Chapter 24: Danger

Chapter 24 Danger

The lead Hu man, with a thick, full beard, spoke in stiff, halting Central Plains dialect as he introduced the act to the packed audience.

"His name is Babagai—my good boy. Three years ago, I found him by Lake Qibul and raised him. Babagai accompanied us to the Central Plains and has performed many times. We traveled further and further inward, and finally arrived at the capital. We are deeply honored." He placed his right palm over his chest, fingers pointing inward, and gave a slight bow.

Chen Shuoan took a closer look and saw that, sure enough, every one of them was tall and sturdy—even the women in the troupe were just as tough and sturdy.

Qin Zhonglian leaned in to get a better look, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly. "Judging by their builds, they're all trained fighters—the women included."

Li Wei let out a shocked "Huh?" and said, "Does their entire clan train in martial arts?"

Zheng Yuanzhi thought for a moment and said, "From what I know, that's not it. These people's backgrounds are probably anything but simple."

At that, Chen Shuoan turned serious too. Pointing at the black bear on stage, he said, "I think something's off with it."

"Its steps are unsteady, and its front legs are trembling weakly—it's probably been starving for days," Qin Zhonglian said in a low voice, his eyes growing even more alert.

"What? Then aren't we all just its dinner?" Zhang Chenggong exclaimed in shock.

"Not only are common folks gathered here, but quite a few bigwigs and officials are here too. If this beast goes berserk, the death toll would be massive. This area is under Captain Song's watch today—I'll send someone to tip him off." Qin Zhonglian opened the door and called one of the Qin family guards upstairs to pass the word along.

Zheng Yuanzhi was still on edge and asked, puzzled, "Why not feed the beast to the brim before bringing it out? This situation is extremely dangerous."

As someone who'd transmigrated out of a book, Chen Shuoan had bold thoughts, and he couldn't help but recall the later parts of the original story.

Back then, Yuan Qi was firmly seated as Crown Prince, head over heels for Su Qingwan.

But then the Northern Di raised an army and invaded, pushing all the way from Ningguta to Cangzhou in just one month.

Chen Shuoan had only read it as a novel for kicks, never imagining he'd one day end up here, facing disasters both natural and man-made. His feelings were a total mess in that moment.

Besides, the Xiongnu had punched straight into the heart of Da Rong in just one month—clearly, the country was already rotten to the core and barely holding together by then.

The country he was in now was being hollowed out from the inside by parasites.

Could today's events be the start of something disastrous?

Chen Shuoan got goosebumps all over, wanting to cry but with no tears left.

Awesome. Survived another day.

Thankfully, the show made it halfway through without anything going wrong.

The initial excitement wore off, leaving only a stifling sense of fear and dread. They had to stay on guard in case these people pulled something, and that sense of duty kept Chen Shuoan and the others glued to their seats. The whole afternoon was pure torture.

Chen Shuoan got drowsy from all the waiting. The weather was scorching, and the place was like a steam oven, making him sleepy.

He just couldn't take it anymore and let his eyes droop a little.

Suddenly, the crowd downstairs erupted in screams.

The deafening screams went on and on without stopping.

It was the black bear—it had eaten someone!

Qin Zhonglian gritted his teeth, grabbed his sword, and charged downstairs.

Chen Shuoan's scalp prickled. He stood up and saw the courtyard jam-packed with people. At the edge of the stage lay a young man with his belly torn wide open, a gaping hole in his gut. The massive black bear sniffed at him, then stomped its blood-soaked paw right onto the man's face. Its rough breaths blasted down, and the man's hair seemed to come alive, whipping and thrashing desperately.

Despite being so far away, Chen Shuoan could almost hear the sound of the man's skull cracking.

He was already dead.

His left hand was clamped over his gut, his pale palm trying to hold in the organs spilling out, staining his whole light-colored outfit bright red.

His face was being devoured.

