96: Chapter 96: Akaguchi Shoko!

At this moment, a short man dressed in black slowly walked out from behind a large bluestone.

A short-handled curved blade hung from each side of his waist, the blades glinting with a cold light, and he wore a pair of worn-out straw sandals on his feet.

The straw sandals were still stained with mud.

The man walked over to the corpses, lifted his foot, and kicked Liu Dazhuang's body with disgust, flipping him over.

He then glanced at that rugged, simple face, immediately furrowed his brows, and spat with a look of disdain.

"Hmph, men of the Xia Kingdom are truly ugly and vulgar; they look just like wild bulls, just looking at them makes one lose their appetite."

After cursing Liu Dazhuang, his gaze shifted and landed on Cuie's face nearby.

Moonlight happened to leak through a gap in the clouds, illuminating the woman's pretty face.

Even without breath, one could still see the liveliness and beauty she possessed in life.

The man's eyes lit up instantly.

His greedy gaze scanned back and forth over Cuie's face and body, but then he sighed, shook his head, and looked full of regret.

"What a pity, truly a great pity..."

"Such a beautiful woman, with fair skin and a lovely face, and such a good figure, to have been defiled by such a disgusting Xia Kingdom wild bull—it is simply a waste of a treasure!"

He stroked his chin, muttering to himself with an air of entitlement.

"A woman as pretty as this should be dominated by the excellent men of our Dongyi Kingdom; only then would it not be a waste."

"Especially a man as handsome and dashing as myself; only I am worthy of such a beauty."

As he spoke, he proudly pulled a palm-sized bronze mirror from his bosom, raised it carefully, and using the faint moonlight, examined his face in the mirror.

The image reflected in the mirror was truly hard to compliment.

The hair on top of his head was sparse, with a large bald patch in the middle that shone with a reflection, leaving only a few strands of messy hair on the sides that swayed in the sea breeze.

Above his lips grew two short, thick mustaches, coarse and messy.

When he grinned, he revealed a mouthful of yellowish teeth, with one front tooth missing, causing him to whistle when he spoke.

He was as sleazy and ugly as one could possibly be.

Yet this Dongyi Kingdom man seemed completely blind to his own appearance, looking left and right in the mirror, nodding frequently with an intoxicated expression.

"Mm, handsome, truly damn handsome!"

"With this look, this temperament, looking across the entire Dongyi Kingdom navy, I am one of the top handsome men!"

This person was none other than a ninja sent by the Yamaguchi-gumi of the Dongyi Kingdom: Akaguchi Shoji.

Having finished admiring himself, Akaguchi Shoji tucked the bronze mirror back into his bosom with satisfaction and turned to walk out of the bamboo forest.

He had only walked a few steps when shadows instantly darted out from behind the coastal reefs outside the bamboo forest.

Over a hundred people, all wearing the same style of black tight-fitting clothes as Akaguchi Shoji, with short blades strapped to their waists.

Each one crouched low, walking on tiptoes, their movements light and silent, following him in perfect unison like specters of the dark night.

These people were all ninjas from the Dongyi Kingdom who had secretly infiltrated Great Xia.

Akaguchi Shoji walked at the very front, a sinister smile curling at the corner of his mouth. Quliu County. They had arrived.

"Everyone, the time for the hunt has arrived!"

Akaguchi Shoji crouched at the edge of the bamboo forest, withered yellow grass leaves clinging to his pant legs.

He narrowed his eyes, like a beast that had just crawled out of the deep sea, staring fixedly at the silent Quliu County in the distance.

The night had passed the hour of Zi, and the small county town of a thousand households now had only a few scattered lights left. Every household was fast asleep.

Only a few wild dogs wandered the streets and alleys, emitting low whimpers. As soon as they approached Akaguchi Shoji and his group, they were frightened by the deathly stillness and ran away with their tails tucked, whimpering.

The commoners in the county town were mostly fishermen who lived off the sea. By day they dried nets and repaired boats; by night they extinguished their lamps early, seeking only a peaceful night.

But this peace, in the eyes of the Dongyi Kingdom people, had become lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

Akaguchi Shoji licked his cracked lips, his mouth pulling wide open to reveal those two rows of yellowish teeth. Saliva still hung on his teeth, pulling into thin threads that shimmered with a disgusting luster under the moonlight.

"All warriors of the great Dongyi Kingdom." He stood up abruptly, his voice kept extremely low. "Listen to this General's orders!"

"Be fast! Be quiet!" "Kill whoever you see! Take whatever you see!"

"Gold, silver, treasures, grain, and cloth—everything that can be moved, take it all! Not a single item is to be left behind!"

His tone was fierce and greedy, every word causing one to tremble with fear.

Those ninjas were all tense, their gazes flashing with the same bloodthirsty light as his, nodding repeatedly.

Akaguchi Shoji waved his hand, pointing to the east and west sides of the county town. "Gangban Richuan!"

A Dongyi Kingdom man with a face full of flab and sinister eyes stepped out in response. "Here! General!"

"Take thirty men and enter the city from the east!" "That area is densely populated; strike there first!" "Yes!"

Gangban Richuan bowed in acknowledgment, turned, and waved to those behind him, and thirty death-sworn warriors immediately followed. Like a group of black shadows, they disappeared silently into the streets and alleys on the east side of the county town.

"Meichuan Kuzi!" Another figure stepped out. It was a thin Dongyi Kingdom woman with feminine, sinister eyes and a very shrill voice. "Here! General!"

"Take thirty men and go to the west!" Akaguchi Shoji pointed to the west. "Just like the east side, make it quick!" "Yes!"

Meichuan Kuzi also took a team of people and quickly disappeared into the darkness on the west side of the county town.

The remaining forty-plus people all followed behind Akaguchi Shoji. He licked his lips and continued to issue orders. "The rest of you, follow this General to the center! We will make the main attack on the County Office and loot the wealthy households in town along the way!"

"Remember..." He drew out his tone, revealing a cruel smile. "After the time it takes for one incense stick to burn, regardless of whether you have finished killing or not, everyone must withdraw!"

"Those cowards of Great Xia soldiers react as slowly as turtles; by the time they come to their senses, we will already be on the sea!" "By then, they won't even be able to catch our shadows!" He laughed triumphantly.

The two lieutenants nodded and bowed, their faces full of flattery. "The General is wise! Rest assured, General, we guarantee we will complete the mission!"

After speaking, the two teams acted separately and soon disappeared into the night.

Akaguchi Shoji stood up and drew those two short blades from his waist. The blades flashed with a cold, biting light under the moonlight.

He opened his large mouth full of yellow teeth, stuck out his saliva-covered tongue, and greedily licked across the blade. "Hiss..." His tongue pressed against the sharp edge, making a slight sound.

"A good blade... to match this General, it is truly perfect." He licked it again, his mouth cracking into an eerie and sinister arc, and strode toward the center of the county town.