Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 265 - 4: The Art Style Suddenly Returns to Normal!

When Li Wanqing returned to the village at meteoric speed, she just managed to catch the scattered sounds of dispute in the air.

The loud soldier's voice was crude and agitated, with hostility overflowing: "It was you who wanted to set up... we told you long ago... lost all assets... seizing people to pay off debts!"

Although only a few key phrases floated in, for the intelligent Li Wanqing with an amazing ability to fill in the gaps, fueled by the heroic rescue of the beauty, those keywords, especially the phrase "seizing people to pay off debts," were more than enough.

Shen Qingming and the others followed closely behind, equally indignant, wishing they could rush back at once to wipe out those large-headed soldiers who were forcibly taking village women, or at least give them a good beating. As for the consequences? Damn it, as the eldest daughter of the Shen Family, would hitting a few unruly soldiers bring any consequences?!

In no time, under Li Wanqing's lead, the group flew to the large house of the village chief. Li Wanqing kicked open the door, while the pitch-black Yuqing Taoist Armor covered her entire body, and a short sword was already drawn, its silk-like Sword Qi instantly filling the space, allowing her to grasp the situation inside the house before entering.

The large house of the village chief served as Yulin Village's meeting hall during regular times, and the cellar was a refuge for hundreds of villagers to escape the Demon Essence, thus the house was built extraordinarily spacious. At the moment, nearly a hundred people were gathered inside, mostly villagers trembling behind the village chief, while only about twenty-something large-headed soldiers were present, probably feeling guilty about their behavior and unwilling to make a big fuss. But including the captain, all key figures were present.

The situation was perfect, with numbers just within Li Wanqing's control, and as both sides were in a standoff, the large-headed soldiers had no defense at the back. As long as she could act decisively, she could scatter them all, denying the patrol units a chance to form an array.

Despite appearing impulsive during a heroic rescue, Li Wanqing had already planned it in her mind. Taking action was inevitable, but she had to hit the vital point, ensuring a one-hit kill while avoiding fatal injuries.

Even though those large-headed soldiers were generally not very powerful, they were formal troops of Shen City and could not be underestimated easily. Neither the destructive power of their battle array nor the two Gale War Chariots parked somewhere were predictable threats for young people who had only sparred in common arenas. Prolonged or comprehensive war would absolutely be disadvantageous.

Moreover, this was Shen City, not the Li Family-dominated Cyan Cloud City. Seeking attention was already a bad thing, and doing it by beating up officers and soldiers was directly challenging the bottom line of Shen City. Even if the officers and soldiers were committing atrocities, it wasn't Li Family's place to act as enforcers of justice... so everything needed to be done thoroughly, leaving no room for anyone to have anything to say.

Before striking, Li Wanqing had thought through every detail, even simulating the battle in her mind to the seventh step. However, upon entering, a sudden visual impact left her momentarily blank.

The Sword Qi of the Heaven and Earth Net told her there were over twenty excited and fervent large-headed soldiers inside, but it didn't tell her they were all pantsless, completely bare-bottomed!

Li Wanqing felt her worldview shattering!

Did they have to be this brazen, this blatant?!

As the former tyrant of Cyan Cloud and the later dominant force of Yuqing, she had traveled far and wide at a young age, having seen many similar cases of grassroots soldiers bullying and oppressing women. In many chaotic and remote areas, it was not uncommon for officials and bandits to collude. But even so, such a scene where more than twenty people, seemingly for show, stood uniformly with exposed lower bodies in public view was extremely rare and beyond imagination.

However, Li Wanqing was ultimately a woman of action. Despite the thunderous noise in her head, her hands didn't falter, and utilizing the high defense of the Yuqing Taoist Armor, she directly targeted Captain Hong Yu, aimed a Descendant-erasing Kick at him.

Whack!

The patrol captain, possessing full body armor defense and being steadily in the mid-stage of the Cloud Surge Realm, only managed to let out a sharp gasp before collapsing with a thud. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Unphased, Li Wanqing turned to take down a naked man beside the captain, but as she lifted her foot, she suddenly noticed the young man beside Hongwu had no Immortal Dao Cultivation, wasn't wearing Shen City patrol armor, but instead emitted an indelible fishy odor from his coarse hemp shirt...

Li Wanqing was instantly filled with rage.

Those traitorous bastards were everywhere!

When facing foreign invaders, not only did they lack the courage to protect family and friends, but instead they sided with the invaders to exploit their own people, hoping with these despicable acts to turn their miserable lives around and get close to beautiful girls normally out of their reach... Such people were indeed a hundred times more hateful than the invaders!

So Li Wanqing unmercifully aimed another Descendant-erasing Kick...

