0114 Ordinary People on the Street

The streets were now completely devoid of pedestrians.

Jiang Feng passed through like a gust of wind, his scimitar at his side. The entire city reeked of demonic miasma, and the roads were intermittently stained with the remnants of fresh blood—some human, some demonic.

No matter how hard the Taicang City defense guards tried, they could not fully secure the perimeter against the twelve demons; there would always be a few that slipped through the cracks. The guards did their best to eliminate them, but tragic losses were inevitable.

Kuliang Street was located in the east of Taicang City, along the same line as the Zitong Forest. The east side was inhabited primarily by ordinary civilians, with relatively few martial practitioners. They had long since hidden inside their homes, not daring to even peek out.

It was fortunate they did, for if they had seen the Scimitar, it would have been quite troublesome. She resembled a human far more than she did a typical demon; anyone with eyes could identify her true nature at a glance.

As he was thinking this, a series of exclamations, screams, and angry shouts erupted nearby. The distance was not great, and with his hearing enhanced by Ming Power, Jiang Feng captured the sounds perfectly.

Simultaneously, he sensed that the demonic miasma drifting from that direction had intensified significantly.

Realizing what was happening, he let out a shout and sprinted toward the noise.

Crossing a street, he saw bloodstains splattered all over the flagstone floor, with three corpses lying nearby. Beyond that, there was a trail of blood, as if someone had just crawled away. He quickened his pace, the Scimitar following closely behind him.

A moment later, his eyes narrowed, and he shouted, "Scimitar, attack!"

Before the words had even faded, the Scimitar had surged forward. With a flick of her hand, a demon's head flew high into the air and crashed heavily to the ground.

It was a soldier-class demon, with a grotesque appearance—neither pig nor ox, truly hideous. It was still clutching an arm in its mouth—a human arm!

Not far in front of it, a young man lay on the ground, his arm severed and half of his body mauled into a bloody mess. He stared at the Scimitar with terrified eyes and screamed, "No, don't come over here!"

Jiang Feng said in a deep voice, "Don't panic. Those harmed by demons have demonic miasma within them; I'm here to help you..."

Before he could finish, a young boy vaulted down from a nearby wall, brandishing a wooden club, and swung it heavily at the Scimitar's head!

The Scimitar reacted instinctively. The club shattered against her forehead, and amidst the flying wooden splinters, she lashed out with her blade! Even as the action unfolded, Jiang Feng shouted, "Stop!"

The Scimitar's speed was immense, but fortunately, Jiang Feng’s connection with her did not require words; his intent was enough to halt her instantly. The blade stopped beside a tender neck, its edge already touching the skin and drawing a thin line of blood.

Demonic miasma seeped into the boy's skin, causing his face to turn increasingly pale. The moment the Scimitar pulled her blade away, he collapsed to his knees and began to vomit violently.

Even then, he glared at the Scimitar with fierce eyes and hissed, "Go, get away, don't touch my brother!"

Jiang Feng walked over. Just as the boy tried to resist, a gentle wave of Ming Power permeated his body, completely suppressing him.

Jiang Feng looked at the young man, then at the boy, and sure enough, he noticed they bore a striking resemblance.

"Ordinary people... do you live around here?"

Unable to move, the boy glared at him and cursed, "You're a human? A martial practitioner? Pfft, and yet you walk alongside a demon!"

With that, he spat directly at Jiang Feng.

Jiang Feng sidestepped and said helplessly, "You have courage, but your observation skills are lacking. Haven't you noticed she is following my orders? She is under my control—you could call her my puppet."

The boy’s eyes widened in shock: "...That’s possible?"

Jiang Feng shook his head. "Never mind that for now. Let me treat your brother’s wounds first."

The two brothers were ordinary citizens. The older brother was Wu San, and the younger was Wu Qi; they lived on this street. They hadn't dared to leave their home for days, but today their water supply had run out. Wu San had gathered the courage to go to the well at the end of the alley, only to be struck by bad luck and run straight into the demon.

This soldier-class demon had already killed two or three people. Wu San had caught it off guard, attacking it with a wooden bucket, which allowed him to escape a few steps further.

With the demonic miasma in his body purged by Jiang Feng, Wu Qi watched nervously as his brother was treated. He said excitedly, "As expected of my brother! I told you, what's there to be afraid of with a demon? If you run into one, you just fight!"

Wu San gave a bitter smile. "Demons are certainly terrifying, but you're right. If you don't fight, you're sure to die. If you do fight, you might just meet a savior like this."

Jiang Feng removed the demonic miasma from Wu San and bandaged his wounds briefly. He was about to speak when he suddenly heard similar screams nearby.

A moment later, two more soldier-class demons fell under the Scimitar’s blade.

The Scimitar made killing these low-level demons look effortless, but Jiang Feng’s heart sank. He scanned his surroundings, yet there was no sign of the city defense guards. That soldier-class demons were penetrating this far without guards coming to reinforce the area made it clear just how dire the situation on the front lines had become.

