RWNEFE -Chapter 19 Strike First, Strike Hard

“How so few? This isn’t nearly enough to eat,” Shen Conglian said, staring at the six cornbread buns in the bundle. He wanted to stomp them in frustration but couldn’t bring himself to.

“Father, Mother, the main house is so stingy! Lanxi sent so much over, and this is all our eldest brother gave us!”

The Shen patriarch and matriarch scowled.

“If you push your eldest brother too far today, he’ll definitely be angry!” the old master warned.

Shen Conglian snatched two buns angrily—one for himself, one for his favored concubine. His wife immediately pushed him, grabbed the bun from the concubine’s hand, and gave it to their child.

“Madam Liu, are you crazy?!” Shen Conglian was about to scold her when the patriarch hit him with a stick.

“Is this really the time to argue?!”

Shen Conglian glared at Madam Liu and squatted to grab another bun, only to be pushed by his two younger brothers.

“Second brother, there are only six buns. If you take two at once, how are the rest of us supposed to divide them?”

“Second brother, you can’t only think of yourself! What about Father, Mother, and the children?”

Shouting erupted from the other branches of the Shen family.

Meanwhile, the main house wasn’t calm either.

“Please, sir and madam, just give me two buns! If I don’t take them home, my mother-in-law and husband will beat me to death!” A young woman knelt before the main house, banging her head on the floor repeatedly.

She had tried this trick with the constables before and got beaten, yet now she was targeting the Shen household.

“We don’t have extras. Go ask someone else!” Shen Yuanjing quickly stuffed a bun into his mouth.

Although there was food, when divided among everyone, each person got only one. There was nothing left for others except the meager rations from the constables.

“Please! If I don’t bring them back, not only will I be beaten, but my three-year-old will also be hit!” she said, rolling up her sleeves to reveal both arms covered in bruises and cuts, some still bleeding.

Shen Yuantang, seeing the woman’s desperate eyes, felt some pity. He gave her the remaining half bun and some of the constables’ rations.

“Take this. Just this once—next time, I won’t give you anything!”

The woman’s eyes flashed with relief, fearing Shen Yuantang would take it back, and she hurriedly ran off clutching the food.

Nu Bai reported everything happening on both sides to Shen Lanxi in detail.

“Master, those injuries on the woman’s arms… she inflicted them on herself. It wasn’t her husband or mother-in-law!”

Shen Lanxi smiled faintly but said nothing, wary of Chunxue and Qiushuang overhearing.

“Master, three groups of people are approaching from different directions!”

Shen Lanxi calmly continued eating the meat-stuffed buns, occasionally taking a few wild greens Chunxue and Qiushuang had foraged from the mountains. Once half full, she drank a bowl of rice porridge.

“Later, you two guard the Shen family. No matter what you hear, do not leave their side!”

Chunxue and Qiushuang immediately paused eating and nodded.

“Nanny Li, you and your family follow behind Qiushuang and Chunxue. Keep your children away from the exiled prisoners!”

Shen Lanxi organized everything with methodical precision.

“Sir, is something going to happen tonight?”

Everyone tensed.

Shen Lanxi: “Those who failed during the day will act tonight—it’s the perfect time.”

Chunxue and Qiushuang stood, scanning the surroundings.

Darkness fell swiftly.

“Remember what I said!” Shen Lanxi said, gripping her stick as she headed into the mountains.

Chunxue tried to follow but Qiushuang grabbed her arm.

“Listen to the master!”

They had already seen her skill with the stick. Even a hundred people wouldn’t compare. If something happened, they could only hold her back, not help.

Shen Lanxi dove into the deep mountains like a tiger into a forest. With Nu Bai providing positioning, she was unstoppable.

“Master, the nearest group is in a mountain hollow 500 meters away—35 people, two on watch 30 meters from us.”

“Nu Bai!”

“Here, Master!”

“Take out their eyes first!”

“Yes, Master!”

Target locked, Shen Lanxi’s mind focused on one word: kill.

As she gripped her stick, it felt as if her blood had awakened a beast inside. The wind howled past her as she struck—two clean swings, two bodies fell, two lives ended.

“Nu Bai, positions of the remaining 33 confirmed!”

Shen Lanxi swung her stick and charged.

Like lightning, she soared over the terrain, a predator descending upon 33 enemies. Before they could react, a quarter of them were already gone.

Even as they realized, they couldn’t withstand her overwhelming assault. In moments, all 33 were cut down.

Everything they carried—weapons, rations, money—was confiscated.

None of the 35 had identifiable belongings; hiding poison in teeth was a method of the suicide squad.

“Nu Bai, the remaining two groups!”

“Received, positions locked. The next nearest group: 20 people on the opposite slope, two on watch.”

With a few agile maneuvers, Shen Lanxi leapt a hundred feet, vanishing like a phantom in the forest.

~

By the time Chunxue and Qiushuang arrived, Liu the officer had already noticed. His premonition was correct—tonight they would strike.

He was about to warn his men when Chunxue and the others stopped at a safe distance. Waiting, Liu saw them hold their position.

Had he misjudged?

An arrow soon answered him—striking the fake Wei Army tied behind the carriage dead.

Chunxue and Qiushuang immediately positioned the carriages and ox carts in a line, shielding the exiled prisoners.

Now, there was no way to distinguish friend from foe. Even Liu, the squad leader, couldn’t act carelessly.

“Gather the prisoners together!”

“You lot, listen! Any misstep, and arrows will find you! Don’t say I didn’t warn you!”

Liu shouted while rushing toward Chunxue and Qiushuang.

The exiled prisoners immediately panicked.

“They’re attacking the Shen family! It’s all their fault!” Some tried to take revenge on the nearest Shen family members.

The constables drew their knives to threaten them, scaring the rest into submission.

After today’s chaos, the Shen family was terrified—they didn’t even dare cry aloud.

“Someone’s attacking! Where’s your master?” Liu asked, scanning the small group beside Shen Lanxi.

Before they could respond, Shen Lanxi flashed forward, appearing before him in an instant.

Liu’s heart jumped.

Shen Lanxi held her long stick in her right hand, her clothes untouched, but her stick dripped with fresh blood, as if plucked from a pool of blood itself.