Chapter 472

Chapter 472: The Curved Saber Attacker

Watching this stubborn little girl, the guards’ gazes also shifted to the halberd she was holding.

However, at this moment, there was still hesitation among them, after all, the reputation of Emanas was there.

“Bitch!”

Seeing that the girl remained motionless, the guard who had gained weight slapped her. Unprepared, Jiena couldn’t completely dodge it, feeling a stinging sensation on her face from the slap.

“How many times do I have to tell you?”

“Get moving.” Several people shouted loudly.

The surrounding guards also became more assertive, sensing that this girl was openly defying them, not giving them face.

Why?

Does every person leaving the city need to be checked? Were they really doing this for the safety of the residents?

Something felt off.

Jiena’s mind was in conflict between reason and emotion. She was a well-behaved child, but being confronted so boldly, she couldn’t help but feel shaken.

Bang—

A pebble struck the back of the guard who had just slapped her, then fell to the ground.

“Who?”

This guard shouted in anger, while the others turned around to look around, but still couldn’t see who had thrown the stone.

Another small pebble was thrown, seemingly from nowhere, lightly hitting Jiena’s back. She reacted quickly, catching it and gripping it tightly. As the surrounding guards turned their heads, she looked back and saw a hand gesturing behind a house.

In an instant, the hand withdrew, avoiding being seen by the other guards.

Seeing this, Jiena began to gain confidence.

Then several more stones were thrown, hitting the guards on their heads, causing them to cry out in pain.

Seizing the opportunity amid the chaos, Jiena broke through the encirclement of the guards, leaped onto her horse, and galloped out of the city, even if someone tried to stop her, she used her saber scabbard to push them away.

After riding for some time outside the city, seeing no pursuit, she slowed down. She found a corner in the woods to hide her horse, then returned to the roadside, quietly hiding behind a tree to wait.

People passed by one by one, and after a long while, a man wearing a dark brown cloak walked past. Jiena stepped out.

“Please wait.”

This passerby turned around, revealing a bearded uncle with a weathered face. He didn’t seem surprised when Jiena called out to him.

“Thank you for your help,” Jiena knew this was the person who had thrown stones to help her, and was also the curved saber wielder from last night.

“It’s nothing, but you should be careful when traveling,” the uncle replied briefly before preparing to continue his journey on horseback.

“Please wait, where are you going?” Jiena asked.

“I don’t know, just wandering around,” the uncle answered casually.

“Please wait a moment, I’m heading to Beacon City, perhaps we can travel together for a while,” Jiena stopped the uncle, leading her horse out from the depths of the forest, then rode up beside him.

“Young girl, you’re too careless. Following strangers like this can lead to trouble,” although the uncle said this, he didn’t leave immediately.

“But I think you’re a good person,” Jiena said.

“Haha, I’m not a good person,” he laughed heartily and then whipped his horse to increase its speed.

Following behind, Jiena sped up as well. They chatted aimlessly as they headed westward.

“Where are you from, I can’t tell from your accent,” Jiena asked curiously.

“Me? Nowhere in particular, just wandering around. Sometimes I find work and earn some money,” he replied casually.

As they continued their journey, the two of them walked across the wilderness, watching the sunset gradually descend.

“Huh, looks like we’ll be camping out tonight,” the uncle said.

They then found a sheltered spot, tied up their horses, and gathered some dry wood to start a fire.

Around the warm fire, Jiena told her story. She came from a family of mercenaries. Although her father was often away when she was young, life was relatively comfortable, and she had a good childhood.

“I wasn’t as lucky. When I was young, our family was poor, and I did a lot of hard work. I’ve seen many sad things,” the uncle spoke lightly about his past.

“What do you think about the Halberd Sect and the Hunt Bow Sect?” Jiena had many unresolved questions and frustrations during their journey.

“They’re all scum, there’s nothing to say about them,” the uncle took off his boots, sniffed them, then shook out the dirt inside.

Jiena covered her nose and continued, “Then why did you help the Hunt Bow Sect in the city last night?”

“This is easy to explain. While they’re all rotten, the Hunt Bow Sect is slightly better at the moment.”

“But that’s about it. I advise you to avoid both sides,” the uncle added.

“But currently, these are the only two factions in the country.”

“So, it’s a corrupt nation, full of rotten worms.”

“But there are some simple and kind villagers, right?” Jiena hesitated.

“Perhaps, but they haven’t had the chance yet. If they were integrated into either faction, they would change within three days, unable to withstand any test,” the uncle whistled, taking out dried meat strips from his saddlebag, skewering them with wooden sticks and placing them over the fire to roast.

“At first, I didn’t believe it, but looking at you, you’re indeed from Emanas,” the uncle looked at the girl by the fire.

“What do you mean?” Jiena asked confusedly.

“How to put it, very idealistic, very naive. Perhaps Emanas is indeed a good place, protecting you children well, letting you see the beauty and kindness of the world.”

“Just take the words of the guard this morning as an example.”

“You were actually hesitating at that moment, weren’t you? Clearly, you could easily force your way through with your strength, but you were concerned about rules and laws, unwilling to cross the line recklessly.”

“If I hadn’t intervened, you would have probably been pulled into the room and disarmed.”

“This…”

“Remember one thing, not everyone’s words are worth listening to or believing.”

“Some scumbags, not a single word of theirs is worth hearing or trusting. When dealing with them, a sword is the best language.”

“If you try to reason with them, they will use all sorts of moral and grand principles to intimidate you, speaking with great righteousness and integrity.”

“Reasoning is for those who understand reason. Reasoning with these scumbags is an insult to yourself.”

“Then how do you distinguish between scumbags and good people?”

“That depends on what they actually do. Words are meaningless, their actions reveal everything.”

(End of Chapter)