The city dwellers cried. It hurt. It was pitiful. They were actually tired of living in war. They were glad that Ming had been finally founded and managed to overcome the chaos caused by Yuan's incompetence, but Jingnan Campaign soon set in motion, and after Jingnan Campaign ended, this rebellion broke. Every time a war occurred, the people became the victims. Just like this moment. Once again, they became victims.
"Why is it always the weak who become victims?!?"
It was the question asked by the desperate people.
"Does Heaven really allow arbitrary action to run rampant?!"
"Does Fate really defend the wrong but stronger than the righteous but weaker?!"
But, was it helpful for them to scream those pitiful sentences?
Would it help them?
"I don't believe Heaven is more defending the wrong person! I believe Heaven will definitely help us, the right people! Trust me!"
That was the hail of optimism from a middle-aged man. He exclaimed so loudly, as if it could penetrate the sky.
Penetrate the sky...
"That's right! Heaven always stands up for the righteous!"
All of a sudden, it boomed. The uproarious paces of horses, full of courage. And the riders were not just anyone. They were extraordinary people, who had successfully passed any tests and obstacles.
They were, the San Hu Wei. With Wu Qi becoming the most eager soldier to crush them all.
***
"Wu Qi! And his squad?!?" From behind his binoculars, Rumilie looked in disbelief. "They have got infected with the disease, haven't they?! But why can they fight such vigorously?!"
Rumilie rubbed his binoculars, and also his eyes. He had no idea, which one was false. But he was sure, he must have seen it wrong.
"This is really us, the San Hu Wei who once caught the disease but have managed to evade the God of Death!" Wu Qi exclaimed vigorously.
"And now, we come to eradicate you, rebels! Completely!" A Nuo joined in shouting with his loud and healthy voice. "Kill the rebels who have dare to screw up Kaifeng! The rebels who dare to plunder the population and molest women, must be sentenced to death!"
"Now we are not the same as before, we are even stronger!" Wu Qi shouted excitedly while breaking a rebel's neck.
The residents of Kaifeng recovered their spirits in an instant. They stopped running away, watched with great interest, and even started cheering for San Hu Wei. "Come on, come on! Beat those buggers!"
Then, they managed to defeat the rebels one by one. The San Hu Wei appeared so healthy. Their faces were bright red and their eyes shone in vigilance. No one would have thought that they had just fought God of Disease who almost took their lives not long ago.
"We have managed to overcome even terminal illnesses, then such bastards like you are pieces of cake for us!" Wu Qi slashed another rebel member one more time. Now the rebels had their strength decreased considerably. However, they were not Wu Qi's main focus. Wu Qi just prevented them from causing turmoil inside Kaifeng. After the turmoil had been resolved, Wu Qi immediately changed his focus to the main targets.
To the rebel leaders. Huan Shikang, Suo Junhuan, and Rumilie.
***
"How come?! I clearly watched Wu Qi and the other San Hu Wei lying helplessly on the bed waiting to die of an incurable disease, how come they can be healthy like this?!"
Rumilie was really furious. His forehead frowned so severely as if his head might explode at once. But besides anger, another feeling bothered him even more - confusion. He had confirmed that the whole San Hu Wei had truly contracted the disease and they almost died. Why did they now fight so gallantly that they even could crush his entire army? His confusion grew as Huan Shikang gripped his shoulders angrily and asked him to take responsibility. "Hey! You said this strategy will work so I am willing to follow you, but now even our main force is being destroyed! Now we don't have any troops to defend us?!?..."
Huan Shikang's grip was so hard it made Rumilie cough. But before Rumilie could make any reply, a figure had prevented him to do so.
"Rumilie! This time you'll be finished!"
The three of them were stunned. Wu Qi, A Nuo, and the entire San Hu Wei army had been standing in front of them.
Wu Qi exclaimed fiercely. "Rumilie! You have always been picking on His Highness. We should have known from the beginning that the Kaifeng rebellion is nothing but your creation. Okay, no problem, now you have been finished. Your fate ends now!"
"How can... you recover from the disease?!" Suo Junhuan could no longer hold back his curiosity. "Or... maybe... we are misinformed?! You didn't catch the disease?!..."
Wu Qi gave a satisfied smile as he found his enemies looked confused. But he was unwilling to reveal his "secret" at this time. He must not waste any more time. Rumilie had remained alive for too long, wandered and messed around - he must not give Rumilie a chance to breathe any longer, he had to finish him right at this moment!
Wu Qi spurred his horse at full speed right towards Rumilie, and brandished his sword at him. "Die you, Rumilie!"
Rumilie gritted his teeth. "You think it can be that easy to finish me off?!"
Rumilie raised his sword. Using his every effort, he smashed that sword towards Wu Qi. A moment later, they were engaged in a fierce battle.
"Never think that it's easy to beat me! You're still twenty years too early for that!" With a gasp from exerting all of his power to clash with Wu Qi, Rumilie growled in anger.
Wu Qi snorted in disdain. "You look so weak to fight me, Rumilie, but you still dare to brag like that!..."
Wu Qi jerked his sword. Rumilie suddenly lost his balance, and for a moment he let his guard down. The sword slipped out of her grip. Wu Qi was right. When he was still young Rumilie might have been tough in battle, but as he grew much older, he had lost half of his youthful power, whereas Wu Qi was at the peak of his strength. At this moment, Rumilie was no match for Wu Qi.
On the other hand, A Nuo was in an all-out battle with Huan Shikang. Even though he was very skillful in the military, it turned out that Huan Shikang was a fierce fighter. There had been many times when Huan Shikang had managed to corner him, and at one time, knocked him out.
"Heeeeaaahhh!" Huan Shikang jerked his sword hard, A Nuo immediately fell to the ground. "Hahaha! You are no match for me!"
Then, Huan Shikang immediately turned around, engaging the fight between Rumilie and Wu Qi.
"Rumilie! How bad you are, you can't beat this kid!" Slashing his sword, Huan Shikang broke Wu Qi's attack. He was replacing Rumilie to fight against Wu Qi. Previously Wu Qi thought that he had the upper hand, but suddenly it was he who got cornered.
"Boy! You are not my opponent! Die you!" Laughing aloud, Huan Shikang aimed a kick that hit Wu Qi in the leg. Under a sudden intense pain, Wu Qi could not bear it anymore and fell to his knees on the ground.
"Hahaha! I have not yet become the Emperor, but I accept the respect you give me, Boy!" Huan Shikang's laughter grew louder. He pointed his sword at Wu Qi's neck. Beside him, Rumilie smiled in disdain. "Maybe we should have fought blatantly like this in the past, huh? So that it doesn't waste too much time and energy. Yeah, at least we manage to capture the San Hu Wei higher-ups," He chuckled.
"You have all lost! All of you, go to hell!" Huan Shikang raised his sword up high, ready to get Wu Qi beheaded.