Chapter 359 - 269: Miss Zheng the Elder: Willing to Be a Beast of Burden

Chapter 359: Chapter 269: Miss Zheng the Elder: Willing to Be a Beast of Burden

「A short while earlier.」

It was supposed to be an ordinary night.

The Guards of Five Families City had closed the city gates early, as was routine.

The young Guards were all smiles, thinking about heading to Old Li’s Tavern for a couple of sweet potato liquor shots.

Then, they would go to the Red House to have some fun.

After that, a trip to the Lin Family bathhouse for a massage and a good night’s sleep.

The captains and Commanders led even more extravagant lives.

Not only did they keep numerous women at home, but some had even pooled their money to "privatize" a few of the well-known "public rides" around town.

Although Five Families City was a small city and the drought had lasted for a year, they had built dams in the mountains to store plenty of water. As a result, the mountain terraces hadn’t seen too much of a drop in production.

As a bustling trade hub, Five Families City saw constant traffic from merchant caravans, bringing prosperity and ensuring there was no shortage of supplies.

It served as the trading center for more than a dozen small and medium-sized camps in the vicinity. They dominated the trade, with the most professional caravans and the best-located shops on the streets all run by their own people.

There were no large camps nearby, so no one lived a better life than they did.

Even in a year of great drought, life in Five Families City was still quite comfortable.

Better, even, than life in Flame Camp.

WHOOSH—

With a terrifying scream, the several-foot-thick steel gate violently exploded, bursting into fragments!

On the city walls, the warning signal arrow was only fired a full three minutes later.

Nearly fifteen minutes after that, the elite Martial Artists of the Five Great Clans finally arrived.

Their clothes were in disarray, their faces and necks were marked with lingering lipstick stains, and they reeked of a mixture of perfumes.

It was clear why they had left their posts for the night—they were very busy.

Busy comforting their wives and concubines at home, busy "sponsoring" the less fortunate young ladies and matrons in the brothels...

The city wall had already fallen.

On the western wall, atop the high gate tower, stood a man in blue, holding a massive longbow.

Seeing the arrivals, he couldn’t help but laugh.

"A whole squad of Martial Artists, really! This city seems rather prosperous. How are its defenses so pathetic?"

His smile twisted into a savage sneer. ’Time to indulge in a massacre and show them how cruel the world can be!’

BOOM!

A spear-like arrow shot forth, reaching the Martial Artists in an instant.

PFFT!

These Martial Artists, usually so high and mighty and only capable of showing off their prowess in bed, had no way to dodge. Their bodies exploded like blood-filled balloons. POP! POP! POP!

Blood and gore splattered across the long street!

The once-clean Stone Slab road instantly became a hell on earth.

On the east side, a giant of a man, over ten feet tall and wielding a massive hammer the size of a wagon wheel, smashed it against the cast-iron gate.

BOOM!

The explosion sounded like a clap of summer thunder.

The gate shattered completely, like a wooden crate run down by a charging warhorse.

"We’re under attack!"

"There’s an Extraordinary!"

"An Extraordinary is attacking the city!"

"..."

Terrified roars, shouts, and cries echoed throughout the city.

The upper echelons of Five Families City were jolted awake by the chaos.

Before they could even figure out what was happening, massive, spear-like arrows came crashing down, demolishing the iconic main towers of each of the city’s great families.

Immediately after, the hammer-wielding giant, with a series of BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!, smashed through dozens of sturdy houses and walls like a bulldozer, breaking into the core district of the Five Great Clans.

"It’s a Sixth Grade!"

"A Peak Sixth Grade!"

"There are two of them!"

The few Patriarchs, having just climbed out of women’s beds, felt the blood rush to their heads at the sight! If they weren’t already Extraordinary, they might have fainted on the spot.

"Fourteen Rings of Destiny Gold! All clans, prepare for battle!"

Before the words had even faded, an Extraordinary Clan Elder from the Lin Family lunged toward the Golden Bell. DING! DING! DING!

The clear, sharp sound spread throughout the entire Inner City.

This unique sound finally roused the sleeping Martial Artists and Extraordinaries.

"Form the Array! To battle!"

Five Extraordinaries from the five families stepped forward one by one. Falling into a formation they had practiced countless times, they charged resolutely at the Sixth-Grade archer!

They didn’t have much experience trapping a Sixth Grade.

But they knew that if they didn’t restrain him and let him act freely, he could leisurely kill every single one of them. Escape would be impossible!

Halfway through their charge, they saw the Sixth Grade’s eyes were full of mockery.

And behind him, two other Extraordinary experts suddenly appeared.

"They have more Extraordinaries!"

"Heh!" The Sixth-Grade Powerhouse chuckled in amusement. ’What is this? Do you five really think you can take me on?’

"Those two won’t interfere. Come on! Let’s see what methods you have for getting yourselves killed!"

After speaking, he tossed his greatbow aside. The Extraordinary beside him caught it and retreated several dozen feet.

BOOM!

On the other side, the five-man Array formed by the five Patriarchs had already engaged the Sixth Grade with the great hammer.

The bow-wielding Martial Artist, now holding an arrow that looked like a short spear, charged straight at them, forcing the five to engage.

The two sides exchanged several rounds of blows.

The two Sixth-Grade Powerhouses sensed something was a little different.

The five Extraordinaries had taken positions in a five-pointed star. With practiced, clever footwork, they managed to have three people absorb every one of his attacks while the other two opportunistically counterattacked, forcing him back on the defensive.

Among the ten Extraordinaries who had come out to fight, three had hair and beards that were completely white.

And after all this time, no new Extraordinary Powerhouses had appeared to join the siege against them.

It seemed this prosperous little city was just as the intelligence reports had described: its strongest combatants were merely Extraordinaries.

While the two Sixth-Grades toyed with them for a bit, the other Extraordinaries who hadn’t joined the main fight weren’t idle either.

They turned and charged toward the worried-looking Martial Artists of the Five Great Clans.

"This is bad! Run!"

"Run where? Form up and defend yourselves!"

"Right, where could we even run to!"

As Martial Artists from the Direct Lineage of the Five Great Clans, they too had practiced Array formations since childhood.