Chapter 31 - 22 Yatun Hill Barbarian (6000 words, please recommend)_3
Chapter 31: Chapter 22 Yatun Hill Barbarian (6000 words, please recommend)_3
A woman stood under the moonlight, her silver hair fluttering in the wind, not a single bloodstain marring the snow-white wolf fur draped over her.
Senior sister looked up, and Ouke saw the look in her eyes.
In that moment, Ouke felt as if he had fallen into an icy cavern, an overwhelming fear nearly choking him.
Ouke didn't know what had happened on the other side, nor did he understand why, after just a few exchanges with Inya, so many of his men were dead.
But the facts were right before his eyes.
Nearly half of his own mercenaries were dead, especially those armed with bows and arrows.
Almost all the archers lay on the ground—it was that woman who had killed them!
"He's mine, sis!"
"Hurry up."
Inya could afford to chat idly because Isefia was there at the rear; she was the main force in dealing with this batch of mercenaries.
"I surrender! I surrender!"
Ouke realized that they were no match for the people of Yatun, none of them were.
It was better to surrender than to fight to the death.
They were not Iron Eagle soldiers, they bore no grudge against the people of Yatun; the other side had no reason to kill them mercilessly: "Are you their leader? I'm willing to pay, anything you want, just spare us!"
Ouke spoke very quickly, almost instantly conveying his stance and intentions to Isefia.
Clearly, this unimaginably powerful silver-haired woman was the leader of the team.
"..."
However, Isefia gave no response, merely looking calmly at Ouke.
"They're none of our concern! Kill them as you please!"
"What?!"
"You bastard, Ouke!"
"Traitor! You despicable, shameless robber!"
The merchants deeply regretted their choice to employ Ouke's mercenary troop, realizing too late they should not have been tempted by the lure of a cheaper rate.
"Surrendered already? You're giving up just like that? I wasn't even enjoying myself yet!"
This was Inya's first time engaging in battle outside, and she had been eagerly anticipating a fiercely matched fight.
Of course, with big sister around, such an outcome was naturally impossible. She wouldn't allow her younger sister to face danger.
"Inya, stop."
Isefia spoke, her voice cool and calm as she said, "Lay down your weapons, and then kneel on the ground."
"Quick!"
Ouke did not hesitate for even a moment, immediately issuing the command.
"Kneel down now!!"
The mercenaries, already scared out of their wits by Nors's killing, did not dare question the order and dropped their weapons to the ground one by one.
"Swish swish swish!"
Arrows tore through the air, causing the mercenaries to reflexively try to defend themselves.
But amidst the chaos, the arrows did not target them, instead hitting the anxious merchants.
"Ah!"
"Damn."
"Run, run for it."
Alas, how could human speed outpace the swift arrows? Moreover, Jiera was the foremost archer in Yatun; in barely more than ten seconds, all the merchants, together with their servants, lay dead on the ground.
In theory, the merchants should have had a few skilled fighters beside them.
But they were marked by big sister, and in the blink of an eye, anyone with any semblance of ability was decapitated.
"Chiu!"
The sharp cry of an eagle rang out, a secret signal among the people of Yatun. Jiera was hidden in the shadows, much like a sniper, her position not to be easily revealed.
Her presence alone made all the mercenaries on site tremble with fear, dreading that the next arrow would find their necks.
'What kind of archery is this...'
Ouke looked around, his face turning exceedingly gloomy.
No one needed a second arrow; all lay dead with a single shot, which completely ignored their armor, aiming only for unprotected spots, hitting vital areas.
"Glug."
Ouke had never dreamed he'd encounter Yatun people in such a place, and not just one but four of them.
"Please spare us, we've never captured any Yatun people, we bear no grudges!"
Ouke was very persuasive, picking out the useful parts, trying as much as possible not to anger the four before him.
"I know."
"You are too weak."
Big sister had noticed the badges of these mercenaries, she was familiar with all the mercenary troops in Thistle Province, knowing their backgrounds.
As Ouke said, they had never captured Yatun people.
They wanted to, but had not done so.
"You, you're not their leader?"
