Chapter 76: Heel Rope
Editor: Atlas Studios
Mu Yangling pushed the three Hus to the middle and handed the six sabers to the people from Nearhill Village. “Kill them.”
Startled, everyone held the sabers and did not dare to go forward. They were mere farmers. They did not even dare to fight and injure others, let alone kill people.
Mu Yangling didn’t have time to slowly nurture them. She kicked one of them in and said coldly, “If you don’t kill them, they’ll kill you. It’s either they die or you die. Your choice. These six people are just scouts and the Hus who set the fire will catch up soon. If you want to die, continue to delay. I’ll leave with my father first.”
Liu Xuan tightened his grip on the saber in his hand. Seeing that Mu Yangling was about to turn around and leave, he immediately roared and rushed forward to slash at a Hu. When the others saw this, their eyes turned red. Bravely, they quickly rushed forward with their things.
Mu Yangling felt nauseous and her heart ached. She had never thought that there would come a day when she would use such a method to force someone to kill people.
Mu Yangling seemed to have returned to her previous life. In the forest at the border, the captain whispered in her ear, “Kill them. If they don’t die, we’ll be the ones to die. No, perhaps you don’t have to die. You can escape. Then, only I will die.”
The captain had accompanied her for more than a year and trained her day and night. On the other side were the vicious drug dealers. Although Mu Yangling’s heart was trembling, her hands were very steady as she killed every single one of the eight drug dealers.
That was Mu Yangling’s first time killing someone. Other than the pause after the first shot, everything else went smoothly. After that, she didn’t even need to see a psychiatrist. Even the captain of the special forces who had served for eight years said that Mu Yangling was much stronger psychologically than he was back then.
Mu Yangling didn’t say it out loud, but she didn’t like the way her captain forced her to kill people. Yet now, she was using her captain’s method to force others to kill people.
As Mu Yangling stood at the side and watched, Liu He felt his heart turn cold after rushing over. This child was only nine years old, but she was actually so ruthless.
When Mu Yangling turned to look at Liu He, he quickly restrained his expression and asked respectfully, “Ah Ling, how’s the situation at the back?”
“There’s a group of Hus about ten miles away. I don’t know how many of them there are, but we definitely won’t be able to make it far if we escape like this.”
Liu He asked for her opinion. “Then what do you think we should do?”
“Since you’re asking me, I won’t hide it from you. If we want to survive, someone has to sacrifice themselves. Someone has to stand up to stop them or lure the Hus away.”
Liu He smiled bitterly. “Who would be willing?”
“Therefore, we have to force them. Other than the only son and widowed families, every family has to produce a young man. Great-uncle, I’ll give you 15 minutes. I’ll bring Uncle Xuan and the others to the front to block the Hus who come out of the village. If you can do it, I’ll bring them to cover you guys. I can’t ensure that they’ll survive, but I can guarantee that everyone’s chance of survival will increase by 50%. If by the time I come back, no one volunteers, then everyone can only run for their lives and depend on no one. Although my father is the only young man in my family, I can take his place since I am strong. I’d have no problem protecting my mother and younger siblings.”
After experiencing life and death, the villagers were already complaining. When someone beside them heard Mu Yangling’s words, he said hatefully, “Ah Ling, you and your father are the equivalent of ten young men in the village. If you and your father were willing to help, how could so many of us have died?”
Mu Yangling sneered. “Who are you to me? Why would I abandon my mother and siblings to save you? Since you want to say that, I’m even more unwilling to save you. From now on, we’ll go our separate ways.”
Everyone’s expressions changed when they heard that. Liu He took a step forward and slapped that person to the ground. “What nonsense are you talking about? The Mu family has done enough for Nearhill Village. They have no obligation to help you.”
He turned around and said to Mu Yangling, “Ah Ling, don’t lower yourself to his level. He’s just blinded by greed.”
“I’m afraid he’s not the only one who’s blinded by greed, right?” Mu Yangling sneered. “Is everyone disappointed to see that my father and I aren’t as selfless as my grandparents?”
The villagers who were swept by Mu Yangling’s gaze lowered their heads, not daring to look at her.
Liu Xuan’s expression was also very ugly. He took a step forward and stood behind Mu Yangling to show his support.
Liu He was silent for a moment before saying, “Ah Ling, bring Liu Xuan to the back to stop the Hus from coming out of the village. I’ll bring some men to do a tally. When you come back, I’ll be sure to give you a definite answer.”
Mu Yangling looked towards the front of the square formation, where her parents and relatives were. Mu Yangling only hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she did not go forward to check on them. Instead, she chose six people and handed them a saber each to bring to the main road at the village entrance.
In front, Mu Shi hid his wife and children’s cart behind the bushes under the main road and took a stick to lie in ambush. Liu Yong was looking at him with sweat all over his forehead. “Uncle Mu, will the Hus really turn back?”
“Let’s wait and see. With the commotion here, if those ten people ride back on horses, they will definitely discover this place. With the arrogance of the Hus, they will definitely disdain to dismount and check. Instead, they will rush over directly. When the time comes, you will trip the horses and I will take care of the rest.”
Liu Yong looked in Shu Wanniang’s direction with a complicated gaze. “Uncle Mu, you should take Madam and leave quickly. We’ll only be a burden to you.”
Mu Shi looked at Liu Yong in surprise. After a moment of silence, he said, “I’m not doing this for all of you, but for myself. With the cavalrymen around, none of us can escape.”
The square formation at the back was in a mess, and their team was already very far ahead. At this moment, they were lying in ambush here to deal with the cavalrymen that might turn around.
As such, Mu Shi still did not know what had happened at the back, nor did he know that his daughter was so bold as to form a “death squad” to stall for time so that the rest could escape.
If Mu Shi knew, he would probably not be in the mood to ambush the enemy anymore. Instead, he would jump up and beat Mu Yangling up.
Used to hunting in the forest, Mu Shi had better hearing than ordinary people. He vaguely heard the sound of horse hooves and immediately lay on the ground to listen carefully for a while. Counting silently, he realized that it matched the number Liu Yong had mentioned. He said in a low voice, “They’re here. Hurry up and get ready.”
Liu Yong and another person held the rope and hid on both sides of the road. Mu Shi said in a low voice, “When you hear my roar, pull the rope immediately.”
Liu Yong responded and tightened his grip on the rope in his hand.
Mu Shi held the stick in his hand as he stared at the situation in front of him with a cold gaze.
As the sound of horse hooves gradually approached, Mu Shi recalled that his father had once told him that horses were extremely fast and their strides were huge. No matter how outstanding the cavalrymen were, it was impossible for them to make the fast-moving horses stop immediately. When facing the cavalrymen, they must not let the cavalrymen get close. Otherwise, they would only be killed. Their best shot was to knock the cavalrymen off their horses, and only then could they stand a chance to survive. Otherwise, they could only run into the forest and hide behind trees to avoid the attacks…
At this moment, Mu Shi’s mind was filled with the tricks his father had taught him.
His daughter was still too naive. Did she think that they could trip the horses with just a rope? Mu Shi was not even 50% confident that they would succeed.
If they were lucky enough to trip them, they might be able to escape this calamity. Else, their entire family might very well die here.
With the cavalrymen around, he would not be able to escape with his family no matter how hard he tried.