Сhаpter 297: Тhе Firе Моth Party 29
Immеdiаtely аfter, othеr оffiсiаls whо rushеd forward аnd failed to escaре in time wеre shоt dеаd, sоme nоt еvеn hаving thе chаnce to sреak.
Shеn Du was filled with deеp regrеt—he should nеvеr hаvе lеt gо.
Нe had thоught thаt with the рrеviоus incidеnt as а lеsson, no оnе would bе foolish enоugh to comе fоrwаrd and thrоw their lives awау.
Unfоrtunatеlу, sоmе fооls toоk аdvantаge оf the laсk of аttеntiоn to gо аnd реrsuade othеrs, only to be shot dеad by Mо Qianzhi shortlу aftеr аpрearing.
Shen Du wanted to stop them, but he couldn’t hold back those who were determined to seek death.
The reason for this lay in Mo Qianzhi’s immense influence. Even if it were Shen Du himself, he feared he might have made the same choice.
Due to the shortage of manpower guarding the city gates, more civilians joined in. Shen Du was surprised to see Zhu Yan standing far within the crowd, and inexplicably, a warmth filled his heart, steadying his mind.
Zhu Yan gazed directly at Shen Du, her watery eyes shimmering with light.
Shen Du gave a slight nod, then turned to command everyone to form ranks and resist.
But what followed spiraled out of control.
No one knew who among the civilians shouted the title “Lord Mo,” informing him that the people at the city gates were all from Yingzhou.
“Lord Mo, please stop! The people of Yingzhou all wish for your return.”
They weren’t there to guard the city gates at all—they had come to open them.
Shen Du sensed trouble, and sure enough, Mo Qianzhi’s steady, seductive voice echoed from outside the city walls:
“People of Yingzhou! I, Mo, have always held you in my heart!” Even through the walls, his voice retained its usual soul-piercing power.
“But the Great Zhou is sick now! Someone must save it. I urge you to rise up and resist the White King of Hell. He is now the lapdog of the Great Zhou. If you speak for me like this, he will soon slaughter all of you, including your families.”
They weren’t familiar with Shen Du, but they knew the fearsome reputation of the White King of Hell—the very institution tasked by the Empress to eliminate dissenters. If they spoke for Mo Qianzhi like this, they would likely not escape retribution.
With this thought, the civilians rose and ceased defending the gates, turning their gazes toward Shen Du, who stood not far behind them, and Zhu Yan, who stood even farther away.
But neither Shen Du nor Zhu Yan moved or spoke, standing calmly where they were.
Outside the gates, people continued to ram against them, while inside, only the soldiers and the Inner Guard Bureau resisted. The civilians had lost all ability to think.
Zhu Yan was genuinely afraid that Shen Du, in his impatience, might kill these stubborn people. She stepped forward to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Shen Du and fervently shouted:
“Don’t believe him lightly. If he leads his men inside, he will kill you all. He is in league with the Half-Faced Ghost.”
“Have you forgotten? There are still hundreds of Half-Faced Ghosts outside, ready to come in and harvest your heads, just like on the day of the massacre.”
But no one listened to her words. They gathered together, whispering among themselves and occasionally pointing at Shen Du and Zhu Yan.
Outside the gates, Mo Qianzhi began speaking again: “He is the White King of Hell, ruthless and merciless in his actions. Have you not seen my wife and child? They have already died because of him. You could be next.”
The civilians erupted into chaos.
They trusted Mo Qianzhi, believing him to be an honest official. His actions must have been driven by hardship, and his achievements during his tenure were proof enough.
“Lord Mo always took such good care of us. How can we keep him shut outside the gates like this now?”Suddenly, someone in the crowd took the lead, and others quickly followed suit.
"Grand Commander Shen, open the city gates and let Lord Mo in."
"Lord Mo cares deeply for the people; he must have his own reasons."
"His wife and child are already dead. Please show mercy, White King of Hell."
