The screams of the soldiers drew the attention of some nearby villagers. Wide-eyed, they watched as a gust of wind swept toward the soldiers, reducing them to a mess of flesh and bone.
The woman was stunned at first, then overwhelmed with ecstasy. In that moment, her heart swelled with a profound sense of relief. If she had the power, she would have carved those men into pieces herself.
She fell to her knees, kowtowing fervently, and cried out, "Heaven has eyes!"
Then, as the villagers began to approach, she got to her feet and fled without looking back.
Neither Xi Qingyue nor Xi Weilan revealed themselves to the woman. They had retreated to their space the moment the first bodies fell.
Once inside, Xi Qingyue's expression turned serious. The Bozhou officials were behaving as though they knew the Beiyue army was about to attack, and instead of preparing to defend, they were coercing vagrants and locals into staying within the city walls. When the time came, they would abandon these people and flee, leaving them trapped and helpless.
No wonder the city's merchants had shuttered their shops and fled. Anyone who stayed was a fool.
Xi Qingyue was not the kind of person who went out of her way to meddle, but the cruelty of these men disgusted her. She decided to take care of them while she was already here.
These soldiers did nothing but harm civilians; they would not stand and fight an invading army. Killing them brought her no guilt.
Two-quarters of an hour later, Xi Qingyue and Xi Weilan appeared at the governor's residence. They decided to start with the highest-ranking official first.
Bozhou Governor Gao Teng was lounging lazily in a chair. Two beautiful women attended to him—one pouring wine, the other feeding him delicacies. He appeared to be thoroughly enjoying himself.
Seated below him were several other key officials of Bozhou, including the Senior Administrator and the Military Commander.
After downing a cup of wine, the Senior Administrator voiced the question that was troubling his mind. "Your Excellency, since we know the Beiyue army will attack, why not leave ahead of time? Will we still be able to get out in time when the moment comes?"
Gao Teng waved a dismissive hand, eyes half-closed. "No worries. As long as we have these vagrants and villagers to hold the fort, we can slip away whenever we need to. Leaving now would leave us open to blame. Besides, once we leave Bozhou, we'll be at the mercy of others. We won't have this freedom."
The others nodded in agreement. Life outside Bozhou was far less comfortable.
The Military Commander sighed. "Yes, indeed. Once we reach Prince Kang's territory, we'll be nothing."
Gao Teng shot him a sharp glare. "Mind your tongue. When Prince Kang's great enterprise succeeds, we'll only be more powerful than we are now. Leaving now is just not the right time."
Xi Qingyue had no idea who Prince Kang was—whether he was the emperor's son or brother—but clearly, he was a prince plotting rebellion.
No wonder these men held no regard for the people. If rebellion was the goal, chaos was exactly what they wanted.
She glanced at the eager little girl beside her, twirling a shortsword with excitement. Letting her fight with a blade was risky. After a moment's thought, Xi Qingyue took the shortsword from Xi Weilan and handed her a submachine gun instead, stuffing a few extra magazines into her small bag.
Just as Gao Teng raised his glass to toast, the ceiling above them let out a thunderous crash.
Through the shattered roof, two children descended from the sky.
Xi Qingyue carried Xi Weilan and landed squarely in the center of the room amidst their stunned gazes.
"Call the guards! There's—"
The Senior Administrator never finished his sentence. A single shot from Xi Qingyue put him down.
Shouts rose. Swords scraped against scabbards. The chaotic scramble of footsteps filled the air. What had been a decadent feast now descended into complete disorder.
Xi Qingyue and Xi Weilan opened fire on the seated officials without hesitation. From the entrances, guards and house soldiers surged in from all directions.
By the time they arrived, the only one still breathing at the banquet table was Gao Teng. Both his arms and legs had been shot through, and he could only writhe and scream in pain.
The guards stared in shock at the two children standing before them.
Who the hell are these kids?
Before they could recover, Gao Teng roared through gritted teeth, "Take them alive! I want to skin them alive!"
No sooner had he spoken than two more bullets pierced his chest.
The guards charged forward, trying to encircle the girls.
Xi Qingyue swept her submachine gun across the front ranks while keeping a watchful eye on Xi Weilan. She dealt with the threats closing in on her sister while reloading her own weapon—no problem at all. If enemies got too close while she was swapping magazines, a wind blade would take care of them just fine.
Row after row of guards fell. The ones in the back trembled, their instincts screaming at them to retreat. They were terrified.
Without mercy, Xi Qingyue cut down everyone who entered the room. Then she knocked Gao Teng unconscious and threw him into her space. She would make him write a full confession before he died.
With everyone in the banquet hall dead, Xi Qingyue turned to leave. But as she passed the feasting table, she caught a glimpse of what was laid out on the plates and swiftly pulled Xi Weilan away, shielding her from the sight.
She didn't leave just yet. Not every soldier in the governor's residence had shown up. Some were still stationed in other parts of the compound.
Only the most loyal men were chosen to serve as personal guards. Anyone devoted to a man like Gao Teng deserved no less than death.
Two little girls armed with submachine guns started their patrol across the residence. Everywhere they passed, bodies piled up. The courtyards and corridors were stained red in a scene of blood-soaked horror.
Hundreds of guards and soldiers met their end at the hands of these two sisters. The entire residence was littered with corpses.
They cut through the compound like twin gods of death, leaving no one alive.
Even at the storage rooms, armories, and granaries, Xi Qingyue eliminated every guard stationed there without hesitation.
She confiscated everything from the treasury—gold, silver, jewels, the total value easily exceeding a million taels and more. Weapons from the armories and grain stores were also taken. She had a specific use for both.
Then she set fire to the entire residence.
A strong wind fanned the flames higher; by the time patrols in the city noticed, it was far too late to stop it.
Under the cover of night, Xi Qingyue led Xi Weilan to the camp at the western side of the city. That was where they kept the vagrants.
Rows upon rows of tents dotted the area like small hillocks. Around them, guards kept watch—though most had been drawn away by the blaze at the governor's residence.
The men were kept in a separate area from the women and children, heavily guarded.
Inside the women's tents, all Xi Qingyue could hear were quiet sobs. These women had believed the city officials would provide shelter and aid. Instead, they had been abused. Worse yet, many children had been taken away and never returned.
Xi Qingyue moved silently through the women's section, cutting down dozens of guards without a sound.
She then dropped several hundred weapons onto the open ground near the tents. The clatter echoed sharply through the night.
From the shadows, she altered her voice and shouted, "The Bozhou Governor is dead. Take these weapons and go find your families."
Without waiting to see their response, Xi Qingyue turned and headed toward the other section of the camp.
There were many soldiers over there, but the number of refugees was even greater. She threw the weapons down before them, thinking that if they still would not act, then they might as well wait for death themselves.
Xi Qingyue shouted once more, and a great clatter of weapons rang out again outside the tent.
Their reaction took Xi Qingyue by surprise. The moment the weapons hit the ground, men rushed out from every tent.
There were youths as young as ten and old men several decades in age, but each one dashed swiftly to the weapons. They grabbed a weapon and charged at the soldiers.
"Kill them! Kill these beasts who are worse than animals! Give me back my grandson's life!"