Faintly, Ouke felt that something was off with Isefia, she didn't seem like a leader.
"Please let me meet your leader; I will present terms that will satisfy you."
Ouke's words did not cause any change in the senior sister's expression, because they were not hard to guess.
"You are very smart."
Just then, Bailuo rode out of the forest on Sherri at a leisurely pace.
At this moment, Sherri had retracted her Pegasus wings and Guang Hui, looking no different from an ordinary White Horse.
That was Bailuo's request. They needed to keep a low profile and conceal themselves. Unless absolutely necessary, they would not expose themselves easily.
"Are you the leader?"
Ouke sized up Bailuo, feeling some familiarity but unable to recall where they had met before, perhaps it was a brief encounter.
"I am willing to buy out the entire mercenary group, please name your price."
"Oh."
Bailuo nodded indifferently and then said to Nors and Jiera, "Kill them."
"What..."
Ouke thought he had heard wrong, but the incoming arrows and the wails of his companions told him that Bailuo was not joking—they had really taken action.
"You deceived us!"
Lower your weapons, yes, they said lower your weapons.
But Bailuo had not promised, "No killing the surrendered."
He had never said that.
"Run!"
Without needing Ouke's explanation, the remaining forty or so mercenaries immediately scattered in all directions, making it more difficult for Bailuo and others to pursue and kill.
Not to mention, some chose to resist.
Unfortunately, those who resisted were sniped by Jiera.
And those who barely managed to stand up had to face Nors's Long Spear.
None of these men, not a single one, could escape—they all had to die.
Especially not Ouke.
This man had some quick wits and knew when to advance or retreat, quite a character.
But it was precisely such a person that Bailuo was more determined to eliminate, leaving him alive would be endlessly troublesome.
"Haha, it's starting again, this one's mine!"
Seeing the fleeing enemies, Inya was excited to the extreme.
She had long grown tired of killing Tusked Rabbits, and Tin-toothed Boars were too tough for her, so now that she had a chance to score some kills, she couldn't hold back, and the young girl joyfully plunged into the crowd and went on a rampage.
Bailuo glanced at her but didn't mind too much.
With Jiera's long-range support and Inya's skills, these cowardly turkeys and mutts were no match for her.
"That leader has some judgment skills," said the senior sister, asking Bailuo in which direction they should pursue. Bailuo shook his head and said, "They won't escape."
Bailuo was very familiar with the surrounding geographical environment.
"Inya, stop chasing," Bailuo looked at Inya and said, "You stay, take care of the horses and supplies here."
"Oh."
Inya was somewhat unhappy, but she never disobeyed her brother's orders: "Leave it to me."
"Jiera, pursue into the forest."
"Nors, take the high road and chase the mercenaries up the mountain."
"Yes!"
The two figures dashed out without hesitation. They had coordinated with Bailuo countless times, their understanding of each other was impeccable.
"Senior sister, just follow your intuition."
Bailuo had nothing to command his senior sister about—she was too outstanding. Forget about him commanding her, it would be more likely for her to command him.
"Mmh, I got it."
The senior sister was suited for command, or otherwise, for acting alone.
"Let's go, Sherri."
The reason Bailuo was calm was naturally because of Sherri's presence.
The mercenaries were fleeing in disarray, but no matter how fast they ran, could they possibly outpace Sherri?
Sherri could fly!
"Huff! Huff!"
Ouke ran for his life, taking the downhill path, accompanied by four mercenaries, all his most trusted aides.
They knew Ouke's abilities well and understood that following him offered a much higher chance of survival than wandering around aimlessly.
"How could those People of Yatun be so despicable? Aren't they just mountain barbarians?"
One mercenary had never heard of such People of Yatun, who in his mind ought to be brutish savages who couldn't even recognize a single character.
"This Yatun tribe is not simple, that one riding the horse, and the other woman with silver hair," remarked Ouke. "This is a tribe with structure and discipline."
"Damn it!"
"Those idiotic merchants!"
"Such a Yatun tribe right under their noses, and they've never discovered it for so many years, foolish, utterly foolish!"