Step Down, Let Me Come! Chapter 4
Translated by Liwiaa
Chapter 4: The final nail in the coffin of theology
“How come you are the only person standing guard on night watch?
The head of the guards had already returned from his patrol and discovered that one of his subordinates on sentry duty was gone.
“Oh, he. A female criminal was looking for him, he is with the woman right now”.
The subordinate pointed in the direction of a small slope, as he winked knowingly at his boss.
This kind of thing was quite common on the road to exile.
The convicted, wanting to face fewer hardships, had to either be looked after by somebody of higher status or have a relative that would be willing to bribe the guards for them. If they didn’t have a chance at either of them, they could only use their own bodies as capital to buy guards.
The people from Gong clan had been searched thoroughly and exiled. Even their former colleagues and students had to face some consequences. Who would have the energy to take care of others?
It left the convicted with only one choice.
It is better not to say anything about how pleasant this job could be.
The head of guards naturally also knew about these unspoken rules.
“How long has he been there already?”
“Just a moment”.
“Humph, he’s absconding!”
“Nevertheless, according to the speed of this youngster, he should be nearly done. He’s fast, so he won’t need to use too much time”.
After hearing it, the corner of mouth of the head of guards moved slightly. Apparently, he wanted to laugh, but stiffly endured. He lifted his face while pretending to be serious.
“After he comes back, tell him that, he has two extra hours of duty”.
After waiting for a while, no one came back.
Is it possible that this youngster truly got a useful folk remedy from somewhere and cured his venereal disease?
The guard couldn't sit still, looking at the convicted sleeping like dead pigs, he wasn't afraid that they would take this opportunity to escape. Therefore, he quietly stood up to follow Shen Tang and the man.
After listening to the movements, he guessed that the two of them were almost done. It was just in time for the change of duties.
However, when he approached the small slope, he got a foreboding feeling.
The movement of this place was too abnormal!
There were neither breaths that would make people's ears burn nor exciting sounds of banging. Only the sounds of animals and wind brushing the weeds could be heard.
“Old Zhou? Are you—“
He shoved down his restlessness and quickly brushed the dense cluster of weeds aside, calling out his colleague's name.
Promptly, his shouts came to a stop.
He lowered his head to take a look at the thing he just stepped on -
One arm!
With the help of a hazy light of the night, the guard discerned that the hand belonged to the corpse of a man with a crooked head, and that man was the one he just called “Old Zhou”!
“Dead, he has died!”
His frightened scream attracted the attention of the head of guards.
The person was already dead, but his body was still warm and soft like the body of a living person. Furthermore, the body still wasn’t cold, so it was clear that the man just died.
The head of guards pinched the neck and wrist of the body to examine it. Judging from the traces, he should have been killed off in an instant. The strength of this person's hand and fingers must have been extremely powerful. Even though hints of him using wudan were left on his body, his life was still taken without any significant resistance. The murderer was certainly more powerful than this low-grade Gongshi.
“What about this female offender? Did you find her body?”
Seeing that the body was thoroughly looted, the head of the guards thought of something.
Subordinate answered: “No, we didn’t find her. There is only Old Zhou”.
The head of guards “…”
Somebody died, and the female offender couldn’t be found?
Did someone help her?
With this guess, his expression turned sinister.
“Come back for now and watch over the prisoners! If you find someone suspicious among the people, directly kill them!”
“Yes!”
The head of guards followed the traces left by Shen Tang. Before long, on the dark road before him appeared the vague silhouette of an escapee.
Without the slightest hesitation, he pulled on the string of his bow.
The arrow left the string. He shot in the direction of Shen Tang’s vest.
Without any suspense, it should have been a sure kill.
Who would have expected that she had eyes on the back of her head and could immediately dodge the arrow that was about to hit her?
“I didn’t expect that there was still such a slippery fish left!” He urged his horse to jump over Shen Tang’s head. He tightened the reins, and the horse's hoofs stabilized. Then, he blocked her path and said angrily: “You disguised yourself as a woman and mixed in with other female offenders. Then, you seized the opportunity to escape. Gong traitor, you had a good plan!”