He had to get to the front; he couldn't stay here, but what if more soldier-class demons appeared?

During this time, with the Scimitar's help and his own not-insignificant abilities, Jiang Feng had been cutting through demons like wheat. Yet, his heart was shrouded in a deep sense of powerlessness.

Faced with the current situation in Taicang City, his individual strength was far too thin. Furthermore, his control over the Scimitar would only last five days; once those five days passed, he would revert to being a mere Dawn-realm practitioner. He might be stronger than others at his level, and occasionally capable of defeating stronger opponents—but what good would that do?

In the current Taicang City, his level was nothing more than cannon fodder.

He took a deep breath, brushing away his anxiety, and stared at the fallen demons, his thoughts racing—what should be done in this situation?

"E-excuse me, sir..."

Suddenly, a voice came from behind him. Jiang Feng turned to see Wu Qi supporting Wu San as they hobbled over. Wu San's voice was unsteady, but his expression was remarkably firm. "Sir, you are in a rush to get to the front lines, aren't you?"

Jiang Feng nodded. "Yes. The reason so many demons are appearing here is because a breach occurred at the front, and I am here to fill the gap. But it is very dangerous here; there is nowhere to run in Taicang City right now."

A wave of intense pain hit, and Wu San’s face paled. He suppressed the agony and smiled. "Sir, although we are not martial practitioners, we are still people of Taicang City. You are fighting for your lives at the front, so we should contribute our share as well!"

Wu Qi added firmly, "That's right, sir. We can't use Ming Power, but we still know a thing or two about fighting. We will protect our own lives!"

Before the age of sixteen, when one fused with a Ming seed, most families with the means would teach their children basic martial arts. After sixteen, if one failed to fuse with a seed, some would give up cultivation, while others would continue regardless.

Judging by their muscle condition, Jiang Feng could tell these two brothers were the latter.

Jiang Feng stared at them for a moment, then nodded. "Good!"

After a moment of thought, he suddenly stood up and leaped onto a rooftop. The Scimitar followed him silently, and the Wu brothers looked up at him in confusion.

Jiang Feng surveyed the area and then jumped back down. He said in a deep voice, "You are not martial practitioners; the disparity in strength between you and the demons is too great. Therefore, do not think about playing the hero or fighting alone. Your goal must be defense. The longer you hold, the more lives you can save."

He crouched down and quickly drew a topographical map on the ground. He said, "You must gather everyone's strength and focus your defenses. I’ve looked around, and this area has the best terrain..."

He explained in detail where they should fight, what tactics to employ, and how to manage logistics. Having spent this time on the battlefield, listening, watching, learning, and thinking, he was far superior to these ordinary civilians.

The Wu brothers grew more and more amazed as they listened, focusing their entire attention on memorizing every word he said.

Jiang Feng looked at them and said, "The hardest part for ordinary people dealing with demons is the demonic miasma, so you must be careful to keep your distance. If possible, I will request some medicine to be sent here."

The brothers nodded in unison, saying gratefully, "Thank you, sir!"

Jiang Feng stood up and laughed. "What is there to thank me for? We are all fighting for Taicang City, for humanity!"

"Yes!"

Jiang Feng did not linger. After giving his instructions, he left quickly with the Scimitar. Behind him, the two brothers were already taking action. Their efforts left Jiang Feng feeling both moved and angry.

These ordinary people had begun to take action, fighting to protect their own city.

Yet the leaders of the martial practitioners—the great families, Prince Zhuyang, and Lord Fuliu—were still caught in internal strife, delaying the war effort.

This was simply...

He did not stop again, rushing toward Kuliang Street at top speed. Upon arriving, his eyes were met with black mist and demons running rampant everywhere.

The wounded soldiers here could not be placed in organized tents like on Shizi Street; they lay on the ground, groaning and struggling. Those who were still fit had no time to attend to them, forced instead to fight the demons with their lives.

Seeing the scene before him, Jiang Feng’s eyes turned red. He shouted, "Scimitar, attack!"

Before the words faded, the Scimitar had charged in. A demon was crouching over a wounded soldier, gnawing at him. The soldier was still alive, struggling and screaming. The Scimitar flashed past, cutting the demon in two, and then surged forward again.

On the battlefield, a burly man was swinging a long halberd, fighting for his life. Hearing the commotion behind him, he snatched a glance in the middle of his struggle. What he saw stunned him.

On the battlefield, a lithe female demon was leaping with ease. A shimmering silver scimitar danced in her hand, leaving trails of light and afterimages in the dark air.

Wherever she passed, she left behind a trail of severed demonic limbs!

A powerful demon had appeared! If this news had been heard in normal times, it would have been terrifying. But at this moment, it was a source of immense relief.

This powerful demon was controlled by a human—a human who had turned it into an ally and a helper!

The burly man roared, his arm surging with golden light as he pulverized a demon in front of him.

He turned and shouted, "Is that Jiang Feng?!"