In Chen Shuoan's eyes, the bear's swift movements seemed to slow to a crawl—muscle fibers stretching and tearing, mixed with gushing blood, snapping back against the beast's face, making it look like a demon clawing its way out of the eighteenth level of hell.

The man's right hand was stretched out stiffly—a silent plea for help.

No one paid him any attention. Everyone was too busy saving themselves.

Screaming, running—their survival instincts drove them to shriek in hoarse terror.

Chen Shuoan was shaking all over, his stomach cramping hard like he was about to puke.

There were way too many people, all crammed against the locked doors, reaching out, clawing at each other, fighting to get out first.

Chen Shuoan clamped his hand over his mouth and nose, but the smell of blood just wouldn't go away. A cold tear slipped from the corner of his eye, and he cried in silence, mouth wide open.

Through tear-blurred eyes, he spotted those figures standing out, towering over the crowd.

They were shoving against the crowd, heading for the back courtyard.

Chen Shuoan threw open the door, not bothering to wipe his face, and grabbed Zheng Yuanzhi and the others, who were also about to head down and help. His voice was sharp: "They're making a run for it. Follow me!"

Everyone knew exactly who "they" meant.

In an instant, they grabbed their swords and hurried downstairs after Chen Shuoan.

Luckily, everyone was packed in the front courtyard. As they charged down in force, they spotted the Hu people hustling toward the back.

Zheng Yuanzhi was gnashing his teeth in fury. He barked, "Stop right there!"

The second the words left his mouth, he raised his sword and swung at the Hu man bringing up the rear.

The man, mid-flight, spun around and raised his arm to block, taking Zheng Yuanzhi's strike head-on.

In a flash, his palm curled into a fist and slammed into Zheng Yuanzhi's unguarded chest with brutal force.

The punch left Zheng Yuanzhi's chest throbbing and his nose bleeding.

The Hu man sneered savagely: "Useless trash from the Central Plains."

Li Wei's eyes were bloodshot. He charged in recklessly, trading blows with the man—a brutal back-and-forth that left both of them battered.

Everyone hacked at the Hu people, dead set on leaving their bones in the Central Plains, making sure they never made it home.

Not a single one of them was worth a damn!

Chen Shuoan fought with bloodshot eyes. He had no technique—just raw, brute force against his opponents. In the scuffle, he ate several heavy hits, and a strong taste of iron rose in his throat.

He got grabbed by the neck, slammed to the ground, and pummeled in the gut. Chen Shuoan curled up in pain, jaw clenched, using his body to trap the man's fist so he couldn't pull it free or get any leverage.

The man let out a strange laugh and muttered something—a filthy word, by the sound of it. He yanked Chen Shuoan up off the ground with one hand and drove a heavy kick into his side.

Chen Shuoan cried out in pain, his strength gone, and let go. He vomited a huge mouthful of blood, mixed with the dust and scrapes on his face, like some harmless jungle herbivore that had just met with disaster.

The Hu tribesman was clearly excited, stomping hard on Chen Shuoan's hand, grinding it over and over.

Rough gravel scraped against the tender palm, breaking through the skin barrier, piercing into his flesh and merging with it.

"Enough! Geser! We need to leave now!"

The leading bearded man shouted sternly, looking anxiously at Chen Shuoan and the others scattered and sprawled on the ground: "This time, the Commandant won't go easy on us!"

Geser kicked fiercely at Chen Shuoan, who was trying to crawl up and grab his boot, and snarled viciously: "Geser will definitely follow the Virtuous King of the Left if he gets out of here alive!"

Several urgent shouts rang out as riders reined in their horses from outside the door, and the bearded man's expression changed.

Then came a loud crash from beyond the door as the gold-trimmed iron gate was violently broken open.

The one in the lead was a young man, and the man beside him pulled an official document from his robe and shouted loudly.

"Xie Qingfeng, Deputy Chief of the Court of Judicial Review, has come with the Sixth Prince to adjudicate this case!"