Chapter 8: Hell on Earth

After eating and drinking enough, they continued on their way. Uncle Meng said, “We’re not far from Xingrong County. If all goes well, we should arrive by tomorrow.”

While they traveled as escorts, they covered a lot of ground in a day. Now, dragging their families along the small path, it had taken them several days.

Taking it slow wasn’t a problem, as long as they could arrive safely. Old Man Xu and the others must be worried sick; they had no idea whether they had reached Xingrong County. Half of the skilled escorts from the agency were here, and they didn’t know what the situation was like over there.

Along the way, Tian Dabiao and Tian Mi led the way with their large knives. After the recent practice, Tian Mi was now brimming with confidence, feeling like she could take down a tiger. She walked with a powerful presence, creating a sense of tremor in her wake.

Then, at dusk, just as it was getting dark, she encountered the most terrifying scene of her life. There were numerous corpses lying haphazardly on the road, all covered in knife wounds, with one body even having its intestines spilled out. It was horrifying, blood everywhere, all victims of murder. Among them was someone she recognized—the son of the county magistrate—and many small children’s bodies. It was truly distressing to see.

There were still cries of killing coming from ahead.

Tian Mi immediately felt nauseous!

Tian Dabiao ordered everyone to stop and retreat to hide in the nearby woods. He and Tian Mi quietly moved forward to see what was happening.

At such a time, he would keep Tian Mi close by his side, confident in his ability to protect her, yet he didn’t notice Tian Mi’s pale face as she struggled to hold back her nausea.

Oh my, she had never seen anything so terrifying in a movie. The gruesome scene was now right in front of her, and the air was filled with the stench of blood, sending chills down her spine.

They bent down and quietly approached from the small path leading to the valley.

The sounds of slashing were getting closer. They cautiously peeked out, and the sight was horrific—bodies everywhere. Leading the slaughter was the head of the local constables, accompanied by his men from the yamen, thugs who were killing the entire family of the county magistrate. The magistrate and his family were already crying in fear, and among them was Cheng Yuhuan, that vicious woman, who was now terrified and panicking, holding her two-year-old son who was crying. They wanted to escape and resist but were too frightened to move, huddled together in a heap.

Heavens! What kind of hell on earth is this?

In chaotic times, it’s common for dogs to bite each other; none of them were good people.

The county magistrate trembled in fear and shouted, “Head Constable, you beast! Aren’t you afraid that Prince Yu will take revenge for me?”

The head constable laughed loudly, “Hahaha! Prince Yu can’t even protect himself; how will he care about you?”

The magistrate’s heart sank; the men of Prince Jin had come, and Prince Yu was indeed in danger.

After saying that, the head constable killed him with a single stroke. The others were terrified, begging for mercy, their faces filled with despair, but the head constable didn’t even blink as he brought down his knife.

In the movies, there’s a line that goes, when you’re down and out, who will be the first to show their weapons?

The answer was, “Your enemies, your opponents.”

But another silent person said, “It’s the dog that listens to you the most.”

Those dogs relied on your power to bite others, regardless of good or bad, just as long as they could bite.

When you lose power, they will bite you too, without distinguishing right from wrong, only caring about whether they can bite.

Tian Dabiao quietly pulled Tian Mi away.

They couldn’t let the head constable’s men discover them; otherwise, they would be killed to silence them, and they wouldn’t stand a chance against the head constable’s sixty or seventy men!

Tian Mi was also stunned, blankly following Tian Dabiao as they left. This era had truly slapped her in the face. Just that afternoon, she was thinking about how to settle down and make money, and now she was on the brink of life and death.

For the first time, she truly felt what it meant for human life to be as insignificant as an ant! That was the county magistrate, a person who had been high and mighty in the original owner’s memories, someone people feared to see. Now he lay on the ground like a dog, killed

When they regrouped, everyone was nervously waiting for them, and they all sighed in relief when they saw them return.

Uncle Cui asked, “What happened?”

Tian Dabiao shook his head and replied, “The head constable killed the entire family of County Magistrate Cheng. We should leave tomorrow and avoid running into them.”

If they encountered that group, who had already killed in a frenzy, they would likely meet a bad end as well. The main concern was that the supplies they had stolen included treasures and food, but they hadn’t seen much water.

They hoped to get far away tomorrow and not run into them.

Since arriving, Tian Mi hadn’t truly immersed herself in this era; she still felt a desire to experience life in this time. That’s why she always faced everyone with a relaxed attitude. But now, having witnessed so many people die before her eyes, their faces filled with despair, it deeply pained her.

These people weren’t exactly good individuals, and they didn’t deserve sympathy, but the horror of seeing death right in front of her lingered for a long time.

Especially when she thought for a moment that it could have been her father, Tian Dabiao, or Aunt Feng; Tian Mi felt a chill run down her spine. She absolutely couldn’t let that happen.

While practicing, she threw herself into it wholeheartedly, fully committed, believing that those who were weak in this era didn’t deserve to live.

The other uncles and children also began to practice under the moonlight; the real experience of seeing death could truly unleash one’s potential.

They decided not to leave tonight. After eating steamed buns, everyone rested, as they had to travel again tomorrow.

As a modern person from a prosperous era, having read historical texts, she had one major advantage: adaptability.

Tian Mi quickly accepted the reality and adjusted her mindset! She completed her transformation from the inside out, becoming the new Tian Mi. Since it was a survival of the fittest, she would be the strong one, protecting her own.

Instead of hoping not to encounter them tomorrow, she thought…

Tian Mi closed her eyes and pretended to sleep. In her space, she had prepared some sleeping powder. If lit, it would make anyone who inhaled it faint! If she encountered danger, she could hide in her space.

Tonight, the one keeping watch was Uncle Cui. He sat by the fire, and Tian Mi told him it was too hot there and that she would be cooler a bit further back.

He whispered, “Don’t go; it’s safer together!”

Tian Mi smiled and replied, “Uncle, don’t you trust my skills? If anything happens, I’ll call for you.”

They were reassured about the original owner’s strength, and the stones behind them weren’t far away. He could hear any commotion, and besides, everyone had their knives at the ready and could react, so he nodded in agreement.

Tian Mi immediately went behind the stones and entered her space. She could change her position inside the space, but the range was limited to the size of the room; if there was water or a wall outside, she couldn’t pass through.

Tian Mi quickly utilized her space to move, entering and exiting in a flash, silent and unnoticed.

On the other side, the head constable and his group had become rich overnight after killing County Magistrate Cheng. They were so pleased with themselves that they cooked the magistrate’s food at the foot of a nearby mountain with the little water they had, feasting on large fish and meat, rewarding everyone as if they were emperors.

Naturally, they wouldn’t leave behind the women they had captured, who knew so many of their secrets.

Thus, under the moonlight, a tragic scene unfolded by the fire. These women, who were usually out of reach for them—either beautiful concubines of noblemen or their daughters—now had to plead with them, suffering to satisfy their various perverse desires.

Others stood by watching, laughing and urging them on.

Cheng Yuhuan was being touched by three men, crying and sobbing but unable to make a sound. A rough man pressed her head against his body. She had originally thought of finding a chance to escape, but now it was like this; it would have been better to be killed than to endure such humiliation before dying.

Tian Mi moved forward along the small path. There was only this one road; as long as she followed it, she could find them. After all, with such a large group, they couldn’t hide easily.