The setting sun cast a bloody glow, falling upon the Zicao Manor. The once brilliant and ostentatious glamour had now transford into the sights of devastation and destruction before their eyes. Outside the manor, torn pieces of cloth and scattered branches and leaves lay about, marred with marks of chopping and hacking. Inside, the stems of the large dahlias were broken, trampled into the mud. Amongst the flowers and trees, the gold and silver decorated buildings were sared with fresh red, as if the God of Death himself had painted the final marks with his brush.
Huitu Puapu, leading a thousand elite Samurai, ca with murderous intent. In less than half a day, they had conquered the Zicao Family’s manor. Over two hundred Zicao samurai mostly died in battle, a few were captured, and only a handful escaped to the southeast. Afterward, more than three hundred mbers of the Zicao Clan were captured by the samurai and detained in a grand hall deep within the manor, including about sixty to seventy relatives and concubines of Guramo alone.
At this mont, hundreds of Qinchongcan samurai were repeatedly patrolling inside the manor, searching for any that might have slipped through the net. anwhile, Puapu personally led a hundred samurai, interrogating the Zicao Clan mbers in the hall.
"Speak! Where has Guramo gone?!"
"I... I’m just a servant... ah..."
Huitu Puapu’s expression was ferocious, as he grabbed the servant’s hair with his left hand and with his right hand’s Long Dagger he fiercely slit it! Warm blood splattered in an instant, and Guramo’s servant died imdiately. Then, with bloodshot eyes, he grabbed a middle-aged nobleman by the hair, placing the bloody long dagger against his neck.
"Speak! Where has Guramo gone?!"
"I... I don’t know, my clan brother... uh..."
Puapu’s eyes flashed viciously, and he swung the blade again. Then, wiping his face with his sleeve and licking the corner of his mouth, he seized another elderly clansman.
"Speak! Where has Guramo gone?!"
"I... he, he is Guramo’s son, he knows."
"Hmm."
Puapu nodded. He smirked as he withdrew the dagger, then suddenly thrust it forward, stirring vigorously before pulling it out!
"Ah!..."
The elderly clansman bled from his chest and slumped to the ground. Afterwards, Puapu strode forward, seizing the young nobleman who had been pointed out. He pressed the blood-dripping Long Dagger against the young man’s cheek.
"Speak! Where has Guramo gone?!"
"Ah! Father... Father just ca back a while ago, hurriedly took a few brothers, and then he went, he went..."
The young nobleman’s legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground, his nose running and tears streaming. Guramo hadn’t even entered the manor; he had just hurriedly taken a few who had been waiting. Lagging behind because he was frolicking with a dancer, the young man missed the only chance of escape.
"Where did he go?!"
"He went to the southern lake... Ah!"
Puapu briskly drew out the dagger, angrily instructing his trusted aide.
"Send out two hundred Samurai to search the southern lake! Try to find so small boats!"
"Yes, Vice Legion Commander!"
The trusted aide bowed his head to acknowledge the command and left. General Huitu preferred not to be called Camp Commander, liking the title Vice Legion Commander more, although currently this was just a designation used within the camp.
Huitu Puapu stood still, his eyes red as he surveyed the hall. The four walls of the hall were painted with depictions of naked goddesses and graceful dancers. Now, the goddesses were stained red, and the dancers stepped over corpses, adding a sinister beauty to the scene. His agitated gaze swept over the crowd, lingering on Guramo’s concubines.
Monts later, he made a choice, striding over, seizing a bound voluptuous woman, and dragging her into an adjacent side hall. Soon, deep breaths followed, along with the woman’s coquettish moans. The sounds quickly beca frantic and then intensely loud. First a hysterical scream from a man, then a woman’s shriek, and all the sounds abruptly stopped.
Puapu erged from the side hall, his body stained with fresh blood, his crazed eyes finally settling down. By this ti, he had to admit that Guramo, that crafty snake, had already slipped through the net.
"The secret letter... the secret letter... where is it?!"
Puapu, clinging to a last glimr of hope, muttered to himself. Then, his eyes turning cold, he replaced his worn Obsidian Dagger and walked towards the Zicao people again.
The sun set beyond the horizon, darkness enveloped the land, covering endless bloodshed. The samurai sent to search the southern lake had not yet returned, and the skies over Oorta had already arrived first.
"How did it go?!"
Oorta asked, his expression anxious and irritable.
"He escaped. The letter wasn’t found."
Puapu lowered his eyes, shaking his head. Then, just as urgently, he asked.
"How is the city?"
"The city has fallen. The Legion circled to the East Gate where the Defending Army imdiately disbanded. Then, the Samurai climbed over the walls and entered, the insurgents initially resisted a bit, but soon they all surrendered. Now, all four gates of the city have been blocked, a large number of insurgents are either dead or have surrendered, only a few scattered soldiers remain, and they also can’t escape..."
Oorta answered confidently. He didn’t ntion the Golden Armor leader who died at the north gate, because indeed as Huitu had predicted, that was just a decoy.
"What about General Etalik?"
"He’s unhard, and still has five hundred xica Samurai under his command."
At this point, a hint of resentnt crossed Oorta’s face.
"That old man Etalik! We’ve marched hundreds of miles, day and night, to co to his rescue. He just sits high in the Pyramid Temple, making go et him alone!"
"Oh? et him alone?"
Puapu raised his eyebrows, asking in return.
"You went alone?"
"...I went. I took a dozen trusted aides, and he didn’t dare say anything!"
Oorta’s eyes shifted slightly, avoiding Puapu’s gaze.
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