"Stop!"

At this moment, there was a cry of horror from the villagers' side.

Turning her head, Li Wanqing was shocked to find her most important target of this mission, the beauty in need of rescue, was being forcibly gagged by the village chief and also staring at her in horror.

Li Wanqing, with her excellent control over her body, halted her motion at the instant she heard the sound, yet the momentum from her lifted foot still accurately hit the predetermined spot.

Guh...

The young man who betrayed the village was drenched in cold sweat, clutching his crotch as he knelt on the ground. Meanwhile, the village chief looked utterly terrified, as if he had fallen into an abyss.

The surrounding patrol soldiers finally snapped out of it, hastily pulling up their pants, grabbing their weapons, and shouting angrily. However, without a leader, their reaction was one step too slow, and Wang Jiu and the others, who followed Li Wanqing, quickly took control of the situation.

Divided and without pants, the patrol soldiers were powerless against these elite young cultivators and were swiftly subdued.

Only then did Li Wanqing turn her ashen face around to look at the surroundings.

The scene was vastly different from her expectations.

Even though there were over twenty half-naked soldiers in the large house, there wasn't a hint of indecency because there wasn't even a single victim present.

The Little Fish Girl, whom she was most concerned about, was being held with her mouth covered by the village chief, struggling incessantly, but her clothes were neat, and her hair was untouched, seeming to have suffered no violation. Moreover, a few young village women stood there, completely unscathed.

So... what was the reason for the screams just now? Why were these soldiers naked from the waist down, and what were they plotting?

As Li Wanqing was steeped in confusion, a voice, like stubborn grass struggling to grow through stone cracks, reached her ears.

"Why do even outsiders like you have to obstruct us!"

Li Wanqing looked down to see the half-naked villager, face drenched with cold sweat and pale from pain, yet his eyes were stubborn and unwavering, staring straight at her.

It took Li Wanqing several seconds to recognize him as the village chief's treasured grandson. Not long ago, when they arrived at the village seeking lodging, he was the one who received them; he seemed a somewhat introverted but clear-headed young man. But now, with his lower body bare and hands clutching between his legs, his face a twisted mess, he was difficult to recognize.

"Why are you associating with this group of soldiers, and even taking off your pants in public?"

The young man sneered, "Soldiers? You've only met them once, what gives you the right to call them soldiers? As for taking off pants..."

At this point, the young man resolutely raised his head, enduring the intense pain to stand up straight, puffing out his chest: "We are war elephants!"

At the same time, the patrol soldiers who had been subdued also struggled to their feet and stood bravely: "We are war elephants!"

More than twenty young men revealed the green tattoos between their legs. On the edges of their thighs were the ears of elephants, and between their legs, the war elephant raised its head, tusks like knives—only a few war elephants looked dejected due to blunt strikes.

"Uh..." Li Wanqing took several steps back, too stunned to speak.

The young man who had been heavily struck was enduring the pain, looking towards the village chief.

"Grandpa, it's like I always said, I'm already Captain Hong's man, and the war elephant tattoo was given to me by him personally. No matter how much you meddle, you can't change reality! Also, since this matter is now exposed to outsiders, you can no longer use my relationship with Brother Hong as leverage to coerce the patrol brothers to repeatedly send troops to guard the village's livestock and fields! This village of just a few hundred people is nowhere near qualified to afford that guardian array! Each deployment comes out of their own pockets, and each time they move out, the spirit stone loss for the Gale War Chariot is enough to buy all the livestock in the village with excess left over! Before, we barely made ends meet by collecting demon essence remains to sell in the city, but today there's no remains collected, and you're still unwilling to contribute a single coin, only knowing how to blackmail us with our relationship; it's utterly shameless! Brother Hong and I have already agreed, even if you expose us and cost him his position as patrol captain, we'll start from scratch and work to make a living, never again submitting to you!"

In his passionate rebuke, he clearly and thoroughly explained the entire situation in Yulin Village. Li Wanqing just listened, shattered in conviction, face pale as paper, while Shen Qingming and the others felt as if their minds were being overturned, finding the world's vast variety of situations beyond imagination.

After a long pause, the elderly village chief sighed, "Such misfortune... you're the only scion of our old Yu Family!"

The young man raised his chin defiantly, "Can you blame me for that? Did I ask you to make me the only scion? Brother Hong and I are in love, yet you forced us to use people to pay off debts, and now you're crying as if you're the victim!?"

"You wicked child!"

This exchange left the group from QingCyan Cloud City staggering back, as if they've been struck in the chest by a heavy blow.

Only Wang Jiu nonchalantly scanned the room, then solemnly commented on the totem, "Long-haired, short-nosed elephant."