Chapter 81: Surrounded

"Are you truly from Wancheng?" Liu Xun, who had rushed out, asked urgently.

"Lord Liu, come away with us at once."

The Wolf Shadow warriors launched another fierce assault on the soldiers of Jiangdong, cutting their way out of the encirclement.

Their offensive was ferocious beyond measure.

With each flash of a blade, blood splattered in all directions.

In an instant, they had carved out a path of carnage.

At first Liu Xun had wondered what a handful of men could possibly accomplish.

But now he no longer thought that way.

"Quick, everyone follow!"

"Break through!"

The invigorated Liu Xun shouted at once.

He led his men after the Wolf Shadow warriors and fought his way outward.

This sight left the Jiangdong soldiers stunned.

Could a mere twenty men possess such terrifying fighting power?

"Quick, stop them!"

"Capture Liu Xun; do not let them escape!"

The Jiangdong commander bellowed orders.

A mass of soldiers surged in.

Yet even so, before the overwhelming combat strength of the Wolf Shadow warriors, they still seemed hopelessly inadequate.

They discovered that these warriors seemed never to tire.

No matter how many soldiers rushed forward, the Wolf Shadow warriors could cut them down with ruthless efficiency.

As time passed, neither their strength nor their endurance showed the slightest decline.

If anything, they grew more valiant with every passing clash.

Little by little, though the Jiangdong soldiers were numerous, they realized they could no longer hold these men back.

"Useless, all of you are useless!"

"Kill them at once!"

The commander grew anxious.

Seeing that his subordinates could not even get close, he mounted his horse and personally charged into battle.

"Kill him!"

Seeing the enemy commander rushing in, a Wolf Shadow warrior roared.

He met the charging Jiangdong commander head-on.

Swiftly, his curved blade flashed.

Before the Jiangdong commander could even react, he was already slain by the blade.

He toppled from his horse and died.

"Quickly, rendezvous with the prince!"

The Wolf Shadow warriors shouted.

They led Liu Xun and the others in a furious advance.

Before long, the Wolf Shadow warriors had broken through with Liu Xun and the others in tow.

"So strong. Truly, too strong."

"There are actually such formidable men in this world!"

Once clear of the encirclement, Liu Xun could not stop marveling.

He had never imagined in his wildest dreams that he would be rescued by only twenty men.

Soon, they met up with Liu Xie at a street corner.

"Prince, Liu Xun has been brought out safely," the Wolf Shadow warriors reported as they knelt.

Liu Xie nodded in satisfaction.

"You have all worked hard."

Then he looked toward Liu Xun beside him.

Liu Xun first stood in a daze, then dropped to his knees with a thud.

"Liu Xun pays homage to Your Majesty!"

The fact that Liu Xie was the reigning emperor was no longer a secret.

At this moment, having been rescued by the Son of Heaven himself, he naturally had to bow with the utmost respect.

"General Liu need not be so formal."

"I am no emperor here."

"This is no place to linger; we should leave as quickly as possible," Liu Xie said softly.

At that moment, a large contingent of Jiangdong soldiers appeared once more around them.

"There they are! Surround them!"

"Capture Liu Xun!"

The soldiers shouted at the top of their lungs.

"Withdraw!"

Liu Xie swept a hand.

He led the others away.

They fought their way forward all the same.

But the enemy troops were simply too numerous.

With no choice, they changed course and cut toward a safer direction.

Thus they fought and advanced all the way through.

In the end, they reached a bamboo grove.

The surroundings here were relatively quiet.

There was no sign of Jiangdong soldiers.

"Let's hide here for the moment."

Liu Xie waved a hand and led the others into the grove.

But after entering, he noticed that behind a stand of bamboo, three people were cautiously watching them.

Fear flickered in their eyes.

Two women and one man.

The two women were young and beautiful, with remarkably striking features.

As for the man, he was already an elderly gentleman.

From the looks of it, they seemed to be a father and his daughters.

No wonder they wore such expressions.

The Wolf Shadow warriors, with their appearance and the curved blades in their hands, did look rather fearsome.

"You need not worry. We mean you no harm."

"We are only taking temporary shelter here."

Liu Xie did his best to make his tone gentle.

At this, the three seemed to relax considerably.

Then Liu Xie led everyone to hide within the bamboo grove.

But not long after, there was movement outside.

"They must be here!"

"Everyone, go in and search!"

Shouts came from outside.

Soon, large numbers of soldiers moved into the depths of the grove.

The three people nearby grew very tense.

"Wolf Shadow guards, cut our way out!"

Liu Xie ordered coldly.

Then, when the Jiangdong soldiers had reached halfway into the grove, twenty Wolf Shadow guards suddenly burst forth.

They unleashed a mad slaughter upon the incoming soldiers.

The battle erupted at once.

And it ended just as quickly.

In no time, every soldier who had entered was cut down.

After that, more troops were sent in several waves.

Without exception, they all died.

Though they had surrounded Liu Xie and the others here, they still could not break into the bamboo grove.

They were firmly kept outside.

"Archers, prepare!"

Shouts came from outside once more.

At this, Liu Xie's expression darkened.

He had not expected such a move.

Unable to force their way in, they were going to loose arrows instead.

Whoosh!

A volley of arrows then rose into the sky and rained down upon the bamboo grove.

The Wolf Shadow warriors waved their curved blades to deflect them.

However, the three people not far away were not nearly so fortunate.

At a glance, they were ordinary folk with no real ability.

Under such circumstances, they were certain to be doomed.

Without hesitation, Liu Xie rushed over and pulled them to safety.

"Stay with us. Do not run about!"

he instructed.

The three hurriedly nodded.

"Wolf Shadow guards, find an opening and fight our way out!"

"We cannot remain trapped here," Liu Xie said to the Wolf Shadow warriors.

Yes.

If they stayed here any longer, arrows were one thing they could still withstand.

But if the other side truly lost patience and began setting fire to the grove, then they would truly be finished.

And besides, Liu Xie's destination this time was Xuzhou.

He had no intention of dying here.

"First squad, keep defending. Second squad, come with me!"

One of the Wolf Shadow warriors gave the order, then led several men away.

The rest stayed behind and did their best to hold the line.

"You... you are Liu Xun, the former governor of Lujiang Commandery, aren't you?"

One of the women among the three recognized Liu Xun beside Liu Xie.

At this, Liu Xun could only sigh in helplessness.

"That is a matter of the past."

"The city has fallen, and I am no longer the governor of Lujiang Commandery."

"Lujiang Commandery will soon change hands as well."

Indeed, as governor of Lujiang Commandery, he had barely sat in that position for a few days.

"General Liu need not worry."

"That office of governor will still be yours in the days to come."

Liu Xie said gravely.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Liu Xun replied respectfully.