The citizens bowed in unison, pleading for Mo Qianzhi's sake.
Only then did Shen Du realize how terrifying Mo Qianzhi was. He even had a feeling that if he allowed Mo Qianzhi to proceed unchecked, Mo Qianzhi would undoubtedly succeed.
But under the Empress's rule, the land was peaceful and prosperous. How could he allow such devastation to unfold right before his eyes? Moreover, Mo Qianzhi had strayed from the righteous path and had already stained his hands with the blood of innocent civilians. There was no way he could win.
"Please, White King of Hell, open the city gates and let Lord Mo in," the citizens pleaded again. Judging by their eager expressions, if Shen Du refused, they would likely force the gates open themselves.
"Silence!" Jing Lin could no longer bear the citizens pressuring his master like this. With a sharp sound, he drew his sword.
The gleaming blade reflected light into the citizens' eyes, and they finally fell silent, though none of them retreated.
"Which part of what you just said matches the Mo Qianzhi of today?" After a long pause, Shen Du finally spoke. "The Lord Mo you speak of no longer exists. Opening the gates now would be suicide."
But it was useless. These people believed in the good official Mo Qianzhi, who had served Yingzhou for over a decade, not in Shen Du. They had been completely bewitched by Mo Qianzhi.
Someone took the lead, then one by one, they all surged toward the city gates.
They wanted to open the gates. They wanted Lord Mo to enter and take control of Yingzhou once more.
The Inner Guards were overwhelmed, struggling to hold the gates while also guarding against these foolish citizens who might cause trouble.
Chaos erupted at the city gates. Jing Lin led the defense, but before long, a citizen lunged at him, trying to bite him. He swiftly dodged to the side, his eyes flashing with a fierce light. He half-drew his blade but forcefully sheathed it again.
These mindless, foolish people.
"If the gates are opened, he will enter and slaughter the city. You will all die!" He tried to make his voice rise above the chaos in the crowd.
But those people had long lost their senses. How could they listen? They swarmed the Inner Guards and soldiers, attempting to force the gates open.
In the commotion, a citizen knocked Zhu Yan to the ground. Shen Du, sharp-eyed, immediately rushed forward and caught her, shielding her in his arms.
Zhu Yan was grateful, but this was no time for tenderness. She pushed Shen Du away and shook her head to indicate she was fine.
Shen Du instructed her to stay hidden, then turned to regain control of the situation.
Jing Lin was separated by the crowd, watching anxiously from a distance.
Shen Du was about to leap over when he instinctively glanced back. His heart skipped a beat—Zhu Yan was gone.
In the sweltering heat, Shen Du broke into a cold sweat, frantically searching for Zhu Yan and calling out her name. But amidst the clamor and noise, how could he possibly get a response?
Shen Du thought to himself: if anything happened to Zhu Yan, he would not live on alone after dealing with Mo Qianzhi.
"I'm over here."
Hearing the voice, Shen Du's heart leaped with joy. He followed the sound and saw Zhu Yan standing beside Jing Lin, tightly protected by him, as if Jing Lin feared the citizens might harm her.
But Jing Lin's expression was one of helplessness. This young lady wouldn't stay put quietly and instead came to cause trouble. Already stretched thin, he now had to divert his attention to protect her."Foolishness!" Seeing Zhu Yan unharmed, Shen Du's anxious heart settled slightly, but he was still angry.
Zhu Yan naturally sensed his displeasure and took the initiative to throw herself into his arms, wrapping her arms around Shen Du before quickly letting go, offering a placating smile: "Don't be angry, I have a plan."
The common folk gave them no time, surging forward in one determined push. Jing Lin hurriedly led others to hold them back, while Shen Du once again shielded Zhu Yan behind him, standing firm against the hostile crowd.
He couldn't guarantee whether he would resort to force if the common folk truly acted recklessly.
OpenNovel