"Hey! Do you really have to look down on people like this? I’ve already said I’m too lazy to duel!" If the situation wasn’t inappropriate, Tang Yueshan would have burst out in rage on the spot, he gestured, "Third!"
In the underground Martial Arts Arena of Zhan Country, only the top three are qualified to enter the underground Martial Arts Arena.
"Who’s second?" Gu Jiao asked.
Tang Yueshan snorted, "Who else could it be?"
But I know who they are, and they don’t know who I am, that’s my skill, Tang Yueshan!
Gu Jiao: "So Gu Changqing defeated you to gain the qualification to go to Yan Country."
Tang Yueshan: "I let him! I could tell he was Gu Changqing from the start!"
Gu Jiao pursed her lips, "Hindsight."
Tang Yueshan’s eyes were wide with anger, he was telling the truth!
In the end, Tang Yueshan didn’t get a chance to clear his name—because it was their turn.
"We came from Quyang City, my grandfather is a businessman from Jin Country, my entire family was detained by them, I barely managed to escape, please do us a favor and allow me to enter the city to seek refuge."
This time Gu Jiao was reciting her lines purely, without displaying her usual (sharp) acting skills, unexpectedly, this worked well.
"My grandfather has lived in Dayan for decades, I was born and raised in Quyang City, so I don’t speak Jin Country’s language well."
Gu Jiao said this while taking out a pouch of silver and handing it to the guard at the city gate.
The pair entered the city smoothly.
It’s not as strict as I imagined. Is it because the Jin army’s discipline is lax and their defenses slack, or is the Jin army so careless that they aren’t afraid of spies infiltrating the city to gather military intelligence?
As Gu Jiao thought, she observed the scenes in Pu City.
Pu City is a bigger and more prosperous city than Quyang City, with a population twice that of Quyang City, and its annual tax revenue to the court is three times as much, but what Gu Jiao saw at that moment was not what you would expect from a major city.
Shops were tightly closed, streets were sparsely populated, and the fluttering cloth signboards were torn to shreds by the Jin army.
... This city was bleeding.
"Let her go! You beasts! Let her go—let her go—"
A woman’s choked curse came from a shop not far away, she was clinging tightly to the thigh of a Jin soldier, while that soldier and his companion were dragging a fair-looking, well-dressed young girl.
The young girl had already been beaten half-conscious, lacking the strength to resist or cry out, allowing the two Jin soldiers to drag her into the alley.
From her clothing and jewelry, it was apparent she was a daughter from a wealthy family.
In the past, she was also a figure of admiration, but Pu City had become Jin army territory, rendering her status worthless.
Such is the fate of families in ruined nations.
The Jin soldier kicked the woman away and dragged the young girl deeper into the alley by her waistband.
Such incidents, in places unseen, had happened who knows how many times.
Gu Jiao tightened her grip on the reins.
She was very angry.
These Jin soldiers, really made her angry!
"That’s war," Tang Yueshan sighed quietly, raising a hand to block her view, "Alright, stop looking, I’ll handle it."
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