The possessions of the Gong’s criminals were confiscated. No matter their age, males had their dantian abolished.
It was firstly to prevent criminals from fleeing and secondly to stop them from taking vengeance someday.
Before his eyes was a lonely criminal, without any support. “Shen Tang” must have used sex appeal to tempt the guard and then, taking advantage of his relaxed mood, dealt with him using a sneak attack.
But even if the low-grade Gongshi put his guard down, he still wasn’t someone that a woman can behead in an instant. Furthermore, after looking at his wound, he concluded that the attacker had to have wenxin or wudan.
It is a well-known fact that women don’t have that ability, so he concluded that the “female offender” before his eyes naturally was a man.
The male that wasn’t discovered for such a long time in the group of women, without a doubt, had to be protected by other prisoners.
He summed it up. This person had to wield a fairly important position and power in the Gong clan. If this kind of significant fish ran away, how could he return to report the completion of his mission?
In the blink of an eye, he came up with a logical conjecture.
Shen Tang stood up from the ground.
Ptooey! She spat out the sand that was sticking to the corner of her mouth.
Then, she heard the words of the head of the guards.
Why did he call her a cross-dresser?
In addition, why did he address her as “Gong traitor”?
You can’t bully her, just because she still doesn’t have her memories! You shouldn’t casually assume things!
“He, then what do you think?”
After Shen Tang finished speaking, she inattentively pulled at her injured cheek. The faint sting made her gasp—just now she had to evade in a hurry, and her cheeks were painfully scratched by the debris on the ground. It was painfully hot. She didn’t have to touch it to know that she was bleeding—her sight from the beginning to the end didn't leave her enemy.
“Come back with me, I won’t kill you”.
Shen Tang was amused by his words: “You won’t kill me? You’re a bastard spitting nonsense!”
I will believe you in your dreams!
“Since we can’t come to an agreement, then—“The head of the guards didn't get angry. Instead, with rapid attention, congregated his qi. Through the depths of his eyes flashed a killing intent, “Spear, blade, sword, halberd, bow, crossbow dagger-axe and mao spear—kill!”
Shen Tang “…eh?”
Why did he suddenly start to recite something?
As soon as the question popped into her brain, the longbow in the hands of the head of guards transformed into a cross-shaped halberd.
It was nearly ten feet long. The sharp point headed straight at her face. He didn’t have any moral conduct of a martial artist.
Shen Tang was frightened by this unexpected situation. She agilely tilted her head and leaned back, avoiding the fatal strike.
The longer the weapon in hand, the wider the attack range and attack power.
Nearly one foot long, a strange long halberd in the hand of the head of guards was precise like a spear and watertight. Horizontal cross or straight thrust, the halberd was like an extension of his arm. What's worse, Shen Tang was empty-handed.
Under these circumstances, not to mention an escape, she has simply become a living target who could just die from exhaustion.
As for the setting of changing the appearance of the weapon after reciting a few words, this kind of the nail in the coffin of science…
Finally, she realized how the horse appeared there.
Can this world become more unscientific?
Ptooey!
The sharp point of the long halberd scratched her left arm, directly inserting into the ground, looking at that her hair stood on ends. If she had reacted a bit more slowly just now, this would have definitely stabbed her heart through!
“Spear, blade, sword, halberd, bow, crossbow…”
Her life was hanging by a thread. She was dodging while holding onto a glimmer of hope that she could also conjure a weapon—even though the women of this world couldn’t use wudan and wenxin. Why couldn't there be an exception?
Before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted by the oncoming halberd.
The head of guards taunted her: “You're merely an ant, don’t overestimate your strength!”
Shen Tang “…”
She recalled that up to now no one could make her so frustrated, besides the editor! When the halberd came again, she grabbed the tip of it with her bare hands in fury and pulled at it angrily.
“Enough!”
Obscure rage in her chest boiled, charring. The piece of writing suddenly emerged and began to burn repeatedly.
Intuition told her that this piece may be the key to her victory. The content was like that -
[The sword in the hand of a loving mother…]
