trying times, our people have been terrified by the barbarians. Please, forgive us."

"If it's not too much trouble, I invite you all to come inside the village and talk. It would be my pleasure to extend our hospitality."