Chapter 379: Chapter 371: Turning the Tide

The number of houses consumed by the fire continued to increase.

Crackling sounds filled the air.

The people forced out of their courtyards were mercilessly killed; this was their two-birds-one-stone strategy.

The entire town was engulfed in fear and sorrow.

As soon as Cheng Xiaoxiao landed, her whole body felt the intense heat of the flames.

Howl!

A mastiff barked furiously, charging at Cheng Xiaoxiao.

Without needing a system reminder, Cheng Xiaoxiao quickly drew her long sword. Although she was somewhat dazed by the current situation, her instinct for danger was ingrained in her bones. Moreover, with such a ferocious beast rushing toward her, she couldn’t pretend not to see it even if she wanted to.

The speed and attack power of this mastiff were not inferior to that of a snow wolf, and the position and manner of its biting seemed specially trained.

However, no matter how fierce it was, it depended on who its opponent was. For the current Cheng Xiaoxiao, taking down a mastiff was a piece of cake, and within a few breaths, it whimpered and fell silent.

Emerging from the empty alley, she saw a chaotic and bloody battle between two groups on the street.

"What’s going on?"

"Host, please hold on. Intelligence is being gathered."

Although the system hadn’t yet provided clear instructions, it didn’t stop Cheng Xiaoxiao from judging right from wrong between the two groups.

The person riding a tall horse had deep-set eyes and well-defined features, with long braids peeking out from under their felt hat, making it clear at a glance how vastly different their appearance and attire were from the people of Tianqi.

No need to guess; these people were undoubtedly the invaders. The map showed that although this was a borderland, it was definitely still within the Tianqi territory, which was beyond doubt.

Seeing a woman from the Deep Valley Nose being lifted and toppled by Qi Force, leaving an eleven or twelve-year-old child struggling to resist, she immediately stepped forward to help without hesitation, rescuing the boy who was defeated within a few moves.

At that moment, the boy, terrified, saw the curved saber about to fall, swallowed his saliva, unable to react, perhaps because he had forgotten or was too exhausted to resist. Immediately after Cheng Xiaoxiao saved him, all he could show was bewilderment in his eyes.

It wasn’t until Cheng Xiaoxiao defeated the grassland cavalry on the horse within a dozen rounds that the boy, frightened and with lingering fear, finally came to his senses. He saw a beautiful sister who saved him, thanked her, and then dashed into his own yard.

He had vaguely heard his mother’s call just now, and despite the pain in his body, there was only one thought in his mind: he must go home to help his father and mother.

Very soon, the sound of clashing weapons came from inside again.

Cheng Xiaoxiao confiscated the spoils of war, took a few steps forward, and peeked inside from the open, dilapidated gate, only to see an elderly man with one arm and a woman in her thirties besieging a soldier.

Adding in the boy, there were three people, but calling it a siege was misleading as every move they made was at a disadvantage, with the old man about to be harmed. Cheng Xiaoxiao secretly threw a stone, causing the man’s ankle to sting, just in time for the woman’s machete to stab unawares, hitting him right on target.

The man from Deep Valley Nose fiercely caught the woman’s machete, preventing further advance, allowing blood to gush freely. Then, he quickly swung his curved saber, and in a critical moment, the sharp-eyed old man made a supplementary stab, driving straight into the enemy’s heart from the back waist.

The raised curved saber of the Deep Valley Nose man dropped powerlessly, clattering to the ground.

Having dealt with the enemy, the woman let out a big sigh of relief, breathlessly scolding the boy, "Xiao Luo, didn’t I tell you to go next door to check on your little sister? Why are you back here?"

"The door to Xiao Yu’er’s house was locked. I didn’t go in and then encountered a grassland cavalryman."

Hearing her son’s words, the woman panicked, pulling the boy over and checking him all over. "Xiao Luo, are you hurt?"

The boy called Xiao Luo shook his head, pointing outside to Cheng Xiaoxiao, "Mother, it was that sister who saved me."

The woman turned and caught a glimpse of Cheng Xiaoxiao’s silhouette before she disappeared outside the gate.

Seeing that nothing else was happening here, Cheng Xiaoxiao moved on to help elsewhere, just as the system figured out the entire situation.

"Host, the fire was set by infiltrators from the Grassland Tribe. This small town is called Qiao Town, where the highest-ranking officer is a Third-rank Protector General, with about fifteen hundred soldiers garrisoned here year-round.

The severe cold prompted significant losses for the Grassland Tribe, so they set their sights on the small town.

They secretly captured a Deputy General’s wife and daughter, using them to coerce the Deputy General to act as an inside agent. He helped the tribe’s spies infiltrate, set the villagers’ homes on fire, and opened the city gates, allowing grassland cavalry to invade, loot, and kill."

At this moment, overwhelming flames and thick smoke enveloped the entire town. The thin snowfall in the sky and the light snow covering the ground couldn’t extinguish this deliberately set blaze.

Cheng Xiaoxiao made a round of the area but couldn’t find a water source.

"Qiqi!"

"There’s no need to look for it; all the wells here are dry."

"Then where do the townspeople get their water from?"

Cheng Xiaoxiao anxiously stared at the blazing fire, occasionally helping to deal with cavalrymen.

The houses here were all connected, making it very difficult to set up firebreaks.

"That I do not know."

She continued to help as she made her way to the end of the main street, where the battle was the fiercest, surrounded by the corpses of townspeople, soldiers in armor dead in begrudging defeat.

The fire spread rapidly, on the verge of reaching the innermost mansion, whose grandeur hinted at a state of decline, with chipped red lacquer on the pillars and main gate. The deep-engraved and imposing General Mansion plaque at its center remained striking.

The town’s only blue-brick, tile-roofed house was now in peril.

It was unsure where their General was, unafraid of his own house burning down.

With ordinary citizens’ houses burned down, this mansion was their only refuge, so it seemed a helping hand was needed.

Out front of the mansion, a fierce battle raged between the Grassland cavalry and the Guard Army defending it, numbering around a hundred, mostly foot soldiers with only five mounted officers. The grassland cavalry, approximately a hundred strong, slaughtered the soldiers like reaping wheat. If it weren’t for some townspeople aiding from the sides, the battle would have ended long ago.

The overwhelming disparity in strength made it evident the Guard Army was not a match, with more soldiers being injured or killed, making the defense exceedingly difficult.

Seeing the fire spreading with the wind, more old and young fleeing to the back, Cheng Xiaoxiao couldn’t care about much else and rushed forward. She drove a sword through a grassland cavalryman.

Relentlessly charging under the stars and moon, with fierce combat skills, even with opponents on horseback, she wasn’t hindered, flipping away incoming whips or spears with ease.

The townspeople stared dazedly at this girl as if possessed by a war deity.

Such ferocity, such might, they felt like clapping and cheering.

Cheng Xiaoxiao joining the fray greatly relieved the pressure on the Guard Army, and the situation began to turn, lifting the soldiers’ spirits.